Viking to publish trilogy by debut author Callie Coles after six-figure pre-empt

Viking Fiction is set to publish a modern-day saga trilogy from debut author Callie Coles. Harriet Bourton, publishing director at Viking Fiction, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights to three titles in the Spinning Silk Saga from Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown. HarperCollins secured rights in Germany, with further deals being negotiated in other translation markets by Sophie Baker at Curtis Brown. Gráinne Fox at UTA is handling North American rights on behalf of Blunt.

Coles is a self-published author and avid equestrian, having previously published the first of the saga, Tangled Webs, with her husband, Toby Coles. Tangled Webs tells the story of Sage Deverill, who escapes from her abusive husband and his overbearing mother to her grandparents’ estate and equestrian grounds in Newmarket. The story explores Sage’s bond with one of her grandfather’s racing horses and her budding romance with a trainer.

Bourton said: “Full of romantic sentiment, nostalgic charm and page-turning drama, Callie’s trilogy is a multi-generational chronicle imbued with all the classic saga tropes that she brings to life on the page with a modern flourish and the result is comfortingly timeless. I immediately fell for Tangled Webs, which reads like a cross between Jilly Cooper and Anne of Green Gables for the Instagram age. We are so excited to publish this contemporary reimagining of saga storytelling – it’s time to shake up the genre.”

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