Bakers Lane Books acquires McGuinness YA novel

Bakers Lane Books has acquired world rights to Violet Town, a young adult novel by Bryony McGuinness.

Violet Town follows Cate Hawkins, a longstanding resident of Hickory’s Orphanage, as she begins her last year at Dashwood boarding school during the Second World War.

“Cate aspires for future placement at Oxford University,” said the publisher. “However, with the arrival of new student Joseph Hume, a handsome American with an immediate attraction [to] her, her aspirations quickly fall by the wayside (along with her affinity for the school rules which prohibit relationships between students).”

McGuinness resides in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.

She said, “Ever since I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with reading and writing. It was in Year 8 (when I was supposed to be concentrating in the classroom) that I started to envision a story between two characters that took me on an ever-evolving journey spanning over 2 decades.”

Publisher Ginny Grant said, “I am tremendously excited about the acquisition of Violet Town. McGuinness is an exciting new voice with the potential to cross over from young adult fiction to adults. Violet Town had me captivated right to the (tragic) end.”

Violet Town is slated for release in July 2026.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions