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Ava Morwood is a writer of dark, suspenseful contemporary thrillers, laden with the eeriness of folklore and the secrets buried in the British landscape. Her first novel is inspired by the peculiarity of mermaid legends being found across the landlocked Peak District, combined with echoes of the fairy tale she always loved deepest and best.
- Press Release: ‘Until We Drown’ by Ava MorwoodHarperNorth dive in with haunting peak district thriller ‘Until We Drown’ by Ava Morwood Manchester, 22nd October 2025 HarperCollins today announces the acquisition of Until We Drown by Ava Morwood, the pen name of Alison Littlewood, who has previously been an R&J pick and won the Shirley Jackson award.
Acquired with UK and Commonwealth rights from Oli Munson at AM Heath in a two-book deal, Megan Jones will publish Until We Drown in hardback, ebook and audio in April 2026.
A spellbinding thriller with a powerful sense of place, Until We Drown is set in the Peak District, where Ellie Kellaway and her family are seeking a fresh start. Ellie hopes to leave behind her troubling memories of the sea – and her husband’s affair with the beautiful wild swimmer he met there.
But this new home harbours dark secrets, where ancient legends intertwine with chilling realities. When Ellie’s daughter finds a mermaid carving hidden in the bones of their house, the family find themselves pulled into an undertow of betrayal and vengeance which threatens to drown them all.
Megan Jones said: ‘I am thrilled to be working with Ava, not only a wonderfully talented writer but someone passionate about the stories which special places hide. Until We Drown is a thriller that conjures a dark fascination that lasts long after the final page.’
Ava Morwood said: ‘I’m completely thrilled that Until We Drown has found such an amazing home. It’s a heart-and-soul of a novel, which began with my fascination with the presence of mermaid folklore in the landlocked Peak District and grew into a rather darker, more dangerous contemporary thriller. I’m beyond happy to be working with Megan and the fabulous team at HarperNorth, and grateful to my agent, Oli Munson, for making this happen.’
HarperNorth, established in 2020, finds, nurtures and grows northern writing talent and brings the best voices to the widest national and international audiences. At the vanguard of the movement to widen publishing’s regional diversity, HarperNorth offers a dedicated editorial, marketing and publicity function rooted in the north. Based in the heart of Manchester, HarperNorth publishes fiction and non-fiction across the market. From crime to rom-com and memoir to history, we are looking for the best writers to reach the broadest possible readership.
HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 15 countries. With over 200 years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 16 languages, and has a print and digital catalogue of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) and can be visited online at corporate.HC.com.