Claire Frances’ debut novel, “To Hell With It,” features Te Puke and Ōmanu Beach.
Frances signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins, with half the book set in New Zealand.
The novel, about a young woman with OCD, draws on Frances’ own experiences.
Te Puke and Ōmanu Beach are set to be featured in British author Claire Frances’ debut novel, To Hell With It.
Frances, then 22, visited the Bay of Plenty in 2003 with an ex-boyfriend.
She camped on Ōmanu Beach while picking kiwifruit in Te Puke, and was featured in the Te Puke Times, where she shared her dream of one day becoming an author.
“I came to New Zealand in October 2003 and left in April 2004.”
Frances returned to England, where she lives in Dartmoor in Devon, but the memories of Te Puke and Ōmanu Beach remained.
The relationship with her then-boyfriend ended and Frances moved into a shared house, where she would borrow her landlord’s computer to write stories and keep herself busy.
“I remember sitting there thinking,’ Oh, my God, I love this feeling’.”
A passion and desire to write overtook her and she pursued her writing dream, inspired by Cecelia Ahern, author of PS, I Love You, which HarperCollins had published.
After attempting a career in print journalism, Frances decided to pursue a master’s in professional writing, specialising in fiction, at a British university.
Claire Frances picking Kiwifruit in Te Puke.
“I had to produce 15,000 words of a novel at the end of this course, which I did, and I went away, and I was like, right, I’m going to finish this book.”
Then life got in the way, Frances married and had kids.
Subsequent rewrites led to that book’s disbandment.
After pitching another book to literary agents, she connected with Mushens Entertainment in London and was offered representation.
To Hell With It, the debut novel by Frances.
Frances’s dream came true when she signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins, following in the footsteps of the Irish author Ahern in October 2023.
Frances said half of the book is set in New Zealand, and significant scenes occur in Te Puke and Mount Maunganui.
“The book is about a young woman living in rural Ireland called Pearl, and she has extreme OCD,” Frances said.
Not only did Frances draw from her time in New Zealand, but Pearl, the central character, also shares her mental health challenges.
Claire Frances during her time travelling around New Zealand.
“I have OCD, so I drew on my own experiences with OCD and turned them into fiction,” Frances said.
The book will be published in June, with a New Zealand release date yet to be revealed.
It can be preordered on Amazon and has also been sent to various production houses for a book-to-screen deal. Frances also got a separate publishing deal in the Netherlands and the book will be translated into Dutch.
