Sheila O'Flanagan
Agent: Isobel Dixon
Assistant: Sian Ellis-Martin
Biography: Ex-bond dealer and financial journalist whose novels have all been immediate No 1 Irish bestsellers. Her books have been described 'as necessary to women as chocolate, and just as addictive!' Headline have over 7 million copies of her books in print. She was the recipient of the prestigious Irish Tatler Literary Woman of the Year award in 2003, and has been shortlisted for the An Post Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year Award 2021 for THREE WEDDINGS AND A PROPOSAL.
Headline will publish SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS in March 2026.
‘It’s written from the heart and, as usual, Sheila O’Flanagan leaves you eager to know about the characters at every turn of a page.’ — Essentials
‘O'Flanagan has unleashed a fire-breathing specimen straight out of the age of Germaine Greer... O'Flanagan's latest offering deserves its place on the bestseller list - it entertains, surprises and provokes.’ — Independent, Ireland
‘Romantic and charming, this is a real must-read.’ — Closer magazine
‘A story that delivers on so many levels and which will never stop surprising you.’ — The Northern Echo
SECRETS BETWEEN FRIENDS
Contemporary Fiction, 432 pages
Headline, March 2026
Ailie, Sybil and Rua can take care of themselves. But when they form an unexpected friendship, they discover new perspectives on old problems.
Ailie is recently widowed, and struggling. At least she can cut ties with her toxic Italian in-laws. Except her teenage daughter is joining them in Trieste. Should Ailie follow, and confront the family who can't forgive her?
Sybil has learned to be happy alone. But her younger sister, Tansy, thinks Sybil needs to find a man before it's too late. And she has the perfect candidate. Can Sybil cope with Tansy interfering - again?
Twice Rua has faced the worst, and twice she's started over. All that matters now is protecting her daughter. Yet she's kept the full story from her. Is it time to trust Brontë with the truth?
An intriguing and sparkling story about women discovering their strength - and loving life.
THE HONEYMOON AFFAIR
Contemporary Fiction, 480 pages
Headline, May 2024
Izzy is in the Caribbean on the honeymoon-that-isn't after her fiancé broke her heart. She's not looking for someone new. But when she meets Charles Miller, a successful writer holidaying alone, the electricity is undeniable. And what does she have to lose?
In Ireland, Charles's ex-wife and agent Ariel flits from party to party, glamorous and poised. She's in constant contact with Charles. They're very close. Ariel wonders if they should get back together. She's an independent woman, but she liked being part of a power couple. And she's sure she only has to say, and they'll pick up where they left off.
No matter how in control of life you think you are, it can shock and surprise you. As Izzy, Ariel and Charles are about to find out…
THE WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE
Historical Fiction, 384 pages
Headline Review, April 2023
Dublin. The 1920s. As war tears Ireland apart, two young people are caught up in events that will bring love, tragedy - and the hardest of choices.
In a country fighting for freedom, it's hard to live a normal life. Winnie O'Leary supports the cause, but she doesn't go looking for trouble. Then rebel Joseph Burke steps into her workplace. Winnie is furious with him about a broken window. She's not interested in romance. But love comes when you least expect it.
Joseph's family shelter fugitives and transport weapons. Joseph would never ask Winnie to join the fight; but his mother and sisters demand commitment. Will Winnie choose Joseph, and put her own loved ones in deadly danger? Or wait for a time of peace that may never come?
WHAT EDEN DID NEXT
Contemporary, 464 pages
Headline, April 2022
Five years after the death of her firefighter husband, Eden knows better than anyone that life can change in an instant. Now, instead of the future she had planned with Andy, she has Lila - the daughter he never got the chance to meet. And instead of Andy, she has his family.
Then Eden meets someone. Someone she knew before Andy, before Lila, before the tragedy. Someone who reminds her of how she used to be. But Andy's mother has other plans. And Eden is facing an impossible choice. One that could tear a family apart . . .
Honest and emotionally gripping, What Eden Did Next is an irresistible, sometimes heart-breaking, ultimately joyful, novel of love, loss - and finding your own way to happiness.