After a hotly contested international auction, Christy Anne Jones’ debut novel, Theodora’s Tea Shop, has been sold to Hachette Australia and Headline imprint Wildfire in a joint acquisition.
Rebecca Saunders, Head of Fiction at Hachette Australia, struck the deal with Anna Carmichael at Abner Stein, with UK and Commonwealth rights excluding ANZ and Canada going to Areen Ali, Senior Commissioning Editor at Wildfire, for simultaneous publication in Australia and the UK in late July 2026.
Theodora’s Tea Shop is a richly imagined, dark and dazzling cosy fantasy novel.
Dorothy Louise Walcott should have died when she was fourteen. Instead, she grew into a timid young woman, frugal, ill, over-educated, and dreaming ceaselessly of running away to learn magic. When she hears of a woman who might apprentice her, she sets off on a journey to Alliaster, a city where spirits play cards with kings. Dot is determined to find the witch Theodora—empress of an underground syndicate peddling magic from the quaint façade of her tea shop. Theodora is everything Dot wants to be: beautiful, witty, confident.
However, Dot’s arrival heralds the unearthing of Theodora’s eldritch secrets, threatening to topple the witch’s empire and take them both with it.
The novel is an atmospheric 1920s-inspired fantasy about magic, friendship, and, of course, tea. Theodora’s Tea Shop features twists and turns, found families, monstrous women, many heartfelt and cosy moments, and a creepy daemon who owns a department store. If you love Howl’s Moving Castle, you will adore this book.
Saunders said: ‘I knew within seconds that I wanted to publish Christy’s breathtakingly imagined novel. It is so beautifully written and enchanting; think Howl’s Moving Castle, The Night Circus and Emily Wilde’s series of novels. Theodora’s Tea Shop is already an office favourite – I had one enthusiastic colleague wanting to join the acquisition meeting even though she was on holiday! We can’t wait to publish.’
Jones said: 'I couldn't be more thrilled to work with Hachette Australia and Wildfire to bring Theodora's Tea Shop to readers! I was blown away by the team's enthusiasm and allignment on the story. What a joy for the novel to have found such a wonderful home, and I am so excited to see it hit shelves in 2026.'
Theodora’s Tea Shop will be published by Hachette Australia and Wildfire in late July 2026.
About Christy Anne Jones
Christy Anne Jones is a speculative fiction writer based in Adelaide. Her short stories and travel writing have been published in Australia and Japan. In addition to writing, Christy runs a bookish YouTube channel where she posts reviews, essays, and cosy and cinematic vlogs to an audience of over 240,000.
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Nothing is more dangerous than a witch with secrets.
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