Subject: New comic novel set in a Manchester theatre: Lisa Doyle Is Absolutely Fine, out 18 June
Hi [Name],
I wanted to flag a new comic novel set in Manchester that I think might be of interest for your What’s On or books coverage.
Lisa Doyle Is Absolutely Fine by Mo Fanning (Spring Street Books, paperback, ebook and audio, 18 June 2026) is a rom-com set in and around a Manchester theatre. The protagonist, Lisa, manages the box office; fed up with being ‘the one who never brings a plus one to anything’, she invents a fiancé and tells the world. She calls him Brian – which turns out to be a bad call, since her boss is also called Brian, and has a terrifying wife called Audrey. The city itself is very much a character: the theatre’s backstage life, the after-show pubs, the geography of getting home from a late shift.
Mo is the author of seven novels and a regular contributor to The Bookseller, BookBrunch and Female First. He lived in Manchester in the late 1990s and the city has stayed with him as a setting – this is the second of his novels to be set there. The book sits in the warm commercial comic register, for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Beth O’Leary.
I’d love to offer Mo for an interview, a Q&A, or a short written piece on writing Manchester from a distance – whatever fits best for your pages. He’s a warm, quotable interviewee, available remotely, by phone or in person.
Press release, review copy (paperback, ebook or audio), author photo and cover artwork all available on request – just say the word.
With thanks,
Adrian Bedford
publicist for Mo Fanning
mofanning.co.uk
Lisa Doyle Is Absolutely Fine – Spring Street Books — 18 June 2026 – ISBN 978-1-068394-71-3