THE author of an acclaimed debut novel will be appearing in Ledbury next week to sign copies of her book.

Hannah Kent, whose novel Burial Rites has been long-listed for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction, will be at Ledbury Books and Maps on Thursday, March 27, at 1pm.

Hannah Kent, born in Adelaide, Australia, in 1985, is the co-founder and deputy editor of literary journal Kill Your Darlings, and is completing her PhD at Flinders University.

Burial Rites is set in 19th-century Iceland and tells the story of a young woman sentenced to death for killing her lover and the priest appointed her spiritual guardian, who is compelled to try to understand her story.

Lindsay Jackson, owner of Ledbury Books and Maps, said: "I'm delighted that Hannah will be coming to sign her book, which is just out in paperback.

"The Bailey's prize, formerly the Orange prize, is probably the top prize for women's fiction, and it's unusual for a debut novel to be long-listed for it."