Dutch four-way auction closes for Michaela von Kügelgen’s VILLA HILDA trilogy!

We are over the moon to let you know that the four-way auction for Dutch rights to Michaela von Kügelgen’s Villa Hilda trilogy has now ended!

After strong interest and wonderful enthusiasm from all participating publishers, we’re excited to announce that we’ve found the perfect home for the series in the Netherlands and Belgium — congratulations to Singel Uitgevers. The deal was closed by Martti Berner at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Publisher Elik Lettinga shared her thoughts:

This trilogy immediately appealed to me and my colleagues. The pitch alone had a relaxing effect, which was confirmed by the lively warmth of the narration. The combination of a big old house, food and interesting characters, all thrown together on an island, is quite delightful.

This follows the previous deals in Estonia, Denmark and Germany. The Estonian rights of the first book were sold to Hea Lugu at auction, while both the Danish and German rights were pre-empted in three-book-deals by Lindhardt & Ringhof and Aufbau Verlage. All of the deals are closed pre-publication!

Villa Hilda trilogy is charming and heartwarming series set on the Swedish island of Halsterö, where second chances, new begginning and cinnamon buns await.

The first book will be published by Schildts & Söderströms this June, and followed by book #2 in February 2026 and book #3 in September 2026. In addition to this feel-good series, Michaela, together with author Anne Hietanen, is working on a crime novel series that is set to debut in 2026 with book #1, The Last Word.

Download materials for VILLA HILDA trilogy here!

Reading materials available:

• Full Swedish manuscript (Book 1)

• English sample & synopsis (Book 1)

• English synopsis (Book 2)

And don’t forget: FILI (Finnish Literature Exchange) supports translations also from Finnish-Swedish — covering 50–70% of translation costs. The current grant round is open until May 1st!

Summer at Villa Hilda

Michaela von Kügelgen

Many people dream of a second chance in life, but how many dare to take it?

Far out in the Stockholm archipelago lies the island of Halsterö. Journalist Thomas and former celebrity chef Louise travel there to work at the Villa Hilda guesthouse. They are both broken after many setbacks and are hoping for a fresh start. But setting up a summer paradise is not as easy as one might think, not even on the idyllic Halsterö island.

One day Louise stumbles across a collection of old love letters. Who wrote them, and what stories does Villa Hilda hide in its dusty attic? And how will Thomas manage to take care of his dementia-stricken mother while setting up an archipelago guesthouse?

Summer at Villa Hilda is about how difficult it is to be human among other people, but also about how, with the help of others, one can find one’s way back to life.