ME

Parent, bookseller and writer of books for 7 – 13 year olds – This blog is largely about writing for children, but also about living in rural suburbia; a place where having a bonfire is a piece of news.

Over the years I have worked as a shop assistant, a dinner lady and a curator.  I have pulled up more dandelions than a person should and painted hundreds and hundreds of small wooden boats for my husband, a toymaker. I am also a bookseller.

Some years ago I graduated from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young people. My tiny class contained Gill Lewis, Sam Gayton, Giancarlo Gemin, Che Golden and Sarah Hammond.

Since then, I have appeared at the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature, the Cheltenham Literary Festival, Bath Literary Festival, and Hay.  I have won awards, the Leeds Children’s book Award, and the Salford Children’s Book award – been shortlisted for other awards including the James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award, the Leicester Our Best Book Award, the Enfield Book Award, the Heart of Hawick Book Award, the Oxford Book Award, and longlisted for the Redbridge Children’s Book Award, The Leicester Reading Rampage, and the Branford Boase Award.  Dear Scarlett, Murder in Midwinter Bus Stop Baby and Waiting for Murder have all been selected for Booktrust’s Bookbuzz programme and have been given out to thousands of secondary schoolchildren across Britain.

I have done hundreds of events in schools, spoken to thousands of children and helped many thousands more with their writing.

My books have been translated into French, German, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish and Tan. I have written free workshops for the Booktrust, available here.

I have also worked on  the Story Adventure, an interactive sequel to SHRUNK!

I am represented by Kate Shaw of the Shaw Agency.

You can find me on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.