Today, in 2011, Small Blue Thing was published after a whirlwind year of edits, choosing covers, translations and photoshoots. I had never expected to write a book of any kind, never mind one that ended up as award winning, or that I’d be voted as finalist (twice!) for the awesome Queen of Teen. It was the start of a new chapter in my life. I’ve now had four books for teens published, written one other (still at first draft) and currently have my debut adult thriller out with agents. I still have my day job, as most authors do, but I have a fantastic new passion and have met some brilliant people. I’ve also discovered a love for school visits. There is nothing quite like a room of 400 kids to focus the attention, and I’m constantly amazed at the questions they can come up with!
My publisher, Nosy Crow, is also seven today, as Small Blue Thing was their launch publication. They have gone from strength to strength, and I’m really proud to have been part of their journey. (Their latest news is here.)
So if you have been one of the many readers who have contacted me over the years, thank you. Your feedback is more precious than you know. Happy Birthday, Small Blue Thing – I can’t wait to see what the next seven years bring!

If you’ve read any of my books you might have noticed a theme running through them – each one has a dog featured somewhere. I wrote the first one before I had a dog – my parents were always much more fond of cats – but eventually my children wore me down and I agreed. Within a flash Bailey was part of the family. She has invaded my life and my heart, and I thought you might like to meet her.

 

What sort of family are you – dog or cat?

I’m delighted to be able to finally announce that I’m going to be participating in YA Shot this year. This is a huge event on October 22nd, and it’s open to all. A link to the site is here, and a summary of what’s happening is below. I’ll give you’re info as I get it, and I hope I’ll see some of you there!

 

YA Shot is an author-run, author-led Young Adult and Middle Grade festival that raises the money and resources to run a year-long programme pairing libraries and schools for free author events to foster a love of reading, inspire a passion for writing, and encourage aspirations to careers in the Arts. We believe in equal access to books and opportunities for all – YA Shot brings UKYA and UKMG authors together to pursue that goal, supporting libraries and young people across the country. At present, we’re a not-for-profit organisation but we’re seeking to become a charity.

YA Shot is a one-day annual festival based in the centre of Uxbridge (London). The 2016 festival will take place on Saturday 22nd October 2016. Around 70 authors are involved in a programme of workshop, panel and ‘in conversation’ events (plus book-signing sessions) in the Uxbridge Civic Centre, Waterstone’s Uxbridge and Uxbridge Library. There is also a programme of fantastic blogging and vlogging workshops. YA Shot is run in partnership with Hillingdon Borough Libraries and Waterstone’s Uxbridge.

I was really chuffed to hear that The Beneath has been longlisted for the Amazing Book Awards being held by the Sussex Coast Schools – it’s great to be part of such a brilliant list. See who I’m up against –

The shortlist will be announced in the next few days, and – whoever makes it through – I’m so proud to be included. These awards are voted for by the students themselves, not the teachers or the librarians, and that makes being a part of it even more special. Details of the award and the process are here.

So thank you, Sussex. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I make it onto the shortlist!

I hope you’ve had a great Christmas – mine has been really busy with lots of family things. I’m sorry that I’ve not had much time to post on here recently, but along with all the family stuff I’ve been busy writing a new book. In fact, I’ve been so busy with all of it that I’ve pretty much had to abandon social media. It’s amazing how much more time I’ve got in my day to crack on with everything else.
But I just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year. Thank you for all your support in 2015 and I hope to speak with and meet lots more of you in 2016!

Next Saturday – on the 10th October – there is a brilliant UK YA event going on in Nottingham. Around 30 authors – including me – are going to be at the main Waterstones store, talking, answering questions, signing books and providing cake!

The day starts at 1pm, and there will be a series of panels throughout the afternoon. Groups of four authors will say a bit about themselves and their books, and will then answer questions. I’m on with a great crowd – David Owen, Helen Grant and CJ Skuse. I can’t wait! The full  line-up is shown below. I bet some of your favourites are on there.

There are still a few tickets left (only £3 – that’s just 10p per author 🙂 ), so if you can be in Nottingham next weekend, we’d love to meet you. Just call the number on the poster below.

 

 

Amber is a blogger who loves books and wants to be a writer, but she can no longer go to school. I’m supporting her in her quest to find the funding to get an education.

You can read all about her story here.

She’s giving away some fabulous things to entice you to spare a few pounds, including some of my books ( – signed too!). The copy of The Beneath has already been snaffled, but an opportunity to get your hands on a signed copy of Small Blue Thing will be on the site shortly. Follow the link above to the crowdfunding site to see all the details, or check out her award-winning book blog – the Mile Long Bookshelf.

Go and have a look, and if you can spare it, please invest in Amber. Help to give a girl an education.

 

I’m sure that you’ve seen all the brilliant stuff which has been going on under the banner of UKYA, and now we have another exciting initiative – our very own UKYA shop!

Organised by the fabulous Susie Day, you can buy various branded items – T-shirts, tote bags, phone cases, and lots and lots of different mugs, each with a quote from one of your favorite UKYA authors. I was given the chance to provide my favourite quote from the book, and after much pondering, decided on the moment when Callum first speaks to Alex.

So if you’d like to be drinking your tea out out of a rather special Small Blue Thing mug, you can find it in the on-line shop here.

And check out all the other merchandise available here.

 

….And the winner of my giveaway for #UKYADAY is the lovely Viv Dacosta, from Serendipity Reviews!

 

Well done Viv – you win signed copies of all my books, including The Beneath. I hope that you enjoy them!

Today is UKYA day – a day for special celebrations of the UKYA community, organised by the unstoppable Lucy Powrie at Queen of Contemporary. When I thought about what I’d like to write about to celebrate it, one things seemed most relevant – why I started writing UKYA in the first place.

Yesterday I blogged about what it’s like to be a writer, but only six years ago I wasn’t. I’d not written a word of fiction since I’d been at school decades before. The catalyst was my daughter – she was eleven at the time and was reading the Twilight books. She absolutely loved them, and I borrowed one to read on the train as I was interested in seeing what she liked.

What struck me most about them was how American they were, stuffed full of cultural references which she couldn’t possibly understand. I wanted her to read some books which were age-appropriate but also familiar, so I went to my local bookshop and scanned the shelves. There were plenty of Jacqueline Wilson books, but aside from that everything else I picked up seems to be more by Americans.

I decided that it would be fun to see if I could write a story myself, set in the UK, full of references which my daughter would understand and enjoy. I could base the main character on an older version of my daughter, who could go to a school like hers and have friends with the same names as her friends. I had time on my daily commute to write, and I had a deadline – her birthday in September. I was soon into a rhythm, writing on my BlackBerry every train journey, and then emailing the files to myself. At the weekend I’d patch them all together into a bigger file and edit. I wrote about London, and Twickenham (where she was born), St Paul’s Cathedral, and the stuff that teenage girls do – have unsuitable boyfriends, learn to drive, squabble and gossip. Then I threw in a love interest. Someone who she could fall for, but (and this is crucial if you are writing for your own daughter!) who is also unattainable.

It took six months, but it was ready for her birthday. She had been kept in the dark about it, only knowing that I was writing her something, and I handed her over a copy I’d had bound. It was called Small Blue Thing. She scuttled off to read. At one point she came back, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t believe that you did that to them,” she muttered as she shot off again to finish it. I’d made her cry! I didn’t think it could get any better than that.

Luckily she loved the whole thing, and started lending it to her friends. One thing led to another and I got introduced to someone who was interested in publishing it – and not only that, but a whole trilogy too.  Fast forward through those six years, and I’ve just had my fourth book published, and I’ve completed the first draft of a new one. Life has changed hugely, and I’ve met so many brilliant people involved in the writing and publication of books for children and teens.

In that time the UK YA community has come of age. We are now a driving force in the publishing industry. There are whole conferences (YALC, for example) just for us. The Children’s Laureate, Malorie Blackman, is a huge champion for us, and the blogging community is awesome. I’m truly proud to have been a small part of that revolution, and I’m also hugely relieved that, on that day when I went looking for books for my daughter, that I didn’t speak to a bookseller. They would have pointed me to some of the new band of writers, and I’d have bought her those books. I might never have made the decision to write my own.

So, to celebrate UKYA day, I’m giving way a signed set of all four of my published books – Small Blue Thing, Perfectly Reflected, Scattering Like Light and The Beneath. To be in with a chance, comment on the post, or RT and follow on Twitter. Good Luck!