Wanna see who won my ‘paint a portrait’ competition … with an incredible picture inspired by Ophelia? Check it out here …
Love Song goes to France – the home of romance
I’m so pleased to share the news that Hugo & Cie have bought the rights to LOVE SONG in France. This seems appropriate for the Romantic Novel of the Year, non? I’ll be going to Paris myself in July, and I’m thrilled that my book will be following me. I
Romantic Novel of the Year award 2017 – Love Song
So there was an award ceremony this week. I have to say, I was still recovering a bit from last week. Last week – World Book Week – was insanely busy and wonderful. The best bits, as always, were when I met students who were going to read and write
Following Ophelia is a hot new release
Today is my book birthday. Following Ophelia is out – and it’s on Amazon as a ‘hot new release’ – though if you’d like to follow Mary’s journey as an artist’s muse, you can get it on Hive instead. It’s cheaper (!) and you’ll be supporting your local bookshop. Which
World Book Day
World Book week (it’s never just a day) is always exhausting and uplifting. But this week it was extra special. I get to travel around the country, talking to hundreds and hundreds of young people about reading, writing and dreaming about their futures. I crossed the country from Essex to
The blog tour for Following Ophelia
Following Ophelia is out on 9th March, and there’s a lot to talk about. What’s so special about the seven Pattle sisters from Calcutta? Which Pre-Raphaelite paintings are the most inspiring? What’s the story behind the cover process? Why do I owe my career to JK Rowling? Which Victorian women
Countdown to Following Ophelia
Following Ophelia is my 8th novel for teens. It started life as an idea from my editor, Katie Jennings at Stripes. She was looking for someone to write about the Pre-Raphaelites and their muses. I was struggling to decide between lots of ideas I had for new books when my
Love Song shortlisted for the RoNAs
Love Song’s original title was This Is Not a Love Song (one of my favourite post-punk anthems from Public Image Ltd) because it’s about a girl who doesn’t want her life complicated by messy feelings for a boy. Nina is sensible, level-headed and calm. But that’s why more than one
Young readers rule!
This month marks the beginning of my stint as patron of the TS Foundation Readers Cup. On Tuesday I was lucky enough to watch four teams from South London compete in a thrilling quiz. They all knew their books inside out and the tension was palpable as they leaped to
Coming soon … FOLLOWING OPHELIA
For the last six months I’ve been working on a new and exciting project, set in the art world. It’s my first historical novel, about a subject I’ve always adored, with a heroine who’s about to shake up Victorian London. Here’s the cover reveal … Click on the photo to