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8th March 2021

Just had my first author interview! The lovely Vince Stevenson from Boomers on Books chatted to me about my debut novel  The Girl in the Maze  which comes out in October this year. 

It was brilliant to talk to Vince about my journey to publication, the inspiration behind the book and what's next in my writing journey . Listen to the recording here and you can pre-order the book here. 

8th January 2021

I'm thrilled to announce that I've been signed up by Agora Books! They'll be publishing The Girl in the Maze  in October this year. 

Agora is part of Peters Fraser + Dunlop, one of the longest established literary and talent agencies in London. They are a digital first publisher with a diverse list of fiction including esteemed author Jeanette Winterson. 

Traversing four generations of women torn apart by familial trauma, The Girl in the Maze explores the complex relationship and challenges involved in both mothering and being mothered. 

I'm looking forward to working with the Agora team to bring The Girl in the Maze to market.  

18th December 2020

Exciting news to end the year!  The Girl in the Maze has been longlisted for this year’s Grindstone Literary International Novel Prize. Out of more than 800 entries, the novel was selected for a longlist of 24 unpublished novels.  The judges said: "To make it to the longlist is a big achievement and speaks volumes about your work. We have no doubt that each and every one of you will find success in the future."  

In the feedback on The Girl in the Maze, they said: "Your work exhibited an original and well-defined concept which served as a solid bedrock upon which the story was built. You showed innovation and unconventional thinking, presented new ideas, or variations on existing ideas, creating a strong sense of originality and believability. There was no doubt as to the effort placed in the creation of your conceptual backdrop, and it worked to the benefit of the plot and characters. Well done."

2nd December 2020

With lockdown 2 almost at an end, I'm thrilled to find The Girl in the Maze  on the Flash500 Novel Opening award longlist.

The judge's feedback was incredibly positive. "I was completely swept away by this," they said of the book's prologue. "It moved me, shocked me and, ultimately, made me want to cry. I was completely under your spell," they said.  

Hopefully this is another step on the road to getting The Girl in the Maze published! .  

30th September 2020

I’m so super excited to announce that The Girl in the Maze has won this year’s Lost the Plot Work in Progress prize. I literally cried when I found out it had won! This book has been part of me since my parents died five years ago, and I’m so thrilled that the judges loved it. 

The inspiration for The Girl in the Maze came when I was clearing out my late mother’s house. I didn’t discover anything which helped to explain our difficult relationship (and the one that she’d had with her own mother too) although I wish I had. But writing the story was a form of therapy in itself. 

I’m really hoping that winning this prize will bring me a step closer to getting The Girl in the Maze published. 

Thank you Agora and the wonderful judges. 

15th September 

The lovely people from Agora Books announced the shortlist today for the Lost the Plot Work in Progress prize and I’m on it – along with four others. Super excited! 

I found out when I was on a Zoom board meeting and squealed quite a bit – our MD wondered what was happening until I got my breath back and could explain. 

This is such an amazing honour. I’ve never entered a writing prize before, so to be shortlisted for my first one is a huge privilege.  

Thank you Agora and the wonderful judges. 

1st September 2020

Back in June 2020, just as lockdown was starting to ease and I was finishing the second draft of my novel, my brilliant editor Rosie Chard suggested I enter The Girl in the Maze for the Agora Books Lost the Plot Work in Progress prize. I sent it off and then forgot all about it. But today I got the email to say that I’d made the longlist. 

This is the first independent recognition that my writing is readable and, even enjoyable! My husband and a couple of friends have read The Girl in the Maze and said they loved it, but they’re not going to say it was awful, are they? 

Even more excitingly it gives me something else to put on my letters to agents – an added reason for them to read further and not just press ‘delete’. 

Thank you Agora Books!