How I started writing for children

My first book was How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones’ Children’s Book Prize. It was a story about a young girl who has to save her grandad’s allotment and there are ideas in it which have come to be very important in all of my work.

I love being a writer who writes about ordinary children having brilliant adventures. Kirsty comes from a blended family – she has the same Dad as her brother and sister, but a different Mum. But they’re all on the same team when it matters. 

These themes have continued through books like Operation Eiffel Tower and the Marsh Road Mysteries series. 

I grew up in North Wales, in an ex-mining community, so it’s always been important to me that books reflect real life in a hopeful and positive way. In my writing for children I want to acknowledge the struggles and difficulties we all face, while at the same time, demonstrate that the world can also be beautiful, exciting and full of wonder.

Before being a writer, I trained as a nurse; I worked as an archaeologist; I was a theatre usher and a museum security guard. I live in Bristol with my partner and my dog, and too many books by half.