The Author

My first books were about teenage life and came from my own experiences and concerns – I was fourteen when I discovered the immense and liberating power of writing and it was my main stay during my largely unhappy teenage years. Now I write to entertain my children and their friends.

I write lots of different styles of books and for a wide age-range – from teenage thrillers to picture books. I also write poetry for children and adults. I’ve written spooky books, science-fiction, school stories, funny stories, horror (but not much because it scares me!), thrillers, football… Writing different styles of story about all sorts of different subjects keeps me on my toes and helps to entertain me. That's the first rule of being a writer: you have to entertain yourself - otherwise how can you hope to entertain anyone else? 

My work was featured in the BBC series English Express, which won a Children’s Bafta Award. I also appeared in two programmes in the award-winning Let’s Write A Story series. I am a National Reading Campaign Reading Champion and a frequent visitor to schools, libraries and festivals around the UK and abroad where I give talks and readings and run writing workshops. I am a member of NAWE and The Society of Authors.

In 2007 I won the Portsmouth Children’s Picture Book Award for Burger Boy and the Stockport Children’s Book Award (Key Stage 1) for Football Fever. My books have also been shortlisted for the Red House Children’s Book Award (Dear Tooth Fairy), the Kate Greenaway Medal (Always and Forever), and the Nottingham Children’s Book Award (Gameboy). I’ve twice won the Kingston Borough/Waterstone’s Poetry Prize.

I usually work on several books at the same time – mainly in my garden shed!

The Child

The Adult

The Author