In February’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed Lisa Richardson about her debut YA horror, Channel Fear. In it, Iris, Byron and Molly are following in the footsteps of 2 famous YouTubers, Zach and Lucas, who disappeared while on a ghost hunt several months ago. Now, with tensions running high between the trio, Iris and co. are about to find more than they bargained for at the dilapidated Thornhanger House… This book has so many of the horror tropes I love: creepypasta found footage, ghost hunters, a haunted mansion with no way out… as well as great characters you’ll al ..read more

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do one of these book announcement posts, and I am over the moon to be sharing that my next YA horror novel titled The Devouring Light will be published by HarperCollins in 2025. This book is my scariest yet, but also my most fun … at least in the way that horror is fun. Haden and Deacon are two very different personalities thrown into a situation neither of them is equipped to handle – a deadly swamp, no help or prospect of escape, someone (or something) stalking them, and a simmering rivalry threatening to undermine their chances of survival – and I ..read more

In this month’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed Katya de Becerra about When Ghosts Call Us Home, her latest YA horror about a girl who revisits the house where she and her older sister made a cult horror movie several years ago, and where she was last seen before she disappeared. This had so many of the horror tropes I love, as well as a truly cult-horror-worthy villain, and was a gripping, terrifying read. As soon as I’d finished, I needed to know more about the author herself… Enter the 5 Random Questions! You wake up in a hundred years in a lab full of clones and ..read more

That’s right – it’s almost time for this stunningly chilling YA anthology to hit bookshelves in the UK when it releases 14th September, but there’s still time to preorder it if you’d like to make sure you’re one of the first to get your hands on it. If you’d like to preorder a copy (please do!) you can find it at: Waterstones Amazon Curated by Amy McCaw and Maria Kuznar, A Taste of Darkness features 13 terrifying tales by UK YA authors including Kat Dunn, Rachel Faturoti, Kathryn Foxfield, Dawn Kurtagich, Amy McCulloch, Cynthia Murphy, Melinda Salisbury, Louie Stowell, Rosie Talbot, Mary Wats ..read more

I always love reading short story anthologies. They’re perfect for just dipping into when you have a few spare minutes, and have introduced me to tons of new authors whose longer novels I then go on to read. Which leads me to my exciting news: I’m thrilled to have been asked to contribute a short scary story for a brand new YA horror anthology coming this September from Scholastic! The anthology, titled A Taste of Darkness, will feature 13 stories by different authors and curated by Amy McCaw, author of Mina and the Undead and Mina and the Slayers, and Maria Kuzniar, author of The Ship of Shad ..read more

In this month’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed J.P. Rose about her YA debut, The Haunting of Tyrese Walker – a terrifyingly gripping horror story about a boy who goes with his mother to visit their family in Jamaica following the death of Tyrese’s father, and finds long-buried secrets and bone-chilling local legends waiting for him there. I loved everything about this book, so after interviewing J.P. about Tyrese, I just had to find out more about the author herself… Enter the 5 Random Questions! Question 1: Last book or film that made you cry? Oh God, I cry at ever ..read more

In this month’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed Tess James-Mackey about her gripping debut, Someone Is Watching You – a YA thriller set in an abandoned prison, where Nia is goaded by her friends to put herself into increasingly dangerous situations until she finally encounters a danger she really hadn’t expected… This story is so intense and unique, I couldn’t resist finding out more about its creator. Enter the 5 Random Questions! Question 1: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? I get a lot of joy from food, especially trying weird and wonderful creations in ..read more

A few weeks ago, I was invited for a virtual visit with a class from Korah Collegiate & Vocational School in Canada. The students had been studying Harrow Lake for their class, and so a Q&A session seemed like the perfect way to round off their study. They had a bunch of awesome questions, and – something I wasn’t expecting at all! – their teacher sent me some amazing artwork they’d created after the session, inspired by the book. I have to say that for me as an author, one of the absolute best parts of the job is knowing that the stories I’ve written might spark creativity in a reader ..read more

Doing a yearly review post has become a bit of a tradition (I first started it back in 2012 on my old Blogger site, RIP) and it’s a tradition I thought I’d continue as I launch this new site. So, what happened in 2022? On the writing front, foreign editions of Harrow Lake and Wicked Little Deeds were released, and although I didn’t have a new book out, I wrote a lot. I finished a brand-new YA manuscript and a couple of shorter projects, and started work on 3 other full-length novels. So I’m starting 2023 in full stride, writing-wise. That feels like a good place to be. Last year I set myself a ..read more