Monthly Archives: August 2011

New Competition!

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I’m celebrating my Facebook page achieving 100 followers AND Blackhope‘s publication in the USA by launching a little competition.

You can win a signed paperback copy of both The Blackhope Enigma and The Crimson Shard (which will be published on 1 October in the UK), plus a hand-cut raven silhouette (made by me) and a leather-bound notebook with an original sketch on the first page (also by me). The deadline is 5 September at midnight UK time (that’s 7pm US time).

It’s easy to enter. Go to my Contact page, type in your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win) and answer this question in the message box below:

What bird is on The Blackhope Enigma cover?

If you are under 16, please fill out the Children’s Contact form here.

I won’t keep any of your information after the competition ends. If you are the winner, I’ll email you to ask for your mailing address and who you’d like the books to be dedicated to.

Looking forward to getting your entries! And if you’d like to follow me on Facebook, click here.

The Blackhope Enigma Published in the USA!

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In bookstores today…hooray!

The US cover

And I’m celebrating! I am so delighted that Americans will now be able to read my debut novel, published by Candlewick Press. To find out more about this Middle Grade level book for ages 9-12, click here!


The Blackhope Enigma has been chosen as a Fall 2011 Junior Library Guild selection and has received a wonderful review from Kirkus Reviews, which included it in its ‘New and Notable’ section for this month.

It was long-listed for the Branford Boase Award and has been short-listed for numerous book awards in the UK, including the Leeds Book Awards, the Waverton Good Reads Award and the West Sussex Book Awards. Reviews have been fantastic on both sides of the Atlantic. Here are some links to recent reviews by book bloggers.

The Scotsman newspaper said The Blackhope Enigma “is sure to appeal to the X-box generation withs its fast-paced plot, constantly twisting and turning, and its strong, well-drawn characters.”

I have had great feedback from children in the UK about how much they enjoyed The Blackhope Enigma. This review came from EC in Lancashire, and sums up what quite a few children have said:

“This book was absolutely amazing. It had a really good start and the ending was just perfect. It left you on a bit of a cliff-hanger and was really gripping. The characters were very interesting and I couldn’t put this down. The artist Fausto Corvo sounded as if he was a real artist and not just a fictional character.”

I could not be happier at having written a first book that young people are enjoying so much – and I’m looking forward to hearing what young Americans think, too!