Working on a new book for 2016: YA novel set post-apocalyptic London, above and below ground. The very fabulous Ian took us into the bowels, the very large intestines of the underground where no one without a hi-vis jacket ever goes. Incredible, mind-blowing, crunchy and historical! L.O.V.E.D it. Lots of background colour for the novel. Notebook, camera and mind full. #YA #2016

A lot has happened in 2014. Yes, I know Russia’s annexed the Crimea and there’s Ebola and the North Koreans are coming and Zoe Suggs didn’t write her bestseller. I mean with us, with Blowfish Books and our first title, The Edge of Me by Jane Brittan. We’ve learned a lot but mostly we’ve learned how little we know about publishing, about money, about distribution, about lead-times, about ‘vlogging’ and about something called ‘PR’. PR is pricey. End of. Book PR is crucifying. £

BTW: I love this from Chuck Wendig at www.terribleminds.com: IF YOU SAY THE WORD “GENRE,” I’M GOING TO TEAR GAS YOUR MOTHER Young Adult is not a genre. I hear that often — “the YA genre.” You’re wrong. Don’t call it that. Stop it. Young Adult is a proposed age range for those who wish to read a particular book. It is a demographic rather than an agglomeration of people who like to read stories about, say, Swashbuckling Dinosaur Princesses or Space Manatee Antiheroes or whatev

Been a busy girl and going to hear Mal Peet and Meg Rosoff talk about their writing and books at Exeter Phoenix in October. Always inspiring to hear writers you rate holding forth on their books and the process. In fact, it’s even interesting to hear people you don’t rate. Have read several YA’s recently that have been head-hurtingly, toe-tinglingly awful – would enjoy hearing the authors talk about them at a festival for £10.00 a head. Mal Peet’s Life is an unexploded diagr