It’s Official

It’s announcement day – I am going to be a published author in July 2024!

This post is quite a leap in time since my last one in January. So much has happened this year that I need to go back to the first quarter.

We sold! And not just one but two standalone books.

My middle grade novels have found a home with Usborne who’ve been one of my favourite kids’ publishers for decades. I used to read so many Usborne puzzle adventures like the Agent Arthur series, Murder on the Midnight Plane, Time train to Ancient Rome and more when I was a child, so this really felt like a full circle moment in signing with them.

Shadow of the Orishas has been retitled as The Boy to Beat the Gods to better suit my 9-12 target audience. The editing process was a breeze – the sign of a great editor (hi Sarah!) who really understood my work, but also that I’d really gotten it right with this story. I’m obviously biased but it feels special, and I’m so happy that this adventure is the one that will be my debut. I’ll do my best next year to make sure the kids who need it find it.

I’ve also been writing the second book in this deal since December last year! The first draft was completed in June. I had a break before going out on a research trip to Jamaica this autumn and working on the second draft. But more on that in due course.

2023 has been an incredible year. You only debut once so I’m trying to savour and enjoy every part of it. I realise that working in the industry myself has given me a level of privilege and tempered my expectations of the publishing process, which is longer and more complex than most new writers expect. I’m thankfully also in a full-time job where I can give back to new writers and use this privilege to help them understand and be prepared for the process themselves. That’s why this year has been such a fulfilling one.

Now on to 2024 – debut year. I’m ready (I think!) and will throw everything at making this continuing journey a success.