Latest news.... and what's coming next?

* THE GOLDSMITH'S DAUGHTER was one of seven titles longlisted for the 2008 Guardian Children's fiction prize.




* APACHE has been shortlisted for the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize. The US edition (I Am Apache) has been nominated for consideration by the Best Books for Young Adults Committee.
* THE WORLD'S BELLYBUTTON has been shortlisted for the Stockport Schools' Book Award.
Which is all pretty amazing, really - I'm still struggling to take it in! Watch this space for news.

* Although APACHE was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, the 2008 Calderdale Book of the Year Award, and the Highland Book Award it didn't win any of them. Ah well. A huge consolation was the fact that the Carnegie Shadowing Groups voted it their favourite title. It was a great honour to be on all those lists and I had a wonderful time during the summer term traveling around the country meeting groups of energetic, interesting and enthusiastic readers. The whole experience was thoroughly inspiring.
So I'm getting very good at going to award ceremonies, clapping politely and trying to keep the murderous gleam out of my eyes when I congratulate the winner. I can also just about stay upright on my high heels now - although actually walking in them is proving rather more challenging.


I seem to be all over the place at the moment with school and library visits. The wonderful Appledore Book festival was on last week, so I was out and about watching other people do their Thing (and secretly taking notes). I'm up in Liverpool in November for the Literature Festival.
In between events I'm in the process of writing something for young adults which should be out sometime next year, as well as a series of books for younger readers.