I write all sorts of stories from short stories for all ages, to novels for middle grade readers (ages 8+). young adults (ages 15+), all the way up to adult fiction. Here's a taster of some of them...

Middle Grade Stories

LYNX lynx

An escaped lynx hides in the stairwell of a high-rise. To save it from being shot by the city's oppressive police force, an unlikely group of children embark on an adventure that will change not only their lives, but the entire future of the city.
Twelve-year-old Dasha Smith spends half the time living in fear of Papa, Commander of the West’s police force - The Grippers - and the rest with Mama, close to the heavily-guarded Barricade. Forced to babysit her half-sister when Mama rushes off to a protest, Dasha has had quite enough of her blended family.
 
Then a large wild cat, appears in the stairwell of their block of flats. It chases Dasha and her sister. They take shelter in the neighbour’s flat – a boy called Vadim whom she barely knows. With the arrival of Dasha’s step-brother, the children try to work out a way to escape the spooked lynx. The Grippers are on their way and nosy neighbours are ready to give the lynx up, but Dasha feels a connection. The lynx reminds her of her lost friend, Anna, forcing her to ask a question: is the lynx really dangerous?
 
She decides it’s not. They are going to save it by taking it to the zoo. But with the temperature dropping and news of the escaped lynx spreading, including a reward for its capture announced on TV, how are they going to succeed? And why is the lynx leading them towards the deadly Barricade? The children can’t trust anyone – especially not the police.
 
Dasha and co set off on their impossible mission to protect the lynx and find somewhere safe where it can belong – on a day that they, and the whole of the Western Bloc, will never forget....

Stories for Young Adults

NOT EVEN
​MYSELF

I trust no one. Not even the ones I love. Not even myself.
Millie Witherow has always been sensitive, introverted and artistic.  Now, at seventeen, as the pressures of A-Levels mount, and an exciting life beyond the family home beckons, her behaviour is starting to become a worry.
​Her boyfriend Jonny and best friend Lorna put it down to exam stress, although they wish she would wash more.  Her older brother Adam, who recently left home himself, feels for Millie but is haunted by his own fears. Meanwhile, little brother Arthur knows something’s not right but has enough problems coping with his day-to-day life at school.  And Mum and Dad think Millie is just being a typical teenager, although her nighttime pacing and obsession with the plumbing seem a little extreme.
No one but Millie can see the dark threats in every shadow, or understand the danger in the water. She alone must placate the goddess who has spoken. But how far will she go to protect the people she loves? 

THE SISTER OF THE BOY WHO

​When someone you love is changed forever, how can you move on..?
16-year-old Ava’s brother, Jake, was lead guitarist in a band called ‘The Boy Who’, with Kitty the singer and Ava on drums.  One night a senseless accident rips their lives apart, leaving Kitty dead and Jake catastrophically injured. 
He’ll never be the same again.  And nor will Ava.
Now Ava’s family are struggling to cope with the burden of Jake’s injuries, and Ava cannot forgive herself and Jake for the role they played in Kitty’s death.
Into this tinder box walks new boy Dillon, with his own problems.  He decides that the best musicians in the sixth form should re-form the band and put on a benefit concert in memory of Kitty.  He means well, and Ava’s friends Meredith and Rocco think it might work, but Ava cannot stand the idea.
Then Kitty’s estranged sister turns up unexpectedly and appears to be stalking Ava.  Ava’s
anxiety escalates, as do her resentment of Jake and sense of isolation from her friends. Her guilt sets her apart.
Ava is sure that a reckoning is coming for her, something terrible that she completely and utterly deserves.
Can bad boy Dillon, and best friend Meredith, and Rocco (who secretly loves Ava) reach her before it’s too late?  And can Jake make his voice heard too?
If you'd like more information on any of these stories, please contact me.