Story Samples

I write all sorts of stories for children and young adults. I also write and illustrate picture books. Here's a taster of some of them.
If you'd like more information on any of these stories, please get in touch via my contact page.

SHORT STORIES

The Ghost Boy

The Ghost Boy is a 2,200 word short story about a boy disabled following a road accident, but while his physical world has shrunk, his inner world is far from empty. It won the Bath Short Story Award in 2014.

You can still buy the anthology in digital format from Amazon.

Underneath

Underneath is a 1,990 word story about Darla, hiding under the floorboards of an abandoned house with only her dog Jennie for company. But there's more at stake than just being found...

Outside In

Outside In is 4,500 word short story about Louis, a boy in residential care trying to make sense of his place in the world, his past - and his feelings for fellow resident Kitty Greene. *CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE*

The story made the top 5% in The Bridport Prize 2021

Anywhere But Here

Anywhere But Here is a 2,000 word short story about a sixteen-year-old girl and her increasingly erratic behaviour. She hears them whispering - "Something's wrong with Millie" - but what if it's everyone else who's wrong?

NOVELS

Within

Within is an urban fantasy about a twelve-year-old girl with agoraphobia who's forced to go through an otherworldly door to find her mother. The original version (titled The World Within) was shortlisted for the Bath Children's Novel Award in 2020.

For fans of Netflix's Stranger Things and Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

The World Without

THE WORLD WITHOUT

The World Without is a time-travelling urban fantasy centred around autistic Rain, a seventeen-year-old girl in possession of a watch that allows her to travel back in time to one year ago, where she must decide if the consequences of changing the past are worth it to bring her brother back to life.

For fans of anime The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

One Day A Lynx

One Day a Lynx

One Day a Lynx is an urban fantasy set in a divided city controlled by military police. When a seemingly lost lynx appears in the stairwell of a city high-rise, twelve-year-old Dasha and her disjointed family must find a way to get it to safety. But with Grippers patrolling armed and ready to shoot the lynx (and anyone acting suspiciously) on sight, can Dasha protect the lynx - and just why is it leading her to the city's dividing wall?

For fans of Sally Gardner's Maggot Moon.