I’m so excited! It’s officially official, I’m writing a series of children’s books called Cinders & Sparks and the first one is out this May! Sorry, it’s a lot of exclamation marks but I’m very giddy. You can order it here!
Here’s what it says on the back of the book:
Perfect for readers of 7–9, Cinders & Sparks is a fresh, funny and fabulous take on Cinderella, for everyone who loved Frozen and Shrek.
She will go to the ball. But nothing will go to plan…
A magic girl.
A talking dog.
Let’s get this party started . . .
Cinders lives a boring life with her selfish stepsisters and mean stepmother. So when her wishes start magically coming true it’s a surprise to say the least.
Then Cinders meets her fairy godmother: she’s magic, she can fly, and she’s called . . . Brian.
Soon, Cinders finds herself heading to the glamorous ball at the King’s palace. But Brian is NOT very reliable and Cinders is NOT very good at magic. Now her life isn’t boring at all – it’s total chaos!
OOOOOOH, right?
Writing a book especially for kids was a ridiculous amount of fun and also a lot more complicated than you would think. Children are too clever and too perceptive and just generally a lot more discerning than some people think. I’m exceptionally comfortable talking about the lives of women in the world but when it comes to fairytale characters, there’s a lot of pressure! Cinders doesn’t have Jenny Lopez to fix her problems, she can’t open a bottle of wine and hope for the best! But I’m very happy to say I’m immensely proud of these books and really hope you’ll enjoy them, whether you have kids or not.
These are the books I wish I’d had as a kid. They don’t patronise or condescend, they don’t reinforce stereotypes and I hope that they explain to children that they can be just about anything they put their mind to as long as they’re strong enough to stand up for their hopes and dreams and the hopes and dreams of others. There’s also the idea that ‘other’ isn’t wrong and we shouldn’t automatically be afraid of what we don’t understand just because the generation before us told us that we should be – but honest, it’s all dealt with in a very humorous and light fashion. I think? I mean, you’ll have to let me know.
Overall, THEY’RE FUNNY AND THERE’S A TALKING DOG WHO LOVES SAUSAGES AND A FAIRY CALLED BRIAN AND I LOVE THEM. Ahem.