The Time-Thief is Book 2 in the Leap Cycle, a time-travel adventure series. It features 13-year-old Elle, a Leapling who has the rare ability to leap through time. Elle attends a secret school, Intercalary International, for Leaplings with the Gift and she’s a member of The Infinites, a youth group who fight crime on the time-line. Their sign is the infinity symbol: ∞. The book begins on summer solstice 2021 with a school visit to the Museum of the Past, the Present and the F

Fairy tales, or, as they are sometimes known for their ubiquitous magic, Wonder Tales, suspend all reality and lead the reader into a world of wonder and astonishment. We can withhold rational belief when we read them; the author can do the same and more. For the author, the fairy tale acts as a building block for the imagination. These are stories that can have no beginning and no end, they are the story starter, the spark for the imagination woven, unravelled and rewoven. T

Most of the books I read were written for young adults, and I’m not alone. Over 50% of YA readers are adults. I can’t tell you why other adults are flocking to the YA section, but there are a few reasons why I mostly read and write YA books. First, an insight into my YA origin story. I spent my late teens and early 20s studying law at university, so reading for pleasure took a massive hit. When I’d finished studying, a book from a Florida Virgin Megastore (of all places) pull

Alfie Blackstack isn’t surprised to find himself an orphan. In life, his parents pursued flappy birds up cliff faces and teased hungry lions with strings of sausages. Alfie was a disappointment to them because he preferred quiet corners and nice books, being neither brave nor adventurous. Only now it appears his newly orphaned life will require just those traits. Alfie is dispatched to his hitherto unknown Aunt Gertrude and Aunt Zita, who live in a big draughty house in a spo