Over the last year or so I’ve been working on a rather different kind of writing project. I’ve had to keep it secret until now, but there was a press release about it a few days ago so at last I can talk openly!

I was asked by my publisher if I would consider ghost-writing a novel for a celebrity, and after due consideration, I agreed to do it. The premise of the novel intrigued me – a tragic event during World War II, set in the East End of London, and inspired by family stories recalled by the celebrity’s grandmother. And it was a new challenge for me.

The celebrity in question? None other than the supremely talented Millie Bobby Brown, star of Stranger Things and the Enola Holmes films. I knew her work from Enola Holmes and of course then had to watch all of Stranger Things last summer. What a fantastic series!

I was sent a lot of research that had already been pulled together by Millie and her family, and plenty of ideas, and we had a couple of Zoom calls. And then I knuckled down and wrote the first draft. The book has been through several drafts since then.

Last week, Millie announced the book on her Instagram page, and there’s been plenty of coverage of it on various news and book-related websites. The book is entitled Nineteen Steps and is available for preorder as an ebook or hardback, to be released on 12th September. I’m delighted to have been involved with this project, and I hope both my readers and Millie’s fans love the book!

Preorder on Amazon UK

Preorder on Amazon US

Preorder a signed edition from Waterstones UK