I've always had my nose in a book. When I was little my two favourite activities were squirrel chasing and reading.

I remember spending many school holidays tucked up in the corner of a library, slowly reading my way through the children’s section. I also had an impressive little collection of stories. As you can see, I guarded it very fiercely.

I loved so many different books. I devoured Roald Dahl’s hilarious stories and ‘Esio Trot’ still has a special place on my bookshelf, but I also loved David Almond, Jacqueline Wilson, R.L. Stine, Philip Pullman, and I was super proud to grow up alongside JK Rowling’s Harry Potter - he was almost always the same age as me when the books came out.

I went to uni to study English because it was a way to spend three years reading books! Then I worked in a range of jobs across different sectors from travel through to education and technology.

I always imagined how amazing it would be to write a book that other children would find in a bookshop. Many years later, this dream came true. Sometimes, I still kick myself when someone tells me they’ve enjoyed one of my books.

I’m inspired by people’s stories – especially those from different cultures and times, because I feel we have so much to learn from them. Girl 38 includes a retelling of my grandmother’s experiences as a teenage girl living in Poland during the Second World War. This is her as a glamorous young woman in the 1940s.

When I’m not writing, I’m usually found running around after my two little girls who I hope will become book lovers too.