2014 – year in review
2014 was a good year for me. Actually, it was sort of magical. I became a published author, an experience that has turned out to be terrifying, and weird, and utterly brilliant. I’ve watched my ideas, and my characters, come to life in the minds of people all over the world, and I think I’ve pretty much spent all twelve months in a state of joyous near-tears.
So, here are my best bits of 2014. You just have to imagine me sneaking away to cry a bit after each one.
Between January and May, I was mainly writing Arsenic for Tea. More on that later …
In June, Murder Most Unladylike was published in the UK!
Largely due to the efforts of my friends and relations, I actually got to see myself at the top of a bestseller list.
On the Blackwell’s Bestseller chart!
I had a launch at Waterstones …
Me and my book!
With a table of books at my Oxford launch – photo by Rebecca Waiting.
In September I did my first author event, in Oxford …
Four young detectives show off Murder Most Unladylike
And I took the book to the place where it all started, my old school, Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
I investigate my old gym!
In October I was a guest on Woman’s Hour …
At the BBC for Woman’s Hour!
… and I did research for my third book on the Orient Express! It was a hardship, I can tell you all.
Off we go!
In November, I was part of the SCBWI UK Mass Book Launch.
The Mass Book Launch – photo by Candy Gourlay
I also did an author event in Cambridge …
With some fantastic young detectives! Picture by Sylvie
And another in Hampstead …
A host of young detectives with the book!
And I helped launch the Blackwell’s Oxford Giving Tree.
Susie Day, bookseller Rebecca, me and Sally Nicholls with the Giving Tree
In December I finished off the year with an author event in Cheltenham.
Going . . . going . . . gone . . .
Murder Most Unladylike sold in America last year (it will be published in April 2015, under the title Murder is Bad Manners), but in 2014 Daisy and Hazel got their first deals in translation! The book will (rather mindblowingly) be published in French and Taiwanese in 2016.
I had some incredible reviews - Murder Most Unladylike was even The Times Children’s Book of the Week. Though my favourite review of all has to be Ruby Rose Scarlett’s…
Murder Most Unladylike was nominated for the Carnegie Award and longlisted for two other awards, the Redbridge Children’s Book Award and the Oxfordshire Book Award, and the US edition, Murder is Bad Manners, was selected for the spring 2015 American Booksellers’ Association’s Indies Introduce list. It also won two UKYA Book Blogger Awards – for Best Crime/Mystery and Best Friendship. (My boyfriend must receive an honorary mention here as Best Boyfriend for turning said awards into special winner’s mugs.)
My UKYA BBA mugs
This month, Murder Most Unladylike has been featuring in lots of end of year round-ups, including Amanda Craig’s New Statesman 2014 review, James Dawson’s top 5 UKYA books of 2014 and the Bookish Brits’ lists of favourite historical, debut and MG fiction.
All in all, there have been lots of perfect excuses to take LOTS of bunbreaks. Wow.
A bookish bunbreak!
But the important thing is that none of the wonderful things above would have happened without your support. Since Murder Most Unladylike’s publication, Daisy and Hazel have stopped being just mine – now they belong to every single person who’s read the book. I’m incredibly lucky that readers have wanted to spend time with my heroines, and every email, tweet or comment I’ve received from every reader has made me happier than you can probably imagine.
So thank you, so much (more than I can ever hope to express), to every reader, reviewer, bookseller, publisher, teacher, librarian, friend and family member – people who knew me before this year and people who met me through my book – who have talked about, sold, read and supported Murder Most Unladylike in 2014. You are all brilliant, and I am so grateful to you.
And now, although this year’s almost over, I’ve got lots of exciting announcements to make for 2015. First up, Daisy and Hazel’s second adventure, Arsenic for Tea, will be released on January 29th 2015.
The Stevens family model Arsenic for Tea.
The two books together
And I’m going to be celebrating its release! If you’re near Cambridge, I will be having a free public launch at Waterstones at 3pm on Saturday 7th February – with cake! Please consider yourselves invited.
I’ll also be at the Story Museum on the 14th February, ready to teach you how to write your own detective story and to explain what makes a good detective. Tickets cost £10, and the session will be extremely exciting.
In April, Murder is Bad Manners will be released in the US (in a gorgeous hardback edition!), and in August, the third Wells & Wong Mystery, First Class Murder, will be released in the UK.
So see you in 2015 for another year of detective fun – I can’t wait!
