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Writing Life

I’m a 2025 GLL-supported author! Here’s what that means…

The GLL have launched a new literary foundation – and I’m chuffed to bits to be one of the local authors they’re championing in 2025

Me, in a black dress with red poppies at a desk next to a sign with a photo of me and the covers of Small and Small Bites Back
Me at the GLL launch event - photo courtesy of GLL

1. If you live in Greenwich, you’ll find Small! and Small Bites Back in your local library

This is a huuuge win for me. (I was always a little sad not to have any books in the libraries closest to home, but I get that shelf space and budgets are limited, so there are no guarantees you’ll find your book on a shelf…)

As the foundation covers libraries in Wandsworth, Bromley, Lincolnshire and Dudley, you could find extra copies there too. Look out for the GLL Literary Foundation sticker to spot all this year’s supported authors.

Look out for copies of my books with the GLL sticker!

2. I’ll be running more local events

I’ve only lived in Greenwich for the last two years and I’d been looking for ways to get closer to the local community. Being a GLL author is perfect for helping me do that. The libraries near me often invite whole classes in for creative sessions with authors. I ran my first one for Year 2s at Invicta Primary on World Book Week. I have a few more school events in the diary and one public arts and crafts session, too.

If you fancy creating some Stinking Sinking Swamp-inspired book gobbler bookmarks with your little ones over half term come along to:

Greenwich Centre Library
28th May
2pm

A light pink triangular 'book gobbler' with green and blue feathers, stick on eyes, pink cheeks and white teeth. On the corner of Small!
Here’s a book gobbler I made earlier

3. I’m part of a brilliant support group of authors and librarians

There are 20 GLL supported authors this year and five of us are from Greenwich. We recently had the chance to meet at a very fancy do in Battersea Library. Authors, councillors, and our local library champions (librarians who’ll be helping us run events and spread the word about our stories) all gathered to celebrate the new foundation.

As this is the foundation’s first year, we still don’t know exactly what’s in store. But we’re already being invited to awards dos and getting the chance to write articles for bookish magazines. And as well as picking up a nice little bursary to pay for events, we’ve got the chance to go on free virtual training sessions on handy things like managing author finances. Thank you GLL!

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings. You can read more about the GLL Literary Foundation here. #GLF25

A crowd of nicely dressed people (authors, librarians, councillors, GLL staff) in Battersea Library for the launch event
Here we are at the launch event – photo courtesy of GLL

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