Author Archives: Joanna Nadin
The Carnegie Feeling
I have never been one of life’s winners when it comes to sport, barely even scraping third in the 1979 St Mary’s Primary sports day yoghurt-pot-and-umbrella race (actual race, involving running wildly around the field with an empty Ski pot … Continue reading
First lines and first chapters
Find out how writers from David Almond to Frank Cottrell Boyce to Sue Townsend have grabbed their readers from the off, and kept them turning pages long into the night. And have a go at writing your own first page … Continue reading
The making of a mixtape…
Rob has it right in High Fidelity: “The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then … Continue reading
Want to write middle grade?
Want to know how to write middle grade fiction? Want to know what middle grade fiction is and why the bejaysus we keep stealing words from the Americans? Then join me (and Bloomsbury Publishing’s Writers and Artists Yearbook) in this 2.5 … Continue reading
Everybody Hurts – a story of love (and ping pong)
It began, as so many great love stories do, with an argument. This time, however, there was no prom, or even eyes meeting across a bar; rather boy (Anthony McGowan) met girl (me) on Meg Rosoff’s blog, shouting about Jane … Continue reading
Joe All Alone on CBBC
About three years ago, before Joe was even published, I got a phonecall from a TV producer who had got hold of the manuscript, read it in one sitting, and was determined to persuade CBBC to make it into a … Continue reading
Home alone?
I’m at the UKMG extravaganza next Saturday in Nottingham, celebrating books for 9-12 year olds, including my own Joe All Alone. But ahead of that, I’m getting shouty rather than celebratory. This went up over on Pewter Wolf’s blog today, … Continue reading
A is for Apiphobia.
Originally posted on Smiles away girl.:
Do you cross the road if a dog is walking towards you? Do buttons make your skin crawl? Snakes make you want to cry? Are you overwhelmed by panic at the thought of blood,…
Hello May Hitlist
An oldie, but a goodie. My So-Called Life is on the hitlist (in a good way) for May.