Daughter of the Flames

Daughter of the Flames, my second book, was published by Walker Books in March 2008. To the right is the rather gorgeous artwork by Steven Rawlings (with hand lettering by Jum Bunker). I didn't think I could ever love anything more than I loved The Swan Kingdom cover, but they proved me wrong. 

Candlewick Press will be publishing the story in the US, probably in March 2009. I don't have a final version of the artwork for that yet, but I will post it as soon as I do.

After I finished my first book, The Swan Kingdom, I decided to take a month or two off to relax and catch up with emails, friends, reading, that sort of thing. Unfortunately for my plans, as soon as I typed 'The End', a new character popped up in the back of my mind.

I tried to ignore her. I tried to tell her I needed some time off. I tried to ask her to come back later. She did not listen. She shouted for attention non-stop, day and night, haunting my dreams and shoving intriguing images before my eyes (this happens to writers quite often, and doesn't really mean I'm mad. Probably).

Gradually I came to know this extraordinary character, and her story became clear to me. It was like nothing I'd ever written before. I talked to my editor about it and became really excited - when I finally gave in and began scribbling, I managed to finish the story in about four months flat. The result is Daughter of the Flames.

You can read a sneak peak of the first chapter here, on the Walker Books website. I hope you enjoy it!