This free event is a must for anyone who reads Young Adult fiction or has an interest in writing for young people. Nicola will be talking about her Young Adult novel, 29 Locks, an unflinching depiction of urban teen life in London. The book was shortlisted in the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition. She will be reading from the book and answering audience questions. Hosted by Eve Makis.

Read more about Nicola and her work here: https://nicola-garrard.co.uk/

Participants wishing to purchase Nicola Garrard’s newly published novel can do so on the following link: https://www.hoperoadpublishing.com/29-locks

Biographical notes

Nicola Garrard grew up in Devon, France and Sussex. She studied English at the Universities of Reading and Cambridge, with a focus on representations of race in Early Modern theatre. She has taught in secondary schools for twenty-three years, including fifteen in an Islington comprehensive. Her words have been published in Mslexia Magazine, the IRON Book of Trees and the Writers & Artists Yearbook Guide to Getting Published. Her debut novel, 29 Locks, was shortlisted for both the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition and was published on the 30th September 2021. She lives in Sussex with her wife, three children and a Jack Russell terrier.

Eve Makis is the author of four novels, a life-writing guide and an award-winning screenplay. She’s recipient of the Young Booksellers International Book of the Year Award and the Aurora Mardiganian Gold Medal, her works shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Award and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. She teaches fiction on the MA Creative Writing course at Nottingham Trent University.