The Burning Shadow

The Burning Shadow

A boy on the run. A deadly prophecy. A race against time. Hylas the Outsider is captured by slavers. Set to work in the terrible underground mines of Thalakrea, he learns to his horror that he’s now closer than ever to his murderous enemies, the Crows. He has to escape before they find out he’s…

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The Outsiders

The Outsiders

From a time of myths and ancient magic comes a tale of gods and warriors – and the rise of a hero… Hylas is only a boy but he knows three things: The gods exist. Magic is real. Somebody wants him dead. Hunted and alone, Hylas is desperate to find his missing sister. His quest…

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Michelle’s Jamaican Red Peas Soup

If you’ve watched the video on this site of Michelle explaining how she wrote Fever Hill, you’ll know she talks about her favorite recipe, Jamaican Red Pea Soup. Well, here it is –very warming on a winter’s day – enjoy! Ingredients – 1lb (500g) casserole steak or shin of beef, chopped into smallish pieces –…

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Watch Michelle On BBC Breakfast Live

Michelle was BBC Breakfast’s special guest today as she appeared to talk about her new adventure series, GODS AND WARRIORS. On the famous red sofa with Simon McCoy and Louise Minchin, Michelle revealed some scary secrets from her global research trips… watch the full interview here:

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Massive Acclaim For DARK MATTER

Dark Matter

Michelle’s hotly-anticipated ghost story, DARK MATTER, has been published in the UK to massive critical acclaim. “Dark Matter is brilliant” enthuses bestselling novelist Jeffery Deaver.  “Imagine Jack London meets Stephen King. The novel virtually defines a new genre: literary creepy. I loved it.” “Compelling… direct… relentless” writes Helen Rumbelow in The Times.  “Dark Matter is…

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Michelle Wins the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize

It has been announced that Michelle has won Britain’s most prestigious writing prize for children’s fiction, The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the reviews editor for The Guardian’s children’s books section.  It is similar in status to the American…

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Night Voyage to Spitsbergen

A few years ago, I spent a fortnight traveling by ship around the entire Spitsbergen archipelago, and although I wasn’t then thinking about ghosts, I was so struck by the beauty and the desolation that I knew I would at some stage write a story about it. My first trip was in summer, at the…

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Creating A Stone Age Universe

The land is one vast Forest, peopled by small clans of hunter-gatherers. They have no writing, no metals, and no wheel.  They don’t need them.  They’re superb survivors.  They know every tree and herb in the Forest.  They know how to make beautiful, deadly weapons from flint and bone.  They know the animals they hunt…

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Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Torak’s World

Each clan believes that it is descended from its clan-creature. This is why, in OUTCAST, when Renn thanks the ravens Rip and Rek for helping Torak, she addresses them as “little grandfathers”.  (At this point, of course, Renn doesn’t yet know that Rek is female.) Wolf loves lingonberries because his creator does. Lingonberries are sweet…

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