Congratulations! The Branford Boase shortlist has featured many popular authors as they started out. What does it mean to make this shortlist?

I’m absolutely thrilled to have been shortlisted and still can’t quite believe it! How To Rollerskate With One Leg was a collaborative project from start to finish with my fab editor Anne Marie Ryan and so to be recognised in this way as a team is wonderful.

Lots of librarians use this list to host book clubs in their schools, what would you love young readers to take from your book?

How To Rollerskate With One Leg aims to empower all young people, no matter who they are or what challenges they may face. As an amputee, I really wanted to spread the message that disability does not mean inability, and that we should never judge someone’s capabilities purely based on appearances. We are all stronger than we perhaps realise – and when faced with adversity, we realise how our inner fire can push us to reach for our goals and dreams. I hope that young readers will feel inspired and gain new perspective about amputees and the disabled community.

Many readers of your nominated book will be students between 8 – 13 years old. What book do you remember reading at that time that has stuck with you into adulthood?

Anything and everything by Jacqueline Wilson! I’m absolutely delighted that Jacqueline has read both my children’s books and provided wonderful quotes for both. It’s an amazing and slightly surreal feeling that I devoured all her books growing up and now she has read mine!

We’d love to know: the Worst Bit, the Best Bit and a Random Rest bit about writing a book for young people.

Worst bit – trying to keep to a suitable length. I’m a bit of a rambler and the book would probably have been double the length without Anne Marie’s input!

Best bit – meeting young readers and hearing they have enjoyed the book, especially those who don’t usually like reading or find it challenging. It’s an amazing feeling knowing I’m helping to share the joy of books with this generation.

Random rest – Googling celeb names to name my protagonist Maya’s guinea pigs! There’s Harry Styles the guinea pig, Taylor Swift, Elton John and Little Mix, to name just a few! It was great fun and young readers often suggest future celeb names for guinea pigs to me when I meet them at events which I love!

Congratulations!  The Branford Boase shortlist has featured many popular authors as debuts and their editors.  What does it mean to make this shortlist?

I feel incredibly honoured! The Branford Boase is so unique, because the work editors do is largely “invisible”.  In the National Year of Reading, I’m delighted that I’ve been shortlisted for a book that is so much fun yet has such an important message about disability awareness.

How has being an editor changed in the last 2 years with the increasing access to AI tools?

I didn’t use generative AI for my job two years ago and I don’t use it today. But there is a real fear in the publishing world about what AI means for authors and editors. Although AI can generate stories and it can give editorial notes, what it can’t do is replicate the wonderful, creative, collaborative relationship between an author and an editor – like the one I have with Ella.

For students reading wondering how a book comes together, what top three skills do you think are necessary for being an editor in 2026?

1. First and foremost, a love of books and stories.
2. Curiosity about the world and how it is changing
3. Organisation – being a book editor means keeping track of a lot of projects.

Many readers of your book will be students between 8 – 13 years old (some are slightly older ahem).  What book do you remember reading at that time that has stuck with you into adulthood?

I still have some of my favourite books from childhood on my shelves at home and remember them like old friends. I visited my local library every week and would come home with a bag of books that I would devour. What I discovered at the age was that reading is a pleasure. Today, it is still my favourite hobby as well as my job.

We’d love to know: the Worst Bit, the Best Bit and a Random Rest bit about editing a book for young people.

The Best Bit – When kids say that they’ve loved a book that I’ve edited. It’s amazing to hear that something I worked on connected with a young reader.
The Worst Bit – All the admin involved in making a book.
A Random Bit – My work internet search history encompasses everything from “how to knit a jumper for a penguin” to “can woolly mammoths come back”.

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Many thanks to Ella and Anne Marie for answering our questions about Ella’s debut novel How To Rollerskate With One Leg.  You can find out more about this book below and catch up with all the Branford Boase shortlist books on our Book Awards page here.