Kia Abdullah (away)
@KiaAbdullah
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Statuses
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I’m taking a little break from Twitter.
Joined August 2009
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I did a 90-stop tour of my
@TfL
billboards and posters. If I’d known it would take 27 hours over 2.5 days, I wouldn't have attempted it, but here we are. Please enjoy my journey from Uxbridge to Hatton Cross to Theydon Bois and the many – oh god, so very many – places in between.
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Next week, my working-class Bengali family marries into a working-class white family. We decided to wear western dress to fit in with them.
Today I found out that they're wearing Asian clothes to fit in with us. ♥️
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30K
Last week, I signalled for the bill in a restaurant. A young couple were sitting next to me and the girl said to the boy, "Do you know why they ask for the bill like that? Because you used to have to sign it."
And now I will die of old age.
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Do all Muslim women in the public eye have to speak for all Muslim women or are they allowed to, y’know, speak for themselves? Asking for several friends.
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When I was eight years old, Prince Charles visited my school, Cayley Primary in Tower Hamlets. I wanted to meet him but it was after school hours and I had to go to the laundrette with my mum.
I wish I could tell that kid that, one day, she’d be a guest of the King of England.
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@Sathnam
I once took a massive mouthful of noodles only to discover they were strips of raw fish. Swallowed it obviously.
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Trying to do my makeup while listening to
@nazirafzal
on
#DesertIslandDiscs
was a mistake. Weeping. What an extraordinary man. 🙏🏽
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In the
@guardian
today talking about my efforts to relearn Bengali after struggling to talk to my mum.
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Earlier this year, I was having drinks with some friends: two barristers, a restaurateur, an MBA student and a photographer. At one point, the restaurateur – I'll call her T – mentioned that her family used to get bricks through their window where she grew up in Hampshire. (1/7)
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Ohhh myyy god. My first ever billboards. 👇🏽
There will be around 100 going live from Monday. If you see one, please snap a pic and send it to me! Full site list here: . (Don't be afraid to include yourself in the pic.)
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If it doesn't happen to you, and no one tells you their stories, it's blissfully easy to believe that Britain isn't a racist country. We need stories like
@AzeemRafiq30
's to open our eyes to the present, just as T opened mine to the past. Thank you, Azeem, for speaking out. (7/7)
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Someone told me today that brushing your teeth is the only time you clean your skeleton. I was *not* ready to receive this knowledge.
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"It’s said that you don’t know what you don’t know and I realised how true this is. All my life I’d assumed that I was treated no differently, but I was wrong. I’d just never had a point of comparison." Me in
@theipaper
on buying a house with a white man.
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There were no pictures allowed inside, but here's a quick snap of me outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It was nice to see the King and equally nice to bump into
@imranmahmood777
@samirsamir
and
@NaughtyBoyMusic
. 👑
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OMG. 🤯
When I started off as a writer, I never imagined that IAN RANKIN would one day read my work.
Happy US publication to
@KiaAbdullah
! A small act of malice between suburban neighbours snowballs, bringing tension and terror. Terrific and hugely thought-provoking.
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This is weird and surreal, but I wrote a BBC children's monologue and it is being CASTED for
@cbbc
. The producers are looking for two Bengali-speaking actors. If you know anyone suitable, please spread the word! Our stories are so rarely told and I'm MASSIVELY excited about this.
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I'm thrilled to report that
#ThosePeopleNextDoor
is officially a Times bestseller (it hit the list last week but the paper didn't print it 🙈). Thank you
@Waterstones
@HQstories
and all the readers and reviewers that made this happen. I am so grateful. 🙏🏾
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OVERJOYED that
#ThosePeopleNextDoor
is the Waterstones Thriller of the Month. If you’d told me this 5yrs ago when I was in the query trenches, I might've cried. I may anyway. Thank you
@BookEndsJessica
@ManpreetEditor
for taking a chance on this Tower Hamlets kid with a dream. 🥹
You can choose your house, but you can't choose your neighbours... Our Thriller of the Month is
@KiaAbdullah
's unputdownable story of nightmare neighbours and the violence that lurks behind the hedgerows of suburbia, find it here:
#BOTM
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The next time someone asks how my book sales are going, I'm just gonna say that I've sold a million copies. Because, honestly, how would they even know?
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Asian mum: "Why haven't you got a proper job? And why aren't you married yet?"
*A neighbour walks in*
Asian mum: "My daughter is a world-renowned writer. Kings cross high seas for a chance at her hand. Last week, war broke out in Arkansas. Next week, she hunts with the Queen."
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My big sis had her graduation yesterday after a year's delay. She got a biology degree in her 40s while working full-time and raising 3 kids, did a PGCE and is now a qualified teacher. We treat these jobs as quotidian things but sometimes, oftentimes, they are extraordinary. 🎓
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I have no idea why I'm pointing to City of Windows, but the next book along is mine, casually hanging out on the Bestselling Paperbacks shelf at my local Tesco. 🥳
#TruthBeTold
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Five weeks in
@thetimes
bestsellers chart. Thank you to everyone who has bought, borrowed, read, reviewed or shared
#ThosePeopleNextDoor
. I am so, so grateful. 🙏🏽
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A guy just mansplained to me how to pronounce *my own name* because he once taught a student called Kia...
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Something to cheer you up.
On the right: my boyfriend on our train journey up from King’s Cross.
On the left: a complete stranger who got on at Newark Northgate.
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Today, a reader stopped my little sister on the street, asked “are you Kia Abdullah’s sister?” because she recognised her from my Instagram and said, “I love all of Kia’s books.”
My little sister said, “They’re great, aren’t they?”
My little sister hasn’t read any of my books.
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UK friends! I’m donating my profits from all pre-orders of
#NextOfKin
placed via my site to the
@TrussellTrust
.
Readers will receive a signed hardback + free postage for the RRP of £14.99. We're aiming for 2,000 pre-orders so please grab a copy (& RT 🙏🏽).
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There should be a name for that delicious feeling when you’re only on p30 of a book, but you already know it’s going to be so, so good.
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If you're a debut author worried about your first time at
@HarrogateFest
, this piece on clique vs community may help. If you see me, do come and say hi!
#TheakstonsCrime
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Auntijis for the last 20 years: “You must have children. You’ll never be content without them.”
Me, at 40: *Crying into my cocktails in San Marino* ✌🏼
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Such a gorgeous moment at the
@HarperCollinsUK
office celebrating
#ThosePeopleNextDoor
being chosen as
@Waterstones
Thriller of the Month.
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“I’m East London, bruv.”
“You’re in South. Remember that.”
I speak for all of East London when I say that I am very, very embarrassed by this. 🤦🏽♀️
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The secret's out!
#NextOfKin
has been chosen as a
@Fern_Britton
Pick for
@Tesco
AS WELL AS a
@SlaughterKarin
Killer Read for
@Asda
. 🚀
It was long-listed for
@The_CWA
Gold Dagger and named Times Book of the Month. If you like crime with heart, please pick up a copy!
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Just look at that smile on my face. A dream to have my own table at
@WaterstonesPicc
. 🥹
Yesterday, I visited 11 stores in 6 hours to sign books and meet the lovely booksellers banging the drum for Thriller of the Month
#ThosePeopleNextDoor
. Thank you
@Waterstones
for having me.
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I’m saddened by the treatment of WOC speaking out about the Kate Clanchy affair.
I've used language carelessly in the past and it's difficult to be confronted with it, but honestly the best thing is to listen, not dismiss good-faith feedback as spiteful and hysterical.
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I’m currently at West Ham tube station waiting for my Uber, feeling a little bit teary about this.
#TheDBAwards
WINNERS!!!! Very proud of
@KiaAbdullah
and her brilliant editor
@ManpreetEditor
.
#NextOfKin
@The_DBAwards
@Waterstones
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I’m teaching my 75-year-old mum English. Today, I took her to Waterstones for the first time to pick up some early literacy books. It was surreal to find my own books in there. Feels very full circle (only backwards?) 📚
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I’m one of eight siblings and the only one without children. I wrote about what that’s like for the
@nytimes
.
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I had no fucking idea that this went on. I now remember how my dad used to plaster on a grin every time he spoke to a white person and I realise now that that was fear. It's a painful thing to contemplate. (6/7)
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I missed this when it went out but I did a TV thing (hi mum!) about my pre-order campaign for
#NextOfKin
, inspired by the brilliant
@MarcusRashford
.
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My new novel
#NextOfKin
is
@thetimes
Book of the Month. A legal thriller following the aftermath of a tragic accident, it explores family secrets, hidden resentments and the vilification of childless women. If you like crime with heart, do check it out.
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A little tale about books, art and gratitude. (1/13)
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I totally randomly bumped into
@DorothyKoomson
on my way home last night. One of us may have drunkenly declared our love for the other but in the interest of propriety, names shall not be named.
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I can't believe that people are referring to
#NextOfKin
as "the new Kia Abdullah" in the same way we might say "the new John Grisham" or "the new Stephen King".
Turns out, this young kid whose parents couldn't speak English grew up to be a real author. ✍️🏽
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Today is publication day and of course I want to sell a gazillion books, but today I'm just pleased to be publishing work I care about with the support of an amazing team. Thank you
@BookEndsJessica
@ManpreetEditor
@MsLisaMilton
@HQstories
for everything.
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I'm so chuffed that
#NextOfKin
won the Adult award at
@The_DBAwards
last night. I garbled my speech because I genuinely wasn't expecting to win, so want to take a moment to say a proper thank you. 👇🏼
#TheDBAwards
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It has been a whirlwind week but today is official publication day for
#ThosePeopleNextDoor
.
@Waterstones
has plenty of copies for you (or your neighbours) so do grab one in store or online. 🏡🏡
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I finished
#StrangeSallyDiamond
by
@lizzienugent
yesterday and, oh my, it was brilliant. Dark, haunting, heartbreaking and utterly compulsive. If you liked Girl A or The Last House on Needless Street, read this. 👇🏽👌🏽
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I'm on a festival lineup between *two other working-class writers* and I don't think that's happened to me before. Love to
@PrimadonnaFest
for giving us a 📢.
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Things I learnt that day:
- Dad and his friends would go to the phone box in groups of ~10 in case they were attacked
- They would escort my 8yo sister like this so she could talk to the council (Dad didn't speak English)
- Eventually, Dad gave up and boarded up the window (5/7)
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You GUYS,
@HQstories
@HarperCollinsUK
have made SWEETS bearing the name of my book and I'm really not sure that my career will top this.
#TakeItBack
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What the deuce?
#NextOfKin
has been long-listed for a Dagger! I was not expecting this at all. 🔪🥳🤯
#CWADaggers
🗡 THE GOLD DAGGER (1/3)
#CWADaggers
Kia Abdullah: Next of Kin
Alexandra Benedict: The Christmas Murder Game
Mark Billingham: Rabbit Hole
DV Bishop: City of Vengeance
Jacqueline Bublitz: Before You Knew My Name
Ray Celestin: Sunset Swing
SA Cosby: Razorblade Tears
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Twitter, what are some novels in which the adult male protagonist cries? Is this exceedingly rare, or am I imagining it?
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I’m at
@BloodyScotland
today – online and in-person at 7pm, Golden Lion Hotel. Come! And please say hi if you see me!
#BloodyScotland
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@j_amesmarriott
Conversely, *all* our lives are trivial and therefore Rooney is as relevant as is possible.
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My new novel is on its way!
#TruthBeTold
is a story of consent, toxic masculinity and how stigma breeds silence. It broke my heart a little bit, but I'm excited (and nervous) to see what you think. 📚
We're excited to share the cover of the explosive new courtroom thriller
#TruthBeTold
by
@KiaAbdullah
We can't wait for people to read it this September!
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I had so much fun on my
#TheakstonsCrime
panel at
@HarrogateFest
with
@Comey
@TonyKent_Writes
@imranmahmood777
and
@harriet_tyce
. (And, yes, we were all very amused that James has almost two feet on me. 🙈)
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The drinks were plenty, the rain held off and everyone looked amazing. What a brilliant night at the
@HarperCollinsUK
summer party.
#HCSummerParty
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I love this festival. Thank you
@louise_candlish
@sarah_hilary
for being such warm and entertaining co-panellists,
@DouglasSkelton1
for expertly chairing and
@mcdevitt_bob
and the
#BloodyScotland
team for a brilliant weekend. 🙏🏽
And last but by no means least for today was the fantastic
@KiaAbdullah
@louise_candlish
and
@sarah_hilary
on the ‘Everybody Needs Good Neighbours’ panel
@BloodyScotland
🩸🔪👀
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I popped into
@GoldsboroBooks
this morning to sign copies of
#NextOfKin
. It's the first time I've seen it in the flesh and can confirm that it looks 🔥
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Me: "It's my 40th birthday party. We are gonna get WILD." 🍾🍾🍾
Also me:
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I got tired of the diversity debate this week, so I tooled together , a place to discover new books by British-Asian authors. It’s very basic (I’ve got a book to write and business to run) but it’s a start.
**Authors, pls check it and send your pub dates**
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My publishers are running an epic giveaway to honour my *27 hours* on the tube. To enter, quote or reply to their tweet with the hashtag
#ThosePeopleNextDoorOnTour
. 👇🏽
This 90 stop tour from
@KiaAbdullah
, showing the London Underground posters of Those People Next Door is BRILLIANT 🤩
To celebrate, we're giving away 90 copies of this thrilling novel.
To enter our
#competition
:
✅ Quote or reply to this tweet with
#ThosePeopleNextDoorOnTour
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I'm not gonna lie, desi TikTok sometimes makes me teary because it reminds me that my upbringing (which I write about here ) didn't have to be so joylessly conservative.
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So, thank you, Claire (and John Passmore Edwards) for making a difference to this Tower Hamlets kid's life. (13/13)
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I can’t believe they teach women to fear their forties. ✌🏼
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It's amazing how a working-class childhood stays with you. Forty years old and I still treat Daz washing powder like it's the most precious substance on earth.
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Me with my sisters and mum yesterday enjoying afternoon tea. What a European family looks like. 👇🏽✌️🏽
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Striking the Imran Mahmood Power Pose last night after a brilliant event at
@middletemple
with
@imranmahmood777
and
@nadinematheson
.
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No matter how fly your Eid outfit, when your mum asks you to get her a tray of 30 eggs from the Nisa round the corner, you get her the tray of eggs.
#CrampingMyStyle
#DoTheseEggsGoWithMyOutift
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I was delighted to come across this in
@HousmansBooks
yesterday. My Sylheti parents squatted when they first came to London – something I had no idea about for *years*. So much of the Sylheti story has been lost and I'm glad for this little slice of it. Thank you,
@shabnabegum76
.
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Bound proofs of my novel
#TakeItBack
have arrived! It's to be published by
@HQstories
in October 2019. I promise not to bang on about it 'til then. For now, if you’re a
@goodreads
-er like me, please do mark it as ‘Want to Read’!
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I heard today that
#NextOfKin
is
@thetimes
Crime Book of the Month! 🤯
If you like courtroom dramas, please do check it out. 🙏🏽
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I recently got recognised for the first time. A girl came over at a wedding and said, "Are you Kia Abdullah? I love your novels!"
What hit hardest tho was the start of the sentence: "Excuse me *auntie*, are you Kia Abdullah?"
So it's happened then. I'm officially an
#auntie
. 🤦🏾♀️
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My eldest sister looked at me curiously. "Well, you know we used to get bins through our window, right?"
I was confused. "Bins?"
"Yeah."
I mimed. "Like, actual bins?"
"Yeah, steel bins. As soon as the window was fixed, it would happen again." (4/7)
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I had such a great time at
#EidInTheSquare
today as part of the
#MuslimHeroes
panel.
Thank you,
@MayorofLondon
@NaughtyBoyMusic
@loveinheadscarf
@samirsamir
@weareMediaHive
for making it so memorable.
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At the risk of sounding 1,000 years old, London really needs a public education program to teach people that it’s not ok to play their phones out loud. Maybe posters on the tube,
@MayorofLondon
, so passengers are empowered to ask people to use headphones?
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I woke up to some lovely news this morning.
#TakeItBack
has been chosen as one of
@GuardianBooks
' best crime and thrillers of 2019!
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Unpopular Opinions fashion edition: JEANS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE. Why do we all wear them?
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The barristers (both white, one a QC) were shocked, as were the other two white people at the table.
Here's the thing: I was shocked too. T is 6 years younger than me and I figured this sort of out-and-out racism was 'done' by the time she came of age. (2/7)
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I’m utterly delighted that
#NextOfKin
is
#2
in
@TheBookseller
Heatseekers Fiction Chart. 🥳
It feels extra special as this may be the first time I’ve seen two desi women in the same top 10. 🙌🏽
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Serving fruit salad for dessert is a form of gaslighting.
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I certainly hadn't experienced it myself. I grew up in Tower Hamlets which has a sizeable Bengali population and I was accordingly insulated.
Exactly 3 weeks later, I was at a family get-together. "Hey, can you believe this used to happen to my friend?" I said. (3/7)
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I'm so flipping pleased that
#TruthBeTold
has been shortlisted in the
@The_DBAwards
. Crime novels don't often get nominated for non-crime prizes, so I'm delighted that it's running with some stunning literary company. 🥳
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I’m back from Antarctica! My many layers kept me pretty toasty (I swear London is colder right now) and I even did the
#PolarPlunge
. 🥶
I don’t tend to share travel stuff here, but you can see the trip highlights on
@atlasandboots
' Instagram Stories.
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The gaslighting around the Clanchy incident has been unbelievable. This from
@monisha_rajesh
and
@OwenJones84
offers a clear-sighted view of the whole sorry affair (from 40m).
Please tune in at 12:30 to hear me chat to
@OwenJones84
about the whole Kate Clanchy furore.
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In the brilliant
@yorkshirepost
today talking about my journey from free school meals to
@harpercollins
book deal.
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My new ambition: to take a year off to read. I honestly have no idea why rich people don't do this.
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My boyfriend often jokes that I'm the least sentimental person he's ever met, but I have to say the Tower Hamlets kid in me that dreamt of being a writer wants to keep every piece of packaging that looks like this.
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The news is out! I'll be writing two more novels for
@HQstories
over the next two years. I'm so bloody lucky to be working with this team. Thank you
@ManpreetEditor
and
@BookEndsJessica
for everything. 🙏🏽
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Just a casual Wednesday morning being likened to JANE AUSTEN in the TIMES. 🤯
And Thriller of the Month as well!
#ThosePeopleNextDoor
🏡🏡
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