Tanith's grandmother tells her a mysterious story that has haunted her family for generations. It is a story without an end, a riddle that she must solve and to do so she must enter the dangerous world of the city, where lone children like her live on the edge, cast out by society.

There Tanith meets Crow, a charismatic boy with a band of ragtag kids depending on him for survival. The two are drawn to each other, but there's something strange about Crow and Tanith doesn't trust him with her secret. But maybe Crow has secrets of his own...

Piper was published on October 31st and is my darkest but most intriguing book yet, I think. I wouldn’t say it’s a Young Adult book – it’s suitable for 10+, I think - and you certainly won’t find anything graphically unpleasant in it – but it deals with some pretty unpleasant ideas! I can’t say much as I don’t want to give the plot away but these are some of the elements that went into it.

As I’ve said on my new Blog (have you read it, yet?!), part of the inspiration was what I had heard about the cavalier killing of street children in Brazil and finding out about children in India going blind because of too many hours spent working at carpet looms. (Be careful which carpets you buy! If you want a wonderful Indian rug and want to be sure children have not gone blind making it, go to Mala Carpets and buy one from there. Children help to make them - it is often an economic necessity - but their hours are strictly limited and schooling is provided by Project Mala) I have other political and social concerns that are in the mix too – but I’ll leave you to work them out!

That all makes it sound very heavy – but it isn’t, I promise you! I don’t think I can write ‘heavy!’ I’m always too keen to get on with the action. And Piper is set about forty years in the future so don’t expect any sort of documentary aspect!

The other element which was a big factor was the fact that I grew up with a mother who had a disability and who, now that I look back with an adult’s eyes, I appreciate was in almost constant pain. I wanted to write about that too and the impact it has – not so much the disability but the pain. And my editor ruthlessly cut a lot out! ‘We’ve heard this before,’ she insisted. ‘We don’t want to keep hearing it.’ This was difficult. I wanted the pain to be an ever-present companion for the reader as well as for Tanith. It’s not now – you have been spared that – and probably just as well! I’m not sure though – you’re welcome to tell me what you think!

Urgh – still sounds heavy! Let me explain that it’s also a love story! Crow, I think, is far and away the sexiest character I’ve created yet. He was a joy to write about – just my sort of guy! And I have to thank my sons for inspiration here, one of whom is an expert with firestaffs whilst the other is the best juggler I’ve ever seen. I don’t know where they get it from – not me, anyway! And I loved my female leads, Tanith and Asta, both of whom are very strong but vulnerable in different ways. You’ll have to read it to see if either of them ends up with Crow!

And then, of course, there is Wulfie, the Irish Wolfhound. If I could afford one and had the space, I’d have a Wolfhound – but I can’t and I haven’t so I had a lovely time writing about one instead. And I spent a blissful day at Crufts with them and their breeders doing my ‘research’. Well, that was my excuse.