Holly Smale

Last updated

Holly Smale
Holly Smale Author.jpg
BornHolly Miranda Smale
(1981-12-07) 7 December 1981 (age 42)
England, UK
OccupationWriter
NationalityBritish
Education English literature
Alma mater University of Bristol
Genre Young-adult novels
Notable worksGeek Girl series
Notable awardsWaterstones Children's Book Prize 2014
Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013

Holly Miranda Smale [1] (born 7 December 1981) is a British writer. She wrote the Geek Girl series. The first book in the series won the 2014 Waterstones Children's Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013. The final book, Forever Geek, was published by HarperCollins in March 2017.

Contents

Her first adult novel, The Cassandra Complex (UK)/ Cassandra in Reverse (US) was the June 2023 pick for Reese's Book Club [2] and a pick for the BBC Radio 2 Book club. [3]

Personal life

Holly Miranda Smale was born on 7 December 1981 in Hertfordshire, England. From an early age she loved reading and writing, and has stated that her childhood experiences of being bullied have influenced the subjects she chooses to write about. At the age of 15, Smale was recruited by a London modelling agency and became a fashion model. She modelled for two years but has stated in interviews that she did not enjoy it. [4] [5] [1]

Smale attended Dame Alice Owen's before studying at the University of Bristol, and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Master of Arts in Shakespeare studies. At Bristol, Smale was a deputy editor of Epigram newspaper. She has held various jobs, including teaching English in Japan, and has travelled extensively. [4] [5] [1]

Smale was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum at the age of 39 [6] and subsequently with developmental coordination disorder. [7] She has also mentioned having synesthesia, which in her case involves processing emotions as colours, [8] dyscalculia, hyperlexia, coeliac disease and endometriosis. [9] She identifies as a feminist. [10]

Geek Girl series

Originally meant to be a trilogy, the Geek Girl series consists of six books. [11] The humorous fiction follows the life of Harriet Manners, a nerdy 15-year-old girl who tries out modelling to "reinvent herself". Following her own diagnoses of autism and dyspraxia after the series concluded, Smale has retroactively described Harriet as having both conditions as well. [12] [13]

The first book in the series, Geek Girl, received favourable reviews and was the Number 1 debut teen fiction book of 2013 in the UK. It won the 2014 Waterstones' Children's Book Prize in the young adult category. [14] [15] It also received the 2014 Leeds Book Award in the ages 11–14 category. [16] and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013, [17] the Queen of Teen award 2014 and the Branford Boase Award 2014.

For World Book Day (UK and Ireland) 2015, Smale also wrote an extra spin-off book titled Geek Drama set between Model Misfit and Picture Perfect. Also, a Christmas special not part of the main series titled All Wrapped Up was published in 2015, and a summer special titled Sunny Side Up was published in 2016.

A television adaptation was created for Netflix. [18]

The Valentines

In February 2019 Smale published Happy Girl Lucky, the first in a new series called The Valentines, about three sisters and a brother. [19]

The Cassandra Complex/Cassandra In Reverse

The Cassandra Complex, an adult novel with an autistic woman as protagonist, was published in May 2023 in the UK. [20] It was chosen as a BBC Radio 2 [21] Book Club pick. Its US title, Cassandra In Reverse, was chosen as the June 2023 pick for Reese's Book Club [22] and a June pick for Aardvark Book Club.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roald Dahl</span> British writer and poet (1916–1990)

Roald Dahl was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. He has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".

Sophie Dahl is an English author and former fashion model. Her first novel, The Man with the Dancing Eyes, was published in 2003 followed by Playing With the Grown-ups in 2007. In 2009, she wrote Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, a cookery book which formed the basis for a six-part BBC Two series named The Delicious Miss Dahl. In 2011, she published her second cookery book From Season to Season. Her first children's book, Madame Badobedah, was released in 2019. She is the daughter of Tessa Dahl and Julian Holloway and the granddaughter of author Roald Dahl, actress Patricia Neal, and actor Stanley Holloway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra Peterson</span> American actress (born 1951)

Cassandra Gay Peterson is an American actress best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation. A member of the Los Angeles-based improvisational and sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings, Peterson based her Elvira persona in part on a "Valley girl"-type character she created while a member of the troupe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Black</span> American author (born 1971)

Holly Black is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the New York Times bestselling young adult Folk of the Air series. She is also well known for The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of children's fantasy books she created with writer and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, and her debut trilogy of young adult novels officially called the Modern Faerie Tales. Black has won a Lodestar Award, a Nebula Award, and a Newbery Honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Willoughby</span> English television presenter, model and author (born 1981)

Holly Marie Willoughby is an English television presenter, author and model. She has presented various television shows for ITV, most notably This Morning (2009–2023) and Dancing on Ice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Developmental coordination disorder</span> Medical condition

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as developmental motor coordination disorder, developmental dyspraxia or simply dyspraxia, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired coordination of physical movements as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body. Deficits in fine or gross motor skills movements interfere with activities of daily living. It is often described as disorder in skill acquisition, where the learning and execution of coordinated motor skills is substantially below that expected given the individual's chronological age. Difficulties may present as clumsiness, slowness and inaccuracy of performance of motor skills. It is often accompanied by difficulty with organisation and/or problems with attention, working memory and time management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassandra Clare</span> American author (born 1973)

Judith Lewis, better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

The Waterstones Children's Book Prize is an annual award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year. First awarded in 2005, the purpose of the prize is "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" and is therefore open only to authors who have published no more than two or three books, depending on which category they are in. The prize is awarded by British book retailer Waterstones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiran Millwood Hargrave</span> British poet, playwright and novelist (born 1990)

Kiran Ann Millwood Hargrave FRSL is a British poet, playwright and novelist. In 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Pichon</span> British author and illustrator of childrens books

Liz Pichon is a British author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her Tom Gates series of "satirical realist comedy fiction", which has sold 16.5 million copies and has been translated into 44 languages across 47 international markets.

<i>Geek Girl</i> 2013 debut novel of Holly Smale

Geek Girl is the debut novel by Holly Smale, published in 2013. It won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize Teen category prize in 2014 along with the Leeds Book Award for 2014, and has spawned a series of Geek Girl novels by Smale. Geek Girl has been translated into 30 languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Hilary</span> UK crime novelist and former bookseller (born 1944)

Sarah Hilary is an English crime novelist known for her Marnie Rome series of novels. She won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize in 2008 for her story, Fall River, in August 1892. In 2012, she was awarded with the Cheshire Prize for Literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Carey</span> English actor (born 2003)

Emily Joanna Carey is an English actor. They began their career as a child actor on stage and in the BBC One soap opera Casualty. They went on to play several young versions of characters, such as Diana Prince in Wonder Woman (2017), Lara Croft in Tomb Raider (2018), and Alicent Hightower in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon (2022). They also appeared in BBC iPlayer teen series Get Even (2020).

Elle McNicoll is a Scottish and British bestselling children's literature writer. McNicoll has been described as "undoubtedly an outstanding new talent in children's books [who] will inspire readers young and old for generations to come".

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disabilities. NCW 2025 is taking place from Monday 17 March - Sunday 23 March. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organisations with the opportunity to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.

Holly Jackson is a British author of mystery novels. She is best known for her A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series.

<i>A Good Girls Guide to Murder</i> Young adult fiction series by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a young adult mystery crime debut novel by Holly Jackson. The novel is the first in a series of three novels and one novella: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (2019); Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020); As Good As Dead (2021); and Kill Joy (2022). All books were published by Electric Monkey in the United Kingdom and by Delacorte Press in the United States.

<i>Matilda the Musical</i> (film) 2022 film by Matthew Warchus

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, or simply Matilda the Musical, or Matilda, is a 2022 fantasy musical film directed by Matthew Warchus from a screenplay by Dennis Kelly, based on the stage musical of the same name by Tim Minchin and Kelly, which in turn was based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. It is the second film adaptation of the novel, following Matilda (1996). The film stars Alisha Weir as the title character, alongside Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Sindhu Vee, and Emma Thompson. In the plot, Matilda Wormwood (Weir), who is neglected and mistreated by her parents, develops psychokinetic abilities to deal with Miss Trunchbull (Thompson), the ruthless and cruel headmistress of Crunchem Hall School.

<i>Geek Girl</i> (TV series) Television series

Geek Girl is a ten-part television series about an awkward teenager who unexpectedly becomes a model. It is based on the 2013 young adult novel of the same name by Holly Smale. The first season was released on 30 May 2024 on Netflix.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Smale, Holly. "About TWG". The Write Girl. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Buono, Jules (1 April 2020). "The Complete & Updated Reese Witherspoon Book Club List". The Literary Lifestyle. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Radio 2 Book Club - The Cassandra Complex | News | RGfE". readinggroups.org. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. 1 2 Benfield Reading Activists; Smale, Holly (18 June 2014). "Holly Smale: I think people are starting to embrace what being 'a geek' actually means". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 Chilton, Martin (5 June 2014). "Geek Girl was a cathartic book to write, says Holly Smale". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Smale, Holly (20 May 2021). "Geek Girl author Holly Smale on being diagnosed with autism – at 39". The Times. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Smale, Holly [@HolSmale] (29 June 2021). "Just got my results through! I'm officially dyspraxic. Which comes as no surprise to anyone who has ever met me, but may stop me beating myself up for… beating myself up. ❤" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 June 2021– via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Smale, Holly [@HolSmale] (6 June 2021). "Finally, the way we process emotions can vary. I have synaesthesia, so I often read emotions as colours. Trying to work out what "dark purple" means can take time. In short, "autistics can't read emotions" is overly simplistic and unhelpful. We can. Just not like you" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 June 2021– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ Smale, Holly [@HolSmale] (29 August 2021). "Let's talk about these searched for co-morbidities for a hot sec. I am autistic. I also am/have: dyspraxia, synesthesia, dyscalculia, hyperlexia, coeliac disease, endometriosis, possible EDS, "holes in my veins" (IDEK what that means) and a strong likelihood of cancer. /1" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 August 2021– via Twitter.
  10. ↑ EllaClaire (3 March 2015). "Holly Smale: It's dangerous to think that because feminism is familiar it means we've 'done it'". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "Geek Girl Series by Holly Smale". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  12. ↑ "'I've spent four decades not knowing who I am.'". BBC . 27 May 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  13. ↑ Smale, Holly [@HolSmale] (29 June 2021). "Oh! And that means Harriet Manners is dyspraxic too. Not just "a cute clumsy girl", as one newspaper dismissively put it. 💜" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2014 winners announced". Waterstones blog (waterstones.com/blog). 3 April 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2014". Waterstones (waterstones.com). Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "2014 Leeds Book Awards". Yorkshire Evening Post. 24 May 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  17. ↑ Chilton, Martin (24 October 2013). "Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013 shortlist" . Retrieved 10 October 2018– via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  18. ↑ Kanter, Jake (20 January 2023). "Netflix Adapts 'Geek Girl' Into Series About Neurodivergent Teenager Who Becomes Model". Deadline. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  19. ↑ Onwuemezi, Natasha. "'Major' new Holly Smale series to HarperCollins". Harper Collins. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  20. ↑ Smale, Holly (11 May 2023). The Cassandra Complex.
  21. ↑ "BBC Radio 2 - The Radio 2 Book Club - Welcome to our Book Club!". BBC. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  22. ↑ "Reese's Book Club". Reese’s Book Club. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.