Kate Davies

Last updated
Kate Davies
Born (1983-01-06) 6 January 1983 (age 42)
Alma mater University of Oxford
Years active2017–present
Website katedavieswriter.com

Kate Davies (born 6 January 1983) is an English novelist, children's writer and editor. Her debut novel In the Deep End (2019) won the Polari Prize.

Contents

Early life

Davies is donor conceived. [1] She grew up in north west London. She graduated from the University of Oxford. [2]

Career

Davies began her career working as a children's book editor. She penned a middle-grade trilogy called The Crims, described by Amanda MacGregor of Teen Librarian Toolbox as " The Addams Family meets Despicable Me ". [3] The first installment was published in 2017 followed by Down with the Crims in 2018 and The Crims at Sea in 2019. [4]

Through a five-way audition in 2018, the Borough Press acquired the rights to publish Davies' debut adult novel In the Deep End in 2019. [5] The novel is inspired by Davies' own coming out experience in her 20s. [6] In the Deep End won the Polari Prize for Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize.

In the interim, Davies wrote the children's picture book The Incredible Hotel, illustrated by Isabelle Follath. [7] [8] The book was published in 2020 via Frances Lincoln Children's Books and had a sequel titled A Mystery at the Incredible Hotel in 2023. [9]

Davies reunited with the Borough Press for the publication Dif her second contemporary adult novel Nuclear Family in 2024. [10] The novel is about twins who discover they were donor conceived, following how the two sisters react to the news. [11] Nuclear Family was named one of the best novels of 2024 by Johanna Thomas-Corr of The Sunday Times and a Good Housekeeping spring 2025 Good Books selection. [12]

The Borough Press will also publish Davies' first historical novel Good Books for Bad Children about the children's publishing industry. [13]

Personal life

Davies came out as a lesbian in her mid 20s. [14] She lives in East London with her wife and their son (born 2021). [1]

Bibliography

Novels

Children's books

The Crims

  • The Crims (2017)
  • Down with the Crims (2018)
  • The Crims at Sea (2019)

The Incredible Hotel

  • The Incredible Hotel (2020)
  • A Mystery at the Incredible Hotel (2023)

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryTitleResultRef.
2019 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize In the Deep EndShortlisted [15]
2020 Polari Prize Book of the YearWon [16]

References

  1. 1 2 Davies, Kate (24 February 2024). "I Found My Donor Family – Then I Had My Own". British Vogue. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  2. ↑ "Meet the Team: Kate Davies". The Novelry. Archived from the original on 21 March 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  3. ↑ MacGregor, Amanda (17 May 2018). "Post-it Note Reviews of Elementary and Middle Grade Books". Teen Librarian Toolbox. Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Valencia, Dana (1 October 2019). "Down with the Crims". Granite Media. Archived from the original on 9 February 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  5. ↑ Wood, Heloise (2018). "Borough scoops editor's debut following five-way auction". The Bookseller. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Theobold, Stephanie (7 March 2019). "In at the Deep End by Kate Davies review – a Sapphic sexual odyssey". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "The Incredible Hotel by Kate Davies - Book Review". Whispering Stories. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Russell Williams, Imogen (25 January 2020). "Children's and teens roundup: the best new picture books and novels". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Mehsi (3 September 2024). "Review: A Mystery at the Incredible Hote". Twirling Book Princess. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Borough Press acquires 'hilarious and touching' second novel from Davies". The Bookseller. 1 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  11. ↑ Levy, Marianne (16 February 2024). "Nuclear Family by Kate Davies is as gripping as any thriller". The i Paper. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  12. ↑ Thomas-Corr, Johanna (29 November 2024). "The 18 best novels of 2024". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  13. ↑ Wood, Heloise (15 February 2024). "Kate Davies writes 'Mad Men'-inspired love letter to children's publishing for Borough Press". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  14. ↑ Cadenas, Kerena (1 July 2019). "Kate Davies' In at the Deep End tells the truth about coming out later in life". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  15. ↑ Press Association (2019-04-17). "Wodehouse prize for comic fiction returns with six nominees". Evening Express. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  16. ↑ Tabberer, Jamie (14 October 2020). "Polari Prize winners for LGBTQ literature announced as Amrou Al-Kadhi and Kate Davies". Attitude. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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