I wrote Crossing the Line because a young friend of mine got caught up in county lines, and I realised there were no books about this experience for young people. You can read more about it on the ‘Books’ page.

I wrote Crossing the Line in verse because I wanted to make it as accessible as it possibly could be, so young people (who maybe don’t love reading so much) would still enjoy it and want to keep on reading Erik’s story. All the white space and the fun formats make reading easier.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a simple read, because if you want, you can go back and spot all the poem-y stuff, like imagery, assonance and alliteration and envois. Why did I put the text where I did on the page? Why are the poem titles like that? It might look very simple on the surface — but there’s a lot going on under the bonnet!

There’s a rule about when I used line indents, and when I didn’t. If you think you know what it is, send me an email from the contact page, and I’ll let you know if you’re right!