Ms Rogers (Learning Resources Centre Manager)

On Tuesday, BGS played host to the press launch of Holly Smale’s latest teen publication, The Valentines: Happy Girl Lucky.

Author of the award-winning Geek Girl series, Holly was unexpectedly spotted by a top London modelling agency at the age of fifteen and spent the following few years falling over on catwalks.

By the time she had graduated from Bristol University with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Shakespeare, she had given up modelling and set herself on the path to becoming a full-time writer.   

Holly, who recently received the title ‘High Princess of Teenage Fiction’ by the Telegraph, was greeted with a huge round of applause. This set the tone for a beautiful presentation on the importance of writing from the heart, how relationships with your family and the love of your siblings shapes you. Holly emphasised that you can be whatever you want to be, with hard work and determination.

The girls were given an insight into the writing process; the tasks an author must undertake to produce a piece of award winning fiction, and the advantages and disadvantages of fame - key themes in her latest teen hit.

At the end of the presentation, the girls took advantage of a Q&A session where they quizzed Holly questions on as diverse as: how to avoid writer’s block, does she use a library? and What it’s like to be famous? We were delighted to hear Holly convey her love of libraries, books and her passion for literature.

Holly’s visit left the girls excited, engaged and eager to write their own blockbuster. For anyone unfamiliar with Holly’s first series Geek Girls the series is on display and available for the girls to borrow, along with a copy of The Valentines: Happy Girl Lucky.