In the autumn of 2019, we published our first book, followed by another three – and then the pandemic hit. All plans were thrown up in the air. So we changed tack, and created a new competition for unpublished and unagented writers, casting the net as far and wide as we could. We had over 400 entries to the 2020 YA competition – writers sent in the first few chapters, which we whittled down a longlist of 40. And the shortlist of 11 was then judged by Bella and four industry experts: Tamsin Rosewell, bookseller and illustrator; Adamma Okonkwo, editor; Lucas Maxwell, school librarian, and Linda Sargent, editor and author. And from this, Nadia Mikail’s novel, The Cats We Meet Along the Way, shone through like a jewel. It’s an astonishing, heart-warming debut about the importance of family at a time of catastrophe. Nadia really is an author of the future.

We celebrated with Nadia and others last week – with a signing at Hatchards in Piccadilly, followed by a dinner at Dishoom. And I can’t wait to see how far this book travels!