Introducing Limelight - my latest novel, a story of sisterhood, sexuality and self esteem

I can't wait for you to meet Frankie...and see more amazing cover art from Bekki Guyatt

Meet Frankie.

Sweet sister. Devoted daughter.

Naked on the internet.

Hello You’re Booked listeners, readers and friends. I really want you to be the first to hear about my new novel, LIMELIGHT, published by Sphere on 1 June.

So, what’s LIMELIGHT all about?

Frankie has a love-hate relationship with the spotlight. She secretly craves attention, but she is ashamed of that craving. And after a lifetime of comparison to her perfect sister Bean, she has never felt more invisible. She only ever feels seen when she uploads risqué photos to her small community of online fans. She creates a new her: confident, sexy, unforgettable, and utterly unrecognisable from the real Frankie.

Then the worst happens. Bean is diagnosed with cancer. While Frankie wants to fill the freezer with home cooked food, her mother decides she knows better and somehow launches a nationwide cancer fundraiser, with Frankie as the supportive-sister-spokesmodel. Inevitably, her secret account is found. Now everyone has their eyes on Frankie.

With her mum and sister no longer speaking to her, Frankie flounders in her newfound notoriety. Feminists and misogynists rage at her online, while she attracts hundreds of new subscribers. Whether they're demanding apologies or expecting an empowering call to arms, everyone wants Frankie to explain herself. But how can she explain what she barely understands?

Limelight is a story about sisterhood, sexuality, and self-esteem. It's about how we cope with living in a world which constantly tells us who we are. What happens when we stop listening and start paying attention to who we need to become?

Bean looks beautiful, of course. Amber eyed, sweet and serene. Undeniable. There is something about her face that reads as a statement of fact. This is the way a cheek is supposed to curve. This is the exact place that a nose ought to begin and end. My face is a naughty, unruly classmate beside Bean’s. She is the eternal example. Even when aesthetically on my best behaviour, I shall never be good enough.

I have probably looked at this photograph on nearly every day of my adult life. Sometimes I try to see the picture through a stranger’s eyes, hoping to surprise these girls into switching places. I know what I crave and I’m ashamed of it. Just once, I want to be the pretty one.

You’re Booked will be back in your ears in a couple of weeks, with a dazzling line up of guests. We’ve been having some brilliant book chats and we can’t wait to share them with you. In the meantime, why not check out our archive - and follow us @ybooked on social media.