Author Abigail hopesit's third time '˜lucky'

Abigail Tartellin - whose family live in the Horncastle area - has previously earned high praise for her first two novels, notably ‘Golden Boy’ which sold around the world.

Now, she is being tipped for further success with ‘Dead Girls’ which will be published from May 3 by Pan MacMillan.

Abigail, a former student at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Horncastle, said: “The book is a feminist crime thriller about a little girl who hunts her best friend’s killer.

“It’s timely discussing the culture of sexual harassment and violence made a zeitgeist topic by the ‘metoo’ campaign and the Harvey Weinstein story.

“Dead Girls’ central idea is that it re-imagines the victim as the victor. I’m really passionate about this idea, for the future of feminism.”

The novel focuses on 11-year-old Thera. When her best friend Billie is found murdered, Thera – fearless and forthright – considers it her duty to find the killer.

Aided by a Ouija board, Billie’s ghost, and the spirits of four other dead girls, Thera is determined to succeed.

Abigail adds: “The trouble with Thera is that she doesn’t always know when to stop – and sometimes there’s a fine line between doing the right thing and doing something very, very bad indeed.”

Leading critics have already described the novel as ‘tense, visceral and thought-provoking,’

Abigail now lives in London where she enjoys karaoke, Netflix, tea, learning languages, women-fronted rock bands, and strong female characters.

‘Golden Boy’ was published in seven languages and was a recipient of a 2014 American Library Association ALEX award for stories with special importance for teen readers. It was also a finalist for the Best Debut LGBT Fiction LAMBDA Award in the same year.

Abigail will be in Lincolnshire from May to promote the book and will be taking part in a launch event at the Book Fayre in Woodhall Spa on May 12.