Jennifer Killick

Jennifer Killick
Alma mater
Years active2016–present
Websitewww.jenniferkillick.com

Jennifer Killick is an English author of children's horror fiction. Her work, which includes the Crater Lake (2020–2021) and Dread Wood (2022–2024) series, has received a number of accolades, including a Children's Book Award.

Early life

Killick was interested in writing from a young age but did not initially pursue it. She later pursued a Master of Arts (MA) at Brunel University London.[1]

Career

Killick wrote the first draft of her debut Alex Sparrow and the Really Big Stink for her Creative Writing MA. After pitching it to no avail, she rewrote it under the mentorship of the Golden Egg Academy's Imogen Cooper.[2] In 2016, Firefly acquired the rights to publish Killick's debut novel Alex Sparrow and the Really Big Stink in 2017.[3][4] Alex Sparrow and the Furry Fury and Alex Sparrow and the Zumbie Apocalypse, released in 2018 and 2019 respectively, completed the trilogy. Announced in 2019, Killick reunited with Firefly for the publication of the Year 6 adventure book Crater Lake in 2020[5][6] and its sequel Evolution in 2021.[7] Crater Lake was named children's book of the week by Alex O'Connell in The Times[8] and shortlisted for Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12) at the 2022 CrimeFest Awards. Also in 2019 came the standalone book Mo, Lottie and the Junkers, illustrated by Gareth Conway.[9][10]

Killick moved to Farshore (a HarperCollins UK imprint) for the publication of her next comedy horror series, starting with a two-book deal for Dread Wood, published in 2022, and its sequel Fear Ground.[11] Dread Wood won the 2023 Children's Book Award in the Older Readers category. The novel was also commended at the Fantastic Book Awards and won the 2024 Bolton Children's Fiction Award. Farshore would acquire further installments in the Dread Wood series.[12][13] One of those installments Creepy Creations appeared on the 2024 World Book Day list.[14][15] The series ended with Terror Tower in 2024.[16]

This was followed by the book Dread Detention and its sequel Screech School.[17] Killick's forthcoming series is called Serial Chillers.[18]

Personal life

Killick lives in Uxbridge with her husband. Including from previous relationships, they have five children between them.[1] She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 28 while pregnant with her son.[19]

Bibliography

Alex Sparrow

  • Alex Sparrow and the Really Big Stink (2017)
  • Alex Sparrow and the Furry Fury (2018)
  • Alex Sparrow and the Zumbie Apocalypse (2019)

Crater Lake

  • Crater Lake (2020)
  • Evolution (2021)

Dread Wood

  • Dread Wood (2022)
  • Fear Ground (2022)
  • Flock Horror (2023)
  • Deadly Deep (2023)
  • Fright Bite (2024)
    • Creepy Creations (2024)
  • Terror Tower (2024)

Creatures & Teachers

  • Dread Detention (2024)
  • Screech School

Standalones

  • Mo, Lottie and the Junkers (2019)
  • Serial Chillers: The Witch in the Woods (2025)

Edited volumes

  • Read, Scream, Repeat: Thirteen Spine-tingling Tales (2023)[20]

Awards and honours

Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
2022 CrimeFest Awards Best Crime Novel for Children (ages 8-12) Crater Lake Nominated [21]
2023 Fantastic Book Awards Dread Wood Won [22]
Children's Book Award Older Readers Won [23][24]
Bolton Children's Fiction Award Won [25]

References

  1. ^ a b "An Interview with Jennifer Killick". Writers & Artists. 13 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Author Interview: Jennifer Killick". My Book Corner. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  3. ^ Eyre, Charlotte (9 June 2016). "Firefly to publish Jennifer Killick". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  4. ^ A Laffen (13 April 2020). "Alex Sparrow & the Really Big Stink – Jennifer Killick". Elmhurst Junior School. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  5. ^ Bayley, Sian (21 May 2019). "Firefly lands Killick's middle grade sci-fi horror". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  6. ^ Eddy (19 May 2020). "Getting to know: Jennifer Killick". Stoomio. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  7. ^ Hackett, Tamsin (7 May 2020). "Firefly signs second middle-grade novel by Jennifer Killick". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  8. ^ O'Connell, Alex (7 March 2020). "Crater Lake by Jennifer Killixk review". The Times. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  9. ^ Eagleton, Ian (6 June 2019). "Mo, Lottie and the Junkers: An interview with Jennifer Killick". The Reading Realm. Archived from the original on 6 November 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  10. ^ Cummins, Jo (4 June 2019). "'Mo, Lottie and the Junkers,' by Jennifer Killick, illustrated by Gareth Conway". Library Girl and Book Boy. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  11. ^ Chandler, Mark (16 March 2021). "Killick moves to Farshore in two-book deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Farshore snares two more comedy horror tales from Killick". The Bookseller. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  13. ^ Brown, Lauren (21 September 2023). "Farshore signs two new books in Killick's Dread Wood series". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  14. ^ Robinson, Gregory (29 February 2024). "It's World Book Day 2024 – here's what to know and how to use the £1 tokens". Metro. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Jennifer Killick on being a World Book Day author". The Federation of Children's Book Groups. 9 January 2024. Archived from the original on 18 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  16. ^ Connor, Stephen. "Dread Wood: Terror Tower". Just Imagine. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  17. ^ McCarrey, Cat (1 September 2024). "Fiction: Screech School by Jennifer Killick". SLJ. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  18. ^ Wood, Heloise (17 July 2024). "Farshore snares Jennifer Killick's spooky middle grade series". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  19. ^ Killick, Jennifer (29 April 2012). "'Ulcerative colitis is painful, crippling and humiliating'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Farshore gobbles up collection of spooky horror stories curated by Killick". The Bookseller. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Crimefest 2022 Awards Shortlist". CrimeFest. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Children's authors and illustrators crowned at Fantastic Book Awards celebration". Lancashire County Council. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  23. ^ Kemp-Habib, Alice (27 February 2023). "Biddulph, Brandt and Killick make Children's Book Award shortlist". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  24. ^ "Children's Book Award 2023". Reading for Pleasure. 13 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  25. ^ Chaudhary, Saiqa (3 August 2023). "Bolton Children's Fiction Award winner is Jennifer Killick". The Bolton News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.