I Wish I’d Written: Lucy Coats

For me it’s the perfect reimagined fairytale, because it takes the sparse framework of the original story and fills it with the sort of intimate and intricate detail which gives me immense pleasure both as a reader and as a writer. Rose Daughter answers all the questions I ever thought to ask – and some I didn’t. The writing is rich and succulent and the landscape described in such a vivid way that I can almost smell and touch it. Beauty herself is my sort of heroine – feisty, independent, and just a bit quirky. There’s love, sorrow and a joyously happy ending – but most of all Rose Daughter gives me, every single time I read it, a warm and satisfied glow in the pit of my stomach. As a writer, I can think of no finer achievement to aim for.

Rose Daughter (978-0441005833) by Robin McKinley is published by Avon Books, £5.99 pbk.

Lucy Coats‘ latest book, Bear’s Best Friend, ill. Sarah Dyer (978-1408827260) is published by Bloomsbury, £5.99 pbk.