Join author and 2020 BBC Young Writer of the Year winner Lottie Mills, to celebrate the release of her darkly atmospheric and beautifully crafted collection of gothic fairytales, Monstrum.

In Lottie's haunting modern stories, a father and daughter build a life for themselves on an isolated beach, only to collide painfully with the outside world when their secret refuge is discovered.

A young disabled woman opts to receive a perfect, pain-free body, but soon finds herself haunted by the one she cast off.

A travelling circus master discovers the ideal addition to his cabinet of curiosities. But it isn't long before the star of the show sets out to take her revenge.

Lottie will be joined in conversation by bestselling author A. K. Blakemore, as they delve into the eerie, fantastical and highly ambitious stories that capture the experience of characters excluded by a society that cannot accept their difference. This collection announces the arrival of an outstanding young voice.

“Growing up with a disability, I always understood myself through stories... I have been lucky enough to feel reflected and understood in the written word. It is my greatest hope as a writer that Monstrum might prove similarly resonant for you.” Lottie Mills

A. K. Blakemore is the author of two bestselling, prize-winning, novels: The Glutton and The Manningtree Witches, plus two full-length collections of poetry: Humbert Summer and Fondue, which was awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize for Best Second Collection.