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Day 2 of NaNoWriMo has commenced! If you're still feeling a bit unsure about how to get pen to paper – and get that story in to shape – look no further than Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison! These two know a thing or two about writing, having been longlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition with Lobsters, and having their second book Never Evers published earlier this year. (more…)

You may have already spotted it, but we're very pleased and excited to announce that we've bought the third novel from writing duo Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison: Freshers!

Shortlisted for the inaugural YA Book Prize and the 2013 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition, the duo's debut book Lobsters was published to critical acclaim in 2014, while their second novel Never Evers hit the shops earlier this year.

Another laugh-out-loud dual narrative, Freshers is a YA novel following two protagonists through that tumultuous first year of university. Starring new characters – but featuring some familiar faces from Lobsters – Freshers is a contemporary, authentic story packed full of love, sex and friendship.

Coming August 2017 – keep an eye on the website for more details! And while you're waiting, why not check out Tom & Lucy's top 10 writing tips or watch their Never Evers vid below?

Follow Lucy Ivison on Twitter: @lucyivison 

Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison's debut novel Lobsters was shortlisted for the Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2013. Fast-forward to two years later: Lobsters was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, Tom & Lucy appeared on a hilarious panel at YALC this year, and their new book Never Evers is out in January! They've shared their top 10 writing tips with us ...  (more…)

So you’ve written your children’s novel – or perhaps you’re planning on writing one before our 18 December deadline! – but either way you’re probably curious about what we’re looking for. Here’s a little info on past winners for an insight into who, and what, has won in the past … (more…)

2014 has been a fantastic year for YA - and since being published in June, LOBSTERS has made a splash with readers everywhere. And it seems we're not the only ones that think so, as it's been shortlisted for the very first YA Book Prize!

Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison's socially awkward love story joins a stellar group of nine other shortlisted authors, including Half Bad author Sally Green and this year's Queen of Teen James Dawson. Click here to see the full shortlist!

The YA Book Prize is a brand new award in association with The Bookseller which celebrates the very best Young Adult books in the UK and Ireland. We'll be keeping our fingers very tightly crossed in anticipation of the winner announcement in 2015 - you can get involved too by tweeting #TeamLobsters!

Follow the YA Book Prize on Twitter: @yabookprize

Follow Chicken House on Twitter: @chickenhsebooks

Follow Chicken House on Instagram: @chickenhousebooks