Frances Hardinge
LightNews LightNews
banner
franceshardinge.bsky.social
Frances Hardinge
@franceshardinge.bsky.social
4.5K followers 310 following 270 posts
Writer of downright odd children's/YA books. Hobbies include travelling, dressing in period costume and scuba diving. Addicted to volcanoes and trying new things.
Posts Replies Media Videos
franceshardinge.bsky.social
Happy International Bat Appreciation Day! Here's just a few of my bat-friends. (I have far too many to fit in one picture.) In this house, every day is bat appreciation day...
Many toy bats are on a table. These include an electronic robot bat, two knitted bat-gargoyles, a cream-and-tan plush mother and baby bat, a black rubber bat-duck with fangs, three Honduran white bats nestling in a felt leaf, a plastic bat, a tiny crocheted bat and ceramic 'three wise bats' (see no evil, hear no evil, squeak no evil).
April 17, 2025 at 6:17 PM
franceshardinge.bsky.social
This is two weeks late, but here are photos of the lovely FAB Award event on 1st April. Many thanks to everyone who organised, and all the students who took part! Great hanging out with fellow shortlistees @ellemcnicoll.bsky.social and @beafitzgerald.bsky.social. Congratulations to Bea, the winner!
Authors Frances Hardinge, Elle McNicholl and Bea Fitzgerald stand against a white wall flanked by students from different schools. More students kneel in front of them facing the camera. Front and centre is a table with a large oblong white cake illustrated to look a bit like a book, and four goodie bags, red, yellow, blue and pink. There are red, blue, yellow and green balloons behind the group at the edges of the picture. Two female students from Burntwood School hold up a poster they have created, with 'Unraveller' in hand-drawn stylish capitals along the top, a reproduction of the cover for the book Unraveller, a sketch of a feather, stars, hand-written book summary and comments, and lots of hand-drawn spiders which have been cut out and then stuck to the poster. The hand-written comments read: "I really enjoyed this book because the concepts of using magic and emotion is really cool. Also, the characters are well developed and have great storylines and arcs. The world building was clearly done thoughtfully creating a beautiful setting for the book to take place. Moments range from being funny, serious and completely ridiculous, which makes this book such a good read." The handwritten book summary reads: "In a world where anyone can cast a life-destroying curse, only one person has the great power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his unique gift, but helps those who are cursed like his friend Nettle who was trapped in the body of a bird for years." Authors Frances Hardinge and Elle McNicoll are seated on the right of the picture facing left, Elle in the foreground wearing a white summery dress. To the left are students at the front of a signing queue. A student with glasses is talking animatedly to Elle, who listens, an illustrated bookplate in one hand. In the background, Frances Hardinge smiles and hands a signed bookplate to another student. Behind them are a string of red, green, blue and yellow helium ballons.
April 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
franceshardinge.bsky.social
A scam caller phoned me for the third time, so I said I'd pass her to my accountant, then let my electronic bat chirrup, whirr and flap into the receiver for a couple of minutes. I occasionally interjected to say 'and I hope that makes our position clear'. Weirdly, she hung up.
A black electronic bat toy positioned on a table faces into the camera. He is mostly made of hardened black plastic with blue details. He has large ears, big eyes made of tiny LEDs and a round LED in his chest. His articulated wings are currently folded in.
March 19, 2025 at 3:46 PM
franceshardinge.bsky.social
I'm honoured and delighted that ISLAND OF WHISPERS, my collaboration with brilliant illustrator Emily Gravett, is on the longlist for the Carnegie Medal for Writing!
carnegies.co.uk/2025-longlis...
A graphic with a turquoise background, with abstract shapes impinging from the sides in dark blue and white. The white letters on the background reads The Carnegies Medal for Writing Longlist 2025 #Carnegies2025 / Carnegies.co.uk. In the middle of the graphic is the front cover of the book 'Island of Whispers' by Frances Hardinge and Emiliy Gravett. The lowest part of the cover shows two boats approaching an ominously silhouetted island crested by a broken tower. One boat is small with white sails and a horse-head figurehead. The other is larger, an intimidating silhouette. The upper part of the cover is midnight blue and is covered by swarms of pale, fluttering moths.
February 12, 2025 at 1:52 PM
franceshardinge.bsky.social
Had a lovely evening at the launch for @kimecurran.bsky.social's THE MORRIGAN at Books on the Rise in Richmond. (I'm assuming Kim uses her feathery jacket to change into her raven form.)
A close-up of the hardback of The Morrigan by Kim Curran, against a brown wooden table. On the cover is a stylised illustration of a woman with long, wild red hair in black armour that descends into a broad A-line skirt with tufty edges that suggest feathers. Great, black wings spread from her shoulders and a distant raven flies above her and to the left. A great moon behind her and twisting plants on either side are picked out in gold foil. She reaches out with her arms as if beckoning or summoning. Author Kim Curran stands with her two sisters, shelves of books visible behind them. Kim is wearing a feathery jacket and a very dark green jumpsuit. All three are smiling and holding copies of Kim's book The Morrigan. Kim has her arms wrapped round her sisters' shoulders. The sister on the right has a T-shirt with the slogan 'Crows before Bros'. Author Kim Curran stands holding a copy of her book The Morrigan in front of her chest. She is smiling, and is wearing a dark feathery jacket over a very dark green jumpsuit. Her hair is arranged up on her head, with a single feather jutting from it. Bookshelves are visible behind her, including a stand with more copies of The Morrigan.
February 7, 2025 at 9:32 AM