DEBUT JOURNEYS Lisa J Allen
Where are you now and where did you write your book?
I'm on my official writing sofa in Liverpool, buried under my laptop, blanket and black cat, Charlie. It would be ergonomically terrible for most people, but somehow works perfectly for me, even as a former RSI sufferer! One day this old sofa will collapse and then what will I do?! I've got tea and chocolate biscuits to hand and am listening to the soothing tones of Alexander Armstrong on ClassicFM and the whirr of the washing machine.
What’s it all about? (Your book, that is!)
Undercover Angel: Crash Landing is the first in an MG trilogy about a grumpy trainee angel called Phoebe Speedwell. It's a comedy, full of mystery, mayhem and more cats than is strictly necessary. Thirteen of them.
Phoebe's on her first top-secret assignment, but searching for a demon in a Year 7 class full of annoying (and smelly) humans proves more challenging that she expected and she faces total failure. It's about the ups and downs of tween life, finding friendship in unexpected places and how totally bizarre humans really are.
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Cover image of Undercover Angel, by Lisa J Allen |
Tell us about your route to publication.
It's been a bumpy ride! I used to be a business journalist, but always knew I wanted to write creatively. During Covid I wrote a comedy adventure about library trolls (long story short, they look after the books in libraries), which landed me an agent. Sadly, no one picked up that manuscript (which is a shame, because I also wrote book two about gardening trolls).
I wrote a couple more books, including Undercover Angel, and then my agent quit the business. I was left to go it alone with my angel trilogy, which I knew was good enough to be published. The lovely guys at Tiny Tree saw its potential and here we are!
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I herd my two children and keep them fed and watered, pretend to keep the house clean, buy too many books, stride around my beautiful local parks while listening to comedy podcasts, and keep up with the 127 different social media accounts we seem to need these days to promote our books.
What was the biggest bump in the road when it came to getting your book out into the world and how did you overcome it?
My agent quit the business, which left me with a book that had already been sent to most of the major publishers. (Their loss!) But I knew my angel needed to fly and am too lazy to self-publish, so I looked around for publishers who were happy to hear directly from authors. I'd wanted to work with Tiny Tree for a while and was thrilled when they chose my book for publication.
Any tips for budding writers hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Just keep going and keep writing!! I've got four books without a home and I can now see that each one was better than the last. I may revisit them one day (honestly, those trolls are hilarious!) or I may just move on. And don’t fixate on the agent route – there are so many great books now that have been self-published or published by reputable smaller presses who accept submissions directly from authors.
Also, find a friendly group of like-minded writers and get them to critique your work. I'm in a WhatsApp group with some fabulous writers of comedy for children, including Philip Kavvadias of Mission Microraptor and SCBWI fame, who also kindly provided me with a quote for the back of my book. We keep each other laughing and writing.
What’s next for you?
I've just finished writing book two of Undercover Angel, which is due out in early 2026, so this autumn I will start drafting book three! After that, I'll probably write something new and try to find an agent again. I'm also doing plenty of school visits to try to promote my book to local children.
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Lisa J Allen lives in Liverpool with her husband, two mini bookworms and a perpetually hungry black cat. In a past life, she was a business journalist. Her MG fiction and poetry usually features baked goods, comedy and mythical, magical mayhem. She has had short stories published by Paperbound and Buzgaga, as well as poems on The Dirigible Balloon website and in Parakeet Magazine.
Follow her on Instagram, X/Twitter, BlueSky or on her website: lisajallen.com
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