Holly Miranda Smale (born 7 December 1981) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

writer. She wrote the ''

Geek Girl "Geek girl" is a 20th-century term, signifying a gendered subgenre within the modern geek subculture. History The return of the word "geek" in the mid-1990s can be traced to the popularization of workplace computing and the Internet and the do ...

'' series. The first book in the series won the 2014

Waterstones Children's Book Prize The Waterstones Children's Book Prize is an annual award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year. First awarded in 2005, the purpose of the prize is "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" and is there ...

and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013. The final book, ''Forever Geek,'' was published by

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in March 2017. Her first adult novel, ''The Cassandra Complex'' (UK)/ Cassandra in Reverse (US) was the June 2023 pick for Reese's Book Club and a pick for the BBC Radio 2 Book club.

Personal life

Holly Miranda Smale was born on 7 December 1981 in Hertfordshire, England. From an early age she loved reading and writing, and has stated that her childhood experiences of being bullied have influenced the subjects she chooses to write about. At the age of 15, Smale was recruited by a London modelling agency and became a fashion model. She modelled for two years but has stated in interviews that she did not enjoy it. Smale attended Dame Alice Owen's before studying at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, and graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in English Literature and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Shakespeare studies. She has held various jobs, including teaching English in Japan, and has travelled extensively. Smale was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum at the age of 39 and subsequently with

developmental coordination disorder Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as developmental motor coordination disorder, developmental dyspraxia or simply dyspraxia from the word 'praxis' meaning to do or act, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaire ...

. She has also mentioned having synesthesia, which in her case involves processing emotions as colours,

dyscalculia Dyscalculia () is a disability resulting in difficulty learning or comprehending arithmetic, such as difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, performing mathematical calculations, and learning facts in mathematics. ...

hyperlexia Hyperlexia is a syndrome characterized by a child's precocious ability to read. It was initially identified by Norman E. Silberberg and Margaret C. Silberberg (1967), who defined it as the precocious ability to read words without prior train ...

coeliac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barle ...

and endometriosis. She identifies as a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

''Geek Girl'' series

Originally meant to be a trilogy, the ''Geek Girl'' series consists of six books. The humorous fiction follows the life of Harriet Manners, a nerdy 15-year-old girl who tries out modelling to "reinvent herself". Following her own diagnoses of autism and dyspraxia after the series concluded, Smale has retroactively described Harriet as having both conditions as well. The first book in the series, ''Geek Girl'', received favourable reviews and was the Number 1 debut teen fiction book of 2013 in the UK. It won the 2014 Waterstones' Children's Book Prize in the young adult category. It also received the 2014 Leeds Book Award in the ages 11–14 category. and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013, the Queen of Teen award 2014 and the Branford Boase Award 2014. *2013 ''

'' *2013 ''Model Misfit'' *2014 ''Picture Perfect'' *2015 ''All That Glitters'' *2016 ''Head Over Heels'' *2017 ''Forever Geek'' For

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2015, Smale also wrote an extra spin-off book titled ''Geek Drama'' set between ''Model Misfit'' and ''Picture Perfect''. Also, a Christmas special not part of the main series titled ''All Wrapped Up'' was published in 2015, and a summer special titled ''Sunny Side Up'' was published in 2016. The Geek Girl series is currently in development for TV with

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

''The Valentines''

In February 2019 Smale published ''Happy Girl Lucky'', the first in a new series called ''The Valentines'', about three sisters and a brother. * 2019 ''Happy Girl Lucky'' * 2020 ''Far From Perfect'' * 2021 ''Love Me Not''

''The Cassandra Complex/Cassandra In Reverse''

''The Cassandra Complex,'' an adult novel with an autistic woman as protagonist, was published in May 2023 in the UK. It was chosen as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick. Its US title, ''Cassandra In Reverse,'' was chosen as the June 2023 pick for Reese's Book Club and a June pick for Aardvark Book Club.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smale, Holly 1981 births British writers of young adult literature English children's writers Alumni of the University of Bristol Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Women writers of young adult literature People on the autism spectrum People with autoimmune disease English feminists English people with disabilities 21st-century English novelists 21st-century English women writers British women children's writers English women novelists