GHB is delighted to welcome Jenny McLachlan to the blog today. Jenny is a secondary school English teacher but after signing a contract to write FOUR books in a brand new romantic comedy series she’s giving it up to write full time! Congratulations Jenny! Flirty Dancing is the first in the Ladybird series aimed at teenagers.
A question I’m always asked is why I wrote Flirty Dancing. After all, it took me ten years, so I must have had a good reason. Each time I give a slightly different answer: I wanted to give teenage readers a fireworks ‘n’ tingles fairy tale ending; my nan – with her huge diamond rings and love of vodka jelly -was crying out to be converted into a fictitious character; I wanted to get a generation of teenagers jiving… and… and… and…
But right now, as I write this post for Girls Heart Books, I’ve remembered exactly why I wrote Flirty Dancing. Because for all writers, there is a single moment when an idea appears in your head, often tiny at first, and it starts to grow and its heart beats and suddenly you’ve got a story that you have to tell.
For me Flirty Dancing began with a girl who was invisible at school. At home, she was loud and funny, but the moment she stepped out of her house, ‘the shyness’ descended. She never put her hand up in class and teachers always forgot her name. To be honest, she was a lot like me. I called the girl Bea, gave her a mostly-naked sister and a Topshop-wearing nan, then threw her into her worst nightmare: entering a TV dance contest with a boy a million miles out of her league. The result is Flirty Dancing. I hope you read it and find out how Bea gets on. If you do, I’d love to know what you think…
Thanks for joining us, Jenny – and good luck with your exciting series!
If any GHBers like the sound of Flirty Dancing – and who wouldn’t?! – we’ve got THREE copies up for grabs! Just go straight to the Competitions page to enter!
GirlsHeartBooks 
Sounds brilliant! And shy outside her house, invisible at school, never putting her hand up in class – Sounds a lot like me! Xx
It was me for most of secondary school! I wish I’d spoken up a bit more… I’m making up for it now though! If you read the book, let me know what you think. XJen
Good luck with the book, Jenny. I’ve read the beginning and absolutely loved it. And I’m a mad-keen dancer, so I can’t wait to read the rest. It sounds brilliant. sophia xxx
Hi Sophia – thank you! I hope you read the rest of the book – there is lots of lovely dancing! Today I was at an event where I got to dance with my dance teacher who I learnt to jive with over 10 years ago. It was amazing. I’m going to force my husband to start jiving with me again! X Jen
I’ve read Flirty Dancing and can thoroughly recommend it as a really fun read, where you end up caring so much about so many of the characters!
I too was a loud-at-home but quiet-at-school type, and I know a lot of the girls I work with fall into that category too. Hopefully Jenny is coming to meet a lot of them in October, and I know they’re just going to love this series!!
Hi Heather – really looking forward to the event! I’ve lost track of where we were up to… I’ll send you an email, but it’s in the diary. x Jen
Hi Jenny! 🙂
Good luck with your books!!
Thanks, Laura. I like your cat! xJen