About

Who am I and why do I write?

I’m just a crazy mum, writing and doing the washing!

I live in the South East of England in a lovely little town by the sea and when I’m not battling the never ending pile of washing, I spend my time writing, running around after my kids, and walking our King Charles Spaniel, Wotsit, and our three-legged rescue dog, Skips.

Writing has been a dream of mine since I was little. I wrote my first story about a mermaid when I was 9 and was thoroughly delighted to show it off to my teacher, having written a whopping four whole pages, complete with illustrations.

After a couple of life-changing experiences (redundancy and losing my lovely cousin to cancer at just 25) I rediscovered my passion and knew I had to get serious about making my dreams come true.

I took a chance on Twitter and pitched my novel, and in January 2018, I was lucky enough to secure a deal with HQ Digital part of HarperCollins. I couldn’t believe it was happening to me!

My debut novel The Little Theatre on the Seafront was shortlisted for the Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year 2019 Award and since then lots more books have followed. I now write as Annabel French for Avon/HarperCollins writing escapist romantic fiction set in dreamy destinations (check out the Annabel French page to find out more) and I also write royal historical fiction as Emma Royal for Penguin Random House. Check out Emma Royal here: www.emmaroyal.co.uk!

And after Queen Elizabeth II died, I took a foray into royal historical fiction and have been writing The Palace Girls series as Emma Royal since 2023.

Do you love funny, feel-good love stories too?

I love writing romantic comedies with all the feels! Uplifting, humourous, escapist fiction with perfect happy ever afters are my specialty, so for more information on the books I’ve written so far, check out my Publications page where you can find the blurbs and buy links or go straight to the Shop!

And don’t forget to sign up to my mailing list if you haven’t already! At the moment I’m giving away a FREE romance novel that isn’t available anywhere else! Grab your copy of Second Chances at the Little Bookshop now!

A surprise trip home. A bookish dream. A second chance at love.

Nora’s city life isn’t exactly working out how she planned. She’s stuck in her best friend’s tiny boxroom and hasn’t yet found that dream bookish job. But when she’s forced to return to her hometown of Little Harbour, Nora’s life takes an unexpected plot twist. Her estranged sister needs her help and the beloved family bookshop of her first love, Alex, is about to go out of business.

Alex knows a trip home to his dad and The Book Nook is long overdue. If only his own life wasn’t such a complete and utter mess he’d have visited by now. But then he hears Nora Bell is back in town and it’s the push he needs to change everything.

When the two meet again it’s clear the spark of attraction still burns bright, but their unresolved past overshadows any possible future. Can they work together to save the bookshop and find their fairytale ever after, or will hidden secrets and surprising truths keep them apart?

Perfect for fans of second chance romances, dreamy bookshops and escapist seaside settings!

Get your FREE ebook here!