Sue Wallman is a British author who writes young adult thrillers. She is best known for her debut novel, Lying About Last Summer (2016).
Sue Wallman grew up on the south coast of England. She is the daughter of a psychiatrist and a nurse, which sparked her interest in human behavior. Wallman spent her teenage years in Highcliffe. She graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in English Literature and Publishing.
After university, she worked for a newspaper in Paris and magazines in London before becoming a secondary school librarian.
"My journey to publication took eight years and picked up pace when I won The Woman's Prize for Fiction First Chapter Award in 2013," Wallman recalls.
Her debut novel, Lying About Last Summer, was published in 2016. The book tells the story of Skye, who, haunted by her sister Luisa's sudden death, receives eerie text messages at a summer camp for grieving teens.
Wallman has since published several other novels, including See How They Lie (2017), Your Turn to Die (2018), Dead Popular (2019), I Know You Did It (2021), and Such a Good Liar (2022). Her latest work, Every Word A Lie (2023), centers on Lydia Cornwallis, who arrives on an exclusive island populated by the ultra-rich. Lydia, however, is not who she claims to be and seeks revenge on the Harrington sisters.
"A nail-biting YA thriller of impersonation, iron nerve, and revenge," writes The Guardian about Every Word A Lie. The book was shortlisted for several awards, including the Redbridge Children's Book Award (Teen Category), the St Albans Schools Book Award, and the Highgate Wood School Award in 2023.
Sue Wallman now lives near London with her three daughters.
Photo credit: www.suewallman.co.uk