Bradford author Jess Kitching speaks to the T&A about her debut novel

Jess Kitching's ambitions to become a writer were forged as a pupil at Cavendish Primary School in Eccleshill, when she met famous children's author Jacqueline Wilson at a book signing. 

Jess, 28, a former pupil of Dixons City Academy, trained to be a teacher and worked at her old primary school before moving down under. She said it was then that she began to take her writing more seriously and her book was signed to an agent, but it was a deal which ultimately didn't work out.

Jess said: “I was genuinely debating giving up and I just sent this book out on my last run of ‘I’m going to send it out’ and if it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t, it’s just not meant to be. And then, here we are, it happened.”

The Girl She Was Before tells the story of Nat who seemingly lives a picture-perfect life.

But it wasn't always that way. A victim of horrific bullying as a teenager, Nat is determined to keep distance between the girl she was before and the woman she is now.

Her new life begins to unravel when her best friend is murdered and people begin to the point the finger at her - and it's no surprise to Nat that the crime happened at the same time as the return of her biggest tormentor.

Jess said: “I think bullying is one of those things that people don’t really take as seriously as it potentially is and the lasting impact of it can be quite damaging. I wanted to discuss that a little bit.

"People are quite dismissive of this person, she’s struggling with her past and her present and the loss of the friends she’s had."

Speaking about where the idea for the story came from, Jess touched on living with a birthmark and the comments it has prompted in the past.

Through her advocacy for facial differences and skin positivity, she has worked with different charities, including More than a Face.

It was an interview with them which prompted her to think about her own experience and how things seen as 'just a comment' can stay with people, which Jess described as "kind of the unravelling of the story".

She has now signed a three-book deal and said a special moment came when she received a message from her sister to say her book was on Waterstones.

"Waterstones Bradford is my favourite building in the world. I have so many nice memories attached to that place," she said.

"I said at the time when I got offered my book deal, as soon as it's on Waterstones, that's when I feel like I've made it."

On her book debut, Jess said: "It's just something I never thought would happen in my life.

"I'm working on the next one and hoping I can do the first one justice by making the next one as good."

She added: “It’s the most surreal thing, when it first happened, I almost didn’t believe it.

"I’m just so proud and there’s so many people that have helped me along the way, in my book acknowledgements I've mentioned some teachers from primary school, there's so many people in my life that have just done small things, that they might not have thought about at the time, but it's just contributed and got me to where I am."

And Jess's advice for people who might have their own book writing ambitions?

"Just start, honestly, I think when we all think we've got these big dreams of writing a book you've got to sit down and write it all in a week or whatever.

"Twenty minutes a day, it adds up. If you set that intentional time where you go 'I'm just going to give it a go'. 

"The first things you write might be rubbish, I look back at some of the stuff I've written and I cringe, but I did it and then you get better and you keep going, you keep practising."

The Girl She Was Before is out now.