CJ Skuse

{{Infobox person

| image =

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| birth_name = Claire Joanna Skuse

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1980}}

| birth_place = Weston-super-Mare, England

| othername = {{Plainlist|

C.J. Skuse
C J Skuse

}}

| alma_mater = Bath Spa University

| occupation =

| years_active = 2009–present

| website =

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Claire Joanna Skuse (born 1980) is an English novelist and lecturer in creative writing at Bath Spa University. She began her career writing young adult (YA) fiction, publishing five novels, and was named a key figure in the "rise of YA antiheroines" by The Guardian. She then moved into adult thrillers with the release of Sweetpea (2017) and its sequels.

Early life and education

Skuse was born in Weston-super-Mare to parents Jenny and Colin, who ran local pubs and hotels, including the Britannia Inn.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/news/20568255.cjs-first-novel-released/|title=CJ's first novel released|work=Weston Mercury|date=18 September 2010|accessdate=8 October 2024}}

Skuse was 17 when she began writing and trying to pitch to publishers. She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Creative English Studies and a Master of Arts (MA) in Writing for Young People, both from Bath Spa University.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/our-people/claire-skuse/|title=Claire Skuse, Senior Lecturer - Creative Writing|website=Bath Spa University|accessdate=19 September 2024}} She worked in a nursery alongside her studies and had an internship at the Weston Mercury.{{Cite web|url=https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/c-j-skuse-sweetpea-1044889.html|title=10 Things I'd Like My Readers To Know About Me By C J Skuse|work=Female First|date=20 April 2017|accessdate=19 September 2024}}

Career

After graduating from university, Skuse landed a job as a publishing assistant at The Chicken House in Frome, through which she published her debut young adult (YA) novel Pretty Bad Things, about 16-year-old twins who go on a petty crime spree.{{Cite web|url=http://www.onceuponabookcase.co.uk/2012/09/review-pretty-bad-things-by-cj-skuse.html?m=1|title=Review: Pretty Bad Things by C.J. Skuse|work=Once Upon a Bookcase|date=September 2012|accessdate=10 October 2024}} The novel won the inaugural 2011 Dumfries and Burgh Book Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/childrens-author-meets-pupils-burgh-2573640|title=Children's author meets pupils at Burgh Book Awards|work=Daily Record|date=4 March 2011|accessdate=9 October 2024}} It was also shortlisted for Lancashire Book of the Year. This was followed by Skuse's second and third YA novels Rockaholic, about a fan of a rock band,{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bath-childrens-literature/8744957/Rockaholic-by-C.J.-Skuse-review.html|title=Rockaholic by C.J. Skuse: review|journal=The Daily Telegraph|first=Martin|last=Chilton|date=6 September 2011|accessdate=19 September 2024}} and Dead Romantic, a modern Frankenstein retelling.{{Cite web|url=https://theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2013/apr/10/review-dead-romantic-cj-skuse|title=Dead Romantic by CJ Skuse - review|journal=The Guardian|author=Lydia|date=10 April 2013|accessdate=19 September 2024}} The latter was shortlisted for a 2014 BookTrust Best Book Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.booktrust.org.uk/what-we-do/awards-and-prizes/prizes-archive/booktrust-best-book-awards/|title=BookTrust Best Book Awards with Amazon Kindle|work=BookTrust|date=2014|accessdate=9 September 2024}}

Skuse was credited in The Guardian with pioneering a "YA antiheroine" trend from the publication of Pretty Bad Things,{{Cite web|url=https://theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/oct/01/girls-behaving-badly-the-thrilling-rise-of-the-ya-antiheroine|title=Girls behaving badly – the thrilling rise of the YA antiheroine|journal=The Guardian|first=Imogen|last=Russell Williams|date=1 October 2015|accessdate=10 October 2015}} and she wrote a 2015 article in the publication on her penchant for writing "angry girl" lead characters.{{Cite web|url=https://theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/oct/15/fight-back-why-we-need-angry-girls-in-ya|title=Fight back! Why we need angry girls in YA|journal=The Guardian|first=CJ|last=Skuse|date=15 October 2015|accessdate=9 October 2024}} Via HarperCollins and MIRA Ink, Skuse published her fourth and fifth YA novels Monsters (2015), a boarding school-set thriller,{{Cite web|url=http://www.intravenousmag.co.uk/2015/08/book-review-c-j-skuse-monster.html?m=1|title=Book Review: C J Skuse – 'Monster'|work=Intravenous Magazine|first=Sean M.|last=Palfrey|date=4 August 2015|accessdate=10 October 2016}} and The Deviants (2016), about an estranged friend group in a coastal town.{{Cite web|url=https://www.unitedbypop.com/books/young-adult-books/halloween-reads/|title=10 Halloween Reads You Need To Get You In The Mood|work=United by Pop|first=Verity|last=Harris|date=14 October 2016|accessdate=10 October 2024}} The French translation of The Deviants won the 2017 Jean Monnet University Student Literary Prize.{{Cite web|url=https://andrewnurnberg.com/news/c-j-skuse-awarded-2017-prix-litteraire-des-etudiants-de-luniversite-de-jean-monnet/|title=C.J. Skuse awarded the 2017 Prix Litteraire des Etudiants de L'universite de Jean Monnet|website=Andrew Nurnberg|date=9 October 2017|accessdate=9 October 2024}}

In 2016, HQ (a Harlequin and HarperCollins imprint) acquired the rights to publish Skuse's first adult novel Sweetpea in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/cj-skuses-debut-adult-thriller-hq-364381|title=CJ Skuse's first adult thriller to HQ|work=The Bookseller|first=Natasha|last=Onwuemezi|date=25 July 2016|accessdate=19 September 2024}} The dark comedy thriller is told through the diary entries of character Rhiannon Lewis, a wallflower-appearing compulsive serial killer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lep.co.uk/arts-and-culture/books/book-review-sweetpea-by-c-j-skuse-655085|title=Book review: Sweetpea by C. J. Skuse|work=Lancashire Evening Post|date=2 May 2017|accessdate=10 October 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://novelsalive.com/2023/10/31/5-star-review-sweet-pea-by-c-j-skuse/|title=5 star review: Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse|work=Novels Alive|first=Amy|last=Wilson|date=31 October 2023|accessdate=10 October 2024}} Skuse then published a sequel In Bloom in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.compulsivereaders.com/in-bloom-cj-skuse-sweetpea-2/|title=In Bloom – CJ Skuse (Sweetpea 2)|work=Compulsive Readers|first=Tracy|last=Fenton|date=31 May 2018|accessdate=10 October 2024}}

In the interim, Skuse published a standalone adult thriller novel The Alibi Girl, also via HQ in 2020, about a woman who assumes multiple identities.{{Cite web|url=https://thenerddaily.com/review-the-alibi-girl-by-cj-skuse/|title=Review: The Alibi Girl by C.J. Skuse|work=The Nerd Daily|first=Tom|last=Carrao|date=8 March 2020|accessdate=19 September 2024}}

Skuse returned to the Sweetpea series in 2021 with a third installment Dead Head.{{Cite web|url=https://www.anthonyphilips.com/blog/book-review-dead-head-by-cj-skuse|title=Book Review - Dead Head by CJ Skuse|work=Yorkshire Tongue|first=Anthony|last=Philips|date=6 December 2023|accessdate=10 October 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://richmond.nub.news/whats-on/culture/cj-skuse-discusses-the-sweetpea-series-71368|title=C.J. Skuse discusses the Sweetpea Series|work=Richmond Nub News|date=September 2024|accessdate=9 October 2024}} This was followed by the fourth and fifth novels in the series Thorn in My Side{{Cite web|url=https://closeronline.co.uk/shopping/fashion/the-boost-book-club/|title=All the books recommended by The Boost Book Club|work=Closer|first=Daisy|last=Hall|date=1 May 2024|accessdate=10 October 2024}} and The Bad Seeds in 2023 and 2024 respectively.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/crime-fiction/best-crime-cosy-thrillers-to-read-this-autumn/|title=The 20 best new crime thrillers to read this autumn|journal=The Daily Telegraph|first=Jake|last=Kerridge|date=7 October 2024|accessdate=10 October 2024}}

Adaptation

Ahead of the release of Sweetpea in 2017, See-Saw Films optioned the rights to adapt the novel for television.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/c-j-skuses-sweetpea-sold-see-saw-films-507671|title=C J Skuse's Sweetpea sold to See-Saw Films|work=The Bookseller|first=Heloise|last=Wood|date=13 March 2017|accessdate=29 September 2024}} In 2020, it was announced Sky Atlantic had ordered 8 episodes of the series, with Kirstie Swain attached to pen the adaptation.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/top-of-the-lake-producer-see-saw-films-to-adapt-c-j-skuse-novel-sweetpea-for-sky-atlantic-with-pure-writer-kirstie-swain-1202772372/|website=Deadline Hollywood|accessdate=17 November 2023|title= 'Top Of The Lake' Producer See-Saw Films Adapting 'American Psycho'-Meets-'Fleabag' Novel 'Sweetpea' For Sky Atlantic With 'Pure' Writer Kirstie Swain|first=Peter|last=White|date=12 February 2020}} Starring Ella Purnell as Rhiannon Lewis, the series was released in October 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/sweetpea-sky/|title=What To Expect From Sweetpea|work=Country and Town House|author=Olivia Emily|date=September 2024|accessdate=10 October 2024}}