Hey there, I’m Lauren.

 

I write fiction about parenting, friendship and mental illness. 

 

My first novel Hyacinth Girls explored the world of teenage bullies and their parents. It was published by Crown, and was also translated into German, Polish and Romanian. Selected by Oprah Magazine as one of the season’s best thrillers, Hyacinth Girls was also a People Magazine pick for great new fiction. You can read about how I wrote it here. 

 

My nearly-finished novel The Other Mothers tells the story of an injured woman who convinces a group of other new mothers to take care of her baby. But when the group collapses and her sanity slips, she needs to find out what connects her to other mothers in order to survive.

 

The Other Mothers was inspired by my experience of learning to parent alongside the other women in my baby group. I’ve lived in the UK for most of my adult life, but I was unfamiliar with the dynamics of British parenting groups until I accidentally joined one. I wrote it during lockdowns with my young son when the loneliness and frustration of isolation led me to explore how being seen and supported by other parents impacts the way we raise our children. 

 

I have a BA in English from Vassar College and a MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where I won the David Higham award. My writing has been featured on BBC Radio 4, salon.com, and litromagazine.com. When I’m not writing fiction, I create content and manage social media for a charity that supports refugees in the UK. 

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