Unpublished YA Fantasy Novel Manuscript

Howl’s Moving Castle x Queer Ocean’s Eleven

Longlisted for the Goldfinch Novel Award 2026, magic blends with mudlarking in The River Thieves. Selectively-mute young thief Sam recruits a team of misfits and undertakes an impossible heist. He must break into tall ships, mouldering sewers and, finally, a fortress on the south bank of the Thames. His goal? A banned book that might unlock the secrets of London’s magical river. Only trouble is, Sam’s got to find the book before the Thames itself destroys London.

No pressure, then.

Character artwork of Sam and Benjamin by Jane Pica, 2025.