AN AUTHOR from Prestatyn is currently writing the follow-up to an award-winning young adult novel set in Rhyl which she released in 2020.

Rebecca Roberts, 37, won a Tir na n-Og Award, and the Welsh Book Council’s children and young people’s book in the year in 2021 for her novel “#helynt” (“#trouble”).

The book is about Rachel Ross, a teenage goth with a disability and a habit of creating trouble, and it deals with such themes as domestic violence, bullying and self-confidence.

She’s nearly finished the first draft of the sequel, which she aims to release in 2023.

Rebecca said: “I set it in Rhyl because it’s where I grew up, and my family is from Rhyl, so there was an element of just writing about somewhere I know very well.

“In some ways, it’s quite a light-hearted story, and Rachel has quite a dark sense of humour, but it’s got quite an important message to it. They’re subjects I feel passionately about.

“When I was younger, I was involved in a theatre project raising awareness about domestic violence and the importance of asking for help if you’re suffering from it, so I made that a part of the plot.

“Rachel also gets involved in a drama project, and I just thought it was important to raise awareness of what constitutes domestic abuse, and what help is available out there, and that people shouldn’t suffer in silence.”

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Rebecca, who has released seven books, published “helyn”, originally written in Welsh, during one of the COVID-19 lockdowns, with little in the way of a launch or a promotional campaign.

But such was the book’s success that her publishers, Llanrwst-based “Gwasg Carreg Gwalch”, decided to release it in English, too.

She called winning the Tir na n-Og award a “massive honour”, having grown up reading books written by previous winners of the prize.

Rebecca added: “Never in my wildest dreams did I expect my little novel about a working-class disabled teenager from Rhyl would win two awards, earning me invites to appear at bookish events and podcasts, or that I would be entrusted with the responsibility of judging eisteddfodau on the basis that I was now an author of Welsh young adult fiction.

“Going into schools and meeting readers has been an amazing privilege - and it wouldn't have happened unless I'd written #helynt.”