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9th July, 2026

Sienna Fitch Shortlisted for 2026 International Rubery Book Award!

2026 Shortlisted - Rubery Book Award

I am giddy to share that Sienna Fitch has been officially shortlisted for the 2026 International Rubery Book Award! Yaaay!

The International Rubery Book Award is one of the largest and most respected independent book prizes in the UK, celebrating bold voices and compelling storytelling from across the literary landscape. They have the very cool slogan of 'Discover. Celebrate. Elevate.' and the work that Heather and the team do to raise visibility and credibility for self-published and independent authors is tremendous, something I believed even before they praised my feisty girl*.

Recognition from such a prestigious prize is not just an incredible feeling but also comes with a lovely review from the judges, the last line of which genuinely made me lol.

International Rubery Book Award Review:

Sienna Fitch by Louise E. Hollamby, Self-Published

This is story of three generations all involved in some way with a smuggling mystery. Sienna is a teenage girl whose mother has recently died. She and her father have moved into the Cornish village where her mother grew up. To begin with, she is crippled by grief and unwilling to even go out or communicate with her father, but gradually she is won over by the rugged scenery and the various people she meets.

Everyone is struck by her resemblance to her mother and reveal things from her mother's youth that she didn't know. Wanting to know what led her mother to leave, Sienna starts to investigate further, with the help of a shadowy boy who appears and disappears at important moments.

As she attempts to get to the truth behind the mysteries and misunderstandings, she encounters unexpected opposition and resistance from people who were apparently friends once but now no longer speak to each other. Her gradual unravelling of the truth leads to changes and it is pleasing to see the author's generosity towards characters who were originally unsympathetic. Sienna has to demonstrate strength and bravery, especially in the thrilling climax when her life is threatened.

It's a good yarn, a proper 'Girls' Own' story, with lots of detective work, fighting, a friendly and supportive ghost boy called Peter, and an inexplicable amount of adults who don't call the police.

You can check out the official announcement and list of 2026 winners over on the International Rubery Book Award winners 2026 page.

Massive congratulations to all!

I'm off to put on a gown and open a bottle of something to celebrate. You should too…

* This is true. I just love them even more now.

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29th May, 2026

Sienna Fitch and the RNLI: from Cleethorpes to Cornwall

Cleethorpes RNLI Lifeboat Station

Growing up by the sea* in Cleethorpes was a magical, formative honour. It shaped the way I saw the world and, even as a long-committed city dweller, if I am away from water for too long, my soul dehydrates.

Cleethorpes beach is flat and inviting, its dunes and creek perfectly placed to delight. Its tide, however, plays dirty, silently double-crossing** you as it slips past your feet, transforming sandbanks to islands and stranding you perilously in the blink of an eye. As a child, respect for this danger was drummed into us by parents, teachers, and coastguards alike. It taught us respect for the conditions, caution while playing, and the confidence to shout authoritatively at people from Yorkshire.

Cleethorpes Rallies

It was why the community pushed so hard to bring back a permanent Inshore Lifeboat station to the town in the 1980s. Led by the indefatigable Chairlady of the Cleethorpes Fundraising Branch, Mary Thomas BEM, a host of local events were organised***, until the required target of £45,000 was successfully met. On 29 June 1987, a call-out to a burning speedboat next to Cleethorpes Pier interrupted the dedication ceremony for the brand-new D-class lifeboat, Tricentrol (D-339), a timely start to its work in the muddy, fast-moving currents of the Humber. Over the years, the crew launched over 1,500 times, earning multiple awards for gallantry and saving over 250 lives.

By 2022, the modern demands of the Humber outmatched the old station, and construction began on a brand-new, £4 million purpose-built home to replace it. As in Mary’s day, a true team effort funded it, central RNLI reserves bolstered by a staggering £200,000 in local fundraising. Opened in 2025, the new station is a stunning architectural upgrade where the trusty D-class has been joined by a B-class Atlantic 85. I won’t go full lifeboat nerd on you, but trust me, it’s a beast. Both are launchable from a direct-to-sea slipway, ensuring the fastest possible response, and the entire station is a thing of beauty.

From the Humber to the Lizard

As fascinating as this all is****, those still with me may be asking what this has to do with an “excellent debut novel full of pace and warmth”. Well, from that 1980s push onwards, I became an enthusiastic supporter of the RNLI. When I wrote Sienna Fitch, with Southern Cornwall’s majestic coast at the heart of the story*****, I knew I wanted to pay tribute to this remarkable institution, highlighting the selfless service of the women and men who go out to sea, and the shore crew and families who support them. Sienna’s uncle, Andy embodies the bravery, resilience and fortitude of these volunteers and I hope my words have done their service justice. Excitingly, I recently met a real-life version of him at the Lizard Lifeboat Station in Cornwall, but more about that here.

ANYWAY, to put my money where my mouth is (well, yours technically, but we’ll get to that) I have created a new page for all things RNLI. Here, you can learn all about my recent visit to the Lizard Station, find links and information on fundraising, and get the chance to receive the e-book version of Sienna Fitch or other bonus content as a thank you for donating directly to the charity.

Come on, you know you want to… CLICK ME. (PLEASE). →

* I know, I know, it’s technically a tidal estuary, but that’s what we call it. Deal with it.

** In technical terms, the incoming flood tide exploits the beach's ridge-and-runnel topography, filling the low-lying drainage channels behind the sandbanks first and causing what the emergency services call 'islanding' or a tidal cut-off. My version sounds better though, no?

*** The 50p I paid for our school No Uniform Day was my first official donation to the RNLI and, I like to think, paid for something gloriously important on Tricentrol.

**** It is.

***** Yes, yes, I’m aware of the regional betrayal, but Sienna Fitch and the Sandbanks of Doom, never made it past my drafts folder. Soz Mum.

Mary Thomas BEM: fundraising legend

For more than forty years, Mary Thomas BEM was the bedrock of RNLI fundraising in Cleethorpes. Her motivation was deeply tied to her father, Christopher, a deep-sea fisherman who survived the sinking of his vessel, the Northern Crown, in the freezing North Atlantic in 1956. He and 19 other crew members were saved by an Icelandic gunboat called Thor as it was one of the first equipped with a modern rescue dinghy. Driven by gratitude, Mary dedicated her life to keeping other families safe at sea, raising a staggering £750,000. In 2021, she received the British Empire Medal (BEM) in recognition of this immense contribution.

Although she did not live to see it completed, Cleethorpes’ brand-new lifeboat station has Mary’s legacy built into its foundations. In a nod to the famous fundraising caravan she ran on the promenade, the building houses a vibrant souvenir shop and contactless donation window. On its opening weekend in August 2025, the shop generated over £4,000 in sales to an enthusiastic public. I’m sure she would have approved.

Want to support the crew? If you would like to help keep the Cleethorpes and Lizard crews equipped and ready to launch, consider making a donation through the links on my dedicated RNLI page.

Read Previous Post ↓
29th May, 2026

Sienna Fitch and the RNLI: from Cleethorpes to Cornwall

Cleethorpes RNLI Lifeboat Station

Growing up by the sea* in Cleethorpes was a magical, formative honour. It shaped the way I saw the world and, even as a long-committed city dweller, if I am away from water for too long, my soul dehydrates.

Cleethorpes beach is flat and inviting, its dunes and creek perfectly placed to delight. Its tide, however, plays dirty, silently double-crossing** you as it slips past your feet, transforming sandbanks to islands and stranding you perilously in the blink of an eye. As a child, respect for this danger was drummed into us by parents, teachers, and coastguards alike. It taught us respect for the conditions, caution while playing, and the confidence to shout authoritatively at people from Yorkshire.

Cleethorpes Rallies

It was why the community pushed so hard to bring back a permanent Inshore Lifeboat station to the town in the 1980s. Led by the indefatigable Chairlady of the Cleethorpes Fundraising Branch, Mary Thomas BEM, a host of local events were organised***, until the required target of £45,000 was successfully met. On 29 June 1987, a call-out to a burning speedboat next to Cleethorpes Pier interrupted the dedication ceremony for the brand-new D-class lifeboat, Tricentrol (D-339), a timely start to its work in the muddy, fast-moving currents of the Humber. Over the years, the crew launched over 1,500 times, earning multiple awards for gallantry and saving over 250 lives.

By 2022, the modern demands of the Humber outmatched the old station, and construction began on a brand-new, £4 million purpose-built home to replace it. As in Mary’s day, a true team effort funded it, central RNLI reserves bolstered by a staggering £200,000 in local fundraising. Opened in 2025, the new station is a stunning architectural upgrade where the trusty D-class has been joined by a B-class Atlantic 85. I won’t go full lifeboat nerd on you, but trust me, it’s a beast. Both are launchable from a direct-to-sea slipway, ensuring the fastest possible response, and the entire station is a thing of beauty.

From the Humber to the Lizard

As fascinating as this all is****, those still with me may be asking what this has to do with an “excellent debut novel full of pace and warmth”. Well, from that 1980s push onwards, I became an enthusiastic supporter of the RNLI. When I wrote Sienna Fitch, with Southern Cornwall’s majestic coast at the heart of the story*****, I knew I wanted to pay tribute to this remarkable institution, highlighting the selfless service of the women and men who go out to sea, and the shore crew and families who support them. Sienna’s uncle, Andy embodies the bravery, resilience and fortitude of these volunteers and I hope my words have done their service justice. Excitingly, I recently met a real-life version of him at the Lizard Lifeboat Station in Cornwall, but more about that here.

ANYWAY, to put my money where my mouth is (and invite you to join me), I have created a new page dedicated to the RNLI. As an independent supporter of the charity, I have detailed my recent visit to the Lizard Lifeboat Station and launched a personal fundraising campaign. If you donate directly through this page, I would love to send you some exclusive Sienna Fitch bonus content as thanks for your generosity.

Come on, you know you want to… CLICK ME. (PLEASE). →

* I know, I know, it’s technically a tidal estuary, but that’s what we call it. Deal with it.

** In technical terms, the incoming flood tide exploits the beach's ridge-and-runnel topography, filling the low-lying drainage channels behind the sandbanks first and causing what the emergency services call 'islanding' or a tidal cut-off. My version sounds better though, no?

*** The 50p I paid for our school No Uniform Day was my first official donation to the RNLI and, I like to think, paid for something gloriously important on Tricentrol.

**** It is.

***** Yes, yes, I’m aware of the regional betrayal, but Sienna Fitch and the Sandbanks of Doom, never made it past my drafts folder. Soz Mum.

Mary Thomas BEM: fundraising legend

For more than forty years, Mary Thomas BEM was the bedrock of RNLI fundraising in Cleethorpes. Her motivation was deeply tied to her father, Christopher, a deep-sea fisherman who survived the sinking of his vessel, the Northern Crown, in the freezing North Atlantic in 1956. He and 19 other crew members were saved by an Icelandic gunboat called Thor as it was one of the first equipped with a modern rescue dinghy. Driven by gratitude, Mary dedicated her life to keeping other families safe at sea, raising a staggering £750,000. In 2021, she received the British Empire Medal (BEM) in recognition of this immense contribution.

Although she did not live to see it completed, Cleethorpes’ brand-new lifeboat station has Mary’s legacy built into its foundations. In a nod to the famous fundraising caravan she ran on the promenade, the building houses a vibrant souvenir shop and contactless donation window. On its opening weekend in August 2025, the shop generated over £4,000 in sales to an enthusiastic public. I’m sure she would have approved.

Want to follow in Mary's footsteps? As an independent supporter of the RNLI, I invite you to help keep the Cleethorpes and Lizard crews equipped and ready to launch. You can join my fundraising campaign through the links on my dedicated RNLI page.

Read Previous Post ↓
23rd March, 2026

Jasmund and The Lizard – a (t)winning tale of two peninsulas

The beach at Binz, Rügen

I have always been a big fan of twinning...

First, my nephews are the greatest set ever born. Don’t @ me.

Second, my wonderful hometown of Cleethorpes has been twinned with Königswinter in Germany since 1974. One of the most active and enduring of such partnerships, its roots go back to the youth exchange trips of the 1960s that were so successful the towns made it official.

Put a ring on it, if you will...

Inspiring, some forty-one years later, my beloved German husband to do the same (you see what I did there) after meeting at the wedding of my exchange partner Anne, his dear childhood friend, and despite his controversial decision to take part in the French exchange himself.

It was Cognac, to be fair, but I digress...

And what does all this have to do with Sienna, you ask? Well, her stories began in and around the spectacular landscape of Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula, the southernmost tip of mainland UK. Unfortunately, this magnificent place was hard enough to get to even when I lived in London. Moving to Berlin added further complexity to the mix, especially in those years when international travel was a little more complicated, shall we say? So, when writing the novelisation, I went on the hunt for the Lizard’s twin, its German exchange partner.

This made for an interesting challenge. Germany is surrounded by nine different countries, or ten, if you count Bavaria*, leaving very little room for coastline (2,389km to the UK’s 12,000km) and narrowing the search to just three northern states. And then, at the very top of the country, I discovered it, a little** island called Rügen.

There, alongside the beautiful towns of Binz, Sellin and Sassnitz, you’ll find Jasmund, Germany's smallest national park and home to some of the most breathtaking coastal scenery in northern Europe. And rocks. And beaches. And crashing waves. And mystery. And that I’ve-been-here-before-even-though-I-haven’t feeling. And my search was over. I had found it.

Now, I return time and again to write, seek inspiration, and, if we’re being very honest, collect some of the best thinking pebbles*** ever. It sates a certain homesickness that never really leaves me.

These two peninsulas: Lizard, forged from the brooding darkness of its ancient serpentine, and Jasmund, risen from the ethereal white chalk of a prehistoric sea floor. Geographic opposites that somehow share a soul, a feeling, a connection. A place for those of us who sometimes need to stand at the edge of the earth to feel at home.

And the closest thing to Porthpenn without a passport...

* This joke will get me in trouble in the south and a beer in the north.

** I know, to a Brit, 926 square kilometres is a lot; this is artistic licence.

*** A truly great thinking pebble must be smooth, rounded and fit perfectly between your fingers as you pass it through them. OBVIOUSLY, I left them all on the beaches where I found them.

Did you know?

Royal & Romantic Obsessions: Both peninsulas became national sensations in the 1800s. Queen Victoria was so enamoured with the dark, polished serpentine of the Lizard that she ordered it for her royal residence, Osborne House. Meanwhile, Caspar David Friedrich made Jasmund’s chalk cliffs the face of German Romanticism, painting them as ‘a gateway to the infinite’.

The First Global Signals: These remote outposts were both the “ears” of their nations. While Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio signal from Poldhu on the Lizard in 1901, Rügen was the primary telegraphic and radio hub for Germany, acting as the vital link between the mainland and the Baltic world.

Guardians of the Deep: Both coastlines are famously treacherous. The Manacles reef off the Lizard is one of the most haunted ship graveyards in the Atlantic. To match this, the Cape Arkona lighthouses on Rügen were built as some of the earliest beacons in the Baltic to navigate ships through shifting sandbanks.

Geological Crafts: The earth here provides the industry. For centuries, Lizard artisans have polished dark serpentine into intricate ornaments. On Rügen, its “Healing Chalk” is widely used in traditional Baltic spas for its medicinal properties.

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13th March, 2026

Sienna Fitch and the Hardback Doorstop

Sienna Fitch Hardback Edition

Today is exciting to me for two reasons. Controversially, thirteen is my favourite number, and when it combines with a Friday (ignore the films), good things tend to happen. And, for me at least, that would be the publication of Sienna Fitch’s hardback version. She’s glossy, she’s sustainable, and her print spacing is kinder for those who pretend they still don’t need reading glasses. Hooray!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I own a Kindle (other eBook readers are available) and love the convenience of a handbag-sized library. Paperbacks are fantastic, too, cheaper and lighter and most likely to end up in my hand luggage. But there’s just something about a hardback: that first, satisfying crack of the spine, premium engineered to lay flat in a way the paperback can only dream of. There's that definitive, percussive thud when you close it, an audible full stop to your reading session. And let’s not overlook its multifunctionality as a laptop stand, mosquito murderer, impromptu flower press, or the doorstop that says ‘I am a woman of literary taste and intelligence’ even when letting in a breeze.

In a world of fast fashion and disposable goods, this is the ultimate ‘buy once, buy well’ addition to your library. A moral victory for your bookshelf, if you will.

And so, in celebration of her arrival (did I mention she’s glossy?) I am giving away a brand-new copy of the hardback for yourself, or a friend if you’ve not quite thought through their impending birthday. Visit my Instagram or Facebook (I’m still waiting for the TikTok tutorial my beloved nephews promised me, and we don’t post in the bad place) and tell me what the best use of a hardback is by 31st March. I will pick the winner based on which makes me laugh out loud the most.

Told you good things can happen on Friday 13th…

The Boring Bits:

  • • No purchase necessary.
  • • Open worldwide to entrants aged 18+.
  • • Entries close midnight 31st March 2026.
  • • The winner will be judged by the author (and likely her husband) based on humour and creativity. The judge’s decision is final.
  • • Prize will be dispatched to the winner’s local region where possible to reduce shipping miles.
  • • Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is not sponsored or endorsed by Instagram or Facebook.
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6th March, 2026

World Book Day: The books that built Sienna Fitch

Louise as a child

Hello and Happy World Book Day!

As children across the nation will have arrived at school today in their literary-themed attire, it made me think of two things. First, how many parents likely spent last night (or this morning) crying, cursing, chopping up bedsheets or finding creative ways to justify Elsa (Frozen: Before the Story: Elsa’s Icy Rescue) and Jude Bellingham (Official England Annual, 2026) as literary characters. Second, I wondered who tiny me would have wanted to go as (Katy Carr, Darrell Rivers, Jo March and Sally J. Freedman, obvs) and what influence these characters may have had on my writing.

As a child, I was a voracious (and bizarrely speedy) reader with an unquenchable thirst for strong female protagonists. In the beginning, these were the hockey obsessed heroines of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers. Despite excellent parents, I longed to be sent off to this mysterious castle-like boarding school, set high on the cliffs of Cornwall (you see where I’m going with this) where a life of lacrosse, midnight feasts and the alarming threat of being ‘sent to Coventry’*’ would have awaited me. This world of fair play, personal responsibility, and hard lessons in managing a 'hot temper'** delighted and inspired me relentlessly until, one day, a shiny new section in our local library led me across the Atlantic and into a brand-new world.

Now, in fairness, I’d already been to America with What Katy Did and Little Women (two more obsessively re-read books) but the worlds of Judy Blume and Paula Danziger felt somehow revolutionary. They were funny, relatable, and truthful, and I found a version of myself in every single one. Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself and Tiger Eyes dealt with loss, grief, and imagination in a way that helped process my own and shaped how I would go on to write about it myself.

These strong, meaningful girls and their diverse universes helped guide me through childhood and beyond, influencing my worldview and my writing to this day. When faced with the question of ‘who am I when times get hard’, they always found an answer - whether through the moral grit of Malory Towers’ boarders, the heart and humour of Blume and Danziger’s teenagers, or the bravery and resilience of Katy Carr and Jo March. They taught me how to grow and persevere and I very much hope that one day, someone will find similar inspiration in Sienna, my very loving tribute to those who came before.

While I wait for that moment, let us be grateful for a day that celebrates the endless wonder, inspiration and joy of books.

* A form of collective shunning where every girl in the form (and sometimes the whole school) agreed to act as if the offender was completely invisible. Terrifying.

** Although Darrell was described as having curly dark hair and eyes in the book, I always pictured her as a redhead at heart and it was, in fact changed to this in the later TV versions, something I consider a moral victory to this day.

QUIZ: Which World Book Day Heroine Are You?

How to play: Keep track of whether you choose A, B, or C.

1. You discover a secret doorway in a crumbling coastal cottage. What do you do?
  • A) Report it to the authorities - rules are there for a reason!
  • B) Ask your friends what they think; you don’t want to go in alone.
  • C) Grab a torch and head inside immediately. You need to know the truth.
2. Someone at school is being mean to a younger student. How do you react?
  • A) You lose your temper and tell them exactly what you think.
  • B) You write a very honest entry in your diary about how unfair the world is.
  • C) You start investigating why they are being mean - everyone has a motive.
3. What is your “Must-Have” accessory for an adventure?
  • A) A sturdy pair of lacrosse boots and a sense of fair play.
  • B) A notebook to record all your secret thoughts and feelings.
  • C) A blue rucksack, mini screwdrivers and a map of the coast.
4. What is your biggest fear?
  • A) Letting down your teammates or losing your “good name.”
  • B) Nobody understanding what you are actually going through.
  • C) Leaving a mystery unsolved, even if the truth is dangerous.

THE RESULTS

Mostly A’s: You are DARRELL RIVERS (Malory Towers)
You are loyal, fierce, and have a strong moral compass. You might have a bit of a temper, but it’s only because you care so much about justice. You’re the girl your friends can always lean on.

Mostly B’s: You are a BLUME/DANZIGER HEROINE (Margaret or Amber Brown)
You are the queen of “Heart and Humour.” You are incredibly honest about your feelings and aren’t afraid to ask the big questions about life, even when they’re awkward. You’re a true original.

Mostly C’s: You are SIENNA FITCH
A natural investigator, inspired by generations of female bravery, you want to get to the truth, no matter the danger. You are resilient, curious, and loving, inspired by the rugged beauty of the Cornish landscape you now call home.

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