Our seventh online writer in residence is...

It is with great delight that, this Friday, Booktrust announces our new online writer in residence as graphic novelist Hannah Berry. Hannah, whose debut book the noir-esque detective story Britten and Brülightly has been published across the globe, takes over from YA author Bali Rai. During his residency with Booktrust Bali championed authentic teen fiction, with stories that a wider pool of teens could relate to, as well as the promotion of literacy and support for reluctant readers.

Hannah Berry on her appointment as  Booktrust's seventh online writer in residence:

In reality the comic format is an incredibly varied and powerful medium of communication, teeming with visual potential and overflowing with narrative possibility. In many countries, particularly France and Japan, it's a given that comics/graphic novels/bandes dessinées/manga can be equally available for a mature audience, so why not here too? There are comics and graphic novels for all ages and all interests, in all styles and all genres, and over the course of the next six months I will make it my mission to wax lyrical about their wonders and to do my bit to further the comics cause.

'In fact, this month happens to be doubly exciting, as not only am I lucky enough to be sharing my non-fiction thoughts here on this very blog, but I also have a new graphic novel coming out. Adamtine is a pensive ghost story; a slice of thinking man/woman's horror, published by the good people of Jonathan Cape.

'So as well as comivangelising (not a word, don't use it in Scrabble) and shouting about the oft-overlooked value of visual literacy, I'll be able to tell you about the highs and lows of having a second book released into the world at large.

'More than that, though, as I start to work on my next book I'm hoping to provide some anecdotal insights into kick-starting this overwhelming process; those early fumbling stages floundering in the primordial soup of storytelling. It's a stage every author goes through and one that a lot of potential authors never escape. There are countless books on the subject, but those books are all (presumably) completed projects - fat and smug on Waterstone's bookshelves. This residency will chart the whole process in motion, as it happens, with that additional exciting horrible risk that I don't want to dwell on that I could fail… I'm very much looking forward to the next six months. It's going to be splendid and terrifying in equal measure.'

Inspired by Calvin and Hobbes and Asterix, Hannah started writing and drawing comics from a young age. She continued throughout school and years of art training, and after graduating from the illustration degree at the University of Brighton in 2004 has worked continuously in graphic novels, inspired by the wealth of Franco-Belgian comics that can be found just across the Channel.

Her second graphic novel, Adamtine (to be published by Jonathan Cape in 2012) is a labyrinthine ghost story that aims to soundly unsettle the reader while subtly demonstrating the capabilities of the comic format.