Author Dame Jacqueline Wilson has announced a new adult novel, Picture Imperfect, a sequel to her 1999 children's book, The Illustrated Mum.
The novel, released on August 28, reunites readers with Dolphin and Star, who spent their childhood dealing with their mother's bipolar disorder.
Dolphin, 33, is finding it difficult to move forward. Living in a small apartment, working at a tattoo parlor and frequently picking up her mother from the police station, she is counting on romance to turn her life around, but she is struggling between settling down with stable Lee and his daughter Ava, and a casual relationship with actor Joel. Star, on the other hand, works as a doctor in Scotland with her family.
The highly respected author, 79 years old, was knighted in 2008, and is recognized for making complex and challenging topics understandable through her writing.
Most of her books, some of which delve into themes of suicide, mental health, and domestic violence, are targeted towards children in the age range of seven to twelve.
But "Picture Imperfect" follows Wilson's first novel for adults since the 1970s, "Think Again," released last year as a sequel to the "Girls" series.
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Discovering the enjoyment of writing for adults is a delightful experience, similar to playing a fun party game," she said to Mills, "where you think about your cherished childhood memories that you wrote about.
One of the books that people have mentioned over the years is "The Illustrated Mum".
The original book, named after Marigold's extensive collection of tattoos, from which Dolphin and Star are derived, received the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2000.
It was adapted into a film starring Michelle Collins in 2003.
Wilson revealed a statue of herself with tattoos in Brighton, near her home in Sussex, which will be relocated to a Waterstones in the city.
Next month, Mills said she intended to enter and gently touch the statue occasionally.
The Illustrated Mum is Wilson's second-best-selling children's novel in paperback in the UK, as per publisher Penguin Random House, beaten only by her children's classic Tracy Beaker.
Her eight-year-old daughter, Avery Bell, had become her "new biggest fan", she disclosed.
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"It has been an absolute delight to re-read all of your books with her," Harmer said.
We now discuss you as well and cover all the incredible topics that you cover in your books.
Harmer asked Wilson about the possibility of more Beaker books, to which Wilson replied that an adult sequel would be "quite an idea".
It won't be happening this year, but perhaps in the future.