I am so pleased to welcome Radhika Sanghani to the blog today as part of her The Girl who Couldn’t Lie blog tour.

The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie is a middle grade an hilariously funny comedy farce, released by Usborne on the 9th May 2024.

Blurb

A fresh, funny story about white lies, brutal honesty and a bangle with special powers, from award-winning journalist and author Radhika Sanghani.

Priya Shah lies. A lot. She pretends everything in her life is perfect, so she doesn’t disappoint anyone.

But when she puts on a bangle left to her by her Ba – the one person she was always honest with – she finds herself unable to tell a lie.

Priya is mortified. She tells her dad she hates his cooking, she tells Dan Zhang about her huge crush on him, she shares her best friends’ secrets at school. She can’t get the bangle off, and she can’t stop the truths pouring out of her.

As more things go wrong, and Priya’s truth-telling spirals out of control, can Priya learn to be honest without hurting the people she loves?

My stop takes the form of an author interview.

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Tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie.

Hello! I’m a writer and The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie is my first children’s book. The inspiration came from me thinking about what kind of book I would have liked to read when I was younger. That’s when the character of Priya Shah came to me – I would have REALLY related to her when I was 12! – and the idea came from there.

Why did you decide to write a book about white lies for children?

I am a big believer in radical honesty. I no longer lie in my personal life – not even white lies – and it has drastically improved my life. I wanted to write a book that encourages children to think about honesty, and to realise that speaking their truth can strengthen their relationships and lead to a happier, more honest life.

How did you make the transition from journalism to writing for children? Explain how you broke into the market.

I’ve been a journalist for 12 years, but I’ve also published four novels for adults in that time. So I was already an author, and when I had my idea for a children’s book, it wasn’t such a challenge to move into this market. I was lucky in that my agent Madeleine Milburn also had an amazing children’s agent working for her – Chloe Seager – and she’s helped me make it all happen!

In your opinion, what makes a great children’s book?

For me, a great children’s book is full of honesty, relatability, humour and definitely a sense of mystery/the unknown!

Which part of The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie was the most fun to write?

I loved writing the comedy parts about when things start to go wrong for Priya when the magic bangle forces her to stop lying. But I also had a lot of fun writing the scenes with her best friends Sami and Mei because they’re both really funny characters.

What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to be a children’s book writer?

I would say to keep on writing – the more you write, the more you have to put out in the world, to see what lands! And also to have fun with it. My favourite thing about children’s novels is that you don’t have to be so serious – I love that my books can be a little bit magical and humorous.

Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie?

Just that I think anyone of any age could enjoy it – especially if you relate to Priya’s people-pleasing tendencies, and this sense of lying to make other people feel better!

I’d love to hear what you think of TGWCL if you read it!

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About the Author

Radhika Sanghani is an award-winning features journalist, acclaimed author, screenwriter, influential body positivity campaigner and a 2020 BBC Writers Room graduate.

Radhika writes regularly for the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Elle, The Guardian, Grazia, Glamour and Cosmopolitan; was recently featured in Italian Vogue as well BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and is a regular guest on Sky News and Good Morning Britain. She is also a TedX speaker on body positivity, a yoga teacher and runs a charity initiative with AgeUK fighting loneliness in older women.

You can find her on Instagram @radhikasanghani and Twitter on @radhikasanghani.

I would like to thank Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to take part in this tour.

To follow the rest of the tour take a look at the tour schedule below:

You can buy copies ofThe Girl who Couldn’t Lie by Radhika Sanghani from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.