Clare McCarron

Clare grew up exploring Edinburgh’s wild edges, studied botany at Aberdeen, and became a biology teacher before her love of drama led her to retrain as an actor at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She went on to play Shakespearean heroines—and nearly crashed a Lamborghini in Taggart. Clare’s writing reflects the organised chaos of classrooms and the lore of the landscape she loves. Her debut verse novel, longlisted for Guppy 2024, draws on her experience growing up with an alcoholic parent.

You Have My Heart

This YA verse combines the lyrical sensitivity of Sarah Crossan’s Toffee, with the unflinching exploration of parental addiction from Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain. In a haze of rebellion and regret, city teens collide with the wild Scottish Highlands. Seventeen-year-old Torin seizes the chance to escape his father’s drinking by joining a school trip to the Highlands. But the shadow of alcohol follows him. While Torin refuses to drink, his frenemy thinks it’s hilarious to spike him, and he loses control. One reckless night, he revenge pranks—and the aftermath is devastating. An ancient woodland goes up in flames, witnessed by Amira, the enigmatic new girl Torin’s been desperate to impress.

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