Nicky has written four novels for adults, two books of non-fiction and six works for young people. Her first children's novel Feather Boy has been published in 28 countries. It won the Blue Peter `Book of the Year' Award, was adapted for TV (winning a BAFTA for Best Children's Drama) and then commissioned by the National Theatre as a musical with lyrics by Don Black and music by Debbie Wiseman. In 2010 Nicky was asked by Glyndebourne to adapt her novel Knight Crew (a re-telling of the King Arthur legend set in contemporary gangland) for an opera with music by Julian Philips. It was the first time Glyndebourne had ever commissioned an opera from a teen novel and the making of the show was filmed by the BBC for a three-part documentary series presented by Gareth Malone. She is currently at work on Island, a play about ice-bears and moral responsibility for the National Theatre's Primary 1 series. Nicky lives with her family in Brighton.