London-based author and activist Laura Bates, 37, is the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, a website that collates first-hand accounts of sexism from women around the world, using those experiences to press for change. She’s also the author of bestselling nonfiction titles including Misogynation and Men Who Hate Women, as well as novels for teens that grapple with issues such as revenge porn and slut-shaming. Her new YA novel, Sisters of Sword and Shadow, is the first instalment of a pacy duology set in the time of King Arthur, where heroine Cass is destined for an arranged marriage until she joins a mysterious band of female knights.
This is your first foray into fantasy writing. What inspired it?
I just needed a release from relentlessly horrendous news. I felt that a lot of my readers did too, and that there was a place for escapist feminist joy alongside the hard work and activism. In childhood I was obsessed with Arthurian legends. It was so exciting to honour their complexity and explore bonds of friendship and loyalty – but through women, who are such two-dimensional stereotypes in those other tellings.
