Writers in Conversation: Lex Croucher

Writers in Conversation, part reading, part Q&A, is a relaxed and engaging event featuring writers reading their work and talking about their writing lifestyle.

Lex Croucher, the Nero Award-shortlisted, New York Times, Indie & USA Today bestselling author of ‘Gwen & Art Are Not in Love’ (2023) and ‘Not for the Faint at Heart (2024’), joins novelist and Southampton principal teaching fellow Rebecca Smith to discuss their work.

Lex Croucher grew up in Surrey, reading a lot of books and making friends with strangers on the internet, and now lives in London.  With a background in social media and NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom-coms and fantasy for both adults and teenagers. They earned their BA English at University of Southampton.

‘Gwen and Art Are Not in Love’, a queer YA romance novel, won them the UK’s YA Book Prize 2024. The story follows the Princess of England, Gwen and the future lord, Arthur who were betrothed to each other since birth. When Gwen catches Art kissing her bookish brother and Art discovers Gwen’s diary about her crush on the kingdom’s only female knight, they reluctantly agree to pretend to fall in love with each other to assure mutual protection. But how long can they keep up this ruse?

Not for the Faint of Heart is a queer romantic comedy featuring Mariel, the granddaughter of Robin Hood, and Clem, a healer who is kidnapped by the Merry Men.

Writers in Conversation is directed by novelist and Southampton associate professor Carole Burns and sponsored by the Southampton English department.