Tracey Beaker author Jacqueline Wilson, 79, swaps writing children’s book for steamy adult novel with saucy sex scenes but admits worrying how her family will react

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Jacqueline Wilson, the celebrated author of the Tracey Beaker books, has written her first novel for adults, which includes explicit romantic content—a departure from her award-winning children’s stories.

Jacqueline Wilson, the former Children’s Laureate and author of popular books like The Illustrated Mum, is concerned about how her family and friends will respond to the more mature themes in her new book, Picture Imperfect. The 79-year-old author says the new story contains a bolder storyline than her previous work.

I need to put aside the thought that my friends and family might read this, or I’ll get really upset and self-conscious about it.

The story revisits Dolphin, now a grown-up tattoo artist, as she deals with the challenges of caring for her mother, Marigold, who lives with bipolar disorder.

She explained her decision to change direction, saying she’d given it a lot of thought. She compared it to Beatrix Potter suddenly writing an adult romance, pointing out that because we associate authors with their famous childhood stories, such a shift would feel odd.

I realized that most adults either have a sex life, desire one, or are content without one, but they’re usually conscious of their own situation. It just seemed like a natural part of life to include.

Jaqueline explained to Sussex Life that her children’s books feature a lot of descriptions of food – picnics, treats, and everything related to eating. Someone pointed out that food often represents sexuality in children’s literature, and she jokingly agreed, saying her books reflect that idea – with plenty of food in her children’s stories and a touch of romance in her books for adults.

Since publishing her first book in 1969, the author has written over 100 books. Last year, her fans were thrilled to learn she was continuing her popular Girls in Love series with a new release.

Many adults remember enjoying books by this author, who was born in Bath and grew up in London. Her stories frequently focus on important social problems and often feature children as the main characters.

Jacqueline Wilson’s books often featured young people facing difficult situations. She wrote about characters like a girl escaping domestic abuse in ‘Lola Rose’, a child experiencing homelessness in ‘The Bed and Breakfast Star’, and the well-known Tracey Beaker, who grew up in care homes – a story that became the popular CBBC series starring Dani Harmer. Her work consistently portrayed the struggles of young people with honesty and empathy.

She’s shared before that she aimed to create books that felt authentic, something she wished she’d had access to as a young, enthusiastic reader.

The author shared with iNews that they enjoyed reading as a child, but always found it frustrating that books consistently portrayed families with parents who stayed together, never depicting divorce or separation.

Jacqueline grew up on a council estate in Kingston-upon-Thames. She was an only child, born in Bath.

In 2016, she revealed that growing up with her parents’ difficult relationship influenced her perspective and later inspired her writing.

In an interview with the Guardian, she shared that her father, Harry, struggled with depression and her mother, Biddy, wanted to leave him. However, divorce wasn’t possible at that time.

The author, now living with her partner Trish Beswick, divorced her husband in 2004 and they share a daughter. She remembers her mother consistently belittling her father, which often led to him becoming angry and taking it out on her.

Let me tell you, relationships can get a little heated, and I’ve seen my share of couples playfully – or not so playfully – bumping into each other. There was definitely some tension there, and she admitted she’d even given him a swat or two. However, she couldn’t remember a single instance where he was the aggressor, where he ever actually lost his temper with Biddy. It’s funny how we remember things differently, isn’t it?

The author remembers being physically disciplined by her mother when she acted up, and she grew up afraid of her father’s quick temper.

Wilson remembered always being on edge around his father, never knowing what small thing might trigger an angry reaction. He admitted he lived in fear of his dad throughout his entire life, even until the day he passed away.

In a piece for the Telegraph, she remembered questioning, in her diary at age 14, why the children in Enid Blyton’s books always seemed wealthy and why their families never argued about money or had financial problems.

Growing up with a difficult family situation, Wilson considered it completely ordinary simply because it was all she had ever known.

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2025-10-24 20:51