Ghostwriter behind Millie Bobby Brown’s debut novel Nineteen Steps reveals collaboration process, saying they had ‘a couple of Zoom calls’ and star ‘would WhatsApp ideas’ for her to write from

The ghostwriter who worked with Millie Bobbie Brown on her debut novel has revealed the writing process the pair followed, saying they used Zoom and WhatsApp to bring the book to life.

The 19-year-old Stranger Things star has been criticized by some for using a ghostwriter to help write her debut novel, with some saying both their names should appear on the front of the book.

Nineteen Steps, published yesterday, tells the story of 18-year-old Nellie Morris, who lives with her family in Bethnal Green, in London’s East End, as the Second World War rages around them.

Brown attended the book launch at the Hackney Empire on Tuesday with fiancé Jake Bongiovi and posted a photo of himself with her ghostwriter Kathleen McGurl on her Instagram account, saying: ‘Many thanks to my collaborator – I couldn’t have done this without you!’

The book’s co-author responded, writing, “It was great talking to you before tonight’s show! It was a privilege to work with you on this, especially to share the precious memories of Nanny Ruth.”

On her own website, McGurl, who has published more than fourteen novels under her own name, explained how the writing process went.

Below the blog post ‘A new departure’the writer, who lives in Dorset, revealed that her agent had asked her some time ago ‘if I would consider working with a celebrity writing a novel.’

She wrote: ‘I was sent a lot of research already collected by Millie and her family, and a lot of ideas, and we had a few Zoom calls.’

McGurl continued: “And then I sat on the floor and wrote the first draft, while Millie continued to send more ideas via WhatsApp. There have been several versions of the book since then as we have refined the story.”

After it emerged that the A-lister had used the services of a ghostwriter, many on social media suggested that McGurl’s name should also have appeared on the front of the book – instead, there is a note in the book saying the text ‘with Katherine McGurl’.

Others defended the teen, saying many celebrities use ghostwriters.

One wrote: ‘I find it funny that a 19 year old female celebrity gets so much hate when middle aged male celebrities have been doing this for years.’

During press appearances for her debut novel, the star opened up about what inspired her, saying her family history was the main source of inspiration.

Brown, who played Eleven in Stranger Things and also starred in the Enola Holmes film series, has spoken extensively in recent weeks about how her grandmother inspired the book.

She told Woman’s Hour presenter Nuala McGovern this week: ‘I love the history of older people and the stories they tell, even when they are completely made up, which sometimes they are! But I hope that after reading Nineteen Steps you will talk to your grandparents or your parents and learn more about your family history.’

Taking cover: The actress, 19, and her fiance, Jon Bon Jovi’s son, 21, did their best to take cover from the rain and stayed close under an umbrella as they entered the Hackney Empire in London

Millie’s grandmother Ruth passed away from Alzheimer’s in November 2020, and the actress revealed how she honored her grandmother’s passing when recording the audiobook.

The Stranger Things star explained, “Losing her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through and I don’t know if I’ve necessarily fully recovered from it.

“When I did the audiobook, I was a little scared to talk about it because I had read it to myself so many times.

“I lit a candle and put her picture in front of me and it was a very emotional few weeks of reliving all these stories and also learning tonally how she would tell these stories.”

Looking back on her childhood, Millie said: “I was with her by choice for much of my childhood. I love my parents, but they’re not as interesting as them!

‘When she passed away, I really wanted to capture her stories. I recorded her as a child and when we went through the recordings again, we thought there would be room for a story about her life.

‘My grandmother talked a lot about the war, especially when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She forgot what she had eaten the night before, but remembered what she had eaten on her fifth birthday; things like that were so bizarre.

‘Because I have studied and am still studying Alzheimer’s, I really wanted to hone that story so that she would feel safe and heard. Some I’d heard hundreds of times and some I’d never heard before, and I said, “Nan, you never told me that” and she said, “Oh, I didn’t think you cared!”