Full Throttle

by Jon Hartless

Published 31 August 2017

In a world that refuses to let her move forward, can Poppy stay ahead of the pack?







Sixteen-year-old Poppy Orpington seems destined for a life of poverty until her father perfects a petrol-fuelled engine. Their success allows Poppy to get a new prosthetic arm, giving her the mobility she's longed for all her life.







But can a working class family crack open the aristocratic world of motor racing? Can Poppy overcome prejudice as she fights to find a place in the world? Or will the ruling elite crush her only chance of a better life?


Rise of the Petrol Queen

by Jon Hartless

Published 29 August 2019

Following a controversial loss at the Purley Cup, Poppy Orpington and her petrol-fuelled race car, Thunderbus, are dominating the headlines. But not one article is complimentary, or even unbiased.



In spite of these daily slanderous reports on her character, Poppy is determined to make something of herself. She continues racing, she starts up her own factory hoping to sell her father’s patented petrol-run cars, she buys her own house and speaks up for the down-trodden. But all the while she is still seen as just a woman.



A woman unwilling to squeeze into the female mould created by men of power – and so the mould must be broken.