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Kelis Rowe on her stand-out romantic YA debut novel, Finding Jupiter
This post is sponsored by Walker Books.
Finding Jupiter, the stand-out YA debut from Kelis Rowe is a bookshelf must have for anyone looking for a superbly written story of heartbreak, loss, family and finding love when you least expect or…
Liz Lawson and Kathleen Glasgow on their addictive new YA thriller, The Agathas
With explorations of parental neglect and domestic abuse superbly balanced alongside teen angst, high school politics and A+ detective work, Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson's new YA thriller, The Agathas, is a gripping and highly addictive…
E. Lockhart shares her perfect playlist for her new YA thriller, Family of Liars
Late 1980s fashions are back with a twist — big hair, high-waisted trousers, jean vests, Doc Martens. And though it was an era rife with homophobia, sexism and other small-mindedness that I’m glad and hopeful we’re moving past, it was also…
Sue Divin talks the courage to build peace in Guard Your Heart
"Novels teach us through empathy – through our heart. I’m hoping that readers will connect with issues around identity and human rights as well as building peace and respect – those concepts can apply much wider than just Northern Ireland."
Phil Earle talks writing for underdogs in When the Sky Falls
"What I’m interested in people’s ability to do good, regardless of the difficult starts to their lives."
Katya Balen chats playing with language in October, October
"I also find not thinking about what I’m writing often helps new expressions to flow."
Read an extract from David Valdes’ debut novel, Spin Me Right Round
This post is sponsored by Bloomsbury.
Following gay Cuban-American teen, Luis Gonzalez, as he travels back to the 80's in an attempt to save the life of a closeted student, David Valdes' irresistible YA debut, Spin Me Right Round, brings…
Julian Sedgwick talks honouring Japanese culture and philosophy in Tsunami Girl
"Amidst the trauma and sadness there was humour, and a determination to build new, possibly even better, communities."
WIN a copy of Finding Jupiter by Kelis Rowe
This post is sponsored by Walker.
A beautifully written and page-turning exploration of grief, passion, heartbreak and fate, Kelis Rowe's debut YA novel, Finding Jupiter, is an emotional and powerful contemporary read your bookshelves will…
Finbar Hawkins chats his writing journey before penning his debut, Witch
"Novel writing is about you sitting a desk until that draft is done, so it’s a solitary, immersed process. And then you rewrite it. And again..."
Alex Wheatle talks writing Jamaican dialect and teenager’s perspective in Cane Warriors
"One of the things a conquered people lose first is their language, so keeping a hint of that language in the narrative is very important to me."
WIN a set of Heartstopper books by Alice Oseman
Win a set of Heartstopper books, the graphic novel behind the beloved Netflix adaptation.
Exciting new YA reads for June 2022
2022 has already gifted our bookshelves with countless new YA reads to fall in love with and despite the year having reached its halfway point, the fabulous new releases just keep coming. With stories of belonging, first love, wishes,…
Naomi Gibson talks AI programming in her debut YA novel, Every Line of You
Every Line of You is a thriller about a girl who uses AI to cope with her grief, except the project becomes bigger than she ever anticipated...
Finn Longman talks compassion, hope and dealing with pain in their debut YA novel, The Butterfly…
"Compassion, because Isabel is human and deserves second chances and deserves safety, and hope, because there is too much despair in the world already."