Glorious.

Fun with @mamagstories.bsky.social at the Edinburgh Book Fest today celebrating A YEAR OF PRIDE & JOY - the joyful LGBTQ+ book you need in your lives!

Excited to be making a return to @edbookfest.bsky.social this Sunday with this fab events for kids with me and @mamagstories.bsky.social - pride and joy guaranteed! 😍 Tickets and info here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...

This week #IAmReading THE DOUBLE LIFE OF TED AMOS by @simonjamesgreen.bsky.social. Can loser Ted reinvent himself as The Cool Kid? Absolutely not… Cringing, heartwarming, but be warned: will make you snort-giggle in public spaces! @scholasticuk.bsky.social #KidLitUk alastairc.com/i-am-reading...

Happy to see my dyslexia-friendly LGBTQ+ YA novel longlisted for The Diverse Book Awards!

WINNER! Boy Like Me - Best Secondary Fiction at the Accelerated Reader ‘What Kids are Reading’ Awards! Couldn’t be prouder! (With fellow winners Lewis Hancox and Laura Noakes!)

And that was my final school author visit of the season! I managed around 70 schools this academic year. I know it feels bleak out there, and it is, in many ways, but also know there are lots of kind, empathetic young people out there who want to fight to make this world better.

122. The Big Ask by @simonjamesgreen.bsky.social Enjoyable and accessible YA story about two teenage boys from different social spheres going to prom together, offering a sensitive and convincing exploration of homophobia alongside lots of humour and positive messages. @barringtonstoke.bsky.social

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF TED AMOS - winner of the James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award for KS3! 🥰

A fab list of books recommended for Pride month by LGBTQ+ authors… my rec was the brilliant NORTHERN BOY by @ihussainwriter.bsky.social - which I absolutely loved! www.stylist.co.uk/books/best-b...

🌈 Book 14 for #PrideMonth: Gay Club! by @simonjamesgreen.bsky.social is a hilarious, heartwarming story about elections, identity, and standing up for who you are. Drama, laughs, and big impactful story, perfect for teen readers! 🗳️🏳️‍🌈📚 @ciliplgbtq.bsky.social @cilip.bsky.social

Go on, the mouse! variety.com/2025/digital...

New from me today! Short, funny, dyslexia-friendly and perfect for 11 + with a reading age of 7. It’s an honour to write books for @barringtonstoke.bsky.social 🥰

Serving you LGBTQ+ young adult fiction since 2017! Happy Pride Month folks! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Disgusting, shameful and due in part to cowardly politicians, more interested in avoiding negative headlines in the many fascist pamphlets which masquerade as UK newspapers, than in championing basic decency and human rights. And others who are just bigots. www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/14/u...

So. AI audiobooks. Thing is, sharing stories is one the oldest human activities, a truly beautiful thing, and I don’t understand people who think AI can bring anything to the table… 🧵 1/7

Out now in the UK and US & Canada! Bring some Pride & Joy into your life!

So many brilliant and inspirational people from all walks of life in this book! Out today!

The world feels so bleak I almost didn’t post this… but fear and misery is what they want, so screw them! Out today! A YEAR OF PRIDE & JOY - 52 inspirational LGBTQ+ folk, from all walks of life, talking about JOY! Art by Ruth Burrows, curated by me. www.waterstones.com/book/a-year-...

By chance, I recently gave an interview to Yahoo about section 28, book bans, and why we must never go back. US ‘pressure groups’: we won’t tolerate your anti-intellectual nonsense in UK libraries. Don’t like a book? Don’t read it. uk.news.yahoo.com/simon-james-...

They’ve stolen almost everything I’ve written. 😔

Happy publication day to the US edition of my dyslexia-friendly LGBTQ+ romcom, THE BIG ASK! Kirkus gave it a STAR and said, “A delightfully authentic story about friendship, love, and taking chances.”

Finally made it and one of my book spines is on the wall outside a school library! 😍

Very happy that FINN JONES WAS HERE has won the Brilliant Book Award - voted for by students themselves, making it extra special! Runner-up was the fabulous ECHOSTAR IS ALWAYS LISTENING by @melindasalisbury.com - a book I adored. 😍

Very happy to see this beautiful book start to arrive with the 52 awesome contributors - featuring LGBTQ+ folk from all walks of life talking about what brings them JOY! Out April!

A Kirkus Star for THE BIG ASK - my dyslexia-friendly LGBTQ+ young adult novella, out in the US in April. (And available in the UK now from Barrington Stoke). 😊

Some juicy train chaos for Day 2 of World Book Week!

Good luck to all the authors doing World Book Day visits this coming week! I’ve made us a bingo card. First one to get all nine wins a ten-page form which finance suddenly reveal you must complete before they’ll pay your invoice! Happy travels!

Chatting with George Lester, in drag, for the launch of his fab new YA novel - DON’T DIE ALONE, LUCAS COOK! - is certainly one to remember! 😅

On stage at the Brilliant Book Awards today. 😄

Go on, treat yourself! And bring a bit of joy into your life this April when it publishes - featuring LGBTQ+ folk from all walks of life, talking about what brings them joy in 150 words!

Tomorrow! Come and join us at Waterstones Piccadilly from 6:30pm for a fun evening of LGBTQ+ book chat and celebrate #lgbtqhistorymonth Ticket info here — www.waterstones.com/events/celeb...

One for my librarian and teacher friends! I have a new dyslexia-friendly book with Barrington Stoke out in June - aimed at 11+ with a reading age of 7. Join Kit and Hamza as they race against time to deliver a roast turkey across London! Funny, fast-paced, 5000 words. Hope you like it!

“I absolutely love the representations of boy friendships… In both books, the bond between the protagonist and his best friend is beautiful and is a celebration of the purity, loyalty and honesty of true, healthy friendships.” Such a nice review of two of my MG books! 🥰

Overjoyed to announce my first non-fiction book! A YEAR OF PRIDE & JOY features 52 LGBTQ+ folk talking about what brings them joy. Beautiful artwork by @ruthburrows.bsky.social & published by Magic Cat. Out April! Aimed at 8-12 yo but perfect for anyone who needs some JOY in their lives!

“Penguin Random House will unequivocally stand up for free expression and work to protect the right to read. These values go hand in hand with our ongoing goal of increasing the content we’re acquiring, publishing and promoting by creators of all backgrounds and identities.” 👍 tinyurl.com/4uye2pw8

Signing books and autographs at my school visit today. There are so many schools, librarians and teachers doing amazing work to get kids enthused about books and reading. We must fight for libraries, and fight for diverse books in them so every kid can find the book for them.

And that is the bare bones of the plot for a new LGBTQ+ young adult novel. Please note the glass of red wine which helps the creative process. 🤪 Very excited about this one… but not allowed to tell you anything else … yet.

A “hoax.” I have experienced a curious mix of feelings while having a significant portion of my life’s work in books and the art of my friends distorted and vandalized by post-literate fascists for the last few years. The feelings right now are uniquely awful. www.ed.gov/about/news/p...

Catching up with author pals @rashmiwriting.bsky.social & @notagainben.bsky.social at the Diverse Book Awards panel event last night. An evening of laughs, positivity, and hope with the best people. Thanks to all who came along.

Late posting it, but a very happy publication day to @whusseyauthor.bsky.social and THE BOY I LOVE - the gay WW1 novel you NEED. Seriously adored this book.

Celebrating the launch of THE BOY I LOVE, the stunning new YA from @whusseyauthor.bsky.social at London’s iconic Gay’s the Word bookshop last night. Being with good people helps, and the evening was a tonic in these troubled times. And the book is fabulous. Please get yourself a copy. 💛

Ahead of publication of his stunning new LGBTQ+ WW1 YA novel, The Boy I Love, @whusseyauthor.bsky.social has recommended some other historical LGBTQ+ novels on the @waterstones.bsky.social blog… some fab choices, and he kindly includes my own Boy Like Me. www.waterstones.com/blog/william...

Because I can’t get enough of @simonjamesgreen.bsky.social, and this book seemed very apropos. I’d read anything this man writes. And so should you!

Better late than never to the party! Reading my third @janicehallett.bsky.social novel - so very, very good. Perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Today the National Trust launched a 10-year strategy with ambitious plans for nature & climate. Almost every paper reported positively - from the Mirror to the Express. Even the Mail. Only one outlet used the word ‘woke’ & framed climate as a ‘culture wars’ issue. The BBC. Why? California’s burning.

Yay for TED AMOS - which has been shortlisted for the James Reckitt Hull Book awards! I was lucky to win this last year with Finn Jones - brilliant awards, really gets kids enthused about books. We need more stuff like this - solid reading for pleasure celebrations! @hullsls.bsky.social

Another issue of free speech which won’t bother those who pretend to fight for free speech when really they want their bigotry both unchallenged and applauded

So much for any ‘healthy eating’ resolutions I may have had… I seem to have eaten a whole baked Camembert for lunch. FFS. 😐

Thank you to all of you who read and supported my books in 2024. I’ve got a few fun things to share with you in 2025 and beyond, but in the meantime, sending you all love and luck for the new year. 💛