It’s officially one year since A Fix of Light came out!!! 🦊🫶🏻🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🥳 To celebrate its first birthday, I’m doing a read along over on my blog! ⬇️ buttondown.com/kelmenton/ar...

I have deemed 2026 the Year of Stories in which I will be online less and writing/reading more. This is not fixing my sleep as I had hoped, but at least I am awake at 4am reading good words instead of doomscrolling.

2025 was by far the strongest year ever for novels by trans writers from major publishers -- and that's before you get down to smaller presses and self-published stuff, which were also cooking. God, I hope it sustains in 2026 and beyond. A lot of these books sold well! The audience is there!

Time for my traditional Boxing day post I think 👍

The Books for Youth editorial staff at @ala-booklist.bsky.social has chosen its most-recommended offerings of the year. Check out their YA fiction, middle-grade fiction, picture-book, and nonfiction selections, plus individual book recommendations from editors and reviewers: https://bit.ly/493z0bq

Merry Christmas and happy holidays !!! 🐈 🐈 🐈

Merry Christmas! x

If you like a book? Review it. Ask your library to buy it. If you can afford it, buy a copy for a friend. Recommend it wherever you're social. Send the author an email, or a skeet, or a Ko-Fi. Write fanfic. Blow under the wings of the paper airplane so it can fly a little farther.

happy holidays

Happy solstice to all you round-earthers out there.

Snow angels 🥰 watercolour and oil pastel #KidLitArt #cuteart

imagine trying to convince me that I should "get used" to AI bc it's "here to stay." honey mitch mcconnell has been my senator since before i was born, do you think i don't know how to lock in and hate for the long haul

📚🧝‍♀️Sun 7th Dec – Irish Fiction for all ages #IrishYA #Fiction #DiscoverIrishKidsBooks #BookElves2025 @irishkidsbooks.bsky.social @sarahwebb.bsky.social Myths, tortured souls, strong characters & atmospheric locations Great selection for 16 + @kelmenton.bsky.social

Our #BlackFriday sale is now on! 🖤 📚 Enjoy 25% off children's and YA books with the code 'BF25' - only at littleisland.ie until 2 Dec 2025. #books #BlackFriday2025 #BlackFridayDeals #childrensbooks #kidsbooks #YAbooks #booksale #bookstagram #booktok

Reminder: A lot of great books published this year during absolutely bonkers news & world event times. That squashes people talking about them. Keep buying books please, keep borrowing them from libraries, and for the love of all that's good, talk about them. Post about them. 📚

In an “ethereal and mysterious debut” A Fix of Light by @kelmenton.bsky.social "tackles both violent transphobia and the pain and feelings of shame brought on by being a male victim of sexual assault” @littleislandbooks.bsky.social l Booth 504 #NCTE25 www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

Knock knock. Who's there? ...who's there? I don't see anyone out there, but the knocking is getting louder and more insistent. Please, who's there, I'm scared.

Unfortunately, due to the economy, a penny saved is now 0.6 of a penny earned.

It's our favorite time of year. No, not fall--even better. It's #EditorsChoice season!😍 We're kicking today off with our 2025 Books for Youth #EditorsChoice list!🎉📚From the humorous to the historical, these books have it all: bit.ly/482VhFY

🩷💜💙 Thank you so much @ala-booklist.bsky.social !!

🚨Missing: Gabe, 14, last seen yesterday (Friday 14th) in Bray. Contact the Gardaí with any information.

new blog post on @buttondown.com ✨ my posting schedule has been a bit neglected because of travel, but if you would like 2 little emails from me every month where I talk about writing & travel & events & answer your burning questions, you can sign up for free!! buttondown.com/kelmenton/ar...

Open AI loses copyright case in Germany. Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."

Sif - watercolour and acryla gouache

happy trans awareness week here is my top surgery fund if you have a penny to spare!! 🏳️‍⚧️🫶🏻

the things I miss the most about Japan besides how beautiful it is etc are: - the abundance of free clean public bathrooms - pickled plum onigiri for lunch - fast reliable public transport almost everywhere - antiseptic wet napkins with every meal & drink

Really enjoyed the brilliant new #storyshaped @sineadohart.bsky.social & @susancahill.bsky.social with fab Nate Lessore! Amid the hilarity, Nate has a serious point-without diverse authors we limit readership-the opposite is needed right now. #ukkidlit #kidlituk podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...

We’re down at the Literacy Association of Ireland conference in DCU: come say hello! #LAICon25

We need your votes! We are beyond delighted that SOLO by @kennysbookshop.bsky.social bookseller @grainneobrien.bsky.social, is on the shortlist for the @irishbookawards.bsky.social! Please help this gorgeous book win the prize by voting for SOLO in the YA category: www.irishbookawards.ie/vote/

We are BEYOND delighted to have two nominations for the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing! A FIX OF LIGHT and SOLO! Huge congratulations to YA debut authors Kel Menton and Gráinne O’Brien! @kelmenton.bsky.social @grainneobrien.bsky.social @carnegiemedals.bsky.social #Carnegies2026

No compliment has meant more than an elementary school kid saying 日本語じょうず！！

why did I just get an ad for a supplement to help with low T. excise me. buddy I pay top dollar explicitly to have average levels of T.

all discourse aside, there is one machine with consciousness. it's printers. they are alive and conscious and they hate you and they'd take your arm clean off if you let them. never trust a printer.

8 consecutive days of workshops and residency and book promo 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 which, if you were wondering, is 56 days in autism time

Sumud boats currently being intercepted by Israel, likely to illegally abduct and imprison those inside. I’m on one of the Thousand Madleens boats just behind. We need escalation from home to end the impunity with which this rogue state commits genocide and stifles opposition

@irishwriterscentre.bsky.social and Poetry Ireland celebrate Black History Month 2025! 📆 24th October 🕰️ 6:30pm 📍 Irish Writers Centre 🎟️ €5 Book here: www.poetryireland.ie/whats-on/bla...

No worries if not. Lots of worries if.

New Quarterly Q&A was sent out on Buttondown this week!! Check out my newsletter archive here! #writing buttondown.com/kelmenton/ar...

Also a Top 10 SF/Fantasy Books for Youth from Booklist Reader (a magazine from the American Library Association)! 👏🏽👏🏽🎉🎉

Signed some copies of A Fix of Light in @chaptersbookstore.bsky.social & was so happy to see it was a staff recommendation!!!! (Whoever you are, Joanne, you’re a legend!!) 🦊✨🫶🏻🌻

thank you to whoever said I should do stand up comedy. unfortunately 98% of my jokes are on-the-spot bits fuelled by nerves x

Anna’s Lola books listed as “banned in classrooms” in one US county – purely because they feature a black character

Home from my #CultureNight event with Dubray Cork’s Book Club & listening to my brother killing it on 2FM live from Sligo (yup Cliffords!!!) because we are artsy siblings with big dreams <3

TONIGHT!!!!!! 🦊✨💜😎