An excellent start to the hols with #WrittenOnTheBody by Jeanette Winterson. It's romantic, moving, subversive, beautifully structured and genuinely hilarious. And apparently written at Ruth Rendell's pad!

I'm running a big old #GIVEAWAY on Instagram. 🎉 To win a signed and dedicated copy of #THIRST plus a bookmark and some folksy wildflower seeds, head to my Insta profile (darrensimpson44) and find the pinned giveaway post. Good luck!

Happy Friday!

I had such a fun time talking river lore, folk horror and #THIRST with @folklorepod.bsky.social (a podcast well worth your time). This episode is now available on YouTube and wherever you stream your podcasts. Features a fantastic track from @lunatraktors.bsky.social.👌 @pushkinchildrens.bsky.social

A brilliant podcasts is chatting with a brilliant writer, in the shape of @darrensimpson44.bsky.social. Keep your ears peeled for this one. #KidLit #KidLitUK

This'll be out today! Watch this space...

Always meant to catch up with @aptshadow.bsky.social back catalogue and here's a perfect way that also helps charity www.humblebundle.com/books/adrian...

A tad late to this, but just spotted that #THIRST was an Ousedale School Book of the Week! 🎉 Thank you to all at Ousedale. 🙏🩸 @pushkinchildrens.bsky.social

Go on. Climb in. I dare you.

Wahey, #THIRST has been longlisted for the @sparkbookaward.bsky.social!🎉 These awards are voted for by pupils from across hundreds of schools, so I'm pleased as pie to be part of this. Happy reading, all! 📚♥️ @pushkinchildrens.bsky.social

Goodness, I had such a massive ugly-cry when I finished this book. And the tears seemed to rush up from nowhere! The result of a slowburn swell of investment and emotion. 👌 #Lessons by Ian McEwan is a testament to the epicness of every person's life. Superb.

My thanks to @darrensimpson44.bsky.social for joining me this morning to discuss river folklore, folk horror and more. You'll be able to listen to this soon. In the meantime, here's a trailer for Darren's book THIRST, which formed part of our discussion. youtu.be/9eM_R1tdj6I @pushkinpress.com

[1] Delivered my last #THIRST launch event last week at Alderman White School. I couldn't have asked for a better final stop. I've had so much fun touring this book across schools and festivals. What a treat to meet so many pupils, librarians, booksellers and booklovers to talk #THIRST, folklore ->

Anyone know what sort of cone this is?

#THIRST is a Bounce Book of the Year! Thank you Tim Beeden and @bouncemarketing.bsky.social.💀🙏

Always a privilege to help someone out of their reading slump! 🎉 #THIRST @pushkinchildrens.bsky.social

Watched #SaintMaud last night, and this is the most I've been haunted by a horror movie since It Follows. Strange, unsettling and so very sad. A brilliant film.

Are you looking for a christmas present for a creative person? Hoo boy do we have the auction for you. Hundreds of creatives from 20 countries are raising funds for people fleeing Genocide in El-Fasher, Sudan. Huge names, huge items! Bid here! app.galabid.com/creatives4su... Art by @raafaye, insta

If you fancy some middle-grade sci fi full of big twists and mind-bending science, you won't go wrong with @vsnelson.bsky.social's #TheGirlWhoSoldTime. This fun novel brought to mind Studio Ghibli, Villeneuve's Arrival and Michael Ende's Momo. All good things!

Halloween may be long gone, but I'd like to point out that - just as dogs aren't just for Christmas - horror isn't just for Halloween.🩸 Horror never sleeps. You can be chilled by #THIRST at any time of year. Treat yourself via www.pushkinpress.com/book/thirst or your fave bookshop.♥️

What better place to spend your Saturday than in a bookshop? If you're an #IndieBookshop why not tell us something about yourself, any upcoming events, where you're based, what your speciality is if any, show us around! #SaturdayInABookshop #BookSky 📚💙 #Bookshop #BrowseABookshop alt text please

The Screwtape Letters is a premium feature, lads.

Suggested reading list of books for 11 year olds. Authors include Nicholas Fisk, Christopher Edge, Elizabeth Laird and Malorie Blackman #ukedchat #kidsbook schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-list...

Just two days left for you to bid on a signed and specially dedicated copy of #THIRST! 🚨 Bid by entering my name into the search box at www.jumblebee.co.uk/childreninread2025. Funds raised go to #ChildrenInRead.♥️

[1] Though I've now given many a #THIRST presentation, last week I ran my first ever THIRST workshop. 🩸 I couldn't have asked for a better set of guinea pigs than the pupils at #ClaptonGirlsAcademy. After some discussion of folklore's relevance today, they were tasked with inventing folkloric ->

This was fun. After a couple of admittedly tricky chapters, #TheBookOfElsewhere really got going. Kind of Highlander-meets-black-ops. It's got gore and action but there's philosophy and depth too. Makes me wonder what the film franchise will be like...

Signed copies of #THIRST now available in @pagesofhackney.bsky.social! 📚 Have a scroll through my pics of this gorgeous indie bookshop, which boasts not only a fab selection of fiction and non-fiction for all ages, but also a ton of fascinating zines. 👌

We're THRILLED that The Gnome Book has been shortlisted for @foylesforbooks.bsky.social Book of the Year! The gnomes feel so proud to have been recognised in our world 🍬

Okay, this link's being temperamental on BlueSky, so to access this @readingzone.bsky.social #THIRST review and excerpt, you may have to google "reading zone thirst" and access it that way. That'll sort you out. 👍

"A splendidly gruesome and gripping folk horror set in a village bound by dark secrets and centuries old traditions" 💀 Thanks so much to Clare for her fab review of #THIRST for @readingzone.bsky.social. Read Clare's full review (and a free excerpt!) at readingzone.com/books/thirst 🩸

How would you like an exclusively SIGNED AND DEDICATED Guardian Book of Month/Irish Times Best YA Book for Halloween, in the form of a signed copy of #THIRST from yours truly? 🙌 If you're game, bid at www.jumblebee.co.uk/auction/deta... and raise money for @ChildrenInRead. Good luck! 🎉

So #TheBookOfAccidents by @chuckwendig.bsky.social is a blast. What seemingly begins as a haunted house story soon becomes an epic cosmic horror straddling multiple parallel universes. This is a novel crammed with ideas, horror and humanity. Perfect for the season.

Episode 181 - OUT NOW! THE TRAITORS: WHIMSY OR WITCH HUNT? Listen free at www.thefolklorepodcast.com/episode-181.... Watch on YouTube at youtu.be/vSl9d7db1Zo I gather together a gaggle of witchcraft historians to discuss the cult TV gameshow 'The Traitors' and its parallels with the witch hunts

[1] Imagine arriving for a school event and being greeted by this! That's what happened to me just before the hols. 😮 Thanks to pupils of #AldridgeSchool for making this #SCAVENGERS masterpiece (which cleverly incorporates lots of recycled rubbish) in art class. 👏 This was -->

Obligatory #Halloween #THIRST post! 💀 It's brought me a lot of satisfaction to see readers genuinely shocked and creeped out by THIRST. If you know of any teens or adults who crave real tension and scares, they may like to open THIRST's pages and visit Maimsbury.🩸 @pushkinchildrens.bsky.social

A quick but wholehearted thanks to #SabatPublishing for publishing #SCAVENGERS in Azerbaijan, and also to the good folk who've been championing my debut since...2019! ♥️ Special mention goes to Laura at the Susijn ⁸Agency for getting my stories out into the world. 🙏

I’d planned to ration #Wyrdwood over Halloween but kept getting into a “one-more-chapter” situation. Now I’ve finished it early. @curtisjobling.bsky.social evokes a wonderful sense of place. I love the way the scares build up to a perfect storm of action and thrills. Immersive, thorny folk horror.

A lovely bit of news from the weekend: #THIRST was highlighted in the Irish Times as a Best YA Read for Halloween! 🩸🎉 I'm over the moon. Heartfelt thanks to @chennessybooks.bsky.social for including #THIRST among her excellent picks and for writing such a thoughtful review. 🙏

On the joys of #THIRST, superpowers and...goats! 🐐 Thanks to @virtualauthorsuk.bsky.social for having me for this snappy Q&A: virtualauthors.co.uk/2025/10/20/1.... And schools: do check out @VirtualAuthorUK's comprehensive listings of virtual author events for all key stages! 📚♥️

It's sunday so I am finally reading the links I opened during the week. Or possibly last week. Anyway, this one is worth your time (should be a free link, it was for me at least). Katherine Rundell on reading for pleasure. #UKKidLit #KidLitUK www.thetimes.com/uk/get-brita...

"Creepy, compelling YA folk horror"🩸 Huge thanks to @imogenrw.bsky.social for including #THIRST in the @theguardian.com's roundup of the best new books for children and teens. 🙏 This is a cracking start to the weekend. I'll be celebrating tonight with Maimsbury's finest cider.

Two weeks until the paperback publication of The Snow Girl! ❄️There is a pre-order gift of a gorgeous Melissa Castrillon print - send proof of purchase, from any retailer, to [email protected]🙏 Signed, dedicated copy available from @samreadbookseller.bsky.social & @bookendscarlisle.bsky.social💙

Spooky season is underway at Magster Towers, and The Wintermoor Lights by @dansmithauthor.bsky.social is a welcome party guest. The spirit of The Village of the Damned flows, wrapped up in a completely different mystery. Sharply paced,building to a terrifying crescendo. Love this series! ☠

Ghoulish thanks to #SuffolkCommunityLibraries for including #THIRST among their YA #Halloween highlights! 🩸Visit suffolkcommunitylibraries.co.uk/halloween-bo... for the full (and very super) list. 💀 @pushkinchildrens.bsky.social

Last night I finished Jodie Matthews' #MeetMeAtTheSurface. It's brilliant literary folk horror. With the leaves now starting to fall and return to the soil, I read this at just the right time. It’s a dank, earthy fever dream of a novel. I mean that in the nicest possible way.

For a limited time only, the e-book of #THIRST is available for just 99p! That's a whole lot of teen folk horror for what used to be the price of a whippy plus chocolate flake. Go buy it in time for #Halloween! 💀🩸 @pushkinchildrens.bsky.social

Recently finished #VenonusLumpsucker – a satirical sci fi novel based around the “extinction industry” of the near future. This book is as sharp, funny and entertaining as it is resonant and troubling. A hugely enjoyable read. I'll certainly be checking out more by @nedbeauman.bsky.social.

Had to record a video to do justice to #Wyrdwood's spangly copper edges. 😍 This cover by @alicecaoillo.bsky.social has to be one of my favourite children's book covers of recent times. I can't wait to get stuck in, @curtisjobling.bsky.social!