#UKYASpotlight is a month-long event across social media to promote YA books by British and Irish authors (resident and national). For more information, click here.
About the Authors
Abiola Bello is a Nigerian-British, prize-winning, bestselling children’s/YA author who was born and raised in London. Abiola is an advocate for diversity in books for young people. She is the author of the award-winning fantasy middle-grade series Emily Knight I am, as well as YA books – Only for the Holidays (Waterstones Best Paperbacks of 2023) and Love in Winter Wonderland (The Guardian Children’s & Teens Best New Novels) and her latest book is The Love Dare.. Abiola is one of the contributors to the bestselling anthology The Very Merry Murder Club and The Super Sunny Murder Club.
Molly Morris is a California native with a penchant for the bizarre. After receiving her Prose MA from the University of East Anglia, she now resides in the UK where she spends most of her days writing YA fiction, rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and doing up her very old house.
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Clare Furniss worked for homelessness charity Shelter and the Mayor of London before doing an MA in Writing for Young People. Her critically acclaimed books have been published in many languages and been on shortlists and longlists for awards including the Carnegie Medal, the UKLA Book Award, the YA Book Prize and the Independent Book Week Award. Clare has also taught creative writing at Bath Spa University and is a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow.
About Their Books:
Title: THE LOVE DARE
Author: Abiola Bello
Pitch: Can a dare made at Notting Hill Carnival turn into true love? Eva has a few weeks to get Saint to take her out on a date or her dad’s car remains damaged. He’s All That meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days in this sizzling romance.
Find on Goodreads.
Title: ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET
Author: Molly Morris
Pitch: When Wilson Moss enters her town’s top-secret contest in the hopes of resurrecting her ex-best friend Annie for thirty days, she never thought she’d actually win. Now Annie’s back and Wil discovers a loophole that means she could keep her around for good – but first, she’ll have to face some difficult truths about Annie’s past and their friendship that, so far, she’s left buried.
Find on Goodreads.
Title: THE THINGS WE LEAVE BEHIND
Author: Clare Furniss
Pitch: When life under an authoritarian regime gets too dangerous for teenager Clem and her little sister Billie, they must leave London to find safety. In a refugee hostel, Clem tells of their dangerous journey. But what is the terrible secret Clem can’t reveal? ‘Compulsive, poignant YA dystopia’ – The Guardian
Find on Goodreads.
What do you think is special about UKYA?
Abiola Bello: There are not enough platforms that celebrate homegrown talent so I love that UKYA highlights our work.
Molly Morris: I’ve always found UKYA to be so candid and unapologetic, which I love. It’s so personal and fun and real in a way other YA markets just aren’t. As someone who grew up in America and has now lived in the UK for ten years, I’ve loved having the opportunity to learn more about UK schools and what it means to be a teen in this country through reading UKYA. I love that UKYA leans into what it is, and, for the most part, doesn’t try to change characters’ experiences to fit foreign markets – it is unabashedly British and, as a result, often so dry and hilarious, which are my favourite things to read.
Clare Furniss: I think the range, diversity and quality of UKYA is very impressive. Every year I’m genuinely amazed by the range of incredible books both from new voices and longstanding UKYA legends! Hard-hitting books that tackle contemporary subjects, glorious fantasy, laugh-out-loud comedy, swoony romance, gripping sci-fi… we’ve got it all and regardless of the genre it feels distinctively UKYA.
What distinguishes a YA book from middle grade or adult? Why do you think it’s so popular at the moment?
Abiola Bello: YA is perfect because it’s the best transition for children becoming teenagers yet it’s still relatable enough for an adult audience. I’ve always read more YA than adult books.
Molly Morris: There are so many personal moments in YA books that are universal to readers. Teenagedom is such a special and formative time in our lives, so I think people who are no longer teens love revisiting those moments, while teens love to see their lives, struggles and experiences mirrored and celebrated in books. Also, life right now is tough – so much YA is just pure joy and a delight to read. That’s not to say it doesn’t tackle important issues – but I think YA in particular tends to show light at the end of the tunnel in a way not all “adult” fiction does, so for the most part, you go into reading a YA book knowing you’re going to leave it feeling hopeful.
Clare Furniss: YA can tackle darker, more ‘adult’ subjects than middle grade but in contrast to most adult literature it centres the teenage experience and viewpoint. The teenage years are such a vivid time of new experiences, self-discovery and a deeper understanding of the world, which can be exciting and liberating and sometimes a bit scary. YA literature celebrates and reflect all of that: the excitement, the danger, the darkness and the joy.
There has been a lot of talk about the adultification of YA and what that means for teen readers. What sort of balance do you think UKYA strikes between teens and older readers? Do you think this balance needs to shift in a particular direction and how?
Abiola Bello: The UK in general could do better with separating teen books and YA books. YA is too broad and some of the themes in YA are not suitable for 13/14 year olds. The same way children’s and middle-grade has to be clear, YA needs to follow. Separating YA even by using the term teen books would be better and easier to distinguish the right books for each age group.
Molly Morris: At the minute, I think UKYA is doing a fairly good job of striking that balance between teens and older readers and should keep up the good work. I think what YA is meant to do is highlight that awkward in-between that being a teenager so often is. It’s about exploration and discovering who you are, and while we’re always doing that in some capacity no matter your age, I think it’s a very unique experience when you’re a teen. When we “adultify” YA, I think we lose a lot of that innocent, natural exploration, which has the potential to both alienate and harm teenage audiences. If older audiences want “spicier” content, they probably shouldn’t be reading YA.
Clare Furniss: In reality, we know books aimed at teenagers span a range of readers and needs. A twelve-year-old may feel too old for Middle Grade but they are likely to be at a very different stage from a sixteen or seventeen year old reader and want stories that reflect that. There must be space for younger ‘teen’ books as well as more adult YA. At the upper end, it’s a testament to the storytelling skill of YA authors that many adults also read YA, but it’s important that the target readership is teenagers even though its appeal may stretch beyond them.
How do you think UKYA will evolve in the coming five years?
Abiola Bello: I think a UKYA festival is needed! YA is extremely popular yet there aren’t many festivals that celebrate YA books like they do with children’s
Molly Morris: This is a great question! I want to say it’ll move away from being so dominated by fantasy and paranormal fiction, by I’m not entirely sure. It’s hard to imagine something that’s such a big deal right now not being a big deal in the future. Don’t get me wrong, I love it as much as the next guy, but I think there’s room for everyone. I think teens are facing a lot of very unique issues at the minute (Covid-related social anxiety, the continued rise of social media, the lack of strong, healthy role models for boys) and I’d love to see UKYA take on some of them in an engaging, constructive way. Like I said, I’ve found UKYA to be so unapologetically frank – I think it could do some real good with these topics.
Clare Furniss: Anyone who’s been around publishing for a while knows making predictions is dangerous so I’ll tell you what I hope! I hope publishers will be bold and take risks on stories that don’t necessarily fit trends but that have something unique about them that will connect with readers. Breadth and diversity is so important in UKYA. There are so many young readers (and potential readers) out there and they don’t all want one thing. As book-lovers we all know the amazing feeling of finding that one book that feels like it was written just for you… every young person deserves to have that feeling!
For more interviews, check here and don’t forget to check instagram (here) for book recommendations from these authors and more!
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