#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
Triona Campelle has a Master’s in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin. She is also the writer of the award-winning podcast series Adventures of a Young Pirate Queen and an award winning novelist for ‘A Game Of Life or Death’ (published in 2023) (part of a three book deal with Scholastic UK). Her second book ‘The Traitor in The Game’ was published in February 2024 debuting at no 1 in Teen / YA books in Ireland (an instant bestseller). Triona is also a two-time Emmy-nominated producer, and winner of two Kidscreen Awards. She is the creator of Ireland’s first TV series on video games ‘Gamer Mode’ (RTÉ) and a producer on the ground-breaking and iconic UK teen drama series Sofia’s Diary (Channel 5 / SONY Pictures Television). She is passionate about creating teen content (and finding time to play retro video games with her kids).
Amara Sage writes contemporary, own-voice YA fiction that explores issues of body image, mental health, racial identity, and the impact that social media has on all of the above. She lives in her hometown of Bristol with her husband, son, and their two dogs. In the slim hours she’s not parenting or writing, you can find her playing the Sims, watching and rating films (either of the A24 or quintessentially 90’s variety), trying to master her Bird of Paradise pose, or falling asleep after reading a page of her book. After completing her BA in Creative Writing, she went on to earn a distinction for her MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. Here, she wrote the early drafts of her first YA novel, Influential which has been described as ‘a heart-felt, whip-smart deep dive into what it would really be like to be internet famous at 17’.
Zainab Boladale is a journalist, TV presenter and public speaker. She was born in Nigeria and raised in Ireland. In 2017, she made her TV debut on RTÉ’s children’s programme, news2day, as the first Afro-Irish woman on Irish TV news. On news2day, she presented stories from around the world to the young people of Ireland. Zainab now travels around the country as a presenter and reporter for Ireland’s long-running factual feature programme, Nationwide. Zainab has also written and directed a first short film, Worthy, which debuted on the film festival circuit in 2023. BRAIDS TAKE A DAY is her first book.
About Their Books:
Title: THE TRAITOR IN THE GAME
Author: Triona Campbell
Pitch: “You don’t play the game – the game plays you” ‘The Traitor In The Game’ is a dystopian thriller set in the world of eSports. Asha Kennedy lost everything when her sister was murdered, and now the stakes become higher as searches for revenge, and to save the boy she loves.
Find on Goodreads.
Title: GIRL ULTRA PROCESSED
Author: Amara Sage
Pitch: Saffron’s always comparing her body to other women and has never not been on a diet. When she creates a dating profile for Sydney, an impossibly beautiful AI-generated model, she finally has control over how others perceive her. Catfishing is harmless fun, until her lies start to have real-world consequences.
Title: BRAIDS TAKE A DAY
Author: Zainab Boladale
Pitch: Abidemi can finally say goodbye to St. Enda’s secondary school and welcome the beginning of a summer where anything is possible! With the freedom to explore more about herself, she braids her way into a connection with an online stranger, a Nigerian woman who’s just arrived in Ennistymon. As Abi’s friendships and family start to get complicated she is suddenly forced to face some hard truths, one of them being that life isn’t as easy as braiding hair!
Find on Goodreads.
What do you think is special about UKYA?
Triona Campbell: UKYA is witty, brave, and gritty. As fabulous as the USYA books that tend to dominate bookshelves are, UKYA is unique. It’s fantastical, tense, and dark writing about teens you recognise in situations you hope you never have to face, and it always seems to come with a dash of deadpan humour. The teens in these stories are relatable and representative. The voices behind them are strong and the messages tend to be empowering. I think it’s why you see so many Irish /UK authors getting books translated for foreign markets and getting optioned for TV and film. UKYA is a unique style of storytelling that really speaks to teens about issues that effect their everyday lives. Readers recognise parts of themselves in the characters.
Amara Sage: I find UKYA especially reflective of the raw, unpretty, coming-of-age experience we all go through. I find the young adult voices of UK fiction so realistic and relatable, never shying away from the grittiness of growing up here in an increasingly frictional society. And the UK is so diverse, I love that our young adult literature is reflective of that. I’m glad that teenagers on the cusp of making their own way in the world get to read from the perspectives of so many unique cultural, economical, and religious backgrounds as well as sexual identities.
Zainab Boladale: In the context of Ireland, I love reading about the teenage experience in contemporary times. Growing up Irish is such a unique experience that’s so different from the mainstream representations of teenage hood. Irish society places a strong emphasis on community and family ties. YA books from Ireland often reflect these values. I also think Ireland’s rich history sometimes influences newer stories, with many YA books weaving historical elements into their narratives. This connection to the past adds depth and uniqueness to the type of YA books we have here in Ireland.
What distinguishes a YA book from middle grade or adult? Why do you think it’s so popular at the moment?
Triona Campbell: For me, MG books (targeted at readers aged 8+) tend to focus on fun, self-discovery and adventure (often written in the third person). YA books (readers 14+) are more often about coming of age, popular young love tropes and the things we valued as teens. The main characters tend to be teenaged (and are often written in first person). Adult books meanwhile can focus on anything and everything but in general look more at the experiences and obsessions we have after leaving school (and of course are more likely to feature graphic violence, sex and swearing). Then of course there is the word count differences. (MG: 25K – 50K) (YA: 50K-80K) (Adult: 60-110K) Why is YA so popular at the moment? I think it’s popular with some adult readers right now because it’s like traveling back to a simpler time in our lives. A place where real world issues around jobs, kids, mortgages etc weren’t part of our everyday experiences. It’s escapism.
Amara Sage: Because my latest novel features characters who are in their first year of university, I found myself asking this same question earlier this year. I got this answer from someone on Reddit, who also got it from someone else on Reddit, but it really resonated with me, so I’ll regurgitate it here. Where YA characters tend to change by coming to some understanding of the self, characters of Adult novels typically change by trying to understand how they themselves are a part of the greater world. YA reflects inward, while Adult outward. I think this is pretty indicative of being a teenager, and therefore narratives structured around the teenage experience, because at that age you’re still working out who you’re going to be. I think YA is so popular at the moment because people have never been freer to express themselves than now, and perhaps we are leaning to books that mirror our desire to celebrate individuality and experimentation.
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?
Triona Campbell: US authors like Sarah J Mass and Rebecca Yarros have made ‘romantasy’ and ‘spice’ a topic that everyone talks about and their success has trickled down and resulted in a lot of hype around romance in YA. Publishing is a business and trends are followed. But YA (for me) is not designed for adults (although that’s not to say adults can’t also enjoy these books). But they are teen books. Books teenage readers need so they can read and explore topics in a safe approachable way. Balance is key. But that is something that needs to be addressed by publishers, book sellers and book buyers. I’m not sure how much power (if any) authors have in this area.
Amara Sage: I, personally, don’t think there is a sudden ‘adultification’ of YA. Contemporary YA has always featured swearing and mature themes such as sex, and alcohol and drug use. I suppose what some articles are referring to is that there’s a lot more spice in recently published YA books, but that’s only because that’s what’s selling well! Despite the fact that adult readers make up a lot of the YA readership, the teens that are in it are only consuming this kind of content through other media. What with the resurgence in popularity of Skins amongst Gen Z teens, and recently well-loved shows for teens like Euphoria and Sex Education, it’s clear that teens are comfortable and entertained by content completely centred around these ‘taboo’ topics. I think there should be a clear distinction between ‘clean teen’ – which I see being marketed to pre-teens up to thirteen – and young adult, which I would argue is appropriate for 14+. And at the moment, in most chain bookshops there isn’t a distinction or separate sections, so I think clearer signposting could be the way forward to stop anybody not expecting grittier themes in their teen literature from accidentally coming across it.
Zainab Boladale: Adult themes in YA literature can enhance its authenticity by reflecting the complexities and challenges that young adults do face in real life. Teenagers have a lot of thoughts and questions around relationships, mental health, identity and more. By weaving in these subjects sensitively, YA authors can provide readers with some different perspectives which may help them navigate their own experiences and understand the world around them better.
How do you think UKYA will evolve in the coming five years?
Triona Campbell: It’s an incredibly tough market out there. It would be great to see more UKYA book to screen adaptations (a trend that hopefully continues). But honestly I’m worried we are going to see less debut authors / local voices and more ‘author brands’ going forward. If you go anywhere in the world you see the same authors again and again in local bookstores: Holly Black, John Green, Stephanie Garber, Karen M Mc Manus etc. All of these authors are AMAZING, but it is also worrying because it means fewer new and local voices are being stocked in store. I also think we are going to see more UKYA authors looking to build and keep their readerships through social media (the days when an author could just drop off a manuscript to the publisher and walk away, not needing any online presence, are gone for good).
Amara Sage: We’re seeing it already, but as our communication evolves alongside technology and more of our relationships play out online, we’re going to see much more than text messages formatted in books. I recently read a book that had whole forums of messages laid out in the pages, with threads of comments that felt really realistic. I think we’re definitely going to see more attempts at capturing how connected we are with everyone over social media in modern life, and the stories that are born from this sociological evolvement, like fandom culture, catfishing, comment bots, AI art, cryptocurrency, virtual reality gaming, streaming, sockpuppeting. The list is endless and ever-growing.
For more interviews, check here and don’t forget to check instagram (here) for book recommendations from these authors and more!
#UKYASpotlight 
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