The Annual Event is a month long celebration of all things UKYA, highlighting books by British and Irish authors (resident and national) and asking their views on topic affecting the community. All views are the author’s own.
About the Authors:
Zainab Boladale is a Nigerian-Irish author, journalist, and presenter known for her passion for storytelling. In 2024, Zainab published her debut young adult novel, Braids Take A Day, with The O’Brien Press. The book was nominated for the Irish Book Awards and praised for its honest and heartfelt voice. She is currently working on her second YA novel. Whether through books, TV, or film, Zainab is driven by a love for stories that reflect identity, strength, and everyday life.
Daniel Tawse lives on the northeast coast. He spent his childhood going on adventures in the wilds of Northumberland, and teenage years writing diaries about how much he didn’t fit in. Nowadays, Daniel turns those diaries into stories and is an advocate for queer representation and visibility in the arts. Elsewhere, Daniel has studied Musical Theatre at the Arts Educational Schools, London, and holds a master’s degree in History from the University of Northumbria. Daniel is the author of queer YA romances All About Roman(ce) and Emmy Star is So Everything.
Tamsin Winter is a multi-award-winning author who writes fresh, funny and heartfelt fiction for readers aged 11+. Tamsin grew up in a Northamptonshire village where she spent her childhood reading books and writing stories. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at university, and worked as an English teacher for many years. Her books have been nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and are a favourite amongst young teens for their humour, heart and frank exploration of the double-edged power of social media.
About their books:
Title: BRAIDS TAKE A DAY
Author: Zainab Boladale
Pitch: Braids Take A Day is a heartwarming novel about identity, self-love, and the experience of being an Irish teenager. It follows Abi, a Nigerian-Irish teen, as she navigates school, friendships, and family while learning to embrace her hair and heritage.
Find on Goodreads. Find on Bookshop.org (affiliate link).
Title: THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU CRY
Author: Daniel Tawse
Pitch: Last year, Iggy almost drowned, losing all memory of their magical Mediterranean holiday. Determined to piece together the fragments of their forgotten summer, they return to Europe to retrace their steps, from the sun-drenched shores of St. Tropez to the colossal ruins of Rome. When their paddleboard bumps into the gorgeous but mysterious Roscoe, Iggy realises that this trip is the perfect chance to make new memories – ones they’ll always remember.
Find on Goodreads. Find on Bookshop.org (affiliate link).
Title: I DAR YOU
Author: Tamsin Winter
Pitch: Willow and Alma are best friends who crave the spotlight and millions of likes. Armed with dares filmed for their TikTok account, they escalate from silly stunts (duct‑taping themselves to walls, eating super‑hot chillis) to one explosive challenge that nearly destroys them—and their friendship. Told in alternating viewpoints, this funny, sharp and poignant teen novel explores the perils of viral fame, peer pressure, and social‑media addiction. It’s funny, compelling, and deeply resonant for today’s teens.
Find on Goodreads. Find on Bookshop.org (affiliate link).
In your opinion, how has social media helped foster the UKYA community?
Zainab Boladale: Social media has made it easier to find new voices, stay updated on book releases and feel part of a community that supports young adult literature.
Daniel Tawse: I think it’s given us a UKYA community! With so many of us spread out over the country, it’s given us a place to come together and celebrate our favourite stories.
Tamsin Winter: It empowers book lovers to share their favourite classic and current reads, whilst casting a beautiful spotlight on bookish content creators as well as writers and illustrators.
In which ways do you think we can responsibly use social media to introduce YA titles to teenagers? How can we go beyond social media to reach them, given conversations in several countries around re-thinking current legislation on such platforms for minors?
Zainab Boladale: Perhaps by channeling YA book updates through trusted voices like librarians, teachers and book bloggers. So instead of the audience being teenagers, try to build engagement with these established voices in youth spaces.
Daniel Tawse: I think trigger warnings are a really useful tool. A lot of the time YA books include heavy themes, and I think being able to share possible triggers beforehand can help introduce these stories in a safe way. Social media is a great place to begin conversations, but there are also other ways, such as reaching out to local communities and libraries and sharing our favourite stories there. I believe human interactions are still very important when it comes to sharing within the UKYA community.
Tamsin Winter: This is exactly what my books are about – they explore the sometimes blurred between using social media in a positive way to express yourself, have fun and connect with friends, but also show the darker side of phone addiction, the lure of online fame at any price, the prevalence of cyberbullying, sharing of explicit images of minors and the peer pressure that comes along with living in a “like” dominated culture.
How do you think the YA market is going to change thanks to emerging technologies like AI?
Zainab Boladale: AI could make it harder to be a debut author. With AI-generated content becoming more common, it might make it even tougher for new voices to stand out.
Daniel Tawse: I have no idea. I dread to think! I’m hoping these technologies will bring positive changes. I hope we see more authentic stories being told, I hope we see more authentic characters based on lived experiences. I hope it pushes us further towards the human experience.
Tamsin Winter: I think AI represents an enormous risk to authors as seen in the recent Meta book-stealing scandal. If it continues to exploit and steal work from writers and artists we will see a serious decline in the quality of literature and arts all over the world.
What steps would you like publishing needs to take in response to the rise of AI?
Zainab Boladale: It’s important to support originality and make space for authors who are experimenting with format, voice and style. Support writers who tell stories in unique that can’t be easily replicated.
Daniel Tawse: I would like more care for creators. Always. I would like authors and illustrators to be championed above AI. I would like our livelihoods to be protected. I would like there to be more value placed in authenticity.
Tamsin Winter: Governments need to be acting with publishers to create better copyright laws to prevent the exploitation of writers and artists – or we will simply cease to exist. A robot, however “sophisticated” cannot ever replicate the vast depths of human experiences that writers and artists express in their work. The whole point of literature is that it is uniquely human.
Thank you all! 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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