Darren Simpson
@darrensimpson44.bsky.social
Author of SCAVENGERS, THE MEMORY THIEVES, FURTHERMOOR and THIRST. Vivid, unruly fiction for older children and teens.
www.darrensimpsonwrites.co.uk
www.darrensimpsonwrites.co.uk
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.♥️
November 15, 2025 at 11:33 AM
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.♥️
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.♥️
November 13, 2025 at 7:04 PM
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 ->
November 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM
[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...
November 11, 2025 at 6:59 PM
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. 👌
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. 👌
November 8, 2025 at 11:18 AM
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. 👌
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. 👌
"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 🩸
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 🩸
November 4, 2025 at 7:08 PM
"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 🩸
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! 🎉
November 2, 2025 at 4:54 PM
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.
November 2, 2025 at 11:05 AM
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.
[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 -->
November 1, 2025 at 11:25 AM
[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
@pushkinchildrens.bsky.social
October 31, 2025 at 3:56 PM
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
@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. 🙏
October 29, 2025 at 7:26 PM
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.
October 29, 2025 at 3:34 PM
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. 🙏
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. 🙏
October 28, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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. 🙏
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! 📚♥️
October 26, 2025 at 5:37 PM
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! 📚♥️
"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.
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.
October 24, 2025 at 6:13 PM
"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.
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.
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
@pushkinchildrens.bsky.social
October 22, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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
@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.
October 22, 2025 at 12:33 PM
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
@pushkinchildrens.bsky.social
October 21, 2025 at 5:56 PM
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
@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.
October 21, 2025 at 9:21 AM
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!
October 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
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!
Big thanks to @foylesforbooks.bsky.social for including #THIRST among their excellent #Halloween Highlights. 💀🙏 Check out the full (and terrifically terrifying) selection at www.foyles.co.uk/highlights/h... 🩸👌
October 17, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Big thanks to @foylesforbooks.bsky.social for including #THIRST among their excellent #Halloween Highlights. 💀🙏 Check out the full (and terrifically terrifying) selection at www.foyles.co.uk/highlights/h... 🩸👌
Had the pleasure of working with the #TheLittleBookshops for some #THIRST events yesterday. The good folk who run them are knowledgeable and passionate and helped to make it a really fun day. If you're ever in Leeds or Skipton, these gorgeous bookshops are well worth your time. 📚♥️
October 16, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Had the pleasure of working with the #TheLittleBookshops for some #THIRST events yesterday. The good folk who run them are knowledgeable and passionate and helped to make it a really fun day. If you're ever in Leeds or Skipton, these gorgeous bookshops are well worth your time. 📚♥️
A mysterious and somewhat anxious-looking door.
October 15, 2025 at 7:23 AM
A mysterious and somewhat anxious-looking door.