The Long and the Short of It

Dear Dylan, my first novel for young adults, has just made it from the long list to the short list of the Young Minds Book Awards.

I am beyond thrilled.

There was a time, when I had been messed about by a publisher over this book, that I considered scrapping the whole thing.

In the end I decided to self publish and give away the e-version for free. I guess it was my way of getting back to my initial reason for writing the book – to try and help young people who might be dealing with the same kind of issues as the main character.

The Young Minds organisation is all about supporting young people through what can often be a very challenging time of life. Their annual book award was set up to highlight the role fiction can play in helping teenagers deal with various emotional issues.

I’m therefore thrilled that Dear Dylan has made it through to the final six books in the competition, particularly as the shortlist was chosen solely by young readers.

And I’m also thrilled that my decision to self publish has paid off so spectacularly. I hope it can be an inspiration to other writers out there to never to give up hope if you really believe in a book.

For more information on Dear Dylan and to find out how to download it for FREE simply click here.