The 2023 Sports Book Awards, in association with The Sunday Times, announce their shortlists.May 2023 Book Club Recommendation: The Silence Project by Carole Hailey.Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces 2023 Winners.Prepare to Celebrate the Nation's Favourite Genre with National Crime Reading Month.Author Q&A: Swéta Rana, Queuing for the Queen.My own journey to accepting myself as a gay man has been long and difficult, but this project arrived at exactly the right moment I have finally found the courage to be who I am, and this book is my way of celebrating my own Happy Ending. It inspired a whole new approach to illustrating, with tender, sensitive linesand painterly colours. For those who might see themselves in the story, and for the others who might learn empathy and kindness. Here, at last, is a beautiful, lyrical tale of love and courage for all children. Although I loved stories, and found their magic and enchantment a necessary escape from reality, all the Happy Ever Afters were straight: the prince always married the princess. The loneliness of not seeing yourself in stories, as a child, to have that sense of dread and shame for being different, was constantly reinforced by the books I grew up with.

As my husband and I have been going through the adoption process and are waiting with excitement for our family to be completed, I realise now that books which celebrate diversity and inclusion and love in all its forms are now more important than ever for our children.

Very often I would get in trouble in class for writing mermaid stories when I was supposed to be writing about other things! I hope that Nen and Ernest’s love story comforts and inspires others to be themselves and helps children understand that all families and relationships are different and all of them are wonderful. I spent so much time writing my own fairytales and stories because I never saw anyone like me in the stories I read. I am so thrilled to say that Ian and James have written a special piece for this blog talking about their very personal motivations for creating such a beautiful book:Īs a child, I always knew I was different and that from an early age I was gay.

Nen and the lonely fisherman