I’m Darren Simpson and I write vivid, unruly fiction for older children and teens. I’m also a Literacy Champion for Read On Nottingham, and love visiting schools to nurture passion for reading and writing.

My debut novel, Scavengers, was a Guardian Best Book of the Year, and was selected for the national Summer Reading Challenge. The Memory Thieves was an Observer Book of the Month and a World Book Day Summer Read. My latest book, Furthermoor, was Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Month and a Waterstones Best Book of the Year. I’ve been lucky enough to see my stories win awards and get translated into several languages, and have been nominated twice for the prestigious Carnegie Medal.

Why do I write?

Writing is the most fun you can have alone without a spoon and a bowl of cake mix. It allows you not only to escape from things, but also to confront them in interesting ways. Real life is great, but it can also be a confusing, daunting thing. I spend most of my time bewildered and scratching my head, and when I write I get to relax and take control – until my characters start doing their own thing, at least, but that’s all part of the fun.

In particular, I love using unusual settings to explore bravery, self-discovery, and the strangeness of the everyday.

If you’d like to know more, have a nosy around my website. You can buy my books from bookshop.org as well as the usual places, online and off. You can also find me on Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram.

Thanks for popping by.