Congratulations to Nicholas Avery, winner of the 2026 Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition! Read the winning story, 'St. Peter Investigates' and learn more about the contest at: buff.ly/ny0sUGJ #MargeryAllinghamShortMysteryCompetition #WritingCompetition #NicholasAvery #TheCWA

✨ It's Libraries Change Week 2026! ✨ 📅 Monday 1 June – Sunday 7 June 📚Join us - share your Libraries Week literacy and reading activities and events in the comments below or share using #LibrariesChangeLives and we'll repost: https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/libraries-change-lives

Kicking off my personal National Crime Reading Month by reading UNDER THE BLAZING sun by Jenny Lund Madsen and listening to INNOCENT GUILT by Remi Kone. What are you reading?

A few book recommendations for National Crime Reading month from my recently read pile: LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO by John Lanchester, CULPABILITY by Bruce Holsinger, THE ENDING WRITES ITSELF by Evelyn Clarke, LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera, THE SHARK by Emma Styles, & HARD TOWN by Adam Plantinga.

June is National Crime Reading month. Mine started with placing 3rd in the CWA Margery Allingham short mystery competition. I visited Criminally Good Books in York and have my crime reading sorted for the month. Happy crime reading, everyone!

Trying to wrangle your work-in-progress into a submission-ready manuscript? On Tues 19 May at 7 pm, I’m leading an online, in-depth workshop on editing. I’ll share a combination of discussion, hands-on exercises and practical tips. Details are here: www.scbwi.org/regions/scot...

Two @uvcompetition.bsky.social success stories! @thatstephendaly.bsky.social’s brilliant THE LAST DEATH POET and Louise Austin’s hilarious ALEX ABBOTT IS [UN]DEAD appeared in Undiscovered Voices 2024 and were published recently. I’m always thrilled when UV helps great writers find readers! 🍾🥂

Congratulations to the 12 writers featured in the 10th Undiscovered Voices Anthology! The long- and shortlisted writers are announced here: undiscoveredvoices.com/shortlist Download the anthology for free here: static1.squarespace.com/static/67312... #UV26 @uvcompetition.bsky.social

Delighted to announce our #UV26 WINNERS!! 👏🥳🙌 @cmundywrites.bsky.social @rburrows.bsky.social @ivy-lin.bsky.social, Monica Gutierraz, Caroline Wigg, Zoe Dixon, Kirsty Hammond, Alicja Bagier, Claire Gordon, Dominic Yoboue, Claire Mowat and Alana Warbrick CONGRATULATIONS on your amazing stories ❤️

These 12 remarkable story openings make up the latest Undiscovered Voices anthology - available to download or order from undiscoveredvoices.com from tomorrow. Thanks again to amazing panel of judges, team of readers and our fabulous honorary chair @louiestowell.bsky.social 🙏

Undiscovered Voices | Discover New Talent

Undiscovered Voices is an initiative by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) British Isles to help fresh, new voices in children’s literature find agents, publishers and ult...

undiscoveredvoices.com

So excited that my short story made the longlist! Congratulations to all my fellow longlisted writers.

The Crime Writers' Association@thecwa.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Great line up for the Children's Writers & Illustrators Festival online from 21st March 2026 9:45am to 22nd March 2026 4:00pm. All the details are here: www.writersandartists.co.uk/events-and-c...

Huge congratulations to Jasmine Richards and the Storymix Books team on the publication of its first book — THE OTHER FATHER CHRISTMAS. It’s a delightful, heartwarming Christmas tale. It was lovely to celebrate last night with so many Storymix writers, supporters and friends! @storymix.bsky.social

Thanks to The Women’s Prize Trust for inviting me share my top 5 tips to transform your rough draft as part of its Writers’ Toolkit. Lots of great advice from other writers on the site. Check it out! womensprize.com/five-top-tip...

Five Top Tips (with exercises) to Transform Your Rough Draft by Sara Grant - Women's Prize

womensprize.com

Congrats to @storymix.bsky.social for the launch of OXFORD BLOOD. Murder at Oxford Interview week. It’s a great read!

Entries for @uvcompetition.bsky.social close one week today! Winners will be published in the #UV26 anthology and introduced to agents and editors at the exclusive launch party. Don't miss this incredible chance to launch your #kidlit career🚀 undiscoveredvoices.com

kermit the frog is standing in front of a red curtain and says " 1 week left "

ALT: kermit the frog is standing in front of a red curtain and says " 1 week left "

media.tenor.com

SCBWI EU is offering an online workshop on Voice given by yours truly on Fri 26 Sept. (Be aware the listed time is for Amsterdam.) It’s a practical discussion on voice with exercises to help you uncover and enhance the voice of your work-in-progress. Details are here: www.scbwi.org/events/editi...

Edit Your Work to Enhance Voice with Sara Grant

Hone your novel’s voice with expert tips and exercises from author and editor Sara Grant.

scbwi.org

** One month to go** to get your entries into Undiscovered Voices - the best competition around for unpublished, unagented kidlit and YA writers (okay, we might be slightly biased...) We can't wait to read your manuscripts 👀 undiscoveredvoices.com

What could be better? A day spent with writers sharing my favourite exercises & tips on how to revise a novel at the Limehouse Library Hotel. The energy & talent in the room was inspiring. I love doing virtual events but you can’t beat the synergy and connections that are only possible in real life!

Just found these! Paper pens that are perfect to be tucked into a book so I can make notes in the margins. Yes, I write in books. I’m always dissecting the books I’m reading to figure out how the author creates magic on the page — and how I can learn to do the same.

** Submissions OPEN ** 🥳 If you're a #KidLit writer in the UK/Europe, #UV26 could be your big break. The anthology has launched 100s of writers' careers - will you be next? Find out more and enter👇 undiscoveredvoices.com Entries close: 8 September 2025 @scbwi-bi.bsky.social

I got my very first long listing and much need confidence boost from Undiscovered Voices! It is such a great competition, and definitely worth checking out if you write kids books!

Sara Grant@authorsaragrant.bsky.social · last yr.

Submissions open today for the 10th Undiscovered Voices! If you are an unagented and unpublished SCBWI member in the UK or EU you should check it. The anthology has launched the writing careers of hundreds of writers. Can’t wait to see who we will discover! @uvcompetition.bsky.social

Absolutely buzzing with excitement for George Kirk’s debut picture book BESSIE’S BEES!

Submissions open today for the 10th Undiscovered Voices! If you are an unagented and unpublished SCBWI member in the UK or EU you should check it. The anthology has launched the writing careers of hundreds of writers. Can’t wait to see who we will discover! @uvcompetition.bsky.social

We’re so excited to be sharing the cover of DEAD YARD: SEEDS OF DOOM, the first in a spook-tastic new horror middle grade series inspired by Caribbean folklore by P.J. Kilburn 🎬 🎨 Cover Art Markia Jenai ✨ Cover Design Kimberley Chen 📚 Available to request on Netgalley! Coming September 2025!

Submissions open NEXT WEEK for #UV26 - how's your manuscript looking? Our amazing co-founder, author and editing guru @authorsaragrant.bsky.social has put together this helpful checklist to help decide if you're submission ready 👇 undiscoveredvoices.com/news/checkli... @scbwi-bi.bsky.social

a checklist with three check marks and a pencil on it

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media.tenor.com

Thanks, Amber!

Amber Caraveo@ambercaraveo.bsky.social · last yr.

This book is a veritable treasure trove of tips and advice for revising your manuscript. @authorsaragrant.bsky.social is an accomplished author, editor and all-around lovely person. If you’re an author I can’t recommend this book highly enough! 😊🎉

⬇️ If you’re writing a novel THIS is the book you need once you have a first draft. Nobody understands editing and getting to the heart of a story better than Sara Grant. Written with authority and warmth and out now! @authorsaragrant.bsky.social 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Thanks, Sue!!

Sue Wallman@suewallman.bsky.social · last yr.

⬇️ If you’re writing a novel THIS is the book you need once you have a first draft. Nobody understands editing and getting to the heart of a story better than Sara Grant. Written with authority and warmth and out now! @authorsaragrant.bsky.social 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Top tip: read books in the same genre & for the same age reader as your work-in-progress. The more you fill your brain with great writing, the more likely you are to produce it. What are you reading for inspiration?