Amy Sparkes

Excited that this short film is now out in the wild! It's about one family's experience of love, loss and walking boots... If you've got 8 mins, please do check it out!
This was a brilliant, collaborative experience - I'm lucky to work with such talented people.
#film #shortfilm #filmmaker #devon

And congratulations to everyone whose story was longlisted or shortlisted. They were all brilliant.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and to my fellow judges, Julia Churchill, and Mary Ward at Writing Magazine for the tricky decision-making.

The competition will be running again this autumn!

Purple square background with text: Picture Book category 2025 winners. 1st Big Bike by Alex Lumsden. 2nd the Friend Borrowing Service by Zahrah Riaz. 3rd Garden Magic by Catherine Friess. The Story Godmother logo is in the bottom left corner and the Writing Magazine logo is on the right hand side.

So excited to reveal the three winners of the Writing Magazine Children's Book Prize: Picture Book category.

Many congratulations to Alex Lumsden, Zahrah Riaz and Catherine Friess! Your stories were fantastic!

@writersonline.bsky.social
#WritingCompetition
#picturebooks
#BookSky

ALT text: Purple square background. Text reads: Picture Book category. 2025 Shortlist. Big Bike. Garden Magic. The Friend Borrowing Service. The Misunderstood Villain's Club. Whose OO Are You? The Story Godmother logo is on the left hand side, and the Writing Magazine logo is on the right.

Congratulations to everyone shortlisted for the Writing Magazine Children's Book Prize Picture Book category! So many great stories on the longlist, it was a tough decision to make. Winners announced on Monday!

#BookSky #KidLit #PictureBooks

Congratulations! Fantastic news!

If your story wasn't selected this year, please don't be too discouraged. You may have come closer than you think. It's an almost impossible job to choose just 10. But please do keep writing, keep honing the craft, and have another go: the competition will be open again this year!

A purple square background with text: PICTURE CATEGORY 2025 Longlist: Big Bike. Don't Pick Me! Cockadoodledude. The Friend Borrowing Service. Garden Magic. Granddad, The Moon and Me. Rory and the Illumilings. Whose OO are you? The Misunderstood Villain's Club. The Lonely Yawn. The Story Godmother logo is on the left hand side of the square. The Writing Magazine logo is on the right.

Huge congratulations to everyone on the Writing Magazine Children's Book Prize Picture Book longlist. There were many entries, so to reach this longlist is a fabulous achievement. The shortlist will be announced on Friday!
Good luck for the next round!

#writingcommunity
#BookSky
#picturebook

Players_1715

If you'd rather read the book first, grab a copy here: lnkstk.swordandfiddle.co.uk/@players_1715
(Amazon, Kobo, itch.io) The HNS is held in high esteem, so it's particularly exciting to see how Players has been received. Even more so because it isn't your typical #historicalfiction.

#BookSky

Screenshot of the Historical Novel Society website. Image shows The Players Act 1: All The World's A Stage novel cover. It's a parchment coloured background with the title on a ribbon tumbling down. Five commedia dell'arte figures in purple are dotted around. The text on the website reads: The Players – Act 1: All the World’s a Stage Written by Amy Sparkes Review by Keira Morgan Two bands of itinerant players wander the backroads, alehouses and fairs of early Georgian England: one an acting group of four led by a morose manager staving off its imminent demise; the other a trio of aerialists managed by a narcissist, Piero, bent on avenging himself for his inability to love. Three narrators, each with a distinct voice, carry the acts forward: lead actor Thomas, the eternal optimist criticized by the others for his obsession with success, yet haunted by his father’s condemnation of him as a failure; Caroline, the prickly, defensive protector particularly of manager Robert, who swings a cutting wit and sword; and prancing Piero..

"The bard himself is deftly woven in throughout, in this pièce de theatre... by a writer with a flair for historic detail and language."
🎭🎻🥁🎲⚔️💀❤️‍🩹
Thank you to Keira Morgan at the HNS for the great review of THE PLAYERS ACT 1!
historicalnovelsociety.org/.../the-play... - It does have spoilers so...

The idea that the only person to benefit from education is the person who receives it falls apart whenever I visit the doctor.

And well done to everyone who made the shortlist and longlist this year – the quality of entries was fantastic so this is a great achievement.
The Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize will be running again this autumn if you'd like to give it a go!
#KidLit #WritingCompetitions

Purple square background with text. Chapter Book Category 2025 winners. 1st Jasper Crimson, Vampire Detective. 2nd Deeny Dinos: T-Wrecks by Helen Addyman. 3rd Derek and the Pancake Pandemonium by Rhiannon Pipkin. The Story Godmother logo is on the left. The Writing Magazine logo is on the right.

Many congratulations to our top three writers, Laila Murphy, Helen Addyman and Rhiannon Pipkin for winning the Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize Chapter Book category this year! Decisions were very difficult, but ultimately, these three submissions stood out to the judges.

Announced the winners of the Writing Magazine Children's Book Prize Chapter Book category today for emerging/unagented writers. Always fantastic to share the good news!

Players_1715

You can find out more about the book here: lnkstk.swordandfiddle.co.uk/@players_1715

Interview with Amy Sparkes, Author of The Players: Act 1 - Bookshelfie What first inspired you to become a storyteller, and when did you realise you wanted to write novels? I was always an imaginative child, and creating stories either on paper or in the make-believe gam...

Excited to share my interview with @bookshelfie.bsky.social after winning 3rd Place Overall with THE PLAYERS ACT 1: ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE.
(About a diverse troupe of strolling players in 1715 with one last chance to save their theatre company.)

book-shelfie.com/interview-wi...

#BookSky #HistFic

A purple square background with text: 'CHAPTER BOK CATEGORY 2025 SHORTLIST Jasper Crimson, Vampire Detective. Min the Magical Vet. Deeny Dinos: T-Wrecks. Fearless Flo and the Quest for the Missing Underpants. Derek and The Pancake Pandemonium. The Story Godmother logo is on the left: an open book with the words 'Story Godmother' and sparkles coming out. The Writing Magazine logo is on the right.

Huge congratulations to everyone on the Writing Magazine Children's Book Prize shortlist for Chapter Books! If your book was longlisted but isn't here, please know it was a very difficult decision - all the titles were great.

Onto the last, very difficult decision!
#KidLit #WritingCommunity

A purple square background. At the bottom is the Story Godmother Logo (an open book with sparkles and the words 'the Story godmother' above it) and Writing Magazine in the right hand corner. Title : Chapter Book category 2025 longlist. A Buzz of Bees. Deeny Dinos: T-Wrecks. Derek and the Pancake Pandemonium. Fearless Flo and the Quest for the Missing Underpants. Jasper Crimson, Vampire Detective. Maisie Monkey. Min the Magical Vet. Pond Life: Call in the Newt. Spike Hart and The Lost Souls in School Scares. Uncle Ulric's Home for Unusual Animals.

I'm delighted to announce the Writing Magazine Children's Book Prize 2025 longlist: Chapter Books. Many congratulations to everyone on the list! And thank you to everyone who entered.

Shortlist announced early next week.
More here: www.storygodmother.co.uk/index.php/op...

#KidLit

Thank you!

A big thank you to @bookshelfie.bsky.social for awarding 'The Players Act 1' 3rd place overall. Absolutely delighted!

#Players1715 #BookSky #HistoricalFiction #Shakespeare

Thank you so much for awarding 'The Players Act 1' 3rd place overall! And congratulations to all the other winners - fantastic titles!

The Players Act 1 The #1 bestselling novel by New York Times bestselling author Amy Sparkes.

If anyone fancies curling up with a 99p e-Book, my adult historical debut 'The Players Act 1: All The World's A Stage' is on offer at the moment 🙂

🎭Found family
🎭Comedy & tragedy
🎭LGBTQ+
🎭Shakespeare
🎭Hope & heart
🎭Neurodiversity

🎭⚔️🥁🎻🎲💀❤️‍🩹

#BookSky
#histfic
lnkstk.swordandfiddle.co.uk/@players_1715

Coming soon: new projects from @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social @annemariepace.bsky.social @corjan.bsky.social @amysparkes.bsky.social + more buff.ly/3oye3XF

Thanks for highlighting and for the tag :)

I adore fantasy and magic, and this book is a love letter to #fantasy tropes and the wonder that is childhood imagination.

Thanks to my agent Julia Churchill, Grainne Clear and Emily McDonnell at Walker Books, cover designers Jack Noel and Clo Tartinville and fabulous illustrator Ben Mantle ♥️

Amy Sparkes holds a proof copy of her new novel: The Unchosen One. Text at the top of the cover reads Coming May 2026. Cover text reads: The world needs a hero... she's not it. Image shows a young girl with a griffin behind her, both looking frantic, riding a smiling red dragon that is hurtling downwards.

Excited to announce my new funny-fantasy #lkidlit trilogy, kicking off with book 1: The Unchosen One.

When chaotic Tassie is mistakenly declared the Chosen One, she must go on an epic quest to find the real Chosen One before it's too late...

Coming in May 2026!
#middlegradebooks
#BookSky

Thank you!

A square with purple, swirly background. The Story Godmother logo is at the top: The words 'The Story Godmother' above an open book with sparkles around. Text below reads: Free mentoring opportunity for 2026.

I'm passionate about making creative opportunities accessible to all, so I offer a free 6-month mentoring opportunity for children's writers who might find it particularly hard to pursue writing.
Open for applications: 8th - 16th Nov.

www.storygodmother.co.uk/index.php/op...

#WritingCommunity

Hello!

It’s important to showcase neurodiversity in historical fiction - it existed in the past! I love exploring this in The Players. A strolling theatre company is a great place for neurodiverse people!

Thank you for your support.
Sending love to all the #ADHD readers & writers out there ❤️
#histfic

ADHD Awareness Month Fiction Bundle. oct 1st-15th. 22 books mostly by ADHD authors. most with 1+ significant ADHD characters. Available exclusively at itch.io $25 - over $90 value. A QR code is in the top corner to take readers to the correct page.

ADHD Awareness Month Fiction: 22 items for $25.00
itch.io/b/3300/adhd-...

Proud to have THE PLAYERS: ACT 1 included in this fabulous bundle - available // 1st & 15th October. A big thank you to @eliseswritings.bsky.social for organising.

#neurodiversity
#adhd
#historicalfiction