I’m so excited to share the news that my first book will be published by Scholastic this year, with a second book in 2020! You can find out more here!
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Never stay out after the Switching Hour… never let the outside in….
Amaya lives with her grandmother, her small brother Kaleb and her pet goat Tau in a land suffering a terrible drought. Every night, the doors must be locked at twilight, the Switching Hour, because the drought has awoken Badoko, a creature that snatches children away to eat their dreams.
Three days later, the memory that they existed is gone from those that knew them, and those that are left are afflicted with The Sorrow Sickness – a grief which consumes a person without them knowing why. When Kaleb is taken by Badoko, Amaya must journey into the terrifying forest to find her brother before she forgets him.
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Writing stories has always been my escape and my first love and although I dreamed of being a published author I secretly couldn’t imagine it would actually happen! Over the years I continued to write stories whenever I could and I soaked up all the wisdom and knowledge from the authors and wonderful tutors on my MA course. Slowly, my writing improved and I gained confidence in my ability to tell those stories. Finally, I was ready to send my manuscript out into the world and I was so lucky to find the right agent for me (you can read more about that here!).
It has been overwhelming at times, with the dreaded Imposter Syndrome striking HARD, especially when I first found out I was going to be published. Finding a community of writers and authors on social media and in real life has been such a wonderful experience, helping me through the times of doubt and panic. I’m now excited for the future and hope that my little story finds it’s readers who will love my characters and world as much as I do.
‘The Switching Hour’ is out 1st August 2019 (with gorgeous cover artwork by the wonderfully talented illustrator Kelsey Buzzell!) and my second book is being published in spring 2020!
If you fancy pre-ordering, you can do so here! X
Damaris Young 
Damaris, Many congratulations! We are Joshua’s grandparents living in France. How exciting to have an author in the family!
Sheila and Brian Ballard
ballards@sfr.fr
Hello Sheila and Brian! So lovely to hear from you, I hope you are both well! I will get your address from Josh if that’s alright, as I would love to send you a copy of the book! It would also be lovely to meet you in person, hopefully when you are next in the UK!