️️️️jack ⚜

👁 COVER REVEAL 👁 Excited beyond words to present this extraordinary artwork by @benjoelprice , the talented illustrator who has kindly (and spectacularly) brought GLOAM to life for the UK edition. His interior illustrations are just as gorgeous. And just as creepy. I can't wait to share them with you. 👻 The book is out in August. Keep your eyes peeled. And if you just can't wait, you can preorder it now!

"We are going to be the best of friends" What a privilege to be featured in The Bookseller (@_thebookseller ) All love to @rocktheboatnews @curtisbrownbooks 💙 You'll meet Her in August 👁

Terribly fun day at Hurst Junior Prep School Book Awards. Many many thanks to be given. Thank you to all the lovely folks who liked GLOAM enough to vote for it. I am really very proud. Thanks to my fellow shortlisted authors, who are such incredible and passionate writers and speakers (and nice people in general). I'm massively inspired by your passion and craft. It was an honour to meet you all. @onjalirauf @fleur.hitchcock @samsedgman @helenrutteruk 💙 Thanks to @chris_riddell , a hero of mine, for drawing some magic and making us all laugh. I met Chris when I was 11, shyly clutching a printed manuscript of my first finished novel. It was very exciting to meet him again today, this time as an author. Didn't expect the Prime Minister to show up, so that was fun too. And biggest thanks to the staff at Hurst Junior Prep - to Trisha and Sarah for all your hard work. The passion and care you put in was reflected in all the kids who were there today. What a lovely event!! 👻

💭 Could you face the demons in your nightmares? When Gwen and her siblings relocate to Gloam Island and inherit their grandparents’ derelict house, her stepdad hires a babysitter to look after them despite Gwen insisting she can do the job on her own. During her stay, her siblings are charmed by Esme, however, Gwen is instantly weary of this new intruder. Are there more sinister things going on in the house? Can Gwen convince her family of the growing evil that is swarming their home, bringing their nightmares to reality? 🔑 Gloam 📝 @jamackay_ 🎨 @benjoelprice 📚 @rocktheboatnews Another book binge for me! What an epic thriller for a debut - it had everything and more to make it a sensational horror story perfect for age 10+ who love the Dreadwood series, A Series of Unfortunate Events or generally a good scare! The setting, characters and plot kept me hooked from the very first page and the haunting atmosphere is so perfectly executed. The attention to detail with the black pages to echo nighttime as well as the line drawings, build an intensity and mystery to the story. They also provide an immersion to the characters and chapter as well as spark your imagination. I love that not only is this a spooky novel but at the heart it’s also a girl trying to protect her siblings, not stopping at anything to ensure their safety. I love the touch of magic and it was definitely one I couldn’t put down! A spine-chilling, suspenseful and haunting middle-grade read that I highly recommend….just don’t read it alone! 🎥 P.s Jack, I think this would make an epic film!

While I'm enjoying a brief respite at home in the Sinister Basement I just wanted to recommend some wonderful MG & YA books I've been reading recently. MAX AND ELLA, STUCK TOGETHER by Kristina Rahim (@krahimwrites ) - As a fan of stories about non-traditional family structures, this is absolutely wonderful. Kristina writes with such care and empathy, and her characters are a delight to spend time with. Much to ponder re: the best kind of biscuit, too. 🍪 HOW TO STEAL THE FUTURE by Christopher Edge (@christopheredge ) - Not many children's authors are bold enough to ask: what if you crossed Theseus & the Minotaur with Inception? Chris has crafted another supremely thrilling and original adventure which is (fittingly for an eternally shifting maze) full of twists and turns. This is an uncommonly smart and serious sci-fi genre book that takes its young readership seriously and will have them tearing through the pages 🦬 (publishes in JULY '26) JEKYLL VS HYDE: THE POTION OF DOOM by Jack Meggitt-Phillips (@jmeggittphillips ) - Having laughed a lot with Other Jack over tea and scones, I can confirm this book is just as funny as he is in real life (which is to say: very). His new book mixes penny dreadful gruesomeness with a gleeful comedic voice and is never anything less than raucously fun. There are similes in here you will have never seen before. 🧪 (publishes in SEP '26) THE LAST DEATH POET by Stephen Daly (@stephendwriter ) - This is a queer YA urban fantasy soaked in Irish history mythology and so far I'm absolutely hooked. I was lucky enough to hear Stephen talk to @joshsilverauthor about finding the confidence to write stories that might not otherwise be told, and in that sense his debut feels like a vital step in an exciting direction for YA. Though it's full of untold history and folklore, it feels profoundly modern in the best way 🚢

Absolutely thrilled that my alma mater @uniofyork is launching a Creative Writing MA (and that my own excellent creative writing tutor @sophiecoulombeau will be convenor). Students will be able to take modules in poetry, prose fiction, screenwriting, and scriptwriting, along with a host of other critical and practical options. At a time where literacy and the creative arts seem to be systemically undervalued and underresourced, this is such a fantastic development and a credit to the University 💙

Wrote a review of the brilliant EXIT 8 on the old substack - check it out if you like Japanese horror and/or interesting art about liminal spaces. Link in bio x

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting an author tour with @jamackay_ for the KS3 James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Awards. Throughout the three days he was with us we had the pleasure of visiting nine of our secondary schools and WOW, what a time we had! The students involved were an absolute joy. We met some incredible readers, with such enthusiasm and passion for stories. They showed such an interest in Jack’s craft, and asked thought provoking and intuitive questions. Children’s reading may be in decline nationally, but our pupils are certainly demonstrating that they are readers!

Thus ends the 9-school tour of Hull for the James Reckitt Hull Children's Book Award! Thanks to @hullschoolslibraryservice for arranging it all, driving me around from place to place and listen to me deliver the same bad jokes 3 times a day. Thanks to all 9 schools for having me in to chat about all things horror (and forgiving me for recommending the Texas Chain Saw Massacre to your KS3 pupils). Special shout out to Kaiden who drew his own, awesome monster and was kind enough to give it to me. Will be crediting him if the Gravestone Dragon ever pops up in a book of mine 👻🐉

We’re thrilled that Rock The Boat author Jack Mackay and editor Katie Jennings have been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2026 with debut book, Gloam - what an honour! We’re so proud to have published Gloam - a haunting, atmospheric debut with heart, from a hugely talented writer. 🎉 #BranfordBoase #BranfordBoase2026 #Gloam #JackMackay #KatieJennings

Today’s ‘Reckitt Recommendation’ for the KS3 #jamesreckitt #hullchildrensbookaward is for the fabulous Gloam by @jamackay_ @oneworldpublications If you’re a fan, check out these other brilliant reads. #hullreads #childrensbookawards #middlegrade

Oxford!! I am coming for you. By which I mean I'll be making my first literary festival appearance at the Oxford Literary Festival (@oxfordliteraryfestival ) TOMORROW, SAT 28TH MARCH at 4:00PM. Will be chatting to the wonderful @jennifer.killick.56 and @christopheredge about the joys, chills and thrills of children's horror. If you like that sort of stuff, come along. If your kids like scary stuff, bring them too 👻 Tickets in bio x #oxfordliteraryfestival #olf26 #itsgloamintime