Sam Thompson – författare

The Man Booker longlisted Communion Town reveals the shadows and sinister inhabitants of a city that never appears the same way twice.On crowded streets, in the town squares and half-empty tower blocks, the lonely and lost try to make a connection. A weary gumshoe pounds the reeking sidewalks, seeking someone he knows he will never find. Violence loiters in blind alleys, eager to embrace the unsuspecting and the reckless. Lovers are doomed to follow treacherous paths that were laid long before they first met.This city is no ordinary place. Here, the underworld has surfaced; dreams melt into reality and memories are imagined before they are lived. Ghosts and monsters, refugees and travellers – the voices of Communion Town clamour to tell the stories of the city, stories that must be heard to be believed.

Hi! I’m Sam. And I have ADHD.I only found out when I was 30 years old, but my life has always felt like a bit of a rollercoaster. Sometimes, I get distracted during conversations and forget to listen. I often start new tasks before finishing the old ones. I’ve been known to lose my temper when things feel overwhelming. And once or twice I even cried into my textbooks at school when it all got too much.But guess what? I’ve also discovered that ADHD can be my superpower! I’ve found things I love and become super passionate about them. I’ve worked hard to be the best I can be at what I enjoy. And now I know that ADHD isn’t a bad thing – in fact, I wouldn’t be me without it!Packed with:Funny stories and honest insights into the challenges of ADHD, and the positive bits tooTips and activities for managing and embracing ADHDAdvice for parents and carers on how to support children in their ADHD journeyThis funny, heartwarming and hopeful book is the perfect reminder that ADHD is nothing to be ashamed of. Having a difference is something to celebrate!

Welcome to Staying Relevant, a book written by two best friends . . . contains swearing, adult themes and outrageous stories from life in the spotlight.If you think you know us already, you're wrong. You're gonna find out a hell of a lot about us. Probably more than you ever needed or wanted to know, to be honest. This book isn't about the glossy, filtered version of us that people normally see. It's about the real Sam and Pete, the ones behind the nonsense. Now grab a bevvy, get comfy and enjoy the journey with us - through the best bits, the worst bits, and all the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel moments in between, on our quest to stay relevant. In their first book together, Sam and Pete lay out what it truly takes to stay in the spotlight. A celebration of their unlikely friendship, the book features brand new, insane stories from their lives, including: behind the scenes, never-before-told tales from the jungle and the ballroom, hosting the NTAs red carpet, their journey creating the podcast, and plenty more. Expect swearing, heaps of positivity from Sam and, of course, zero sarcasm from Pete.

Welcome to Staying Relevant, a book written by two best friends . . . contains swearing, adult themes and outrageous stories from life in the spotlight.If you think you know us already, you're wrong. You're gonna find out a hell of a lot about us. Probably more than you ever needed or wanted to know, to be honest. This book isn't about the glossy, filtered version of us that people normally see. It's about the real Sam and Pete, the ones behind the nonsense. Now grab a bevvy, get comfy and enjoy the journey with us - through the best bits, the worst bits, and all the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel moments in between, on our quest to stay relevant. In their first book together, Sam and Pete lay out what it truly takes to stay in the spotlight. A celebration of their unlikely friendship, the book features brand new, insane stories from their lives, including: behind the scenes, never-before-told tales from the jungle and the ballroom, hosting the NTAs red carpet, their journey creating the podcast, and plenty more. Expect swearing, heaps of positivity from Sam and, of course, zero sarcasm from Pete.

I don’t recall if I saw my first gunman in my childhood nightmares or on my childhood streets.There were plenty in both and they looked very much like each other.So begins Reggie Chamberlain-King’s introduction to The Black Dreams, a thrilling and compelling collection of specially commissioned stories that explore the emotional geography of growing up and living in Northern Ireland.The fourteen stories gathered here criss-cross coast, border and city as they map a ‘strange’ territory of in-between states and unstable realities in which understanding is unreliable. Obsessions, death and rebirth, violence, sexuality, retribution and apocalypse are all part of the rich fabric of The Black Dreams.Bringing together some of Northern Ireland’s finest writers, along with some of the best new talents, The Black Dreams celebrates and extends the rich tradition of the weird, surreal and dream-like in Northern Irish writing. It is also a powerful act of imagining and storytelling – a vibrant, vivid and exhilarating exploration of a world we cannot, or choose not, to see.Contributors: Jo Baker, Jan Carson, Reggie Chamberlain-King, Aislínn Clarke, Emma Devlin, Moyra Donaldson, Michelle Gallen, Carlo Gébler, John Patrick Higgins, Ian McDonald, Gerard McKeown, Bernie McGill, Ian Sansom, Sam Thompson

"The best animal adventure since Watership Down" - The Times The children's debut by Booker-longlisted author Sam Thompson is an engrossing, thoughtful, beautifully written story about humans and animals, voice and power, neurodiversity and acceptance.Silas is bullied at school because his words will not come. He wishes he could live in silence as animals do.Deep in the Forest, the foxes live in an underground city built by their wolf slaves. The foxes' leader Reynard controls everything with his clever talk.One day, Silas helps an injured wolf. Then he enters the secret world of the Forest, where the last remaining wolves fight to survive. But even there, language is power.Can Silas find his voice in time to help his wolf friends - can he become the Wolfstongue?"Each creature has its own character and I love how by having names they feel real and I have been naming creatures when I see them out on my walks." - Oscar, aged 9, child reviewer "Has all the makings of a modern classic." - Alex O'Connell, The Times

Faolan and Sally have no memory of their lives before they arrived at the Land ten years ago. In this self-sufficient community, good fortune comes from mysterious beings known as the shapes, and no one is to venture into the Forest; a dangerous place full of fearsome wolves.When a strange gentleman named Reynard emerges from the Forest, he quickly befriends Faolan and Sally. But the community are both suspicious and enthralled by his storytelling.In the wake of a terrible attack, the shapes seem to abandon their people. Faolan flees into the Forest seeking the wolves that have always fascinated him, and Reynard and Sally are banished.Their pursuit of Faolan leads them to uncover many mysteries. As they are drawn further in, the community they once knew begins to fracture.There is no keeping the Forest out any longer, and nothing will ever be the same again.