My book No Adults Allowed is out in ebook and paperback form, marking the first time I’ve put any of my novels out in a single, collected form. The story originally ran as an online serial in 2020, so this book brings it all together in one place.
If you’d like a copy you can grab it here:
To give you a sense of what the book’s like, here’s me reading the first chapter:
An interview with the author
Self-promotion is already weird, so to make it even quirkier here’s me being interviewed by me:
Hey Simon, what’s this new book all about?
Hi! No Adults Allowed is a coming of age story about a bunch of kids living in a post-apocalyptic future in which there are no adults. Why and how this happened is part of the central mystery of the book.
Yeah, but what is it really about?
What, you mean thematically? Writing the book was me exploring two main things, I suppose. On the one hand it’s an exploration of parenting, of how adults pass ideas down to children and perpetuate societal problems. And it’s a celebration of young activism and how we’d probably be better off if the world was run by young people instead of ancient men.
OK, but you’re 42. Aren’t you one of the ancient men?
Harsh. To be fair, I was 39 when I wrote the first draft, but I take your point. In my defence, I’ve done a lot of work with young people over the last decade, plus I have a 10 year old son. Observing them and my son’s friends gives me such immense hope for the future - and that’s what I wanted to get into the book.
Marketing people love to compare things to other things. Quick, do a random and tenuous point of comparison!
If I was forced to do such a thing, I’d say it has echoes of Lord of the Flies and borrows the structure of Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness, but with the key difference being that I think children and teenagers are the solution rather than the problem. And it’s not as heavy as those books. Like the tagline says, it’s an optimistic story about the end of the world.
What kind of read should people expect?
No Adults Allowed is a very concise book. It gets to the point and was designed to be lean. It’s about a lot of stuff but at its heart it’s a classic adventure and road trip. It’s a fun read! It’s got some action, some humour, some tension.
What kind of reader is it for?
I guess I’ll find out. I’d say it’s suitable for anyone 12+, and I think there’s enough in there to interest younger and older readers. It is science fiction but you don’t have to be heavily into the genre to get something out of it. Can I say ‘everyone’ or is that cheating?
That’s cheating.
OK, never mind.
Why is this the first time you’ve released one of your stories in ebook or paperback form?
Truth is, I’ve been so focused on writing serials and getting new chapters out every single week that it never really occurred to me. I’ve been writing new chapters of my stories since 2015 with hardly any breaks. No Adults Allowed was actually my third novel, even though it’s the first to come out as a book. If it goes well I’ll have to look into converting my other works.
Is the book the same version as the serial that went out to readers every week in 2020?
The story is largely the same but it’s gone through notable upgrades and rewrites. This is a more polished version of the story. Some of the themes and character arcs are clearer. The ebook/paperback is 100% the definitive version of No Adults Allowed.
Thanks for your time, Simon.
Yeah, you’re still just talking to yourself, don’t try to be too clever.
Reader feedback
I rummaged through the comments from the original serial run of the story. Here are some highlights:
“Very unique and unpredictable. I love it so much.”
“This book was very intense and gave me shivers. I absolutely loved it and I thank you so much for writing it.”
“This was such an amazing read! I loved the way everything was covered in mystery, it was fun to imagine all the possible scenarios.”
“This story blew my mind, I really enjoyed reading it!”
“It was amazing; I loved everything about it, the characters, the worldbuilding, the writing. I really hope more people find your story because oh my god this is amazing. I'm going to share this with all of my friends right now.”
“Ahh! I'm so sad this book had to end but alas, all good things do. Your book has to be one of my most favorites in terms of characters, uniqueness and overall atmosphere and world building, ty for writing this!”
“Your book is one of the best I've read in a long time. I wish it would be adapted into a movie.”
“This book was really good. It’s like nothing I’ve read before. I never knew what to expect while reading.”
“Wonderful story, beautiful in many ways.”
I highly recommend looking through old comments on your writing if you’re ever in need of a confidence boost!
Thanks, as ever, for subscribing to this newsletter. Writing online is absolutely a community exercise, and I don’t think I’d have got to the point of having a project ready to be released as a book without that network of encouragement.
Any questions about the book, ping me down in the comments!
I liked this so much I'm going to buy a copy! Thanks for the first chapter read! Congratulations!
Woohoo 🙌 Getting a paperback!