Tell me a little bit about your latest book ‘You, Me, and a Penalty’
I love football and I love romance books, so why not smash them together and make a really gay book? I wanted to explore themes like mental health and what it could be like with a gay footballer balancing the pressure of being the best with social media pressure.
They were best friends growing up, then one of them gets sent to an academy up north and the other to London. When they finally meet up again there’s a penalty and someone literally falls for the other one. There's lots of friction, so then it's breaking them apart and then slowly putting them back together and facing the bigger battle of the outside world together.
I’m sure you planned for this to come out around World Cup time, but how did it feel seeing Heated Rivalry taking over the world and queer sports romances rise in popularity?
It's a perfect storm! Give me all the sports romances - hopefully, it gives readers a choice. If they don't like football, there's hockey. If they hate hockey, there's tennis. There’s rugby ones. There’s something for everyone.
I used to play football, and I wasn't out back then. It was really enjoyable, but it was toxic. When I was a teacher, I came out as gay, and they had a Friday football club. When I finally joined someone asked ‘but you're gay, why do you like football?’. Queer people have to fit into stereotypes, we have to be one or the other. That’s why representation like this is so important!
Was there a particular moment or character that came to you first from You Me and a Penalty?
It was probably Kyle. He's the one brought up on a council estate like I was. Didn't have much at all, but always wanted to be a footballer like I did. So, he was probably first. And AJ is the guy who I want to be. He's confident, funny, outgoing and very talented. But everyone thinks he’s only in the academy because his parents are rich so he has to work four or five times as hard.
Did anything surprise you while writing it?
That this has grown to a six book series! I knew there would be two books for Kyle and AJ. Then these other characters said, ‘oh, I wanna join’!
What does the writing process look like for you?
I have a plan and notebooks to keep me on track, especially now it's a six book series. I need to know who's doing what, where and what they look like. In my brain I'm so organized, but in reality I am literal chaos with a capital C. The characters run the show and it feels more natural - I’m as surprised as the readers by what happens next!
So what do you hope readers take away after finishing the book?
The most important thing is that you can be happy in whatever you decide to do. Whether it’s an online community, your best mate or your cat, you have a support network cheering you on!
What queer book has kind of stayed with you the longest?
At the minute, I'm gonna say Rachel Reid’s Time to Shine. It's such a nice book. And anything by M. A. Wardell because he's brilliant as well - he writes so much happiness in his books.
What’s a book that made you feel really seen?
What If It's Us and Here's To Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli - I loved these so much. They're just regular guys falling in love and being happy and I thought, okay, this is me.
It was so refreshing as so many popular gay books have us dying of AIDS or widowing alone or just generally suffering - I like a cozy, happy book and that's another reason why I wanted to write those happy books too.
Is there an author or book that you feel has influenced your writing?
I'm gonna throw a little curveball because I'm gonna say Stephen King. His character development is far beyond anyone I've ever read. He gets people and the way they speak, their tones, the dialect, even the way they walk. He knows characters, and I take a lot of that from him.
If you had to take three books to a desert island, which three books are you taking with you?
- Misery by Stephen King (because that was my first Stephen King and it got me back into reading)
- The Hunger Games series
- Heated Rivalry, particularly The Long Game
So I've got a range of books to keep me occupied!
Looking ahead, what's next and where can readers find your work?
I've got another romance, Appcidentally In Love, coming out in August and next year I'm part of an anthology where all proceeds go to the World Hunger Project.
I'm at most retailers and I'm in libraries as well, apparently, which is so cool.
How does that feel, like, from a kid who wanted to be an author to actually seeing it happen?
It's honestly crazy. And yesterday, Alexa knew who I was! That kind of blew my mind. As a former library kid who worked in libraries, now having books in there it just doesn’t feel real.
If you could tell your younger self one thing about the queer community, books, belonging, what message are you giving your younger self?
I would tell myself to come out a lot sooner. Don't be afraid because you'll find a great community, great friends and a great partner. Be brave.
What would you recommend to someone just starting to explore queer books?
Bookwise, I’d recommend picking up Red, White, and Royal Blue and The Charm Offensive because I love them both dearly and they're just a joy.
Find a little community - in person or online. The Threads community is amazing! Dive in, be brave, and start a conversation. Find the queer rainbow section in a bookshop and dive in.
Huge thanks to Seb for taking the time to chat with Between the Margins. You can find his books through your local bookshop, library or favourite online retailer. Be sure to follow him on social media to stay up to date on future releases!
