A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom, two teal dragons in the sky and the words "IT'S STRANGE UP NORTH. Happy new year! We just wanted to say a huge thank you to all our amazing authors and attendees over the last two years and we can't wait to show you what we've got planned for 2026"
This was, truly, the most fun event I've ever been a part of - and the turnout was HUGE! Such an amazing evening, thanks to the organisers, the staff, the other authors, and all those who came along. It's a joy to have something like this up north. Make sure you get along to next year's event!
Readers and authors mingling with food and drink on a table in the middle
Nicholas Binge stood on a chair with a microphone talking to the crowd
Readers and authors mingling
The prizes for the bingo - soft toys, a hardback book, a game, a stamp, wrapped up bottles of whiskey
@davidmbarnett.bsky.social
@sunyidean.com
@katiebruce.bsky.social
@angryrobotbooks.bsky.social
@solarisbooks.bsky.social
Harper Voyager
@orbitbooks.bsky.social
@hodderscape.bsky.social
@panmacmillan.bsky.social
Canelo
@headlinebooks.bsky.social
@hachetteuk.bsky.social
@titanbooks.bsky.social
Dan Hanks, Mark Lawrence, David Wragg, David Barnett, Sam K Horton, Stark Holborn, Richard Swan, Sunyi Dean, Thomas D Lee, Genevieve Cogman, Nazia Khatun, Annabel Campbell - all waiting for the readers to arrive
Readers and authors mingling
Readers and authors mingling
Readers and authors mingling
@emmanewman.bsky.social
@marklawrenceauthor.bsky.social
@samkhorton.bsky.social
@starkholborn.bsky.social
@danhanks.bsky.social
@gen-dimova.bsky.social
@genevievecogman.bsky.social
@elizachanwrites.bsky.social
@annabelcwrites.bsky.social
@bingewriting.bsky.social
@whyiwrite.bsky.social
David Wragg in a bookstore talking to readers
Stark Holborn in a bookstore talking to readers
Sam K Horton in a bookstore talking to readers
Genevieve Cogman in a bookstore talking to readers
So how's about it? Did you enjoy it? What was your favourite bit? How many books did you buy? Shall we do it again next year 😁
AY Chao
@davewragg.com
@richardswanauthor.bsky.social
Richard Swan in a bookstore talking to readers
Emma Newman in a bookstore talking to readers
Genoveva Dimova in a bookstore talking to readers
David Barnett in a bookstore talking to readers
& some who knew none of the authors, looking to find new favourites! We even had some of the authors from last year pop along!
Apologies to the authors missing from the group photo, we forgot to take the photo until you'd already left. Must remember to get you all together beforehand next year!
Mark Lawrence in a bookstore talking to readers
Annabel Campbell in a bookstore talking to readers
Dan Hanks in a bookstore talking to readers
Eliza Chan in a bookstore talking to readers
15 authors, over 100 attendees, so many books, so much talking (please tell me I'm not the only one who woke up with no voice) & one fantastic night of bookish fun!
It was lovely to see some familiar faces from last year, as well as new folk, those wanting to meet their favourite authors...
A group of people in a bookstore -Genevieve Cogman, Nicholas Binge, Sam K Horton, Dan Hanks, Stark Holborn, Sunyi Dean, Annabel Campbell, Yvonne Battle-Felton, Genoveva Dimova, Katie Bruce, Emma Newman, Eliza Chan, David Wragg, Richard Swan
A Y Chao in a bookstore talking to readers
Nicholas Binge in a bookstore talking to readers
Yvonne Battle-Felton in a bookstore talking to readers
WHAT A NIGHT!!
We just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone involved in making It's Strange Up North 2025 such an incredible success! The authors, the attendees, the publishers, the waterstones staff, the organisers, we could not be more grateful for all you've done!
Cover of THE VENGEANCE, a novel by Emma Newman with background of purple skies and dark seas, with Solaris logo bottom left corner
Please could you help me to spread the word about my swashbuckling adventure story with a pirate protagonist, sapphic romance, with a dash of werewolves and vampires? My latest novel THE VENGEANCE is available in all formats geni.us/thevengeance Perfect for escaping the horrors of our time.
Had a splendid time at @strangeupnorth.bsky.social yesterday - lovely event, lovely people!
I had the most incredible time at @strangeupnorth.bsky.social in Leeds yesterday. Such a wonderful event where I got to chat to just the loveliest bunch of SFF readers. Thank you to everyone who came and said hello and took a chance on a new author - you made my evening very special!
What a fantastic event that's was at Leeds Waterstones! Discovered so many many fantastic authors and books, and had the pleasure of meeting authors whose work I adore! Now on to a full day of reading! @strangeupnorth.bsky.social
Had an absolutely wonderful time at @strangeupnorth.bsky.social last night. I met so many lovely people, got to reconnect with lovelies I haven't seen for years and wall-to-wall booklovers. Thanks to the team for inviting me!
So @strangeupnorth.bsky.social last night at Leeds Waterstones was an amazing event. Met some lovely people and signed lots of copies of Withered Hill & Scuttler’s Cove, and gave a lot of people crabs 🦀 (insert your own gag). Failed to take any pix though.
Having a blast at @strangeupnorth.bsky.social
I just got to @strangeupnorth.bsky.social and in the bag there's a copy of The Gentleman and his Vowsmith by @devinmadson.bsky.social - yay 😃
And I've chatted with @emmanewman.bsky.social who's the nicest person ever!
Today!
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom, two teal dragons in the sky and the words "IT'S STRANGE UP NORTH, A Y Chao, Yvonne Battle-Felton, Richard Swan, Nicholas Binge, Annabel Campbell, Dan Hanks, Genevieve Cogman, Stark Holborn, Eliza Chan, Genoveva Dimova, Sam K Horton, David Wragg, Mark Lawrence, David Barnett, Emma Newman, An evening of fantastical fiction with fantastic scifi & Fantasy authors, 5:30-8:30pm, Sat 24th May 2025, Waterstones, Leeds"
TODAY'S THE DAY!!!!
Amazing!!! See you there!
I'll be at ISUN later, not in an official signing capacity but in a hanging-out-with-my-author-friends capacity. See some of you there!
Oh sorry, there's no official meet up, I just meant if people wanted to arrange to meet, they could arrange it in a thread here
That's understandable, but everyone is absolutely lovely. If you comment on our latest post, you can see if there's others going alone that would like to meet up there.
And Katie and Sunyi will be around in the social hour ready to introduce you to authors if needed 🙂
If anyone is going alone tomorrow and would like to meet some new folks first, comment below!
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom, two teal dragons in the sky and the words "IT'S STRANGE UP NORTH, 1 day to go!!!"
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom and the covers of The Company of the Wolf by David Wragg, Grave Empire by Richard Swan, The Vengeance by Emma Newman, The Book That Held Her Heart by Mark Lawrence, Gorse by Sam K Horton
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom and the covers of Ninth Life by Stark Holborn, The Way Up Is Death by Dan Hanks, Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova, Damned by Genevieve Cogman and Shanghai Immortal by A Y Chao
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom and the covers of Tideborn by Eliza Chan, The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbel, Dissolution by Nicholas Binge, Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton and Scuttler's Cove by David Barnett
🎵 One Day More! 🎵
But there will be no miserable faces tomorrow! Even the weather has seen the error of its ways and understands we cannot risk the precious books getting wet!
And what books they are!
What are you bringing to get signed? What are you planning on buying? Who's excited???
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom, two teal dragons in the sky and the words "IT'S STRANGE UP NORTH, 1 day to go!!!"
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom and the covers of The Company of the Wolf by David Wragg, Grave Empire by Richard Swan, The Vengeance by Emma Newman, The Book That Held Her Heart by Mark Lawrence, Gorse by Sam K Horton
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom and the covers of Ninth Life by Stark Holborn, The Way Up Is Death by Dan Hanks, Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova, Damned by Genevieve Cogman and Shanghai Immortal by A Y Chao
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom and the covers of Tideborn by Eliza Chan, The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbel, Dissolution by Nicholas Binge, Curdle Creek by Yvonne Battle-Felton and Scuttler's Cove by David Barnett
🎵 One Day More! 🎵
But there will be no miserable faces tomorrow! Even the weather has seen the error of its ways and understands we cannot risk the precious books getting wet!
And what books they are!
What are you bringing to get signed? What are you planning on buying? Who's excited???
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom, two teal dragons in the sky and the words "IT'S STRANGE UP NORTH, A Y Chao, Yvonne Battle-Felton, Richard Swan, Nicholas Binge, Annabel Campbell, Dan Hanks, Genevieve Cogman, Stark Holborn, Eliza Chan, Genoveva Dimova, Sam K Horton, David Wragg, Mark Lawrence, David Barnett, Emma Newman, An evening of fantastical fiction with fantastic scifi & Fantasy authors, 5:30-8:30pm, Sat 24th May 2025, Waterstones, Leeds"
Against a navy background white text reads "Solaris authors at" next to the It's Strange Up North Logo. The white Solaris logo is in the top right corner. Below this are two author photos of Sam K. Horton and Emma Newman. Beneath these are the book covers for their respective Solaris titles: GORSE and Ragwort for Sam and THE VENGEANCE for Emma.
TOMORROW, @strangeupnorth.bsky.social returns to Leeds Waterstones!
Grab your ticket and the chance to meet fantastic authors - including our very own @samkhorton.bsky.social and @emmanewman.bsky.social! bit.ly/4iT1QPD
(And keep an eye out for some Solaris treats in your goodie bag 😜)
A blue background, with colourful cartoons of Leeds buildings along the bottom, two teal dragons in the sky and the words "IT'S STRANGE UP NORTH, 2 days to go!!!"
🎵It's the final countdown! 🎵
2 days!
Don't forget tickets are only £10 with £5 redeemable against books on the night! Bargain!
There are still tickets available but we recommend buying now as we can't guarantee there will be tickets available on the door.
Tickets: tinyurl.com/itsstrange
The weather may be turning grim but don't worry, it's not apocalypse time yet!
Just make sure to keep the rain away from the books, okay?
www.waterstones.com/events/its-s...
We know the weather's turning a bit grim but it's not quite apocalypse time yet!
www.waterstones.com/events/its-s...
The day after tomorrow! 😮
