#ukmgchat

#ukmgchat is an hour of fast paced, exciting discussion about children's books (age range 8 to 13) that takes place twice a month on Wednesday evenings from 8-9pm. Published writers, unpublished writers, bloggers, readers, editors and agents all take part in the chats and you can too – just follow the hashtag and join in.

The chat started in March 2014 when two excitable and yet mildly organised writers, Lorraine Gregory and Miriam Craig, decided to host one and see what happened. They were pleasantly surprised by the response. At a time when YA (Young Adult fiction) was getting most of the attention and #ukyachat was a roaring success, it soon became obvious that there was also a huge amount of love for middle grade books out there. Since then #ukmgchat has developed into a friendly and thriving community.

Past guests have included authors SF Said, Gareth P. Jones, Susie Day and MANY others, as well as agent Ella Diamond Kahn of DKW Literary Agency, and Ruth Knowles, Fiction Editorial Director at Random House Children’s Publishers. The discussion has covered topics like plotting, historical fiction, series, mysteries, and writing action scenes – all with a focus on the middle grade age group. The hashtag has even been known to trend from time to time.

#ukmgchat now also has socials a couple of times a year where people can meet up in real life and discuss their love of books. For more info about #ukmgchat and to find out about upcoming chats, go to our website or tweet @authorontheedge or @miriamhcraig.

We'd love to see you!

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A number of the previous #ukmgchat sessions can be found at the following links. If you have not yet discovered us then these make fun reading and will give you a flavour of what we're all about.

22nd April 2015: Roald Dahl special

9th April 2015: Dual narrative in MG fiction (with guest host Candy Gourlay)

26th March 2015: First anniversary celebrations

11th March 2015: How dark can MG go? (with guest host Anthony McGowan)

26th February 2015: Harry Potter special

11th February 2015: Love in the middle grade (with guest host David Maybury)

28th January 2015: Writing advice and general chat

14th January 2015: Mysteries (with guest host Robin Stevens)

17th December 2014: Myths and legends (with guest host Sarwat Chadda)

3rd December 2014: Christmas books and general chat

12th November 2014: Writerly foibles (with guest host Allan Boroughs)

29th October 2014: Fairy tales and general chat

15th October 2014: Diversity in MG fiction (with guest hosts Jason Rohan & Inclusive Minds)