With the publication of my new YA thriller, Glitterati, on the horizon (March 2027!) I’m pleased to announce two brand new school events which will complement the book. Teachers and librarians – here’s all the info you need. Head to the Schools page for full booking info, including pricing and how to get in touch.
ALL THAT GLITTERS
Perfect for: Year 9+
Book: Glitterati
Runtime: 50-60 mins
Participants: Unlimited
The target: a vault in Antwerp’s diamond district. The prize: diamonds worth millions. The problem: the ten layers of security in the vault. Simon will introduce your students to the world of the Glitterati – golden boys and girls who do not play by the rules, explaining how his love of cons influenced his new YA thriller. Along with interactive elements, readings, plot and character background on the novel, and a Q&A, the secrets of ‘human hacking’ will also be revealed. By the end of the event, your students will know exactly how to carry out an audacious heist!
This event will absolutely convince your students to read the book. It features some of my favourite cons and heists of all time, I talk about how they inspired Glitterati, and it will reveal the secrets of persuasion, or human hacking. While I talk about this in dramatic terms in the event, there is a wider use for this which will benefit your students. In essence, this is about being a charismatic and effective communicator who can persuade others to their point of view. I’m hoping your students don’t take my advice literally and rob a diamond vault, but rather use this information to their advantage in other fields!
I will introduce the world of the book – including con artist Tommy Baxter – and provide enough (spoiler free!) bait that your students will be begging to know how it all resolves and the identity of the killer on the island. They’ll have to read the book to find that out, of course!
MURDER, WE WROTE WORKSHOP
Perfect for KS3 & KS4
Runtime: 60 mins
Participants: Maximum of 30 students
I will guide your students through the process of planning and writing a thriller novel. This highly structured workshop covers all the key elements: location, characters, weapons, clues, and red herrings. Students will learn how to use misdirection to trick readers and will tackle one of the hardest things all thriller writers face: how to murder your victim in an original (and horrifying) way!
We all know the kids are bloodthirsty. They will LOVE this workshop. It’s suitable for students at all levels because it’s very structured. I’ll guide them through all the elements they need to create a murder mystery story and we can all be privately alarmed afterwards at some of the methods of murder they’ll invariably come up with! This workshop stands alone – they don’t need to have read the book or come to the talk – and it’ll give the students plenty of material to continue their work afterwards. Glitterati itself is a YA novel but this workshop is totally fine for Year 7 upwards and is adapted to suit different age groups.
You can book these events now, for delivery any time from March 2027. I’ll look forward to meeting you at your school soon!