Iqbal Hussain
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Iqbal Hussain
@ihussainwriter.bsky.social
710 followers 680 following 110 posts
Debut adult novel “Northern Boy” came out June 2024 (ABBA, Bollywood, cobbles) - rep Robert Caskie | working on debut children’s MG novel - rep Lucy Irvine @pfd | child of the 70s/80s
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Well, it's not everyday you wake up to find yourself in @thetimes.com - in today's Saturday edition, The Night I Borrowed Time is their children's book of the week! To say I'm delighted would be an understatement. Weekend totally made.
Review
May 23, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Thrilled to be part of this amazing panel for @waterstones.bsky.social Nottingham Children’s Gala this Easter. Come join us!

Tickets: www.waterstones.com/events/water...
Poster of event showing pictures of Iqbal Hussain, Jordan Lees, Maria Kuzniar and Joseph Coehlo
March 1, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Last few days!

I’m supporting #ReadItForward! Buy my book, The Night I Borrowed Time, during February and @bookshop.org will donate 10% to @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social

Buy here: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Image of book and promotion
February 26, 2026 at 8:58 AM
Left it too late to book an author for World Book Week? Don't worry - you can catch me talking about The Night I Borrowed Time in a FREE 45-minute webinar this Friday 27 Feb, 13:30. You've got till tmw to ping questions. Link for details and registering:

www.puffinschools.co.uk/events/virtu...
February 25, 2026 at 11:56 AM
A lovely surprise to see a review for "The Night I Borrowed Time" in today's @dailymail.co.uk .

"Exploring Partition, arranged marriage and ambitious dreams, this funny, bittersweet story with memorable characters and a realistic family dynamic packs an emotional punch."
February 20, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Get a whopping 25% off when you pre-order my debut MG children's novel "The Night I Borrowed Time" from
@waterstones.bsky.social !

Valid online until 23.59 Friday 17th October. Enter the code "OCTOBER25" at checkout to redeem the offer. Happy reading!

Link: www.waterstones.com/book/the-nig...
October 14, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Honoured to have an essay in Bread Alone, a ground-breaking and important anthology from @indienovella.bsky.social featuring 32 working-class writers, collated and edited by award-winning journalist Kate Pascal. Pub: 9 March 2026. Pre-order: t.co/9AwOtMjLXC
Cover of book, with highlighted line in blue: "we often hear about towns decimated by the closure of coal pits or steelworks; cotton towns, with their largely brown workforce, didn't generate the same headlines - or sympathies. Words Beyond Walls, Iqbal Hussain."
September 30, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I’ve been waiting a while to share this! Thank you @puffinbooksuk.bsky.social @waterstoneskids.bsky.social
September 25, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Please consider voting “Northern Boy” for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Deadline 1 Sep! Link: bit.ly/DBAReadersCh...
Image of book cover with strapline across it saying it’s in the Longlist for the Diverse Book Awards
August 28, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Unbound/Boundless might be gone, but our love for our books remains! Just two weeks to go until I'm at @thecommonpress.bsky.social bookshop with José Daniel Alvior and Zahra Barri talking all things literary and love. Come support us if you can. Thu 21 Aug, 7pm:

www.outsavvy.com/event/28654/...
poster with photos of the three authors, with rainbow splashes in each corner
August 8, 2025 at 7:36 AM
After yesterday’s amazing news of being longlisted for the Diverse Book Awards, today the flip side. The publisher Boundless, who took over from Unbound, has folded. As disappointing as this is to me and their other authors, nothing can take away from the joy that was - and is - “Northern Boy”.
Covers of books arranged in a spiral
August 1, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Apologies , tonight’s author event with Jose, Zahra and me @thecommonpress.bsky.social bookshop has been cancelled. Hopefully it’ll be rescheduled.
Poster
June 15, 2025 at 7:20 AM
And here is the @thebookseller.com piece. A delight and honour to be featured in a double page spread! Photo credit Elaine Livingstone.
Photo of the author on left hand side. Article on the right hand side.
June 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM
I’m beyond thrilled to be featured in this week’s @thebookseller.com ‘s Northern Powerhouse issue, talking about all things time travelling and my debut children’s novel, “The Night I Borrowed Time”, out Feb 2026 from @puffinbooksuk.bsky.social .

www.thebookseller.com/editions/hom...
Cover of The Bookseller, lady in red dress as main image, Iqbal’s photo down the side
June 13, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Totally blown away by this latest review for #NorthernBoy
Snippet of review. Five stars.
April 22, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Just spotted this latest review on Amazon. Suffice to say it’s made my day. If you’ve read and enjoyed “Northern Boy”, please do consider leaving a review. It counts towards all sorts of algorithms - and puts a spring in my step!
Screenshot of review. Text says “A joyful, exuberant, yet delicately layered coming-of-age story, which had me laughing and crying and cheering by turns. I fell in love with Rafi on the very first page and he never let me go. Filled with humour and heart and humanity, this is my favourite 2024 debut so far. Can’t wait to see what Iqbal Hussain gives us next.”
April 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM
And I'm in @thebookseller.com ! I promise, this isn't an elaborate April Fool's joke! Author photo by Elaine Livingstone. Thank you @puffinbooksuk.bsky.social
Screenshot of the article in The Bookseller. Author photo in grey shirt against a white wall.
April 1, 2025 at 9:59 AM
I’m just going to quietly leave this here … me and the famous puffin on the same page.
Mock up of the cover.
April 1, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Not long now ...
old-fashioned clock face, with the words "tick, tick, tick, tick" above, and "Exciting news to follow" below. On a yellow background.
March 21, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Join me tomorrow evening (Tuesday) from 6pm at Paddington Library, London, when I talk all things #NorthernBoy as part of LGBT+ History Month. Free to attend.

#LGBTplusHM25
@lgbthm.bsky.social
@unbounders.bsky.social
Yellow poster advertising the event, with copy of the book cover on the left and a picture of the author on the right.
February 17, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Catch me talking all things #NorthernBoy on Tuesday 18 February as part of #LGBTplusHM25.

Free event, at Paddington Library 18:00-19:30. There'll also be the chance to buy signed copies. @unbounders.bsky.social
poster advertising the event. Yellow background. Inset with front cover of the book, and next to it an image of the author in a grey shirt against a wall. Details of the event below.
February 14, 2025 at 1:47 PM
I’ve just signed a whole new stack of #NorthernBoy for Gays the Word bookshop in Marchmont Street, London. I’ve also followed Rafi from the book and given the “i” in my surname a makeover.
Me sitting behind a big pile of books arranged in a spiralling tower Inside of book with my signature Book on the shelves
January 14, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Stuck for a Christmas present? Here's what the fab bloggers who were part of the #NorthernBoy #RandomThingsTours said about my debut novel!

Available widely, including from bookshop.org at: bit.ly/3VB7pIA

@unbounders.bsky.social
#Blackburn #ABBA #Bollywood
December 13, 2024 at 5:49 PM
Delighted to have made it to the next stage, the shortlist, for Anthology magazine’s Personal Memoir competition! Fab news on a grey day.
Shortlist of entrants
December 13, 2024 at 12:18 PM
Perfect Xmas gift for lovers of mysteries/puzzles: Crimebits from Black Spring Press Group has 100 openers for thrillers (inc mine!) plus puzzles, writing prompts, trivia + intro by #LeeChild. I have 3 copies to give away. FREE. Just hit LIKE by end Sun 8 Dec and I'll pick winners.
Front cover of the book. White writing on red and black background
December 6, 2024 at 10:07 PM