Abiola Bello is a Nigerian-British, prize-winning, bestselling children’s/YA author who was born and raised in London.Abiola is an advocate for diversity in books for young people.

 

She’s the author of the award-winning fantasy series EMILY KNIGHT (EMILY KNIGHT I AM, EMILY KNIGHT I AM…AWAKENED and EMILY KNIGHT I AM BECOMING). EMILY KNIGHT I AM…AWAKENED was nominated for the CILIP’s Carnegie Award, won London’s BIG Read 2019, and was a finalist for the People’s Book Prize Best Children’s Book.

 

Abiola contributed to THE VERY MERRY MURDER CLUB, a collection of new mystery fiction from thirteen exciting and diverse children’s writers which published in October 2021 (Farshore/HarperCollins) and was selected as Waterstones Children's Book of the Month.

 

Her debut YA, LOVE IN WINTER WONDERLAND, sold in a six-figure pre-empt, which published November 2022 (Simon & Schuster UK), with rights sold in USA, Germany and Poland. Her next YA is ONLY FOR THE HOLIDAYS is out in October 2023.

 

Abiola is a finalist for the Black British Business Awards - Rising Star in Arts and Media 2023. Abiola won The London Book Fair Trailblazer Awards 2018 and is the co-founder of Hashtag Press, Hashtag BLAK, The Diverse Book Awards and ink!

 

Abiola has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Female First Magazine, The Mirror, BBC1XTRA to name a few. As well as being a writer, Abiola is a professional dancer. She performed for more than a decade in prestigious venues including The Royal Opera House, The Barbican, Sadler’s Wells, Hammersmith Apollo, Unicorn Theatre. Abiola has also appeared on BBC’s The Apprentice, “Got To Dance” and Street Dance AllStars The Movie.