Jay McGuiness author page

Jay McGuiness biography

Jay McGuiness is a British singer, actor and author best known as a member of the pop group The Wanted. He won the 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 and has since appeared in stage productions including Big, Sleepless and White Christmas.

McGuiness made his YA fiction debut with Blood Flowers (Scholastic, 2024), a dystopian fantasy about Bear, a teenager navigating power and inequality in the walled town of Calleston. The novel blends themes of class, control and resistance with romance and magic.

His sequel, Poison Tides (Scholastic, 2025), continues the Blood Flowers series as Bear ventures beyond Calleston, confronting new alliances and threats across the wider queendom.

Poison Tides was published on 3 July 2025.