Meet Dougie K. Powell
Today I’m thrilled to introduce you to Dougie K. Powell: an author whose work centers queer joy, messy young adulthood, and the kinds of stories many of us wish we’d had growing up. Dougie writes LGBTQIA+ romance for young adult readers, with a particular care for trans representation and emotional honesty, and their characters linger in the best way. We talked about community, creativity, writing at 2 a.m., and why writing “rubbish” is sometimes the bravest place to start.
JEN: So nice to chat with you, Dougie! You do a lot of different kinds of creative work. When you introduce yourself, how do you usually tell your story?
DOUGIE: Yeah, there isn’t always an easy answer when people ask “what I do” – which isn’t a bad thing. I’m an author, journalist and stand-up comedian. I write LGBTQIA+ romance stories, mainly for a young adult audience, or those who want to read young adult books. My goal has been to write the books that I wanted as a teenager and a young adult. We live in a diverse world and it’s important to reflect that in our work, particularly queer authors.
Previously, I have written journalism articles for several gaming websites, focusing on promoting positive LGBTQIA+ representation in gaming.
“Vernon is a 12-year-old, Australian Keplie who still has the energy of a tiny puppy! We love him very much.”
I was born in Britain and currently live in Helsinki, Finland with my husband and our dog Vernon.
JEN: Vernon! I love Vernon already. And I love that you’re writing the books you needed—especially knowing how isolating that can feel growing up queer. Who are some fellow creators you’re in community with right now?
DOUGIE: Tatum Schroeder is a fellow Spectrum Books author whose work I have greatly enjoyed! We have written similar books (young/new adult romance with trans focus). I have also done a few mutual promos with Anabelle Den Dekker. Mira Eskelinen is a close friend who I have arranged several book events with.
JEN: That sense of community really matters—especially when the work is personal. Do you speak Finnish?
DOUGIE: I wouldn't say I “speak Finnish.” I understand it some and try my best, but I've always struggled with languages. Still, I'll keep trying. The book events I've done have been in English or a combination of English and Finnish. Having said that, over the summer, I was hosting a book event at Oodi library in Helsinki centrum. The Finnish interpreter was running late so I had to power through the first half using my own brain, mouth and notes. The audience were super supportive and didn't say anything negative about my Finnish (or my attempts at it.)
JEN: I love it! Let’s zoom into your writing process for a moment. What’s the soundtrack of your creative life?
DOUGIE: I can never narrow down a favorite music genre! My favorite playlist has Green Day, Lordi and Britney Spears. I definitely work better with music. I can’t focus without some background noise.
JEN: Impeccable range. Okay, scene-setting question: you’re deep in a writing session. What’s on your desk? What do you need within arm’s reach?
DOUGIE: Vichy, coffee, carrot sticks and gummy sweets (vegan.) For sure I need my favorite mug nearby. Doesn't matter if the drink goes cold, I'll finish it.
JEN: I love a fizzy water too! So, when does this usually happen? Are you an early-morning disciplinarian or a chaos goblin of the night?
DOUGIE: A night owl! I've written some great stuff at 2 a.m. When I'm focused, I don't want to break it until I have to.
JEN: That tracks. When you do step away from the page—or the stage—what helps you recharge?
DOUGIE: I enjoy video games (although I'm very bad at them!) I also enjoy long forest walks, building Lego and yoga.
JEN: Let’s rewind a bit. Before publishing, before comedy—what first made you want to create at all?
DOUGIE: When I was at school, I was the kid with the big imagination. I’d often drift off, sucked into my own stories—I still do! I remember in primary school winning a poetry competition (I won a pen and a pencil). After that, I knew I wanted to be a published author one day. It meant the world to me to finally achieve my dream.
JEN: This story is so wholesome! I love it.
Your books don’t shy away from hard things. What themes feel most important for you to explore in your work?
DOUGIE: As someone who grew up queer in a rural area, I have made sure to tackle queer issues in my books. Books immortalize us - queer people exist and cannot be erased. I think it's especially important to include trans characters. The situation for trans people is really scary right now. I also wanted to create young people who were realistic, flawed and made terrible decisions. Like actual young people do.
I was also keen to include a character who had been through foster care. Ocean’s story is nowhere close to mine, but it was important to me to reflect some of the perceptions people have about people who haven't had the best start in life.
JEN: Let’s talk about Ocean and Ru, then. For readers new to your work, where should they begin?
DOUGIE: My debut novel My Best Rival was published in 2023. My Best Rival is a young adult romance following eighteen-year-olds Ocean and Ru, frenemies stuck together in a friend group. Sure enough, they discover the feelings they have for one another and start dating in secret. While this is a struggle in itself, their individual discoveries keep getting in the way.
When it came out, I never had it in mind to do a sequel, but I just couldn't let the characters go. Ocean and Ru felt so close to me, and I really wanted to continue their story. So, I started work on a sequel. The Grown Ups was released, by the same publishers, in August 2025. It follows Ocean and Ru after leaving boarding school and living together after starting university.
JEN: Characters that won’t let you go are the best—and the worst. So what’s next for you creatively?
DOUGIE: At the moment, I’m working on a comedy show (which will be staged in Helsinki’s NoName Theatre during the spring!) I’ll for sure write another book in future; I don't think there is anywhere else I can take Ocean and Ru, but I have considered continuing Freja's story alone (Freja is a close friend of both Ocean and Ru, appearing in both books.) Still, it is probably time to explore new characters who I'm sure I'll love just as much!
JEN: Where do your ideas—and your characters—come from?
DOUGIE: A lot of my characters are frankensteined together with pieces from people I met. For example, Claire in The Grown Ups was modelled after someone I saw at university. I've never spoken to this person, but every day I was amazed by their style and how they managed to wear such fabulous outfits to school. Her character is based on several people I have had to do group work with!
There is also a lot of myself in Ocean.
No one is based solely on one person. I don't think it is possible to do this as we never see all of one person. Sure, people are based on negatives and positives, but that colleague who pisses you off goes home to their cats and is probably decent to them.
JEN: Putting work into the world means inviting feedback—wanted or not. What’s been the hardest criticism you’ve received, and what compliment has stayed with you?
DOUGIE: Honestly, the toughest criticism was a review on Fable which just left two stars and an unimpressed emoji. I'd rather read a long-winded review about everything I'd done wrong and walk away with something constructive to work on; it was a little unmotivating to see that review. The biggest compliment came from a Goodreads review saying that they wished they’d had My Best Rival when they were younger. It's a comment that has come up several times and I'm so happy my books have helped people connect to their younger selves.
JEN: That’s such a powerful full-circle moment. So—what advice would you give to aspiring creators, especially those coming from difficult beginnings?
DOUGIE: Honestly, and I know it is a cliché, I’d tell my younger self that things get better. As mentioned, I was in foster care as a teenager and was even homeless for a little while. Now, I’m a happy person who achieved my dream of becoming an author. We can't force the world to make things work out for us, but there is always room for things to get better.
I'd also give the advice to always take a book with you. There is always something new you can learn from a new book, good or bad.
For aspiring creators—write rubbish. Anything can be made good later. Get out your ideas, get started, share it with others and get advice. It will turn into something wonderful. I'll also say that the best editing trick I've learned is to read your draft back to yourself out loud. You'd be surprised how much you can improve it. Listening to it using text-to-speech is also a great way to catch typos.
JEN: “Write rubbish” might need to be my motto for the year! Before we wrap—who’s supporting you behind the scenes?
DOUGIE: My husband is my biggest fan and supporter! He'll come to most of my comedy shows and laugh at the same joke. He has supported me greatly in becoming an author (and claims to love my books!) Our dog Vernon is also the best—he'll make sure I take a break and take a walk outside.
Want more from Dougie—books, comedy, and all-around excellent queer creativity? You can find them here:
Instagram: @dougie_kpowell
Bluesky: @dougiekp.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougieKPowellComedy
Website: http://dougiepowellcomedy.co.uk/
Are you a human author? A human who narrates audiobooks? A human who designs book covers? Or a human who does PR and promotion for other authors? I'd love to interview you, too. Let me know when you’re ready!
