Tom De Cock wins literature prize in the Netherlands: “When I write, I only eat junk food, wear the same thing every day and don’t shave”

“I used to feel like a radio host who occasionally wrote a book. Now I feel like an author for the first time.” Tom De Cock (38) is euphoric now that he received the prize for ‘Best Dutch-language youth book’ from our northern neighbors. In the meantime, two parts of his ‘Lily’ series are already on the market, and that’s just the beginning. In this interview, the Q-voice talks about the tough writing process, homophobia, his busy schedule and life with his husband and daughter. “When Jasmijn got a racist remark at the age of four, I felt like a failure as a father.”

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