TRIONA CAMPBELL

Writer

BIO

Irish-born writer and producer Triona Campbell is a two-time Emmy-nominated producer of film and TV projects. She is the creator of Ireland’s first TV series on video games Gamer Mode (RTÉ) and a producer on the ground-breaking and iconic UK teen drama Sofia’s Diary (Channel 5 / SONY Pictures Television).

Triona has a Master’s in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin, and is also the writer of the award-winning podcast series Adventures of a Young Pirate Queen. She is passionate about creating teen content (and finding time to play retro video games with her kids).

A Game of Life Or Death

(UK & Ireland, February 2023)

When Asha Kennedy discovers her older sister Maya’s dead body in their home, her world falls apart. Aching for answers, Asha turns to her hacker friends for help. Her search leads her to Zu Tech, the hit games studio where Maya was a lead coder, and as Asha begins to unravel the riddle of her death, she realizes the only way to uncover the truth is from the inside.

Asha ghosts her old life and infiltrates Zu Tech just as the company is launching the revolutionary VR game SHACKLE. The whole world is watching, the tension is high, the pressure is ON, and this game is hiding a monstrous secret in its shadows…

An electrifying murder mystery with non-stop twists and a hot-blooded romance at its heart – are you ready to play?

Winner: The 2023 Great Reads Award
“A Breath-taking Debut” – A Waterstones Best YA Book of 2023
“One to watch” – The Bookseller magazine
“A fast-paced thriller […] with twists and turns around every corner and an electric romance, this is a sensational debut novel.” — The Sunday Times Ireland

The Traitor in the Game

(UK & Ireland, 2024)

Asha Kennedy uncovered the secret at the dark heart of virtual reality game SHACKLE but is still searching for answers. Who ordered the murder of her sister? Who is the puppet master behind mysterious games studio Zu Tech, and what is their next step in pursuit of world domination? And where is Dark, the boy she loves?

In this world of corruption and greed, and this game of life or death, Asha and her team enter an eSports tournament set on the streets of New York, where she hopes to find clues that will make sense of her past and give her hope for the future. But Asha’s enemies may be closer that she could ever imagine… Are you ready to play?

Nominee: An Post Irish Book of the Year Awards 2024
“Full of twists and turns, it’s a gripping read” — Irish Independent
“Energetic and fast paced, this book is destined to make readers crave the final instalment immediately” — Irish Times

Enter The Endgame

(UK & Ireland 2025)

The third explosive book in the YA thriller trilogy which began with A GAME OF LIFE OR DEATH:

At the end of book two, Asha Kennedy (Lisbeth Salander for a new generation) uncovered the dark secret at the heart of Virtual Reality game ‘Shackle’ – You don’t play the game; it plays you – and was drawn deep into a dangerous world of corruption and greed: discovering the puppet master Lydia Rock and being betrayed by her mentor Jones in the most brutal way. Now on the run with her love, Dark, Asha knows she’s entering the endgame: the stakes have never been higher and she’s playing to win. Because to lose would mean the end of everything…

Whiplash-paced, twisty mystery and scorching romance: this series has it all!

“An enthralling, fast-paced YA thriller… Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games series and One of Us is Lying” — Inis Magazine, Children’s Books Ireland
“A gorgeously twisty finale” — The Irish Times