Children and teenagers Maze Runner author James Dashner dropped by US publisher amid harassment claims Author of the popular young adult series has issued an apology for being ‘part of the problem’ in the wake of anonymous claims posted online ‘I am taking any and all criticisms and accusations very seriously’ … James Dashner. Photograph: Richard Shotwell/Invision/APJames Dashner, author of the bestselling young adult Maze Runner books, has issued an apology in which he says that he “will seek counselling and guidance” after he was accused of sexual harassment. The anonymous allegations were made online on Sunday, in the comments section of a piece about sexual harassment in the children’s books world, published by the US trade magazine School Library Journal. Several accused Dashner of sexual harassment; one comment alleged that the “harassment/abuse from James Dashner was not a one-time unwanted touch or a joke I took the wrong way. The Maze Runner author was not the only author named by the anonymous accusers: Thirteen Reasons Why author Jay Asher was also accused, and was subsequently dropped by his literary agency which said: “We have counselled Jay to take a step back from the industry and he’s doing so.

Source: The Guardian February 16, 2018 11:15 UTC