The bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson said this year seemed like a time to be "completely open" about her own sexuality - although stressed it has "never really been a secret".
Earlier this year, the 74-year-old publicly revealed that she has been living with her partner Trish for 18 years.
The bestselling writer has now released her latest book Love Frankie, which tells the story of a schoolgirl falling in love with a girl in her class.
Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, Ms Wilson said she doesn't remember what came first: deciding to write the book, or deciding to speak publicly about her sexuality.
She said: "I know I'd written several books about teenager girls falling in love with boys... they'd always been very popular, because I think every young person wants to read about what it's like to fall in love. I was deciding now it was time to try another teenage book.
"Then I suddenly thought 'why not now actually write about a girl falling love in a girl'?
"Nowadays.... I don't know whether we're just more open about things, but many more emails have been coming into me over the last ten years saying why don't you write about a girl who falls in love with a girl."
Ms Wilson said she's 'not daft', and she knew the book meant people would start asking her about her personal life.
However, she stressed her sexuality has never really been a secret.
She explained: "Everyone who actually knows me knows perfectly well that I live with another women - it just seemed like a time when I was completely open about things.
"It's not an autobiographical book: I sadly didn't fall in love with anybody when I was in school, though I rather wanted to. For a long time, I was married quite happily to a man and had my lovely daughter. But after being single in my middle age, suddenly I was just like a teenager again - and fell in love again.
"I think it's a good message for any woman in middle age whose marriage has broken up: you never know what's around the corner. Certainly the last 18 years of my life have been the happiest."
'Accept yourself and the way you are'
Fans of Ms Wilson's books often write to her, asking her for advice - with around one in 20 writing about their sexuality specifically.
The author - who has published well over 100 books over the course of her career - says she doesn't really see herself as an agony aunt, but rather a 'great aunt' who is there to reassure people.
She observed: "It touches me tremendously when young people write and ask for my advice - I'm not qualified to give advice: I'm just an ordinary woman who has had a slightly different life.
"But I have had experience of a conventional marriage, and then a very happy civil partnership. All I try to do is be comforting if anybody is troubled.
"I'm very aware some people might come from a traditional family, or a very religious family, or a family with culture and customs where to be in anyway homosexual is considered a very bad thing. Of course it's not easy for young people - I don't want them to go against their family as such, but I just feel it's good if you can accept yourself and the way you are."
However, she said there is much young people can teach older generations too - in particular the way they approach relationships, and how 'totally accepting' they are of different people's circumstances.
