Busy doing final copy checks and A5 printouts of 'Four Minute Warning'; the short story I'm reading tonight as part of Word of Mouth: Journeys. It's been a while since I looked at the story because I've been working through the newest edit of my YA novel. It's been a brilliant and all-consuming journey of discovery as I follow Cole on his journey of revenge for the death of his father.
And it's not what Cole, or I, expected when I first wrote about the accident all those months ago. If you want to know what it is, watch this space.
In the meantime, the scriptwriting powerhouse that is Adrian Reynolds very kindly included me in his 'Next Big Thing' blogpost a couple of weeks ago - now I've completed rewrites and edits on my YA story, it's the perfect time for me to answer the same questions he did, and pass the blog baton on to another great writer.
So if we're all ready, here we go...
What is the working title of
your book?
It started life as Coalface, but now I’ve finished rewrites and editing, a new title has
come up...
Where did the idea come from
for the book?
Lots of different places – I’m
a bit of a magpie, constantly jotting stuff down wherever I go. I’m usually looking at stuff like door
handles in a stately home while everyone else is looking at the pictures on the
wall.
What genre does your book fall
under?
It’s YA fiction, in a historical setting, with a whoosh of the fantastic.
Which actors would you choose
to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I’d be more interested to see who my readers
would pick.
What is the one-sentence
synopsis of your book?
A boy seeks revenge for the death of his father after a train accident,
because he secretly saw what happened, and knows it was sabotage…
Will your book be
self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m working with someone at the moment, and I’m looking forward to seeing
where that takes us.
How long did it take you to
write the first draft of your manuscript?
About eight months.
What other books would you
compare this story to within your genre?
Chris Wooding’s ‘The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray’ – it’s a completely
different story world, but mixes up the past and his own take on urban fantasy
really well.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The characters inside the book. And
the world they live in. Because their
story needs to be told.
What else about your book might
pique the reader’s interest?
It’s Victorian England, but faster. A lot faster.
Right, that's enough about me, here's someone else with a story to tell about the story they're telling:
Ian writes for both children and adults. His first non-fiction book, A Children’s History of Nottinghamshire, was launched at Waterstones and sold over 1500 copies in the first month. The book proved popular with local schools and libraries and Ian now visits schools with his History Roadshow, a lively mix of pictures, quizzes, storytelling, and classroom activities.
Ian recently won second place in the Meridian writing competition and his work is currently to be seen at the Museum of Childhood. Click here to read more about Ian’s journey through the centuries and here for an interview with the Nottingham Evening Post.
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