You so KNOW I am going to say I was nervous. I WAS nervous!

Rocked (crept) up to the Young Adult Literature Convention on Friday . . . to appear on a panel (MY FIRST EVER!): ‘Apocalypse now: new directions in dystopia‘ – chaired by Gemma Malley, featuring authors Teri Terry, Francesca Haig, Moira Young, Marie Rutkoski . . . and me.

By the time it was my turn to answer the first question, I’d forgotten what the question was (I was so busy listening!).

At least admitting that got a laugh from the audience . . . after that, I tried to concentrate. (If you’re on Twitter, journalist Imogen Russell Williams reported live – and an internet search will show you book bloggers are posting accounts of the event even as I type.)

And after that?

I signed books. For two hours.

I was talking A LOT, so I was – and am! – very apologetic to the people who waited so long. Thank you!!! AND SORRY!!! I’d been really nervous and I was very happy and relieved and . . . chatty.

And after that?

Lost it, laughing.

Next day? Agents’ Arena event: ‘Behind the Scenes in Publishing: being published in the US and UK – what’s the difference?‘ chaired by Molly Ker Hawn of the Bent Agency, featuring authors CJ Daugherty, Marie Rutkoski . . . and me.  CJ and Marie have a whole lot more experience than me, so I learned a lot!

Speaking of being published in the US . . . here’s the Sourcebooks authors at YALC pic: (Marieke Nijkamp, James Dawson . . . and me.)

AND AFTER THAT?

A party – here we all are:

AND AFTER THAT?

I relaxed.

On Sunday, I listened to two great panels: Mental Health in YA (authors Holly Bourne, Brian Conaghan, Annabel Pitcher and Matt Whyman, chaired by Imogen Russell Williams) and Troubled Teens: dark subjects (authors Kevin Brooks, Moira Fowley-Doyle, Clare Furniss, Sarah Pinborough and Jenny Valentine. chaired by Gemma Malley).

AND THROUGHOUT . . . I met readers, bloggers, writers.

And that’s the problem with trying to write a YALC report because the facts of the matter don’t really tell the story. It’s all those moments you have with people that make this event so special.

You can already watch the first instalment of ‘YALC – The Movie’ on YouTube:

Malorie Blackman and Booktrust created this event. So many people take part. It is amazing.

Many thanks to team My Kinda Book at Macmillan for huge support, and to my agent, Louise Lamont at LBA. 

Err . . . please?! It’s not just because I’m selfishly hoping for some home support, it’s because you will have a great time. OH-YES-YOU-WILL!

The UK’s second ever Young Adult Literature Convention takes place at Olympia, London, 17-19th July 2015, organised by the brilliant Book Trust and cunningly twinned with the fabulous London Film and Comic Con. (Just search ‘LFCC cosplay’ images and you’ll see what I mean . . . it’s a hoot-and-a-half.)

I’m in on the Friday for Apocalypse now: new directions in dystopia (3.30-4.15pm): “Five authors who have put their own distinctive spin on the genre come together to discuss what apocalypse looks like now – and where it might be headed to next. Book Trust’s Gemma Malley will be talking to Virginia Bergin, Francesca Haig, Marie Rutkoski, Teri Terry and Moira Young.”

Signing books after that, then I’ll be back on Saturday (4:00-5:00pm) for an Agents’ Arena discussion with Molly Ker Hawn (The Bent Agency) and authors CJ Daugherty and Marie Rutkoski about getting published in the UK and the US.

Come to YALC!

You’ll love it! I’ll love it! Um . . . are we going to dress up?

Never been to an awards ceremony before – and the Lancashire Book of the Year is a whole lot more than just a ceremony.

It’s TWO DAYS of events: meeting young people from schools all over Lancashire at UCLAN; dinner at the Museum of Lancashire with former LBOY judges, and facilitators and supporters of the award – including LBOY Chair Jake Hope and the Chair of the County Council! – and . . . finally . . .

At the ceremony itself, on Saturday 27th June, the teen judges sat in the council chamber and . . . judged.

Huge congratulations to Sarah Mussi, who won with Riot.

Huge hello’s to the other authors I got to meet – Louise O’Neill, Laura Jarratt and Alan Gibbons.

And . . .

Huge THANK YOU’s to the teens of Lancashire – The Rain made second place! THANK YOU!!!! XXXXXXX!!!!

Every Person The Best They Can Be

That’s the motto of Steyning Grammar School. On Tuesday 23rd June, I visited the school to talk about The Rain and The Storm. The gig was supported by the fabulous Steyning Bookshop as part of Independent Booksellers Week.

There, that’s the factual bit for you.

What happened was . . . so the audience was fantastic. Usual pause at the start of the Q&A when you think no one’s going to ask a thing, and then . . .  SO MANY QUESTIONS! Steyning students? Smart, imaginative, funny. (Banter.)

Then I ended up spending hours at the bookshop . . .

I knew The Rain was up for Steyning’s Brilliant Books Prize. Didn’t think about it winning, just sad I couldn’t be there for the awards ceremony because I’d promised to be somewhere else . . .

THE RAIN WON!

Half my family lives in Sussex. They’re made up. I’m made up. First award – ever! Thank you, Steyning.

Every Person The Best They Can Be

On Thursday 26th February, I went back to school.

MY school: Fitzharrys School, Abingdon.

Thank you so much to Mark at Mostly Books in Abingdon for this interview.

I had . . .  such an amazing visit. Within moments, I forgot this had been ‘my’ school and just focused on engaging with ‘the audience’. It wasn’t hard to do . . . because this was a great audience. Thank you all so much!

(And in particular, the two young writers I met – and the readers, and the librarian – thank you!)

So much had changed . . .  but . . . the buildings hadn’t. Here’s me, laughing my head off outside what was the girls’ toilets:

We used to ‘congregate’ in there. It annoyed the teachers. A lot.

I’m invited!!!

The UK’s young adult literature conference takes place at Olympia in London (17th-19th July 2015) – alongside the London Film and Comic Conference.

I went last year – to meet readers and writers, to listen . . .

This year . . . I think I’m going to . . . speak. Think I might be on a P-A-N-E-L.

(ULP. If you know me, you already know how nervous I get.)

Come to YALC if you can?!

Err . . . and dress up if you feel like it. Cosplay welcomed. I met these lovely people last year  – and they really were very lovely.

Honest.

Think Sheffield . . . can’t help but think but think steel.

That’s what I think Ruby is made of . . . so I am deeply chuffed to hear that The Rain has made it to the Sheffield Children’s Book Award shortlist.

My sister and my brother now live in Yorkshire. We came from Liverpool. Before that, we came from England, Ireland and Poland.

This – to me – is how Britain is. An island of immigrants – since prehistory! We’re an alloy. We’re steel!

Honoured to be included on the shortlist of an award voted for by young people: Sheffield Book Award poster

Was worried this post would sound like a weird election manifesto . . . sorry about that.

To celebrate World Book Day Teenfest and The Storm’s mad March stint as My Kinda Book’s ‘Book of the Month’, the MKB team defied reality, Ruby and the British Army to rescue Caspar McCloud’s long-lost MP3 player – and you’ll never guess what was on it . . .

You can listen to Caspar’s choices via Spotify on MKB here.

It’s almost like he knew, isn’t it?

On World Book Day I tweeted every single artist on Caspar’s playlist to ask what their favourite teen book was. Hurray for Felix of Basement Jaxx (Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer) and Hot Chip (The Fault in Our Stars by John Green) for responding.

It’s here! The Rain UK audiobook! Produced by Jammer Teen at WF Howes and narrated by the fabulous Avita Jay:

Want to hear Avita in action? You can listen to a clip here.

I got a bit emotional listening to Avita’s performance; as a writer it’s a weird and wonderful thing to hear your character speak . . . and Avita has done such an amazing job: a perfect mix of sass and vulnerability, determination and doubt. Thank you so much!

So . . . everyone knows I had a hard time writing The Storm.

I’d never written a sequel before . . . I’d certainly never written a complex biological thriller from a teenage girl’s point of view.

It was tricky. I messed up. The story didn’t come together until the very last moment.

I think I must have written The Storm three times over . . . if you want to read some of the ‘scenes’ that got cut, here they are on Macmillan’s My Kinda Book.

If there’s anyone writing out there, I think this is a really good example of thinking through what you should cut – and why.

Though I love Priti’s postscript so much . . .

I think, if The Rain (H2O) and The Storm EVER got made into a film . . . the conclusion to Fluffysnuggles’ – the hamster’s – story should appear after the end-credits. That’d be nice. Priti’s postscript is the most gorgeous possible/impossible (could happen/would never happen) conclusion. It’s all about hope, isn’t it?