YA

The Mess Of Us – Q&A with Chantelle Atkins

~ ChanAtkins ~ 2 Comments

Here’s an interview I did this week for our little indie collective Chasing Driftwood Books!

A gripping sequel to her 2016 novel, The Mess of Me, this book dives back into the world of Joe and Lou and these of identity and resilience… Let’s get started!

The Mess of Me was a huge success, what inspired you to return to this story after a decade?

A. A sequel was in the pipeline years ago. I had always wondered what happened next to Lou and Joe. The first book ends with a sort of happy ending, but with lots of questions about what would happen after the dramatic and violent events of that book. A few years back I started writing the sequel when I got the idea of a teenage pregnancy. I was fascinated with how they would both cope with that on top of recovering from the events of the first book. It then took me a whole to get around to writing it due to other projects, but it was the teenage pregnancy idea that really sparked off the rest of it. That, and always wanting to explore Leon’s character more. He is the villain of the first book and I always feel like villains have a story to tell. How did they become that way, for example? Are they capable of redemption? So I felt like he deserved a story. 

How has your writing style or approach changed in the past ten years? 

A. It’s probably the same! I still start with loose ideas in my head that eventually end up as notes in a notebook which I’ll then add to whenever I get more ideas. Eventually there will be enough plot to get started so that’s what I do. I rarely plan the whole book in advance, but I always know what’s going to happen for the next few chapters at least. I’m probably better at self-editing and being ruthless with the word count though. I think I am better at that now.

Did you always plan to write a sequel, or was there a moment when you knew this story wasn’t finished? 

A. I didn’t plan a sequel at the time, no. It was years later that I got the idea for the teenage pregnancy and the rest grew from there. Plus, Lou is like a lot of my characters. She would chat to me from time to time. I’d tune into her and wonder how life was going. If that keeps happening, it starts to feel like a sequel is inevitable.

What challenges did you face in reconnecting with the characters and world after so much time?

A.I reread the first book before I started the sequel. I then revamped and republished it! That pretty much gave me what I needed to pick those characters up again. Plus, they had never really left me, so it was not hard to tune into them for the sequel. As for the world, these books are part of a bigger inter-connected universe of books and I was still writing books in that universe, so again, it was not challenging to reconnect with it. It was a pleasure! I know them all so well it felt like coming home.

Were there any major plot points or character arcs that surprised you while writing the sequel?

A. No, I always had it in mind that Leon would come out of prison and Lou and Joe would have to deal with that. Would Joe want to see him, for example? Would he want to forgive him? What would Leon be like now? Worse, or a reformed character? I was really curious about that and really excited to further explore Leon’s character and back story. Parts of the plot revealed themselves to be as I wrote it, but it all felt natural so I just went with the flow.

How do you think readers’ perceptions of the first book will shape their experience of the sequel?

A.I hope they like it! A few people have read it without reading the first one so I have every confidence it also works as a standalone, but I really hope readers of the first book enjoy it too! There were a few readers that often mentioned it was their favourite book of mine and they’d love a sequel, so in some ways I had them in mind while writing it. I expect they’ll know what’s coming in terms of the gritty storylines and references to eating disorders, self-harm and drugs. They’ll also know it’s another diary style format.

Have your own life experiences over the last decade influenced the themes or direction of this book?

A.Yes. To be honest, Lou is the character most based on me. I have suffered with eating disorders in the past and the truth is, they never really go away. They follow you about and haunt you and wait for opportunities to take control again. They’re like little voices in your head that want to convince you to trust them, that they can make everything all right again. I’m much older than I was when I had these issues, but as Lou finds out in The Mess of Us, often when things go wrong, those little voices come back. So you have to be wary and careful. You can’t let your guard down.  Forms of self-harm can be addictive and can be coping strategies you come to rely on. I have also experienced a miscarriage, which is another hard-hitting storyline in the book. That part was very hard to write but I hope I did it justice. 

What kind of balance did you try to strike between nostalgia for longtime fans and accessibility for new readers?

A.That was the aim, to give readers of the first book a sequel they would enjoy and let them find out what happened next, but also write a book new readers could enjoy on its own. That meant Lou and the other characters had to sometimes mention or explain what had happened previously, but you have to be careful not to make it boring or repetitive for the original readers, so it is hard!

If you could go back and change anything about the first book, would you?

A.I would probably make it shorter!

Do you see this sequel as the end of the story, or is there potential for more in the future?

A.It’s the end of the story for Lou and Joe, as far as I know anyway! But it is not the end of the story for Leon. He will be back in a new book towards the end of the year. We will finally have his point of view and his full story. The book will be called The Dark Finds You and I’d describe it as a crime thriller. It is also a crossover book which will be enjoyable to anyone who has read the books in the shared universe. If you’ve read The Holds End trilogy, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side series, Elliot Pie’s Guide To Human Nature or The Mess Of Me and The Mess Of Us, you will find characters from all those books returning!

Thank you, Chantelle!

The Mess of Us is one book in a connected universe made up of various series penned by Atkins. You can grab your copy of The Mess of Us by clicking here.

Or start the journey from the beginning today with the groundbreaking 2013 novel, The Mess of Me.

Interview With Sim Alec Sansford – Welcome To Hollow Wood is Out Now!

~ ChanAtkins ~ 5 Comments

If you are a fan of slasher movies from the 90s and 2000s, such as Scream and I Know What You Did last Summer, if you’re a reader of YA murder/mystery books like One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus, then stay tuned! This is for you!

Sim Alec Sansford has a new book out and it’s got all the key ingredients of a classic teen slasher story set in an eerily too-perfect small American town.

Sim tells us all about what inspired this YA thriller, plus what to expect from him next. Link and blurb to the book at the end!

Can you tell us what inspired Hollow Wood?

Growing up I was always hooked on movies I was probably far too sheltered to be watching at the time––like SCREAM, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and a variety of other teen thrillers and suspense films. During my school years you would always find me in the library devouring anything and everything by R. L. Stine, too. I think that’s where my inspiration for not only this story but most of my writing stems … Good characters and irresistible twists, red-herrings, and reveals.

You’ve said this book idea came about a long time ago, but you only recently felt ready to publish it – can you tell us why it took so long?

Yes. This story first begun somewhere around 2012 when one of my university assignments for Creative Writing was to create the first six chapters of a novel. Whilst most of my classmates wrote deep, poetic romances and historical fiction, I was writing about teens and murder. At the time I couldn’t understand why they weren’t … It was so much fun!

Unfortunately, disaster struck when my laptop died and my hard drive failed to restore the file. I was devastated. All that hard work vanished, never to be retrieved. I thought about re-writing it all, but the idea of starting over and not capturing what I had upset me. I decided to put it to bed. However, over the years the characters wouldn’t stop running through my mind and in November 2021 I decided to add Hollow Wood to my list of work to complete by the end of 2024.

Does this book link to any of your others and if so, how?

In some ways this story does connect to others in the Sim Alec Sansford Universe (I really need to come up with a better name for it than that!). Hollow Wood is first mentioned in my debut novel, Welcome to Denver Falls, where it is the neighbouring town. In that book the there is a baseball scene where the Denver Dholes go up against the Hollow Wood Hawks.

Book two, which I’m working on currently, also makes reference to a character featured in my series Fortune’s Well. However, despite links to these series Hollow Wood is not paranormal.

What does your normal writing process look like from original idea to published book?

Blurb first. Possibly a little backwards, but I love creating engaging blurbs and mocking up cover art and teasers for my books. Yes—before I’ve even written them.

I find this helps me grow ideas, moods and themes for my stories. I find blurbs exciting. You get to hint at what readers can expect and ask questions that keep you hooked from the moment you open the first page.

From there I am very much a “pantser”, I let the story and characters take me and rarely force anything. If it doesn’t feel right then something in my gut is telling me to take a step back, evaluate and try again. This approach doesn’t work for everyone and it’s not something I recommend, but for me it works. I think of myself as a director plotting out a movie and I have to call cut a few times before I get it right.

Who is your favourite character in Hollow Wood and why?

That’s easy––Eliot.

I feel bad saying that because of all the characters who’ve stayed with me from the get go, Weaver is the one who’s been more prominent. In fact, he is the only one who still has the same name, home life, and personality traits from the original uni piece.

However, I love Eliot because there’s an edge to her. She is dark brooding, artistic, introverted, and absolutely addicted to music. In many ways I think she is a manifestation of a younger me. She’s also very damaged and spends a lot of her time pleasing others rather than thinking about herself. That’s a quality I definitely relate too, and although it has some draw backs I feel there’s a power in it.

You write in the YA genre – what do you like about this genre?

I feel like teen characters are far more complex. When you’re younger everything is heightened … love, lust, hate … revenge. It’s all so much more daring and exciting.

There is a nostalgia in YA too, it speaks to your inner self as a reader and a writer. It allows you to say the things you wish you had when you were that age. Do the things you were too scared to do. Likewise it allows you to revisit such a special, monumental point in your life. I’m not sure if I’d enjoy writing any other genre as much.

What are your favourite YA books and why?

I love a wide variety of Young Adult books. From paranormal romance such as Alexandra Adornetto’s Halo trilogy, to more contemporary realistic fiction like John Marsden’s Tomorrow series.

I just love reading about teen characters for the same reason I love to write them. Their lives are usually far more complex and the stakes are so much higher.

Halo definitely taught me a lot about romance and how powerful and all consuming love can be for younger people. Likewise, Tomorrow definitely showed me how strong the bonds of friendship can be and how ordinary teenagers (most often overlooked by the adults in their lives) can be the greatest heroes of all.

What do you hope readers will get from Hollow Wood? What kind of experience will they have?

I hope they get a story that they simply cannot put down.

I feel like this book, although short, has a lot of twists and turns which will keep readers on the edge of their seat. There will be answers, but ultimately a lot more questions. Again, this is a short novel for YA, but there is enough there to get readers absorbed into the world of Hollow Wood and fall in love with the characters.

I imagine the Hollow Wood series to be is a television show on the page. Book one is the pilot. It draws in the hype. You fall in love with the cast and fear for their fate in the sequel.

What are you working on now? What will be released next?

Currently I am working on the second book in the Hollow Wood series, currently titled Lie, Lie Again.

I am absolutely loving what I have so far and cannot wait to share it with you––hopefully very soon!

What is your favourite part of the whole writing process, for example is it the excitement of the initial idea, the first draft, or the last draft?

I absolutely love the feeling of having a new idea. That rush you get certainly can’t be beaten. When you get so excited about a story that you want to shout it from the rooftops. Ideas come easy to me, it’s the patience and dedication involved in writing that can be a challenge. I want so badly to spill everything out from my head and onto the page. I get so impatient. But then again, when you type those last few words and can see it all on there in black and white, it feels like such an achievement.

You never really know how a book will be received, but I write with one rule in mind––it’s all for me. I write the stories that I love to read. When other people love them too, it feels really great and affirming.

That’s the power of a great story, it make us feel a little less alone.

Thank you so much to Sim for talking to us today about his latest release!

You can grab it here https://amzn.eu/d/fUpsC43

and here is the blurb:

#WhatHappenedToKelseaGregory

That’s the question on everyone’s lips.

Everyone apart from Weaver Lawrence, Eliot Chase, Noah Castello and Beth Sinclair, the only ones that know the truth. At least that’s what they think. Little do they know someone else was there that night in the woods two years ago, and they’re thirsty for revenge.

On the surface, their town of Hollow Wood seems like the perfect vacation destination. Quaint countryside, large estates, wealthy residents with perfect lives and perfect smiles. But with senior year coming to an end and exams looming;for these four estranged friends, this year’s going to be an absolute KILLER…

The Day The Earth Turned Series Is Complete!

~ ChanAtkins ~ 2 Comments

This feels so good!

Today is publication day for The Day The Earth Turned Book 4: Spring, the fourth, and final installment in my YA post-apocalyptic/climate horror series.

It’s twice as exciting, because it’s not just the publication day for a book, it’s the completion of a series. I can now let it go (aside from marketing it) and believe me, that frees up so much space and energy in my head for other books.

I will kiss it a fond goodbye and move on, and there is so much screaming for my attention right now!

The Day The Earth Turned series started as an idea when I was very, very angry. It was about five years ago when we found out the land directly behind us was earmarked to be developed. Our landlord owns that land and a lot of land in this area, and for many years, it had been quarried. The diggers moved around from field to field, digging it up for sand, then letting it all go wild again.

When we first moved in, fourteen years ago, the land behind us was a field used for horses. There is a strip of woodland down the middle, and on the other side, more fields which were used for growing corn or wheat. Not long after we moved in, they quarried the fields right behind us. It was sad at the time to see the grass torn up, but grass does grow back quickly, and once the job was done, that’s exactly what happened. Now, years later, it’s a beautiful field surrounded by hedges and trees, and the best spot to watch the sun go down.

We often watch deer out there and when the centre floods in the winter, we get ducks and geese on the water and the sunsets are even more spectacular.

Needless to say, we were horrified by the thought of them building on it. They have now reached the last plot to be quarried and after that, the whole area is up for grabs. The landowner has made millions out of allowing it to be quarried for so long, but he obviously wants to keep milking it for more money. Rich people are just never rich enough, right?

The first idea put forward by various developers who started circling like sharks, was a fake water lagoon. It would involve digging up all the fields, pouring concrete over them and constructing a huge water park tourist attraction. Goodbye deer, badgers, rabbits, hares, voles, shrews, weasels, stoats and all the other wildlife we have spotted there over the years…

There were instant objections – the roads around here are not built to cope with that many visitors and during a local parish meeting, the council admitted that our lanes (narrow hedge-lined country lanes that loop around this land) would have to be widened to allow more vehicles and prevent the main road becoming even more congested.

I wept. I really did. Our lanes are lined with mature hedges and beautiful ancient oak trees. Like the fields behind them, they provide homes and food for so much wildlife.

I’d walk the lanes with my dogs, my eyes filling with tears as I imagined the pointless destruction. We live less than ten minutes from the beach, for Christ’s sake. Why does anyone need a fake lagoon?

The answer is, we don’t.

But people have to make money out of land, right? It can’t possibly be rewilded, left to nature, left to provide vital habitats for one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world!

Ugh. It sickened me and it still does. The good news is, another water park with a very similar design has just been approved not far from here, so there is no way now this one will go through. That just means they’ll decide to build something else on it though.

For now, it’s safe. The deer can roam through the copse and the badgers can frolic in the moonlight. For now, it’s left alone.

When we heard about the development plans, I started thinking, if only nature could fight back! If only the wildlife could develop a higher state of consciousness, thought even. They would be full of rage. They would hate us. If Mother Nature was a conscious entity, she would want revenge. She would want to cull us.

And that’s where the idea came from.

I imagined the world, the earth itself, turning on us. It would start with the adults as they’ve got the most blood on their hands. It would wipe them out with multiple pandemics, and along with that, animals and plants would start attacking us and killing us to save themselves.

I wanted to write a post-apocalyptic story and I thought it would be far more interesting if all the adults were killed and only the children were left.

How would they survive without the adults? Without food and resources, without transport, without school, without law, without medicine? Would they turn on each other or pull together? Would they be able to figure out a better way to live on this earth?

I knew early on that I wanted the animals to have their say and that’s why there are often chapters from the point of view of an animal or bird.

It wasn’t easy to write. It never is when I get the concept and plot before the characters. Notes, ideas and character bios started being added to a notebook about five years ago, and eventually that became a bigger notebook once I started writing it. It was in past tense at one point and then I switched it to present. That was tedious!

But overall, I am incredibly proud of this series. The reviews are so positive. It really seems to strike a chord with people. I hope readers enjoy the ending!

And as for seeing these characters again in the future, I’ll just say, never say never! There is a part of me that is very curious about what happened next….

But right now, there are three more books waiting to be polished up and published!

Thank you to everyone who has supported this series. From my wonderful beta readers, arc readers, fellow authors and bloggers, and to my wonderful editor/proofreader who is an absolute star. I am so grateful to you all. The indie community is a wonderfully welcoming and supportive one. Thank you also to my son, Dylan for designing the front covers for me! They’re perfect!

Here’s the series link if you’re curious about diving in and finding out what happens to young people without adults when the very land beneath their feet is turning on them: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CBW3D8VL?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tkin

Character Interview: Josh Taylor from the Blackbirch Series by K.M Allan

~ ChanAtkins ~ 1 Comment

Hi and welcome to another character interview here on The Glorious Outsiders. K.M Allan is a writer I’ve been following for some time on social media. I’ve read all the books in her YA paranormal series, Blackbirch and I’m just about to dive into an ARC of the fourth and final installment! So, please welcome the series protagonist Josh to out character interview for November!

How old are you?

I am seventeen years old.

Where do you come from?

I lived in the city with my parents until they were killed in a car accident 6 months ago.

Where do you live? Describe it to us

I currently live in a small town off a highway. It’s called Blackbirch, and it’s filled with black birch trees, which is the only tree that grows around here. Most say it’s because of dark magick, and only my friends and I know that is the truth.

Do you have a family, if so tell us about them.

After my parents died, I moved in with my guardian, Grace. She was my mom’s best friend, and I live with her and her daughter, Sarah.

Who is your best friend and why?

Sarah is. She knows all my secrets and helps me when I’m not sure what to do.

Who is your worst enemy and why?

Eve Thomas. She wants to know all my secrets and use them in the worst way possible.

What are your talents?

I can use magick to heal people, and strength to protect them.

What are your flaws?

Not asking for help.

What do you think people think of you?

I hope they think of me as someone who is just trying to look after them.

What do you wish people knew about you?

That I’m just trying to fix all of my mistakes.

What’s your biggest fear?

Losing more of the people that I love.

What’s your biggest hope?

That I can one day live a normal life again and not be chased for the magick in my veins.

What’s your biggest secret?

That I don’t feel worthy of the responsibility that I have.

What is the worst thing you have done to another person?

My actions and mistakes have resulted in deaths. Of both good and bad people.

What kind of friend are you?

I like to think I’m a good one, but I’ve also put my friends in danger, and I don’t enjoy being that type of friend.

Is there anything about your life you would change?

The death of my parents.

Where would you like to be in 5 years time?

Hopefully living a normal life, not running from danger or from others trying to steal my magick.

Do you have any regrets?

I wish I had known more about my power when I first became aware of it. Then I could have used it in a way that didn’t hurt others.

How would you like to be remembered?

As someone who did the best he could.

What are your hobbies/how do you relax?

Reading, and watching movies with my friends, Sarah, and Max.

If you would like to find out more about this intriguing series, here is the Amazon link to the author’s page:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/K-M-Allan/e/B0849WFZG9?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_6&qid=1699006260&sr=8-6: Character Interview: Josh Taylor from the Blackbirch Series by K.M Allan