3 Comments on JULIA GROVES: One of the Six Illustrators Chosen for SCBWI-BI's Undiscovered Voices Anthology 2012, last added: 2/9/2012
Many thanks to all who left comments and retweeted on twitter. The winner has been drawn from the hat. So, drum roll, please...
Congratulations goes to @
You have won an ebook of Rapture. Please could you leave an email address either on twitter, here on the blog,
or via the blog contact page,
so that your ebook can be sent to you.
Sorry to everyone who entered but didn't win. I wish I could give you all a copy.
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FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR CHILDREN & YA
  From the 6th February tall tales & short stories will be running a series of posts from the authors and illustrators chosen for the Undiscovered Voices 2012 anthology.
Running alongside the posts will be a competition for a chance to win one of two copies of the
SCBWI-BI 2012 Undiscovered Voices anthology.
Fifteen-year-old Laurence Roach just wants a normal life, but it's not easy when your mum is a depressed alcoholic, and your six-year-old brother thinks he's a dog. When Mum fails to come home one night, Laurence tells nobody, terrified he and his brother will be taken into care if anyone finds out. Instead, he attempts to keep up the pretence that Mum is still around: dressing up in her clothes to trick the neighbours and spinning an increasingly complicated tangle of lies. After two weeks on their own, running out of food and money, and with suspicious adults closing in, Laurence finally discovers what happened to his mother. And that's when the trouble really starts ... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15 Days Without a Head ~ a tall tales & short stories review I first featured Dave Cousins on this blog in 2010 when he talked about being a discovered SCBWI Undiscovered Voice. (If you don't know much about Undiscovered Voices, tall tales & short stories was part of this year's blog tour so you can find out more in a recent post on the 2012 winners.) I remember reading the 2010 Undiscovered Voices anthology extract of 15 Days Without a Head and telling others how it had stayed with me. I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity of reading lots of children's and YA books but it's quite rare for a piece of writing to stay with me long after I've read it, but Dave Cousins' extract was memorable and when OUP sent me a copy to review over a year later, the opening pages were still fresh in my mind. So it was with much anticipation I read the book. Dave Cousins effortlessly creates a realistic world in which his main character, Laurence, lives. I believed, and that's important, and I also believed I was listening to a fifteen-year-old boy. I've read many books that purport to be told from the perspective of a young or teen character but very few convince, and that's crucial to becoming totally involved in the story. And, although this book tackles some very difficult subjects, this is a book full of humour and Laurence's little brother, Jay, is a brilliant, annoying and endearing character - he always made me smile and, in one scene in particular, (I won't say what happens because I don't like spoilers) but I was filled with utter dread and fearing the worst as events unfolded. 15 Days Without a Head deals with some, sadly, all too common issues. Laurence struggles to cope with a depressed single mum who finds it hard to cope. He tries to be a big brother and a dad to Jay, and their relationship is touching but honest. An older brother, especially a teenager, won't always want his baby brother around and most siblings fight and annoy each other and Dave Cousins brings all these feelings to convincing and touching life. As Laurence and Jay's lives get harder, as pressure mounts and suspicion from other people increases, the inventive plot-line of a radio phone-in competition that runs throughout the story acts as a motivator for Laurence to keep going, to not gi
We interrupt this service for a very important announcement.
tall tales & short stories was proud to have been part of the Undiscovered Voices 2012 Blog Tour and as I've just been sent the press release of the chosen winners I had to share their good news.
London – Thirteen promising, unpublished UK writers and, for the first time, six unpublished illustrators, were selected from hundreds of submissions to be included in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) anthology, titled Undiscovered Voices 2012. The anthology features 4,000-word extracts of novels written for children and black and white illustrations on the theme of ‘undiscovered voices’. “ We are delighted to showcase an array of enchanting new voices from amongst SCBWI British Isles members – this time both in words and pictures,” said Natascha Biebow, Regional Advisor (Chair) of the SCBWI in the British Isles. “ We are confident that they won’t stay undiscovered for very long.” SCBWI congratulates the following 13 authors and their novel extracts that will be included in the 2012 anthology: Skulk by Rosie Best, London Dragons Do. Dodos Don’t. by Veronica Cossanteli, Southampton Gabbleratchet by Sandra Greaves, Devon The Executioner’s Child by Jane Hardstaff, London Felix Munroe: Hell’s Angel by Deborah Hewitt, Cheshire Kalahari by David Hofmeyr and Zoe Crookes, London Dead Jealous by Sharon Jones, Lancashire To Dance with the Wind by Rachel Latham, Cumbria To Destiny or Death! by Maureen Lynas, Cleveland Boonie by Richard Masson, Cornwall Touch by Rachel Wolfreys, Manchester Magpie by Jo Wyton, Oxfordshire “ Every year I’m amazed and thrilled by the range of stories in this anthology, but I truly believe that this year will prove to be a vintage year,” said award-winning author Malorie Blackman, honorary chair for the 2012 anthology. Blackman has written more than 50 books including the Noughts and Crosses series and Boys Don’t Cry. “ The quality of the writing is outstanding.” From the two previous anthologies in 2008 and 2010, 13 of the 24 selected authors have received publishing contracts and sold more than 50,000 books. These authors have been nominated for and won an amazing array of literary prizes: including winning the Bedfordshire Children's Book of the Year, being shortlisted for 17 regional awards, the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize and the Branford Boase Award. We’ve had two titles shortlisted for Blue Peter awards and one title long-listed for the Carnegie Medal. “ We are delighted by the success of the first two anthologies,” Biebow said. “ It’s exciting to see novels that were initially printed as extracts in the anthologies in bookshops and winning major prizes. We hope that both the writers and illustrators in the 2012 edition will have similar success.” The following six illustrations will be featured in the 2012 anthology. These artists created black and white drawings in response to the prompt of ‘undiscovered voices’. Birdsong by Julia Groves, East Anglia And so Chairogo brought forth the stolen voice..
* Hi Paula and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself? Hi Tracy, thank you for inviting me back onto your wonderful blog. I’m married with three kids. I was born in Liverpool but have been living in Nottingham for the past twenty years. I went to university there and stayed! I was a hospital social worker but gave up work to be at home, full time, with my kids and that’s when I started writing. THE TRUTH ABOUT CELIA FROST Celia Frost is a freak. At least that's what everyone thinks. Her life is ruled by a rare disorder that means she could bleed to death from the slightest cut, confining her to a gloomy bubble of safety. No friends. No fun. No life. But when a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum reacts strangely. Suddenly they're on the run. Why is her mum so scared? Someone out there knows - and when they find Celia, she's going to wish the truth was a lie. A buried secret; a gripping manhunt; a dangerous deceit: what is the truth about Celia Frost? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALSO INCLUDED: A tall tales & short stories review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * What inspired you to write The Truth About Celia Frost? I started with a strong sense of what kind of story I wanted to write. I knew it was going to be a contemporary setting and I wanted it to be gripping and twisting, entertaining and, hopefully, thought provoking. I wanted it to be the kind of story that I would enjoy writing and that others would enjoy reading. However, before any plot idea emerged, it was the characters of Celia and Janice Frost that came to me. They were so vivid, that I could picture exactly what they looked like, their mannerisms and personalities. Once I had them standing in front of me, I realised what made them the people they were: There was something about Celia that her mother wasn’t telling her. So, with this notion in my head the plot soon began to develop and evolve. * You worked as a social worker and taught secondary school children in the Sudan and Israel. Did these experiences help inspire or influence some of your book
* Hi Bryony and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself? Hi Tracy. Thank you for having me. I’m really excited at the moment and kind of reeling, it seems very strange that anyone would actually be interested in anything I have to say and I feel a bit celeb-ish. However, I’m going to do my best with these questions and try not to be too boring (like every fanatic, I do love to go on about my subject). What can I say about me? I’m in my mid-ish thirties. I have two small children (a girl aged five and a boy aged two). I’m a full time Mum, so all my writing has to slot in around the sleep times of small people. I have a cat, who is kind of starved of attention and likes to sit on my laptop (not my lap mark you) and I watch far too much television. ANGEL'S FURY Every atrocity. Every war. Every act of vengeance. Will come back to haunt her. A fallen angel walks the earth to bring mankind to its destruction... Turning love into hate, forgiveness into blame, hope into despair. Through the fires of hell he has come to haunt one girl's dreams. But what if everything she ever dreamed was true? Every time Cassie Smith tries to sleep, she is plagued by visions of a death: A little girl called Zillah. A victim of the holocaust. In desperation Cassie is sent for treatment in an old manor house. There she meets other children just like her. Including Seth...Seth who looks so familiar. Her dream becomes nightmare. And then reality.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * What inspired you to write Angel’s Fury? There wasn’t one single thing. The character of Cassie has existed for a while; the girl with the nightmares has been living alongside me for sometime, but she didn’t have a story and I didn’t know why she had the nightmares. A few years ago, I went on holiday to Bali and learned about the local belief in reincarnation – which gave me a reason for her suffering, but not a storyline. Finally a random piece of research for another idea led me to Nephilim and I had a hook to hold the whole thing together. Things sit in the back of my head and percolate until they’re ready. Angel’s Fury was literally an idea whose time had come. * Without giving too much away, Angel’s Fury touches
For my final post of 2010, I'm very pleased to welcome Children's and YA agent Jenny Savill to tall tales & short stories.
* Hi Jenny and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Could you tell us a little about yourself? Hi Tracy and thanks for inviting me to be interviewed. I’m the agent responsible for nurturing our children’s and YA authors here at ANA. * What led you to focus primarily on children’s and YA books? I’ve always loved reading children’s and YA books. When I was a teenager YA wasn’t even a recognised category, so perhaps my future reading habits were conditioned by the paucity of literature aimed at teens back then. It seemed as if I jumped from enjoying Enid Blyton to Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and James Herbert (the latter borrowed from my older brother’s room) virtually overnight... I was clearly looking for Romance (of the seemingly unattainable variety), Suspense and Horror in my reading – pretty much key elements of many YA books today. In my 20’s and 30’s I worked creatively with children and young people, eventually attempting a novel for 9-12’s and going through the submissions/editorial feedback process. Now on the other side of the submissions fence, my role at ANA gives me the opportunity to represent authors who write books in the genre I have always loved to read. This is a privilege – and it’s a hugely exciting area of publishing in which to be involved. * How would you describe your typical working day? I’ll be reading a manuscript on the way into the office – either one of my authors’ or a submission I’m interested in. I deal with my emails, check into my author’s blogs to see what they’re up to, contact any I haven’t been in touch with recently to see how they’re getting on with their manuscripts, or any revisions they’re doing right now, or to update them on the status of their contracts. I’ll often need to check in with our contracts manager about various things. I’ll perhaps need to contact an editor about a project I’m submitting, and check to see if there’s any news that needs to go onto our website, or if any author pages need updating. There might be an editorial meeting with my colleagues here at ANA, most of whom place foreign rights in Europe and further afield. We’ll discuss and update each other on current projects – including children’s’ projects for our own authors – and strategise. It’s always exciting when a proof copy of your author’s book lands on the table at editorial – and especially so if it’s a foreign edition. On those days in the week when I’m not running to the school gates and can stay in the office later, I may be in touch with editors in the US and I try to read manuscripts, although this is often interru
SARA O’CONNOR -
SENIOR COMMISSIONING EDITOR at WORKING PARTNERS
 Sara O'Connor (right) and Sara Grant at the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices launch party.Hi Sara. Welcome to tall tales & short stories and thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Could you tell us a little about yourself?Thanks for having me. I’m an American, born of British parents, and have been living in England for just under six years. I’ve been at WP for five and a half years and I worked at Little Brown BFYR in New York prior to moving out here. What inspired you to want to work in children's books?When I went to university at Emerson College, I stumbled onto an Introduction to Children’s Writing class taught by Lisa Jahn-Clough. Streaks of sun light shone down through the clouds and trumpets blared. It had never occurred to me that children’s book publishing was a profession, but once it did, there was nothing else I wanted to do. I took every children’s class there was and then made up my own on independent study. Which authors/stories did you enjoy reading as a child/teenager? How do you think they compare to the children’s/YA novels available today? What do you think children of today want to read?I think I was about 11 when I stopped reading books meant for my age group. There wasn’t anything available to buy in between Sweet Valley High (which I gobbled up) and Stephen King (which gobbled me up). I went from the Babysitter’s Club to Jean M Auel’s Earth Children series, from Christopher Pike to John Saul. In high school and college I read a lot of fantasy: Robert Heinlein, Robert Jordan, the Death Gate Cycle, etc. I have always been a fan of series fiction. In comparison, the “adult” books I was reading then are on the same level as YA is now in terms of mature content. The difference is that now, YA books are set in high schools or have teens as the protagonists, which can serve to make it that bit more real for the in-between reader. Children of today want to read excellent stories: emotional, romantic, scary, triumphant – same as I did back then. Could you tell us about Working Partners and how the company works?
Follow the link to read all about Find out more about Undiscovered VoicesSponsors of the competition Working Partners
To become a member of SCBWI please follow this linkClick here to find out more about SCBWI British IslesThe Undiscovered Voices Winners 2010
Left to right foreground: Yona Wiseman, Lisa Joy Smith, David Cousins, Anne Anderson, Paula Rawsthorne; back row: Nick Cross, Melvin Burgess, Jane McLoughlin, Lauren Sabel, Abbie Todd, Claire O'Brien, Emily George (not in picture, Jude Ensaff) Click on the winners' names to read their interviews 
LISA JOY SMITH
Lisa's winning novel
SLUGS IN THE TOILET
by Lisa Joy Smith My book is a humorous adventure for 7-9 years. Alvin starts at Cosmo-tech Junior School and finds he’s the only human boy and everyone else is an alien. Then he discovers why – he’s only half human himself, and his ultra-brave alien side helps him to save the school from an attack of giant Space-Slugs. Hi Lisa and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your experiences since finding out you were one of the winners? I have three daughters of 10, 7 and 2, so my life is a bit like my book – bonkers. Although I don’t always write nonsense, I’m sending out a 12+ manuscript at the moment, called Moth, which is a dystopian gangster novel! And I’ve just finished the first draft of a science fiction novel for teenage girls, as well as writing a sequel to Slugs in the Toilet. I write according to my mood, which is why I’ve got such a variety of things on-the-go. I have written all my life, ever since I can remember, but it’s only since I joined our brilliant Norfolk SCBWI critique group that my writing has become close to publishable. Being prepared to alter my work and learning to never take criticism personally is the biggest step I’ve made. I achieved an Honorary Mention in the 2008 Undiscovered Voices, and since then I’ve had four short stories published, three in the UK by Bridge House Press, and one for adults in the US. I was inspired to write Slugs in the Toilet after speaking to Sara O’Connor who said few people sent material for younger readers and there wasn’t much humorous stuff either. So I sat down to brainstorm and a bunch of aliens popped into my head! I surprised myself by the amount of daft scenarios I could come up with, and I wrote the first draft in just a couple of months. My journey from being announced as a winner was an emotional roller-coaster. An editor asked to see my work straight away, and I’m still waiting to hear if that publisher will take the book on. I’ve had several agents show an interest, but no takers yet. At first I felt lost because I was so excited to have been chosen, but my life was essentially no different. Every time an agent asked for my work I built my hopes up only to feel a huge anti-climax. Since the book launch I’ve had three more editors show an interest.....but no feedback yet! I write for children because I’m still a big kid, I love having fun and adventures. Also, I’m surrounded by children all the time, and before I had my own daughters I was a primary school teacher. I’ve tried writing for adults, and had to keep thinking, will they swallow this? Whereas with kids you have to keep thinking, is this far-fetched enough? When I was growing up I couldn’
PAULA RAWSTHORNE Paula's winning novel
THE TRUTH ABOUT CELIA FROST
by Paula Rawsthorne Celia Frost is a friendless, freaky kid because of a disorder that leaves her in constant fear of bleeding to death. However, when she’s the victim of a knife attack, Celia realises that her life has been based on a lie. Convinced that her mother is mad, she seeks freedom and finds friendship, but shocking secrets are uncovered and danger closes in as The Truth About Celia Frost begins to unravel with devastating effects. Hi Paula and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your experiences since finding out you were one of the winners?In answer to Tracy’s question about my favourite books I’d have to say that ‘Millions’ by Frank Cotterell Boyce is a wonderful story. He’s a writer who conveys such humanity without ever toppling over into mawkish cliché. As for books from my childhood, once a month, when I was little, my Mum would buy a Ladybird Book for me and my brothers and sisters to share. I was absolutely enthralled by the vivid pictures and fantastic, often quite disturbing, fairytales. Now, at the age of 42, I still love to go back to my Mum’s and pick through those wonderful ,tatty books. I’m married with three kids and live in Nottingham. I was a hospital social worker but for a number of years I’ve been at home full time with my kids. I hadn’t written at all until a few years ago when, bizarrely, being surrounded by three screaming infants seemed to unleash a bit of a writer in me. I wrote a comic short story for a BBC competition and was lucky enough to be one of the winners. Even luckier was the fact that the wonderful Bill Nighy read it on Radio 4. I’ve had a couple of stories for adults published in anthologies of contemporary fiction and I’ve done community plays which have been fun, rewarding and completely exhausting. Apart from a community play for primary school kids, the rest of my writing had been for adults but when I decided it was time to have a go at writing a novel, there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted my first novel to be for Young Adults. I figured that it would be the highest compliment my writing could ever be paid if I managed to write something that was gripping and entertaining enough to entice teenagers away from their Play Stations for a while. My thriller ‘The Truth About Celia Frost’ is the result of my endeavours but whether it succeeds in my ambition remains to be seen. Unfortunately for my long suffering family I haven’t calmed down since Sara first phoned to inform me that I was one of the winners of Undiscovered Voices 2010. Within a couple of days of that mind boggling news
JANE McLOUGHLIN Jane's winning novel
AT YELLOW LAKE
byJane McLoughlin In At Yellow Lake three young strangers—Etta, David and English runaway Peter—take shelter in a North American lake cabin. Etta’s escaped the clutches of her mother’s dangerous boyfriend, Kyle; David’s living out his Native Indian heritage; grieving Peter’s there to bury a lock of his American mum’s hair. When their sanctuary is shattered by the arrival of Kyle’s gang, the teenagers must overcome their differences and their demons to stay alive. Hi Jane and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your experiences since finding out you were one of the winners?At Yellow Lake is set in a very specific place—an isolated area in the Northwoods of the United States—and some of the characters and plot details in the book were inspired by the time I’ve spent there. That rugged, but beautiful, landscape also helped define some of the themes in the book—the search for belonging, the struggle for identity, the desire for a family that will keep you safe and secure. At Yellow Lake is my first novel. I’ve been writing for about 20 years, though, with short stories published and “interest” generated by screenplays and radio dramas. My background is in performance—drama and music—and I began writing at the time my children were born. I’m not sure why writing for younger people appeals to me. It may be that the spare style and urgency required of the short story form also suits young adult fiction (at least I hope it does!) and that the visual style needed for screenwriting also helps. It may be that, at heart, I never really moved on from being 14! As I work with teenagers, and am the parent of young adults, I’m constantly reminded of the rawness of these years. Life is fresh and exhilarating, but has terrors, too—as a writer, it’s exciting to try to channel that energy and fear. To say that being included in the “Undiscovered Voices” was a surprise is an understatement. I was so thrilled to learn that my novel’s opening was actually going to be published—I’d been secretly hoping for an honourable mention, but even that seemed over-optimistic! I can’t thank the SCBWI British Isles or Sara Grant and Sarah O’Connor, the organisers and editors of the anthology, enough. I feel so honoured to be included in a book which features such fabulous writers, and I wish all the 2010 “gang” much success in their work and in their lives.
EMILY GEORGE Emily's winning novel
FROM DARKNESS
by Emily George ‘From Darkness’ tells the story of a decaying city. After a night of violence that destroys all structure, people start to be Taken in their sleep by a Shadow that sends them to the edge of madness. Sera – who is an insomniac – has lost her mother to the Shadow when she meets Leon, who has no memory of his past. Together they travel to another, even darker world that underpins theirs, where Leon learns the reason for his existence, and at the same moment makes a decision that costs Sera everything. Hi Emily and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your experiences since finding out you were one of the winners? I grew up in London, very near to Wimbledon Tennis. I have a degree in psychology, and work as a primary school teacher. Writing has always been an important part of my life and I started keeping diaries at a very early age. When I was seven these masterpieces comprised lists of important information such as what time I got up in the morning, and what I had for my tea. At the age of nine I moved on to catalogue the many best friendships that were rock solid one day and over the next. By fourteen, the pages (and pages and pages) were full of excruciating teenage angst and insecurity, and my diaries suddenly became more interesting. From sixteen to twenty five I wrote out relationships and travels… Then I moved to Cornwall, and started a nice job as a teacher in a school by the sea. And found I didn’t have the urge to keep a diary. The need to write was still there, just not in the same form. So I started writing stories. The first short story I finished was shortlisted for The Writer’s Advice Centre competition in 2008, and that was the moment I thought maybe I could do this; maybe my writing was good enough. Soon after, I began to work on ‘From Darkness.’ The idea came from thinking about what would happen if all the boundaries within a city broke down. How would it affect the residents, and their unconscious minds? I never made a conscious decision to write for children – the kind of stories I enjoy writing just work better for children. When I was younger, books were my refuge, and, as an adult, I still find it comforting to read – especially those books I loved as a child. C.S. Lewis, Enid Blyton, Arthur Ransome, Brian Jaques, J.R.R. Tolkein and Robin Jarvis all kept me going, often read under the duvet with a torch until late at night. The best book I have read recently is ‘The Fire Eaters’ by David Almond. His writing is inspirational – it has this beautiful, other-worldly quality even when the subject matter is quite harrowing. Another auth
JUDE ENSAFF Jude's winning novel
ONE OF A KIND
by Jude Ensaff Hi Jude and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your experiences since finding out you were one of the winners? An extract from my teen novel One of a Kind features in the Undiscovered Voices 2010 anthology. This is a novel that I have been working on for some time. In 2006 an extract from it was regionally shortlisted in the Waterstones WOW factor competition and Adventures in Fiction Apprenticeships but I'm really pleased that it's finally been publicly recognised and published. It's undergone numerous changes and redrafts but its current form came about as a result of my studies at Winchester University where I'm completing my MA in Writing for Children. The novel follows Raheema's journey. She is a 16 year old caught up in war torn Iraq. Her parents have inexplicably left the country and she is left to battle her way out of the chaos around her, helping her three siblings in the process. Where did I get the inspiration for my novel? Well, it's a pretty topical one. You can't really go a day without hearing something on the news about the conflict in Iraq, but in addition to this I have very personal reasons for writing this book. I grew up in Kuwait and my father is from Northern Iraq,so I based much of my writing on events that have affected my extended family. Childhood memories of visiting Iraq inspired many of the passages in the book and I'm really lucky to be able to speak some Arabic so I used this, my experience of life in the region and an enormous amount of research to write the book. As far as how I got started in writing- that's a long story, dating back to my early years! At the age of seven, probably like many kids, I decided that I wanted to be a writer. I can still remember the excitement and pleasure I got out of using my Mum's typewriter to write my poems. I'd carefully stow them away in my desk drawer and even though my mum encouraged me to send my poetry to a publisher, I never did. She was my number one fan and it was really my Mum who first encouraged me to write for children. However, it wasn't until my early twenties that I started to send material out and then it was very piecemeal. I'd say it was really when I got into my thirties that I started to write seriously. People's attitudes along the way have varied from the most supportive and encouraging to the most cynical and disbelieving. However, in 2004 I was published in educational writing and my work in this area has definitely helped me to hone my skill. That and keeping my blog going! Writing is something I really enjoy and because of this I've invested in it by attending courses such as SCBWI's retreat in 2006, an Arvon Foundation course in 2004 and my current M
DAVE COUSINS
Dave's winning novel
FIFTEEN DAYS WITHOUT A HEAD
by Dave Cousins Fifteen-year-old Laurence Roach just wants a normal life, but it’s not easy when your mum is a depressed alcoholic, and your six-year-old brother thinks he’s a dog. When Mum fails to come home one night, Laurence tells nobody, terrified the boys will be taken into care if anyone finds out. Instead, he attempts to keep up the pretence that Mum is still around: dressing up in her clothes to trick the neighbours and spinning an increasingly complicated tangle of lies. After two weeks on their own, running out of food and money, and with suspicious adults closing in, Laurence finally discovers what happened to his mother. And that’s when the trouble really starts … A nail-biting thriller, following the brothers through some hilarious, surreal moments during their heartbreaking journey, Fifteen Days without a Head is a tender, honest story about family, forgiveness and hope. Hi Dave and welcome to tall tales & short stories. Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?I grew up in Birmingham in a house full of books and records. At eighteen, I went to art college in Bradford, joined a band and moved to London. I spent the next ten years touring the UK in a van and was nearly famous! I now live in Hertfordshire with my wife and family, in a house full of books and records, lots of toys and a grumpy overweight cat. What inspired you to write your book?An incident I witnessed in a pub one afternoon: A very drunk woman arguing with a stranger at the next table – much to the embarrassment of her sons. It made me wonder what life was like for those two boys, what would happen when they got home. Would you like to tell us about your experiences since finding out you were one of the winners?On the evening of Thursday 1st October 2009 I put on my coat and hat and carried a mug of tea up the ladder into the loft as usual, to the space in the corner, behind the boxes, where I write. It’s cold in our loft in October, and after a long day at work it’s the last place I want to be. That night I was working on ideas for a new story, while the manuscript for Fifteen Days without a Head was with Cornerstones Literary Consultancy for an editorial report. I drank my tea and typed, trying to ignore the voice in the back of my head telling me this was just a dream, that my chances of ever getting published were non-existent. I’ll always remember that night, because the next day, everything changed. I was at work when the call came through from Sara at SCBWI, telling me I had been selected for the 2010 Edition of Undiscovered Voices. I hadn’t expected to hear so soon and certainly didn’t think I’d win. Between grinning like an idiot and silently punching the air, I thanked Sara for making my weekend, scribbled down the date of the launch party (months away) and went back to work.
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Find out more about previous Undiscovered Voices finalists here.Your submission must the first 4,000 words of an already completed novel for children, aimed at any age from 5 years to Young Adult.
3 Comments on JULIA GROVES: One of the Six Illustrators Chosen for SCBWI-BI's Undiscovered Voices Anthology 2012, last added: 2/9/2012
4 Comments on SCBWI Undiscovered Voices Winner: JANE McLOUGHLIN, last added: 3/22/2010
This is my most favourite post on the whole trying to get published thing ever. EV-ER!<br /><br />Absolutely brilliant. And yup...you are funny!<br />If I say publication is just round the corner, please don't punch me in the face. But I really believe it.
PS Have just posted this on the Writewords website..
... and about your grammar 'most favourite' ... surely it's 'most favouritest'?!
Ahem! Good morning, early bird!<br />And yes isn't it brilliant? Go, Maureen!
Love it. Look forward to laughing with one of your books. :)
Briliant, brilliant, as only your posts can be, Maureen! And I am much heartened, given the vast size of my own slushpile and gazillion years spent skiing down it! There may yet be hope for me! *rushes off to scribble furiously*
Great post, Maureen. Made me feel a bit better about my pile. And in answer to your question: 2 book shelves and 3 drawers full of multiple versions of 1 adult, 2 YA, 1 mid range, 1 chapter and a heap of stories (two of which actually got published - yippee I'm a writer ;-) ). And that doesn't include the current WIP either!
My slushpile is HUGE. In fact if I hadn't stopped printing things - and started having bonfires - we wouldn't fit in the house.<br /><br />And you are very funny. Clearly, as if you say it enough times (and put it in yellow boxes) it must be so :O)
Leave Caroline's grammar alone, Candy Gourlay - she thinks I'm funny! And she's re-posted! Thanks Caroline :) I shall refrain from punching you.
Thanks, Liane - on day you might just get to do that!
You will, Nicky, it's us determined (obsessed) folk who make it in the end. Love the idea of ski-ing down the slushpile I've always just slid down on my bottom crying Aargh!!!
Impressive list, Jeannette and I'm pleased to see you have multiple versions too. I was a bit bothered that I'd written the Jawbreaker three times and then had to walk away. It's still not right. It may never be right!
Ah, you spotted my subliminal message!
So that's what you've been doing up in the attic for the last twelve years.
Did you miss me?
Of course, where's me tea?
Excellent post! And heartening, as I'm on my 9 1/2 th (can I say that?) novel, most of which have been re-written at least five times. I'm really hoping this is The One, but, boy have I learned a lot along the way! Oh, and I did the Cornerstones self-editing course too. Eye-opening! Good luck with Prince Bob!
Here's my list. Like you Maureen I now realise that 7+ and MG is where i want to be. Great post and so reassuring not to be alone. But really proud of my backlist. There's some great stuff in there.<br /><br />1 x MG dystopian fantasy<br />1 x picture book<br />1x MG girls adventure<br />2 x 7+ adventure series<br />1 x ya space gothic<br />1 x MG boys humour
You should be proud, Jo. That represents a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and hopes. I like the idea of a space gothic, could you do that for MG? Has anyone else, I wonder?
Sent via ancient Imac from a field of turnips:<br />Me too! I have a big slush pile and have been on a similar journey (though I have never knowingly been funny).<br />Great post Maureen. Congratulations on finding an agent and good luck with the next stage of your journey.
Right OK - I've a way to go yet then - <br />Picture books x 4 ( far too difficult)<br />mid-grade x 1<br />7-9 x 2<br />YA novels x2 - though one is being extensively rewritten, now, actually, so why aren't I doing it? Stop distracting me Lynas ;o)
Maureen that was wonderful! Thank you.<br />I feel heartened.<br /><br />Can quite face piling up my slush yet - it's all over the place but it includes some picture books too.<br /><br />Now here's a thought - how about some comedy glasses? They could be your trademark?
What marvellous piles you have, Maureen. Loved reading this - it sparkles!
Brilliant post, Maureen. You are definitely funny! I can relate to your struggle of what to focus on. For me, following through and completing all the ideas I have is a big struggle for me as well. Congratulations and keep on writing! Colleen :)
Thanks Amanda. Good luck with your journey too.
Sorry! Get on with it! Write! Write! Write! We need your books. Kathryn - You Have Talent!
I could borrow some from Edna Everidge! Or maybe Elton John?
Lol and guffaw! Lovely Addy, thank you :)
It's so hard isn't it, especially as the next one is always better than the one you're working on now and will be much easier to write - or so you think until you actually start to write it!
Wonderfully inspiring post Maureen and Nicky, definitely,your time will come. My slushpile holds my bed up so it has its uses. And btw Maureen....you are very funny ;-)
I've always thought you were funny, Maureen - and not just ha-ha funny!
I may adjust the life-long friend comment. It's under review from now on. You have one year. Watch yourself grrr.
Fantastic read, Maureen! And definitely an inspiration to the rest of us to perservere! My slushpile must be nearly as long as yours--I just haven't forced myself to compile everything and see exactly how much I have written. :) Thanks for sharing!
Journey begins ...<br />Stage 1: 'Oh, I shall be an illustrator'. <br />Action: Complete sample artwork and dummies for x4 picture books. <br />Event: 2 deals on table<br />Outcome: Table mysteriously disappears. <br /> <br />Stage 2: 'Oh, I shall be a picture book writer'. <br />Action: completes picture books - x10 <br />Event: x3 accepted by publishers<br />Outcome: currently