Set in Cornwall, this fantastic story follows 11 year old Alastair, a lonely child who feels isolated, alone and socially ostracised from his classmates. In addition, Alastair is suffering from a myriad of conditions that only increase his feelings of "otherness". When Saoirse comes to town, everything changes. She isn't hung up on school popularity contests or gossiping social circles. She's more interested in ghost stories and unsolved mysteries. Following her like a shadow is her little brother Billy, a tornado of chaos who knows no fear or social niceties. Together, they form an unlikely team of ghost hunters that must unravel their villages' dark past, complete with frightening ghosts and much more. It's a really funny debut with very memorable characters, I highly recommend it for ages 11+! Some advice from the author! Have you got any advice for young writers? I’d say, write what you enjoy reading. You should be able to read back over what you’ve written with a sense of fulfilment, without embarrassment, and have a ball doing so. And enjoy the process of writing whilst you’re doing it. If you want a job that bores you or stresses you out, stick to a real job—there are plenty of real jobs out there, all gleefully rubbing their hands in anticipation of making your life a dreary, soul-eviscerating hell. Writing should be your passion—the most fun thing to do in the world. Whether it’s a feather-light romcom or a harrowing tragedy, you should still enjoy the process, and behold the finished product with a self-satisfied sense of accomplishment. I’ve read advice that you should force yourself to write x number of words a day, no matter how you’re feeling, just to get something down. Why? So you’ll have a page of uninspired rubbish you had a miserable slog through an Eliotian wasteland strewn with wilted cacti and feather-plucked kingfisher carcasses to produce? I say wait till you’re in the mood, then let it flow out like golden syrup onto waffles. If you approach writing as a joy, then you should find yourself in the mood all the time. Finally, self-doubt is a terrible thing. We’ve all suffered from it: what if I’ve got no talent? What if nobody likes it? How come no one wants to publish me? You’ve just got to keep writing till you get to the stage where you’re satisfied with your writing, when you love reading it, and then trust that somewhere amidst the vast seething cauldron of overpopulated humanity there’ll be at least some people on your wavelength who’ll love it too.
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It's London, 1601, Shakespeare is about to perform his new play for the Twelfth Night festival. Honesty is a girl who unfortunately does not live up to her name. She loves to tell a tale purely for her own entertainment. She's escaping into London in order to run away from a big problem in her Welsh village. When luck falls on her side and she meets the Queen, it results in a lot of new opportunities that she could never dream of before. Alice is the complete opposite, she wants to be away from people, for her own reasons, secrets she must keep hidden away. Alice is willing to do jobs that keep her in the shadows. Both girls have these secrets that they're trying to keep buried deep. Alice and Honesty become unlikely friends and must rely on each other in order to survive. The Elizabethan setting is gorgeous and terrifying at the same time. This is amazing historical fiction that covers friendships and secrets with a great description of Shakespearean times. Don't miss it! |
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