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Current as of June 2010
FIFTEEN DAYS WITHOUT A HEAD by Dave CousinsBACK FROM THE DEAD by Nick CrossONE OF A KIND by Jude Ensaff (Najoud Ensaff)
NOT JUST THE BLUES by Claire O'BrienTHE TRUTH ABOUT CELIA FROST by Paula RawsthorneVIVIAN DIVINE AND THE DAYS OF THE DEAD by Lauren Sabel
SLUGS IN THE TOILET by Lisa Joy SmithBLINDING DARKNESS by Abbie ToddBECOMING INVISIBLE by Yona Wiseman |
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Adèle
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 SYNOPSIS
My 9-12 ghost story, Adèle, is about shy 13-year-old Jaynie. She’s escaped her pushy parents, siblings and teachers to spend the summer in Michigan with her great aunt. It’s supposed to be the best summer of her life. But when a ghostly face appears in the window, Jaynie begins to discover her aunt’s home hides a dark past of slavery, abuse and maybe even murder. Jaynie wants to help the ghost, but all memories and mementoes of the ghost’s entire life will be erased unless Jaynie can find the courage to speak up for both of them.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
When Sara called to tell me I had won a place in UV, I sat down on the floor and silently cried. When the first winners were announced in 2008, I had recently moved to the UK. I have since seen them become agented and published. When Sara called, I hoped a door was bursting open for me as well.
Since my acceptance in UV, life has been a whirlwind. Editors and agents regularly call and email. How bizarre is that? It’s been incredible and I’m so grateful for the all the doors UV has opened (and is still opening) for me. Unfortunately, while Adèle is finished and I love the story, I’m not entirely pleased with it. I sent it to a few interested agents, and their responses confirmed my feelings.
However, at the moment I am in the midst of completing my MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University and have been working on a different project entirely. It’s been a difficult decision, but I’ve chosen to put Adèle aside while I finish work on a novel I love and passionately believe in.
It’s a paranormal thriller/romance about a teen trapped between two worlds: a wealthy tree-lined neighborhood and a poor inner-city Chicago. But she can see visions of the future. She knows her brother’s life is in danger and she will have to give up everything she loves in both worlds in order to save him.
I will graduate at the end of September and hope to have a manuscript to send out then. I’d also love to return to Adèle in the future and give her the story she deserves.
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Fifteen Days without a Head
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SYNOPSIS
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 goes missing, Laurence tells nobody, afraid the boys will be taken into care. After two weeks avoiding discovery and surviving on little food or money, Laurence finally finds out what happened to his mother. And that’s when the trouble really starts …
WHAT'S HAPPENING
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 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. It didn’t really sink in until the emails from agents and editors started coming through.
By the end of the month I had met with a couple of agents and signed with Sarah Manson. Her enthusiasm for the story was infectious and she understood exactly what I was trying to do.
Sarah was very positive about the manuscript, but felt that with a little bit of work, it could be even stronger. Over the next ten weeks I more or less rewrote the story. Gallons of tea were consumed as I typed deep into the night, reading back and marking up the previous evening’s pages on the way to work. I became adept at reading and writing notes while walking – many times in the snow! I returned to the loft each night with crinkled pages and pockets full of scribbled ideas, and the new version slowly took shape.
In January, the bound copies of the Undiscovered Voices anthology were sent to agents and editors throughout the UK, and the emails started again: more agents, more editors – full of congratulations, kind words and enthusiasm for the story. My face was beginning to ache from grinning.
When the manuscript was ready, Sarah submitted to all the editors who had requested it – and then we had to wait. However, once the offers started to come in, events seemed to move very fast. Which is how, a little less than eight months since that cold Thursday night in October, I found myself having my first phone conversation with my new editor!
I’m still sitting in the loft, working through the editorial revisions on the manuscript – doing my best to put the words in the right order. But it’s a lot easier climbing the ladder now, knowing that one day soon the book will be on the shelves and my dream will be a reality – thanks in no small part to Undiscovered Voices.
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Back from the Dead
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SYNOPSIS
Thirteen-year-old Griff Lawford might have woken up with no memory, but at least he’s not a zombie any more. Even better, the virus outbreak hasn’t caused the end of the world. But before he can celebrate, Griff’s luck and the zombie cure start to wear off. Losing control of his body and mind, Griff must battle to find his parents, search for a permanent cure and try very, very hard not to eat his friends.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
I love the Coen Brothers' film "The Hudsucker Proxy". It is, like me, both wonderful and hugely misunderstood ;-) Despite being male, I identify most strongly with the character of Amy Archer - a fast-talking career journalist who has won the Pulitzer Prize and never intends to let anyone forget it. Her colleagues take bets on how long it will take her to mention the Pulitzer in any given conversation. Want to know how this affects me? Watch the film and replace the word "Pulitzer" with "Undiscovered Voices." Anyone who has read my blog at www.whoatemybrain.com can attest that I find it hard to get through a post without the dreaded U and V words sneaking in. In fact, it was amazing that any other words crept in during the week leading up to the launch party!
As the post-launch glow faded, I was hard at work with rewriting the book. I had sent a manuscript to Jenny Savill of Andrew Nurnberg Associates a couple of months previously and she’d liked it enough to meet face-to-face. It was at this point that I discovered that "meeting an agent for coffee and biscuits" should more properly be called "meeting an agent for coffee and a long list of things that you didn't know were wrong with your book."
The cycle of replotting and rewriting took a gruelling five months, and by the time I finished the second draft I had rewritten 80% of the novel. But – and this is the crucial part – the new version was great. Really great. On the strength of that, Jenny signed me up. I think it was a massive relief to both of us and it was wonderful to push the business details to one side and talk about how excited we both were about the book! Of course, there was more work to come - on the day after I signed the agency agreement, Jenny sent me another list of revisions and told me she wanted to submit a final draft to publishers in a week's time! Another mad scramble ensued as the draft ping-ponged back and forth between me, Jenny and her assistant. It was like being at a support group for obsessive perfectionists for a while, but we finally got it absolutely right and hit the deadline to boot.
The submissions went out, and... and... Well, things take their own sweet time in the world of publishing. I promise you'll know as soon as I do!
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From Darkness
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SYNOPSIS
‘From Darkness’ tells the story of a decaying city. People are being Taken in their sleep by a Shadow. Sera searches for her mother and meets Leon, a boy with no past, but with a strange connection to this Shadow. They travel to a parallel world that underpins ours, where darkness is gaining strength. Here, Leon must choose to accept his birthright, or allow Sera to accept it in his place.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Learning I had won a place in the Undiscovered Voices Anthology was, without a doubt, the most exciting moment of my writing life. It has been fantastic to be in touch with the other writers in the anthology, and hear about their successes and set backs – and I’m sure that every single one of them will be published in the end!
When the UV anthology was sent out, I was contacted by a few agents and publishers who were interested in seeing the whole manuscript, and amazingly a few more approached me at the launch party at Foyles bookshop. I’m currently working hard to ensure my manuscript is as near to perfect as possible before submitting it to them. It’s taking some time, but I’ll get there in the end!
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At Yellow Lake
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SYNOPSIS
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.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Inclusion in the SCBWI “Undiscovered Voices” anthology came as a huge surprise! I know the other writers will say something similar, but I was secretly hoping for an honourable mention place (at best), so when I heard that news that my work was going to be printed in the actual anthology, I was astounded.
The “Undiscovered Voices” acceptance has been a huge shot in the arm for me and has set off a chain of events which has been, at times, overwhelming. It’s been the clichéd roller-coaster ride, with many highs—and some lows—along the way. The launch night was an example of this—stressful, and at times terrifying, but thrilling, too. I was fortunate to have had the marvellous Helen Corner of Cornerstones working with me on earlier drafts of “At Yellow Lake”, and she’s been a wonderful source of support in these rather feverous times. Now that the dust has settled, I’ve made some more changes to the manuscript and am in discussions with a publisher, another encouraging step.
I can’t thank the SCBWI British Isles—especially the two Saras—enough for this opportunity. I feel honoured to have been 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.
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Not Just the Blues
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SYNOPSIS
One day I, Cordelia Codd, will be the greatest costume designer in the history of cinema. Meanwhile, my life is a steaming ELEPHANT DUMP. I wake Mum up, take out the rubbish, clean the bathroom, iron my school stuff, vacuum everywhere and do the shopping. Try juggling all that lot AND the agonies of year seven: impossible homework, treacherous boys and bitchy ex-best friends.
Dad has GOT to come back home and help me out.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
When I heard that the opening of Not Just the Blues was going to be included in the anthology I knew that knew years of hard work on getting good at my craft was finally starting to bear fruit. I was soon contacted by several agents wanting to read more. This was a complete reversal of fortune. Like most writers, I’d spent years trying to get someone to take notice of my work, knocking on doors and being politely turned away and, like many writers, there was nothing wrong with the standard of my work, it just had to hit the right desk at the right time and come with a recommendation, which is what inclusion in UV did.
I now have a fantastic agent, Alice Williams at David Higham, and a 2-book deal with Orchard. Not Just the Blues is scheduled for publication in early summer 2011 and Cordelia's second adventure, which is well underway, will be out early 2012. I won’t be giving up the day job just yet, and it isn’t going to be easy to juggle my time and energy but if you want an easy life you don’t become a writer, do you?
I will be eternally grateful to the Saras for their commitment and guts, and the opportunity they have given me. They will be forever in my prayers.
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The Truth About Celia Frost
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SYNOPSIS
Celia is a friendless, freaky kid because of a disorder that leaves her in constant fear of bleeding to death. However, when she is 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.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
My update since the launch party for the UV anthology 2010 is brief as, on the writing front, I’ve just had my head glued to a laptop, getting on with revisions for my agent Jo Unwin. Jo was on the judging panel for the competition and I was lucky enough to be taken on by her at Conville and Walsh. She’s been fantastic. It’s been invaluable to have her eyes on my work. I’m actually finding the revision process quite exciting (in a kind of masochistic way). Of course, if I’m excited by the revisions, I’ll suspect that I’ll be blinking ecstatic when Jo tells me she thinks it’s ready to send out (which should be soon).
The UV Anthology has been incredibly successful in generating interest in my YA novel so now it’s up to me to try and deliver. I know that I certainly can’t take anything for granted about getting published but I will be eternally grateful to SCBWI and the Undiscovered Voices Anthology for giving me this tremendous opportunity.
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Slugs in the Toilet
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WHAT'S HAPPENING
After receiving an Honorary Mention in the 2008 Undiscovered Voices Anthology, I was really determined to do just as well in 2010. This time I tried a different tactic, I wrote a book for 7-9’s, which I intended to make exciting and funny. Writing about the only human boy in a school full of aliens was surprisingly easy, and I’ve since written the sequel, Nits on Mars. Although I’ve had lots of editors and agents show interest (which is an exciting turn-around to the usual sitting-in-the-slush-pile situation) nobody has been bowled-over by it yet. So I’ve got on with other stuff in the mean-time. I’m pedalling my now polished 2008 UV novel Moth (12+ dystopian) and I’m also working for Sharika Sharma at Egmont on some other exciting projects. On top of this, I’ve just finished the first draft of a science fiction novel for teenage girls called The Pulse, and I’m working on a thriller for 9-12’s called Slumber, so I’m keeping myself busy!
Winning a place in the anthology has made a big difference to my life, it’s made me realise that I’m potentially good enough to be published – it’s no longer just a hopeful fantasy. I’ll keep hassling those agents and editors until someone bites, and being a UV winner means they don’t seem to mind being pestered quite so much!
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Blinding Darkness
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SYNOPSIS
My novel is a fantasy adventure for teenagers. It’s set in a future dominated by an elitist race called The Alaimsir who are obsessed with beauty. Amber's people are separated: moving from island to island as each is destroyed.
When Amber's home is invaded she loses her father and sister in the chaotic escape. Travelling with another family, she evades Alaimsir attacks and begins a quest to be reunited with her family.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
When the Undiscovered Voices anthology was published, I had 4,000 words of very polished novel, and 66,000 of not-so-polished stuff. I took a week off work to concentrate on the edit, and when that was finished, I simultaneously sent it out to the agents and editors who had requested the full manuscript.
I met with a couple of agents before the launch party. I was astounded by the reaction to the anthology, and couldn’t believe that I actually got to choose my agent! In the end, it turned out not to be a difficult decision. Jodie Marsh from United Agents was easy to talk to, we liked the same books, she was passionate about my novel and had lots of ideas about how to improve it.
Within a day of me asking her to represent me, Jodie was on the phone to the editors who already had my manuscript, gauging their initial reaction and interest, gathering feedback and checking they’d be prepared to read a rewrite when it was ready.
I then received a consolidated list of Jodie’s and the editor’s comments and the real work began! Jodie has really pushed me to improve the novel and get it in the best possible shape before she submits it, and we’re at the stage now where we both feel it’s almost ready to go. So exciting!
I’m still reeling from the impact of winning Undiscovered Voices. Only recently I received two more requests for the manuscript – one from an editor I’d met at the launch party, and another from someone who has only just read the anthology.
When I talk to people about writing a novel, I’ve noticed that they often smile sympathetically, as if it’s a nice hobby but I’m ultimately wasting my time. I love to counter this by adding, ‘I’m working very closely with my agent before we send it out for submission,’ and watching their reaction change from patronising to impressed. That’s what winning Undiscovered Voices 2010 has done for me!
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Becoming Invisible
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SYNOPSIS
Becoming Invisible is a work of young adult fiction inspired by the kids I worked with in Peru:
Lima’s streets are littered with strays. Diego and his friends pay them little heed, stepping over them as they do the rubbish. They refer to them as the invisibles and treat them as such.
Until the day Diego becomes one.
The journals of Diego and his friends tell the stories of their quest to find him and his quest for survival in a darkly twisted underworld where he is far from invisible.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
By the time of the launch I’d had two agents ask for the full manuscript and both gave me positive feedback and constructive criticisms along with their rejections. At the launch I had two publishers ask for the manuscript. I even had requests for my next book! (Still working on it…) In the meantime I was frantically redrafting and tightened up Becoming Invisible considerably. I’m still waiting to hear from one of the editors from the launch and have since had a request from another publisher who read and liked my work in the anthology. So no agent yet but still got two publishers to hear from before I go to another re draft…
While I wait, my next story won’t. The free will of all humanity is at stake as Destiny prepares to do battle with a bunch of troublesome but talented teenagers in a film school summer camp.
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