Guest Blog: Garth Nix

We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome New York Times best-selling author Garth Nix to Seven Stories this June. It goes without saying that we are HUGE fans of his epic fantasy adventures and we know you are too.

Winging his way to Newcastle – Garth will be hosting an eagerly awaited and oh so exclusive evening at Seven Stories on Tuesday 14 June.* 

As you well know – Garth’s been writing since the 1990s and has produced some of the best fantasy series including The Old Kingdom, The Keys to the Kingdom and The Seventh Tower.  His stories often feature children and young adults working through the very familiar challenge of growing up which is what makes them so appealing – this and the fact they are set in fantasy worlds which add a captivating mix of adventure, wonder, and danger. Time and again his legions of die-hard fans really rate Garth’s strong, female characters and he has inspired a generation of fantasy writers including the fantastic Veronica Roth (Divergent series) and Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instrument series).

We couldn’t miss this opportunity to pick the brains of the master of storytelling – so over to Garth who is going to give us a few pointers on how to get cracking on some creative writing of our own…enjoy.

*Why not take two minutes to nip over to our website here and book your place at our event before settling back into Garth’s Guest Blog post.

Writing Advice

Perhaps the most important advice I can give about writing is to not take any one person’s advice about writing as the one and only way to write — including my own! Everyone finds their own techniques and methods, and sometimes they are not at all like anyone else’s or how some prominent author tells you how to write. If you like the sound of someone else’s process, give it a go. But don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t work out. Try some other techniques. Experiment.

Here are some very common pieces of writing advice which are often repeated, with some suggestions from me about how you might want to think more about them or modify them to work better for you.

1. Write every day 

   This does work for a lot of people, but there are also writers who only write once a week. Or who write for one frenzied month once a year. Give all of these methods a try. See what works. Try to find a rhythm that works for you.

2. Write what you know

   Often people think this means you can only write about what you directly experience in everyday life, like being at school or your home life. But I think “what you know” includes everything you’ve read about, or seen on TV or at the movies, or heard someone talk about, or seen in the distance. So all of history is there for you, and all previous fiction, and every film, and every small detail of nature and humanity. You can take little pieces from everything that’s ever gone into your head, and refashion them using your imagination. You don’t need to be shot in the head to be able to write about it, because chances are you’ve seen it in films and TV and read about it in books. If you want a scene about riding horses and you’ve never ridden a horse, read a bunch of the best books with horses in them. Make notes. Then imagine.

3. Kill your darlings.

   This means deleting the very personal touches that you really love putting in your work. Say for example you have pet toads and you love them, so you put pet toads in all your stories. Possibly that historical romance or spy thriller would be better without the pet toads. But not automatically, because of some overall rule. Maybe the pet toads actually make the story more unique and more interesting! Rather than kill, consider your darlings, and whether they add anything to the overall story, but don’t automatically cut a character, or a line of dialogue, or a descriptive passage just because you really love them.

We also wanted to know why Garth decided to return to the Old Kingdom…

Garth:

I always thought I would come back to the Old Kingdom and write new novels. I just had other books that were at the top of my mind and needed to be written first. In fact, I made a note about the book that would become CLARIEL (published in 2014) while I was writing LIRAEL, in about 1999-2000. And I made a number of notes for what would become GOLDENHAND while I was finishing ABHORSEN in 2001. Sometimes books need to slowly grow inside my head before I start actively writing them, and I usually have half a dozen sort of pre-novels floating about in my mind before one of them grows to the point.

Thanks for taking time to write our guest post Garth!

*Author Event* Explore the Old Kingdom with Garth Nix Tuesday 14 June, 6-8pm 

Meet Garth after the event and have your book signed. Event ticket £5. Admission not required. Suitable for ages 14+

Tickets can be purchased from the Seven Stories website.

Garth is also making a rare appearance in the UK as the Keynote speaker at Newcastle University’s Conference, Reading the Wall: Cultural Afterlives of Hadrian’s Wall on Wednesday 15 – Friday 17 June.

For more information about the conference visit their website.

What EVERYone will be reading in 2016 Part 2

How are you getting on with the huge pile of YA must-reads of 2016 from Part 1? Are you ready for another stellar list of recommends?

Here goes…

Macmillan 

Macmillan bring us All the Feels by Danika Stone in June, about being a fangirl (or boy). Expect laughter, tears, cosplay and lots of online craziness, as Liv fights to unite the fandom and have the studio bring her beloved hero back to life. I am absolutely loving the sound of this.

Have you read Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Bernard which was published in February? It’s a debut novel about friendship and recovery and picking up the pieces when your World falls apart – deep but well worth a read.

The Awakening of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie – a spine chilling novel – was published this April (why, why do I persist in trying to read these!).  It is the sequel to The Haunting of…  and Sunshine now has to learn how to harness her powers, now that they have been fully awakened.

The Challenge is the new one by Tom Hoyle – who is themselves somewhat of an enigma – sounds really exciting but also reminds me a little of something else I’ve read. The Challenge is a web-based 48-hour challenge competition, and as the tasks get wilder and more out of control, you’re either in or out, but once you’re in, you might not make it back out.

I’m expecting dark and twisted from A Face like Glass by Frances Hardinge. I don’t even know how to describe this one, but it’s out now so just go buy it! It involves an underground city, a world where expressions are taught by the most skilled craftsmen and a girl with no memory of her past who has to wear a mask at all time…what’s not to love?

Penguin Books

Riverkeep by Martin Stewart is a fantasy where humour and violence abound. Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden is for a slightly younger audience but I read and loved it so expect a full blown review soon.

HarperCollins

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern was published in March by HarperCollins and I was so looking forward to it.  It’s the YA debut from an already bestselling author, set in a society in which perfection is paramount and mistakes are punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything. She has such beautifully written, emotional adult novels that I’m expecting great things from this one already – have you read it yet? Let us know what you think.

Desolation is the second in the Demon Road Trilogy by Derek Landy which has just landed this April! Loving this series (alright, there’s been one book but I’m already hooked!). Fast, exciting, funny and a must-read, Desolation promises to provide more of the same.  I love this series – not just because when Derek came to Seven Stories, he quoted Joss Whedon and talked about Buffy and Captain America…

Walker Books

So, Walker has given us a new Martyn Bedford, called Twenty Questions for Gloria (published February)…Two go missing. One comes back…ho ho, tense! This is a classic girl meets mysterious boy, danger ensues kind of novel, which, could be totally formulaic.  However, based on Flip which was the last book I read of his, I expect I will be surprised and will definitely be giving this a read.

I love the sound of The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman, out now, the first of the Lady Helen Trilogy. Set during the Regency period this is sold as Jane Austen-meets-Cassandra Clare, say no more.  High society, grand balls, dinners and demons!  Also, it might be a little like the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger which is an immense Steampunk series I suggest you all check out!

There are definitely books that I have missed, and this is only for the very first part of the year…2016, you are really spoiling us.

But this is the start of my reading pile and we’re off to a great start!

Which books are you looking forward to reading this year? What have I missed that I should absolutely be adding to my pile?

VLOG: Say Her Name by James Dawson

Our very own StoryCatcher Fionn has done a brilliant Vlog reviewing Say her Name by James Dawson for our friends over at Cukcoo Review.  

If you are looking for a scary YA read on the run up to Halloween, this might just be the book for you….

Meet our YA booktuber: Fionn’s Faves #1

Because Cuckoo is a twenty-first century kind of operation, we thought we better get vlogging (about books, naturally). So meet our booktubing boy (and Cuckoo alumni) Fionn Oakes, who is going to take us on a journey though YA literature and give us a recommendation every week or two.

First up, James Dawson’s Say Her Name

Fionn’s Faves is filmed in Seven Stories, National Centre for Children’s Books where he works a Story Catcher (yes, really). This is why, at one point, you can hear a small child shrieking in the backgroud.

Seven Stories are FABULOUS. They have a great programme of YA events, a fantastic book shop and an awesome YA blog which you can read here: https://7sya.wordpress.com/

Tweet Seven Stories: @SevenStories
Tweet Fionn: @fionnoakes
Read Fionn’s blog here: https://fionntasticmrfox.wordpress.com/

An Evening with Derek Landy

Derek Landy – number one bestselling author of international smash hit series Skulduggery Pleasant – hosted a stellar event at Seven Stories this Saturday. It was the perfect opportunity to hear from Derek and ask tons of questions…our work placement Bethany had a ball. Here’s what she had to say…

The event was part of a tour to launch Derek’s new title Demon Road – a brilliantly fast-paced novel for lovers of supernatural YA fiction. The story follows Amber Lamont, a teenage girl with a dark family secret and, let’s just say, ‘turbulent’ relationship with her parents. When Amber discovers her mother and father are trying to kill her (I did say it was a turbulent relationship, didn’t I?) she is forced to go on the run in a desperate attempt to save her own skin.

Skullduggery Pleasant even showed up!

As with many of Derek’s books, horror is a running theme throughout the novel. In his own words, Demon Road pays homage to many classic American horror archetypes – like the killer car of Stephen King’s Christine and cult film favourite The Blair Witch Project. Derek is a passionate fan of the genre, and recalled that when he was younger he didn’t pay attention to age restrictions on literature. “When I was a kid we didn’t have YA, we didn’t have the range of books,” he said, “I went straight from The Hardy Boys to Stephen King.” Always conscious of how far he can push the boundaries of dark themes for his audience, Derek described his work as “graphic violence in the best possible taste!”

There was chance to ask Derek questions and many of the YA audience wanted to know about Amber as a character – mainly surrounding body issues and identity. Derek explained that he reads as much as he can of his fans’ tweets, Facebook messages, blogs and emails and wanted to reflect what he had learned to help him develop Amber’s character. He wanted to challenge the idea that “people who aren’t immediately beautiful are ugly,” and has done so in a relatable way. He also touched upon the importance of creating strong female characters – citing Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a huge influence, and why he chose to write about a teenage girl, joking “I was never a teenage girl… that phase just passed me right by!”

Young writers in the audience will have been inspired by Derek’s in-depth discussion of his writing process. From forming the bare bones of an idea, to scrapping everything he had written a month before his deadline (!) in order to re-work it. Derek reassured budding authors that it’s okay to take a breather if something isn’t right, as well as sharing tons of other valuable writing tips.

A brilliant evening was had by all – even though Derek failed to deliver on his promise to explain the plot of his new novel entirely through interpretive dance! Derek really brings the humour of his novels to life when he speaks and also took the time to sign copies of his new book for all his fans. After a hilarious and hugely entertaining event, I can’t wait for the next instalment of Derek Landy’s new series and hope to see him again very soon!

What else I learnt…

• He found Dying of the Light the most fun to write in the Skulduggery Pleasant series
• He has no plans for a prequel to the series because he “has seen Star Wars!” (We’re secretly a little gutted about that but you just can’t fault his reasoning!)
• If Derek could have a superpower, he’d choose teleportation – so that he’d never be late for anything again!
• The favourite line he has ever written is, “I’ve always been a bit of a Baroque chick!”

Don’t miss out on YA events at Seven Stories – join the mailing list by emailing hannah.lambert@sevenstories.org.uk … here’s a round up of what you can look forward to this season! 

EVENTS NOT TO MISS THIS AUTUMN

Autumn’s fast approaching and we can’t wait to welcome the new events season with open arms! Those of you who have kept your ear to the ground will know that we’ve got some amazing events coming up over the approaching months. If you haven’t heard (where’ve you been?) I’ll fill you in…

On 17 September join us as we welcome two firm favourites of the YA scene. Sarah Crossan (author of Carnegie shortlisted Weight of Water and Apple and Rain) and Jenny McLachlan (author of Flirty Dancing and Love Bomb) will be in conversation with their agent Julia Churchill in our very own Attic. We’re super excited about this one…

Sarah Crossan’s new novel One tells the memorable story of conjoined twins, Tippi and Grace (Read our review here). Moving and emotional, One is gaining attention fast, and is listed in The Telegraph’s best YA books of 2015.  It’s also written entirely in free verse. Cool, right?

Fans of Jenny McLachlan’s hysterical Flirty Dancing and Love Bomb will be thrilled to hear there’s another one to add to the series. A hilarious read, Sun Kissed tells the tale of character Kat’s summer holiday in Sweden – with no friends and no phone signal (but one very hot Swede – you win some, you lose some!) The setting is inspired by Jenny’s own
travels to the country, which you can see snaps of here. If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, or just a bit of a giggle – like the girls over at Bloomsbury – then this is the book for you!

Both Sarah and Jenny started their careers in schools. Hear how teaching has influenced their writing styles, how they became the award-winning YA authors they are today and why they think having the right agent is so important.  There will be plenty of time to ask questions after the talk, so get thinking about what you’d like to know! There’ll be a book signing, too, so bring along your own copies or grab some shiny new ones from our bookshop.

But wait, there’s MORE! (I know, we aim to please).

Patrick Ness is coming! Yes, you read that correctly: Patrick Ness! Make sure you don’t miss out on seeing this multi award winning YA megastar, as he discusses his brand-new book The Rest of Us Just Live Here (released November 2015). If you want to hear Patrick talk a little about the book beforehand, you can listen to this Podcast from the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

A book about finding the remarkable in the everyday, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a relatable must read for all YA fans.

Learn all about Patrick’s writing process at the event, where he finds inspiration for his enormously successful novels and what he thinks the future for the genre holds.

We can’t wait and we’re sure you can’t either! So, snap up those tickets and tell your friends – we’ll see you there!

Paper Towns by John Green

It’s the age old question of Book vs Film…we’ve seen adaptations many times before (with varying success!): Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies; The Mortal Instruments, Beautiful Creatures and most recently The Fault in Our Stars.

We’re left to question: will the characters be as you imagined…? Will the story be the same…? Perhaps you love the way a book can be re-imagined and interpreted for the big screen. Perhaps, like me, however much you try not to, you now read a new book and imagine how it will be made into a film and who would play the characters.

And now we are about to embark on another adaptation. This August Paper Towns will hit the screens.

A firm favourite in the Seven Stories office as well as obviously being a huge hit amongst fans of YA around the globe – Paper Towns the film will have much to live up to.

For those of you who have not yet read the book – shame on you! But never fear, why not start now and join in Guardian Books’ #PaperTownsRead readalong?

The story begins with Quentin ‘Q’ Jacobson tucked up in bed at 9pm as usual (because, we are told, “that is his bedtime”) only to find his much lusted after neighbour and lifelong crush Margo Roth Speigelman’s face pressed up against his bedroom window.  This is the moment Q has been waiting for and the two teenagers head off on a heady all-night tour of their home town whilst Margo wreaks havoc and revenge.

This is the last time Q sees Margo.  From then on – the mystery surrounding her disappearance can only be pieced together by cryptic clues that Q and his friends must follow.

Margo’s character is only ever defined by how other people view her.  Enigmatic, selfish to the core, beautiful and aloof, mischievous and slightly unhinged or delicate and deeply troubled.  Q idolises her.  Lacey – the best friend has a complicated, competitive opinion of Margo although loyally joins the boys to find her. Margo’s parents rather callously declare “they are done” and change the locks on discovering Margo has disappeared. It is impossible to fully understand who Margo really is…but this is a question that we the reader are left to answer.

Paper Towns is a brilliantly written, funny, painfully honest adventure that takes Q on an investigative journey to try and save Margo.  I love how the story is not just a mystery about a missing teenager but also about true friendship; understanding that people are not always how they appear and sometimes we need to look beneath the bravado.

• What book would you make into a film?

• What do you think makes for a good adaptation…it’s a tricky one to call! 

Q and Margo made their way onto the list of our favourite Star-crossed Lovers from YA fiction that we posted on Valentines’ Day 2015.

Hannah x

Demon Road with Derek Landy this August

We can’t wait to be part of Derek Landy’s UK tour this August! Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Derek Landy, creator of international sensation Skulduggery Pleasant, in an intimate event in our Attic for the launch of his mind-blowing new supernatural thriller Demon Road. To celebrate the announcement of this event we gave 14 year old Sophie Ellison a sneaky peak at the new novel, here’s what she thought.

“Most teenagers have a fractious relationship with their parents, but 16 year old Amber Lamont’s mother and father are in a different league.

Amber always felt that there was something different about her parents and their friends, she just didn’t realise how different until one night a family secret shatters Amber’s world, changing her life forever.

Amber is forced to run.

One epic road trip.

21 days.

504 hours.

Can Amber outrun vampires, demons and un-dead serial killers before her time runs out? Buckle up. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.

This is without a doubt one of the best YA books I have read, it’s fast pace and terrifying plot line kept me on the edge of my seat right until the last page. Glen was my favourite character, full of Irish wit and sarcasm, adding humour to the darkness of Demon Road.  I hope you enjoy this epic road trip as much as I did.” 

Sophie Ellison, ages 14.

Click here to book your tickets for Demon Road with Derek Landy on Saturday 29 August at 6pm.

This Season’s Events for Grown Ups!

Whether you want to find out more about how your favourite authors get their ideas or you want to pick an illustrator’s brains about their creative process – we have something for everyone this season.

How to Be Bad with E.Lockhart

Sunday 21 June

6pm

Starbucks at Malmaison Hotel, Newcastle Quayside, NE1 3DX

YA author E.Lockhart (We Were Liars, The Boyfriend List) will be visiting Newcastle on Sunday 21 June as part of a 2,000 mile tour to celebrate the release of How to Be Bad, her new book with Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski.

Join us at Malmaison Hotel on Newcastle Quayside for the chance to meet E.Lockhart herself and find out more about her popular novels. Ask questions and enjoy an evening with E.Lockhart herself.

How to Be Bad follows the story of three girls who go on a roadtrip to escape their homes in Niceville. Each of the three authors – Lockhart, Myracle and Mlynowski – each wrote a different character and each chapter is written from the voice of one of the girls.

Bring along your books from home, this event will be followed by a book signing (pre-signed bookplates from Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski will also be available)

Find out more about the event on our YA blog.

#lockhartroadtrip.

BOOK NOW

Free event, booking recommended. Please purchase beverages from the venue.

 

Illustration Master Class with Jonny Duddle

Wednesday 19 August

9.30am – 4pm

16+

Jonny Duddle is the illustrator of The Pirate Cruncher, The Pirates Next Door and dinosaur fable, Giganotosaurus. He spends most of his time drawing and busily creating worlds based on his time as a pirate…arrrh!

Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to work alongside Jonny Duddle and find out more about how he began his varied illustration career and the steps of his creative process before developing your own skills. Come along and learn how to use different artistic techniques, inspired by Jonny’s vibrant style, to create your own artwork.

BOOK NOW

Booking essential. £45 per person, no additional admission fee required. Includes lunch. Suitable for ages 15 and over.

 

An Evening with Sarah Crossan and Jenny McLachlan

Thursday 17 September

6pm

Meet  Sarah Crossan (author of Carnegie shortlisted Weight of Water and Apple and Rain) and Jenny McLachlan(author of Flirty Dancing and Love Bomb) in conversation with their agent Julia Churchill.

Hear how teaching has influenced their writing styles, their career routes into becoming YA authors and why having the right agent is so important.  Fans of Sarah and Jenny can ask questions about their work and favourite characters while aspiring authors can find out more about a career in writing for young adults.

BOOK NOW

£5 per person, no additional admission fee required. Show your ticket in the Bookshop to redeem £5 off any of Sarah or Jenny’s back catalogue.

Supported by Bloomsbury

 

An Evening with Patrick Ness

Wednesday 11 November

6pm – 8pm  

“On the day we’re the last people to see indie kid Finn alive, we’re all sprawled together in The Field, talking about love and stomachs.”

Don’t miss two time Carnegie Medal Winner and YA favourite, Patrick Ness as he discusses his brand-new book The Rest of Us Just Live Here (released November 2015). Hear Patrick talk candidly about his writing process, where he finds inspiration for his dystopian novels and what he thinks the future for the genre holds.

BOOK NOW

Booking essential. £15 per person includes a copy of The Rest of Us Just Live Here, posted out to you on the date of publication.

E. Lockhart is Coming to Newcastle!

NEWCASTLE!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

E.LOCKHART IS COMING TO NEWCASTLE IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!

She’s written about liars, written about having a disreputable reputation and now she’s teaching us how to be bad. Her newest book is a classic teenage American road trip, written with Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski. Three authors, three girls, 3 stories, one car. Jesse and Vicks have always been best friends but they’re drifting apart, Vicks has become distant and Jesse is keeping a BIG secret from her. Desperate to keep things together Jesse comes up with a plan, a road trip; an escape from her current reality, the problem? They have a guidebook and a “borrowed” car, enter Mel the new girl, she’s fast becoming friends with Vicks but Jesse’s disliking her on principle. She has family money though and might just be the solution Jesse needs.

The purpose of the trip was to visit Vicks boyfriend who’s moved away to college and has since become increasingly absent, and hopefully bring Vicks and Jesse back together but along the way they’ll meet cute guys, adopt a duck, break into a museum to visit an ancient gator, spend the day at Epcot and fight A LOT.

In the end though….well I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you that it’s a great summer read. The authors write for a different girl and blend the stories together beautifully. I think Mel was my favourite but honestly, that kept changing. Having been trapped in a small car with friends while travelling, the struggle is real. The fights over the music, the tension when two of you fall out and the really, really  needing to pee but not wanting to be the person to stop the car…again.

To celebrate, Hot Key Books are taking E.Lockhart on a whirlwind tour of the UK, and they wanted to bring her to Seven Stories. Unfortunately for the first time in ten years we’re actually closed for a make-over SO the lovely people at the Malmaison on the Quayside are letting us take over Starbucks for the night on Sunday 21^st June from 6pm to bring E to Newcastle to meet all of you!

This is not a speedy book signing, because Newcastle fangirls are the best we’re getting to spend actual time with her, you just have to PROMISE you’ll buy coffee. Lots of coffee, and maybe cake. And hey, with all of the coffee and the sugar we can have the most hyper event EVER!

So click on this link and book a (free) ticket, then turn up, bring lots of questions buy a coffee and a book!

We’ll see you there!

Lorna x

An Evening with Sarah Crossan and Jenny McLachlan

In September this year Seven Stories will have the pleasure of welcoming two YA superstars to Seven Stories. Sarah Crossan (author of Carnegie shortlisted Weight of Water and Apple and Rain) and Jenny McLachlan(author of Flirty Dancing and Love Bomb) will be in conversation with their agent Julia Churchill and answering all of your burning questions.

Both Sarah and Jenny started their careers in schools. Hear how teaching has influenced their writing styles, how they became the award-winning YA authors they are today and why they think having the right agent is so important.  Fans of Sarah and Jenny can ask questions about their work and favourite characters while aspiring authors can find out more about a career in writing for young adults.

The Weight of Water has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal as well as being selected for Seven Stories Hooks into Books packs and used as part of our Diverse Voices project in 2014. Told entirely in poem form The Weight of Water is an innovative and poignant read – telling the story of Kasienka and her mother who have travelled from Poland to Coventry in the hope that they will find Kasienka’s father.

Sarah’s second book Apple and Rain was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and Hooks into Books and follows Apollina (who goes by the name of Apple). She is determined to ask her mum why she gave her such an unusual name, if she ever meets her again. Apple and Rain explores family tensions and loneliness through a mixture of poetry and prose and cleverly articulates Apple’s true feelings. Did you know that the jacket covers for Apple and Rain and The Weight of Water have been illustrated by two well-known illustrators Yasmeen Ismail and Oliver Jeffers – Seven Stories has the preliminary sketches for other works by Yasmeen in our archive!

Fans of Geek Girl by Holly Smale will love Jenny Crossan’s smart and funny Flirty Dancing (the first book of a series of four!) and Love Bomb. Flirty Dancing is the story of Bea Hogg who is shy but fiery inside and was also chosen as one of Seven Stories’ Hooks into Books reads. Starwars, the national dance competition has arrived at Bea’s school and excitement is in the air! Bea cant wait to enter with her friends, only they have other ideas. Shunning Bea, her friends create a group without her, leaving Bea out in the cold. Bea decides to fight back,  by entering the competition with the hottest boy in school. A laugh out loud story of friendship and dancing, Flirty Dancing is book 1 in the Ladybirds series.

This warm, nuanced, hilarious story about friendship, fortitude . . . and dancing is impossible not to fall in love with. Jenny’s voice is fresh and convincing, and she handles both darker and lighter elements of the story with equal panache.We were surprised to find out that when Jenny McLachlan was editing the book for the U.S. market, she had to remove and replace words minger, natch, snogging and nibbles!

Tickets are only £5 per person and no additional admission fee required. Plus, show your ticket in the Bookshop to redeem £5 off any of Sarah or Jenny’s back catalogue. Bargain! CLICK HERE to book your ticket today. Supported by Bloomsbury.

 

Lauren x