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#LoveOzYA Interview: Fiona Wood

Aug 26, 2016

I love Aussie YA. I love reading books from authors that live in the same country as me, that know things that people out of Australia might be so confused about. I love how sometimes they can incorporate this into their book and it is fabulous.

So I decided to created a feature where I interview Australian Young Adult authors about their craft, journey and some interesting facts. I thought it was a fun way for everyone around the world to get to know these authors and maybe make them want to pick up their books. And that is what I am aiming to do, spread the word about #LoveOZYA and get everyone reading it.

You can check out my previous interviews with authors like Jay Kristoff, Gabrielle Tozer, Sarah Ayoub, Jessica Shirvington, and last week Nansi Kunze author of at Angel Reads.

This week is the ever so amazing Fiona Wood, author of Six Impossible Things ( 2010, Pan Macmillan), Wildlife (2013, Pan Macmillan), and Cloudwish (2015, Macmillan).

Hi Fiona, and welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi, Angel, thanks for inviting me over. I write YA fiction. My books are Six Impossible Things, Wildlife and Cloudwish. One of my favourite things is reading in bed. I also like walking, cooking and eating, and visiting galleries and museums. I have two young adult children. I live in Melbourne. I’m an ambassador for the Stella Prize Schools Program, and for the Ardoch Youth Foundation ‘Own a Word’ program.

I despair of the political climate in Australia. The way we treat asylum seekers and refugees in off-shore detention, for example, is a disgrace. I needed to find ways to say I welcome refugees, beyond the rallies and petitions, so I’m in my eighth year as a volunteer tutor at Friday Night School, where I tutor the mothers of some of our students from Sudan and Somalia; and I’m on the leadership team of ‘Befriend a Child in Detention’, a project that sends books to children still living in detention-like conditions on Nauru, and in community detention in Australia, and raises awareness of the ongoing plight of the children and their families.

What has your writing journey been like? Where did you start? Why?

My journey looks like this: early start – first novel, Mystery at the Manor, written in year 8. Study. Work. Turn 30. Is it that time already? Children o’clock! Have two adorable babies. Not at the same time. Don’t forget writing. Quickly, start now. Freelance journalism. Study screenwriting at RMIT. Write TV scripts for twelve years. TV show cancelled. Uninvited character comes knocking at my brain. He’s a novel, not a script. Write a book now. NOW. Write Six Impossible Things. Phew. Finally. The difficult second novel. (It’s no Mystery at the Manor.) (Just as well.) Sell book. Write another book. Wildlife. Write another book. Cloudwish. Write another…

What was the process of getting your first book published?

I’d worked with Simmone Howell (Girl Defective) on a television show, The Secret Life of Us, and when our paths crossed again a few years later, she was kind enough to read a draft of Six Impossible Things and thought her publisher might like it. I sent it to Claire Craig at Pan Macmillan; she did like it, and offered me a contract – after I’d done another draft.

Was it different when getting your proceeding books published?

Once I had the contract for Six Impossible Things, I looked for representation. When I’d written my next manuscript, Wildlife, and a synopsis of Cloudwish, my agent negotiated a three-book deal for me in America, where I had offers from three of the ‘big five’ publishers. My books are published by Little, Brown in the US, and Pan Macmillan in Australia.

What was the difference between getting your books published here in Australia and internationally?

It’s equally exciting. It’s fun seeing different approaches to covers, and seeing your work in translation. And it is lovely to think that something you wrote from an Australian perspective resonates with readers in other countries.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

Some of my favourite Australian YA writers are Jaclyn Moriarty, Melina Marchetta, Cath Crowley and Simmone Howell. Some favourite books from the last year or so include The Other Side of Summer by Emily Gale, The Guy, The Girl, The Artist and His Ex by Gabrielle Williams, The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman, and Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley.

There are piles of OzYA books I have yet to read, that I know I’ll love, but I mostly read old adult books, so I’m always behind with my young adult reading.

Have you read any of these books by Fiona Wood? You can find Fiona on twitter at @f_i_o_n_a_w_, her website and don’t forget to add her books to your goodreads.

Cloudwish

Pages: 288
Publish date: September 1st 2016
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1743533128
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

For Vân Uoc Phan, fantasies fall into two categories: nourishing, or pointless. Daydreaming about Billy Gardiner, for example? Pointless. It always left her feeling sick, as though she’d eaten too much sugar.

Vân Uoc doesn’t believe in fairies, zombies, vampires, Father Christmas – or magic wishes. She believes in keeping a low profile: real life will start when school finishes.

But when she attracts the attention of Billy Gardiner, she finds herself in an unwelcome spotlight.

Not even Jane Eyre can help her now.

Wishes were not a thing.

They were not.

Correction.

Wishes were a thing.

Wishes that came true were sometimes a thing.

Wishes that came true because of magic were not a thing!

Were they?

***

Thank you Fiona for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you read any of Fiona’s books? Did you like them? Are you going to read them? Let’s Chat!

Come back next week for some more Aussie fun. If you want to know more about the #LoveOZYA movement check out the website for all the details.

Book Review: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Aug 23, 2016

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Pages: 373
Publish date: 2015
Publisher: Macmillan’s Children Books
ISBN: 9781509809875
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily’s other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can’t hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

Trial by Fire:

I received a copy of Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini from Macmillan’s Children Books in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to pick this book up, just by the synopsis I was hooked. It has everything that I enjoy in novels; fantasy, romance, and witches and while it may not be my favourite novel out there, I can say that I loved it and cannot wait to read more.

Trial by Fire follows protagonist Lily Proctor, whose life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying life so when a high school party comes along she wants to enjoy it with her best friend and long-time crush; but everything doesn’t go to plan. Unexpectedly, Lily is now in a different Salem. A Salem that is full of magic, horrifying creatures and ruled by Lily’s other self in this alternative universe.

I found at first that Lily was a hard protagonist to get along with, I guess it’s her naivety that stood out; it was just the simplest of things that she couldn’t understand. However, as the novel went on Lily grew immensely and I loved her by the end.

I loved the dynamic between Lily and the other characters that she meets along the way. They just have this bond about them, that alone kept me wanting to read on. Rowan, Tristan and Caleb are just brilliant, and when all four are brought together, things are bound to happen. They all have different personalities, but they just all seem to work.

The characterisation of all the main characters was fantastic and each seemed to grow as the novel went on. We would find something about them, that even the character themselves didn’t know. They were so well thought and fleshed out.

I adored the world of Trial by Fire, it was seriously mysterious and awesome. I was intrigued by the get go and I wanted to know more and more as the story went on. The world was so different to other fantasy worlds and I loved it. I also liked the world building of Angelini – she didn’t throw everything at us at once, but she also didn’t leave us hanging. It was a perfect balance.

The dialogue and writing style of Trial by Fire was also epic. Easy to read, flowed perfectly, funny and meaningful at the same time. There were quite a few moments that I had to hold a laugh in so I wouldn’t wake up the whole house.

Now to the romance. Do you know how hard it is to find a fantasy series without a love triangle? – hard, very hard. And when I started the book I thought that was the way it was going to go, but it didn’t and that is a big tick in my books.

Rowan was so swoon worthy, he just demeaned the attention of the reader whenever he was in a scene. In saying that he was also pretty cranky and something that she cracked me up. I love the tension between Rowan and Lily, it was so intense, much like the book. However, I accidentally read the synopsis for the third book…

However, there is one major thing about Trial by Fire that killed me. The cliff-hanger, and no it wasn’t something small, it was big – like catastrophic. And I am trying to hold off reading the second book, until the release day for the third book is closer.

Overall, Trial by Fire is a captivating read that grabbed my attention from the get go. The world building is fantastic, well fleshed out characters that are fascinating, a world that is immersing and dialogue that is spot on. I am so looking forward to reading more.

Trial by Fire was my type of book, but how did you enjoy it? Have you read it? Have you read anything else by Josephine Angelini? Are you looking forward to the final book in this series.

#LoveOzYA Interview: Nansi Kunze

Aug 19, 2016

So I decided to created a feature where I interview Australian Young Adult authors about their craft, journey and some interesting facts. I thought it was a fun way of everyone around the world to get to know these authors and maybe make them want to pick up their books. And that is what I am aiming to do, spread the word about #LoveOZYA and get everyone reading it.

You can check out my previous interviews with authors like Jay Kristoff, Gabrielle Tozer, Sarah Ayoub, Jessica Shirvington, and last week Helen Chebatte at Angel Reads.

This week we have Nansi Kunze author of Mishaps (2008, Random House), Dangerously Placed (2011, Random House) and Kill the Music (2013, Random House)

Hi Nansi, welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi everyone! My name’s Nansi and I am a Weirdo.

Hi, Nansi. *all the other Weirdos wave politely*

Uh … sorry, can we start that again? I just had this sudden feeling I was at a Weirdoholics Anonymous meeting. No, that’s not a real thing. Why? Have you heard of them? ‘Cos I’d be quite inter–

Ahem.

I’m Nansi Kunze. I’m the author of three YA mystery novels: Mishaps, Dangerously Placed and Kill the Music. Before they were published, I taught things like foreign languages, computing skills and ESL to kids and adults.

What has your writing journey been like? When did you start? Why?

Unlike most authors I know, I didn’t always want to be a writer. When I was 25, my husband and I moved to Gippsland (south-eastern Victoria), and I was inspired by its beautiful green landscape to try writing a historical novel for adults. My novel sucked, but once I’d had a taste of what it was like to create my own world and my own characters I was addicted.

To justify the time I was spending on writing by making it a paying job, I started writing short stories. I had a couple published in magazines, but no major sense of progress. It wasn’t until I wrote my first story for a younger audience, which won the FAW Mary Grant Bruce Award back in 2002, that I realised it was no good trying to pretend I could think – or write – like a grownup. I began working on my first YA manuscript, and have never looked back.

I use being a writer as an excuse to create slightly odd clothes from second-hand stuff and then wear them to author talks and festivals. So far, the most fun I’ve had doing that was at a local potato festival, where I wore an 18th-century ballgown I made out of used potato sacks.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

I had a manuscript assessment agency look at my first YA novel and revised it as they suggested, then sent it out to a few publishers. It was rejected by all of them, but the lovely Zoe Walton at Random House Australia let me know that she’d enjoyed it and would like to see more of my work. So I wrote my next novel as quickly as possible, polished it as much as I could (with the help of some awesome beta-readers) and sent it straight out to her. That manuscript became my first published book, Mishaps.

Was it different when getting your subsequent books published?

Yeah, it was. Zoe and the team at Random House had made it clear that they were interested in seeing more manuscripts from me, but that there was no pressure to produce them instantly. My son was only two months old when Mishaps was accepted for publication, so not having a deadline for another book was a huge relief for me! Being able to submit my subsequent novels directly to an editor and talk over things like plot changes and lengths felt like a real privilege, though. I think I learned a huge amount from that more in-house process.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

I’m a big fan of Ellie Marney’s Every series, Marianne dePierres’s Night Creatures series and Michael Pryor’s Laws of Magic books. I really loved my friend Kate Gordon’s latest book Writing Clementine, which recently won the Ena Noel Award. And I’m always blown away by the emotive power of Jackie French’s books – I’ve just read Refuge and can’t recommend it highly enough.

I have yet to read Nansi’s books, but I plan to get on it. You can find Nansi on twitter at @NansiKunze, her website and don’t forget to add her books to your goodreads

Mishaps by Nansi Kunze

Pages: 292
Publish date: February 1st 2008
Publisher: Random House Children’s
ISBN: 1741662753
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Sometimes bad luck is more than coincidence…

Pen O’Connell is, without a doubt, the unluckiest girl at Callindra Secondary College. Her dream date’s just fallen through, her dog has literally eaten her homework, and don’t even mention the incident at school camp. But when Pen meets Sebastian Meyer, teenage genius and genetics expert, she begins to wonder if everything that happens to her really is just bad luck.

Could the bizarre theory that’s turned every teacher in the school against Sebastian explain why Pen is more likely to get a head injury than a hot date? Why does Pen’s name strike terror into the heart of pop princess Sereena? And just how far will Pen go to get what she deserves?

***

Thank you Nansi for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you read any of Nansi’s books? Did you like them? Are you going to read them? Let’s Chat!

Come back next week for some more Aussie fun. If you want to know more about the #LoveOZYA movement check out the website for all the details.