Featured on Friday: Keren David

Keren David is the 2010 debut author of When I Was Joe and it’s sequel, Almost True, which will be released in August this year. Keren lives and writes in London.

1. Is there a specific time or place that you do your best writing in?
I quite often find myself writing between 10pm and midnight, when I've had the whole day to think about what to write and my children are in bed. In an ideal world I'd have a nice light study with a big desk and bookshelves - I'm sure I'd do my best writing there - but at the moment I have to make do with the dining table.

2. Who were your favourite authors as a teenager? Are they different to your current favourites?
When I was a teenager there weren't many YA books around, although I loved - and still love - SE Hinton's The Outsiders. I also liked Agatha Christie's crime novels, Georgette Heyer's historical romances, and classics like Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. I've not read any Christie lately, but I still love all the others.

3. If you were only allowed to take three books to a desert island, what would they be?
Oh that's a really hard question. One might have to be a survival guide, but assuming they're there for entertainment then I'd take two big thick heavy classic novels to keep me going, probably Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) and Bleak House (Dickens). And Bridget Jones's Diary to make me laugh.

4. Is there a novel that you wish you’d written? Why?
I had a severe case of book envy recently when I read Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Stunning writing.

5. Gang crime is a highly publicised topic in the UK at the moment that uninvolved people often don’t think about. Why did you decide to write about it?
I started off with the idea of writing about witness protection. I liked the idea of a teenager struggling with his identity. The crime was less important to me. But when I was writing there was a horrific spate of knife crime in London, some of it gang-related. Everything I read in the papers helped me understand Ty and the world he came from. It turned into a book about gangs and knife crime.

6. Where did you get all of your information on gangs, organised crime, witness protection and police procedures from?
My background is news journalism so I already knew quite a bit from years and years of reporting and news editing. I read the papers and I talked to a friend who is a criminal barrister and has worked with protected witnesses. For the sequel Almost True I consulted an old school friend who has been a police officer for 25 years about police procedure. I also read the Home Office guidelines on intimidated witnesses, and about as many actual cases as I could find, particularly that of Danielle Cable who had to take on a new identity when she was a teenager and witnessed her boyfriend being stabbed to death. Later on I read the report of the House of Commons Select Committee on knife crime. But some things I just made up.

7. Ty’s personality changed drastically with his new name and appearance. Why did you do this? Do you think that these factors have a substantial influence on behaviour?
The teenage years are a time when your identity is shifting and changing, when you believe in the ability to change yourself completely. Ty wasn't very happy or confident as Ty, and he falls in love with the idea that he can be someone different as Joe. The question really is how deep that change can go. On the surface Joe is cool and confident, underneath the old, scared, sensitive Ty is still there - and he's very traumatised so his grip on either identity is a bit shaky.

8. Will we learn more about Ty’s London life in Almost True?
Yes and also about his early life.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you tell us anything about it?
I'm at the very early stages of starting out on something new. It's very strange not writing as Ty and I miss him. The narrator is a girl - you wouldn't think that would be more difficult, but it is.

Thank you very much, Keren! You can visit Keren’s blog here and read my review of When I Was Joe here.

Sophie

When I Was Joe - Keren David

When I Was Joe - Keren David

Pages: 364
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Release Date: 7th January 2010

It’s one thing watching someone get killed.

It’s quite another talking about it.

But Ty does talk about it. He names some ruthless people and a petrol-bomb attack forces him and his mum into hiding under police protection.

Shy loser Ty gets a new name, a new look and a cool new image. Life as Joe is good. But the gangsters will stop at nothing to silence him. And then he meets a girl with a dangerous secret of her own.

A completely irresistible thriller by an exciting new writer.

Keren David’s thrilling debut novel, When I Was Joe, far surpassed my expectations. I loved it.

Ty/Joe has an engaging voice that pulls you into the depths of his story and instantly made me like and sympathise with him, even though I knew he wasn’t telling me everything. One of the most individual aspects of Ty’s character was how when he felt scared or intimated his speech slipped from normal English to East London gangster slang. It would probably make readers who aren’t familiar with how it sounds laugh, but this transition really highlighted how different the life Ty lived in London was. I actually would have liked to have seen a bit more of his previous life, actually.

The cast of supporting characters are just as vibrant and life-like as Ty is. Sisters Ellie and Claire are such opposites that you might no believe they were actually related! Ellie is loud, sporty and bossy, while Claire is shy, quiet and a little dorky, which is in fact likely to be the case for lots of sisters. Ashley is the type of girl who gives teen girls a bad name and I really hated her. I’m actually quite surprised at how strongly! Part way through When I Was Joe, I began to think that I’d judged her too harshly and that there was something more under the surface. I was wrong: she’s mean, manipulative and a bully.

But fantastic characters aside, my favourite aspect of When I Was Joe is all of the mysteries and unanswered questions. What really happened that night? What’s Claire hiding? Who planted the petrol bomb? Who’s trying to kill Ty and his Mum? Luckily, all of these questions were

answered by the end of the novel and I can’t remember any strings left untied, while enough was left hanging for me to be anxious to read the sequel.

Keren David has written an action-packed and suspense-filled novel that remains gritty and real. Ty’s story continues in Almost True later this year.

For my 2010 Debut Author Challenge, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie

My Totally Secret Diary - Dee Shulman

My Totally Secret Diary: Reality TV Nightmare - Dee Shulman

Pages: 128
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 4th February 2010

Other Titles in the Series: On Stage in America

If you happen to pick up this books - PLEASE don’t show it to anybody. It is totally PRIVATE. And quite disheartening.

It tells the tragical story of a helpless innocent person (me) trying to live an ordinary private life with a very DIFFICULT mother.

But how can you live an ordinary private life if your difficult mother invites a TV crew to come film in your house???

How are you supposed to keep that a secret from everyone at school???!

My Totally Secret Diary: Reality TV Nightmare is the second graphic novel-style diary of 11-year-old Polly.

I really loved the format of Reality TV Nightmare. The diary entries were interspersed will full colour doodles, photographs of Polly’s friends and pictures from her magazines. Even her writing had spelling mistakes and crossings out. A completely authentic tween diary.

I felt so sorry for poor Polly, though. The eccentric and really annoying Vanilla, yep, Vanilla, and Polly’s selfish, self-centred Mum made Polly’s life a misery. I don’t think I would have lasted as long as she did without snapping!

This is a short, sweet and very funny diary perfect for young teen or tween girls. Pure fun!

Sophie

In My Mailbox 45

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. If you want more information check out their blogs. All summaries are from the book jackets.

Bought:

The Worst of Me - Kate le Vann

Cassidy has been feeling unsettled and adrift, but things look up when she meets an older boy called Jonah. She loves spending time with him and his friends, flattered to be included in their discussions. Jonah is sweet and sensitive and she’s never felt so happy.

But then Cassidy hears disturbing news about Jonah which shakes her trust in him and makes her question her own judgement. If you love someone, how far should you go to overlook their faults?

A sharply insightful story about the sometimes painful process of growing up and thinking for yourself.

I love Kate le Vann’s books. They’re always very sweet and very sad.

My Love Lies Bleeding - Alyxandra Harvey

“They’re close,” she murmered. “Watching.”
“Run?” I suggested. “Like right now?”
She shook her head.
“If we act like prey, they’ll act like predators.”

Solange has always known she is a vampire. And as theonly female vampire ever born, not initiated, she is surrounded by danger on all sides - from other vampire tribes who want to take her blood into their lineage, and from the bounty hunters who are set on destroying her and her family.

When she is kidnapped, it’s up to her older brother, Nicholas, and best friend, Lucy, to save her.

But can Lucy save herself from Nicholas, who tempts her with every look - what will be her own fate if she surrenders her heart to a vampire?

I’m really looking forward to read this. And it’ll go towards my debut reading challenge.

The Medusa Project: The Set-Up - Sophie McKenzie

Fourteen years ago, scientist William Fox implanted four babies with the Medusa gene - a gene for psychic abilities. But Fox died and the babies were hidden away for years.

Now they’re teenagers - and unaware that their psychic powers are about to kick in.

Cocky, charismatic Nico thinks his emerging telekinetic abilities will bring him money, power and the girl of his dreams. He’s about to find out just how wrong he is…

This sounds like an episode of Fringe, which I love, so I’m really looking forward to this.

New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion - Mark Cotta Vaz

Academy Award-nominated director Chris Weitz and his creative team have brought the second book in Stephenie Meyer’s riveting vampire romance saga to the big screen. Inside this deluxe visual companion, get an intimate look at the creation of the film.

With lavish, never-before-seen full-colour photographs, exclusive interviews with the cast and crew, and answers to questions about costume and set design, bestselling author Mark Cotta Vaz gives a special behind-the-scenes tour of the film millions have devoured. Inside you’ll get a glimpse into the director’s aesthetic inspiration, learn the secrets behind some the film’s most intense stunts, and learn just how a person can become a werewolf.

I actually got this for Christmas too but forgot to include it in last week’s IMM.

Sophie

Featured on Friday: Nina Malkin

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you enjoy the first Featured on Friday post of 2010 starring Nina Malkin...

Nina Malkin is the author of three books, one novella and a memoir. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and cats.

1. Is there a specific time or place that you do your best writing in?
I’ll write basically anywhere—in a closet, a refrigerator box—except a cute, trendy coffeehouse. Mostly I write at my desk, which is a slab of marble atop an old steel Singer sewing machine base. The wheel from the sewing machine spins when you pedal it — this may or not help the creative process, but it does tone the calves. Time-wise, I prefer to write in the morning, when the stuff that comes in dreams spills out.

2. Who were your favourite authors as a teenager? Are they different to your current favourites?
I read a lot of horror fiction when I was younger, Poe to King. Lately I’ve been in a crime phase—hard-boiled detective stuff (Hammett’s a favourite), true crime (just finished James Ellroy’s “My Dark Places”), pulp/noir—I recently got a collection of three Jim Thompson novels I’m eager to crack.

3. If you were only allowed to take three books to a desert island, what would they be?
Dang, I hate these desert island questions! How come they’re never dessert islands? Okay…the Bible, because it’s big and fat and I’ve never read it. Flannery O’Connor’s “The Complete Stories,” since I could read them over and over. Finally, a huge notebook with sketchbook quality paper so I might amuse myself with stories and drawings of my own.

4. Is there a novel that you wish you’d written? Why?
Sometimes I’ll come upon a clever turn of phrase, a metaphor or a pun and think, “Damn, wish I wrote that!” But I’ve never read a novel and wished it were mine. Novels are offspring, so coveting another author’s work would feel to me like kidnapping.

5. Swoon is very different from your previous books. What inspired you to write it?
My first two novels, 6X: The Uncensored Confessions and 6X: Loud, Fast, and Out of Control, were about rock ‘n’ roll, inspired by my music industry experiences. SWOON is a much more personal story. I’d been screwed over, bad, and obsessing about the worst way someone could betray a trust. SWOON arose from that. Which of course proves the old adage: Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stranger.

6. So many different myths and lores are present in Swoon. Where did you find them and then decide to mesh them all together?
Much like SWOON’s heroine Dice, when she was investigating demonic possession, I’d get an idea, then try to suss it out on the Internet. I didn’t do tons of research, though, for two reasons: I wanted the story to feel fresh and not reflect much of some myth or lore you’ve heard before. And because I really prefer to make stuff up!

7. I felt that the end of Swoon wasn’t the end for Sin and Dice at all. Will you continue their story?
I know there are further adventures of Sin and Dice, and I get so many requests for a sequel, but my publisher hasn’t commissioned one. I have no clue why—the book is in its seventh printing, so I imagine it’s “successful.” That said, I believe that readers are continuing the story in their thoughts, their dreams, their exchanges with me and with others. To those SWOONIES I say thank-you! And here’s a tip: Sin has been hounding me about this, and come the New Year he may start a blog…

Thank you very much, Nina! You can visit Nina on her website here and read my review of Swoon here.

Sophie