"Gripping...a book to counter bigotry." The Sunday Times ......by Miriam Halahmy

This blog title is a quote from the review of my novel HIDDEN in The Sunday Times when Nicolette Jones made it Children' Book of the Week. HIDDEN was also nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted and longlisted for regional awards.

In two weeks time, a performance of the dramatisation of the book will be performed on stage in Paris.

So my book, published nearly three years ago, continues to speak to readers of all ages about it's central themes of human rights, the plight of asylum seekers and racism in Britain today.

This weekend my publishers, Albury Books,  are doing a free promotion on Amazon to raise the profile of HIDDEN  and the next two books in the Hayling cycle, ILLEGAL and STUFFED.




You can download HIDDEN for FREE here.

HIDDEN is a book which seems to have a life of its own and continues to engage readers including
teachers, librarians and anyone in fact who has any interest in these controversial and topical themes for our society today. One of the outcomes of writing this book is that I have been invited onto the Continent to run workshops on Peace and Tolerance with students at a Paris lycée.
I have blogged about this experience and included comments from the students and their writing from the workshops at this link.

Whole class sets of HIDDEN have been bought by a top independent school in South Africa, I have spoken at two schools in Germany and recently spoke at a conference in Oxford on 'Creativity as an Effective Tool for Social Change.'

I write because I have something to say and all my life I have written in notebooks, the backs of envelopes, on my hand if necessary, when I have needed to write and have been inspired to write. If you choose to download my novel this weekend. I hope you enjoy it and find something there to inspire you in your life as a citizen of the world.
www.miriamhalahmy.com

YA INTERROGATION WITH SISTER SPOOKY

This week we’re delighted to welcome Laura from Sister Spooky blog as our guest. 

Thanks for asking me to take part.  I usually just stick to ASKING questions on my blog in between reviews not answering them and these questions were surprisingly hard but easy at the same time!

Why do you READ and WRITE about teen/YA books?

I always found reading a big challenge as a teen and because I have dyslexia it meant that as much as I enjoyed reading and writing it was an uphill battle at times.  I rekindled my passion for reading through YA in my 20s and once I began reading other book blogs I decided to start my own as a small place for me to talk about books and hopefully where I could inspire some people to read something outside of their comfort zone.

What are the most ORIGINAL YA books that you have read?

At the time when I first encountered it in my early teens, The Secret Life of Adrian Mole aged 13 and 3/4 was a major revelation for me because it was a book from a boy's point of view that wasn't all about action packed adventures.  Compared to current books it's not an original really but when it first came out it was amazing.  More recent original YA I've read are Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne, Undone by Cat Clarke, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David LevithaN.  I better stop now before this list goes on and on.

What is a TURN OFF in YA fiction?

I'm not sure what the actual term is but I just refer to it as the "easy out".  When things are written off with magic or just something happening at the right moment but for no real reason other than it would be helpful to the plot.  I don't want the love interest to suddenly get they are in love with the MC just at that vital moment or that the one tool the MC needs to get out of a pickle is in their pocket.  If it's believable then YES but otherwise it just gets my back up.

What makes for a great YA book?

Characters with a voice.  If I'm reading about a MC or group of characters that have clear and honest voices and personalities then you can throw whatever you like at them and I'll love it just to see how they deal with it.

Which YA characters would you most like to take OUT TO DINNER and why?

Skarper from Goblins by Philip Reeve. He'd be a real rascal and funny to talk with. Magnus Bane from Cassandra Clare's TMI and TID series because no dinner parties are complete without Magnus. Oscar from Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton because geek boys own my heart and Jody from Rockoholic by C.J.Skuse because we'd gab about music for hours.

Who is your ideal YA HERO/HEROINE and why?

Hester from The Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve because she's such a broken person which such strength and weakness that I can't fault her even with all her flaws.

What is your dream YA ROMANTIC PAIRING and why?

Anna and Abel in The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis. I can't even begin to tell you how fantastic this book is. Totally blew my socks off and a surprise treat.

What makes you uncomfortable or question the BOUNDARIES OF YA fiction?

If I'm honest it's New Adult. I don't mind there being sex in YA and in fact I think there should be more when it's believable and honest to reality rather than overly sickly and romantic because it's not always like that. It's important for YA to embrace sex because teenagers have so it's not a shock to them. New Adult is fine but I think the uncomfortable level for me is when it's a blurry line in terms of how it's being pitched to YA markets. I think NA and YA is hard to separate at the moment to the point that even authors don't know if they are technically going into NA grounds. I once heard about a 50 Shades of Grey type book aimed at YA audience. I mean….seriously?

NA is great for a NA audience because there is a big difference to sex in YA and sex in NA.

What would you LIKE to see happening in YA over the next five years?

MORE FUNNY!  I love to laugh and the funny books I've found over the last year or two are stunning reads but often are few and fair between.  I would LOVE to see more UKYA authors getting audiences in the USA where there is a big market for it.  Plus I think that it seems like USYA authors when being "sold" to bloggers etc they get a lot of energy and cash thrown at them and UK ones get much less.  Might be just my own personal opinion but the playing field is no where near equal in that respect.

What do you think will ACTUALLY be the next big thing in YA fiction?

There seems to be the taste for fairytales of late but I'm not sure how long that will really last.  I think there will be a lot more contemporary books about big issues like alcoholism, drugs and mental illness because when they are done well they are hugely moving as well as amazing to read.

Give us your top FIVE TEEN/YA books please.

TOP 5 OF ALL TIME!! ONLY FIVE!!!

You guys are so strict!!

OK, in no special order

Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Bryne

Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

If you read ONE book this year, read THIS...

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb.  I go on and on about this one but I found it so funny and clever and had wonderful messages about dealing with divorce, teen existence, girls, geeks, friends and family.  Even made me shed a tear or two when a few moments hit home with me.  Plus it's UKYA!

Thanks so much for submitting to the interrogation, Laura.

Check out Laura’s book blog here: www.sisterspooky.co.uk

Or follow her on Twitter: @sisterspooky

Next Friday Michelle from Fluttering Butterflies undergoes the Edge Interrogation!

YA INTERROGATION WITH GUEST BLOGGER, VIVIENNE DACOSTA

This week, The Edge Writers are delighted to introduce YA book blogger Vivienne from Serendipity Reviews blog.

Hi everyone. Thank you Savita for inviting me onto The Edge. I have enjoyed featuring many of you on my own blog, so it is lovely to be able to return the favour.

1.      Viv, why do you READ and WRITE about teen/YA books?

That's an easy one. I read and write about  teen books because I simply love them. From the moment I read Twilight, I fell in love with YA. The books are normally fast paced and you are completely engulfed in the story by the end of the first chapter. YA books are about telling a damn good story, not trying to write the fanciest sentences. I don't want to spend hours trying to work out what the author is getting at - I want to embrace the main characters and delve into their lives.

2.      What are the most ORIGINAL YA books that you have read?

Oh crikey that is a hard one. I had to search back through hundreds of books and came back to a recent book I read that bowled me over. Ferryman by Claire McFall is definitely one of kind. I don't think I have ever read an after life story that has touched me so much. The idea of a Ferryman taking you to Heaven I know is an old idea, but the way Claire wrote it just took my breath away. Her writing alone, shows an originality in her voice, to the point, I feel I could spot her writing without her name attached to it.

3.      What is a TURN OFF in YA fiction?

Instant love. I imagine a lot of people have said this but it really is annoying and can easily turn me off a book. I know teenagers fall in and out of love a lot easier than adults, but they don't fall within seconds of meeting each other. In the last year or so, there has definitely been a move away from this type of story. The characters  falling in love lately have known each other most of their lives which makes it so much more believable.

4.      What makes for a great YA book?

Strong, identifiable characters. Fast paced plot. A first chapter with so many hooks I am practically trembling with excitement by the end of it. Lack of adults.

5.      Which YA characters would you most like to take OUT TO DINNER and why?

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines. In particular Beau! I fell in love with him from the first chapter. But then Abbi writes the most awesome male characters. He would be the eye candy for the dinner party.

Caelena from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. She is one of the strongest female characters I have ever come across and I know I could learn a lot about self defence from her.

Mary Shelley Black from In The Shadow of the Blackbirds by Cat Winters as she is one of the most interesting and quirky characters I have ever met. I just know we would be best friends.

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse from Barry Hutchison's hilarious book The 13th Horseman. They are so funny, I'm sure they would have great stories to tell around the dinner table. Their quick witted banter would keep the rest of the table entertained.

6.      Who is your ideal YA HERO/HEROINE and why?

Caelena from the Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. As I said above, she is the strongest female character I have ever met, stronger than Katniss from The Hunger Games. She is only young yet she can fight better than Lara Croft and has survived torture.

7.      What is your dream YA ROMANTIC PAIRING and why?

Lila and Alex from Sarah Alderson's Hunting Lila. I loved the chemistry between these two, they just set the book alight. I loved how feisty Lia was and the way Alex was so determined to protect her.

8.      What makes you uncomfortable or question the BOUNDARIES OF YA fiction?

I struggle with YA books that deal with child abuse. I think that comes from being a mum; any stories involving any sexual or violent abuse upset me and I find them really uncomfortable. I also struggle with incest. I still haven't been able to read Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma and ended up writing a post about it. That definitely stems from being a mum, as in my younger years I fell in love with Flowers In The Attic by Virginia Andrews.

9.      What would you LIKE to see happening in YA over the next five years?

I would like to see books have longer shelf lives. Within YA, there are so many books out there that it feels like many get lost in the stampede of new books and never get the attention they deserve. I want to walk into a book shop and see older YA still available not just the latest books out that month.

I would also like to see more UKYA, perhaps set in smaller towns and villages around the UK. We have some amazing and historical places of interest that deserve to have their stories told through YA, creating such interest that teens would actually want to visit them.

10.   What do you think will ACTUALLY be the next big thing in YA ficton?

That's an interesting question because at the moment, New Adult contemporary books are taking over the internet, but I'm not sure they have filtered down to the general public. I think book bloggers and tweeters see trends erupting long before they reach the book buyers. So New Adult is definitely about to storm the country. Followed closely by New Adult fantasy books which is practically non existent at the moment. I know NA is not YA, but I can guarantee a lot of teenagers will be reading them.

There is definitely a move away from paranormal books. I think angels and vampires have had their time in the spotlight for awhile and contemporary thrillers are stealing the limelight.

Give us your top FIVE TEEN/YA books please, Viv.

This is really hard. So I am going to go with my Top five out of the books I have read this year. I have to do it on a yearly basis because there are just too many amazing books.

From What I Remember by Stacey Kramer and Valerie Thomas

Ferryman by Claire McFall

The Quietness by Alison Rattle

In The Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Hidden Among Us by Katy Moran

And finally, Viv, if you read ONE book this year, read THIS...

Undone by Cat Clarke. It will destroy you. *passes hankies* Cat is an amazing storyteller and can write such emotional and realistic scenes.

Viv, thanks so much for submitting to the EDGE INTERROGATION!

Thanks for the torture! These were the hardest questions I have ever had to answer.

If you’d like to read more of Viv’s reviews, you can find her here: www.serendipityreviews.co.uk

And you can follow her on twitter @Serendipity_Viv