A 4000-word short story I’ve written, Sealed with a Loving Kiss, is being released in an anthology. It was based on a prompt from a class of schoolchildren in Birmingham who asked for a ‘romance story about a meteorite hitting a snowman’ after doing my Science fiction writing workshop, where we created short stories basedContinue reading “Sealed with a Loving Kiss short story anthology”
Author Archives: Lauren James
Available for bookings – Editorial Critiques
Hi everyone, I currently have a slot available in my schedule for one novel edit in November – if you have something you’ve been working on, send me an email at laurenjamesauthor@gmail.com. Details on my services are below. From January 2021 I’m also running my online YA mentoring course for writers through WriteMentor for the fourth time!Continue reading “Available for bookings – Editorial Critiques”
Writing an Unreliable Narrator
If you’re a voracious reader, you probably recognise the structure of familiar plot formats as soon as you start reading a novel. It can sometimes get a bit boring when you can guess the twists of stories before they happen. The solution? Seek out books with unreliable narrators. You won’t guess the twists if theContinue reading “Writing an Unreliable Narrator”
A Definitive Ranking of the Deadliest Ghosts in Fiction
In my new novel The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, my ghosts have magical powers, based on their personality and heritage. These powers can be anything from shape-shifting and hypnotism to clothing manipulation, so some are more useful than others. Harriet finds out exactly which powers are best when she struggles to defeat the otherContinue reading “A Definitive Ranking of the Deadliest Ghosts in Fiction”
My favourite female antiheroes
In my new novel The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, I did something I’ve wanted to do for years – write about a girl who is unapologetically, completely evil. I’d never seen a villainous female character – like Loki – who I really sympathised with and rooted for. When Harriet dies in an abandoned building,Continue reading “My favourite female antiheroes”
In conversation with my editor
To celebrate the launch of The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, I sat down with my editor at Walker Books, Emily McDonnell, to discuss writing, editing, and all things publishing. I’ve been working with Emily and Walker Books since 2014, on six novels, so our editing process is very streamlined. It was a pleasure toContinue reading “In conversation with my editor”
Cover reveal for The Deep-Sea Duke
I’m so excited to share the cover of The Deep-Sea Duke, coming out with Barrington Stoke in Feb 2021. This is set on an underwater planet, who are facing a climate crisis as refugees from a nearby planet keep arriving. It’s a scavenger hunt, a love story, and a drama of courtly intrigue in theContinue reading “Cover reveal for The Deep-Sea Duke”
Reading recs – fandoms, internet detectives and unreliable narrators
I wanted to recommend some books that are about fandom, if An Unauthorised Fan Treatise has given you an itch for more content that needs scratching. Obviously the first rec is the MsScribe story – it is better than any novel! – but here are some others. Fiction about fandom 17776: What football will lookContinue reading “Reading recs – fandoms, internet detectives and unreliable narrators”
Plotting An Unauthorised Fan Treatise
After reading the full novel, you’re probably getting an idea of how hard An Unauthorised Fan Treatise was to write. There are multiple timelines and several layers of perception – what’s really going on; what Gottie thinks is going on; and what she’s telling the reader is going on as an unreliable narrator. I wantedContinue reading “Plotting An Unauthorised Fan Treatise”
Panel for the YA Book Prize with Malorie Blackman, Juno Dawson, Jenny Downham and Booksandquills
Thanks to Sanne for the wonderful chairing! It’s hard to do panels in the age of social distancing, but I love that we can reach a wider audience, with no geographic limits. This was a lot of fun (and I’m definitely fangirling over doing an event with MALORIE BLACKMAN!) The winner of the YA BookContinue reading “Panel for the YA Book Prize with Malorie Blackman, Juno Dawson, Jenny Downham and Booksandquills”
