Hi guys!
Happy Sunday!
I know this is usually review Sunday…and it was meant to be but Uni reading has been kicking my ass so I haven’t been able to get the review done in time for this. But what I have read of it so far is incredible and I already adore Ryder!
Anyway! Today we have super exciting post to make up for the lack of review! An interview with her instead! I have always been a fan of Kirsty (aka Josie’s) New Adult stuff as you have seen on my blog before, but this is her first exploration into YA and Sci-Fi type stuff so I was super excited to not only get my hands on the book but also interview her about it! Anyway, this has been by far enough rambling from me, I will just get on with the Q&A!
What was your favourite part about writing The Wanderer, and why?
I loved every part of it. It was so refreshing to just let my imagination wander to where this situation could lead. If I had to choose… probably my favourite part of it is probably all of Ryder’s POV (is that cheating?? Probably. Oops). But his POV was definitely the most fun to write—I love a good forbidden romance and this one was certainly that! Although Ryder’s character is clearly quite flawed in that he’s selfishly using someone for his own benefit, through his pov we see how much he cares for Maggie and why he felt justified in his actions.
How do you keep/get inspired when starting something new or are having writer’s block?
Ugh, writers block is hard!! I’ve had it a few times and it’s like wading through quicksand sometimes and so frustrating when you know what you want to write but the words just don’t come—or they do come and you delete them all because you hate them! When writers block hits hard I sometimes skip scenes or whole chapters and write a bit that I’m excited about just to try and kickstart again, or sometimes I even write whole chapters with just dialogue and then go back and fill in the gaps later. I never seem to struggle with the new idea stage or the beginning stage, it’s the middle that hits the hardest for me! I have a screensaver on my phone for when I’m writing a book – it says “You can fix anything but a blank page. Keep going” I put it on my phone when I’m writing a book, and take it off again when I’m not. I find that helps! I want to get a print of it for my office one day.
I am personally inspired by my surroundings when I write (especially as Scotland is so beautiful) – is it the same for yourself?
Ah I love Scotland, so much gorgeous scenery there! Edinburgh is one of my favourite places on Earth. I get inspired by places around me too. I’m from Norfolk and The Wanderer is set in Norwich. I tried not to mention too many specifics in the book about the city itself as I tried to keep it vague, so you’ll find no street names or shops mentioned etc, but there is one place that’s mentioned as a place Ryder and Jade hang out by the river with the boats knocking together and ducks sleeping in the grass—this is a real place. I love it there, there’s a bench that I’ve sat on and just watched the world drift by. I wanted Ryder and Jade to have that place, so I wrote that in for them.
What is your favourite: Food?
Easy! Melted cheese on top of anything (chips, spaghetti, toast, chicken, it works with everything. Cheese is a staple!).
Movie?
Now this one is hard! I have so many favourites and probably have a top 10 rather than a specific favourite. If I had to choose one from the top of my head… The Greatest Showman, or maybe The Goonies, or maybe Indiana Jones… ah, you get the picture, I can’t choose.
Book other than your own?
Book: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (again, did I mention I was a hopeless romantic at heart??) or a YA pick would be Caraval, it’s so gorgeous!
Other than writing and presumably reading, do you have my other hobbies?
Honestly, not really, unless loving on my dog counts as a hobby? I’ve just consulted her and she thinks that it does.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Probably surprisingly it was not English! Though I loved reading, the whole being forced to read and analyse texts you don’t really want to read was not for me. I actually like History and Art the best.
Who would you say was your biggest writing (and non-writing) inspiration when you were younger?
Ooh, I’m going to have to cheat again (sorry). I’m going to choose all of the Point Horror authors combined. I just loved those books and used to devour them as a teenager, they were my first real love for reading and sparked my imagination and thirst for books.
If you could say anything to your younger self what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to dream.
Are you working on anything right now?
I am actually plotting out my next YA at the moment! It’s early stages so I don’t want to say too much but I will say it has a witch/magic in it. I can’t wait to get started, I just have to find the time to get going!
THE WANDERER by Josie Williams
7 October 2021 PB £7.99 14+ YA
Nothing can stand in the way of love, not even death.
A heartrending love story that crosses between life and the afterlife
Alone in the world, Maggie only has her visits to her nan to look forward to. When the most popular boy in school saves her life she has no idea why he is suddenly acting like a different person. Stuck between life and death, Ryder spends his days wandering around unseen by the living. When the girl he loves walks into danger, Ryder breaks the number one Wanderer’s rule: he saves her life. But how can a Wanderer and a living girl ever reach their happily ever after?
For those who enjoy heart-wrenching teenage romance with a touch of the paranormal,
The Wanderer is a moving and compelling YA romance dealing with first love and growing up.
Firefly editor Rebecca Lloyd describes The Wanderer as ‘Fully original, and yet also an age-old romance and growing-up story. The ending – no spoilers – moved some of the Firefly team to tears.’
Josie Williams is the pseudonym of bestselling author Kirsty Moseley, whose New Adult romances have sold over 860,000 copies in English, and whose first novel, the YA romance The Boy Who Sneaks in My Bedroom Window, was an international bestseller translated into many languages. Josie has a large and loyal YA fanbase. She lives in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. @xJosieWilliamsx
Firefly Press is an independent children’s and YA publisher based in Wales, publishing quality fiction for 5-19 years olds. Firefly has published YA by authors including Miriam Halahmy, Lucy Christopher, Kat Ellis and Rhian Ivory. Firefly won the Nibbies Small Press of the Year Award Wales in 2020 and 2021, and has published a number of award-winning books including Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot by Horatio Clare and The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher, which was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2018 and won the Tir na n’Og Wales children’s literature award 2019. http://www.fireflypress.co.uk @fireflypress
So that’s it for today’s post! If you’re interested in seeing the other amazing people who had stops on this tour I’ve left their info above. I hope you all really enjoyed this because I always love doing interviews! It’s so fun to see inside a writer’s head and how they feel about their characters. Another big thanks to Josie and Firefly for sending me a copy of The Wanderer and also doing the interview. ❤
I hope that your week is great and I will see you all on Wednesday for my Word of the Week! ❤
Hawthorn Book Reviews 