Her new YA ghost story is perfect for Halloween week, so I invited Bryony Allen to guest post at FLY HIGH to tell us everything about it. There's a chance to win the e-book or kindle book of The Assembly Room for readers commenting this post and adding their own e-mail address. The giveaway contest is open worldwide and ends November 7th.
So,
why did I write The Assembly Room?
The
book is my third novel with my current UK independent publisher, Pneuma
Springs, but it's my second in the YA genre. The story came in to being thanks
to an old building that is - believe it
or not - actually called 'The Assembly
Room' . The building lies on the outskirts of the village of Hitcham in
Suffolk, England. It was on passing this building over the years every time I
go to see my parents that the seeds of the book started to take shape in my
head. Just looking at the building makes the mind start to wonder what kind of
history it may have had; well it does for me at least.
In my research for the book I looked at the
local history in the area as well as land registry records and found that the
building (now a little bit derelict) was built in the early 1800's and had been
used as a reading room and also a community hall. Its Gothic features are
certainly reminiscent of the time period.
The
reality is that it is now used as a storage area for its current owner who also
owns and lives in an adjacent cottage, and the actual area of land around the
place itself was formerly used as a commercial garage in the mid 20th
century.
I've
always had a fascination with the idea of the paranormal and ghosts. Following
some further research and reading, it became apparent to me that the village of
Hitcham lay within what is known as the 'Witch Finders corridor', so there was
some kind of poignant past to the area. This all dates back to 1645 and an
infamous period of witch-finding and trials in England. During this time the
well known characters of Matthew Hopkins and his side-kick, John Stearne, were
in their element touring around the East of England accusing and trying many
people for crimes of witchcraft. Often these accusations were the results of
other villagers not getting along or bearing a grudge with the accused person;
medieval bullying if you like. In a time period when trust between people was
at its lowest point because of civil war and the rise of Puritanism within the
church, it was easy for people to fall victim to what was probably one of the
worst miscarriages of justice not only in England but also around the globe. It
could be said that the witch-finders were essentially conmen preying on people's
hates and fears just for monetary gain and extra status in society.
By
mixing my imagination with the historical facts (as far as is documented) about
the witch-hunts, my idea for the story gained momentum and materialised with my
main protagonist in the form of Merryn Stearne; a typical fourteen year old
English girl but one with a family heritage she doesn't know about. I wanted to
use the paranormal to manipulate her into experiencing the witch hunts through
her dreams. I also wanted there to be a hint of romance to keep the story
balanced and, hopefully, more appealing to a teen readership. This led to my
second protagonist, Merryn's neighbour and school friend Jamie Foster. I didn't
want the story to be like a school history lesson, I wanted it to be entertaining
as well mysterious. The result of this is that Merryn and Jamie become closer
and embark on a journey together that will reveal a dark past in Merryn's
family which leads back to the days of John Stearne; yes he's a distant
relative! There's also some appeasing to be done but I won't say anymore here,
you have to read the book!
My
journey so far through publishing so far has been a pleasant one. I've had some
really great comments for my work from people worldwide too. It's a great
feeling as a writer to know that someone I don't know say in the UK, US or
Australia has picked up one of my books, read it and said, 'Wow, I really enjoyed that'. I'd
always been a very keen reader from a young age and have always loved to write
stories. However, making the leap from simply writing as a hobby to that of
being a published writer, is something that takes time and a lot of commitment,
especially when you also happen to be a teacher, mum and wife. I've been
through the other things many writers have also been through, submitting to
agents and publishers only to get the obligatory rejection slips, giving in to
doubt. It seems to be part of the territory unfortunately and, given that
fiction writing is also an extremely competitive beast anyway, it seems inevitable
that these things happen. I've been lucky with my publisher who is very
supportive and offers up good advice. They are not a big publisher but they do
embrace the future direction that it seems publishing is taking so that's a
good thing. There are many more options open to people that want to be writers
these days than there's ever been.
The
best advice I can give though to any potential writers reading this post who
want to be in my shoes is to write because you love it and need to do it, not for
money (let that come later when you are a best seller!). If there is a story
you simply must tell, do it but don't rush it out there in a flash. Take time
over your creation, get feedback and then go over it again with a fine eye and
re-write as required to iron everything out, not to mention grammar and
spelling mistakes. Another really good thing to do is to read it aloud. If it
doesn't make sense when you are reading it, there's a good chance it won't make
sense to your reader. Remember that reading is a subjective business but you
are the writer after all and if you really don't agree with a particular
critique then make an informed judgement as to how you incorporate any changes.
If
you decide to take the plunge and read my books I sincerely hope that you enjoy
them.
Thanks
again to Maria Grazia for inviting me to contribute to her lovely blog. Happy Reading.
Bryony Allen was born in Enfield (UK) in 1968, but spent her formative years in the North East. She returned to the South of the country to study for a degree in English and Drama followed by teacher training in Cambridge. Now settled in Suffolk with her husband and four children her hobbies include reading, writing and supporting her local football team, Ipswich Town.
Bryony writes Adult and Young Adult fiction and has also been a primary and middle school teacher and SENCo for 18 years. Her witty and humorous debut adult novel 'Mystery, Deceit and a School Inspector' was based on some true experiences as well as those embedded in the imagination.
Her debut Young Adult book 'OTOLI' is an engrossing mystery story of bullying, friendship and revenge with a twist of the paranormal. This was published on the 28th April 2011 by UK Independent publisher, Pneuma Springs. 5% of all sales of OTOLI will be donated to the national charity 'Bullying UK', part of the 'Family Lives' group on an on going basis. OTOLI was entered in 'The People's Book Prize' Spring 2012 collection. http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/book.php?id=728
Book Trailer
2 comments:
You're right, that does sound like the perfect Halloween book, I'm debating whether or not I'm going to go out, and this seems like a great reason to stay indoors :).
Thanks for having the interview!
--Alicia
dmr8888 at yahoo dot com
I've always been fascinated with the paranormals as well. I've never encountered ghosts but that is what's good about books :) I hope your Halloween went well.
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
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