Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Girl Friends is a YA novel that was published by Solstice in May 2016. It is
available via Solstice Publishing, Amazon Books, CreateSpace, and Walmart.
Girl Friends is written from the view point of a fifteen year old girl called
Courtney, who, as well as tackling her own worries about home, school, and will
she ever get a boyfriend, grows increasingly concerned about her friend Grace.
Grace is beautiful and has no problem attracting boys, but Courtney thinks the
latest one seems too old for her and a bit sinister, or is she just jealous? In
fact, all the signs are there that Grace is being groomed for sexual
exploitation, but it takes some time for Courtney to understand this – and by
the time she does, it may be too late to help her friend.
So, is there anything that prompted Girl Friends? Something that inspired you?
In my dealings with young people through probation and social work, I met several Courtneys – young women who were trying to get a decent life together against all the odds. Grace was more of a fictional creation when I started writing. However, in the UK, a lot of recent court cases have shown that there are hundreds of Graces in real life, and my story gives a pretty accurate account of how they get sucked in by criminal gangs.
All right.
I won prize for a
story I wrote for the Brownie magazine when I was eight, and immediately
started on a novel. I think I got to page three. When I went to university I
thought I wanted to write and produce plays, but lack of confidence – or maybe
talent! - got in the way of being a producer, and I was disappointed by my
literary efforts. So it all went on the back boiler for a few decades as the
need to earn a living, and family took up my time. I started again in earnest
about six years ago – short stories, novels, plays, and the occasional poem.
I'm glad you got back into it. It's fascinating to hear about an author's journey. :)
I may have stopped
writing fiction but I never stopped reading! I like the classics – Jane Austen,
George Elliot, Virginia Woolf – as well as more modern writers like Anne Tyler.
I’ve just read Gillian Flynn’s best seller Gone Girl, which I admired greatly
for its plot twists and ability to keep the reader guessing (I also found just
about all the characters unlikable, and some of the twists incredible, yet
still kept reading – how does she do it?).
For non-fiction
reading, I like almost anything by Bill Bryson as he manages to inform the
reader about so many things, whilst making them chuckle at the same time.
I
should add Shakespeare to this list as I am re-reading a lot of his plays as
part of my project to write an anthology of short stories based on a number of
his female characters. Several of these shorts have already been published by
Solstice, and another, The Ghost Queen,
based on Hermione in The Winter’s Tale, will be in their fantasy anthology to
be published on September 16th.
Great!
Do you write in a specific place? Time of day?
When I first
started writing seriously, I wrote in my ‘study’ during the morning. Recently,
life has become more complicated with my mother’s and mother-in-law’s care
needs (they are both in their 90s), so I often end up writing into the evening
on my laptop in the living room (as now!).
Okay.
So, are there any words you'd like
to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?
Only write if you
must. Write better each time. Few writers obtain either fame or fortune through
their writing, but there is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from
feeling you are honing your craft. And maybe one day…
And thank you so much for stopping
by to visit us here today at Writing in the Modern Age. It was so nice
having you! :)
Nothing
is working out for Courtney, and even Grace, her beautiful best friend has no
time for her now she has a boyfriend who has promised to get her a modelling
contract. Courtney senses something is wrong – what is Grace getting herself
into? And can Courtney and her newfound friends rescue Grace before it is too
late? It is a race against time …
Here is an excerpt.
If
a look could kill, Grace gives me one then, so I shut up. I think briefly about
her mother living now in a special hospital for the criminally insane and
wonder if Grace misses her: whether it is better to have a mad mum like she has
or a sad apology for a mum like mine. Who knows? Who cares anyway—it seems
we’re more or less in the same boat.
The
tense moment passes. I look across at Grace and she winks and gives a small
smile. I smile back and feel my whole body relax. It’s great to have someone in
your life who knows almost everything about you and understands. I hope in some
way it is the same for her. We drink our coffee in reasonably companionable
silence. It’s pretty dark outside by the time we’re down to the last dregs.
Grace
looks at her watch—I notice for the first time that it is new. A new alertness
comes over her. She digs into her bag and gets out her make-up—peering into the
mirror to touch up an already flawless face. She looks across at me.
“Oh,
Cor, you do look a mess. Here.” She
starts to lay about me with the powder.
“What
the…? Heh, get off.” I pull away but she
has grabbed me firmly and continues to powder my nose. Then she releases me and
sits back.
“Well,
that’s sorted the greasy shine. Now for the eyes.”
“No,
Grace, lay off. I don’t really go for much make–up.”
“Time
you did,” she retorts, advancing on me with eyeliner. “I’ve bought you your
tea, remember, so you do as I say.” That’s true, so I sigh and let her get on
with it, even allowing her to re-style my hair, pulling some bits across my
face, and pushing other bits behind my ears. Across the restaurant, I see the
lads behind the counter looking at us. Surely it must be against company rules
to use the dining area as a beauty parlor and one of them will come across and
throw us out. But it’s not busy and they are just laughing, enjoying the show.
Eventually she is finished and stands up to look at me from all angles.
“Mmm,
not too bad.” She is obviously pleased with her work. “You should wear a
tighter top.” She pulls at mine from
behind and then looks round at the front, before sighing and letting it hang
loose again. “But first, you will need
to get yourself a proper bra—that one is doing nothing for you—it must be a
least one size too big—and the cups are too small—so you’re just all saggy.”
“Yeah,
well, it’s an old one of Mum’s that she’s got too fat for,” I reply.
“Why
am I not surprised?” Grace rolls her eyes. “Time you thought about yourself a
bit,” she adds reprovingly. “You’ve got to make the most of your assets— use
them or lose them as they say.”
It
is news to me I have any assets worth making anything off in that department
and I pull away from her, embarrassed. “I’m off to the loo,” I say, heading
that way as I speak.
When
I wash my hands, I catch sight of myself in the mirror. At first I don’t
realise it is me—just someone with the same baggy top. The face is quite
different; harder, older, more sassy and, I peer more closely, definitely more
sexy. Not the Courtney I have known and lived with for nearly sixteen years,
but I’m not displeased. I’ll go along with this face this evening anyway, if
only to please Grace. I can get back to the real me tomorrow. So, apart from a
bit of poking around with my hair, and a small wipe at my eyes to get rid of
some of the purple shadow Grace had selected for me, I leave it all intact and
return to the dining area.
Grace
is standing by the door when I return, reading a text on her phone—not her
usual old Nokia, but a new one I haven’t seen before. She looks
excited—agitated even.
“Come
on,” she says as soon as I reach her. “We’re on a date.”
This book sounds interesting! We'll be sure to check it out! :)
Author Bio
Margaret
Egrot worked with teenagers and troubled families for many years and drew on
these experiences when writing Girl Friends. She is a trustee for a couple of
charities, including one that provides family assessments, and child
safeguarding services.
She
has written one previous novel for young adults: And Alex Still Has Acne (also
published by Solstice), as well as numerous short stories and plays.
She
keeps fit by swimming, chasing her dog round the park, and Pilates (when she
runs out of excuses for not going).
Author Links:
Amazon
Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Egrot/e/B00RVO1BHO/
No comments:
Post a Comment