Isabel (L5S) has self-published her first novel entitled ‘They Walk Among Us’. This is a fascinating tale about outsiders, secrets and the importance of friendship, following one family’s struggles with who to trust in the face of adversity. While many of us were learning how to bake banana bread, Isabel started writing this novel during lockdown in 2020 when she was just 12 years old and she has been instrumental in driving the process through from page to publication. I am sure that other students will be inspired by Isabel’s example of creativity, ambition and tenacity to realise such a fantastic achievement. At the moment, copies are only available directly through Isabel via the stripe link below, so please do follow the link if you would like to purchase a copy and support an emerging literary talent. Congratulations, Isabel!

By Mrs Gwynne - Head of English

 

I wrote the first draft of my novel, ‘They Walk Among Us’, when I was in 3rds (Year 7) during a very long and dull lockdown. My older sister was very ill when she suggested that I write a book. This planted a seed in my mind and I spent the next six months writing every night before I went to bed. ’They walk among us’ provided me with an escape to an alternate world which was especially important to me during those months, helping me to get away from all that was going on with my sister’s illness and the stress of normal life. Sometimes life would get in the way, but I always came back to it. I finished it at lunch time on Christmas Day and I can remember that moment with pinpoint accuracy. The feeling of completion and accomplishment brings me such joy every time I think back to it!

Every English teacher will say that before writing a piece of work, you should plan. I did the opposite and just wrote and planned after I knew what I wanted to write about. I was lucky in the sense that I could just write and not think too hard about it. This meant that if I didn’t write for a while, I could just jump straight back into the imaginary world I had created without trying to. At some points the book even popped up into my dreams which is actually how many of my ideas were formed! I got one of my ideas from something that was going on in the news and made a similar event in my own parallel universe. I thought it would be powerful to include because what is a book, even a book for someone my age, if it doesn’t have some sort of meaning and depth to it? I didn’t know that I wanted to publish it when I started, but once I had poured much of my heart into it, I began to feel hope that it had the potential to go further. I shared it with my family who also thought it was worth it, and they are pretty harsh critics, so here we are.

Most people will find the writing of a book hard, but on the contrary, I found the writing just flowed. However, the publishing was a long and arduous process, but each step got me closer to the end result and I learnt so much on the journey as I was so well supported by my publisher. I am so grateful that she was there to walk me through each step. I used the unconventional route of self-publication so that, whatever happens, I will have a physical book which is incredibly exciting! Now I am writing to agents asking whether they would be interested in representing me with their publishing houses. I now know and appreciate much more, the publication process of books as each book not only has a story to tell inside but also has a story to tell about how it got onto the shelf.

Writing a book is not easy. It is easy to say it… It is a bit harder to start… It is even harder to finish… And it’s really hard to publish. You need a supportive family because you will hear ‘no’ a lot and for that you must have a support system. You need the motivation and tenacity, without which no author can succeed. More than anything, you just need to give it a go. I for one, never thought that I would publish a book, but with the time and the patience, it can be done. Who knows, you might be the next J.K. Rowling!

By Isabel (L5S)

 

Here is the first paragraph of Isabel’s book which can be purchased directly from Isabel using this stripe link.

They walk among us. Unknown. Unseen by all who miss the evident signs. I don’t know how they came to be or how long they have been mixing with the human race but I do know they are monsters who can’t be tamed. For the purpose of this book, we will focus entirely on the main family, the Hail family, or the main Alpha pack. If you were to look above the village of Flatwick, in the picturesque countryside of England, you would find a grassy green hill and upon that hill there’s a farm. Here lies the mongrel family.