Tag Archives: UKYA

In the press & other adventures

Posted on by vgemmell

In a well timed run-on from my last post about social media allowing users their 15 minutes of fame, here is mine. You can follow this link to read a feature in my local paper, the Renfrewshire Gazette, where I talk about my YA mystery Promise Me and why I enjoy writing for teenagers.

Last month I was also delighted to be tagged in a great review for Promise Me. I’ve put an image of this below but it is worth visitng Rachel Sargeant’s site for other great thriller reviews here. Rachel’s thrillers are now on my TBR pile!

The past week I had a nice break from work, visiting St Andrews, Anstruther and Crail. The sun kept shining most of the time which was a bonus. Highlights were browsing in Topping and Company Books, having a wander round Crail Pottery and sampling the infamous Anstruther fish and chips (some photos below).

Now it’s back to reality and I’m trying to get words down for a new book I’m working on. Scenes keep popping in to my head, which is great, but none of them are in any logistical order, so I am wondering if I should deviate from my usual linear book writing process and just see where it all takes me!

Cover Reveal for Promise Me

Posted on by vgemmell
Young Adult Mystery ~ released end of October

One of the most exciting things on the lead up to the release of a book, (I think anyway), is getting to see your cover come to life. I am delighted today to ‘unveil’ the front cover of my new Young Adult mystery Promise Me which will be released at the end of the month.

I think my talented designer friend Rebecca Johnstone, (check out her Dainty Dora website here), has done an amazing job of putting together a dramatic and eye-catching design. I gave Rebecca a rough outline of what I wanted, then Rebecca worked her creative magic to pull it all together. It was a fun, collaborative process and it has been lovely to commission a friend to work on such an important part of my book.

~ Here is a teaser blurb for Promise Me~

When threats begin, Darcy realises someone might be prepared to do anything to hide the truth…


Following the separation of her parents, seventeen-year-old Darcy moves with her mum to a wealthy Scottish village which hit the headlines when a local girl was stabbed at a Halloween party two years previously. 

Darcy always wondered about Christian Henderson’s conviction of murder, fascinated by this attractive misfit and his story. 

Much of Christian’s trial took place online, before he even reached the courtroom, with witch-hunt style podcasts and online forums spinning stories of what happened the night of the party. 

Darcy befriends the inner social circle at school and strikes up a friendship with Christian through letters, determined to uncover unanswered questions around the conviction. 

But who can she believe? 

News and Events!

Posted on by vgemmell

Yay YA

Follow Me ~ the books!!

Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve given an update on here. I finally got keys to my new house last week and currently have no carpets and half painted walls (which feels a bit like the unfinished draft of my second book…)

I’m looking forward to taking a bit of a break from the domestic things in life to get out and about to meet with readers and aspiring writers very soon! Here is a rundown of some key events I’ll be taking part in over the next few weeks:

On the 24th March I’m really looking forward to leading a workshop with 4th year pupils from Clydeview Academy, which will be hosted by Gourock library.

A couple of days after this on Saturday 26th March Oak Tree Arts creative writing group in Paisley have invited me along to speak at their End of Term Party. This is going to be lots of fun as a local cafe are hosting the event and the owner will be making us brownies!

abbey

Oak Tree Arts meet every Saturday morning in Abbey Books in Paisley. This is a brilliant little independent bookshop, which stocks both second-hand and new books. Follow Me is currently on sale there. You can view their website here 

I will be getting involved in a couple of school events in April also, one of which is the brilliant Yay!YA, at Cumbernauld Theatre on 21st April, where myself and a bunch of brilliant YA writers will be meeting with 200 school pupils from various high schoools across the West of Scotland. The brilliant Kirkland Ciccone is the mastermind behind this event and I’m so delighted that he asked me to be a part of it. You can read more about it on the Yay!YA website here

Next weekend I’m going to be attending the annual Scottish Association of Writers event. I really enjoy this event as it’s a great way to catch up with lots of writers and attend helpful workshops. My publisher, Strident, will also be attending this year’s conference. It feels good knowing that my book will be for sale in their bookshop this year! I’ve been attending the conference on and off since the age of 17 and have been inspired by so many of the authors here over the years.

Lastly, it was lovely to see two new 5* reviews for Follow Me pop up on Amazon last week, here and here I really appreciate it when anyone takes the time to post reviews.

Watch this space for some interviews I’ll be taking part in soon…