Guest Post – My Writing Journey by Louise Gornall
I am super excited to have been asked to be part of the blog tour for this wonderful book Under Rose Tainted Skies by Louise Gornal .
Under Rose Tainted Skies was released on the 7th July published by Chicken House and I have heard the most amazing things about this book already!
A huge thank you to Nina Douglas and Chicken House for having me on this wonderful tour.
For my stop on the blog tour I have a wonderful guest post from the super lovely Louise talking about her writing journey!
Available in three different shades of pink (supplied at random). Agoraphobia confines Norah to the house she shares with her mother. For her, the outside is sky glimpsed through glass, or a gauntlet to run between home and car. But a chance encounter on the doorstep changes everything: Luke, her new neighbour. Norah is determined to be the girl she thinks Luke deserves: a ‘normal’ girl, her skies unfiltered by the lens of mental illness. Instead, her love and bravery opens a window to unexpected truths …
My Writing Journey
Good morning, guys! If you’re sitting comfortably, I’d like to tell you all a little bit about my… unconventional writing journey.
I had only been writing a few years before I got my agent. In the interest of full disclosure, I did have a book published before Rose, but we don’t talk about that because there is a ton of smog and uncertainty surrounding my former publisher. (If you would like to read about what happened though, you can find a post about it here.)
So, I didn’t have a manuscript ready to query, but I saw an open call on Twitter from Mandy Hubbard. Mandy wasn’t looking for a manuscript, she was looking for the right voice to write a story that she really wanted to read and try to sell. I auditioned with a 5 page sample, didn’t think anything of it at the time. Mandy was a big agent, and my writing still felt weak. A couple of months after I submitted, I was at the computer, trying to get a new book down, when I got an email. I almost fell off my chair when I saw it was from Mandy. She told me she loved the voice in my sample and then asked if I’d be up for moving on to the next round of auditions, which would mean her giving me an outline and me writing 5k. I thought about it for all of 0.5 seconds before I said, YES. HELL YES!
I watched my inbox solidly, for about four weeks after that. It would be a week after thanksgiving when I next heard from her. And guess what? She loved my new 5k sample and asked if she could call me. Call me… as in ‘The Call’. Though, I’m naturally a pessimist, and at the time, it never occurred to me our chat would end in an offer or representation. WHICH IT DID!
Alas, we tried real hard, but the first story I wrote didn’t sell. That hit hard because I was under the delusion that an agent automatically meant book deal. It doesn’t. Be prepared. But happily, the second book I wrote would sell in six days…and the rest, as they say, is history.
You can buy a copy of Under Rose Tainted Skies here or from your local bookshop.
About Louise Gornall
Louise is a graduate of Garstang Community Academy, and she is currently studying for a BA (Hons) in English language and literature with special emphasis on creative writing. A YA aficionado, film nerd, identical twin, and junk food enthusiast, she’s also an avid collector of book boyfriends. Her debut novel, Under Rose-Tainted Skies, will be published in July 2016.
You can find our more about Louise on her website – www.bookishblurb.com
Or why not follow her on twitter – @Rock_andor_roll
Blog Tour
Catch up of follow the rest of this fab blog tour at the following stops!
A huge huge thank you to Louise for such a fab guest post and to Nina Douglas and Chicken House for organising!
Have you read Under Rose Tainted Skies? What did you think? Are you intrigued? I would love to hear from you! Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the top of this review or tweet me on twitter using @chelleytoy!
Happy Reading!
