Wasted has won the RED Award! RED stands for Read Enjoy Debate. It covers all teenage/YA books published in the UK and the voting and ceremony etc take place in Falkirk, near Edinburgh. I’ve been to a lot of things like this but this one was particularly well organised and lots of fun. But if you’d been there you’d have seen how SHOCKED I was to win, especially after the public opinion of one of the pupils doing the presentation about Wasted!

I was shortlisted last year for Deathwatch but had to cancel at the last minute because I was ill with laryngitis, so I sent a picture of my red boots instead. This year, the red boots came with me!

A huuuge thank you to all the organisers and voters. That’s Wasted’s second win, ninth shortlisting, which is quite amazing for me. One more shortlist to go – the Scottish Children’s Book Award, and a ceremony which I plan to enjoy, too, whatever happens. I am looking forward to an exciting day on Feb 23rd spent with readers and my fellow writers, especially other shortlistees who I already know, Theresa Breslin, Teresa Flavin (both in my category), Franzeska Ewart (a good friend from way back) and Joan Lennon. We get to see part of our books performed on stage at the Lyceum Theatre!

Shortlists mean a very great deal to authors. Whoever wins, it’s the shortlist that counts, I think. Mind you, winning is rather nice, too! Especially when it doesn’t happen very often.

…as a brand new ebook with extra material, including the creative writing samples of school pupils. For all details, including a fabulous video trailer and information about how to buy, click here.

Here is the Press Release for Mondays are Red.

Here is the Press Release for Write a Great Synopsis.

To buy from Amazon UK for Kindle OR the free Kindle software to download to any laptop, iPad etc, go here.

Amazon US link here.

To buy on Lulu, click here.

Want to win a free synopsis critique? Details of a competition here.

A short and snappy video trailer by my daughter.

A blog tour will whizz around writers’ blogs – details of all visits on my blog.

Carole Blake said: “I know that writing, crafting, synopses is something that causes more anxiety and frustration for authors than almost any other part of the writing or submission process.   But Write a Great Synopsis puts it into context, giving it perspective and de-mythologising it.  It is a truly fabulous tool for authors, addressing a problem area that can stop new writers in their tracks.  As someone else might say – ‘Calm down dear, it’s only a synopsis’.  I think this book will alleviate so much of the stress that writers feel when approaching the moment when they must write a synopsis.  Congratulations to Nicola Morgan: I will be recommending it to clients.”

Writers’ responses:

Michael Cail: “I loved it! It explodes so many myths about synopses and their uses. By following the practical advice in the book, I don’t think being asked to provide a synopsis will fill me with the icy dread it once did. I also loved the use of examples provided to Nicola’s blog. By rewriting them, it really gives a clear example of what information to include and what should be discarded.”

Joanna Cannon: “Such an incredibly useful book and I’m so grateful to it for unravelling the many mysteries which surround synopsis writing. Just the word ‘synopsis’ had the ability to make me feel slightly queasy, but Write a Great Synopsis answered all of my awkward questions and now I actually want to write one. The book is written with Nicola Morgan’s usual wit, wisdom and honesty and these qualities, as well as the clear, helpful information, make her advice stand out in the crowd of ‘how-to’ books on the market.”

Bryony Stocker: “Fantastically helpful and showed me immediately where I had gone wrong.”

Liz de Jager, My Favourite Books Blog: “Write a Great Synopsis is invaluable from an aspiring writer’s point of view.  Having read a great many blogposts and comments from all and sundry on the internet, and still come away confused, I fell on my copy of Write a Great Synopsis with gusto.  Nicola Morgan has gone and, in her usual charming and no-nonsense style, given us something to refer to again and again.  There is solid advice from Nicola, several actual examples, but also commentary from industry professionals, which genuinely makes you re-think your approach to writing in general, and working on that synopsis.  It was revelatory and I’m genuinely pleased to have had the chance to read it and will be recommending it to all my writerly friends.”

Clare Kirkpatrick: “I had been dreading trying to write a synopsis but I am now actually itching to get thenovel finished and polished so I can get to what now feels like the exciting job of writing the synopsis!I had a go at the method Nicola recommends, and found to my delight that my novel does indeed have a heart and it’s not just a pile of tangled crap after all. I am all fired up again!”

Click here for the FAB video trailer – made by my daughter, Rebecca.

Click here for the link to buy on Amazon UK.

Here for Amazon.com

And if you’d like to buy the ePub file (ie not for Kindle) click here for the Lulu store. Lulu first rejected it because they wanted “are” to have a capital A! As you can see, I capitulated. Pah.

NOTE: you do NOT need a Kindle to buy a Kindle book. Simply download the free Kindle software for your laptop, iPad, iPhone, smartphone, android, tablet etc.

This was my first novel, first published in 2002, and the reaction was lovely and a huge relief for a brand-new writer. I still get a lot of emails and letters from readers of all ages, telling me what the book meant to them. A film producer said, “An astonishing novel, which I read in one sitting stretching deep into one night. It is beautifully observed and ingeniously plotted….” Paul Augarde, Augarde Screen Productions

And the Bookseller magazine said, “A brilliant adaptation of the Faustian legend. Nicola Morgan is a fresh and original voice ….”

The new edition has extra material at the end:

• creative writing work by school pupils from St Laurence School, Wiltshire
• a piece about how I got the idea
• a piece about what I’ve achanged and why – writing fashions and my own preferences have changed
• information about synaesthesia

Here is how this strange book begins: “Mondays are red. Sadness has an empty blue smell. And music can taste of anything from banana purée to bat’s pee. That’s what I need to explain, starting with the day it all began, the day I woke up in a hospital bed with a kaleidoscope in my head. I discovered later that I had almost died from meningitis but I remember nothing about that bit. My first memory is the dizzy waking up part and my soggy muddled head. My second memory is how, bit by bit, I began to realise how much my world had changed.”

Luke finds that his world has changed in three ways, as he wakes from a coma after meningitis. First, he has synaesthesia. Second, he has a weakness in his leg, disastrous for someone who was such a brilliant runner. And third, he discovers that synaesthesia gives him endless power. Even the power to fly. Guiding Luke through his new world is Dreeg, who dwells entirely in Luke’s brain. Dreeg’s appearance changes as Luke’s feelings about him move between fascination and horror. Luke soon discovers that power has devastating costs – will he be tempted to sell his soul to pay for the power to fly, to create anything he wants, to punish his sister for .. but no, you need to read the book to discover the reasons for the problems between Luke and his sister. And who is the mysterious deaf girl, Seraphina, with biscuit skin and hair as long as the sound of honey?

The book is really about temptation and power. Luke becomes corrupted by power and the only way he can save the people he loves, and his own soul, is to give up his power – if it’s not too late. It’s also about guilt and how to pay for something you have done wrong. Finally, it is about the power of language.

Selected links from my blog tour that might be of interest to young readers and writers. (Because these link to other blogs, I can’t take responsibility for other content, though as far as I know there’s nothing to worry about:

• The theme of guilt in fiction. For Cat Clarke.
• How language changes minds. For Absolute Vanilla. (Of special interest to writers.)
• My Undercover Soundtrack – music and my writing. For Roz Morris. I had a surprising amount of fun with this and the comments were really interesting, too.
• The weird world of synaesthesia - all about this fascinating condition. For Lucy Coats on Scribble City Central.
• Why and how I can to produce the ebook of Mondays are Red. For Literature for Lads.
• Know Your Inner Synaesthete – Mary Hoffman’s blog. (Of special interest to writers. Of all ages.)

MAIN REVIEWS

Bookwitch did a lovely review here.

The Bookseller: “This first novel will gain attention because of the striking style. A young boy recovering in hospital from meningitis is affected by a neurological condition that gives him acute sensitivity to sounds and colours. The kaleidoscope in his head produces a dazzling succession of images across the page. … This is a brilliant adaptation of the Faustian legend. Luke’s words produce an almost physical response – when he talks about Tuesday being like apricot, you can taste the fruit and the temptation. … Nicola Morgan is a fresh and original voice for this age group and a strong jacket should ensure the book gets the attention it deserves.”

The Guardian: “An outstanding novel that rewards rereading.”

The Sunday Herald: “This is a stunning, extraordinary debut.”

The Scotsman: “…extremely impressive debut.”

The Sunday Telegraph: “…oddly brilliant.”

The Observer: among the “Best 0f 2002″.

The Independent, Nicholas Tucker: “… a novel to brood over, written by a new and original talent.”

Books magazine: “A chilling modern take on the Faust story by a stunning new literary talent. … A really unusual children’s book.”

Teenagers’ Reviews

Kereny R: “Everyone should read this right now! This is one of the best books I have ever read. It’s full of imagery, fantasy, colours. My favourite character is without a doubt Seraphina, a sweet girl with a cinnamon cake smell.”

Bryony L, Scotland: “Mondays are Red is an extraordinary and enthralling book. It’s an imaginative and unusual story, giving suspense and getting better with every page you turn.”

Brooke, 14, California, USA: “Mondays Are Red is an absolutely amazing read. It sweeps you off your feet and takes you away into a world of logic as well as imagination and good as well as evil. If you enjoy reading anything that will challenge your mid a bit and make you think, Mondays Are Red is definitely for you.”

You may be interested to know that I was responsible for a No 1 worldwide trending topic on Twitter, the compulsive game #lessinterestingbooks! This caused some press coverage but was mainly a whole load of fun.

Although many of the examples of good Twitter-use in Tweet Right come from myexperience as a writer, my advice is designed for any sensible person wanting to enjoy and benefit from Twitter, personally and professionally.

It’s had fantastic feedback, as you’ll see on the Amazon page. Not only beginners, but seasoned users have also enjoyed its no-nonsense style and its coverage of Twitter etiquette.

It is available as an ebook only but you do NOT need a Kindle! See below.

Here are your options. Prices vary but currently range from £2.74 to £3.50.

• If you have a kindle or the Kindle app/software on your computer or other dedicated ebook reader: click here.
• If you do not have a Kindle or any ebook reader, click here and download the FREE Kindle app/software. You can then read it on your laptop, ipad, android etc.
• If you wish to purchase it from Lulu for your non-Kindle reading device, click here.

Thank you! I hope to see you on Twitter, where you will find me tweeting as @nicolamorgan.

To go to my Amazon store, click here.

First, I blogged about my feelings about World Book Night. I’ve reproduced it here:

World Book Night is an initiative which aims to give away a million books in one night – next Saturday, 5th March. I love the idea of promoting reading – of course – and I’m not at all against giving things away, but I think there were better ways to give away a million books than this particular scheme. Simpler ways, ways which would benefit authors, bookshops and publishers. All of them. Whereas this initiative not only does not benefit them all, but has some knock-on costs.

However, the other day I had a friendly meeting with the organiser, Jamie Byng of Canongate Books, and bookseller Vanessa Robertson, owner of the fabulous Edinburgh Bookshop, who has been vocal in her reservations about the delivery of WBN, and I wanted to do something to contribute to the spirit of the venture in a way that I can be fully comfortable with.

Let me first explain about WBN.

The WBN venture chooses 25 books, arranges for 40,000 copies of each to be printed as a special edition by their publishers, with royalties voluntarily waived by their authors, and asks 20,000 volunteer givers to choose one title, receive 48 copies of it and give them away in an appropriate manner on the night of March 5th. My concerns are that the parlous nature of the book industry, falling revenues for booksellers, publishers and authors, and the constant erosion of the value of what we do, are not best improved by giving away one million especially printed books, which would have retailed at around £9million if sold in the normal way. Of course, there will be some benefits – crikey, imagine if there weren’t! The benefits to some might even be huge; let’s hope they are, even if the costs are high.

I just think there were better ways, which could have stronger results at less cost to a struggling industry.

After Vanessa had blogged about this, many people agreed with her, though some didn’t, naturally. There are also many people who have muttered about WBN and not said anything publicly. I added a comment to Vanessa’s blog post, amongst a load of other comments. Mine was the only one picked up by the Guardian and quoted in a subsequent newspaper article. The article said I was “happy to air objections” but I don’t feel particularly happy objecting, actually. I’d rather do something positive.

So, rather than ignoring WBN, I have a contribution, and I’d like you all to join me. Of course, I’d also like you to support World Book Night in whatever ways you wish, including the intended one, but this is mine and I hope you like it.

Our World Book Night

One day between now and Saturday March 5th, let’s each of us buy a book, preferably from an actual bookshop, or direct from a publisher. Any book. Write inside it: “Given in the spirit of World Book Night, March 5th 2011 and bought from [insert name of shop] – please enjoy and tell people about it.” And give it to someone. Anyone. A friend or stranger, a library or school or doctor’s surgery or anything.

Then go home, and enjoy whatever you’re reading yourself.

It’s very simple and everyone wins: the bookshop, the recipient, the author, the publisher, the agent, even you, the giver, because you’ll enjoy the frisson of pleasure that comes from giving. There are no losers. That’s why I like it. And I’ll be buying my book from The Edinburgh Bookshop.

One more thing: please pledge in a comment below that you are going to do this, and spread the word. If even fifty people do this, that’s fifty books that wouldn’t have been bought. Call me simple, but I like that idea a lot.

_______________________

105 people responded to that post, all but two positively.  (Well, they weren’t negative about my idea, just committed to the original one.)

Here is some of the press reaction that followed:

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/author-proposes-wbn-alternative.html

http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts-and-culture/night-and-day/6757958/what-price-world-book-night.thtml

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/28/alternative-world-book-night-plan

http://living.scotsman.com/interviews/Interview-Jamie-Byng-publisher.6728703.jp

http://londonist.com/2011/03/lit-preview-world-book-day-night.php

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/writers-praise-alternative-world-book-night-plan-20110301-1bcn2.html

http://www.actualitte.com/actualite/24695-world-book-night-distribution-livres.htm

Since then, I’ve had a constructive and positive meeting with the new chief executive of WBN, Julia Kingsford. What will be different this year? Well, nothing that I’ve affected, I don’t think, but it’s not my job to explain how this year’s version will happen. You can find details on their website. It’s complicated. Good, of course, but complicated. And I do so prefer simple…

What will I do in 2012? Same as last year.  I will once again conduct my own Our World Book Night, encouraging people to buy and share books, the books they wish, to whomever they wish. Choice, simplicity and no losers. Because I still think that is far better – for everyone – than the much more complicated and expensive version.

Join me?

Published by Walker Books in 2010

Five-star reviews on Amazon – here

My favourite comment, from Isla, 14: “I have never read anything like it before. …. It makes your mind boggle! It was gripping and also slightly eerie, what with Kelly and her gang and the knives and the fortune-teller, Farantella. A unique idea!”

There is so much behind the book that I set up the special blog to discuss ALL the themes.

About the book: Wasted is about luck, chance, risk, fate, danger, passion, hate, alcohol, music, and why leaving the house a few seconds later could change your life.

Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. But Jack’s luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack’s game become terrifyingly clear. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a life hangs in the balance, decided by the toss of a coin. In the end, it is the reader who must choose whether to spin that coin and determine: life or death.

A couple of times during the book, we see alternative scenarios unfold. When I was writing it, I tossed a coin to “choose” which scene to go with. Here’s an example: Imagine the scene: Jack and Jess in a club, eyes only for each other. An enemy, Kelly, waits her moment to spike Jess’s drink. Another girl is outside, trying to get past the bouncer, who may or may not let her in. He might be distracted or annoyed: such small things will make all the difference. If she gets in, she’ll distract Jess’s friends and they won’t see the drink being spiked. If she doesn’t get in, Jess’s friends will see what happens and save her.

In WASTED, you see alternative possibilities unfold and disappear as the lives of Jack and Jess spin out of control. Finally, it is you who must take the risk and toss a coin to determine the ending. Their lives are in your hands.

The main characters: Jack and Jess: I love Jack and Jess. They are brilliant at music – Jack has a band and Jess joins it as the singer. Jess is gorgeous – amazing half-Italian-half-Norwegian eyes and skin, and Jack is one of those trendy musical types with a clever hair-style and poetic eyes. They meet by chance (and you see exactly how those chances coincide to create a meeting that easily might not have happened) and fancy each other immediately. They are strong, clever, and very ready to leave school and fly out into the world – and in fact, they will both finish school in two weeks. But their lives are not perfect. Jess’s mother is becoming an alcoholic and Jess is worried – Jess’s father left years ago and she knows that her mother is terrified about Jess leaving home. Jess loves her mother – an artist, floaty, flighty, dippy, fragile – but wishes she could be stronger.

Jack is obsessed by luck, risk and chance. He was very unlucky as a young child – his mother died twice, by horribly bad luck, which wouldn’t have happened if Jack hadn’t been there.  Although it wasn’t his fault, he can’t help thinking about how easily she might not have died. This obsesses him, so now, aged 18, he often sacrifices himself to luck – by tossing a coin and promising to do whatever the coin says, however dangerous. This is how he thinks he keeps himself lucky, and he thinks that Jess coming into his life is proof of his system, proof that if you spin the coin the right way, make the right choices, take the right turnings, luck will follow.

But Jack’s luck is about to run out, horribly and terrifyingly. And only chance can save him – but will it? At the end of the book I present two endings and before you read them you have to toss a coin to determine the ending for Jack and Jess. Life or death. But you find that it’s not as simple as life or death. You may find that there’s no such thing as luck, or chance, or choice. Which is a scary thought, but Jack and Jess are strong enough to think that deeply.

MAIN REVIEWS

Amanda Craig in The Times: “… a gripping, original and stylish read that should cheer teens up by making them sob their eyes out.”

Cat Anderson, Bookseller: “This book feels like a stroke of genius, combining a fast-paced story with romance and danger, success and family drama alongside some seriously thought-provoking happenstance. Fantastic.”

Vanessa Robertson, Bookseller: “Wasted is an outstanding book. If it doesn’t sell hugely and win awards … there’s no justice.”

Clare Donaldson, parent and reader: “WOW! I was riveted, from the brilliant first chapter right through to the end. Sinister, chilling, contemporary, pacy, thought-provoking and highly original in presentation – if you don’t have huge success with this there is something VERY wrong with the market. My daughter, at 13, also raced through it and I was fascinated to see how excited she was by it – it’s a while since I’ve seen that particular response from her.”

Nikki Heath, school librarian: “Oh, my gawd, Nicola! Your book arrived at work today and I brought it home to read. It was supposed to last the weekend but I just could not bring myself to put it down and only reluctantly did so to cook tea. I adore it. Love the apparent randomness that isn’t, the sadness of the 2 mums and the alcoholic mum theme. 2 kids who could have been incredibly messed up but aren’t. Would happily give it to both girls and lads. Want to go read it again NOW. It’ll fly off the shelves! It’s such a different format to others out there in a way and I LOVE it!! It’s just such a shame we broke up yesterday as I can think of at least 40 kids I want to give it to who I know will love it and tell others about it!”

Linzi Heads, school librarian: “Wow!”

Iffath at lovereadingx blog: “You are a genius! Wasted is awesome!”

Catherine Hughes, reader with teenagers: “I absolutely adored this book. … Nicola tells me that she isn’t a singer and yet she writes about how it feels to be able to sing with such authenticity and feeling that it brought tears to my eyes. … Middle daughter (13) read ‘Wasted’ at the highest speed I’ve yet seen her devour a book. She was absolutely fascinated. Her favourite character was Jack, but she too recognised how-it-feels-to-sing. And we’ve had a few philosophical discussions prompted by what she’s read in the book.”

Isla, 14: “I think perhaps you should send a copy to my English teacher, to show her what kind of great books teenagers of this day and age should be reading!”

Published by Hodder in 2003

About the book: Fleshmarket is set in the 1820s in Edinburgh, a city of cruel contrasts between the lives of the rich and poor, and home to the infamous Burke and Hare, who sold their murder victims to brilliant anatomist Dr Robert Knox. This is the often harrowing story of a boy who must survive the pain of his mother’s death at the hands of Doctor Knox.

Fleshmarket is probably my best-known book. Many schools use it as a class reader, partly because of the accurate and vivid portrayal of real life in Soctland in the gruesome 19th century, but mainly because it’s a story that so many young people seem to enjoy. It’s equally for boys and girls, but many boys who didn’t think they liked reading have changed their minds after Fleshmarket. That’s the best response I could possibly have wished for! If you’re studying Fleshmarket in school, do ask me any questions and if I visit your school I will tell you the real stories that inspired it.

The book begins with a woman having an operation without anaesthetic, in front of an audience of men, all medical students. She acts with extraordinary dignity and bravery. Outside the room, her eight-year-old son, Robbie, is waiting and he hears her scream and sees her walk from the room a little later, shocked, silent and in pain. The woman dies of blood-poisoning five days afterwards. Fleshmarket is the story of Robbie, who accidentally meets the surgeon six years later and overhears him dismissing the suffering of his patients. Robbie wants revenge. But the surgeon is Doctor Knox and what Doctor Knox has been doing is very dangerous indeed.

Main reviews

The Glasgow Herald: “This book grabs you and never lets you go.”

The Bookseller: “Outstanding … a book that deserves attention.”

The Sunday Telegraph: “A gripping and intelligent read.”

David Almond: “A dramatic and thought-provoking book. Nicola Morgan is a fine writer.”

The Guardian: “This is a tough thriller, a delicate love story and a powerfully evocative historical novel. …. Morgan is a confident, courageous and honest writer. Fleshmarket is a tour de force, from its attention-grabbing prologue onwards.”

Sunday Young Post: “Novel beginnings are seldom more dramatic or more grim than the first 10 pages of Nicola Morgan’s Fleshmarket. This is sweat-on-the-forehead stuff. In the startling introduction to her story, Morgan, an uncompromising writer who doesn’t believe in holding back, takes you straight to the painful centre of what is to follow and leaves you gasping. Fleshmarket is well and truly a book that thrills, but behind the rip-roaring plot there is a painful truth that none of us should ever forget. This is an important book that lives up to the expectations of its evocative title and dramatic cover. Stories don’t come any more powerful than this.”

Liv, aged 16: “This book is one of the very few on my list of favourites. It’s gripping, realistic, sad, exciting and historically accurate. Robbie is an amazing character that really pulls you in. Really is a GREAT READ.”

The Highwayman’s Footsteps was published by Walker Books (UK) in 2007. The Highwayman’s Curse was published in 2008.

“A terrific tale, gripping from start to finish.” The Times

About the first book. Full of dark deeds and danger, set in the gruesome 18th century, it follows the adventures of Will and Bess, two young people thrown together by circumstances. Will is highborn, the son of a High Sheriff, but he has run away from home after arguments with his father and hated older brother. He steals money for food, and is on the run from the redcoats. Seeking refuge in a ruin, he finds that he is not alone: someone else is hiding there: a highwayman, who captures him at gunpoint.

Bess is the daughter of a highwayman and has learnt to ride and use weapons. After her parents’ brutal death, she was cared for by Aggie but when Aggie died, Bess was left on her own, aged 13. Bess, now 14, is very strong and independent. Will is not, but he learns to be. He thinks he’s a coward, because his father and brother have always told him so, but during his adventures with Bess he finds courage that he could never have imagined.

Bess hates the redcoats because they killed her parents. So when Will and Bess come across a young deserter, Henry Parish, on the run from the redcoats for stealing flour, they vow to help him. But the redcoats are determined to catch Henry, so Will and Bess face great danger. Will also discovers something terrible about his father and vows to make him pay. Will and Bess now have a double mission: to defend Henry Parish and take vengeance on the redcoats and Will’s father and brother.

When is it set? 1761. The year of the Hexham riots, when local people protested against the way they were forced to join the militia. The authorities decided that the ring-leader was an old man and they hanged him for it. But then they discovered that he hadn’t even been there that day. This incident becomes very important in fuelling Will’s anger;  he hates injustice and wants to fight against it.

What about the title? As soon as I started thinking about highwaymen, I was drawn towards my favourite poem, perhaps my favourite piece of writing anywhere: The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes. For me it is perfect: SO beautifully tragic! It is about a highwayman and his lover, Bess, ’the landlord’s black-eyed daughter’. The redcoats want to kill the highwayman so they set a trap, tying Bess with a gun against her heart. But she wriggles until her finger is on the trigger and then waits till her lover approaches on his horse; when he does, she pulls the trigger, to warn him that the soldiers are waiting. To warn him with her death. She dies and he gallops away, not realising what the shot meant. Later, when he hears of her death, he gallops back in fury and allows the redcoats to shoot him dead, ’down like a dog’ on the road.

So, when I knew I was going to write story about a girl who was a highwayman, I knew she had to be connected. I decided that the highwayman and the landlord’s daughter had had a baby and that the story of their deaths would affect that child as she grew up. I knew that Bess would be brave and beautiful like them, but human and real too, with problems and depth of character.

So, Bess follows in the footsteps of her highwayman father. His spirit guides her and she will never forget him and all that he taught her about honour and bravery. Nor will she forget her hatred of the redcoats.

Something you might like to know: Henry Parish, the deserter whom the redcoats chased,  was a real person. Henry stole the flour because his family were starving but the soldiers wanted it to whiten their hair. Often it’s the small people who change history: it was partly because of him that the British army decided to change its policy of using flour to whiten the hair of the soldiers.

The sequel: The Highwayman’s Curse

About the book: Will and Bess are on the run and find themselves in Galloway, Scotland, falsely accused of murder. Captured by smugglers, they become embroiled in a story of hatred and revenge that goes back generations: to the days of the Killing Times, when men, women and children were killed in the name of religion. As Will and Bess become entangled in the dangerous lives of this embittered family, both have choices to make which will test to the limit their courage. They must face the horrors of the terrifying smugglers’ caves, and everything they believe will be challenged. They may try to break the cycle of religious hatred that curses the land, but will their friendship survive?

It’s a story of hatred and anger going down the generations. There are many places in the world where hatred between religions causes tension, death and revenge. The only way to stop it is for someone to say, “Enough.” Either side could do it, but no one is ever brave enough. They’re brave enough to kill and torture but not brave enough to forgive and be forgiven.

In The Highwayman’s Curse, there’s a bitter old woman with a terrible scar on her face  from when she was branded by a soldier as a child. The soldier had tried to force her mother to swear loyalty to the King and not God. But her mother would not, and so she was drowned and her daughter was branded as she watched. This memory has stayed with the old woman and she is full of hatred for the Epsicopalians who had been responsible. But that is many years before, and the Killing Times are over. Should she not move on, forgive, put it behind her?

The launch for the book was held in a tiny 18th Century cottage in Galloway, with 80 school-kids and a TV crew!

WARNING: don’t let your great-aunt Gladys read this book  -  the scenes in the caves will be bad for her heart.

ANOTHER WARNING: there’s a very nasty incident with a snake, too …

MAIN REVIEWS OF BOTH BOOKS

The Times, Amanda Craig: “… Morgan is a skilled storyteller who exposes the seamiest sides of history and explores ideas with real feeling. She shows us the miseries of poor people’s lives in England’s “golden age” … it is a terrific tale, gripping from start to finish.”

The Herald, Vanessa Curtis: “…the novel gallops along at a cracking pace, packed full of plot twists.”

The Telegraph, Sinclair McKay: “If what you are after is really serious retro-adventure, then it doesn’t get more sincere – or hauntingly conjured – than The Highwayman’s Footsteps … From the opening chapter we are hauled into the perilous life … Muskets are fired, horses are stolen, confidences are betrayed, shelter is sought in freezing, stinking hovels and all of this is played out against the unforgiving winter landscape of the Yorkshire Dales. Jeopardy lies round every corner, but Will and Bess come to form an impressive team, having constantly to think on their feet to stay ahead of soldiers and treacherous family members. There is no let up either in pace or atmosphere.”

The Bookbag, Jill Murphy: “…a wonderfully well-written book, with well-chosen vocabulary and serious moral dilemmas. It’s meticulously researched and a real epic of an adventure story too. Highly recommended for 10s and up.”

The Northern Echo, Rosalind Kerven: “Danger and fear jump out from every page in this gripping historical novel. …. There are no holds barred in this heart wrenching and highly recommended novel. (Age 11+)”

Scotland on Sunday, Janet Christie: “… Noyes’ poem runs throughout the novel and is the catalyst for much of the action. Morgan follows in the highwayman’s footsteps by stepping confidently into his leather riding boots and galloping off with a teen novel whose strong characters, vivid language and runaway plot not only stand, but deliver too. …”

Bookbag, reviewer Jill Murphy: “It’s as vivid and vital as the first book … as evocative of time and place as ever you could wish. …Clear-eyed, carefully structured and capable of analysis, yet vivid, energetic and motivational, I loved The Highwayman’s Curse just as much as I loved Morgan’s first book about Will and Bess. It’s everything you could ask for in an historical novel and it comes highly recommended by Bookbag.”

Waterstone’s, Sue Chambers from the Harrods branch: “The sequel to the Highwayman’s Footsteps and is as well written and gritty as that volume. Superb, atmospheric and glorious. Buy both and have a ball – absolutely WONDERFUL. Enjoy this adventure. I hope and trust there will be a third.”

Published by Walker Books in 2009

About the book: Deathwatch is a thriller, set in Edinburgh in the present day, about a fourteen-year-old girl who is being stalked. She doesn’t know until almost too late, but you know, right from the start. You know she’s being stalked but you don’t know who by, you don’t know why, and you don’t know what the stalker plans to do to her. One thing you do know: the stalker is obsessed by insects…

You might like to know: I wrote this book with pupils from The Mary Erskine School in Edinburgh. The “Deathwatch” Girls helped with all sorts of things: choosing names, helping with teenage email language, telling me when things were not scary enough, deciding that a Madagascan Hissing Cockroach was much better than a stick insect for one particular scene…

Main reviews

Keith Gray, in The Scotsman: “Plotted like a crime novel with plenty of cliff-hangers and red-herrings, this feels like a story aimed at teenage girls who want more grit, who find Twilight and its ilk too wimpy.”

Jill Murphy, 5* review on the Bookbag: “It’s genuinely creepy, this book. I dislike insects as much as Cat does, so when a spider jumped out of a bouquet of flowers and ran across her shoulder, I spent the next hour shuddering and dusting myself down. There are a number of scenes every reader will recognise – walking home in the dark or the rain, and worrying about footsteps behind you, or the hooded figure coming your way. We also get to sit behind the eyes of Cat’s stalker, and that is exceedingly uncomfortable.

“…. the sense of menace if you don’t [guess the stalker’s identity] is absolutely palpable and renders the book a real page-turner. I read in one, rather breathless, sitting.”

Nikki Gamble, on Writeaway: “Deathwatch is a finely crafted intelligent thriller. The drip feed of detail creates real suspense and just as we think we are getting a grip on Cat’s stalker, new suspects challenge our assumptions and judgements. …Sinister, tense, thought-provoking and entertaining, this is a fine teen read.”

Vanessa Robertson, The Edinburgh Bookshop: “An outstanding book. The feeling of menace and suspense is established from the beginning and builds steadily until the climax of the plot where the stalker is revealed and Cat has to run for her life. Nicola is clearly a talented crime writer and it would be interesting to see her write a crime novel aimed at a grown up readership.”

Anne Johnstone – The Herald: “…As the story hurtles towards its surprising and truly terrifying climax, Morgan cleverly interweaves several themes with her customary attention to detail: stalking (including by internet), entomology, the pressures on outstanding young athletes torn between their own ambition and the desire for normal teenage fun, schizophrenia and Gulf War Syndrome. But ultimately this is a book about the importance of holding onto your dreams and the corrosive power of despair.”

Polly Bartlett (13): “I read Deathwatch in one night. It is one of those books that you just can’t put down – an outstanding book. It was cleverly written, revolving round all of the charaters. There is a feeling of suspense, that carries on from the first word, all the way to the last.”

Roman (13): “I really enjoyed this book, it gripped me from the start with a modern storyline which centres around a girl called Cat who chats online to friends, but things go horribly wrong when someone starts to stalk her.  This is an easy and compelling read with a really exciting ending, and would definitely be of interest to girls and boys.”

Alana (14): “Deathwatch has all the ingredients of a perfect teen thriller. … will keep you hooked from start to finish to find out who, from the many suspects, the stalker is.”

Priya (14): “The best teenage read of 2009!”

Ben (15): “Seriously creepy. Loved the insects!”