Tag: Teen

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Interview: The Silver Kingdom by Radiya Hafiza

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Author of The Silver Kingdom, Radiya Hafiza, shares her passion for epic romance and explains the historical influence on her YA novel.

Could you tell us a little about your YA novel, The Silver Kingdom?

I’ve aways wanted to write an epic love story. Two star-crossed lovers, soulmates kept apart by their circumstances, a love so deep it’s ineffable. The hope for The Silver Kingdom had always lived in my head.

Romance is one of my favourite genres to read as I am a sucker for a happy ending but the joy of also seeing two people fall in love and getting to experience that alongside them is such a treat as a reader. I wanted to write a book that made people feel that kind of love, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I found the right framing for the story.

… the joy of also seeing two people fall in love and getting to experience that alongside them is such a treat as a reader.

Could you tell us about the inspiration behind the historical setting of The Silver Kingdom?

It was summer 2023 and I was speaking to my parents during South Asian history month about their experiences of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. It had always been quite a taboo topic to speak about the war because of the genocidal crimes committed against Bengali people by the Pakistani army. My dad told me about his family experiences of the war: seeing bombs fall on his city, communities ripped apart, having to flee from persecution. And as he spoke, I knew I wanted to commemorate this part of our family history the best way I knew how: writing a story.

When writing, how did you approach the balance between history and fantasy?

The Silver Kingdom is inspired by the events that transpired under British colonialism and the partition of India. But instead of writing a direct retelling, I wanted to use fantasy as a way to explore these difficult themes – like colonialism and racism – and set about creating a world inspired by these events, with a particular focus on Bangladesh which Dakaria is modelled loosely after. Fantasy gave me a way to explore these themes from a distance without having to live it directly, making it easier to write such challenging and traumatic moments that occur in the book.

… I knew I wanted to commemorate this part of our family history the best way I knew how: writing a story.

What did you like to read as a young reader? Has that translated into your own work?

As a Bengali myself, I’ve never seen much representation of people like me in the books I read growing up. I still adored the stories I read regardless of who it was about with favourites like Jacqueline Wilson, Malorie Blackman and Tahereh Mafi on my shelves. Their books explored important subjects from family drama to bullying and racism, challenging stereotypes and more.

As a teenager, I naturally leant towards YA books, particularly in the fantasy and dystopian space because it created a whole new layer of adventure when the world is entirely new and limitless. Even though authors from the global majority weren’t many in my teens, the authors that I did find gave me the courage and hope to one day become an author myself.

Can you tell us about the importance of South East Asian representation in YA novels?

When we talk about representation, there are so many layers to it: visual representation, cultural nuances, interpersonal relationships, traditions and practices, thoughts and beliefs – there are so many ways people express themselves and share their identities. For The Silver Kingdom, I wanted to create a world shaped by all of these elements but in such a way that the representation was part of the story, and not the point of the story.

I want readers to pick up The Silver Kingdom and see a swoony romance, devastating secrets, magic and political intrigue. And I also want them to pick it up and find unapologetically South Asian inspired characters. Representation in YA books in particular is so important because we need to give all young people a chance to see their stories, their hopes, their dreams mirrored in the literature they consume so they know that the world, their futures, their possibilities are infinite.

The Silver Kingdom by Radiya Hafiza is out now, published by Simon and Schuster.

Radiya Hafiza

Radiya Hafiza is the acclaimed author of the Rumaysa duology and Aya and the Star Chaser. Her debut, Rumaysa, was the first Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month after lockdown in 2021 and has garnered critical acclaim. Her works focus on putting brown characters at the centre of her stories.
The Silver Kingdom is her debut young adult fantasy, exploring empires, history, and forbidden love. Radiya lives just outside of London with her family and works in communications.

PaperBound Magazine  is an online magazine and blog for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by  buying us a virtual book.  We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free –  here.

article, Blog, Blog series, Bookshelf, on writing, Writing craft

A.M. Ellis on Dystopian Literature as a Form of Conversation

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Author of I Feel Your Pain, A.M. Ellis, shares where the inspiration for her dystopian novel came from, and how writing dystopian fiction can open conversation to explore faults in our own society – and challenge them.

By A.M. Ellis

Dystopian novels have long been a way to have conversations about the state of our world, the past we left behind, and the threat of the future repeating mistakes erased and forgotten by history. This genre exists as a safe space to explore heavy topics. Books are meant to be a form of escapism and dystopias aren’t exempt. These fictional realities are often exaggerated depictions of our own lives, but the foundation is always familiar.

For some, reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler feels like she glimpsed our future and left a warning. Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood could be a world one law away from our own with the present-day fight for body autonomy. And the increase of protests against broken governments could bring us to a brink where one cruel tyrant can have us living in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

These are fictional worlds thankfully. But there are lessons to be taken away, conversations to be had, all with the hope that young readers learn from them and hold on tight.

I Feel Your Pain is no different. It tackles themes still present today; classism, race, and systemic issues that dig themselves into the earth with thorny roots that twist and turn and refuse to let go. But before I dive deeper, let me set up a definition.

Systemic racism can begin as a rule or belief meant to openly oppress. Then over time as tides shift and society attempts to change and forget its roots, that rule or belief is rewritten to hide its intentions. Years pass and the original authors are gone, but this rule still exists because it serves as one function or another to a large majority. It’s part of our foundation. There’s no real need to correct it (sarcasm). It’s never truly evaluated (not sarcasm). And it comes with excuses –

“Oh, but we need that rule for societal order. It’s fine, it only hurts people who aren’t helping themselves. It’s not racist, it can affect anyone.”

Oftentimes it’s framed as though the removal of that rule will crumble the state of the world.

Will it though?

No. But it might crumble a few billion-dollar empires.

In I Feel Your Pain, I’m opening the door to have a conversation with readers. It’s a setting so close to our own – minus a cataclysmic solar flare. That solar flare brought with it a painful disease found in the majority of white people. But don’t worry, because scientists have found a way to help the affected through the Freedom System.

With the Freedom System, those with this disease can give away their pain to Pain Carriers, individuals with high pain tolerances who barely feel the ache of it. Of course, those Freedom System scientists have the research to back it up. Those Pain Carriers just happen to be made up of a majority of Black and Brown people.

This is where the conversation begins – the topic of discussion: pain and the stereotypes around tolerances in the Black community. This conversation didn’t come from thin air or a random thought of what-if. It has roots that have refused to dry up.

I Feel Your Pain … tackles themes still present today; classism, race, and systemic issues that dig themselves into the earth with thorny roots that twist and turn and refuse to let go.

Did you know that the “father of modern gynecology” achieved his success by – and I’m sugarcoating my words here – perfecting his technique on Black women in a way that ignored their pain? Those women, Lucy, Betsey, and Anarcha, were enslaved and used as variables in a science experiment, their humanity discarded.

I want everyone to know their story.

There’s a nod to them in I Feel Your Pain and I encourage you to look them up. Their survival and endurance are part of medical history. Let me repeat that one word: history. You would think that the disregard of Black pain and the belief of a mythical high tolerance ended here, but it doesn’t.

There are studies within the last ten years that show there are still non-Black medical professionals who believe there is a difference in how various races experience pain. You can find evidence of these beliefs when looking at labor and delivery mortality rates; Black mothers’ accounts of pain being ignored to the point of severe and fatal consequence.

I’ve heard too many accounts of Black voices ignored in the doctor’s office, and have personally experienced it. It left me in shock. It’s 2026. What Lucy, Betsey, and Anarcha endured – that was the 1840s.

The past shows us where these harmful stereotypes began and how they festered, the excuses that continue to be made. So when I wrote of a world with a painful disease and a society believing there are people and communities that can carry that pain with ease – there’s a history behind it. A history and a present I don’t want to see repeated in the next generation’s future.

These are the types of heavy topics dystopian literature allows authors to approach and address within the safe space of fiction. Readers can engage and draw parallels, open their eyes to things that should never happen, never be possible or believed.

Black people don’t have higher pain tolerances. The myth of thicker skin is, at most, likely rooted in a survival tactic required to navigate spaces built against a community that has done nothing to deserve this stereotype other than thrive against the odds. A quick nod to this – the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Depression happened at the same time. We feel, we hurt, we’re human. I need everyone to know and believe the truth.

So let’s have a conversation, and let dystopian literature once again do its thing. I can only hope for readers to take away the lessons to be learned, and hold onto them for as long as they can.

I Feel Your Pain is out now and published by Penguin

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I Feel Your Pain


They were never meant to share a future – only the pain that connects them. 

 
Ever since a cataclysmic solar flare struck 150 years ago, Helical Disease has plagued the city of Alta Bay. Those infected endure excruciating pain and a blue light that crackles beneath their skin. There is no cure.

However, Dominion Pharmaceuticals has created a revolutionary treatment that transfers the disease to people with unusually high pain thresholds. These Pain Carriers feel little to no pain, and they’re paid generously for their sacrifice.

Nova Williams is too focused on surviving to question the system. Castor Fox, heir to the Dominion empire, is proud of his family’s legacy.

When a chance road accident throws them together, the pair form an unlikely connection. But as they begin to fall for each other, a devastating truth comes to light: Nova is Castor’s Pain Carrier.

As darker secrets about the procedure emerge, Nova and Castor must decide whether to accept a broken world . . . or risk everything to change it.

A.M. Ellis

A.M. Ellis is a speculative fiction author and lover of everything steeped in myth and mystery. Her stories often lean into diverse voices, not only in her identity as a Black woman, but in exploring neurodivergence and mental health. A proud introvert and nostalgic gamer, she lives in Maryland, USA, with her husband and three children.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

article, Blog, Blog series, Bookshelf, Interview, Interviews, on writing, Writing craft

Interview: Alan Carrigan on writing and debut YA novel Then We’ll Be Happy #DisabilityPrideMonth

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We are thrilled to welcome screenwriter and debut novelist Alan Carrigan to the PaperBound blog, where he chats to us about his YA debut Then We’ll Be Happy and what it means to have his book out there on the shelves for readers.

Could you tell us a little about your debut YA novel, Then We’ll Be Happy?

Sure! The novel follows seventeen-year-old Sam, who has cerebral palsy. When he is excluded from yet another school tour, he has to spend the day with Patrick, somebody who previously bullied him but is now himself also in a wheelchair. This drives Sam to create a campaign for an accessible bus but in doing so Sam gets more than he bargained for.

At its heart, it’s a story about finding your team in many senses of the word. But to find out what I mean by that, you’ll have to read the book.

Have you always wanted to write, and did you always know you wanted to write for a young audience?

I would say I have always been creative, but writing has been a fairly new development for me. I was the only wheelchair user in my school growing up, and I used to always talk to my friends about the lack of disability representation, so when I got out of the school system and had a bit more free time on my hands, I decided to write.

Truthfully, I’m more of a theatre person than a book person, but I didn’t know anybody in the theatre industry, and although getting a novel onto the shelf of bookstores takes a village, the initial writing phase is just you, the author, so it seemed like a good place to start.

… although getting a novel onto the shelf of bookstores takes a village, the initial writing phase is just you, the author, so it seemed like a good place to start.

You have a very active role in increasing positive representation when it comes to living with disability and sharing what that’s like, from public speaking to your own writing. What does it mean for you to have your book out there for young people to read, particularly those who also have disabilities?

That’s very kind of you to say. I am a person who is very grateful to have been given the opportunities that I have. When I was growing up, the representation of disability in media were often depressed, medical stereotypes, so I wanted to write something more grounded. The point of this novel is not to increase positive representation but to increase nuanced disability representation.

Just like any character, disabled characters can have a full range of emotions: happy, sad, or sometimes not knowing what to feel. The fact that the people of Chicken House saw what I was trying to do with this book and helped me turn it into reality means the world. And while it is impossible to know what readers may take from it, I know that teenage Alan would’ve loved this type of story when he was in school!

What is your favourite thing about your protagonist, Sam, and why? Did you have a favourite scene you wrote for this novel?

I think my favourite thing about Sam is his imperfections. He doesn’t have everything figured out, but he keeps going. For this reason, the pub scene was very interesting to write, but that’s all I can say without spoilers!

What do you hope readers – of any age – will take from this novel?

I don’t think it’s for me to say what readers get out of stories, but I hope readers can use this book as a springboard for starting conversation. I know the plot focuses a lot around finding community, but I think that is something that story in general is also good for. Conversation and maybe a few laughs along the way.

… over time I learned publishers, for the most part, aren’t looking for perfection, they’re looking for a good story, so don’t let your tools get in the way!

What are your top three book recommendations for young people right now, and what did you enjoy reading as a child?

I think Elle McNicoll is just fantastic in both her YA and adult novels, the latter of which is one of my current reads.

Nathanael Lessore is genuinely laugh out loud funny, anytime I listen to one of his stories on audiobook. I know it’s going to be a good time.

There are also lots of great Irish writers: Allison Weatherby, Stephen Daly, Jenny Ireland, Sue Divin, and Dave Rudden, to name but a few – all phenomenal writers and lovely people as well.

My favourite author, when I was a teenager, was John Green; he has a new book coming out later this year, which is an adult book, and I’m very excited to read it. I know he is quite well-known. But if you haven’t read John Green’s YA books, I would highly recommend them. 

Do you have any writing advice for our readers, particularly young writers who are just starting out on their journey?

Writing doesn’t actually have to mean physically writing.

If that is a barrier for you, you can create stories in another way that is more accessible to your needs. Technically, when I write, I dictate; most computers or writing software now have some way of speaking to the computer. You can even do it on a mobile device.

Now I will say that you will need to go back and correct it manually, as in my experience it only picks up part of what you say. Dictation does eliminate the fear of the blank page, and in a way, for every draft you’re writing, you’re actually writing two because when you go back and correct it, you might start to add things, but the important thing is that you’ve got started!

When my novel was picked up to be published my grammar wasn’t the best, but over time I learned publishers, for the most part, aren’t looking for perfection, they’re looking for a good story, so don’t let your tools get in the way!

Can you tell us about anything else you’re working on right now?

I’ve got nothing contracted as of me writing this, but I do have lots of ideas, so hopefully I’ll get to publish another book at some point. My ideas range from contemporary to fantastical, so I’m not sure which direction I’m going next, but I’m excited to find out!

Then We’ll Be Happy by Alan Carrigan is out 30 July 2026, published by Chicken House.

Alan Carrigan

Alan Carrigan is an Irish novelist and screenwriter with quadriplegic cerebral palsy who has worked as a script editor for Ink and Light Films and D11 Stories, and was one of the writers selected for Screen Stories 2025 with Tilting the Lens and Screen Ireland. 

His own work focuses on character-driven, witty, and nuanced stories, most of which feature the types of authentically disabled characters he needed but rarely saw growing up.

While his words can be found on the page, his eyes are often glued to a stage, as he is a big fan of musical theatre.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine and blog for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

article, Blog, Blog series, Bookshelf, on writing, Writing craft

The Art of Questioning by Camille Chong

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Author of Love, Gods & Sinners, Camille Chong, shares how she found inspiration for her novel through questioning the things she loves and the things she knows.

As a writer, one of the most important creative processes is learning how to take inspiration from other media through the art of questioning.

We are often told to write what we ‘know’. As a Singaporean-Chinese child obsessed with X-Men and the Avengers, what I ‘knew’ in media was very different from what I ‘knew’ in real life. I was an Asian girl who wanted to write what I ‘knew’ in media: about jumping across tall buildings and sticking the landing, about having fantastical powers, A.K.A about Iron Man, Spiderman and Charles Xavier, but they were all Caucasian men! I didn’t know that.

Meanwhile, what I ‘knew’ in my real life was about school in Singapore, which I was honestly writing stories to escape from. So I didn’t want to write that, either.

It was all very confusing.

As I grew older, I also fell in love with everyday romantic comedies. One of my favourite aspects of an everyday romance is learning to fall in love with yourself. Seeing people who look like you – with similar physical and personality traits they’re insecure about – be worthy of a swoony romance was important for me growing up. It showed me how I could handle the less loveable parts of me, and that everyone was worthy of love, through their flaws.

I still loved action movies for how fun and punchy they were, but I did not feel as connected to the characters. While I enjoyed watching high-stakes fight scenes, I craved that emotional connection.

The solution to this dilemma was: why choose?

While these are two seemingly separate genres, it turns out that writing and creating is a lot about combining what you know with what you want to question. My question was my dilemma – I knew how to be ordinary in Singapore, I knew rom-coms and action movies, but I wanted to question what superheroes would look like in my ordinary life. Would they be able to fit in superhero-ing amidst homework, club activities and tuition classes? I wanted to see myself in a rom-com and an action movie.

I wanted to question what superheroes would look like in my ordinary life.

In Love, Gods & Sinners, I answered this question by placing my Asian protagonists in usual action scenarios but in a Singaporean setting. I also married the emotional connection of romantic-comedies with the high-stakes and fast plot beats of action movies.

Additionally, the art of questioning is not only a good way to find your place, but also a great way to hone your artistic style and taste. In Love, Gods & Sinners, I was deeply inspired by the flashy fight scenes of old action movies like Kickass (which, in itself, is inspired by a comic!). I wanted to maintain that fun vibe while getting across the punchy-ness of battle scenes in the Avengers franchise. Having to translate my love for film scenes into words meant analysing and figuring out the literary equivalent of different film techniques. For example, using short and quick sentences to imitate jump-cut scenes, knowing choreography, and being familiar with common fight scene angles. Screen and animation showed me how a fight scene could look more fun and colourful than a boring action sequence on TV. Wanting to translate certain effects between different mediums also helped me elevate my writing skill to be able to get the right effect across, as well as hone my personal style in a unique way.

It is not only important to question your inspirations from other media, but also from different genres of stories. Famous rom-com author Emily Henry uses a technique in her rom-com People We Meet on Vacation that she learnt from murder-mystery thrillers, where she introduces a question within the first couple of pages and keeps readers guessing throughout the story. When we question why some stories are so exciting, we can similarly extract its strengths and apply it to a different genre to create something new. For example, after questioning why I liked the superhero genre, I found that I liked the constant dread in a story where a person with a secret identity would inevitably have their secret ripped open. When I used this as an additional plotline in Love, Gods and Sinners, it helped to turn the girls’ romance into something with even higher personal stakes. We must question what we like to build on it and create the work we want to read.

When we question why some stories are so exciting, we can similarly extract its strengths and apply it to a different genre to create something new.

I urge all young readers to keep reading and watching media, to take inspiration from different genres or mediums, and continue to develop what you know against what you question. Love, Gods & Sinners is my answer to my question – an Asian sapphic rom-com with all the vibes of a fun action movie, representing my interests and experiences. I hope you find your questions and your answers too.

Love, Gods & Sinners is out on 11th June 2026 and is published by First Ink

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Love, Gods and Sinners


Harper and Tia are roommates, and interns at the same tech company. They clash, they fight, they flirt. And, under cover of night, the two of them adopt secret identities and head out on missions across the city for their respective magical clans. Tia is the beautiful descendant of the Moon Goddess, and Harper is secretly Raven, the leader-in-waiting of the feared and villainous Foxes.
When each is tasked by their clan to kill the other, a deceitful game of cat-and-mouse begins. And Harper and Tia will start to understand that the concepts of right and wrong can be just as complicated – and dangerous – as falling in love.

Camille Chong

Camille Chong is a Singapore-raised writer of queer Asian stories. When not reading and writing fantasy rom-coms, she’s watching B-grade movies, making a mess of her kitchen or battling demons at her local bouldering wall. Love, Gods and Sinners is her debut novel and a love letter to Asian daughters and fans of punchy rom-coms and secret identity shenanigans. She works on her novels while pursuing a Law degree at University College London.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

article, Blog, Blog series, Bookshelf, Interview, Interviews, on writing, Writing craft

Interview: Kamizen: Fortress of Lost Memories by William Yamaguchi Dobson

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Recently, we not only got to attend the brilliant book launch for Kamizen: Fortress of Lost Memories, but we also interviewed the author, William Yamaguchi Dobson. Read on to discover more about this magical and heartfelt debut, based on Japanese myth and folklore.

Could you introduce us to your book, Kamizen: Fortress of Lost Memories?

It’s a middle-grade fantasy about a boy called Jonty who meets a mystical bonobo in Yorkshire and is offered the chance to enter through The Gate of Memory so that he can recover lost memories belonging to his beloved grandfather and help him finish his memoir about life as a primatologist.

What can you share with us about the inspiration behind the book?

Inspiration, I find, is a mystical thing in itself – if I could pinpoint the exact source, I would drop a GPS pin and camp there for the rest of my writing life. Thinking back now, I would say there were several whispers in my ear. I wanted to write a story about the relationship between a child and grandparent. One of my all-time favourite stories is Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book. I then wondered if I could combine that with my interest in primatology and jazz, as one does on a quiet afternoon. And because of the experience I had with my father’s dementia for over a decade, I had been reading widely about the science of memory. Everything slowly fell into place.

… memories are what make us human and it’s through stories that we remember those who no longer remember us.

The story combines real-life sensitive topics with a highly fantastical world. How hard was it to balance the two? And what do you hope readers take from this story?

The book is aimed at children eight and over. My children witnessed my father’s cognitive and physical decline from a very young age. They had never known him other than “Grandad is poorly”. Many families I imagined were in the same boat. So I wanted to write a story for my children and fellow passengers about preserving the memory of a person before the anarchy of dementia changed them – a time before grandad became poorly. I don’t think I necessarily planned it this way at the outset, but the message I wanted to convey gently is that memories are what make us human and it’s through stories that we remember those who no longer remember us.

I didn’t find it too difficult carrying out the balancing exercise between telling the fantastical story and handling the topic of dementia. The reality of end stage dementia is that it’s relentlessly grim, but you can’t write a children’s story (or an adult one) with relentless grimness. Nobody would read that and nobody should. You sow enough hints about the reality and let your readers water it with their imagination, because the primary duty you have to the reader is that your book is there to entertain them.

There are so many wonderful characters in the book, including a talking bonobo and lots of brilliant yōkai characters. Were all these taken from Japanese mythology and folklore, or did you create anyone specially for this book. And, also, did you have a favourite to write?

A few characters were borrowed from folklore and myth. The kappa is one of the best known yōkai, alongside the tengu. The earth spider is also from a legendary tale. The talking bonobo, however, is entirely my invention, although there is a yōkai known as a satori, which has monkey-like features.

Lafcadio, the Irish kappa, wrote himself. Once I figured out his voice, he was telling me how he would say things and crossing out what I’d written. And to give PaperBound an exclusive, did you know the paintbrush yōkai, Kaita Zanko has several layers of hidden meaning? Kaita is the past tense of “to write” in Japanese. Kaita Zanko is an anagram of Takai Kozan, patron of the Edo period artist Hokusai and himself a painter of nightmarish yōkai.

Zanko is a one-armed yōkai in tribute to Shigeru Mizuki, one of Japan’s most treasured manga artists and folklorists who repopularised yōkai among postwar audiences.

This is your debut book, but it also came out first with Audible. Could you share a little about your experience with the creation of the audio book, and your journey to publication?

Audible acquired the book first and Scholastic bought the print rights shortly after. I had simultaneous edits and a smooth journey through production on both counts. The team Audible assembled was out of this world and you can tell from the quality of the production. There are so many highlights from the time, but two that stand out are: (1) when I was sent the audition clip for Tomoya Errington, who went on to be cast in the lead role. He stars in every single scene and is brilliant in every way; (2) when I first heard Timothy Spall playing Gramps I was walking along Tottenham Court Road and burst into tears as he sounded so much like my father (it happened opposite Waterstones, where I ended up holding my book launch!).

What has been the best publishing experience so far? And has there been a worst?

Working with Polly Lyall Grant and Karen Ball, my editors at Scholastic, and the wider team there has been a joy and painless experience. I wish I could find something to quibble about to give a juicy answer, but I’ll have to disappoint you! Best publishing experience? I received my first copy of Kamizen on my mother’s birthday when she happened to be staying with us, so I let her open the parcel without telling her what was inside. That was a lovely shared moment, entirely coincidental. 

Can you tell us about anything else that you are currently working on?

I am reverting to writing longhand for a new project that may result in a highly illustrated middle-grade novel about a boy, a forest spirit and an unforgettable summer in the mountains of Japan.

What piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer thinking about writing for young people?

Know your audience. If you have children, watch what they’re watching – see what makes them laugh and holds their attention: you can translate some of this to print fiction. You should already know what they’re reading and be familiar with the latest titles. Most importantly, in the words of Inspector Harold Francis Callahan, “you’ve got to ask yourself one question.” Why would a [insert age] child want to read the book I’m thinking of writing?

Kamizen: Fortress of Lost Memories by William Yamaguchi Dobson is out now, and published by Scholastic.

William Yamaguchi Dobson

William Yamaguchi Dobson worked as a barrister before turning his hand to writing fiction. His childhood in Japan and love of manga influence his stories. When not looking after his children, he can be found reading or writing and likes to start the day with a cup of matcha and a smile.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine and blog for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

article, Blog, Blog series, Bookshelf, Interview, Interviews, on writing, Writing craft

Interview: Tig Wallace on whirlwind YA debut Storm Bringer

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Author Tig Wallace joins the PaperBound blog to chat about his debut YA novel, Storm Bringer, the first in a series, following protagonist Amelio in a fantasy world where magical storms are deadly and nations stand divided. As Publishing Director of Little, Brown Book Group, Tig shares how he wrote the novel and his take on the publishing industry sitting on the other side of the fence.

Could you tell us a little about your thrilling debut novel, Storm Bringer? 

Absolutely, and thank you for having me. Storm Bringer is a YA fantasy novel, set in a world besieged by big magical storms. The protagonist, Amelio, has lived in relative shelter for the past ten years, but has to, quite literally, venture into the storm when his mother goes missing. He encounters a world he never really knew and has to come to terms with a power he didn’t know he had, as the biggest storm ever threatens to destroy everything. It’s a bit like the movie Twisters but with tons of magic and a younger – and more rebellious – cast.  

You have a background in publishing from working as an editor for Penguin and Hachette Children’s and now as Publishing Director at Little, Brown Book Group. How does it feel to be on the other side of the industry? 

It’s wonderful, if a little strange, to be on the other side of the table – I feel very lucky to get to do both. What’s surprised me the most is how brand new everything feels as an author. I went into it thinking I’d be able to anticipate some of how I’d feel, having a bit of inside scoop on the process, but that hasn’t been the case at all. I feel just as excited, nervous, and caught up in a whole range of emotions as every other author. People are kind and gerenous and I’ve been very well supported by everyone. I do sometimes have to turn my editor brain off though! 

From the start of the novel, the reader is plunged into action and adventure. How did you come up with the premise for Storm Bringer? Was it something that had been brewing for a while before you started writing? 

I read an article years ago about a woman who chased eclipses – catching flights west during lunar events to see them as many times as she could, or for as long as possible. It stuck with me and morphed into an idea about chasing storms instead and eventually into an image in my mind of a teenager facing down an apocalyptic tornado. That was the seed of it all. I put it on the back burner initially to try writing other things, but kept coming back to it, and finally decided to write it. 

I knew I wanted to write fantasy that was action-packed and pacy, and hopefully also funny amidst all the peril. I always loved fantasy, whether classic or modern in feel, from Ursula Le Guin to Garth Nix to Leigh Bardugo, but also books that feel like blockbusters, like Matthew Reilly’s and Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider. I also love a disaster movie. So I thought, what if I bring all those things I love together…and the result is Storm Bringer. 

Write the book you really want to write, not the one you think you should write – I can vouch for that first hand …

The storms that appear throughout the novel, in their many fashions, seem terrifying. Did you always know you wanted the elements to be such a striking force in this novel? 

I’m glad they are terrifying! Yes, that was always the vision, and I knew I wanted to open with something big and startling to set the tone for what’s to come. There’s of course a great tradition of weather magic in fantasy novels, but I didn’t feel like I’d read anything where storms themselves are so innately magical and destructive. When I landed on that as an idea, it just seemed like something that made this world unique…and that it would be fun to write. I love a big set piece and I had a great time working out what would feel most dramatic on the page. But I also loved the idea that we might learn a lot about the characters by throwing them into massive storms. In Storm Bringer, life and death scenarios bring true feelings to the surface in the most intense moments. 

The two settings of Amrigo and Nimira are very distinct. How did you craft them into fruition, and were they inspired by anything in particular?

From the first iteration of the book I had ‘the Fault’ – the abyss that separates the two sides – but the rest took a long time to craft and work out. The magic vs no magic distinction wasn’t enough, so I spent time thinking about the history of the two places, their geographies, their mythologies, their beliefs, and tried to bring that through in the text. It’s funny, there’s actually loads more I wrote about Amrigo that didn’t make it into the final version of the book, for good reason. The thrust of the action takes place in Nimira and the book would have been much too long if we spent longer in Amrigo, but I was sad to leave Dex behind so soon in the story. Watch this space though! 

In The Hunger Games I love that Panem is a fantasy world based in reality, set on the North American continent. I drew inspiration from that a little for Storm Bringer – although it’s a pure fantasy world, I wanted it to feel like it could be ours with a big twist. A bit like the alternate Oxford we see in Northern Lights. I’m a huge sci-fi fan as well and I guess when I pictured Amrigo – at least where Amelio lives – I imagined something like the dusty, solitary peripheral towns in Blade Runner or the industrial off-world settlements in the Alien franchise. A place that’s gritty and unforgiving, geared towards function. 

One of the most captivating things about this novel is how it contrasts magic with science. Are you drawn, personally, to one more than the other?  

Ooh, what a great question. I would have to say magic: I think however you define it, there is an exciting, unknown about it that represents something distinct from our own world. 

When it comes to Storm Bringer I’m most interested in how both magic and science are changing. As the book starts, we see magic has been declining, science on the rise, and the different attitudes and beliefs towards both, depending where you are in the world. These beliefs stem from history that has become mythology, and I’ve enjoyed exploring this through Amelio’s eyes. We see that both originate from the same source and I think there’s lots to explore in the grey area where the two meet. 

Can you tell us what other projects you are currently working on, or what readers can expect from you next?   

I am busy working away on the sequel to Storm Bringer, which is the first of three of books. Book two picks up pretty soon after the events of book one and readers can expect lots more from our three main characters, each of them dealing with something pretty major after the conclusion of the previous story. Book two roves further across the map, deepens the mythology of the world, showcases bigger magic and, of course, features lots of massive storms.  

What top tips would you give to readers looking to pursue their dream of becoming a published author?    

I’m going to start by telling you my worst habit – as both an author and editor – which is that my default is to think I need a big chunk of time to start writing or editing. It’s not true. Big chunks of time are great of course, but don’t always present themselves. So, my first piece of advice is to sit down and write, even if you only have half an hour. 

The second tip is also about the writing itself: help tomorrow’s you by where you leave your writing today. I feel much less daunted, and much better equipped, to start writing when I’ve left myself in a good spot in the previous session. I leave myself scrappy notes in the document to remind myself what I have to do next, and I often pause writing before I’ve finished a scene or chapter, because I find it’s easier to get back into the flow that way, rather than starting a brand new scene from cold. 

My final tip is a classic with a twist I guess. Write the book you really want to write, not the one you think you should write – I can vouch for that first hand. That said, I think it’s really smart to equip yourself with as much market knowledge as you can. Go to book shops, trawl online, look at publisher catalogues to get a sense of what else is out there and working well. Think about which books you’d love to see yours sitting alongside in a shop. When it comes to approaching an agent, a publisher, or self-publishing, it will make your book feel more commercial and help it find its audience. 

Storm Bringer by Tig Wallace is out now from Chicken House

Tig Wallace

Tig Wallace grew up in a town between London and Oxford, reading as much fantasy as possible. After work as a runner on movies, and a brief, eye-opening experience working in magazines, Tig started a career in book publishing as an editor. Tig is a keen tennis fan, as both spectator and player, a cat enthusiast, and has never been known to say no to karaoke. He lives in London. Storm Bringer is his first book. 

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine and blog for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

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Andy Darcy Theo on Top Five YA Books for Mental Health Awareness Week

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It’s #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and we wanted to share a special guest post from bestselling author Andy Darcy Theo on his top five books that offer great representation for mental health awareness.

Andy’s most recent novel, The Shadow That Finds Us, is the third in the TikTok sensation Descent into Darkness series, set in a fantasy world with high stakes and elemental magic, following protagonist Alexis who battles his own personal struggles while trying to save the world.

by Andy Darcy Theo

My debut YA fantasy, The Light That Blinds Us, is a deeply personal story that seeks to authentically and poignantly represent mental health with care and consideration. It pulls on some of the most loved tropes in fantasy, such as the found-family trope, slow-burn romance, and the hero’s journey, while exploring the condition of psychosis, as shown through the main character, Alexis Michaels.

This was inspired by my own family history and also by my time working as a clinical psychology assistant, where I worked closely with patients with schizophrenia, personality disorders, and bipolar, amongst others. Working intimately with patients provided me with a critical insight to help develop my story and write Alexis in a nuanced and powerful way, closely reflecting the real experiences of real people.

Of the utmost importance in my books is to portray Alexis as a whole and complete person, where his mental health doesn’t define him, but neither is this aspect of his character ignored or dismissed either.  

Here are some of my favourite YA books that I think address mental health well: 

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

A comfort read of mine when I was a teenager and also now as a 27 year old. Charlie’s story handles complex-PTSD with care, delicacy and love. This coming-of-age tale feels like a warm hug and a reminder that you are more than what happened to you. It’s also one of the first times where I’ve seen mental health considered in detail in young men which is extremely important in helping to reduce the stigma that boys must be stoic and that to feel is something to be ashamed of.    

The Definition of Us by Sarah Harris  

A criminally underrated gem that deserves so much more hype. Various mental health conditions are explored in a nuanced way between the four main characters who are a mission to find their missing therapist. The story is an uplifting, heartwarming story of self-acceptance, which I think is really refreshing in the YA book space.  

Songlight by Moira Buffini 

Buffini does an incredible job at intertwining raw human emotion with mental health exploration, while allowing the magical and page-turning plot to take centre stage. This is a great read for those who want to read a complex, action-packed novel with mental health representation carefully threaded through.  

The Vulpine by Polly Crosby 

A beautiful, dystopian story that features not just mental health representation, but explores society’s stigma and mistreatment of a range of disabilities. We go on an internal and external journey with this one and its message has stuck with me long after finishing the book.  

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 

For a long time, I struggled to find a YA book that explored grief in a way that was adequately heart-breaking yet also tender. Bree’s journey with her grief was the most poignant element of this Arthurian fantasy tale and has me coming back to see how she gets on in each instalment in the series.  

The Descent into Darkness series: The Light That Blinds Us, The Dark That Hides Us and The Shadow That Finds Us by Andy Darcy Theo are all out now. 

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The Shadow that Finds Us


Alexis, Blaise, Caeli and Demi return to the Haven, carrying scars both on the surface and beneath. Shadows whisper to Alexis, destabilising his grasp on reality as he works to reveal his parents’ secret, while his friends wrestle with fractured trust and forbidden feelings. As the autumn equinox approaches, distrust mounts, forcing them to confront the true nature of their destiny, before it’s too late and they are lost to the shadows forever.

Author Andy Darcy Theo

Andy Darcy Theo

Andy Darcy Theo is the author of the bestselling TikTok sensation, The Light That Blinds Us, the first epic YA romantasy book in the Descent into Darkness series.
He is a British Greek Cypriot with an educational and occupational background in clinical psychology and teaching. When he is not teaching, learning, or reading, he is developing his compulsive, character-driven fantasy series he began writing at age thirteen.
He is also a prominent presence on BookTok and Bookstagram (where he posts as @AndyDarcyTheo) and has been documenting his author journey online and posting viral bookish content. He has millions of views and likes, which is nearly as many books as he has in his TBR pile.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

Dead Straight Line book cover, by Malcolm Duffy
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Malcolm Duffy on Dead Straight Line: The Story Behind the Story

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Author Malcolm Duffy, reveals insights into how he wrote his latest novel, Dead Straight Line, from turning back the clock of being a teenager to the peril of being a risk taker.

Dead Straight Line book cover by author Malcolm Duffy

by Malcolm Duffy

My stories are fiction, but they’re all rooted in fact. I like to base them on things that happen in the real world, like domestic abuse (Me Mam. Me Dad. Me), homelessness (Sofa Surfer) dyslexia (Read Between the Lies) and the Ukraine war (Seven Million Sunflowers). I decided to write my latest book about something we all do – take risks. Unlike my other stories, the inspiration came from someone very close to home – me. I turned the clock back to when I was a teenager and thought about my own risky behaviour.

Like a lot of young men, I was a risk taker. Not, incredibly scary stuff, like climbing Mount Everest or swimming with great white sharks, but stupid things, that didn’t seem dangerous at the time. The idea for Dead Straight Line came from a game I played as a teenager. I’ll never forget the queasy feeling in my stomach when my friend, Andrew, said we were going to head back to his house, not by following paths or roads, but in a dead straight line.

We ran through front and back gardens, climbed over fences and dived over hedges. It was exhilarating, scary and, looking back on it, quite stupid. Luckily neither of us got hurt.

The idea for Dead Straight Line came from a game I played as a teenager.

Another time I took a risk, things didn’t play out so well. In my early twenties I got into a car with some friends. We’d all been drinking. I didn’t put on my seatbelt. My friend who was driving crashed into a parked car, and I went through the windscreen.

I had cuts on my eyes, and over a hundred stitches in my head. I was off work for three months. My forehead is still numb to this day. Thankfully no-one was killed, but I still bear the scars from what happened on that sunny day in Newcastle all those years ago.

It seems I’m not alone in my risk-taking. Studies have shown young men are far more likely to indulge in risky behaviour than young women across all areas – driving, drinking, drugs, gambling. But I didn’t simply want to focus on risk, I wanted to look at what happens next, and what it means for a young guy like Rory who takes a risk and then has to deal with the fall-out when an innocent game takes a terrible turn.

… life is never a dead straight line.

Because when a bad thing happens, it doesn’t just affect one person, there’s a ripple effect. Rory’s actions impact his family, his girlfriend, his mates, his teachers. Who will support him? Who will hate him? Who will seek revenge? These questions are at the heart of the story.

As I know from my car accident, things can go horribly wrong in a split second. And this is what happens to Rory’s reluctant game player, Eliot, paralysed after a fall while taking part in the game. Eliot’s story was born from the experiences of my own family, helping our mum, who was confined to a wheelchair for the last few years of her life.

For someone who’d been incredibly active she found herself needing a wheelchair to get around. It came as both a shock and an eye-opener to our family, as the simplest things proved to be an obstacle. But, like Eliot, she showed how positivity can shine through, even in the most difficult circumstances.

The story isn’t only about risk, it’s about trust, something that can be so hard to gain, yet so easy to lose. As a result of what he’s done, Rory loses the trust of his close family and friends. Both he and Eliot suffer in different ways and need to rebuild their lives.

They discover that life is never a dead straight line.

The story isn’t only about risk, it’s about trust, something that can be so hard to gain, yet so easy to lose.

Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy is out now in paperback (£8.99, Zephyr)

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Dead Straight Line book cover, by Malcolm Duffy

Dead Straight Line


Sixteen-year-old Rory is a rule-breaker, a risk taker, a maverick. As a kick he comes up with a game called Dead Straight Line. The idea is simple – wherever you happen to be, you’ve got to get home in a dead straight line. Across the back gardens of stranger’s houses, locked parks, trespassing on private property – whatever it takes.
One day, Rory pressures his friend Eliot into playing, resulting in a serious accident. Shunned by friends and facing pressure from his furious parents, Rory becomes even more angry and disruptive. When his school suggests helping out a care home, he’s unimpressed. But paired up with Tanker, an eighty-year-old Geordie military veteran, who fought in the Falklands War, things slowly begin to change.
From seeking thrills to finding friends, choosing the right path in life is never a dead straight line. But there is always a way.

Author Malcolm Duffy
Photograph by Kristin Perers

Malcolm Duffy

Malcolm was born and bred in Newcastle upon Tyne and now lives in Surrey. After a typical Geordie childhood, his parents moved south and deposited him in South East England. Having acquired a Law degree at Warwick University he worked his way through a host of London advertising agencies, picking up numerous awards for copy, press, TV and radio.
Having left ad-land he worked as Creative Director of Comic Relief, creating campaigns for Red Nose Day and Sport Relief. It was at Comic Relief that he was inspired to swap copywriting for writing and wrote his first novel, Me Mam. Me Dad. Me. His books have all been issue based, with much of the information gleaned from his work for different charities – Comic Relief (domestic violence), Shelter (homelessness), Nessy (dyslexia) and Combat Stress (PTSD).
His debut, Me Mam. Me Dad. Me. was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and alongside Sofa Surfer, Read Between the Lies, and Seven Million Sunflowers has won and been shortlisted for multiple regional awards. All four of his books have been Sunday Times Children’s Books of the Week.

He’s supported in his efforts by his New Zealand wife Jann, and daughters Tallulah and Tabitha, who, under the threat of withholding pocket money, seem to like what he writes.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

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Grey is the New Black: Helen Price on Morally Grey Villains

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Author Helen Price, chats about her love of morally grey characters and her new YA thriller, Kill Me Now.

by Helen Price

I love an antagonist.

I mean, who doesn’t love a baddie?

But I like their hearts grey, not black. I want them conflicted, not cackling in the shadows, twirling their moustaches or plotting world domination just because they can. I’m far more drawn to antagonists who genuinely believe they’re doing the right thing, rather than those who hurt people simply because they enjoy it. Why? Because they’re more interesting. They’re layered. And most importantly, they feel real.

I like their hearts grey, not black.

YA readers are brilliant at spotting flat, two-dimensional villains. They’re far more perceptive, morally aware and emotionally intelligent than we give them credit for. If someone is evil purely for the sake of it, it feels false. Teen readers are complicated human beings. They’re living through, or more accurately surviving, their formative years. They’re already living in the grey. They’re questioning rules, challenging authority, working out who and what to believe in. So when a story presents a villain in black and white, it simply doesn’t ring true.

We live in uncertain times and in an uncertain world unwavering conviction can feel especially powerful but also dangerous. Storytelling needs to reflect that. Teens today are constantly exposed to loud and absolute opinions, voices that leave little room for doubt and rarely acknowledge the nuances of their lived experiences. It’s no surprise, then, that they’re drawn to antagonists with motivations they can relate to. Anti-heroes who act out of love, fear, loyalty, or even faith. They might not agree with them, but they do at least understand them. And that relatability makes for more powerful and engaging storytelling.

In KILL ME NOW, my antagonist believes modern teenagers have drifted off course. They see moral decline everywhere and believe souls are at stake. From their perspective, they aren’t destroying lives. They’re saving them. And for a long time, I confidently labelled them as morally grey. They have moments when they doubt themselves. Moments when they wrestle with whether they’re right and what they’re doing is moral. But ultimately, they believe the end justifies the means. And they keep on killing.

At some point, all antagonists believe they’re justified in their actions. History is full of people who’ve convinced themselves that harm and destruction are necessary to achieve their aim. So, why should fiction be any different? But just believing they’re right doesn’t make them grey.

“Seven lives is a small price to pay for the greater good.”

When my antagonist says these words, it’s not madness talking. It’s complete and utter conviction.

Morally grey antagonists work particularly well in YA because teen readers are sensitive to authority figures who claim to know what’s best for them. They recognise control when they see it. So when my antagonist insists they’re enforcing morality to ‘save’ their generation, I hope it strikes a chord with teen readers and even hits a nerve.

When we describe something as grey, we usually mean it’s unclear and that the lines around it are blurred. But in fiction, that greyness can feel strangely solid. Readers may not agree with the antagonist, and they certainly don’t have to side with them, but they can understand the reasoning behind their actions. They can see how someone might have ended up there and what drove them to commit such heinous acts. And if readers do that, then the greyness has worked. The author has created an antagonist with layers, depth, and complexity.

If you’re interested in writing a morally grey antagonist, first ask yourself: Do they ever question themself? Do they show any form of humanity or remorse to the people they hurt? Could a reader argue that they might indeed have a point? If the answer is yes, then it’s most likely that you’ve already crafted a morally-grey one. If the answer is no, but your antagonist’s logic is still structured and convincing, you may have written something slightly different: something more akin to an ideologically driven antagonist. And that isn’t a failing. In fact, in a thriller, it can be equally powerful and even more terrifying.

I went into KILL ME NOW thinking I had written a morally grey villain. What I realised instead was that I had created someone far more unsettling…

I went into KILL ME NOW thinking I had written a morally grey villain. What I realised instead was that I had created someone far more unsettling: someone grey in moments, but absolutely certain at their core. Certain they were right. Certain the future of humanity was at risk. Certain the actions they were taking, and the sacrifices they were making, were wholly justified. So, how do we tell the difference? Well, a morally grey antagonist questions their own morality. An ideologically driven one doesn’t.

In KILL ME NOW, I didn’t want readers to be shocked by the murders alone. I wanted them unsettled by the reasoning behind them. Sometimes the most frightening antagonists aren’t those who enjoy harming others, but those who believe it’s purely necessary. They’re not psychopaths, sociopaths, or narcissists, at least not in the conventional or clinical sense of the terms. Instead, they’re individuals so ideologically certain in an otherwise morally ambiguous world that it’s their conviction, not their cruelty, which makes them so frightening.

Our young adults today are already navigating a complicated and messy landscape. Creating characters who reflect that, who carry their own deep-rooted and complex sense of morality, can therefore spark discussions that resonate far beyond the final page.

So yes, as a thriller writer, I like morally grey characters.

Because while grey is the darkest shade of all, it’s also the truest.

KILL ME NOW by Helen Price is out now in paperback from Chicken House

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Kill Me Now

It’s murder in the sixth form…

School golden boy Riley North is found dead. The funeral director’s son, Guy ‘Reaper’ Mortimer is accused. Determined to clear his name, Reaper teams up with spiky new girl, Samira; Riley’s loyal teammate, Bunsen; hot-headed Snake; and the ever-innocent Betty. They unravel the twisted layers of school, where secrets hide and deception is rife. But someone knows the truth and is determined to expose it – one deadly sin at a time.

Riverdale meets One of Us is Lying, KILL ME NOW is perfect for fans hunting for their next A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder obsession.

Photograph by Kristin Perers

Helen Price

Helen Price is a young adult author of high-octane thrillers. After studying languages at university, she built a career in international HR and change management, writing mainly boring stuff like corporate speeches, handbooks, and communications, until fiction lured her in. She honed her craft by studying at The Golden Egg Academy and completed its prestigious mentorship program.
Originally from the historic city of Norwich, she now lives in a field in West Berkshire. A black belt in karate, she loves chocolate, her dog, and anything thriller-related, both on and off the page.
Follow her on Instagram @Priceywrites

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

All our issues are completely free and run by volunteers, however if you would like to support PaperBound and the work we do, you can help us out by buying us a virtual book. We appreciate any support you can give us!

Don’t forget you can read with the latest issues of PaperBound Magazine – completely free – here.

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Annaliese Avery on Fantasy Fiction – A Torch in the Darkness of Reality

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Author of The Wycherleys series, Annaliese Avery, sheds light on how fantasy fiction can offer hope to readers – and explores the roots of where modern fantasy all started. A fascinating guest post from one of YA’s top fantasy authors!

by Annaliese Avery

There is a reason why in times of darkness and troubles we turn to fantasy fiction, and it is not just for the escapism but for the light that it shines on complex issues that we find ourselves dealing with in the real world.

When reality is full of issues that we feel too close to and that are too big for us to digest, placing them in a fantasy world can help us shine a light on these dark troubles. Within the epic landscape of a fantasy novel these issues somehow don’t feel as overwhelming, they appear more manageable and by viewing them in a fantastical setting they also feel removed so that we can see them with an objectivity that we can’t when we encounter them in reality,

In the dark days of the early twentieth century, fantasy spread its wings. Writers like Tolkien and Lewis took the broken post war world around them and to make better sense of it all they placed it in a fantasy setting that had enough room for them and their readers to hold these troubles at arm’s length and examine them. Fantasy fiction often feels like past wisdom, truths and knowledge from a time out of time from a people out of our reality – wisdom that is available to us all if we are willing to step through a wardrobe or join a wizard on an adventure.

In the later twentieth century fantasy fiction’s sister, science fiction, did something similar – taking the cold war and threat of nuclear annihilation and placing it in a galactic setting, one with the scope of stars and a wisdom ahead of our time, or from another place entirely, most likely a galaxy far far away.

If history is doomed to repeat itself then science fiction looks ahead at the inevitable repetition and questions is there another way? Do we have to wait till we can trave the stars to find out how to quell the darkness, or could we do it here and now?

Towards the end of the twentieth century, while we were living through a reality of relative peace and stability, another of fantasy fictions sisters, dystopia explored thoughts about this, shining a light on the fragility of peace and progress.

Dystopia spoke mostly in fiction for a young adult audience, specifically young women readers, women who had relatively recently in the grand history of the real world gained their liberty and stepped into their power. These stories where mostly female protagonists looked upon the horrors of a world that did not learn from the past, that suffered the same mistakes or worse, and in these worlds young women like Katniss, Triss, Cassia, to name a few, fought for a better world because the one they found themselves in was not only wanting, but it was fragile and had so far to go in order to be mended.

In the dark days of the early twentieth century, fantasy spread its wings, writers like Tolkien and Lewis took the broken post-war world around them and, to make better sense of it all, they placed it in a fantasy setting.

As we stand at the beginning of the twenty-first century, fantasy fictions youngest sister romantasy is shining brightly. Coming out of a time where COVID restrictions saw us all in need of comfort and company, the need for connection helped to drive the romantasy trope into a genre.

Led mostly but women, read by women and written for women; giving voice to those who would not have been heard as readily as they are today when fantasy and science fiction emerged. (Or course there were female voices in those waves: LeGuin, Atwood, Butler, Wynn-Jones, but the vast majority of the voices in this space were men.) Romantasy writers have created a space for themselves and they are holding it and growing it.

The romance genre has historically been seen as a space for women and by bring it more actively into the fantasy genre we are being given that expansive space to look at the darkness that is growing in our world but also to examine what it is to be a woman. Female leads charge the way with their strength and skill and ability, the fate of the world is on their shoulders as they must restore the magic, bringdown the corrupt king, fly the dragon – even become one, and they must do so while building friendships and saving the boy too.

The light that Romantasy is shining in the darkness of our world shows that we can not only kill the creatures and save the world, but we can save our shadow daddy too – mostly from himself.

After all women have been told for decades that they can have it all, that with a little girl power we can have the career we want, and the homelife too, saving the world on top of this is a small ask.

In a world where women have fought hard to have their voice finally heard, a world where rights are under threat it is no wonder that romantasy with its resonating themes of overcoming oppression, and its strong female character who are giving all they can to save the world as well as their own relationships, strikes a chord with many readers.

We are looking for heroes, and the ones we find in romantasy are real and flawed, they care deeply, they want the same thing we all do, they want to be happy, and they want their family (whatever that looks like) to be safe, and for their world to prosper. Violet Sorrengail, Feyra Archeron, Iris Winnow, Aurelia Wycherley, and so many more are all facing the darkness of their worlds, are all leveraging their skills, and going above and beyond to make their world better, something that we can all resonate with – especially in times like these.

Fantasy fiction provides readers with a light that can be shone in the darkness and with characters that tell us that we can overcome the troubles around us.

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The Wycherleys: Love and Other Curses is OUT NOW and published by Simon & Schuster

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The Wycherleys: Love and Other Curses

For the Kingdom. For the magic. And for love . . .

Aurelia Wycherley has found someone to tether her magic to – her enigmatic former enemy, Jules Nightly. Now, they are heading off to coven college to learn advanced magic. But they are also on a secret mission: to discover the Lost Quarter of the college, create their own coven of twelve and try to discover a way to bring back the Old Magic.
When malevolent magic interrupts their first night at college, Aurelia and Jules discover that Jonathan and his coven of untethered witches has escaped and now they are after her magic, curse and all…
Can they save the magic and the world – or will Aurelia lose her magic for good?

Annaliese Avery

Annaliese Avery has spent most of her life surrounded by stories, both at work as a library manager and at home writing them. She holds an MA in Creative Writing and has worked as a children and young adult book editor, and has taught creative writing workshops across the UK.
She has worked at a global conservation charity, and is a keen amateur astronomer who founded an astronomical society in 2013. In January 2020, Annaliese was shortlisted for the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices 2020 anthology.
Her debut middle-grade novel, The Nightsilver Promise, was released in 2021, followed but The Doomfire Secret in 2022. In 2023 Annaliese’s YA debut The Immortal Games was released. The Wycherleys – Annaliese’s latest YA – was the inaugural Waterstones YA book of the month in May 25.
The Wycherleys: Love and Other Curses is her latest book.

PaperBound Magazine is an online magazine for the young, and the young at heart. We are dedicated to showcasing authors and illustrators for children’s and young adult fiction and we strive to deliver inspiring content, uplifting stories, and top tips for young and aspiring writers yet to burst on to the literary scene.

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