About the Authors
Kate S. Martin spends her days teaching English at a local high school in Cheshire and her evenings are spent writing stories close to her heart. She believes teenage years can be particularly difficult and wants to create stories that show empathy and hope for her readers. She lives with her husband, two children and Jessie, the Miniature Schnauzer.
Chris Vick’s books for young people have been shortlisted for numerous prizes, including the Carnegie medal, and translated into several languages. His most recent book, The Last Whale, was chosen by The Big Issue and Daily Mail as one of their books of the year, and called a ‘beautifully written call to arms,’ by The Guardian. He has appeared at festivals including Hay, Cheltenham and Mar di Libre (Italy). He works part time for Whale and Dolphin Conservation (Whales.org). He also mentors and talks at universities and schools.
Since the publication of their first novel in 2016 (The Witch’s Kiss, HarperCollins Children’s Books), sisters Katharine and Elizabeth Corr have gone on to co-write another six YA fantasy novels, encompassing contemporary witchcraft, fairy tale retellings, high fantasy, and Greek mythology. Their most recent novel is Queen of Gods, the second half of the House Of Shadows duology, published by Hot Key Books. They both live in Surrey with their families and are very grateful for cloud-based technology; if they had to physically write in the same room, it would definitely end badly.
Katharine: Twitter | Instagram
Elizabeth: Twitter | Instagram
About Their Books:
Title: ARE YOU OK, ELLIOT HART?
Author: Kate S. Martin
Pitch: Inspired by a picture in a newspaper, Elliot embarks on an adventure to the city. Little does he know that the school bully, Josh, has decided to join him.
Find on Goodreads.
Title: THE LAST WHALE
Author: Chris Vick
Pitch: A page turning eco adventure, full of hope. ‘ A beautifully written call-up arms’ The Guardian.
Find on Goodreads.
Title: QUEEN OF GODS
Author: Katharine and Elizabeth Corr
Pitch: Sequel to DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS, A quest though the realms of the ancient Greek gods including found family, forced proximity, a love triangle and a super-hot god of death!
Find on Goodreads.
What do you love most about writing for the YA audience?
Kate S. Martin: I find young adults inspire me more than I try to inspire them! I’m a high school teacher as well as an author. Teenagers don’t often realise how resilient, witty, and talented they are. I believe school years can be difficult for some and I like to write stories that explore the grittier topics whilst also encouraging empathy and hope. The dedication in my debut novel reads ‘to teenagers everywhere, especially those who have fought a battle before arriving at the school gates’ so I suppose I like to write for those who have extra struggles in their lives.
Chris Vick: Dealing with such a vibrant part of all our lives.
Katharine and Elizabeth Corr: We love the passion of the YA audience! Readers are so invested in their favourite books and characters, which makes it all the more rewarding when you write something that really captures people’s imagination. YA readers are looking for everything: fast-paced, exciting plots as well as excellent writing and engaging characters, and we are always blown away by how supportive and enthusiastic our readers are.
How has writing YA changed your perspective on the world?
Kate S. Martin:As well as teaching, I now visit schools to deliver creative writing workshops on mental health and empathy. I’m still amazed at how creative and talented teenagers are. It’s reminded me how important creative writing is to explore your identity and prompt important discussions.
Chris Vick: It’s made me see with other’s eyes.
Katharine and Elizabeth Corr: It’s made us think a lot more about diversity, representation and being inclusive – our readers demand that from us, and we want to create charaters to whom they can relate. We try to write the kind of characters that reflect the lives and aspirations of young people today, but also the sort of stories we wish we’d had access to when growing up.
What trends are you most excited about in UKYA at the moment and to come?
Kate S. Martin: I particularly enjoy books that tackle tough themes and there’s some great ones out at the moment, for example THE SILVER CHAIN by Jion Sheibani, THE ETERNAL RETURN OF CLARA HART by Louise Finch, and CROSSING THE LINE by Tia Fisher.
Chris Vick: Cli – fi, nature and re-tellings.
Katharine and Elizabeth Corr: Given we love Greek and Roman mythology, the continuing popularity of stories based on or inspired by mythology is wonderful. Future trends are hard to predict, but we’re excited about the growth of YA horror and the gradual re-emergence of contemporary paranormal fantasy…
What do you think is special about UKYA? (Books and/or community)
Kate S. Martin: The UKYA community is one of the most supportive groups out there. I feel lucky to be part of it. I doubt I would have enjoyed this journey half as much if I didn’t have fellow UKYA authors by my side.
Chris Vick: It’s so varied, exciting, experimental and forward looking.
Katharine and Elizabeth Corr: UKYA books are so important as a balance to the dominance of US YA publishing. Life in the UK is not identical to life in the US, and UK readers deserve to have books that are shaped by a UK experience, whether that’s directly referenced in the story or just reflected in some shared culture between the writer and reader.
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