Blog — Jessica Turnbull

Hi all,

For anyone who has missed my social media posts - I attended the launch party for Adverbially Challenged Volume Four and Sensorially Challenged Volume Two on Tuesday. It was my first ever launch party and writing event that I've ever attended.

My boyfriend and I went to a cat cafe, You & Meow, beforehand to try and settle my anxiety. Although I have a cat at home, Bristol is a two hour drive from where we live, so I needed to pet some cats just before the launch party. The cats were all very sweet and playful, they even had some new kittens! Overall it was a great experience and helped me calm down a bit. We also had some delicious carrot cake that we had to eat quickly because a few of the cats were eyeing it up.

One of the cats trying to get a taste of my smoothie

Now, for the launch party itself.

There was quite a lot of people there, most getting ready to read their stories in front of everyone. My stomach churned the entire time as I was waiting for my slot. Eventually my turn came and I managed to make my way up to the stage without tripping. Although the reading of my story, Mother Cat, was short and a bit rushed, I managed to do it. The entire time I was waiting to go up I felt like I was back in school again, about to do a presentation in front of the whole class. The whole experience made me very thankful that I'm not in school anymore!

Me, reading ‘Mother Cat’ from Adverbially Challenged Volume Four

The evening was great and I loved the stories that were read out by others. I've never seen so many authors in one place, and it was good to see that so many people have a passion for writing.

Would I do it again?

Yes.

Would I read another story out?

Maybe.

The experience brought back a lot of bad memories from my school days, so I'm not sure if I could put myself through that again. I'm so glad I faced my fears and did it though, and that my boyfriend was there to support me.

I hope you enjoyed this week's blog post.

See you next week!

Hi all!

This week I thought I'd talk about something different: reading.

As writers we all need to make sure we read a lot, especially in the genres we write in. Reading can improve your writing as you read different styles, characters and plots.

Starting the book:

Most people read from the first to the last chapter.

I always read the last few pages before starting a book.

It's a habit I developed when I was younger and reading the Warriors books by Erin Hunter. I was so excited to read the ending that I would just read it first. I still do it now, I don't mind spoilers at all. Most of the time you don't really understand the ending until you've read the full book anyway, so it doesn't hinder my reading experience at all. It's just a habit to flick straight to the back and then start the book.

Bookmarks:

I also use scrappy bits of paper as bookmarks, such as receipts or random pieces of card. I've had proper bookmarks, but I've just never used them. To me it's easier to find my page with a receipt rather than a thick bookmark.

Book jackets:

I think book jackets are pretty, but I usually remove them when reading as it makes it easier. It also means I don't accidentally damage it.

Book spines:

I know I'm not alone on this one, but I hate bending the spines of books. I like them to remain in pristine condition for as long as possible!

Fussy:

Admittedly, I'm quite fussy with what I read. More often than not I've started a book, put it down halfway through and never picked it up again. I find it hard to find books that I can connect with. Luckily I didn't have any problems connecting with Blood and Water while writing it. I suppose I just need to find the right story.

Warriors was the best book series to me growing up, and I took a lot of inspiration from Erin Hunter. I wanted to create a universe that thousands of people love. It also has my favourite animal as the characters: cats. These books made me want to write for teenagers as they brought so many people together in the Warriors forums. I want people to love and be inspired by my writing like they are with Erin Hunter.

Finally, I'm going to leave some tips for readers:

Don't be ashamed of what you read!

Always review the books you liked!

Tell the author if you loved their book!

Don't pirate the book, authors need an income to write more books!

That's it for this week, next week I'm going to talk about the importance of cover designers.

See you next week!