Guest Post from author Jack Croxall

9:03 AM by Cierra 4 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

Hey guys!

We have someone new here- Jack Croxall, author of Tethers, and he will be doing a guest post!

Why I love (and write in) the young adult genre ‒ Jack Croxall

I remember the moment I first wanted to become a writer. I was sitting in my early-teenage bedroom reading The Amber Spyglass in between stints of homework, GameCube and playing electric guitar badly, when *spoiler alert* star-crossed adolescents Lyra and Will were forced into parallel universes never to see each other again.

Before starting the His Dark Materials trilogy I had bypassed the YA genre completely, instead choosing to graduate straight from children’s books to novels aimed at adults. With the benefit of hindsight, I suppose I’d done this in some misguided attempt to appear cool to the opposite sex but, thankfully, Philip Pullman’s books were knocking about the house for some reason and one day they just happened to catch my eye.

I was not ready for the heartbreaking ending of The Amber Spyglass. It got to me in a way that nothing I had ever read/watched had done so before. I’d identified with the characters early on and, although I didn’t fully appreciate all of the complex themes the books explored at the time, the plot had drawn me in hook, line and sinker. Once I’d read the book’s final sentence, I immediately turned over to the cover and thought, Mr Pullman, I want to be able to make people feel how you’ve made me feel. And in truth, that was depressed into to a mild stupor for days – but in a good way.

From that moment on I started feasting on nothing but YA, only picking up the occasional ‘adult novel’ once I was into my twenties. I do enjoy reading books aimed at mature audiences but I rarely connect with them like I do with novels following adolescents. After much reflection, I think this must be because some of the trials and tribulations teenagers go through are universal and that means I can still relate to them despite being slightly less Y and a little more A these days.

So, when I finally sat down to write my first novel, Tethers, (sadly my education got in the way of me becoming a writer the instant I finished His Dark Materials) there really wasn’t any question over what kind of book it would be. I wanted to write in the genre I loved and, indeed, my protagonist was a teenager named Karl almost from the moment my fingers touched the keyboard.

A YA Victorian fantasy, Jack Croxall’s debut novel, Tethers follows Karl Scheffer and Esther Emerson as they become embroiled in a treacherous conspiracy. The book is available through Amazon (http://amzn.to/12ozq7Q) and you can find out more by visiting: www.jackcroxall.co.uk or the book’s GoodReads page (http://bit.ly/13JaDq1).

And here's a little about his book Tethers:

Tethers

Author: Jack Croxall

Publisher: Amazon

Release Date: February 5, 2013

Summary(Goodreads):

In the wake of a cold Victorian winter, Karl Scheffer and Esther Emerson discover an anonymous journal filled with strange passages and bizarre scribblings.

The journal soon draws them into a covert and sinister conspiracy, a conspiracy centred around an otherworldly artefact with the power to change everything …

Karl and Esther have spent almost every day of their thirteen years in the quiet market town of Shraye. Stifled by their rural surroundings and frustrated by their unfulfilled ambitions, they find the allure of the journal’s mysterious pages impossible to ignore. The book seems to be beckoning them away from Shraye, away from their homes and towards the coast where an unsolved disappearance has set in motion a dark chain of events.

The voyage the teenagers soon find themselves undertaking is one of desperate importance and true peril; it will change the way they see the world, and each other, forever.

4 comments

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sharon sant

AUTHOR

16 March, 2013 delete

I've read Tethers. It's a great read and it is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for YA with a difference.

ELAdams

I love The Amber Spyglass, too - I first read Pullman's trilogy when I was about 12, and I was devastated at that ending! Great post - I'll have to check out Tethers at some point! :)

J-Cro

17 March, 2013 delete

Thanks so much for hosting me, Cierra!

And thanks for your kind comments Sharon and Emma. I must say The Amber Spyglass has had a huge impact on my life, and certainly on Tethers too!

Jack :D

Anonymous

30 March, 2013 delete

I too was very moved by Philip Pullman's Dark Materials books, but I was really mad at him for ending it the way he did. I really wanted a different ending! I am looking forward to reading Tethers. It sounds interesting.