Author Talk & Signing - Waterstones - Liverpool One By: Jenny

Photos By: Jenny

On Friday 6th November, I attended an author talk and signing at Waterstones Liverpool One.

I have previously been to some brilliant events at Waterstones and with this panel of 5 authors I knew I was in for a good night discussing everything YA.

After a slight delay, thanks to authors stuck in heavy traffic. The talk got started later than planned, but did not disappoint.

Chaired by the lovely Keris Stainton; Holly Bourne, C.J. Daugherty, Alexia Casale and Melinda Salisbury discussed the portrayal of strong female main characters in YA.

Photos By: Jenny

Photo By: Jenny

The group covered how they go about their writing process. What they think is/isn't suitable in YA- this was a very diverse question as there were contemporary and fantasy YA authors, so what may be deemed suitable for one, might not be in the other. It also affects how something is written e.g. first love, puberty. How to create a character into a strong lead without losing feminity and how feminist themes can be important and are becoming more visible in YA reads.

A quick mention aswell to NaNoWriMo which some of the authors are taking part in. I think some of
the attendees from the event will be putting to good use some of the advice they received.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening; complete with laugh out loud moments and a few things that can't be repeated outside that room.

Photo By: Jenny

I'd definitely recommend checking out some of the books by the authors. A quick list is below, these were the titles that were discussed at the event.

Alexia Casale- The Bone Dragon
Holly Bourne- Am I Normal Yet
C.J.Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld- The Secret Fire
Melinda Salisbury- The Sin Eater's Daughter
Keris Stainton- Counting Stars

I've only read Counting Stars, but i'm really looking forward to getting stuck into the other books.

Check out my review for Counting Stars HERE!