Rosie Talbot Author

5 Must Read Books if you're Excited for Sixteen Souls

talbotrosie@gmail.com (Rosie Talbot) — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 17:27:46 GMT

My debut Young Adult novel Sixteen Souls releases in October 2022. Here are 5 amazing books you should read between now and then to get you in the mood for haunted York!

I read all of these books around the time I was writing Sixteen Souls and they all either inspired me, or have some notable relation to the themes and topics I wrote about. If you want an insight into my writer brain (or you just want some really great stories) then these are the books to read.

1. Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake

“She's my purpose and we're going to save each other. We're going to save everyone. And then I'm going to convince her that she's supposed to stay here. With me.”

An older book, but a classic in the young adult ghostly horror genre, this novel has some seriously gruesome scenes, which I loved (of course). Cas, a trained teen ghost hunter goes looking for the legendary, and very dangerous, Anna Dressed In Blood, determined to end her afterlife with his deadly athame and stop her killing again. Since her death she has brutally murdered everyone who has stepped foot in the Victorian house she haunts. Except Cas.

I loved Cas’ character development in this novel and his arc is so well plotted. I read Blake's ghost hunter tale just as I was starting to work on Sixteen Souls. It taught me the tropes of the genre and helped me think about which I wanted to follow, and which I wanted to subvert. I also knew I wanted ghost hunters in my story ... but perhaps not in the way readers would expect.

2. Legion by Brandon Sanderson

“Several pieces of me are very interested in gardening,” I said. “I just didn’t bring them along.”

Legion is a collection of adult short stories ( Legion, Skin Deep, Lies of the Beholder ) that build a larger overarching narrative and I think it is a hugely underrated book. Sanderson is better known for his fantasy and sci-fi epics with tight world building and revolutionary magic systems. Here he offers paired back prose and fabulous dialogue to builds a world that sits somewhere between contemporary sci-fi and psychological thriller.

There are no ghosts here. The protagonist Stephen isn’t haunted by spirits, but by aspects, hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialised skills. Technically they’re all part of him, projected from his mind to allow him to process incredible amounts of knowledge. They make him extraordinary and allow him to do amazing things he would otherwise be incapable of.

If there is one book that seeded the idea for Sixteen Souls, then it is this one. Having read it I loved the idea of an ordinary person becoming extraordinary because of a team around them, a team that only they can see and interact with. Sixteen Souls is wildly different from Legion, but I owe a great debt to it nonetheless.

3. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

“Queer folks are like wolves," Julian told him. "We travel in packs."

In this queer young adult novel, Yadriel’s traditional Latinix family doesn’t accept that he is a true Brujo. To prove himself, he summons a ghost ... the wrong ghost. Julien Diaz was the school's resident bad boy and he has no intentions of going quietly into death. He’s determined to find out who killed him and why before he leaves. Yadriel has no choice but to help him and the longer he spends with Julien, the less he wants him to go.

This book was announced when I was only a couple of chapters from finishing my first draft of Sixteen Souls and I was so incredibly excited to read it. I had to wait a full year for the book’s release and it didn’t disappoint. Like Anna Dressed In Blood the novel features magical blades and romance with a ghost, but it still feels like a fresh take on the genre and has a fabulous twist. What makes Cemetery Boys really stand out is how rooted the magic system is in the author’s own Latinix culture. It really is a book that could only have been written by Aiden Thomas and it is a powerful coming of age story that will stand the test of time.

Like my story, Cemetery Boys is very queer and centres around ghosts. Thomas' spooky adventure is definitely one to read if you also love queer contemporary as a genre as it is lighter on the horror and stronger on the romance. I've made the romance aspects of Sixteen Souls more of a sub plot to the central mystery, rather than the focus.

4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

“If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.”

Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens, would have been normal if he hadn’t been raised and educated by ghosts in the graveyard in which he lives after his family is murdered. He is friends with a witch and cared for by a guardian who belongs between worlds. But it is in the land of the living where the danger to Bod truly lies. The man who killed his family is still looking for him.

My protagonist, Charlie, gets his bravery from Bod, sort of. I read The Graveyard Book when I was about half way through Sixteen Souls , not quite believing that I hadn’t yet picked it up! The aspect that stuck with me the most was the idea of a found family, and of how interacting with the dead fundamentally changes the protagonist in physical as well as emotional ways. Like Bod, Charlie walks between worlds.

The Graveyard Book transcends target ages, but it's suitable for readers aged 11/12+

5. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

“Embrace your strange, dear daughter. Where’s the fun in being normal?”

Cassidy Blake is the daughter of a ghost hunting team with a TV show, but unlike her parents, she can really see the dead. She and her family travel to Edinburgh to film an episode and Cassidy meets someone else like her, an In-betweener called Lara who can also see and speak to the dead. From Lara she learns her role is to help ghosts move beyond the veil, but the girls are being stalked by a sinister spook they call Red Raven.

This middle grade novel is the first in a series. While I’ve only read the first so far, I enjoyed it a lot and I think it has a few fun crossovers with the world of Sixteen Souls . Like Cassidy, Charlie is told that helping the dead is a duty he should perform as a ‘seer’, even if it’s dangerous. Like Cassidy, Charlie’s best friend(s) are all ghosts and he has to hide what he can do from his parents. Like, Cassidy, Charlie interacts with spooks in an ancient and famously haunted city.

Schwab sets her first book in Edinburgh, which is known for its ghost tours and bloody history. I chose York as the setting for Charlie’s story, largely because I wanted an excuse to visit the city and it has a rich history to draw on for inspiration. Turns out it is the most haunted city in Europe so I stand by my choice!

Are there any ghost stories or spooky adventure you think I should read? Let me know in the comments!

7 Spooky Books to start 2022 with a Scream

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 16:48:38 GMT

It’s ALWAYS Halloween in our hearts, so start this year right with some of my favourite Spooky YA Reads.

This list includes 7 of my spooky faves that I think all fans of YA horror and thrillers should read. This is by no means an exhaustive list, believe me, I could go on, but for now here are…

1. House of Hollow by Crystal Sutherland

‘I’d realised there were scarier things in the world than the monsters that lived in my nightmares.’

I think we all knew House of Hollow would be first on this list. If you follow me on social media you’ll know my deep and unyielding love for this book has no limits. If there was a book crafted for my love of gossamer silks, ragged lace, rotting flowers and body horror, well voila! Think flies on the window and maggots under the skin, a deer skulled man watching from the window, a sister with dark secrets and a heavy perfume scent that makes your mouth water and your guts roil.

As children, Iris Hollow and her two sisters disappeared. When they reappeared, each child had a half-moon scar on her neck. Years later, Iris is a teenager trying to avoid the weirdness that manifests around her. Then Grey, her eldest sister goes missing again…

Sounds intense. Well, it is. But if you’re don’t make this book your entire aesthetic after reading then I despair!

What writers can learn from this book: How to build and sustain atmosphere through prose that is both lovely, but not over the top. This book has a melancholy, folkloric tone that weaves wonderfully into the horror aspects of the story. The author also knows you might have an idea of what the twist is and so writes that potential onto the page, which made me think, ‘Oh, it’s not that then,’ and then I JUST HAD TO KNOW what else it could be. Very clever.

2. Last One To Die by Cynthia Murphy

‘This is it. My new life. A fresh start, no boy worries, just me, the big city, and my future. At least that’s what I thought until two minutes ago.’

Want an example of a perfectly paced YA thriller with supernatural elements that harks back to slasher movies and classic who-done-its, but does something uniquely modern in the same breath? Oh good, because you’ve found one. When Niamh travels to London for a summer drama program she finds a placement working in a creepy, but fun, museum with a cute, but mysterious, boy. Then girls start to die. Girls who looks a lot like her.

This story is both tense and chilling and as the mystery unravels the less you know who Niamh can trust. But it’s also contains fun, lighter moments amongst the gloom and a romantic subplot that weaves into the overall mystery.

Look out for Cynthia’s newest release, Win Lose Kill Die, which offers murder in a dark academia setting.

What writers can learn from this book: Integrating a romantic plotline into a pacy mystery can be hard without giving too much away or diverting the reader from the main mystery, but Cynthia does it beautifully. The plotline is also very clean, reminiscent of Point Horror and Fear Street, making this a tight, quick read. It’s also appropriate for the younger end of the teen-YA demographic.

3. The Bitterwine Oath by Hannah West

‘Doing nothing is so much harder than fighting back.’

I’m going to wave this book in front of anyone who says that Willow (BUT angry, vengeful Willow) is their favourite Buffy character, because The Bitterwine Oath offers angry witches galore. In a small Texas town, every twelve years a cult of wronged women claims twelve men to murder. Are they witches? Copy-cat killers? Natalie, the great-great-granddaughter of one of the original cult members thinks the continued existence of the group is just gossip turned into urban myth by a legion of true crime and occult bloggers desperate for a story. As the anniversary of the murders draws near and dark secrets emerge, Nat realises that her small town has a terrifying secret and she has a very dangerous inheritance.

What writers can learn from this book: How to keep a story creepy and fun. This is the most Buffy-esque of the books on this list. But it takes the idea of monster-fighting girls who kick-ass, secret societies, and hidden evil in a small town and does something different with them. The mythology and world building are entirely their own thing and the vibe goes down a ghostly, witchy path rather than towards bloodsuckers. There are also some tense, and very effective fight scenes worth analysing, and some creepy-chase through the woods type scenes that work really well. Also, if you’re writing a story in which you have to deliver back story in the opening chapters without bogging anything down, then read this book. The backstory is effectively used as a hook to keep the reader tuning pages.

4. It’s Behind You by Kathryn Foxfield

‘It’s less than twenty-four hours until they shut us inside the caves and switch on the cameras. I can’t wait.’

Like Good Girls Die First (Foxfield’s first YA thriller, which you should also check out) It’s Behind You is a read in one sitting kind if a book.

Lex, a confident, snarky protagonist, enters a dark and dangerous cave. All she has to do is survive the night with a group of strangers for the chance to win the reality TV show they’re taking part in, a prize that would transform all of their lives. But the caves are said to be haunted by The Puckered Maiden, and people have died there before. This novel has plenty of scuttling in the shadows, jump scares, rock falls, creepy damp caves, contestants with secrets and ghostly sightings. After watching The Descent, (possibly one of the most perfect horror movies of the 2000s) I definitely developed a firm fear of caves and It’s Behind You had me SWEATING.

What writers can learn from this book: I didn’t know it was possible to write effective jump scares. It is! If you want to write an edge of your seat YA thriller with ghostly elements then read this book! The novel also does the ‘haunted house’ feel very well, in that the setting is a haunted space the characters can’t escape from because, you know, they’re locked in.

5. Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw

‘It’s less than twenty-four hours until they shut us inside the caves and switch on the cameras. I can’t wait.’

‘New Orleans Fang Fest, 1995. Mina’s having a summer to die for.’

90s vampires. Need I say more? This is one for fans of the brat prince (RIP Anne Rice), men in open lace shirts (with fangs), and the dark allure of New Orleans (I’ve always wanted to go!). This macabre murder mystery is heavy on the mystery, light on the horror and sprinkled with a dash of romance. Mina is a delightful protagonist to spend time with, open and fun, but not without her demons. Why did her mother leave so suddenly? Will she find common ground with her sister again?

What writers can learn from this book: How to craft a well-paced YA mystery because the flow is spot on. I think Mina is also a fantastic novel to show how to balance romance with a larger plot in a YA book. Additionally, Amy’ uses 90s pop references blended with references to Interview with The Vampire and The Lost Boys to situate her story in a particular time and place. They say such references date a book, and they do, but when used deliberately, it works in a GOOD WAY.

6. Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

‘Once a year, a road appears in the woods at midnight and the ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons, inviting those who are brave enough to play her game. If you win, you escape with your life, but if you lose…'

Part ghost story, part unusual road trip (albeit on foot), part campfire story, Rules for Vanishing is about Sara, a girl who will sacrifice everything to find her missing sister. Written in a faux-documentary style it is as twisted as it comes. Now bear with it, because there are a lot of named characters, and yes, some of them are there as fodder. Not everyone will make it to the end of the road but the journey is well worth it. The found footage style means that the narrator’s reliability is often called into question,and even if they thought they were telling the truth, could they really be sure what they witnessed was real? There are things on the road that twist the memory and ensnare the mind.

What writers can learn from this book: The found footage format is well handled, with carefully crafted twists and constant shifting of what the reader thinks is going on and who can be trusted, which made this book a real page turner for me. The first-hand account of the road is broken up by interviews, which takes the reader away from the horror and in some ways relieves the building tension. BUT these scenes are also setting up additional questions of their own which tie into the plot towards the end.

7. What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

‘What you see isn’t always what you get.’

‘Creepy Girls on covers’ is possibly my favourite (very niche) genre. What Big Teeth was pitched to me as an updated Adams Family, which … it’s not, and that’s OK. It’s a lot darker and a lot more nuanced. Gone is the fun, playful aspect of an unusual family with unusual dynamics and what remains is something far more dangerous and affecting. Teenager Eleanor Zarrin has been tucked away at boarding school until terrifying incident occurs and she flees home to her estranged family. But with relatives like hers, is she any safer at home?

What writers can learn from this book: Monsters and monster-hood are often used to explore the very real struggle of growing up (remember Ginger Snaps, anyone?) Szabo plays on this theme well, crafting an unusual coming-of-age story in which Eleanor is constantly vying for power with her monstrous relatives. It’s twisted, it’s other, it’s atmospheric and it’s not easily categorised. If you’re wondering how to reinvent old themes, look no further than What Big Teeth.

Which YA thrillers would you rec?

Story Starter

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 16:47:17 GMT

It arrived in the post on Wednesday. Mum was too afraid to touch I turned over the dull cream envelope when sifting through the usual bills and garish junk flyers. The paper was thick and fibrous with a watermark embossed in the bottom corner.

No stamp.

I held it out to her but mum didn’t take it. Her fingers clenched against the waistband of her apron, like she was trying to press painful memories back into her stomach. Her gaze was edged by anger. The pots begin to boil. She turned back to the stove, tucked a strand of grey back into her bun, and poured her feelings into the food.

The stew would taste bitter.

I set the letter down on the kitchen table and stared at it, palms clenched, as the light changed beyond the panes and slid down the plaster walls. The tide turned. The bus chugged down the hill to take to coastal road to the quay. Seagulls called insults to one another and fought over stolen chips.

I stood with my back to the world and waited.

It’s no trouble to wait. I’m good at it, practiced. When the north wind batters our salt-licked cottage I often stand in the upstairs bedroom watching the fishing boats heaving with the swell or cutting for the harbour. I remember how quiet it is be beneath the maelstrom at the surface – kelp forests haunted by grey seals, long banks of ashen sand melting away into the depths and jagged peaks of rock jutting high to send six grown men to their graves.

The same rocks ensnared Toby’s little boat the day he took me out on the water.

The sirens found us clinging to a buoy, our thin faces hollowed by terror. I remember the brackish green of their skin, hair like weeds in the water, pebble eyes. I remember the teeth. The oldest amongst them had a voice of liquid copper. Her molten words teased and taunted us. The sea will claim you, she whispered, the sea will make ghosts of you both, unless you strike a bargain.

When my sister came home from the fish market she also ignored the letter. It stayed on the table until Pa got home.

Seven years.

Seven letters.

Share your 20 minute writing practice inspired by the prompt in the comments.

6 Pieces of Writing Advice

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 16:42:45 GMT

Top 6 Pieces of Writing Advice to help you succeed as an author

It’s early in the year and maybe you made a resolution that 2022 is THE YEAR you write that novel you’ve had rattling about in your head.

Why? Because the world needs your novel and you deserve to be the one to write it. There is nothing quite like the sense of joy and achievement you feel when the fractious pieces of plot you’ve been wrestling with finally slot into place.

That moment could be yours.

Now you’re a writer you’ll quickly discover is there is a hell of a lot of advice out there, from blogs to books to drunk people at parties.

Some of this advice is magnificent. It resonates; you take it in and pour forth prose unto the blank word document/notebook/scrivener software, et voila! Real change, real progress. A novel is born.

Some of this advice is a pile of crap.

I don’t say that to be rude, because someone’s pile of crap is someone else’s fine compost. There are plenty of nuggets of non-subjective truth from the books and blogs and drunken people at parties, but what sifts the majority of magnificent advice from the crap advice is you and your style of writing. Take what works for you and roll with it.

So, here are MY top pieces of writing advice. People much smarter than me have said them before in some form or another. I hope many of you will find compost in these words to fertilise your creativity.

1. Read.

Read everything, but especially in the genre you plan to write in. Stephen King noted that if you don’t read then you don’t have the tools to write. So, read. (This is one of those truth nuggets and is non-negotiable.)

If you’re worried about taking on another author’s ‘voice’ then read lots of books at once. When I sit down to write I read a selection of pages from 5 – 10 different books. It gets the words flowing but no single author’s writing style is overly prominent in my mind.

2. Have a plan.

I can feel the discovery writers (pansters) amongst you bristling. I get it. I’m a discovery writer too, not an architect (plotter) and I hate outlining in advance. I just want to write and let my instincts take over. I tell you what, it saves a ton of stress (especially if, like me, you like your novels dark and tightly woven) and helps focus your writing time if you take a moment to plan ahead.

One of my favourite new techniques is to craft a pitch or book blurb before I start writing. A great pitch should introduce the protagonist and their goal, their motivation for wanting that goal, the conflict preventing them from attaining that goal and what will happen if they fail. Then something changes that alters the goal and raises the stakes. They have a choice to make. What is that choice? If you can get all of this worked out in advice, this is basically your first act.

3. Everything comes back to character.

Your protagonist is the heart of your novel. Readers don’t care how unique your premise is, how gripping your plot might be, or how amazing your world building is if your protagonist fails to engage them. Take the time (and blood, sweat, tears and caffeine) to craft incredible characters with compelling and authentic voices.

4. Write the story you want to tell.

If you want to publish it is a great idea to have a strong idea of your target reader, where your idea fits within the market and what makes your idea stand out. But all of that could change by the time your book is ready to go on sale. Market trends are notoriously difficult to predict (many an agent and publisher would pay a fortune for a failsafe way to predict such trends.)

The best stories are the ones the writer is passionate about telling. Write the story you want to read. That’s the book the world needs.

5. Never give up.

‘A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.’ – Richard Bach.

Writing is hard, we’ve established that. Guess what? Getting traditionally published or making a successful career as an indie author is even harder. There are two categories of author who achieve it. The lucky few and the persistent/seriously hard working (bearing in mind the lucky lot also worked very hard to get there, often for years.)

It’s also worth considering what succe ss as a writer means for you. It might be to self-publish or hit certain sales targets. It might be publishing traditionally with one of the big 5 (now big 4), or it might be to publish a series, or a certain number of titles a year. Or, you may wish to write for your own pleasure or for family and friends. There is nothing wrong with that. Set your own targets.

6. Get that first draft done – whatever works.

You can’t submit to an agent, forge a career as an indie author, or entertain your friends without a book to sell/share.

James Michener stated ‘There is no great writing, only great re-writing.’ That first draft is going to need a ton of work, which you will get done over many a pot of tenarrativea and maybe cake (maybe wine) and craft your draft into fine prose and a fantastic story with compelling characters.

But this all leads us to a piece of real, unavoidable truth.

Reading about becoming a writer, or a more efficient writer, or a better writer is NOT writing. Planning your novel may be progress, but it is not writing. Creating beautiful character and setting aesthetics on Pinterest may help you envision a scene or understand your characters. It’s not writing.

You don’t have to write every day, but you do need to be reasonably consistent with getting words on the page.

Writers write. Go get at it my friend!

What’s the best piece of writing advice anyone has ever given you?