Today I’m delighted to welcome Nicola Morgan onto our blog. Nicola is an award winning author for teenagers and other young readers. Previous novels include Wasted (shortlisted for the Scottish Childrens Book of the year 2011), Fleshmarket and Deathwatch. Last week Nicola relaunched her debut novel Mondays are Red, first published in 2002, as an e-book.
Nicola is producing the ebook herself, with a new cover and extra material, including creative writing by school pupils inspired by the book. For details about how to buy, approximately £2.23 on Amazon and similar (soon) on other outlets click here.
NOTE: you do NOT need a Kindle to buy a Kindle book. Simply download the free Kindle software for your laptop, iPad, iPhone, smartphone, android, tablet etc.
In advance of the publication of Mondays are Red I caught up with Nicola and asked her a few questions on her decision to republish Mondays are Red in an e-book format, and also asked her how she felt about the novel, nearly ten years after it was first published.
About the book
When Luke wakes from a coma, his world has altered. Synaesthesia confuses his senses and a sinister creature called Dreeg inhabits his mind. Dreeg offers him limitless power – even the power to fly – and the temptations are huge, but the price is high. Who will pay? His mysteriously perfect girlfriend, with hair as long as the sound of honey? His detested sister, Laura, with the wasps in her hair? When Laura goes missing, Luke realizes the terrible truth about himself and his power. His decision is a matter of life and death, and he will have to run faster than fire.
To read the Literature for Lads review of the book clickhere
Thanks for inviting me onto your excellent blog. You asked me a few questions and I’m delighted to answer them.
Why am I publishing the ebook of Mondays are Red?
Because I can! My agent and I got the rights back from its original publisher and we knew we could sell it again because I still get loads of emails from readers who’ve heard of it but can’t find it in shops now. It was a book that people talked about a lot when it came out, because it’s unusual – ok, well, weird – and I’m hoping a whole new set of readers will enjoy its wildness and oddness.
The whole ebook scene is really exciting and there are lots of writers like me who are publishing ourselves. We get to keep control – something I always like! We can make mistakes but at least it will be our own mistakes and we can only blame ourselves. I like that.
How is the ebook different?
Well, a lovely new cover is the most obvious thing. But I’ve done two other things: I’ve added several extra pieces at the end – including amazing work by some boys in Wiltshire who had been studying Mondays are Red – and I’ve made very slight changes to the text.
Why did I change the text? I explain in one of the end-pieces but basically it’s because I’m never happy with what I’ve written. Actually, in some ways I wanted to change more but I felt that would be wrong. Every time I look at something I’ve written, I’ll change it. I am never satisfied with my writing.
What do I feel about Mondays are Red after nearly ten years?
I remember the freedom I felt when I wrote it – I had no deadline, didn’t even know if it would get published. I wrote it from the heart, really threw all my imagination and love of language into it. It’s quite wild and exaggerated and uncontrolled and I kind of like that about it. It’s individual and quirky and free. Which, in my opinion, is no bad thing. And because it was the novel that got me published after SO many years of trying (21), it is special to me.
What I mostly feel is that I’m really excited about it being available again and about the idea of doing school events about it. Mondays are Red events are fun and interesting. For years, I couldn’t really talk about it in schools because I was supposed to be talking about the books my publishers wanted me to sell. Now, I’m the publisher of my own book and that feels great!
Mondays are Red is about power and I suppose being able to control its destiny and my own gives me a feeling of power, too.
Thank you again for letting me appear on your blog! I wish you all masses of enjoyment with stories – take risks in your reading, be different and let your imagination fly.
Thanks to Nicola for the excellent answers to our questions. Mondays are Red is like nothing I’ve ever read before and I really do recommend readers go out and experience it for themselves! If you would like to find out more about Nicola please visit her website Nicola Morgan