Melvin Burgess

Well, will you look at that! Junk is twenty years old this year and the YA Book Prize is marking the occasion with a special award. I’m so flattered and pleased!

You can read an interview with me and Charlotte Eyre from the Bookseller here.

Here’s Junk, reissued by Andersen Press with an intro by Malorie Blackman and some extra material, from the letters to and fro-ing between myself and the editors, while it was actually being written. It was quite a struggle, as you can read. Interesting – I’d forgotten a lot of what went on at the time myself.

Many thanks to Andersen Press, and to Bookseller who sponsor the YA Book Prize.

Lovely review of me new book, Persist, from The Bookbag.

It’s the story of Marianne, who lies in a comma and is just starting to regain her memory at the same time that the doctors, and even her mother, are beginning to give up hope. But although Marianne has memories, she doesn’t yet realise who it is who is doing the remembering. The doctors want to turn of her life support. Will she realise in time to save her life?

It’s a proper tear-jerker, this one. I’m a big fan of Barrington Stoker and it’s such a pleasure to do a book with them – my first since Old Bag, many years ago.

 

A lovely blog here about an inspirational teacher, a boy and a book. It makes me so happy to read this sort of thing – makes it all worthwhile.

Any one coming to Salford On Saturday 21st March? I’m giving the keynote speech at the Pushing Boundaries YA Conference. Plus Nicola Morgan and many others.
See you there!

I’m tutoring an Arvon Course in May at The Hurst, with the wonderful Lucy Christopher and there’s still some places AND grants towards the cost left.

There’s definitely a bit of magic about Arvon – it’s one week of talking, thinking, writing for children and YA, and it’s guaranteed to bring your writing on like nothing else can. I’ve seen so many people go on to publish, but at the very least it will help you move forward, meet some great people working or trying to work in the same area as you … and generally have a good time.

The Hurst is John Osbourne’s old house – a really beautiful old Georgian place that’s just been done up, in 25 acres of beautiful grounds. I just came back from a course for schools and it was full to bursting with snowdrops – really lovely!

As Osbourne said … “the best view in England.”

Young Adult Fiction at the Hurst

At Huddersfield Uni last week with First Story North West, who do such great work getting writers into schools, and getting young people to produce wonderful compilations – one of the very few chances students get to work over a long period with writers, which shows in the work, incidentally …!

You can find out more about First Story here – and do get in touch if you’re in the North west and are interested.  Meanwhile, here’s a bit of Phone camera fun – myself with Ian McMillan, Lemn Sissay, who gave the keynote speech, and Andy McMilla – with Kevin Duffy, publisher at Bluemoose Books, lurking in the background. Nice day out!

 

This was the first time I heard Lemn give one of his legendary presentations. Great stuff!

I’m in Bath on 5th October with – this is a beauty – David Almond, Mal Peet and David Fickling. How can you bear to miss it? And on the same day, talking about the Andersen Press anthology War Girls with Sally Nichols and Rowena House.