Authors on Wattpad

As well as being a great platform for thousands of fresh, talented writers, young and old, many established writers can be found on Wattpad. Some post sample chapters from their novels, while others post short stories and exclusive content. Here are some I think you should really check out:

Marissa Meyer
Meyer has posted the first six chapters of Cinder and Scarlet on Wattpad, along with three short stories and the first chapter of Fairest. The one you really shouldn't miss is The Little Android, which is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, set in the world of the Lunar Chronicles.

Margaret Atwood
Atwood has posted poems and a non-fiction piece to Wattpad and has also just launched her own writing competition on the site! It's fantastic to see such an established, respected writer supporting a website like Wattpad, I think it really shows the importance and potential of the site. I'm going to start working on my contest entry later this week...

Beth Reekles
Reekles began her writing career on Wattpad and had her trilogy published as a result of her success on the site. You can still read samples, prequels and some short stories on the site.

Laure Eve
Eve has published the entirely of her first book - Fearsome Dreamer - on Wattpad and she replied to all the comments she gets on it, which is really cool.

Taran Matharu
Another Wattpad sucess story. You can still read a sample of his novel and some prequels on the site, plus he is really active and replied to comments.

Do you have any other recommendations? Please post them in the comments if so!

Mirrored Snow

Today I am posting something entirely new on Wattpad!

Mirrored Snow is a gender-reversed retelling of Snow White, where Snow has become 'Snowdon' and is told from the perspective of a girl the evil queen has trapped in her mirror. 

It's going to be a short story, rather than a full novel, and although I have of course been influenced and inspired by the Disney film and other modern retellings, I'm trying to go back to the Grimm original for my plot. 

Here is the description:

Everyone know the story of Snow White: blood red lips, ebony hair and skin the colour of freshly fallen snow. Her vain step-mother, desperate to be the 'fairest of them all' attempts four times to have her killed, until Prince Charming comes to save the day. 

But what if Snow wasn't a princess, but a prince. 

And the queen's antique silver mirror contained not just her reflection, but a girl. 

Mirror can no longer remember her name - or life - before the queen imprisoned her. All day, every day, she finds herself at the queen's beck and call; a life of endless servitude and isolation. 

Snowdon is approaching his 18th birthday and is an increasing threat to the queen's right to rule. And his looks are putting him in the running for her 'fairest' title too. So the queen decides the quickest way to solve all her problems is to get rid of Snowdon. Permanently. But the girl watching their every move has other ideas.

And the cover:

Are you interested yet? You can check it out here!

My Wattpad Recomendations

So I wrote on Wednesday that I have been reading a lot of stories on Wattpad recently and I really wanted to share some of my favourites with you, so here they are!

  

 

First, let's just take a moment to appreciate how amazing those covers are - the talent on this site extends far beyond the writing.

Rimwick by FionaChai
Sometimes on Wattpad, a story will be so good I will forget that I'm not reading something that has been published. Rimwick was definitely one of those stories. A fantastic, supernatural fantasy book with great characterisation and plot twists.

RUNES by Authorednah
This is the first book in a published series, but it looks like most of them are also available on Wattpad to read for free. The author has created a complex, intriguing fantasy world and there has already been lots of action.

5:48 by cityscape
Quite a different sort of book to what I normally read. It's about a group of teens, each with their own troubles and complex back story, who run a coffee shop together. Touching, emotional and complex.

Magnificent by Corlaya
Only a few chapters of this book have been posted so far, but I am really enjoying it. The main character has a really intriguing secret and I'm desperate to find out what it is!

The Roommate Rulebook by Lilohorse
This is another one i haven't finished yet but I am enjoying it so far. It's a bit like A Beautiful Disaster


Do you like reading books on Wattpad? If so, do you have any recommendations? Or do you post writing of your own? Please leave me some links in the comments and I will try to check them out. Don't forget you can read Fire in full and check out my new story, Amber&Ice, on my account.

March and April Reading Catch-Up

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts! I have been hard at work writing though, which is one of the best reasons for not getting time to blog. I also haven't read as many books over the past few months. My daughter is on the move now, so looking after her is non stop and I've also been reading a lot more stories on my phone, via Wattpad. I'm going to write another post soon on my favourite Wattpad reads, but here are the traditional books I have enjoyed recently:

  

  

The Red Queen: Definitely worth the hype. This book wasn't what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. It has the expected, dystopian world class segregation, with some X-Men-style powers thrown in. 

Bring Up Bebe: A must-read if you are a new parents. Part memoir, part parenting handbook, completely hilarious, honest and helpful. 

Fangirl: A really fun read. I love read fanfiction, even though I've never really tried to write any, and I felt like I could really relate to the characters in this book. It reminded me so much of waiting for Harry Potter books to come out.  

Red Rising: A sci-fi Hunger Games is the best way I can think of to describe this one. Great world building and I really cared about the characters. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series soon. 

Only Ever Yours: Everyone should read this book. It is so, so important as a statement about our culture and obsession with image and celebrity. A fantastic feminist book, but I think really important for boys to read too. When I go back to work next month, this is the book I will be championing and putting on all my reading lists. 

The Winner's Crime: This is a brilliant sequel. If you haven't checked this series out yet, I really recommend you do. It's set in a world a little like Ancient Rome and deals with politics, love and lies. Just watch out for the HUGE cliff hanger at the end of this book!

May has been a much-anticipated book month for me, with the release of The Heir and A Court of Thorns and Roses. I am very jealous of everyone who got to read and review them in advance as I can't wait to get started on them myself. 

Amber&Ice

The complete first draft of my sci-fi/dystopian novel, Amber&Ice is available now on Wattpad. It's quite rough around the edges and needs a lot of redrafting, but I am very happy with where it's going. Here is the synopsis:

Athena believes her world is perfect. Direct democracy means that everyone votes, on everything: from how their healthcare is funded to the colour of the clothes they wear.
When an explosive encounter with the mysterious Dyo throws Athena's beliefs into turmoil, Athena is soon drawn into a society on the outskirts, where she discovers a darker side to the world she lives in. But there is danger in the truth and this new knowledge comes at a heavy price. Can Athena turn her back on everything she has ever believed in? And what will happen to her if she does? 

If you get the chance to check it out, please let me know what you think - particularly where there is any room for improvement. I have a growing list of issues for redrafting! 

Royal Reading List

Britain has gone royal baby mad! So keeping with the royal theme, I have put together a reading list of regal books. 

  

  

  

From historical fiction to fantasy, YA novels are full of royalty. So if you want to spend a day imagining what it would be like to be a princess, check one of these books out.