My fab fellow author Anna Wilson has a new book out... I asked her to tell us all about it!
Anna says:
I am very excited to have a new book out this week - THE FAMILY FIASCO. It's the sequel to a book I wrote last year, THE PARENT PROBLEM, and continues the story of Skye Green, a (nearly) thirteen year old who has the Most Mortifying family ever. Her mum is always doing embarrassing things like signing up to ballroom dancing classes, wearing Outrageous Clothes and singing in public. Then there's her brother Harris, who also likes dressing up - in girls clothes - and dancing with the dog. When he tells Skye that he's auditioning for the part of Dorothy in the school's production of The Wizard Of Oz, Skye thinks she will Literally Die. As if all this weren't enough for a (nearly) thirteen year old to handle, Skye's mum is dating the man next door, and they choose her birthday as the day for a Very Special Announcement!
Families! They can drive you bonkers, can't they? Annoying little brothers, bossy older sisters, irritating parents... I know I annoy my own family sometimes! Particularly when I end up putting them in my books. We have a sign in the kitchen which says 'Careful, or you might end up in my novel!' and my family knows only too well how true this can be. They have known for a long time now that anything they say or do might well be used in my stories. Now, that's not to say that we are quite as crazy as Skye's family... but there might be a 'few' ingredients in THE FAMILY FIASCO and THE PARENT PROBLEM that have come from real life. Basically, however, Skye is me. I had an embarrassing name before I got married - MUCH more embarrassing than Skye Green! (And far too embarrassing to tell you here...)
There are more than a few memories from my own teenage years which have gone into the mix. I remember cringing with embarrassment when my parents went to a fancy dress party where mum went as a man and dad went as a woman - in one of mum's dresses and her make-up! Then there was the time dad turned up to collect me from a really cool party wearing the lycra clothes he used to go canoeing in. I spent most of my teen years feeling embarrassed, so it wasn't difficult to go back to that time and think about how Skye would feel. I loved the book THE DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE AGED 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend when I was younger. I'd say her wonderful book had quite an influence on me while I was writing about Skye. And Skye is a bookworm, just as I was at her age.
I know now that everyone goes through a phase of thinking their own family is crazy or weird and that everyone else's is normal (or better!). But as Skye says at the end of THE FAMILY FIASCO: 'I'm with Dorothy on this one: 'There's no place like home.''
Cathy says:
Ooh, sounds like a must read! Do YOU have an embarrassing family? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!
I am very excited to have a new book out this week - THE FAMILY FIASCO. It's the sequel to a book I wrote last year, THE PARENT PROBLEM, and continues the story of Skye Green, a (nearly) thirteen year old who has the Most Mortifying family ever. Her mum is always doing embarrassing things like signing up to ballroom dancing classes, wearing Outrageous Clothes and singing in public. Then there's her brother Harris, who also likes dressing up - in girls clothes - and dancing with the dog. When he tells Skye that he's auditioning for the part of Dorothy in the school's production of The Wizard Of Oz, Skye thinks she will Literally Die. As if all this weren't enough for a (nearly) thirteen year old to handle, Skye's mum is dating the man next door, and they choose her birthday as the day for a Very Special Announcement!
Families! They can drive you bonkers, can't they? Annoying little brothers, bossy older sisters, irritating parents... I know I annoy my own family sometimes! Particularly when I end up putting them in my books. We have a sign in the kitchen which says 'Careful, or you might end up in my novel!' and my family knows only too well how true this can be. They have known for a long time now that anything they say or do might well be used in my stories. Now, that's not to say that we are quite as crazy as Skye's family... but there might be a 'few' ingredients in THE FAMILY FIASCO and THE PARENT PROBLEM that have come from real life. Basically, however, Skye is me. I had an embarrassing name before I got married - MUCH more embarrassing than Skye Green! (And far too embarrassing to tell you here...)
I know now that everyone goes through a phase of thinking their own family is crazy or weird and that everyone else's is normal (or better!). But as Skye says at the end of THE FAMILY FIASCO: 'I'm with Dorothy on this one: 'There's no place like home.''
Cathy says:
Ooh, sounds like a must read! Do YOU have an embarrassing family? COMMENT BELOW to tell us more!
Ummm, this sounds transphobic as hell.
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