Author Spotlight - Youthfulwriter

Fading Stars

When a drunken beggar opens up a new world of opportunities to Luke, he is thrust into a journey of magnitude and great importance.

Spurred on by a bunch of grouchy gnomes and an omen in the form of disappearing stars, Luke must decide between what he wants or the hopes and dreams of a mysterious girl he meets along the road.

But what happens when an unexpected turn of events changes everything? What happens when two ancient worlds threaten to collide?

The answer is in the stars.

                                  
                                     Wattpad






Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.
Hi there. I'm a British-born Chinese teenager, who can vaguely speak Latin, French, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. I'm also not a bad chess player and I enjoy tennis, as well. Of course, I aim to develop as a writer and to, one day, get published.

2. What types of books do you write?
I write fantasy mainly, though I hope to delve into humour, some day.

3. How many books have you written?
None which are completed. Like many an aspiring writer, I write stuff and then get demotivated when I get to the black trench that is the Middle Of A Novel. Still, I hope to finish my current fantasy project, linked to above.

4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?
Saving Mr Banks and Captain Philips: both are Tom Hank films. They look amazing and are both based on true stories. One is about Walt Disney's struggle to make a film out of PL Traver's novel, Mary Poppins. The other is about a ship which is hijacked by pirates and the captain's bravery in the face of adversity.

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?
I enjoy reading the genres which I enjoy writing: fantasy, humour and, recently, I've delved into a bit of mystery and crime.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?
1. A friend to talk to 
2. Bear Grylls because he's, well, Bear Grylls 
3. A water filter to clean water.

7. Are you considering a sequel?
Hm, I would be lying if I were to say "no", but I still stand by the fact that you should focus on a first novel, instead of thinking about how to stretch out an idea into a million dollar franchise. You should try and make the first novel as best you can, before you plan on making it into a series. Lots of "series" could have been made into one book, but the author just wanted to milk a good idea.

8. What inspired you to become a writer?
Of course, reading Harry Potter. As I have said in other interviews, I read the books and thought, "That seems easy!". I have since come to realise that I was very, very wrong


Excerpt  

It is mid-afternoon when I call it a day. The police patrol will be out and about soon and we don’t want to highlight the fact that we are two teenagers living rough on the streets. 

Placing the guitar back in the case, I lie beside Jack, who still has not moved an inch. I think about the humming which the homeless man mentioned and his face pressed close against mine. 

Do you hear it, Luke? Do you hear the Hum? And all of a sudden, I do. It’s a low beat in the background -ever so slight like the drone of a bee trapped in a glass, yearning for escape, for the chance to be free. 

I hear the same craving in the humming. It fills up every black void with… everything. I can feel every emotion, hear every song, see every wonder. 

It’s as if the murmuring has followed me all my life.  Then the sound of distinct voices breaks through the spell; I can hear whispering in the Hum, like the quiet heartbeat of a world living just beyond ours. 

A bright light floods through the crack in my eyelids and I feel strong winds buffeting me from everywhere. 

The world is spinning and all sense of direction is gone. Then it all just stops. When I open my eyes, the sky is a starless blue, the buildings have vanished and hulking green trees surround me.