Beverley Birch, friend and mentor to many slushpilers and published authors alike, gives us the last Advent gift. Beverley is a senior commissioning editor for Hachette Children's Books and three times nominated Brandford Boase editor. She is a writer of more than 40 books including novels, picture books, biographies and retellings of classic works. Her novel, 'Rift' came out in 2006 and you know you are in the hands of a true storyteller when you read the very first page.
When she was young, Beverley wanted to be a pilot...
...or an explorer...
...something which took her to new places and where she could be brave and intrepid.
So, what is Beverley's Christmas wishlist?
2. To be bewitched by curiosity from the outset. That ‘Oh! Where is this going? Where’s it taking me?’ feeling. Any genre or tradition in story-telling – no boundaries – but I want to be grabbed by the intrigue or puzzle or humour from that very first page.
3. A writer with something interesting/illuminating to say – not ‘just a story’ but a tale that is a revelation in some way, a window onto something, leaving me richer than I was before I read it, transmitted through the characters and how they knock against each other and their environment, the choices they make, in the bones and sinews of their story.
Slushie note: Check out Beverley's masterclass and make your writing soar in 2012!
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| Anne of Green Gables |
Favourite book from childhood: Anne of Green Gables which Beverley loved for its sense of place.
Take a look tomorrow, dear readers, for Christmas wishes from the Slushpile Team!
