Misconceptions of Young Adult Fiction

I find young adult novels fascinating for a number of reasons. Recently, I have been seeing a lot of negativity about them, which I believe they do not deserve. I think there are too many misconstructions about the genre and it is really starting to frustrate me.

An author tweeted a couple of weeks ago about a conversation that had happened between her and another author. The other author was a novelist of adult fiction and had apparently looked down at this author because they write young adult fiction. They had assumed that they were not the target audience and considered it irrelevant to their adult literature and insignificant in the publishing world just because they themselves did not write in that genre. The YA author was only then taken seriously when they admitted that a lot of inspiration for their books had come from adult fiction, which deemed to be surprising to the other author and whereupon said they would give their books a read. Conceptions towards the YA genre are misconstrued; people either think it is not for their age group or dislike it after reading just one unsubstantial young adult book and then dismissing the whole genre.

Another time I had read an interview with a different author and they spoke about how there are less limitations and writing YA is great because the protagonist and characters are younger and so the mistakes made by them in the story are therefore more believable when they are reckless. I had never really thought about it that way, but now, I understand; if sacrifices or drastic actions were written into adult books to the extent they are in YA, it would probably seem ludicrous and unrealistic because it would not necessarily be how adults act – which I guess is why many adults are drawn to YA.  

Young adult fiction is expanding and re-inventing all the time; you could say there is almost too much competing against each other. As I was reminded by someone earlier, a while ago YA did not used to exist and nor did many sub-genres we have nowadays. There is now the opportunity to explore a variety of different fields and discover what you prefer, like with many aspects in the modern world; there is more choice. However, although YA is becoming increasingly popular with that there are more authors writing it and a broad number of topics to write about, it is still not recognised as a worthy genre; it is sneered upon and misunderstood.

I am at the age where there seems to be a ‘transitional phase’ between leaving teen and young adults books behind to delve into more mature reading. I feel the pressure of having to move on to adult fiction because of the judgements I get when reading YA as to them I am not reading something within my age group. Where is it written in stone that we have to stick to what is meant for us? We should be able to read a number of genres, just like we can listen to different genres of music. Of course being able to do either does not stop the judgement. I look at the teenage section of bookshops now and admittedly I feel like a stranger looking through glass, as if I do not belong in this section, that I am too old for a majority of them; yet I stick to my favourite YA and teen authors that I have loved and grown up with. I love reading classics and non-fiction too, but then I glance at adult fiction and my first question is; where do I start? Along with the thought; YA still seems more exciting.

I love young adult novels because it can be more fantastical and I can truly escape into the world that has been created by the author. After a long day, I do not necessarily want a puzzling book to read that I have to read the pages several times to make sense of; I want something undemanding where I can enter into the world easily. Secondly, I love the genre because of the freedom – there are no limits, especially with sci-fi and dystopian and utopian novels. The worlds written about are so different to ours and are created with so much detail that you cannot help but be drawn in. I also stick to it because the writing can be truly impressive, and as aforementioned, I have my favourite authors that I cannot leave behind.

I do not think YA should be judged too harshly, there is a lot to sift through, but once you find an amazing author it is worth it and you tend to stand by them. It is even better when that author turns their hand from YA books to writing adult because you trust them and their work.

We should be able to read and write what we like without being judged, but then again it is in human nature, and people are judging what they may not realise they do not understand, so should we blame them? YA novels are here to stay, so we might as well all enjoy it, and those who have not yet; give it a fair chance, it might surprise you.

Lauren

xo

Personal Account: Kids In Glass Houses: Diamond Days Fade Away

A tribute to the Welsh band ‘Kids In Glass Houses’. Not the type of blog post I normally write, mainly this is just for me and for other fans of the band. To my usual readers, I’ll be writing a new usual blog post very soon.

I don’t even know where to begin. I can’t believe within a year I have to say goodbye to my other favourite band. There aren’t enough tears. I also can’t believe that Kids In Glass Houses’ journey is over. I knew it was always an eventuality, but not this year and not so soon.

I first discovered Kids In Glass Houses in 2008 when I came across a Kerrang! mixed CD of different artists. The first song of theirs that I heard was ‘Me Me Me’ (now called ‘Give Me What I Want’). From then on I joined the small legion of fans awaiting their debut album ‘Smart Casual’. Being so young then, it wasn’t easy to see them unless they toured near me. On 7^th November 2009 in Yeovil (yessss, I live in Somerset, no I’m not a farmer!) I got to see them play live for the first time in a tiny venue AND I managed to meet Aled straight afterwards. I was so ecstatic. My love for them grew immensely once I witnessed how amazing they are live.

I didn’t get to see them again until Exeter on 14^th May 2010. This is where I met my first Kids In Glass Houses friend and who has remained a very close friend (Lauzz!) From then on we’ve gone to nearly every KIGH show together since (unfortunately work gets in the way sometimes!) On 15th November 2010 I got to see them again, with support from another band I love that I hadn’t seen before, ‘Boys Like Girls’, which made it even more special.

I didn’t get to see them again until 14^th August 2011 and this time I was seeing them in Cardiff. This date was especially important. I went with Lauzz, but there we met some lovely welsh people in the queue, and have remained friends with them since. This also occurred two days after my Grandad had passed away. A few hours before he passed I had listened to ‘Diamond Days’ for the first time just after coming back from hospital where he was dying of cancer. The lyrics in ‘Diamond Days’ stood out; every line held some sort of meaning to me. However, it was the lyrics ‘Diamond days, fade away’ and ‘tonight we’re going to live forever’ that really made me sob, because although a morbid fact, the good days do fade away like I was witnessing happen to my Grandad. The song made me feel so many emotions, and it is sentimental as it marked a change in my life. So, during the ‘In Gold Blood’ album release show that day when they played ‘Diamond Days’ I sobbed my heart out as every time I hear it I think of him.

And so began my obsession with Cardiff and more importantly my obsession with seeing Kids In Glass Houses in Cardiff despite it taking me 3 and a half hours to get there from home and spending a fortune in travel and hotels (worth it every time though!) I then saw them on 1st October 2011 in Bristol with Lauzz. I met Aled again and this was also the first time I met Phil and he was so easy to talk to, especially considering I was so nervous and fangirly. And then two months later I was back in Cardiff and I went to my first KIGHmas show on 20th December 2011. This was quite literally the best KIGH show of my life then and I think remains in my top 3 now (all KIGH shows are great, so hard to pick a favourite!). I went with Lauzz and the Cardiff friends we’d met at the release show and we orchestrated the stage invasion that year which was rather hilarious.

Being older and with a job to spend my money as I choose, I then went to see KIGH as often as I could. I then saw them on 21^st March 2012 with You Me At Six in Yeovil. The night previously I got a 24 hour bug, and spent the entire night awake throwing up. Despite that, I still went to the show – I wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity on the rare occasion of them playing near me! I saw them again at the Cardiff Olympic Relay with You Me At Six on 25^th May 2012 which was my first ‘outside’ experience seeing them. And again on 5^th August 2012 in Newport, which was pretty cool, loved the small venue and it was the first and last time I heard some of their b-sides played live. I went to KIGHmas again that year as well, as I had now seen that it’s not Christmas without a Kids In Glass Houses celebration.

And then 2013. And between KIGHmas 2012 and seeing them again at the Two Seasons signing and acoustic on 27^th June 2013, my first favourite band broke up (KIGH second. Favourite is MCR). I genuinely don’t think I would have made it through that heartbreak without KIGH. I possibly threw myself into loving them way too much (if that’s possible). I think it was probably because I was so scared of losing KIGH as well (and here we are…). From September to December I saw KIGH every month in 2013. The listening party for ‘Peace’ in Cardiff in September, which despite being ill for then as well, was one of the best nights of my life. There weren’t that many of us so we got to talk to the guys for so long. There, Lauzz and I met another two friends, one of which I am now very close to (Hannah!) On 3^rd October I saw them at their Cardiff tour date. And November I travelled to Hatfield in Hertfordshire to see them, and there, after talking to (Adam!) on Twitter for months before, we finally met. Finally, I saw them at their now last ever KIGHmas show on 17^th December 2013. At the ‘Dirt’ show I got to meet a few more KIGH fans including finally meeting (Matt!) and (Bronwen!) after talking to them on Twitter for ages before.

And now here we are. 2014. I met the band several times along the way, meeting Aled and Phil the most. So much respect for them for never failing to come and meet us in the freezing cold, rain and hail and for always being up for a chat. That’s partly why I loved Kids In Glass Houses so much. They love their fans, you could tell, they always made the effort for them. They made excellent, happy, upbeat music with incredible meaningful lyrics. And despite it seeming like this was their downfall – they were made extra special because they were a small band. I am so proud of them and their achievements. Finally, in all honesty, I truly believe that KIGH have the best fanbase. I’ve met so many fans who are now friends along the way. Fans were (are) so nice at gigs and that fact made the shows even more fun.

I can’t believe it’s nearly the end, but unlike the band that broke up last year, I am so glad that I get the chance to say goodbye to KIGH. To those of you going to Takedown Festival, see you there. I’ll also see you on their tour, and if work allows, I’m currently planning on doing 5 dates, so must run into some of you then! Of course, I’m going to the final Cardiff show, just thinking about how emotional yet fun it will be is making me cry. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to say goodbye to them forever. I know so many of you I follow on twitter are going to the Cardiff date, some I’ve spoken to rather a lot online, but haven’t met yet.

To Kids In Glass Houses. Thank you. Thank you for cheering me up and comforting me with your music, for tweeting me and causing me to fangirl at home, for albums and gigs and giving me something to look forward to, for meeting me so many times, for the great memories and for all the friends I’ve made during this journey. I grew up with you, and now I’m all grown up. I am going to miss you so much. I already do.

Lauren

Xo

@DiamondDaysXO

Are dystopian novels foreseeing our future?

It was upon reading ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley a few years ago that drew me into the dystopian and utopian world. I must confess that I read the book as part of my English Coursework assignment, but I also must say that it was the first book that I fully enjoyed reading for educational purposes. I was intrigued by the plot, the creativeness and most importantly how Aldous Huxley foresaw many things that are now in some way incorporated in our modern world today. It deals with issues in the 20^th century such as The Industrial Revolution, along with a myriad of other factors. It tells of mass production, and shows already how the world then was changing. In the novel there is the fear of identity crisis, which is present today, talking motion pictures, artificial insemination, conditioning and castes. Other factors raised are recreational sex, drugs and political, social and economic issues. Whilst I find each point to the story fascinating, it is the things Aldous Huxley created in this world of his that we now have today. It makes me wonder if more modern day books are doing the same thing; predicting our future.

Now, over a hundred years after ‘Brave New World’ was released, over fifty years since ‘1984’ by George Orwell was released and only eleven years after ‘The Children of Men’ by P.D James was released, dystopian and utopian novels and films are becoming increasingly popular – a ‘trend’ is maybe a more apt word. With the world around us ever-changing, and increasingly so, this could be one possibility why people are interested in these books. For me, I’m curious as to how correct some of the books can be in depicting our future. Of course, we don’t know when or if events told are going to happen, but I’m interested in the ‘what if’ concept and what others think of our future and even what they think of what the world now could turn into.

There are three future-world novels that immediately spring to mind that firstly represent some insane creativity and thought; secondly, possibly show how these authors and others in the similar genre view the world and what it might shape into if we continue down a certain route; and thirdly, paint a picture so vivid and disturbingly believable in some cases that that could be the world we face.

First, there is the ‘Divergent’ trilogy by Veronica Ross of which has the key ingredient of factions. This, I think, displays that no matter how many years pass, classes are still significant. Whether they are noticeable or not, they are still there, and recently has become shown in the way in which we use language in speech or writing. Certain words and groups of words now even more so reflect what class you are from. The ‘Divergent’ books show classes gone mad, and representing a more serious side of them that may not be in existence now – or at least not where I am. However, as I just mentioned, the glimmer of factions still exists, never truly going away.

Secondly, even more widely known, is the ever-popular ‘Hunger Games’ series of which I think displays a number of possible prophecies of our future. Once again, factions, or in this case districts are used, separating people, and effectively putting them into low, middle and upper classes. The fact that these authors and some in the same genre use class as maybe the base to their plot must signify something integral. I feel even the brightly coloured hair and make-up is showing a point of the world we live in now – identity, confidence, and the obsession with looking good and being different. Another feature I recently realised in the Hunger Games is the glorified portrayal of television shows. Reality TV now is watched by many people, and the genre is growing. In the ‘Hunger Games’ I see it as representing reality TV going over the top; the outcome of the greedy, the extreme, the need to be noticed and the want to have power.

The final books are ‘XVI’ and ‘Truth ‘by Julia Karr; a set of novels that aren’t well known but are very thought provoking and are due a lot of credit. I give these as an example of foreseeing our future because of the detail of consumerism and how vast and dramatic it can be. Advertisements are literally everywhere in these books, people can’t escape them, but not just that – people accept that there’s no escape. They pay attention to the adverts, which is of no surprise really – consumerism and advertising only spread because it draws people in and works so well. In the modern world now, consumerism is growing – could the world end up like in these books?

I don’t know if it is the writer in me, or just me being me, but when watching films or reading books I analyse the way they’ve been written, created and the messages and issues they try to bring to our attention. I think it’s very important to have a least one point you are trying to make or prove in your novel. When reading dystopian or utopian novels I think about how the author might have formed this world, and whether anything like what is imagined could happen. When you think about it, it’s quite scary how some aspects mentioned are not impossible to come true.

Lauren

xo

Other dystopian/utopian novels I highly recommend:

– ‘Gameboard of the Gods: The Age of X’ by Richelle Mead (book 1 of the series, 2^nd book out in 2014)

– ‘Partials’ trilogy by Dan Wells (3^rd book out March 2014)

– ‘Pure’ series by Julianna Baggott (3^rd book out in February 2014)

From book to film…

Over the years I have seen many book-to-film adaptations. Frequently, I discover the books early on, years before they are made into films. You get to picture the characters, use your own imagination, and live in the world through the words written on the page. You know it’s a good book if you’re absorbed in it, and forget the reality around you for a while. Isn’t that the beauty of reading?

Whenever a film is first announced for a book I have read, I approach it with caution and quite honestly with little interest. That might seem weird, surely being a big fan of the book means you’re excited that it’s being made into a motion picture? Not necessarily. I live in a world of books, the characters and story matter to me; everything that has been penned to the page has been by the author who loves these characters as much as I do (maybe more) and has created this world that I immerse myself in and sometimes want to live in. Of course, a common thing to note is that there are a lot of things the author has very little control over once the film rights have been signed over. Another obvious point is that a book is very long – certainly too long to be made in an average length of a film. So, upon discovering that a book I love is going to be made into a film, I worry about what scenes they keep, take out, what lines they use, and most importantly who will be cast as the characters I have envisioned in my head because of course imagination is one thing, but putting faces to names in real life is quite another; it can ruin it.

The standards have been made from past franchises from of course Harry Potter and (dare I say it) the Twilight Saga, along with many others. Very often, it’s all about how big this new ‘franchise’ (often teen) can be, how much money it will bring in, how famous the actors will be, and if it can be ‘bigger and better’ than the last book-to-film hysteria. I hate it when interviewers and promotional features describe a new film as ‘the next Harry Potter’, ‘the new Hunger Games’ or the ‘next Twilight Saga’. Firstly, that can build up to disappointment if the film flops, and secondly, I think it’s wrong to compare one set of books and films to another just to bring in an audience. That shouldn’t be needed; the trailer should sell it to viewers, and fans of the series of books will see it anyway.

I’m seeing a lot of books I have enjoyed being made into films now, it’s becoming more and more common and people are hungry for ‘the next big thing.’ In my opinion, long-life fans of the books can be left feeling underwhelmed by film adaptations or with the rise of popularity for the films they can back away from the books because it is no longer ‘special’ and has been ‘dressed up’ with all the film promotion.  I found with the Twilight Saga that the books became forgotten about as people fell in love with the films and not the books, and weren’t interested in reading the novels. Personally, I feel inclined to read the books if I have seen a film I love that has been created from them – it’s where it all began, right?

People become obsessed with the actors and actresses and idolise them because the play the characters they love in the books, but I think it’s always good to remember that they are not them, a distinction should be made between the character and the actor, and the essence of the book and the character from your imagination should continue. I did not fall in love with the actor who is now cast as my favourite character, I fell in love with the character on the page. I did not fall in love with the CGI in the film, but with a world beautifully written by an author and interpreted by myself.

This post came around because of the recent frenzy over the newly released film ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’. I have been a fan of these books since 2008 – the first book was published in 2007 – so I wasn’t too late with joining in with this series. As a writer, I was mesmerised by Cassandra Clare’s writing and the captivating ability she had in bringing readers further into the story with so many twists and turns and bringing characters to life on the page so much so that you care about them, and an entire new world that you are drawn to. From her, I learnt how to improve my own writing, as well as be a reader and enjoy the stories. When I found out they were going to be made into films, I was very worried and sad. I didn’t want these characters ruined; I didn’t want them to be changed or to be glamorised and made into copies of other action-heroes and heroines; these characters were special. Obviously, it’s a great honour having your books recognised and wanted to be made into films, and I had a conflicting emotion because I was pleased for Cassandra Clare (a.k.a Judith Rumelt) as The Mortal Instruments series is amazing.

For the past two or so years that the first film has been in the works, I haven’t paid any interest as I thought that when the film eventually came out it would be the end of the books being ‘special’ because everyone would know about them. It’s sounds so odd and so possessive, but this is what happens when a book is so good you don’t want to share with the whole world. It’s a bit like when a small band you love gets bigger and increasingly famous and you have the conflicting feeling of being proud of them but also wanting to keep them to yourself.

I only became excited about the first film about a month before the release date when the trailers were everywhere, until then I had purposely not even sought out who was playing what character. When I did find out, I tried not to pass judgment about who was cast as I kept reminding myself that they must have been cast for that particular role for a reason. For once, I let myself become excited with other fans and the author as the anticipation for the film grew. I was impressed by the trailer, and the clips released, but not convinced by the casting. Which, if you’ve read the rest of this blog post, is not really a surprise. I didn’t want to watch any interviews with the actors and actresses until I saw how they portrayed the characters on screen; I wanted to get to know the character they were playing first rather than themselves.

I am happy to say that was pleasantly surprised. Lily Collins playing the lead-role of Clary Fray was very well done, and I believe she was the best cast to suit her character. Other actors took some getting used to such as Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland who was not how I had imagined him, nor with some others cast. These actors were however, impressive; their passion and energy came to life on the screen. As the film went on I was thrown into the story and was captivated even though I knew what was going to happen – I even stopped eating my popcorn! Of course, some details and scenes were missed out, some that to me are quite important to the series as a whole, while others were left out and I understood why. I also found that some of the background music was a bit cliché and ruined moments making the scenes rather cringe-worthy. The fight scenes though, done solely by the cast members themselves were excellent and the special effects were surprisingly good. At this point of the blog post, you may have noticed that I am much more a book lover than a film lover, but it was such a great adaptation that I went to go see it again.

I am still skeptical about upcoming book-to-film adaption’s (such as ‘Divergent’ and ‘Vampire Academy’), especially since the trailers to me right now don’t look promising or committed to the books. However, the ‘City of Bones’ film has shown me that if done correctly, with dedication, cast members who care about the story and more guidance from the author; a book-to-film adaptation isn’t so bad after all. (Though, I do still love the books more!)

Lauren

xo

A drink or two, or how about a few?

Now, you’ll either completely disagree with this post or be nodding along to it as you read. You’re either a person who really enjoys going out ‘clubbing’ or you’re a person who would much rather like to stay at home and eat pizza while watching your favourite film. I would say that you could have a balance; I considered myself to love staying home to read a good book, but wouldn’t mind going out to a nightclub every once in a while. I have come to realise that really I just hate it altogether.

Going out partying has obviously been a trend for a long time, but now I notice people on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook saying how they’re staying in on a Friday/Saturday night playing video games or watching television rather than being ‘sociable’. Of course, interacting and meeting up with friends is fun and you should do that, but you don’t have to all the time. It’s great having ‘alone’ time. You definitely don’t need to have fun by going out and getting completely drunk and strutting around sweaty nightclubs with a room full of strangers.

The company you keep is an obvious factor in whether you enjoy going to clubs or not; it’s certainly not fun if the one friend you have gone with keeps running off to chat with random men and you’re left on your own. It’s also not fun if you’re a worrier. I’m one of those people. I worry about my bag being taken, or drinks being spiked, or worry over my intoxicated friends and that I must stay slightly sober to help them. That just is not fun. The more people you go with the better obviously, but then if you have too many people in that ‘friendship’ group people will form subgroups, so you might as well have gone with two or so people anyway.

A complete contrast to what I said above is going out to nightclubs all the time; as in every week. I just consider that excessive. How can it even be remotely fun if you’re going out all the time – especially to the same place, and even with the same people? I fail to understand. Firstly, it’s expensive – especially since drinks are normally watered down, and therefore are making you buy more to get that ‘buzz’ (a cunning plan there). Secondly, clubs are usually in bigger places meaning you have to commute and get a taxi – which I just see as a waste of money, unless you can share with the people you’ve gone out with, but it’s not always that simple. Thirdly, going to the same place very often must get quite boring, so what exactly is the point? The only point I see is to get drunk; as if that’s one of life’s missions – or in this case, the week’s mission.

I think the ‘hype’ around going out is too extreme and overrated. Whilst there are those people who prefer sitting at home and tweeting about it, it still is considered customary to go out and that you have to enjoy it. I’ve witnessed so many people countdown to when they turn 18 and make statements like ‘Can’t wait to legally drink’, and ‘First thing I’m going to do when I’m 18 is get drunk’. It’s not cool, and I feel like there’s the pressure to drink all the time once you come of age. If you don’t like nightclubs it could make you stand out and cause friends to be reluctant to invite you anywhere. If your friends love it while you don’t you can get singled out or even pushed away. If you don’t like alcoholic beverages at all, that especially can cause those who do to think you’re weird and just don’t want to have fun – which is wrong. My view is that you don’t need alcohol to have a good time, especially not frequently.

I consider my balance – or comfort zone in ‘sociable drinking’ is at a pub – a relatively small one, with a few friends, and a bit of a chat. I don’t feel the need to stay out until 4am because it would be ‘un-cool’ to go home before then. I’ll go home by 1am and read my book in bed. I don’t feel the need to have to say ‘yes’ to going out all the time, and I’ll brush away the comments saying ‘you’re no fun’ if I don’t want to go out. Drinking and going to nightclubs doesn’t have to be a mandatory thing and you shouldn’t feel pressured into going, especially if you’re uncomfortable in that environment.

I write this just after 1am on a Friday night, which really sums up which person I am. Now, back to my good book…

Lauren

xo

Personal Account: My Chemical Romance: We Are The Kids From Yesterday

A tribute to ‘My Chemical Romance’. Not the type of blog post I normally write, but this one time a very personal account feels like a necessity.

The band My Chemical Romance parted ways on the 22^nd March 2013, after being together for 12 years. It was a heartbreaking moment for fans across the world, and in some cases it still is. Those two days where all we had was a short, cold statement posted on the MCR website informing us that ‘it had come time for it to end’ was possibly some of the worst days ever, because there was so much confusion and so much left unsaid. On Sunday 24^th March, front-man Gerard Way, posted a 2207 word letter explaining and giving us insight into what had been happening – which I guess is what we needed for clarification, but then it also made it worse too. The talks and rumours came to a grinding halt, the statement on the website was true; there were not to be any farewell tours, no reforming under a new name, and it was certainly not an early April fools. MCR had ended, leaving many heavy hearts.

Grief cannot be measured, it is different for everyone and the time it takes to heal is not set in stone. To many outsiders, crying or ‘mourning’ the split of a band may seem ridiculous, even hilarious to some. I think only true fans of the band in question can understand how you must be feeling. I always knew it was an inevitability that MCR would come to an end, I just didn’t think it would be so soon. Not after having them apparently building their own studio for the ‘new album’ (nicknamed MCR5) and having interviews discussing the new album (whereupon Gerard talks about how he’s planning the outfits, and how the new album is ‘very exciting’). I guess we had our ‘warnings’ though. The members mentioned a few times that they would most likely release their 2009 scrapped album only in the event of the band breaking up. That, and other than songs from ‘Conventional Weapons’ being released we had not heard news from them for some time. The latter wasn’t such a giveaway though, they often went away a while to write and record, but now we know that this was not happening anymore. They had another reason for being so silent.

I knew that upon the eventuality of MCR breaking up, it would be one of the worst days of my life; and it was. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but in that day, it felt like my childhood had been ripped away from me, and I was left alone to carry on without a sense of ‘support’. Similar to many fans, I had grown up with MCR. They had comforted me, helped me face issues in life, and had been my inspiration. I’ve been a fan for 6 years, which feels like a lifetime really; I can’t remember life without them. However, I wish I had known them from the beginning, but I am also grateful for finding out about them in enough time to see them live 4 times and watch them grow over the years. I wish had been able to meet them, to thank them in person, to hug them; but I suppose there is no point in dwelling on that, because I can’t change it.

In that first week after finding out the news, I was devastated, I didn’t know what to do with myself; I barely wanted to leave the house. Again, I think only MCR fans or people who do invest themselves greatly into bands can understand that feeling, others will probably just think it’s pathetic. It was re-reading Gerard’s words in his letter, understanding what he meant by ‘it is not a band, it is an idea’, having him tweet lots to ‘stay connected’ to us and him setting up a PO box so we could send him letters was what gradually pulled me out of the deep sadness. I understood why they ended; any true believer of MCR is surely to understand this. There are many ‘read between the lines’ moments in his letter, where he didn’t say something directly but after thinking, you understood what he was really trying to say. As a writer, writing is my healer. Writing out my feelings, my thoughts, my message to Gerard in a letter to him truly helped me move past the devastation and the want to cry at every turn.

MCR taught me numerous things and were there for me at crucial times. They made me believe in myself more, and not to believe all the negative things thrown at me. They have shown me that I mustn’t be scared of what the future might hold, that there is a world of possibility, and that the world isn’t such an ugly place. They introduced me to a world of music, of bands and artists that I still love. They gave me encouragement, belief, hope, comfort, excitement, happiness and strength. They brought me through my childhood, to adulthood; now it’s time to let go and fly free on my own. In respect, they have given me everything they could possibly give me to continue with life and get the best out of it. Thanks to them I am ready to face anything. I am certainly a ‘Kid From Yesterday.’

It is now just over 2 months without them; things are easier, still sad, but easier. I know many are still distraught, and I truly hope things get easier for those fans too. We still have their music, we still have their ‘message’ and what they stood for intact, and we can still contact them. These 4 people are certainly not going to fade away; that would be so unlike them.

Words cannot explain how much I loved this band, and how much I will miss them. However, I look forward to what each member does next. So far, Frank Iero already has two bands – Leathermouth and Death Spells, Gerard Way still is writing comics, and Ray Toro recently released a song which he recorded, mixed and sang himself.

Here’s to the future.

And thank you My Chemical Romance, for the ride and for the memories. You will never be forgotten.

Lauren

xo

The Wait is Over!

Just to announce that my latest book ‘Confessions of a Demon’,  which is book two of the Deals With A Demon series, is out now! You can buy the hardback here or you can download it in full here. If you haven’t read the first book, what are you waiting for? You can buy the hardback here, or you download it in full here. 🙂 You can read the first two chapters for free if you click of any of those links or head over to my ‘Books’ page.

Blurb for Deals with a Demon (Book One)

Crowley the demon. The one who has always been different and the one who will lead the war.
Crowley is a soul collector by day and in chains by night. After he’s made a deal with Audrey, nothing is the same. While resisting the human emotions he can’t have, he is preparing for battle. What he doesn’t know is Lucifer holds the answers to his life long questions.

Blurb for ‘Confessions of a Demon’ (Book Two)

Crowley the demon. The one who has always been different, and the one whose future is uncertain.

Crowley’s emotions are showing more than ever. Whilst failing to look after his son, he’s drinking more over the loss of Audrey. When the seals start breaking on Lucifer’s cage, leading to the impending apocalypse, Crowley’s personal issues need to be put on hold. But he can’t, the human side is getting the better of him. Hell is desperately trying to stop the seals, and find those responsible, but Lucifer still has some supporters, not only in Hell, but someone, somewhere is helping him escape.

Support for Crowley is fading, and he is blurring enemy lines. Hell is immersing into chaos. After ultimate betrayals, and fallen allies, Crowley must hold onto all he can. Whilst he prepares for a future that he might end up having that would be damning to any other demon, the apocalypse is fast approaching.

If you enjoy reading futuristic/dystopian novels then check out my other book ‘Our Worlds Collide’. Here’s the blurb:

Human nature is controversial; it is psychologically analysed, developed and changed. Environmental nature is different, the world and society in which we live cannot be forced, no matter how much we want it to, and how much we try. So, when the government forces the world into something different; it fights back, complete with deafening consequences. The world you once knew could never be the same again…

SKY CASSIDY lives in 2046, she longs for how the world once was before the Death Dates came into power.

STEVEN CANE lives in 2020, he is seeing the world before the Dates, until he gets a warning from Sky about what the future holds, and suddenly his view on the world is changed forever.

In their seperate world’s, they are fighting for answers and a way to change or stop the society they live in. But, what is the cost, and can what has happened to the world be truely saved from this, even when it was forced by human will in the first place?

Sounds interesting? If so, you can buy the hardback here, or the paperback here, or you can download it here. The first two chapters are available to read for free before buying or you click on any of those links 🙂

In other news, check back within the next week for a new blog post!

Thank you for visiting my blog, and thanks in advance if you decide to check out my books. It means a lot.

Lauren

xo

The banes of public transport

You’re sitting in a carriage; you’re perfectly comfortable, coffee in one hand, book in another and what happens? An overhead announcement begins informing you that in order to get off at a certain station, you need to proceed to a certain carriage. Couldn’t you have told me sooner? In all those repetitions of what stations the train is stopping at you couldn’t have mentioned this one other fact as well? No, better to be an inconvenience instead it seems.

You sigh, collect up the mass of bags that you have and clutch hold of the coffee and make your way through the endless amount of carriages until you reach the right one. Whilst doing so, you walk past so many empty seats you could have a different seat every five minutes during your journey. Upon arriving in the correct carriage, you inwardly groan; of course it’s typical, there are no seats left. Left to stand in the middle of the aisle, gripping hold of your bags, trying to drink the remains of your coffee, whilst trying not to fall over onto anyone, is not what I call fun. Let alone when the ticket man decides to pace back and forth between the carriages and so causing me to have to move my stuff – and awkwardly stand much too close to the sitting strangers in order for him to pass. I swear he was doing it on purpose, never had I seen a ticket man walk the carriages so much before.

I long for the empty seats that I travelled past to get to here. And let’s not forget the glares from the other passengers as you stand uncomfortably near them. Don’t pretend now, we all hate that. When you’re sitting down, and there’s someone standing up next to you, you feel kind of enclosed and wish they would stand somewhere else. Trouble is, when you are actually the person standing up knowing you’re probably annoying those around you, it is a different story. Not that I cared much for anyone who was around me. When my stuff decided to fly down the aisle, everyone just watched it go. Being quite small, I can never put my bag on the overhead shelves. Normally, some kind stranger offers to help me. But oh no, not on this journey. The people on this train certainly did prove a point I had heard not that long ago; everyone loves to watch someone else’s misfortunes – and in some cases laugh.

After what felt like an eternity of standing, a table seat becomes available and I practically launch myself at it, because at this point, trying to cling on for dear life as the train grinds to a halt station after station and holding onto bags, my arms are just about ready to drop off. Of course, the seat is directly in the sun, too bad you can’t move the sun to suit you, but then again, it just added to the annoyance of the journey, so why let the annoyances stop at me finding a seat?

Just to add, on the inward journey that I was now leaving from, there was still a carriage issue then. Without warning when buying tickets or waiting for the train, suddenly on my journey we’re informed that we have to change trains. Apart from standing, there is nothing I hate more than changing transport in journeys. it happens this time because they need to make the train longer. Although, I swear when we left that station after changing trains, the sign of the new train said one carriage, which is how many we’d had before. And also, one carriage, really? Whose wise idea was that?

It’s buses that really irritate me more so than trains though. Infrequent, early or non-arriving buses. Maybe it’s because I travel more with buses than trains and so more opportunity for things to go wrong. However, train journeys normally go rather easily, which I suppose is why I always get so much more annoyed or disappointed when a train journey turns into a nightmare and an obstacle course. But no, you can always count on buses to ruin your day. Don’t you just love it when the bus you want goes past too soon and you are on the other side of the road? Or the joy of finding out that in fact that bus left ten minutes before it was actually due? In cities, this might not be such an inconvenience, there’s bound to be a thousand more buses going to the destination you want within the next half an hour. Being out in the country is a different story. You miss it, and it could be one hour or several hours until you see another bus coming through your village.

Being every hour I guess is still a godsend for those who get buses even more infrequently. What rattles me is that they are always early, and never wait. One thing to love about trains, if they’re running early, they wait. Another inconvenience and annoyance is that around here, apparently everyone has to be in bed by 5.55pm. No buses after that time. In contrast to cities, not only are they more frequent, but when in a city, I practically bathe in the fact that buses run until midnight – what a luxury! So, it’s acceptable to go out in a city, but those in the countryside should stay tucked up in bed? Do the bus companies realise that maybe some of us in the countryside do want to go out after 6pm? Apparently not.

The prices are another annoyance; of trains and of buses. You’d expect the bus prices to be more in a city than in the countryside, right? Wrong. For some unknown reason, the same length journey is somehow double the price or more than what it is in a city. And train prices – they do love rising, don’t they? I swear it’s more and more every time I travel. There is really no need, nothing different has changed to the journey, it’s not like we’re given a hamper of food and drink to tide us over in the journey and a luxurious, comfortable seat for that extra sum of money that keeps being added. Speaking of food and drink, what I want to know is why for journeys to London from the same place gets a food and drink cart and trains with longer journeys don’t. I’m surprised people aren’t rolling around on the floor dying of thirst by the time they reach their destination.

I suppose the banes of public transport could continue…but I’d better sleep now; or I will miss that bus tomorrow. After all, it seems I have to be there twenty minutes before anyway.

And as a sidenote: Like there are ‘quiet zones’ in train carriages. They should really invest in this with buses; it would save a whole lot of earphones.

Lauren

xo

KONY 2012 – A year later

Do you remember KONY 2012? Or is it a distant memory?

On the 6^th March 2012, a video was posted promoting a campaign to stop Joseph Kony. Do you remember why? Did you even take an interest at the time and learn why, or did you just mindlessly ‘retweet’ or ‘share’ a post hoping that that would make a difference?  The campaign was apparently an ‘experiment’  to see if the world was ready to care about the lives of children and to speak out. According to the lastest video, ‘Joseph Kony became the most wanted man in the world.’ However, is this an exaggeration? Do you remember the name?

News gets forgotten, but even when it’s not in the forefront, it is still continuing. One question now is; what are you doing about Kony? Or have you lost interest simply because no one else is talking about it? A problem doesn’t simply just go away. Another question is what has happened since then? Did the ‘retweet’ and ‘share’ buttons help? Not really. As it says in a video I found, the message got jumbled and confused as it spread amongst the world. The video then says ‘but our voice and our mission never changed’; it skims past that people overlooked or misunderstood the original video and message; there is no explanation as to how and why the ‘message got confusing.’ A lot of the new video is vague, it talks about ‘new commitments’ being made by the European Union, African Union, United Nations and the USA, but goes into no further detail.

Obviously this is a propaganda video at an extreme. It is less interested about the facts, and more so about pushing the message, which misses a vital componant; you essentially need facts and figures to encourage more people to support; giving half-hearted information isn’t good enough for a lot of people. The first two minutes of the video is people ‘supporting’ the cause, and propaganda stances and pictures. However, whilst the majorty of this seven minute video is to encourage you to give away your money, a few figures are thrown in at one point, although, all on top of each other, giving the effect that maybe there isn’t much to talk about, and there is less interest in actually relaying the information. That being said, a year on, the movement has progressed slightly and are still trying to move forward to reach their goal of capturing Joseph Kony and to end the violence. LRA killings have decreased by 67% as two out of the five ‘top commanders’ have been detained and 30 LRA members have surrendered. The problem is that 450, 000 people are unable to return safely to their homes while there are still over 200 LRA fighters and Kony and his army are still at large. This evidence can be seen as inconclusive as there is no explanation about how and where these figures have been drawn up from. The amount of things achieved are mirrored in the amount not achieved, and once again I feel as if more explanation is needed about certain aspects  such as these ‘top commanders’.

As well as those figures being stated, events are also mentioned. On 15^th January  2013 the Rewards for Justice bill was passed by Obama to capture Kony and bring justice. Three new radio stations have been created in order to expand the network to more communities and flyers have been dropped out of a plane. However, it seems so far it is not enough, and it is not the end. The video draws to a close about all of us coming together in this ‘connected’ world of internet and fast-paced and ever-growing social media and technology as we can see and hear each other from all over the world. The thing is; I haven’t seen anything on social media websites and nothing in any news bulletins about this recently, have you?

Sadly, it is other news like this that is also swept aside as people become detached or forgetful easily. Once news isn’t in the forefront anymore, some act like the problem doesn’t exist; and it does. However, I find that the video doesn’t help the cause as much as it could do, and the fact that I have only seen the video in one place suggests that it isn’t a most talked about subject right now. Last year, in the week when the campaign began, you couldn’t go on a social media website without seeing ‘KONY 2012’. The question is; where are those ‘retweeters’ and ‘sharers’ now? And when will the final aim of KONY 2012 be achieved?

Lauren

xo

Opinions greatly appreciated

Hello! Hope you all are well 🙂 I was wondering if you would be so kind to answer these questions for me to help me with my English coursework? I really need some opinions about slang and its usage. You don’t have to answer all of them if you don’t want to, any answers would be very much appreciated! 🙂

1) What is your opinion of slang?
2) Do you use it at all; whether it’s spoken or written (online)?
3) Why, or why don’t you use slang?
4) Do you find text language lazy, or do you find it useful and can justify it?
5) Who do you think uses slang more?
6) Do you think the usage of slang has negative connotations to class and status?
7) Do you think slang is necessary?
8) Do you agree or disagree that ‘less is more’ when it comes to using slang?
9) Do you think it’s a good or bad thing that slang changes and evolves so much?
10) Do you think slang has got out of hand?

Thank you very much in advance! 🙂

Lauren

xo