Scottish Catholic Observer

The author talked about how her novel came to be published and described the difficulties of the editing process. The pupils also found out that inspiration can come from anywhere: overheard conversations; music, even your school textbooks.

As well as the literary elements, the pupils also learned more about the world of publishing, and the design considerations involved in every new title. The group got to see a proof copy of Entangled, to identify the differences in text, and layout, between the original and the final published version, and discussed the importance of good jacket design, comparing Ms Clarke’s book with some of the other titles that currently dominate the young adult fiction market.

During a question and answer section of the visit, Ms Clarke told the pupils how nervous she feels when she reads her own novel, and confessed that she has never been able to read her work in its final, published form. This anxiety has not, however, put her off writing, as she shared some information about her next two planned novels with the group.

One of the teachers involved summed up the positive effect of the author’s visit, which was arranged with the support of the Scottish Book Trust, saying: “Cat really engaged the pupils, inviting comments and asking and answering questions, and many of the pupils are now reading Entangled in anticipation of Cat’s next book!”