Blog Tour: Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
Hi All!
Today I am here with you as the last day of the Under Rose-Tainted Skies blog tour. I have for you all a great guest post from Louise Gornall about how she got into novel writing.
Also, don’t forget to check out my review of this incredible book here.
Different kinds of storytelling…
by Louise Gornall
Hi guys. I’m super stoked to be your guest lecturer today… no, I’m kidding. No lectures. Promise. School’s out for the summer. But that is definitely a college grade title, right? In real time, I just wanted to have a chat with you about storytelling, and tell you a little bit about how I got from over there to right here.
So…
I think it’s fair to say that suffering from agoraphobia is no longer a secret, but something most people don’t know about me is that I used to be an actress. An amateur, still studying for my degree in performing arts, though I had an agent and an audition lined up. Woe, this was at the exact same time my mental health decided to roll over on me. BUT my love of storytelling, arguably, was a direct result of the acting career I never had.
I loved being on stage. Loved it. I loved having to physically portray someone else’s story, reading through a script and trying to figure out how each line should be delivered. Lady Macbeth was one of my favourite characters to read because that woman has more faces than Big Ben.
When I got sick, I had to readjust my life around all these new limitations, which meant no more college, no more acting…no more people. I literally shut myself off in my bedroom. I still wanted to be connected to film and characters though, and the only way I could do that from the safety of my bubble was screenwriting. This was my first real taste of storytelling. I made friends with this awesome guy who taught me all about authentic dialogue, different scripts, layouts, timing. Everything a newbie screenwriter needed to know. It was fun, but when I’d finally drafted a script to show him, he was like, you can’t have this much control in your action segments. You don’t need to write down ALL the things. That’s a director’s job. My action segments could span pages, so I guess he had a point, but…
Cut to: Me. Mortified.
Me: (stammering) but…but…but…
Screenwriter Guy: Have you ever thought about maybe writing a novel?
Me: (blink-blink) No. Should I?
Screenwriter Guy: You most definitely should.
End Scene.
The rest, as they say, is history. Novel writing was very different, though I loved — love– both. I think screenwriting taught me how to pace a story, and how to write dialogue. It also taught me how to apply an American accent to my writing voice which has helped me access American readers. It’s definitely something I’d recommend giving a go, even if you never do anything with it, which, essentially, I haven’t…yet!
About the Book
Title: Under Rose-Tainted SkiesAuthor: Louise Gornall
Publisher: Chicken House
Published: 7th July 2016
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Source:: Review Copy
Add It: Goodreads, Amazon UK, The Book Depository
Summary:
Agoraphobia confines Norah to the house she shares with her mother.
For her, the outside is sky glimpsed through glass, or a gauntlet to run between home and car. But a chance encounter on the doorstep changes everything: Luke, her new neighbour. Norah is determined to be the girl she thinks Luke deserves: a ‘normal’ girl, her skies unfiltered by the lens of mental illness. Instead, her love and bravery opens a window to unexpected truths …
An important and uplifting debut from a British author, which tackles mental health issues such as agoraphobia and OCD.
About the Author
Louise is a graduate of Garstang Community Academy, and she is currently studying for a BA (Hons) in English language and literature with special emphasis on creative writing. A YA afcionado, flm nerd, identical twin, and junk food enthusiast, she’s also an avid collector of book boyfriends. Her debut novel, UNDER ROSE-TAINTED SKIES, will be published in July 2016.
Have you ever wanted to be a screenwriter?
Also don’t miss my review of this STUNNING book which can be found here.
