Top Shelf Books: Denise Dowdell-Stent

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Eternal by Denise Dowdell-Stent @valaoakley

Vala sighed, ran her fingers through her long auburn hair and checked her watch. Under normal circumstances, Vala enjoyed her Friday afternoon biology class but today was Halloween and she was counting the minutes.

Vala glanced at her best friend, Jelly. Jelly’s real name was Kathryn, but to her friends she was known as Jelly, owing to her appetite for Jelly Babies. Jelly also seemed distracted, gazing out of the window, twirling strands of her long blonde hair. Vala wished she could send her friend a text, but if she was caught using her phone during lessons, it would be a case of ‘use it and lose it’, as the school frequently reminded them. Vala’s gaze drifted to the window; it was already becoming dark and the wind was picking up, lifting autumn leaves into the air and propelling them into a chaotic yet strangely graceful dance.

The end of school bell sounded and Vala quickly packed up her belongings, heading for the lockers to collect the rest of her things and meet up with Jelly and Max. Max was the third member of their little ensemble. The three of them had been friends since primary school and had since stayed close, though Vala was acutely aware that this would be the last year they were all together like this. Next year Vala would be reading Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Magdalene College in Cambridge; Jelly would be at a drama school in London and Max, like Vala, would also be in Cambridge at The Institute of Astronomy studying astrophysics.

“So, are my favourite girls ready for adventure tonight?” Max asked, placing an arm round Vala and Jelly.

“Somehow, Max, you manage to make the most innocuous comment sound pervy,” Jelly replied, rolling her eyes. “But to answer your question, I think we’re pretty much prepared.”

“Did you manage to get the EMF meter, Max?” Vala asked.

“Absofreakinglutely!” Max grinned. “And an infra-red camera. Also a night vision camera for each of us, should we actually spot anything.”

“So guys,” Vala said, “we’re meeting at my house 9pm sharp then heading over to Rise Hill Cemetery. Max is bringing the equipment, I’m bringing the grub, and Jelly’s bringing drinks—right?”

“Right!” Jelly and Max said.

“Can we nab a lift home with you, Max?” Jelly asked, kissing him on the cheek.

“Flattery will get you everywhere!” Max beamed.

Vala suspected that joking aside, Max’s feelings for Jelly ran deeper than friendship and that Jelly was aware of it too. She knew Jelly was in love with Max, but neither of them seemed able to openly admit their feelings, at least to each other. They simply carried on with flirtatious banter and gestures that never led to anything more complicated. Vala surmised that both Jelly and Max were apprehensive about taking things further in case it jeopardised their friendship.

The trio stepped out of the school building into the crisp air. Vala shivered as the dampness in the air clung to her skin, chilling her. The wind roared tempestuously, seeming to encircle each of the friends, grasping them in its icy clutches as though trying to engage them in a wild frenetic dance.

Vala looked up at the darkening sky beckoning to them ominously. Grey clouds were clustering together, forming an oppressive blanket that appeared, from Vala’s perspective, ready to bear down on them in mordacious hunger at any moment. Vala looked away, shaking her head in an effort to banish the unsettling thoughts and feelings that had started to surface.

Jelly looked at her friend, noticing her unease. “Are you alright, Vala?”

“Yeah, fine,” Vala said. “Let’s just get going.”

The two girls climbed into the back seat of Max’s cherry red Lexus Hybrid, while Max settled himself in the driver’s seat and started the ignition.

“Think it might be prudent to bring macs and wellies, girls,” Max said. “Assuming you actually own any practical clothing!”

Jelly reached over Max’s headrest and playfully swiped the top of his head.

“Aw Jelly; Max is going to be such a good daddy one day!” Vala said and laughed, before also taking a swipe at Max's head.

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Genre - YA Fantasy

Rating – PG 13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Denise Dowdell-Stent on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.eternaluk.com

Author Interview - Denise Dowdell-Stent @valaoakley

at 5:00 AM 0 comments

How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

I always write by hand, either on the sofa or in bed, in a large hardback notebook.

Where do you get support from? Do you have friends in the industry?

Other than my family and friends, I have had invaluable support from Bronwyn and Alex Hemus at www.standoutbooks.co.uk. I do have friends that have published books but do not have any contacts in the industry.

How much sleep do you need to be your best?

Between 8-9 hours though I rarely get that much!

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?

There are so many – my son Andrew, husband John and parents – Marie and Robert Stent, Bronwyn and Alex Hemus, my other family and friends, including Aunt Elaine and Said Alame for their awesome reviews, Trevor French for his stunning CG backgrounds for my trailer, Mark Pirrie, my Producer and Director – for sharing my vision and translating it to film, Dion Johnson, who provided the awesome camera work, editing, photography stills and amazing book cover, Jon Enkel on cameras, Tim Janis – the infinitely talented composer of ‘Water’s Edge’, the evocative and beautiful soundtrack to Eternal, Elizabeth Demmer of the Tim Janis Ensemble for her kindness and help, Guy Adams – my very dashing Elvar! And all the staff at Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge, Harvey Edgington – Film Unit Manager for the National Trust and Rev. David Busk of St. Mary the Virgin Parish Church, Godmanchester.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?

Making the bestsellers list would be good as would securing a traditional publishing deal and seeing my book grace the shelves of major bookstores where I would be asked to do book signings. Having a company buy film rights would also be rather nice!

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?

As mentioned in Question 22, I have a website: www.eternaluk.com featuring information on my book, a biography, a photo gallery, trailers, a blog, a newsletter, sample chapter downloads, a media kit, and links to retailers selling Eternal. I use Twitter, Facebook, Google + and Pinterest and have had a newspaper interview. Additionally, I have had several author interviews, guest blogs, and am awaiting a professional book review.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I started writing because I was born with a wild, unstoppable imagination; dreams and stories would form in my mind and I needed a way to express them coherently.

When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing at four years of age, though probably not terribly expressively until I reached the age of six – my mind was just bursting with ideas and stories, sometimes from dreams, and I was compelled to write them down and share them. I first considered sharing these stories publicly after winning a short story contest at seven years old – it gave me the confidence to continue and the realisation that I had something wonderful to share with the world.

How long have you been writing?

Since from around the age of four.

When did you first know you could be a writer?

I didn’t consider it professionally until after that fateful game of Rory’s Story Cubes last year. However, I did consider professional script-writing as a career whilst at university, though it obviously never came to fruition.

About the Author

Denise Dowdell-Stent is a YA Fantasy Fiction author but also writes scripts, poetry (published in various anthologies such as 'A Passage in Time' and 'Speaking of Love' by Forward Poetry), song lyrics, and maintains a blog at http://www.eternaluk.com.

She has just released her debut novel, Eternal as an ebook on Amazon, iBookstore, Kobo and Google Books (retail links on website). She lives in Cambridgeshire, UK with her husband and young son. Eternal is a YA Arthurian themed Fantasy, chock full of adventure, romance, suspense and intrigue.

Website: http://www.eternaluk.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eternaltrilogy

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/valaoakley

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRIOmPViSbI