'An Ancient Secret, A Deathly Curse'

​Review of 'Wintercraft' and Interview with Jenna Burtenshaw

Headline 2010

You know when you read a book and love it so much that you want to tell everyone about it? That's how I felt about 'Wintercraft' when I first read it around 3 years ago. This was before my blog, before I joined Facebook and just about the time I ventured on to Twitter. Therefore I have never really shouted about it, except to people I know.

​Time to put that straight...

​'Wintercraft' is the first book in a fantasy trilogy. I suppose it would be described as 'young adult', though I am still getting to grips with these labels. The stories follow the adventures of Kate, a young girl living in Albion who discovers that she is one of the 'Skilled' - those with the ability to see through the veil between life and death. She becomes caught up in a chase to locate the lost book of Wintercraft before it falls into the wrong hands. The subsequent books are 'Blackwatch' and 'Legacy' and continue with Kate as she is pulled deeper and deeper into a dark and complex world.​

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The books are beautifully written. The prose is flowing and wonderfully descriptive. The prologue of 'Wintercraft' (pictured right) gives a flavour of this. If you like your fiction gothic, broody and imaginative then these are the books for you. The covers are evocative and tactile and, something I absolutely love, each chapter begins on a decorated page.

The writer of this trilogy is Jenna Burtenshaw and I am beyond thrilled that she joins me today on the blog.

Thank you for agreeing to be part of this piece, Jenna. I've been wanting to ask you loads of questions since reading your books so I guess this is my big chance...

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Can we start with how you got into writing?
​Hi, Bernie. Thank you for inviting me! Writing has been part of my life in different forms for a long time. When I was nine I realised that writing stories, creating books, was something anyone could do. Writers weren’t these mythical beings, a ‘precious few’, who made up stories and sent them out into the world. I realised I could have a go at it myself. I started off writing poetry in little notebooks right through my teens (I still have some of them) but only really got into writing full length books in my twenties. Someone told me writing a full fantasy novel would be too difficult, so - of course - I had to give it a go!

Who are your influences?
This is a tricky one. I love Marcus Sedgwick’s books. I had the chance to meet him at a signing a few years ago at the Edinburgh Book Festival, which was very exciting. (I was a little bit starstruck, and I’m sure I babbled like an idiot at the signing table.) I am a huge fan of dark, gothic stories. There’s a touch of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in Silas Dane, and his crow owes a lot to Edgar Allan Poe’s poem ‘The Raven’.

​Was 'Wintercraft' your first completed novel?
No, it was my fourth. I finished two books in a planned trilogy in the early 2000s, the first of which attracted interest from a couple of agents, but it wasn’t good enough to get me representation. My third story was about a girl haunted by a sinister presence (which was when I started experimenting with darker themes) and the world in that book became a starting point for what would become the Wintercraft series. Looking back, I think of the first three as practice books. I learned so much from writing them, but they’ll never exist in the world outside my manuscript drawer.

​And something all unpublished writers are interested in... how did you secure representation and then a publishing contract?
As I mentioned, my first trilogy drew a couple of nibbles from literary agents. Some said they liked my style, and one agent wrote me a very encouraging letter, which gave me hope that I was on the right track. Charged with fresh determination, I set aside the first trilogy, and decided to take what I’d learned and start again. I would write something I would love to read. I’d send it out to agents, and if this book didn’t attract any interest, at least I’d given it a good shot.
Kate and Silas’s story began that day. I worked on Wintercraft, polished it up, and submitted the early chapters to agents I thought might be interested. After weeks of rejection letters dropping through the letterbox, a few agents requested the full manuscript, and soon after, one agent invited me for a meeting. I travelled down to London on the train, had lunch and a chat, and signed a contract with her that day.
My agent started submitting Wintercraft to publishers and within weeks the book went to auction. That was a tense day! I waited at home for the call that told me Headline had won the UK rights, and the rollercoaster started all over again from there. My agency sold the US rights to Greenwillow/HarperCollins a few months later. 

​Have you always been drawn to fantasy? Have you/will you write outside that genre?
Fantasy is my first love. I enjoy the freedom and flexibility of it, but I’ve experimented with sci-fi ideas recently, so I’m open to different things.

Do you write full time? What's next?
​Yes, I’m lucky to be able to write full time. I have a messy desk, a cat that likes to sit on my keyboard, and a good supply of Yorkshire Gold tea, so I’m very happy. As for what’s next: I’ve written two new stories since Wintercraft: Legacy was published - one sci-fi, one fantasy - but they still need some work. I’m looking forward to seeing where this next year takes me.  

​What advice would you give to unpublished writers, especially those with an eye on the young adult fantasy market?
Read everything you can. Walk around your local area and search for inspiration in places you think you know. There’s always something new to discover that might click something in your imagination. And most important of all, turn off your internet. If you’re writing, don’t have the internet chattering away in the back of your screen tempting you in. It’s a time killer. Block out thirty minutes, an hour, however long you fancy, turn off that wi-fi and claim your writing time. Just you and the words.

​And finally, we've heard all about Jenna the Writer, can you share with me a little about what you get up to when you are not writing? Am I right in thinking that nature and animals feature heavily?
Ah, yes! I do share a lot of photos of my dogs and cats online, don’t I? I have two dogs, an ex-feral cat, and a calico cat who moved into my writing hut three years ago and set up home. Add to them the goldfish, the garden birds, and the odd injured pigeon, and they all keep me busy. Meanwhile, I’m teaching myself to crochet (slowly), I love walking in my local area, and whenever I’m feeling stressed, I bake. I’m also a bit of a gamer. World of Warcraft and the Elder Scrolls series are my personal favourites, so if I’m not reading or spending time in one of my written worlds, you’ll often find me adventuring through one of theirs.

​Thanks so much for sharing with me, Jenna. I can't wait to read your next books and, in the meantime, I hope others discover the world of Wintercraft.

Jenna can be found on Twitter as @JennaBurtenshaw.
​'Wintercraft' Book 1 can be viewed on Amazon HERE.

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