Victoria Gemmell

This week, Notes From The Blunder Ground is delighted to feature an interview with Victoria Gemmell whose debut novel, Follow Me, is due for release by Strident Publishing on 30 September.  Victoria, who lives in Renfrewshire and works as a Careers Advisor, has had short stories and flash fiction published in a range of publications, including The Puffin Review, The Grind Journal and The Bohemyth Literary Journal. 

You can read a sample of Victoria's work, with an introduction by the writer herself, under the heading 'Small Stones' further down this page.

Victoria Gemmell.

How would you describe the story of Follow Me?

It’s about 17-year-old Kat Sullivan’s search for answers following her twin sister Abby’s apparent suicide. The novel is set in the fictional Scottish town of Eddison and centres round an underground hangout called The Barn, (influenced by the famous pop artist, Andy Warhol’s ‘Factory’), which was established by art students Rob and Michael as a place where young people meet to create art and
socialise. Kat’s quest to unravel the mystery surrounding Abby’s suicide – the fifth to have taken place in Eddison in recent months – becomes increasingly fraught. Can she trust Rob and Michael to help her find the answers she needs, or will they lead her into a world from which she won’t be able to escape?

Follow Me: Released this month.

Why, and how, has the work of Andy Warhol influenced your story?

Many years ago I studied for a degree in Communication and Mass Media. During this time I completed a module in Popular Culture and wrote an essay about Andy Warhol, for which I read a lot about his life and art work in relation to contemporary society.

I think Warhol was quite perceptive in recognising what direction society was heading. He wanted his images to immediately communicate a message to us, a meaning which really goes no deeper than what is presented on the surface. I became fascinated with the story of the artist behind those images and the glamorous people who started to hang around Warhol’s ‘Factory’. It wasn’t just about the art – Warhol wanted to achieve fame and recognition, and in the end it was if he became both an icon and product of the postmodern world. This all fed into the creation of the 'Barn' in my book - the secret underground hangout created by art students.

The novel is classed as ‘Young Adult’ – did that influence the way you wrote it?

 Ultimately I wrote a story that I wanted to read. As soon as the idea for Follow Me started to form in my head I knew it was going to be a story about teenagers, and that it fell into the YA genre (a genre I love). But I wasn't consciously thinking in my head, this is for a YA ‘market’ as I think that readership extends way beyond young adults, so is hard to define. It was important for me to place young people at the heart of the mystery, handing control over to them to figure out what is going on.

Teenage suicide, a key theme of the book, has been in the news a lot. How would you sum up the book's slant on this?

Kat struggles to believe that her twin, Abby, would choose to take her own life. As she digs deeper into her sister’s life, Kat suspects the suicides may not be clear-cut.  It is the unanswered questions and mystery which drives my story. I think it explores a wide range of issues teenagers may face – a sense of isolation, being surrounded by groups of friends but still not being able to talk properly about how you feel, the suffocation and boredom you can feel in a small town, external and internal pressures, and the allure of being part of something more.

What authors have inspired you? 
                                                     

So many writers have inspired me over the years for many different reasons (and I’d probably answer this question differently every time I’m asked). But I’m going to name authors who inspired me at pivotal moments – Jill Murphy and Roald Dahl for firing up my imagination as a child; Janet Fitch because her lyrical writing style made me determined to write like that one day; Jack Kerouac for showing me it’s ok to break the rules and to ‘let go’ a bit; YA authors like Stephen Chbosky and John Green for reminding me about the importance of a great story and characters; and my Mum, (Rosemary), who showed me all of the aforementioned, and encouraged me to keep writing!

What’s next for you as a writer?

I am currently working on a second Young Adult novel!

Small Stones

By Victoria Gemmell

Back in 2014 I stumbled across a writing challenge, originating from a website called Writing Our Way Home. For the whole of January the challenge was to write a ‘small stone’, a definition of which is:

~ Notice one thing each day

~ Give your whole awareness to it

~ Write it down

Before I started this challenge I was already keeping an ‘inspiration’ type journal, capturing observations and snippets of everyday life, thoughts and ideas and so on. I used this challenge to form shorter, more poetic/creative observations and I still find it can be a good method to kick-start my creativity if I’m feeling a bit stuck!

Here are some of my ‘small stones’ gathered over the past few months (and one from my original 2014 challenge!):

Blank clock – the storm stole your hands and all that remains are meaningless dashes. How fragile time is, so easily altered or stopped by uncontrollable events, transforming the face of everything.

A clown shakes a charity tin, waving at passers by as his smile melts in the rain. Stamping a red shoe out of time with the radio tunes he shouts, “Spare a penny.”  For the lost.

Boarded up shop, missing letters from a decaying sign spelling out half a word. An interrupted sentence when there was so much more to say.

Yesterday’s confetti washed into gutters, pressed into stone steps , under shoes– red and white hearts –strength and vulnerability hiding in street corners.

Shredded plastic bags tangled in trees, ghosts waving in the dark. I used to carry you home.

Pink balloons tied to a red gate, blowing in the wind. The house looks deserted, lights out, silent, as if the balloons belong to a forgotten party.

Follow Victoria

Author Website

Victoria's Blog 

Victoria on Facebook

Twitter: @VikkiGemmell