The Haunting of Lily Frost - available May, 2014.
University of Queensland Press has discovered a new talent on the young adult novel scene, publishing the chilling The Haunting of Lily Frost.
It is Melbourne author Nova Weetman’s first novel for young adults.
Books + Publishing industry news has declared it an “atmospheric debut” that explores the idea of communicating with ghosts.
“The novel’s mild supernatural chills are well balanced with real-world drama,” the website says.
For Ms Weetman, the inspiration came from her memories of being fifteen and trapped somewhere between the decisions made for her by her parents, and the ones she wanted to make for herself.
She wanted to write a book that combined a haunting mystery with a coming-of-age story of friendship and feeling out-of-place.
Observing her own children’s openness to spirits while they were young led to an interest in the psychic world.
As such, she discovered that many psychics become aware of their ability as teenagers, as the book’s protagonist Lily finds.
When Lily’s parents move to a country town, she is angry and fearful of losing touch with her best friend, Ruby.
But something about the old house they move into lures her to the attic bedroom.
It doesn’t take long for Lily to discover that she is living in the house of missing teenager, Matilda – or Tilly as her friends knew her.
Lily tries to uncover the truth behind Tilly’s disappearance as she cannot escape the feeling that something or rather someone is trying to tell her something.
Ms Weetman’s prose has appeared in various literary magazines including Kill Your Darlings, Island, Tirra Lirra, Wet Ink, Mslexia, Overland, Island and Cardigan Press.
She has written for the children’s television series Pixel Pinkie and Buzz Bumble and wrote the short films, Ripples and Mr Wasinski’s Song for which she received an Australian Writers Guild AWGIE nomination for best short screenplay, and the Best Short Film Award from the Melbourne International Film Festival.
She has also won the HarperCollins Fellowship and the Fellowship of Australian Writers Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript.
Nova lives with her partner, a playwright, and their two children, in a falling down house in Melbourne.
Media, to request a review or arrange an interview: Meredene Hill, UQP Marketing and Publicity Manager. Ph: +61 7 3346 7932 | M: +61 401 575 143
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