Sarah Ann Juckes
In a nutshell...
Unpublished, but hopefully not for long! Writer of YA/Adult crossover novel 'The Existence of Jonathan'. The novel deals with a young man who is torn between two selves: John, the normal boy who just wants to get on with his life, and Jonathan, the sadistic young man who thinks he might be attracted to children. However hard John tries to fight Jonathan, his writer will not let him win. I have posted more information and a sneak preview on my blog.
My blog has followed my progress from my graduation from University, through writing the novel, winning writing competitions and my quest to find an agent. It is nice to document the entire process of becoming a writer, I hope I get there one day! Please check it out and leave your comments - I love connecting with new writers!
www.sarahannjuckes.wordpress.com
Biography
I was the overall winner of the ‘Whitby Abbey Pure Inspiration’ competition 2009, which was organised by English Heritage and judged by G. P. Taylor. As a result, my short story was published in an anthology by Spiderwize Press, available on Amazon and in English Heritage sites around the country. I was also shortlisted for the ‘Writing for Children’ competition in 2009 run by the ‘Writer’s Advice Centre’ that was based upon an idea I submitted for a middle-grade children’s novel.
Loughborough University awarded me the Ernest Frost Prize for outstanding creative writing in both the 2008-09 and the 2009-10 years, and I received a cash prize for each. I was also the joint winner of the ‘Short Fuse Leicester’ Flash Fiction grand slam as voted for by a panel of professional judges, and received a cash prize for my short story ‘The Mummy Tree’ (see blog tab 'Short Stories').
THE EXISTENCE OF JONATHAN was originally a concept for an adult novel. However, the more research I did into the subject of child abuse and paedophilia, the more I realised that this is an issue concerning young adults, too. I realised how little fiction there was on this topic in the young adult market, despite the fact that novels in this genre aim to investigate topics affecting teenagers. THE EXISTENCE OF JONATHAN seeks to explore the growing problem of teenage abusers in a sensitive and distinctive manner in order to fill this gap in the market. At university, I discovered the concept of meta-fiction and was enchanted with the idea of the book and the writer becoming part of the novel itself. As a result, I incorporated this idea into the story. I am currently working on an idea for another young adult novel that seeks to blur the boundaries between the adult world and the innocent - a theme that runs throughout all of my fiction.
I am currently (Jan 2011) preparing my MS for agents. I am very excited if not terrified. Hopefully, one day someone will see the potential in this novel and publish it.
