Roz Maclaren

Teen Fiction with a Dark Twist

Roz MacLaren

Sequels, prequels and unequal struggles

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The logical thing to do when writing a trilogy is start at the beginning, right?

And yet I started the Mirrorworld stories by writing slap, bang in the middle of the planned trilogy (the planned trilogy that my publisher knows nothing about yet. Unless they read this blog. Which is unlikely because I get less than two hits per day.)

You see the characters in City and Shadow, my upcoming debut novel, decided their story didn’t want to end there. And two characters in particularly wouldn’t let me rest until I’d put their stories down on paper. And, unfortunately, those stories took place several years before the events of City and Shadow. Leaving me with the problem: do I call it a sequel? Do I turn it all into a trilogy and pretend that was my plan all along (full disclosure: it wasn’t. In fact, I do recall telling a beta reader with unwavering conviction that I definitely wasn’t writing any more Mirrorworld stories any time soon as, and I quote, “I don’t see what else can be done there.”)?

Fast forward to today… and I’ve just finished the (very rough) first draft of Venom and Blaze. (It’s a working title. But I’m so in love with it. And in love with the story. It’s very dark. I think you’ll like it.)

Venom and Blaze is one of those stories that just wouldn’t let me drop it until I’d finished. I wrote it on holiday with my mother. I wrote it on my lunch break at my day job. I wrote it whenever I could and, whenever I couldn’t, I was thinking about writing it. And now it’s written. And, once I’ve let it sit for a while, I’ll edit it. Then casually tell my publisher about it and see where it goes.

“That’s all very well,” I can hear you thinking. “But you said a sequel. So where does the third one come in?”

Well, turns out I was wrong. There definitely is more to be done in Mirrorworld. I still have no idea if I’m writing a trilogy, or a standalone story that just happens to have sequel and a prequel. But something is happening at Roz MacLaren HQ. And, while I absolutely can’t share any details yet, I can promise you it’s going to be a wild ride. Are you ready for it?

What to read while you’re waiting for City and Shadow to be released

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I write Young Adult novels – but that also means I read a ton of them too! I grew up reading authors like Meg Cabot, Ally Carter, Sarah Dessen and more. And for me to stay up-to-date with popular market trends, it’s important I’m aware of what other YA authors are publishing. So here are a few of my recommendations that I think you’ll enjoy.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.

10/10.

I find Suzanne Collins’ style exceptionally readable – even when she’s telling the backstory of one of the Hunger Games’ most disliked characters. Here we have the prequel we didn’t know we needed: the story of a young President Snow before he was ever president. The twist at the end wasn’t a huge surprise to me, but the whole story is told in an utterly engaging, riveting way so I will give it top marks. I absolutely can’t wait to see the film next month!

The Death House by Sarah Pinborough.

8/10.

The concept to this book fascinates me. The book is set in a house nicknamed Death House, where children and young adults are taken who are suspected to have a mysterious disease. Symptoms can appear without warning and, without giving too much away, you should expect to shed a few tears over this book. We are introduced to the two main characters, Toby and Clara, who, against all odds, find love in the face of death.

Spoiler (look away now!): I deducted points because the story doesn’t end as happily as I’d have liked.

The List by Siobhan Vivian.

9/10.

Every year, a list is posted naming the “prettiest” and “ugliest” girls in every class. This book follows the story of each of those girls and how being singled out this way affects every one of them. I love the original concept here – and, while having multiple perspectives telling the story could be confusing, Siobhan manages to develop every character really well. The twist at the end feels slightly forced to me, but it’s definitely worth a read.

Airhead by Meg Cabot.

10/10.

Okay, I loved The Princess Diaries. I really did. But somehow I loved the Airhead series even more. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, I loved the entire trilogy. The story centres around Em Watts, who discovers her brain has been transplanted into the head of New York’s most famous supermodel, Nikki Howard. Filled with fun characters, evil villains and the cutest dog ever, I’d definitely recommend reading this series.

Have you any YA book recommendations? I’d love to hear all about them. Let me know in the comments.

City and Shadow: coming soon!

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UPDATE: As of 28 December, City and Shadow‘s release date has been changed. It was originally due out in Summer 2024. I have not edited the blog to reflect the change.

My debut novel, City and Shadow, is due out in Summer 2024. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the release date:

What’s the book about?

“At first, they tried to co-exist. The Good and their Mirror. The firstborn and the twin that emerged immediately after…”
In a world where every person has a Mirror twin capable of doing only bad things, Quiver is the only one born Mirrorless. Along with his best friend, City, the two must navigate a society ruled by a tyrannical queen and threatened by a dangerous rebel. And, when City’s Mirror escapes from her island prison, a chain of events is set in motion that thrusts Quiver, City and her Mirror into a dangerous struggle for power and survival.

Who are the main characters and what are they like?

My book ended up having three main characters, all of equal importance. It centres around the story of three very different teenagers, who each have their own complexities and problems.

Quiver is a revolutionary. He’s never fitted in and he channels that to create a world of chance. He’s not afraid to make the tough choices, even if that means sacrificing something he cares about.

The story is told through the eyes and from the perspective of his best friend, City. City is a quiet girl who just wants to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately, for her, life has other plans…

Shadow is City’s Mirror – and my favourite character, if I’m allowed to have favourites. Funny, sarcastic, slightly aggressive and never taking no for an answer, Shadow has personality in bucketloads and she’s not afraid to make it known.

What about the villain?

I couldn’t pick one protagonist – so I definitely couldn’t pick one villain either. This book has two.

Queen Venom is a cool, calculating monarch who’s found a way round the fact that she’s Good and unable to kill, lie, steal or do anything particularly bad. At least, not directly. As you’ll find in the book, she can do quite a lot of bad things.

Blaze is the other villain. He pops up later in the book but makes up for it by doing an awful lot of damage in a short space of time.

Villains are my favourite characters to write as you can have such fun describing them, what makes them tick and why they made the choices they did.

Does the book come with a trigger warning?

It’s very dark, so I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart.

What ages should read the book?

Ages 13+ would be able to read my book. There’s one swear word in it (sorry, Mum) but that’s about it, apart from the aforementioned darkness.

What’s with all the spiders?

Early on, I had a vision for a character that wore a dress of live spiders. This morphed into a character that literally just wore spiders. Queen Venom became that character. She’s covered entirely in spiders that reshape themselves, depending on what sort of outfit she needs. I anticipate this will gross a few people out, but I’ve always been very fond of spiders.

Will there be another story in the Mirrordom universe?

I’m already planning a prequel and a sequel. Whether they ever see the light of day or not is another matter. I have working titles and vague plots for both, but the prequel will aim to explore the relationship between Venom and Blaze, while teeing up the City and Shadow sequel. The sequel will explain how Quiver came to be Mirrorless.

Summer 2024 is ages away. What about right now?

Right now, you can take my Which City and Shadow Character Are You? quiz, which will let you know which of my three protagonists you’ll resonate with the most. And I’m planning a blog post on books I’ve loved that you might want to check out.

Welcome to my website!

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Hello! I’m Roz MacLaren, which, if you’re reading this, I presume you already know. Here are some more quick-fire facts.

I’m a YA author based in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. I live with a black and white cat and own far too many notebooks.

I’ve wanted to be an author since I was five. It would have been earlier, but I don’t think I knew what an author was then. The first books I remember reading were Black Beauty and the Famous Five stories (which I still read because they’re awesome).

My stories tend to be on the darker side, but I do plan on writing something mature and light-hearted when I grow up. If that ever happens.

My debut novel was accepted by a really cool publisher – something that made me so excited I gasped out loud. I’ll never forget reading the acceptance email and grinning for the rest of the day. The novel is called Venom and Blaze.

I’ll be updating this blog with a host of different topics, including book recommendations and reviews, updates on my own books, tips* for new or aspiring authors (get me. Not even had a book released yet and I’m already giving out advice!) and a smattering of personal (in case anyone is interested. I’m told people like to know the person behind the pen.) Is there anything you’d particularly like me to write about? Let me know in the comments.

*Disclaimer: all my tips will just be me saying what worked for me. There’s absolutely no guarantee they’ll work for anyone else. It was a miracle they worked for me, in my opinion.