We are delighted to welcome C G Moore to
the blog to talk about his new novel, Trigger which has published with YLG
Publisher of the Year 2023 in Ireland. Trigger
is C G Moore’s third novel for young adult readers and is a gritty verse novel
based around sexual abuse and raising important considerations around
consent. You can learn more about C G
Moore at his website.
'Gut Feelings' won the KPMG Children's
Books Ireland, Children's Book of the Year Award, how did it feel receiving
this recognition and can you tell us about how the selection process for this
works?
I was shocked. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Gut
Feelings was a strong book but rather, I thought with some more established
names contending for the title, I was just there to enjoy the day with my mam.
I had no expectations that I would win. I scribbled some names on the back of a
tram ticket just in case.
For the selection process, Children’s Books Ireland seek
out independent judges for the awards including two readers aged 15+ as Young
Judges. Publishers submit books they believe to be outstanding reads and the list
of submissions is judges against the awards’ criteria including engagement, and
how well written and conceived the story is. The list is whittled down to ten
books and there are five awards in total including the Book of the Year Award.
Your new verse novel is called 'Trigger'
and is publishing with Little Island books, can you introduce us to its themes?
Trigger is about a boy who
wakes up in the park with no memory of what happened to him. He slowly comes to
terms with the fact that he may have been sexually assaulted. He can’t move on
until he knows what happened to him. While sexual assault and trust are key
themes, Trigger raises awareness around consent in and out of
relationships as well and hope and recovery from trauma.
Jay is struggling to piece together events
that have happened to him and who he can trust, although the horrific events
that he has been through have been very specific, in some ways this is a rites
of passage. In what ways do you think
Jay changes by the end of the book?
Jay is very trusting before the events of the book and
a part of him finds validation in being in a relationship. Even when he comes
to terms with what happens to him, he still holds tight to his naïve beliefs
that nothing happened and his boyfriend could not have been involved. There’s a
poem in the book – Honey and Glass – that captures the before and after
of his life-changing experience perfectly.
Like 'Gut Feelings,' it has been quite a
personal book and it cleverly weaves narrative around trauma and
resilience. Do you find exploring your
past through fiction helps to make sense of elements of your past? What do you hope readers get from this?
There is always a cathartic feeling when I write about
some of the difficult experiences I’ve endured. Spending a lot of time writing
about these moments does unlock a different perspective that helps me to make
sense of the past.
I’ve read some alarming statistics recently that The
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published in which they found that 72% of young
people aged 18-25 do not realise they can say ‘no’ after initially say ‘yes’ to
a sexual encounter when they meet. Just as troubling is that a further 58%
believe that rape cannot be committed in a relationship or marriage. I think
many adults find it difficult to talk to kids about issues that are widely
regarded as taboo like sexual assault and rape but with instant access to
digital media via smartphones, children are growing up in a technological world
where they are being exposed to smart devices as young as two. It’s naïve to
think that teenagers can’t access more explicit content and with this in mind,
it’s important to have these more difficult conversations at home and in
schools. I can see how teachers and librarians might worry about students
reading content that exposes them to issues like sexual assault, but surely
it’s better done in a book where they can question and discuss these themes in
a safe environment rather than being kept in the dark and becoming a part of a
set of alarming statistics. Besides, young people are regularly subjected to
sexualisation in the media and violence in video games and TV shows. I hope my
book offers a discussion around consent and gets young adults to think about
it. I know one book won’t change these damning statistics but if the book
reaches and helps just one young person, I’ll be happy.
'Trigger' explores some complex issues and
emotions what opportunities and challenges are there in exploring these through
the verse form?
Verse novels limit your word count dramatically and can
take you longer to find your voice. With prose, you have more time to develop
the story and narrative voice but with verse, you have to be more precise while
still allowing smaller moments for the reader to breathe. If you’re talking
about complex issues like identity, disability or sexual assault, you still
need to give the reader moments of relief. I also find it easier to plot a
prose novel by chapter whereas my verse style doesn’t have chapters in the
traditional sense so I might have an outline of what I am going to do, but not
every part of the story is mapped out. It’s exciting and it challenges me to find
new ways to tell my stories.
What is it that appeals to you about the
verse form and in what ways does the process differ from standard prose?
Verse allows me to say what I need to say in a way
where every word on the page matters. If I’m talking about something that’s
quite personal to me, I want to make sure that every poem is doing what it
needs to do and contributing to the overarching narrative. With prose, you can
take your time in building up a scene and fleshing out characters and story. In
verse, your words need to be concise and for me, I need to be able to balance
story and characterisation without adding any superfluous details.
You've just become part a Champion of
Reading with Children’s Books Ireland, what will this involve and do you have
any particular plans for how you will use this opportunity?
I am so proud to be a Champion of Reading for two
schools in Ireland. As part of the scheme, the schools selected each received
250 books as well as a Champion of Reading who is tasked with engaging students
and encouraging a ‘reading for pleasure’ culture within the school. I have my
own plans on how I would approach this, but I am guided by the schools (what
age groups they would like me to work with, reading abilities, interests etc.)
to understand what type of activities they would like me to explore in
workshops. One of the schools has asked for a workshop around creating suspense
and character-building. I will be drawing inspiration from thrillers and murder
mysteries to create an immersive series of activities that will invite students
to solve a murder mystery in their own stories.
You work with The Reading Agency on their
'Reading Partners' programme. What does
your work entail and has it given you an ideas for your own writing and
development?
As a Campaigns Officer with The Reading Agency, I get
to support libraries and schools across the UK with offers including free
author visits, read and review opportunities and library display packs and
resources to help make libraries a more inviting and accessible space for all
readers. I’ve grown and developed in this role professionally and being able to
access a diverse range of reading opportunities has allowed me to read lots of
different stories that have challenged my own writing.
Are you reading anything that you're
particularly enjoying at the moment?
I’ve just finished reading Wise Creatures by
Deirdre Sullivan – an exceptionally talented Irish author. It’s about betrayal,
secrets, family and ghosts. I was a bit sceptical at first as I loathe reading
about ghosts, but Deirdre managed to weave a story in lyrical prose and play
with narrative voice to create a compelling read.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on an inside-out coming-out story
(that’s a mouthful to say!) told in prose. I’m afraid I can’t say much more
than that.
Thanks to Chris Moore for the interview and
to Little Island Books for the opportunity.