Wren James

11 day countdown to The Next Together: Harry Potter crossover!

To celebrate the release of my first book, I’m going to be posting a new “Behind the Scenes” exclusive about The Next Together daily until September 3rd. You can find them all here, including Chapter One from Matt’s Point of View and Advice I’d give my characters.

Today I have a Harry Potter/The Next Together crossover story which I wrote at the request of Alice Oseman back in April 2014, before either of us were published. I thought I’d resurrect it!

In it, Hermione, Draco and Neville take a wrong turning when travelling by floo and end up in Kate and Matt’s 2019 biology lab. At one point Neville says “tiny little PLANTS!”. There’s also an Innuendo fine jar. I promise it’s worth a read.
Continue reading “11 day countdown to The Next Together: Harry Potter crossover!”

12 days until The Next Together: Advice I’d give my characters

To celebrate the release of my first book, I’m posting a new “Behind the Scenes” exclusive about The Next Together daily until September 3rd. You can find them all here.

Today I’m giving my characters some much needed advice!

Dear Kate,

Stop doing stupid things, you’re hurting Matthew. Everything would be a lot easier if you didn’t always get yourself into contrived plots. Just trust him a bit.

Also, stop saying ‘that’s what she said’ all the time. After three hundred years, you probably need to get some new material.

Yours lovingly,

Lauren

tumblr_mx6npfEjry1rk5fmbo1_500 — This is so Kate and Matt that it hurts.

Dear Matt,

You can trust Kate.

Maybe.

It depends.

Yours, worriedly,

Lauren xxx

P.s. Don’t tell Kate, but you’re my favourite.

A rebloggable version of this post can be found here.

Behind the Book: Typesetter Sorrel Packham

In the sixth instalment of my interview series, I’m so excited to be talking to Sorrel Packham, who typeset The Next Together. She once told me that because my book has so many different epistolary elements, it ended up containing the most fonts of any book Sorrel had typeset!

If you’ve read the book, you’ll know that she did an absolutely excellent job, and turned the messy word document I wrote into a work of art, so I had to find out how she pulled it off.

What does your job involve?

Taking the final draft electronic manuscripts from authors and creating the file that is sent to the printers. There are a few stages in between, however. Firstly the size of the book has to have been decided, and with the cover designer, the style of the printed page will be decided upon. Any quirky bits in the text will be discussed and how I should approach them with regard to layout. The programme I currently use to work in is called InDesign but equally you could also use a programme called Quark Express. Both programmes are called layout programmes and are used widely across the publishing and design industry.

Once the text has been ‘laid out’ and styled, it is sent to copy editors and proof-readers to check the content for sense and grammatical errors, and to the author and editor to make sure everyone is happy with the text and how it looks. Any corrections that need to be made are marked on a printed copy of the document and given back to me to make the corrections in the live file. Once all the corrections have been made and everyone is happy with the file, I send to print by ‘packaging’ the file with all its fonts and images into one bundle that can be archived for future use.

How did you get started in typesetting?

I did a degree in Book Arts at the London College of Printing (now Communication) and got interested in book lay out and text design then. I was lucky to get a job as an admin assistant at a local university and so when I saw a publishers assistant job come up at a neighbouring university it made me the best candidate for the role.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Setting up complex documents in a way that means the text and any styling won’t change when any corrections are made to the file – like when you style something in word and then change a bit earlier on, it knocks everything out. I style my documents so everything stays in place regardless of what happens to the text. I also enjoy styling the more unusual aspects of the text – from handwritten letters to setting images within the text in a way that shapes the words around the image, for example.

How was the experience of typesetting The Next Together? (So many fonts!)

Hard work! But I enjoyed the challenge of it. Some of it was difficult to make the styling consistent but we did our best! I could tell just how much energy and enthusiasm you had when you wrote it and that’s rare to feel so I wanted to support that by doing the best that I could with the complexity of the styling.

And you did a really excellent job of it!

What are some of your favourite children’s books now and from your childhood?

For me, working in children’s publishing is a bit like working in a sweet shop – it sounds ideal but I’m a bit too immersed in it all to appreciate it all properly. Some of my more favourite books are the more quirky or grown up ones – Salem Brownstone, Rae Earl’s OMG series, and I love Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book.

My favourite books when I was a child were the Beatrix Potter collection, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and Masquerade by Kit Williams which is not really a children’s book but I found the images captivating.

What are you proudest of in your career?

I’m proud of the more involved and more technically difficult jobs that I think only I would find interesting, but I’m really happy to have collaborated with the students from First Story in publishing their anthologies. Its always so moving to see a bunch of kids read proudly from work they have written and I have helped publish. They work is so frequently incredible too.

Do you ever work on picture books? How is this different to YA novels?

Occasionally. The text is completely dependent on the visual images and tends to take second place in terms of layout – although obviously not always. The work I do on those books tends to be more or an art-working role where I clean up images or rebuild really old files that we need to reprint.

Has being involved in publishing changed how you read books for pleasure?

Yes – it makes it much harder! I have to push myself to read at home now because I stare at text all day long, it’s hard to want to continue to do that when I get home. But I do try and am always glad of the effort made.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to get into publishing?

Unless you really want to live in London for a large part of your life, or another capital city like New York (although New York doesn’t sound that bad does it?!), pick a different career! For me, having most of the jobs available to me being in a city that is incredibly expensive – and is becoming increasingly prohibitively expensive to live in has made me re-evaluate what I want to do with my life to the extent that next year, I’m giving up publishing and will be retraining to be a Landscape Architect!

Sorrel Packham has typeset a variety of publications for Walker Books, such as Trouble by Non Pratt, Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman and More Than This by Patrick Ness. You can find out more at her website, where she offers freelance typesetting: typesetbysorrel.com.

In other news: Thirteen days to go until The Next Together is published! Today’s behind the scenes extra is sneakily short (but sweet!).

I’ve rewritten The Next Together……in the form of a haiku. Because I have fifteen days of behind the scenes extras to do here, guys, and they can’t all be entire chapter rewrites from the point of view of a different character. Enjoy!

“Kate, don’t do the thing.”
“I’m doing the thing. Suck it.”
“That’s what she said.”

You can find a rebloggable version of this post here.

14 day countdown to The Next Together: Chapter One remix

To celebrate the release of my first book, I’m going to be posting a new “Behind the Scenes” exclusive about The Next Together daily until September 3rd. You can find them all here, along with extras I’ve released in the past like An Interview with Kate, Locations of The Next Together and more.

I’m releasing the first chapter from the point of view of Matthew Galloway. It’s always been my head-canon that Matthew knows a lot more about reincarnation than he lets on. While Kate is blundering through her double memories and deja vu, thinking she’s going mad, Matt accepted the whole thing years ago. He probably used to have an imaginary friend called Kate when he was a kid (awwwwww).

Continue reading “14 day countdown to The Next Together: Chapter One remix”

15 day countdown to The Next Together: Meet the Characters

Give me a drum roll please, because . . . there are now fifteen days until my first novel comes out! In fact, the eBook is released tomorrow, so in the next few hours people will be reading my book, whaaaat?

To celebrate, I’m going to releasing a new Behind the Scenes extra about The Next Together daily until September 3rd. You can find them all here, along with extras I’ve released in the past like An Interview with Kate, Locations of The Next Together and more.

Today I’m going to introduce my darling characters, Kate and Matt.

I always say that both Matthew and Katherine are me. Both of them, at the same time, in different ways.

Art by the most wonderful Alice Oseman (click for source)

SAYING THAT, Matthew Galloway is totally based a little on Char, from Ella Enchanted*. Char is a wonderful character who just thinks the protagonist of the book is hilarious and incredible. He’s quite shy and quiet and serious until she brings out the fun and jokes from him.

“That’s funny, you’re funny. I like you, I’m quite taken by you.”

Char had freckles, and slid down the castle banisters. I had a lot of feelings about that character. So a lot of Matthew is based on my residual childhood crush on Char (I would have taken a bullet for Char when I was thirteen) but I didn’t realise that at all until recently.

*The book, not the film. The film….let’s not talk about what they did to Char in the film.

Matt is cautious and sweet, with a dry sense of humour, and he’s completely overwhelmed with admiration for Kate.

Katherine Finchley is probably more based on just who I would like to be as a person. She’s also based on……………………do I want to say this?

Okay I’ll say it. She’s probably a little bit of Jim Kirk from the Star Trek reboot. THAT SOUNDS WEIRD, OKAY, BUT SHE TOTALLY IS.

She’s sassy, ginger, with a lewd and silly sense of humour.

My favourite description of Kate and Matt is actually from a review by Shinra Alpha, who said:

Kate is beautifully quirky and unashamedly funny and deliberately irritating in a way that so few authors ever let their characters be – which is a shame, because it’s so endearing to have her be so silly and fun with Matt, who is much drier and more serious, meaning they play off each other perfectly.

I thought that was really lovely, and captures something about the relationship between Kate and Matt which I wasn’t able to put into words. They both have flaws and strengths, but compliment each other and work best together than individually.

https://instagram.com/p/6dFglnmHye/?taken-by=reviewdiaries — Picture of Kate and Matt being cuties by Rosy @ the Review Diaries.

The book takes place in several different lifetimes throughout, where Kate and Matt have different social positions and upbringings. In the earliest, Matthew is a servant in Katherine’s family home. In another, Katy is Matthew’s servant instead, in disguise as a boy (illustrated below).

In every life they meet and fall in love. I really loved exploring the way their different lives changed their relationship, but also what stayed the same – the chemistry and connection between them.

I’m going to be doing a fancast of Kate and Matt soon, but for now here’s a gifset of them, made by the lovely Arianne. It is so perfect it actually made me cry (especially the eighth gif, which is of Matt’s brother Tom, and is LITERALLY HIM. Like, Arianne, did you jump inside my brain and magic that gifset out?)

You NEED to click the link and see this gifset in all it’s moving glory. It’s honestly like watching a film of my book.

Because I’ve been thinking about these characters for over five years now (I started writing the book when I was eighteen, and I’m now twenty-three!) here are some other bits and pieces to help you get to know them.

Alignments

Kate is Chaotic Good and Matt is Lawful Good, which I think is basically a more formal way of saying that:

Hogwarts Houses

Kate is definitely a Gryffindor, because she’s an idiot. Kate is always running off into danger and Matt expends a significant amount of energy into trying to stop her.

Matt is a Hufflepuff. He thinks a lot before he acts (Kate doesn’t think at all, ever.)

Daemons

A daemon is an animal which takes the physical form of your soul in the world of His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. The kind of animal they become represents your personality. Kate’s daemon would be a bouncy, ridiculous ginger fox.

Matt would have a shy little vole that hides in his sleeve. Kate will never even see his daemon until they’ve known each other for six months.

It is totally intentional that Kate’s daemon would eat Matt’s alive.

Most of their interactions look exactly like this.

OTPs

I think Matt would be really confused by the concept of OTPs, but when Kate had explained it to him, he would realise he has very strong feelings about Amy/Rory from Doctor Who – mainly because of Rory being referred to as Mr Pond because….yeah. He’s totally Mr Finchley. He would also be into Simon/Kaylee from Firefly for pretty much the same reason.

(He just has a thing for confident women, okay? It’s totally not even worth thinking about. CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT THIS, PLEASE, KATE.)

Kate is a big fan of Orange is the New Black, so her OTP would probably be …. any and all ships in that show. She isn’t a very discriminate shipper.

Wedding Song

Their first wedding dance it would start with a really romantic waltz, strings and gazing lovingly into each others eyes, and then after a minute it would transition into THIS

Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen

‘At this moment, you mean everything. With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess turn dirty.’

They’d go MENTAL and start dancing like crazies and it would be the best thing ever. (I’ve thought about this too much.)

So, that gives you a little introduction to the characters of my book! Tomorrow I’ve got a very special treat to celebrate the eBook release, so watch out for that!

If you want to know more about Kate and Matt, you can read the first chapter of The Next Together here, and buy the book in the following places:

In other news: Tickets for YA Shot, which I’m appearing at, are now on sale! They’re expected to sell out quickly so buy them here now!

Also, this weekend I finished writing the first draft on my third novel, a day before I turned 23! The process turned me a little insane, which tumblr seemed to enjoy.

A rebloggable version of this post can be found here.

Posted byWren James19/08/201510/04/2016Posted inextras, the next togetherTags:dexy's midnight runners, ella enchanted, his dark materials, hogwarts houses, oitnb, star trek, YA shot4 Comments on 15 day countdown to The Next Together: Meet the Characters

Let’s talk about ‘strong female characters’.

I’m currently writing a book with a very emotionally vulnerable female character. She’s powerless, easily influenced, subject to frequent panic attacks, sensitive and lacks self confidence. She’s weak in almost every way you can name: emotionally, mentally and physically.

Despite that, she’s the strongest female character I’ve ever written.

Why?

Because I believe that she’s the most realistic, relatable, and well-written of my characters. And that is what a strong female should be.

The phrase ‘strong female character’ is thrown around a lot as a selling point for books.

“Read this novel, because it’s got an amazing strong female character!”

However, ‘strong’ is easily misconstrued as ‘good at fighting’ and ‘unemotional’ when really it should just mean three-dimensional. Women don’t have to be strong to be valid. They just have to be realistic.

The fact that we even hold ‘strong’ female characters on a pedestal is worrying. Our ladies seem to require the typically masculine traits of warriors to be impressive. There’s nothing wrong with that, but people never talk about ‘strong male characters’. Male characters just have to be themselves.

It seems that just existing is not enough for women – they have to be strong too.

Recently, social media ridiculed the Supergirl trailer for being silly and badly written, because she displays typically ‘girly’ feminine traits, which was seen as inappropriate and unrealistic for a superhero. People compared this to a parody which Scarlet Johansson made for SNL called Black Widow: The Age of Me, which played the powerful and emotionally distant character off as a ‘light-headed’ romantic comedy lead.

The implication that this comparison makes is damaging and dangerous. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the way that Supergirl embraces both her femininity and her power. The parody of Black Widow isn’t offensive because it implies that being ‘that kind of girl’ is wrong. It is offensive because it is unrealistic . . . for Black Widow. It ignores her character and storyline in favour of a ‘rom-com’ plot.

By limiting women to one certain type of character, who has to be strong to be well-written or taken seriously, we risk implying that all women are the same, regardless of their personality – that Black Widow and Supergirl are interchangeable, because why do we need more than one female superhero, when Black Widow is already the perfect female warrior?

Every woman on the planet is different. There is no ‘ideal’ that women have to aim for to be called a strong woman. Supergirl is being herself, and the person she is is just as feminist as Black Widow.

Weak women are worth reading about.

Unlikeable women are worth reading about.

Every woman is worth reading about, as long as they are human: with whatever strengths and weaknesses that includes. They don’t have to be likeable and admirable and special to be deserving of attention.

Being an individual is all women need to do to be strong and respected. That’s it. Wear pink dresses or wear black combat trousers. Long for a relationship or spend your time fighting enemies (or both).

Girls don’t need to prove themselves as strong. They are already enough.

In other news: The Next Together was in Marie Claire! And the Coventry Telegraph! I’m holding a giveaway! Hurray!

A rebloggable version of this post can be found here.

Posted byWren James10/08/201510/04/2016Posted inwriting postsTags:black widow, strong female characters, supergirl, ukyachat3 Comments on Let’s talk about ‘strong female characters’.

Behind the Book: Library assistant Sarah Barnard + #YAShot blog tour

More in this series: Agent | Ghostwriter | Editor | Library Assistant  | Publicity Assistant | Typesetter | Cover Designer | Foreign Rights Manager | Blogger |Scout |Translators | Book charity | Copyeditor

I’m really excited to say that I’m going to be appearing at YA Shot on 28th October in Uxbridge, London. I will be chairing a panel about Hopeless Romantic: Doomed lovers and ideals of romance with Lucy Saxon and Catherine Doyle. You can check out the rest of the programme here, and I really suggest you do – there are nearly 70 authors running a variety of YA and MG events, and it’s going to be an incredible day!

YA Shot is an event organised by author Alexia Casale (whose new book House of Windows just came out, hurray!) in conjunction with Hillingdon Borough Libraries and Waterstone’s Uxbridge.

The event is specifically aimed at bringing access to library events for disadvantaged schools, to encourage a passion for reading, creative writing and libraries. It will also show attending students how a love of reading can actually turn into a career.

As I’m running my Behind the Book interview series to highlight the different professions related to publishing, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about YA Shot for their blog tour. There was no better person to discuss why libraries and outreach is so important than someone who works in one, so today I’m interviewing Sarah Barnard.

Sarah is not only an old school friend and valued beta reader, but she’s also a Library Assistant at Coventry Libraries. She runs a really excellent and diverse review blog as well, where she articulately discusses all manner of UKYA related issues. Her interview here is no exception!

What does your job involve?

My job title is “library and information assistant”, so primarily, I assist. I’m out on the floor, interacting with the public and very often putting books into hands. I also get to do displays, outreach work, and the great joy of modern libraries that is rhymetime. Things my job does not involve: shushing people!

How did you get started as a library assistant? Did you do any work experience?

My English degree is relevant, but enthusiasm and good people skills have been more important to success in my role. Being a passionate reader helps as well. When I joined the relief register (a list of people who can be called in to cover short term absences) it was my first ever ‘proper’ job, and having that foot in the door was crucial for getting a permanent contract.

Why are libraries so important?

Books. All the time, books.

But apart from that… A library is a safe, welcoming community space where you can find information and entertainment, and all you need is a library card, not a credit card. Something like three in ten UK children own no books, making libraries a lifeline when literacy levels are such vital indicators of future success. We work with wonderful organisations like Booktrust and The Reading Agency to promote reading for pleasure at all ages and stages of life.

It’s not just about books, either. In 2014, 84% of households had internet access – but where does that leave the 16% without, when everything from bills to shopping to job searches to visa applications needs to be done online these days? For a lot of people, library computers are the only computers they can access.

Libraries are community hubs. They’re inclusive spaces and aid community cohesion. Whoever you are, whatever your situation, when you walk in, you’re guaranteed to find a friendly person who wants to help you. (That’s me!) For some, going to the library might be the only social interaction they have that day. Google is no substitute for the human touch.

What did libraries meant to you growing up?

THERE ARE SO MANY BOOKS IN THIS WORLD AND I CAN READ THEM.

I was (obviously) a very bookish kid, so the library was heaven. The excitement of progressing from the children’s section to the teenage section… and then, eventually, the impossibly vast adult fiction section… I’ve never lost that sense of wonder over packed bookshelves. I also did my fair share of homework in my local library, which was a five minute walk from my house. The alien glories of the microfiche and the clunkiness of early internet are things I never would have had access to without the library.

What do you think libraries can do in the future to ensure they reach people who need them? And how can people support their local libraries?

We have to do more outreach work. We need to reach out to young people – there’s a real lack of programmes for 12 – 25 year olds, which I’ve spoken about with other people in other UK libraries. If we’re talking about improving prospects through promoting literacy, that’s such an important age and I really don’t think we’re doing enough. YA Shot is an amazing step in the right direction, and I hope it blazes a trail for others to follow.

To support your local library, pay it a visit. Talk to your librarian. Borrow books, CDs, DVDs. If they don’t have a book you want, request it. If you haven’t already, go to your local library with proof of your address, sign up for a library card, and use it!

National Libraries Day was 7^th February this year – make sure you celebrate it next year. Be loud about it if you’re passionate about library advocacy, through social media, or writing to your local newspaper or MP.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

The best thing is when someone walks in and asks me to recommend a book. Have you ever seen a small boy’s face light up when you hand him a Doctor Who book? I’ve had so many great conversations about books I love. There are loads of littler things I love about my job (is there anything more therapeutic than tidying?) but there’s something incredibly potent about being able to hand someone a book that could change their life.

Is there anything you feel particularly strongly about working towards with your career?

I’ve become obsessed with literacy advocacy. Being able to read and write well is an invaluable skill that improves not only your job prospects but your quality of life and facility of self expression and understanding. I really want to find a way to harness the energy around the UKYA movement and translate it into more young people reading for pleasure. I’m also interested to see libraries moving into social media and the ways that can work for us, which is again about reaching that demographic of young digital natives.

I try on a personal level to promote diverse books, and I would love the opportunity to work towards the goals of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement in the further stages of my career.

Has being involved in publishing changed how you read books for pleasure?

I read far, far more now than I did before. Of course, this is partly because I’m no longer an English literature student! I’m more likely to be aware of the current big releases, which doesn’t always lead to me reading them (you should see the length of these reservation queues) but means I know what issues well, what’s got everybody talking. Surprisingly, I think I buy more books than I used to. I suppose I’m constantly engaged with them.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to work in a library?

Remember that it’s as much about the people as it is the books, if not more. You won’t actually have any time to sit around reading!

See if your local library is taking on volunteers. A lot of libraries are volunteer-run now, so if you volunteer you’ll be getting valuable experience at the same time as helping keep a resource open for your community.

There are courses offered at universities across the country in Library Studies, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, which are worth considering if you want to be a qualified librarian. CILIP (Charted Institute of Library and Information Professionals) has a thorough jobs and careers section on its website, with a list of accredited qualifications.

What are your favourite children’s books now and from your childhood?

Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising sequence is close to my heart, a magisterial and beautiful fantasy series that I always, always return to. Harry Potter and His Dark Materials are no-brainers, and Animorphs is also very important. I’ve somehow become entangled in UKYA, and read a lot of fantastic books-for-teens which are just plain fantastic books, like The Accident Season and Only Ever Yours.

Sarah Barnard is a writer and library assistant who lives about as far away from the sea as it’s possible to get in the United Kingdom. When she’s not reading, she likes to gaze adoringly at her succulent plants or practise the ten or so ukulele chords she knows.

You can follow her on twitter @slouisebarnard

Occasionally she even writes for her blog: Sarah Likes Books

Tickets for YA Shot will be on sale from August 19th at 4pm here for £20 (adults) and £15 (students) or £30 for a family ticket. All proceeds will go to YA Shot and its Year-Long Legacy Programme, which will provide the Borough’s libraries with free events like writing workshops or author talks for disadvantaged schools in the area.

Posted byWren James07/08/201517/10/2015Posted inbehind the bookTags:yashot17 Comments on Behind the Book: Library assistant Sarah Barnard + #YAShot blog tour

Tumblr tag archive – The Next Together (part 4)

The Next Together (part 1) | The Next Together (part 2) | The Next Together (part 3)| The Next Together (part 4) | The Last Beginning | Another Together | Another Beginning | The Loneliest Girl in the Universe | The Quiet at the End of the World | Book 5 (ghost house) | Book 6 (loneliest 2) | Book 7 (earth) | Book 8 (fandom)

dragonwingsandtimetravel:

“Matthew was hers, had apparently always been hers, and now he was gone. How many times had they done this dance, this horrific, beautiful dance through time?”

book aesthetics // gifset // The Next Together by Lauren James

Sights: sky blue / mint green / soft yellow / fiery chestnut

Scents: old letters / spilled ink / hot coffee / fresh air

Sounds: Dear River by Kina Grannis / In Another Life by Vienna Teng / Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners / the music from that Lynx ad

(The Next Together will be published by Walker Books in September 2015. It’s kind of fabulous. You can find more information on it here and here, and preorder it here!)

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAAAAAAAAAAAT

THIS IS THE GREATEST THING I’VE EVER EVER SEEN???

OMG OMG OMG

THESE ARE MY CHARACTERS!! YOU MADE ME A GIFSET?!?!?!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#the next together #thank you thank you thank you arianne #i can’t believe you did this! #you’re absolutely amazing!
17TH AUG 2015

I knew I did from that first moment we met. It was… Not love at first sight exactly, but – familiarity. Like: oh, hello, it’s you. It’s going to be you.
— (via sheathegay)

#awwwww #matt to kate #the next together
16TH AUG 2015

What’s that I spy in the September issue of Marie Claire? It’s ONLY MY BOOK!!!!!!!!! 🙌🙌🙌 #TheNextTogether#the next together
6TH AUG 2015

I’m in the paper today!

#me #blog #the next together
6TH AUG 2015

LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL BOOK! I can’t handle how pretty it is!

#the next together #blog #this is the final version that will be in shops!!
30TH JUL 2015 88 NOTES

As there’s now only a month to publication, I am giving away a signed copy and a signed bookmark for my YA novel The Next Together, which will be published on September 3rd.

“Funny, romantic and compulsively readable” – The Bookseller

Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again, century after century. Each time, their presence changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated.

Spanning the Crimean War, the Siege of Carlisle and the near-future of 2019 and 2039 they find themselves sacrificing their lives to save the world. But why do they keep coming back? What else must they achieve before they can be left to live and love in peace?

Maybe the next together will be different…

A powerful and epic debut novel for teenagers about time-travel, fate and the timelessness of first love. The Next Together is told through a mixture of regular prose, diary entries, letters, “original” historical documents, news reports and internet articles.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Waterstones | The Book Depository

Rules:

Open internationally
Reblog this post to enter
Must be following me (lauren-e-james)
Reblog as many times as you like
No giveaway blogs
Winner will be chosen randomly on August 15th
Winner must reply within 24 hours
Good luck!

Giveaway now closed and winner chosen!

#the next together #giveaway #ya #young adult #competition #give away #tumblr giveaway #blog
4TH AUG 2015

Anonymous asked: How do you go about finding names for your characters? Normally I don’t have a problem, but for certain characters ijust can’t find any ( and I’ve spent hours searching through lists and whatnot)

They usually come fully named, really! I try and find names that have the same feeling as the character, if that makes sense.

Katherine and Matthew were named that because they are quite traditional, there are lots of different nicknames for the names (Kate, Katy, Kit etc) which could also be very modern if the right nickname was chosen.

If you can’t find a name maybe trying looking at the most common baby names for the year that character was born, and see what fits!

#blog #the next together #Anon
3RD AUG 2015

otpprompts: Person A is in bed reading a book. Person B enters and climbs into bed with them. Without looking up person A raises their arm so that person B can crawl under and snuggle up with them. Person B falls asleep.

dragonwingsandtimetravel: …Lauren

…LAUREN

#the next together #RECALL ALL FINISHED COPIES IMMEDIATELY THE BOOK NEEDS THIS SCENE #for like totally legit pacing and characterisation purposes not just because it’s hella cute and by ‘person a’ they mean ‘matthew galloway’

laurenjames: THIS IS SO MATT AND KATE THAT IT ALMOST PHYSICALLY HURTS MY SOUL. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO MY ATTENTION, ARIANNE.

#the next together
3RD AUG 2015

#lookin like #kate and matt #the next together
27TH JUL 2015 SOURCE: ELVISHNESS

dragonwingsandtimetravel: THE THINGS I DO FOR YOU, LAUREN JAMES

*channels the spirit of a romantic comedy meet cute* *only with reincarnation where Justin Timberlake should be*

So writing this was basically a mixture of

(because it’s Kate and Matthew) and (because my writing)

…which naturally meant it was going to end up on Tumblr! (But don’t worry, it’s much lovelier now I’ve edited it). Kate and Matt are TOO ADORABLE.

Inspired by and written in the style of the opening scene of The Next Together by lauren-e-james. Particularly the lines “Next time, we’re moving somewhere hot and quiet before any of this happens,” she declared breathlessly and “I like Spain,” Matthew said, and pulled her into one last, desperate goat kiss because that is how my brain works, apparently.

(The Next Together will be published by Walker Books in September 2015. It’s kind of fabulous. You can find more information on it here and here, and preorder it here!)

——

“You could’ve been anything you wanted,” Kate Finchley grumbled to herself as she lugged her crammed suitcase up the narrow stairs. “You could have been a scientist. You could have studied journalism and reported on something dangerous and exciting! But no, you had to go and pick a foreign language so you could go abroad and meet cute Spanish boys with messy hair and accents.”

Letting out a huff of air as she reached the landing, Kate leaned on the banister and tried to get her breath back. Red waves spilled onto her shoulders, turned wildly curly in the intense heat. Brushing it out of her face, she made the mistake of glancing upwards and groaned. Three floors to go and not a cute Spanish boy in sight.

Her goodbyes had been a whirlwind of packing and promising her nanas she’d learn to make churros. She was certain nobody had mentioned all of those stairs.

Still, she’d come this far on her own. She’d just managed to get her luggage to the top floor when the door she was reaching for opened. Surprised, she drew back. And stared.

The boy in front of her was skinny as a rake. His cheekbones should have been wasted on anyone who wasn’t a model, but with his soft eyes and delightfully off-kilter fashion choices, he seemed mostly normal. A little startled and gangly maybe. Like a skittering baby deer. A dark mop of a fringe tangled around his forehead, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d met somewhere before.

“Hi,” he said, then glanced at a hastily-written note in his hand and added, a little warily since she hadn’t blinked in several seconds, “Katherine?”

Kate realized she was still staring. And holding the excruciatingly heavy suitcase.

“Kate,” she gasped, ducking forward with a lurch. The boy retreated a step to avoid being flattened and she finally, blissfully, let the case go on the wooden floor of the hall. Her arms felt close to falling off. “You can call me Kate.”

“Matt. Matt Galloway,” he said, slowly, and there it was, a name from a long-ago string of emails that came with a stronger tug of familiarity than should have been possible. He looked strangely perplexed as she stuck out her hand and he shook it, but Kate didn’t blame him. She tended to have that effect on men. Especially ones who looked as ruffled and cute he did. “Nice to meet you.”

Kate could almost sense the silent I think on the end of his sentence when she flashed him her brightest smile, lit up by the delicious swirl of satisfaction. His cheeks had definitely coloured under her gaze.

Well, he wasn’t Spanish, but he did have an accent…

laurenjames: [sounds klaxons]

There’s FANFICTION OF MY BOOK.

MY BOOK, THE ONE THAT ISN’T EVEN OUT YET.

SOMEONE HAS WRITTEN FIC ABOUT IT!

image
ARIANNE, YOU HERO, YOU’RE AMAZING!!!!!!

This is so ridiculously sweet I want to die.

#the next together #the BEST THING #that has EVER HAPPENED
16TH JUL 2015

An Interview with a character
It’s now 50 days to the release of The Next Together! When did that happen? How is it that close? (but also, how is there still fifty whole days to go?!?)

To celebrate, I thought I’d post a little teaser. Here’s an ‘interview’ I conducted with my main character Kate, in the spirit of my new blog series Behind the Book. This is set just before the beginning of The Next Together, and there are no spoilers at all.

Hey Kate, how are you feeling about starting university?

Hi! I’m really really excited about uni, especially because it means I’ll be moving closer to my grannies (I have married grandmothers, it’s 2039, get over it.). I can’t wait to go and steal all their baking!! I’m going to eat so many pies.

What are you studying?

Biology. AKA THE BEST SUBJECT, OBVIOUSLY. I have major plans to take over the world one day. Wait, what?

Have you made any friends at uni yet?

Not yet!

And is there anyone you’re going to be sad to leave behind? A boyfriend?

Nope! I’m single and ready to mingle. I have high hopes for fresher’s week. If you are/see any shy, brunet boys with glasses, hit me up, okay?

What are your hobbies?

Uh…..does stalking cute boys count as a hobby? Because I’m an expert at that. Oh, fandom! I’m big into fandom. Have you heard of that famous blogger, Spartacus? No? Well, he does social activism stuff. He’s a little bit illegal, and a little bit hilarious, and a whole lot of cute. I’m a big fan, as you can tell from my AO3 page. Wait, now I think about it, that’s just stalking cute boys as well. Dammit.

Well, I hope you meet the boy of your dreams at university. Any words of advice for any fellow freshers?

Nobody has any idea what they are doing. Just fake confidence and everyone will be so impressed and intimidated by you that you won’t have to worry about anything else. And don’t go mad on the canteen food. You’re better than that.

If that wasn’t enough of a treat for you, here are my characters Kate and Matt….as mermaids. I may have discovered a website that lets you create them, and gone a little crazy with power.

matt mermaid
#extras #the next together
15TH JUL 2015

foxville: disney modern AU. Merida is still a rowdy tomboy; she loves to ride horses and is an excellent archer, and is really into the british punk-rock scene. Mor’du is probably her favourite band!

#wow #kate #the next together
12TH JUL 2015

Anonymous asked: Congratulations on your first book! I can’t wait to sink into your story 🙂 I was wondering if this book was your very first story you ever wrote or if it is one of many stories? I wish you much happiness…

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! And it was my first story! It had a lot of different versions before it finally became The Next Together, though.

#writing #the next together #Anon
11TH JUL 2015

bookavid asked: how did you format the letters and fridge notes and stuff from TNT? i mean, which program did you use? or did they look different when you submitted to your agent?

I’ve always just used Microsoft Word. I use a lot of different fonts, and tables (with the lines made white instead of black) to organise text in different shapes. That way you can adjust the width of the text on the page, and it keeps everything neatly lined up, especially if you are including a IM chat or anything.

Sometimes I put pictures of notebook pages or pictures of coffee rings or stamps, but nothing major. That definitely wasn’t essential. I just did it for fun, to avoid actually writing.

For example, here’s an example of what I submitted:

And here’s what that bit looks like in the final book, with the design work done by my publisher:

#the next together #blog #bookavid
11TH JUL 2015

So…..I may have discovered you can make mermen too, and then this happened.

#the next together #merMatt #KatherOrca #HELP ME STOP
9TH JUL 2015

To celebrate the release of my first book, I’m posting a new “Behind the Scenes” exclusive about The Next Together daily until September 3rd. You can find them all here, including Chapter One from Matt’s Point of View, a Harry Potter crossover, A scene from start to finish, a playlist and the book as different genres.

Meet the characters

Chapter One from Matt’s POV

The book as a haiku

Advice I’d give Kate and Matt

A Harry Potter crossover

Drafting a scene from start to finish

The Next Together as different genres

The playlist

A medieval short story

The process of the cover design

Deleted scenes

Fashion of the characters

Fancasting the characters

20 AUs of Kate and Matt

A snapchat conversation between Kate and Matt

A buzzfeed quiz to find out what timeline you should live in

28TH AUG 2015 15 NOTES

#KATE AS HELL #the next together #JEEZ HOLLAND
24TH AUG 2015

#me when people tell them that #the next together #made them cry #jonathan strange and mr norrell

The very first draft, finished in 2012 when I was 19, and the final book!

Guys, do any of you use authorgraph? It’s a way to get your kindle books signed and personalised by the author, and I’m debating whether it’s worth signing up (the kindle version of The Next Together comes out in 5 days! I could sign it for anyone who has preordered!).

Shall I do it?

I did it! You can now get a free signature from me here which will be sent to your e-reader! You don’t need to have bought the book yet to do this – anyone can do it whenever they want!
Get your e-book signed by Lauren James
#blog #YAY! #the next together
20TH AUG 2015

Reblog

spacezeros [Alice Oseman] since my amazing friend laurenjames has just had her first book published, i decided to draw her two protagonists, Kate and Matt!! everyone should read her book The Next Together, it really is something special and spectacular and i’m obsessed with her writing

Alice spoils me rotten and she’s done it AGAIN! Look at Kate and Matt, kissing all over time. This makes me swoony just looking at it. Thank you Alice!

#[saves as wallpaper on phone] #[saves as wallpaper on computer] #[prints out and wallpapers all over house] #the next together #alice #art
16TH SEP 2015

Okay guys…..I’ve been getting a LOT of spoilery asks about The Next Together, which is obviously not something I’m going to answer on my main blog, so I don’t ruin it for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet. I’ve set up a spoiler blog where you can ask and discuss The Next Together with me at http://thenexttogetheranswers.tumblr.com Send in your burning questions about dat ending here: http://thenexttogetheranswers.tumblr.com/ask

#blog #the next together
16TH SEP 2015 4 NOTES

The adults will tell you to stop looking for the spark. To settle for stability and companionship. But I don’t think I can sit next to someone on the dinner table for the rest of my life talking only about my day. There needs to be unsaid communication. The sarcasm that doesn’t go unnoticed. The teasing that doesn’t stop. That chemistry that you can’t find from just a good résumé.
— (via c0ntemplations)

#the next together
9TH SEP 2015

Anonymous asked: katherine and matthewwwwww (katt? mate? katthew?)

(For this ship thing)

kate insists that they are an awesome dancer even though they’re terrible. matt enjoys it anyway.
matt (secretly) likes to watch reality tv and kate mocks him for it when she first finds out, but then feels really guilty about it so she starts putting it on at 3am when they’re drunk
matt refuses to wear pants when they’re home alone (in a very early draft matthew and katy had a whole conversation about how much matthew likes walking around naked, this is canon)
kate is the jealous / protective one
matt goes all out on the holidays. he probably spends all year planning every detail, whereas kate is more of the wing it and see type.
matt and kate both cry over books. they’re softies.
neither is terrible with kids !!!!
kate drinks too much caffeine
probably matt could sleep for twenty-four hours straight
kate never wears matching socks
neither punches a tree when they’re angry :O
matt gets scared by the toaster. (this one was so cute it made me literally gasp out loud)
Thank you for the qus!!

#my personal preference is matterine tbh #the next together #Anon
8TH SEP 2015

Two souls don’t find each other by simple accident.
— Jorge Luis Borges

#the next together
7TH SEP 2015

My launch was tonight and it was SO GREAT!!!!!!! Thank you so much to everyone who came to help celebrate The Next Together! inkslingerbooks#walker books #the next together #blog #me
4TH SEP 2015

As of RIGHT NOW, my book has been released in the UK and Australia! I’ve already been sent pictures of it in real life bookshops, oh my god guys. This is at Foyles Stratford!

I started writing this book in 2010, when I was a young innocent of eighteen, and I can’t believe my story has come so far that I now have an actual book which I can hold in my hands, that people can read and love as much as I do. I even have incredibly cool things like animated covers, and fans! There are already gifsets! For a book that has been officially released for…..one minute!

I mean…..who ever thought this would be real life? I definitely didn’t.

I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported me on this journey. Your endless enthusiasm has made my jump into the world of publishing, which could have been terrifying, into an absolutely thrilling experience. I feel like the luckiest person in the world and I’m so proud to be part of such a loving community. The YA book world is a magical place.

I really, really hope you enjoy the book as much as I’ve enjoyed writing and publishing it. Here’s to many more books to come!

Before I get completely teary, I’m going to leave you to enjoy the animated cover. This beauty was made by the genius Jack Noel, as always! Check out that shooting star! MY HEART HURTS.

Happy Birthday to The Next Together! I hope that everyone loves you as much as I do.

#the next together #blog
2ND SEP 2015

steinbecks: i am SO TIRED of romantic narratives where the climax is the couple finally getting together. i want a story where the couple gets together towards the beginning and then stays together through the end. what’s the point of making me want a certain romance if i can’t watch that romance actually happen after it starts?? people falling in love can be great and all but you know what? sometimes i also want them to STAY IN LOVE, like… i don’t want mutual pining, i don’t want wistful gazes, i don’t want ‘will they or won’t they,’ i want two people who are in love, they’re together, and they handle shit together

#seeing this tagged as #the next together #made me smile a lot #:) 🙂 🙂 🙂
1ST SEP 2015

The Next Together is now available on Amazon US!
It’s only just become available, so if any of you in the US were waiting to preorder on amazon you now can!

Signed bookmarks are still available for preorders here. 🙂

#the next together #blog
1ST SEP 2015

#ALERT #It’s science lab Matthew!! #Q was legit how I pictured matt when writing no lie #The next together

#is this a #the next together #AU or what

supergirl-sass:  And this month’s @theyachronicles book, The Next Together by Lauren James (and a letter from the author)

#I LOVE THIS SO MUCH #the next together
4TH NOV 2015

The Next Together is released in Australia on November 1st! You can follow my blog tour below if you wish.

Monday, November 9, Genie in a Book

Tuesday, November 10, Dymocks Bookmarked

Wednesday, November 11, Nicole Has Read

Thursday, November 12, Cassie the Weird

Friday, November 13, Imaginary Misadventure

Saturday, November 14, The Book Addict

I also have some new reviews and it’s THRILLING.

Smallish Magazine called it “Utterly gripping” and The Herald Scotland said: “The Next Together, is a rather clever piece of time-travelling science fiction meets romance, by debut author Lauren James. Katherine and Matthew are teenagers who meet and fall in love in numerous different time frames. Rather satisfyingly they come together for the “first objective”, a kiss, numerous times, and find themselves caught up in the violent dramas of history as well as the future. Smart and hugely creative.”

The Lancashire Evening Post said “Funny, unique, filled with passion and danger, and utterly addictive, The Next Together is one of this year’s best young adult romances. James knows her audience and writes with the assurance and well-honed imagination of a seasoned novelist. No self-respecting teen would want to miss it!”

So THANKS, Scotland and Lancashire!!

I also loved this so much I have to share it: Georgia at Teen Book Hoots wrote her own ‘next together’! I LOVE this idea – and I would not complain about being in her scenario either! 😉

#blog #reviews #the next together
29TH OCT 2015

momlonde: do you ever see a photograph of someone really attractive from like the 1800s and you suddenly get pissed because they’ve been dead for like 200 years and you probably don’t have a chance with them

“We have to go back”

#dkdkfjdjskcjed #no comment #the next together
27TH OCT 2015

missblackstar1678: important otp question: who in your otp holds the other back by the hood of their sweater when they’re about to do something stupid

#matt holds kate back #clove holds ella back #the next together #the last beginning
25TH OCT 2015

The Next Together, is a rather clever piece of time-travelling science fiction meets romance, by debut author Lauren James (Walker, £7.99). Katherine and Matthew are teenagers who meet and fall in love in numerous different time frames. Rather satisfyingly they come together for the “first objective”, a kiss, numerous times, and find themselves caught up in the violent dramas of history as well as the future. Smart and hugely creative.
— Amazing review of The Next Together in The Herald! I’m giddy with it!

#the next together
24TH OCT 2015

listen i know that character died but listen…….that character isnt dead

(via srslysnuffles)

#the next together
19TH OCT 2015

I also found…….a bit of The Next Together from 2009! Age 16! (The ‘new footman’ was Matthew, obviously!)

#the next together
18TH OCT 2015

starry-nightengale: Imagine your otp kissing, but it’s like, only 40% actual kissing and 60% giggling.

#this is both #kate and matt #and clove and ella #the next together #the last beginning
17TH OCT 2015

#Is it too mean to tag this #The next together #I just did a giggle then got sad #normal Friday night on laurenjames.tumblr.com then
9TH OCT 2015

thebooklandrealm: laurenjames, as requested, have some 2019 Matthew Galloway. For research.. and science.. and stuff.

I just finished The Next Together, and I loved it so much. I can’t wait to read what’s coming next. (And to clear the confusion/suspicion on how it all works)

I’m still so happy that I won this copy in the giveaway, it’s my precious little baby, and one of the few books I took with me when I moved to Ireland for 10 months. I do not regret my choice!

So! cute! I! Can’t! Stand! It!

#the next together
29TH SEP 2015

chronicintrovert: hello! my excellent friend Lauren James and i have decided to run a giveaway of both our debut novels, Solitaire and The Next Together!

this week is the publication of This Winter on ebook in the UK/US/Australia and The Next Together in Australia! to celebrate, Lauren and i are doing a giveaway of signed copies of our books … with a twist. both books will be annotated by each other! the winner will receive a copy of Solitaire, signed by Alice and annotated with notes by Lauren, and a copy of The Next Together signed by Lauren and annotated by Alice (with maybe a few drawings too…)

Rules: open internationally. reblog this post to enter. must be following Alice Oseman @chronicintrovert and Lauren James @lauren-e-james. reblog as many times as you like. no giveaway blogs. winner will be chosen randomly on 4th December. winner must reply within 24 hours. good luck!!

I am SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY. Mostly because a copy of TNT annotated by Alice? I want to keep that for myself tbh.

GET ENTERING.

#giveaway #the next together #alice
4TH NOV 2015

Look at the adorable doodles that @chronicintrovert did in The Next Together for our giveaway! We have one lucky winner! (I Need To Keep It tbh)

#the next together #Alice
7TH DEC 2015

the-art-traveler:  Fanart of Matt & Kate, from the very delighting The Next Together by Lauren James. Kate can’t concentrate on anything except on how cute Matt is!

Look at this!!! Gosh!!!! This is so perfect! THANK YOU.

#the next together
6TH DEC 2015

laurenjames asked: Marty McFly!! Extra kudos if it’s a TNT crossover….
chronicintrovert:

(for the ‘Send me one of the following character names, and I’ll give you three paragraphs pertaining to my one of OTPs’ thing)

Marty McFly: time travel + Tori/Michael + Kate/Matthew (from @lauren-e-james‘s The Next Together)

Tori opened her eyes, still with her right hand held out in front of her, the time machine strapped around her wrist whirring. She was sweating badly in her spacesuit and felt weirdly out of breath, but she was alive.

She’d done it. She’d travelled back in time.

Someone screamed “GET OUT OF THE WAY!” and then everything went dark.

*

The second time she opened her eyes, she was sitting in the back seat of a car.

It was, of course, a very old car, if she was in the year she was supposed to be in, which was 1925. It was going very slowly and making a lot of noise.

There were two people sitting in the front seat. The driver was a woman with auburn hair, cut just below the ears, and was dressed in a brown hunting jacket over a long evening dress. The man next to her had darker hair and was wearing a suit.

Tori had no idea who these people were.

There was nothing for it. She was going to have to speak. “Er, hello?”

The car screeched to a halt, nearly sending Tori flying forward into the front seats – there were no seatbelts. The man and woman turned around, both with fascinated expressions on their faces. Tori realised that she was still wearing her bright orange spacesuit, which was not part of the plan.

“By gods,” said the woman. She had a deep, throaty voice, and sounded like a posh Londoner. “You are a human.”

“We can’t be sure,” said the man. He was quieter and his voice was shaky, which, added to his half-moon wire glasses, gave the impression of him being a very nervous individual. “She could be in disguise.”

The woman barked out a laugh. “Oh tosh! What a coward you are, Matthew. Quite typical.”

“I say – just because I value safety, Katherine, doesn’t make me a coward-”

Tori glanced around her. They appeared to have halted on a country road, so no one else was around, thankfully. On the down side, this probably also meant that she was further from London than she intended to be. She needed to get back there – she had her mission, after all.

“Sorry, what’s the date?” Tori asked, interrupting the couple’s bickering.

The woman – Katherine – blinked at her. “It’s the fourth of August.”

“1925?”

Matthew’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes,” said Katherine.

Today was the day.

He would arrive in London.

She needed to get there. Now.

“Can you take me to London? Are we near London?”

The pair stared at her.

“Certainly-” began Katherine, but Matthew quickly interrupted.

“You’re just going to do the bidding of a child who appears out of thin air in a brightly-coloured-” He paused and sought for the word. “-costume?”

“Well it is the least we can do, Matthew darling, we did somewhat bash into her-”

“I think it was you who bashed into her.”

“You were the one who insisted I needed to practise my parallel parking, I mean, goodness knows when I’m going to use that nonsense-”

“Your lack of regard for general vehicular safety never ceases to astonish and terrify me-”

Tori cleared her throat. “Erm, so, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Katherine smiled warmly at her. “Of course, darling. We’ll be in London within the hour. It’s the least we can do.”

“Thank you.”

Katherine performed a terrible three-point turn – it was more of a thirteen-point turn, actually – and then they were off again.

“Might I ask your name?” said Matthew, coldly.

“Victoria,” said Tori.

“Ah, Victoria,” said Katherine. “Splendid. Like the last queen.”

“And what, Victoria, might you be doing here?” asked Matthew. He clearly did not believe that Victoria was Tori’s real name.

“I have business to attend to.”

“Business?” Katherine sounded intrigued.

Tori rolled her eyes. They seemed harmless so there was no reason to hide what she was doing from them. “I’m looking for a young man named Michael Holden. Around my age. He’s supposed to be in London today.”

“Where are you from?” asked Matthew, still sceptical.

Tori struggled with what to say. “Somewhere far away.”

“Hm.”

“I say, Victoria,” said Katherine. “This Michael Holden. We could help you find him, if you’d like?”

Matthew snapped his head towards her in alarm. “I beg your pardon?”

“Oh do lighten up, Matthew darling. It’d be an absolute lark.”

“Were we not going to the theatre this evening?”

“Yes, to see another one of your silly operettas.”

“My operettas aren’t silly. They’re a refined art.”

“If you say so, darling.” Katherine continued speaking before Matthew could protest any further. “So, Victoria of the Orange Costume, what do you say?”

Tori had not been listening to most of their quibble. She had been looking out of the car toward the field they were driving past. In it, she watched as a young man riding a horse galloped through the grass, his face steely and determined behind large, owl-like glasses. His hair was curly and a light oak colour, and his limbs were long but not gangly.

It was him.

It was Michael Holden.

“You know, Katherine…” said Tori. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ve already found him.”

WHAT is this okay good lauren au thing solitaire au solitaire my writing sprolden the next together lauren-e-james this was just me having fun with kate and matt arguing why did they put tori in their car honestly idk
04 Dec 15 · 13 notes

God!!!! This is amazing!!!!

#The next together #Alice #I’m not sure I survived reading this #It’s life changing
5TH DEC 2015

jumble-bumblr asked: “Send me a character” meme: Will Turner – siding with pirates to save a loved one

“No way,” Matt said firmly. “Absolutely no way.”

“Come on,” Kate said, patting him reassuringly on the bicep and readjusting her false moustache. “It’ll be fun.”

“In what possible way is mutinying against the captain fun?” Matt threw up his arms, and then paused as the captain pulled out a thumbscrew and approached a tied up Tom with it. “On second thoughts …”

#the next together #jumble-bumblr #character meme
4TH DEC 2015

dragonwingsandtimetravel asked: OhmyGodpleasedotheonewiththestreetracinggang. *heart eyes*

Dominic Toretto: street racing gang

“So where is he?” Kate whispered to the burly Harley-Davidson rider standing next to her. “The brutal gang leader who everyone is terrified of? Galloway something?”

“Don’t say his name,” the biker hissed, looking around nervously. “He has spies everywhere.” He gestured towards the cluster of motorbikes surrounding a pimped out green camaro, tattoos on his forearm flexing. “That’s his ride.”

Kate balanced on her toes, peering over bald heads to try and make out the fearsome Matthew Galloway. She caught a glimpse of lean limbs, fluffy brown hair curling up the wind of the underpass, and a set of long fingers pushing up the rim of his glasses.

“That’s him?” she snorted. “He looks like a primary school teacher.”

“Trust me,” the biker said, still looking around for eavesdroppers. “He’s scarier than he looks. I feel sorry for whoever he’s racing tonight – that engine is unstoppable.”

Kate grinned toothily. “Don’t worry. He’s racing me.”

#the next together #THESE ARE SO LONG #I’M GETTING TOO INVOLVED IN THIS #dragonwingsandtimetravel #character meme
3RD DEC 2015

chronicintrovert asked: Cher Horowitz 🙂 🙂 🙂

Cher Horowitz: one of the pairing is a spoiled, rich kid

“I’m sorry,” Matthew said, peering over his Chanel-brand glasses at Katy. “But you’re leaning against my Merc.”

Katy didn’t move, but folded her arms and settled in against the driver’s door, chewing her gum thoughtfully. “You’re seventeen and you’ve got a car? And it’s a mercedes?”

Matthew’s cheeks flushed the slightest shade of pink. “Don’t be a snob. It’s my dad’s.”

Katy grinned at him. “I won’t be a snob if you take me for a spin. You’re Mattie, right? Upper sixth?”

Matthew’s eyebrows rose. “I’d prefer if you called me Matthew.”

“Alright, Matthew,” she leered, delighting in the way his blush increased. “I’m ‘Katherine’. Let’s go to Shakeaway. We can get the millionaire’s milkshakes, with gold flakes.”

#matt is just gansey in this I ADMIT IT #this is about a car because MY DRIVING TEST IS TOMORROW #the next together #alice #character meme
3RD DEC 2015

#kate would make matt wear this #the next together
28TH NOV 2015

themortalbooklibrary: 10 Reasons to read ‘The Next Together’ by Lauren James
1. The writing is beautiful!

2. The cover and description of the book is amazing.

3. The different time periods.

4. Kate! She’s an amazing character, I want her to be my best friend.

5. Matt! He’s such a sweetie! He’s Kate’s soulmate and he’s just an amazing guy! (New addition to the book boyfriend list!)

6. The plot line!

7. The mystery!

8. Kate and Matt moments!

9. There are more books coming! (More Kate and Matt!!!)

10. Lauren James is going to be the next big author! She seriously killed-it with her debut novel!

I love this! 💖

#the next together
24TH NOV 2015

I do not use the word home lightly.

So when I sigh it into the crook of your neck,

Believe that your spine is a timber frame,

Your kiss a welcome mat,

And your enveloping arms my front door

#the next together
17TH NOV 2015 SOURCE: ESEKAO 67,075 NOTES

thenightvalepost: Tip: If you do not believe in reincarnation, just wait until your next life. Maybe you’ll feel it more then.

#the next together
14TH NOV 2015

The Next Together was included in an Australian subscription box @theyachronicles for the October theme of ‘time and time again’! It came with River Song’s journal, a time turner and some ‘timeless hearts’ bath melts and honestly it just looks incredible! I’m a little jealous!

Pics by Snowflake books, Bedazzled by books and clairereadsbooks on instagram.

#the next together #blog #nice people
4TH NOV 2015

ofools: you know what i don’t get? when like, people write romance stories where two characters are so in love w each other its all magnetism, but they? don’t even have fun together? or are even nice to each other sometimes?

“our love could level a thousand mountains and conquer a million cities”

ok but… are you even… like….. friends????

#Matt and Kate #BEST FRIENDS #the next together
4TH FEB 2016

#go best friend #this is matt #the next together
3RD FEB 2016

GUYS i’m writing something TNT related today! i’m so excited! i can’t wait to tell you all about it!!

#the next together #i’m bad at keeping secrets
1ST FEB 2016

THE NEWS IS OUT! The Next Together is being published in the US by Sky Pony Press, edited by Alison Weiss!
I’m absolutely thrilled to bits. I’ve been keeping this a secret since MAY so I’m going to be talking about it a lot now that I finally can! I’m really excited to work with the wonderful Alison and the team at Sky Pony to make the most beautiful American editions of my duology that we can. Both books are going to be coming out in 2017, so there’s not too long to wait after the UK release. It’s going to be a hugely exciting year. Bring on 2017!

#the next together #sky pony press #deal announcement
15TH JAN 2016

To make things a bit easier to find, I’ve added all of the extra scenes and short stories that I’ve written about Kate and Matt to Wattpad. You can now read Chapter 1 from Matt’s POV, a medieval short story, some deleted scenes and a ton of…
To make things a bit easier to find, I’ve added all of the extra scenes and short stories that I’ve written about Kate and Matt to Wattpad. You can now read Chapter 1 from Matt’s POV, a medieval short story, some deleted scenes and a ton of drabbles.

Enjoy!

#the next together
11TH JAN 2016

Taking Stock
The end of my debut year is here! It’s been an incredible twelve months: I’ve made tons of new friends, gone to amazing events all over the country, and got to know some incredible writers. So here’s some of the amazing things I’ve done over the last year.

Read more

It’s here! I’ve been dying to share this with you for ages now. Find out what storyline you’d live in The Next Together by doing the Buzzfeed quiz here. Reblog with your result!

#the next together
18TH DEC 2015

Anonymous asked: Hey, I don’t want to give the wrong impression here but on your buzzed quiz one of the answers to question 3 is “He would love me for myself” but what about queer women? ( Or straight guys!) I am a massive fan of your book but maybe you could make this a bit more inclusive?
All of the answers in the quiz are references to The Next Together – like the jobs, which are that the characters have or would like to have (Matt and Kate are scientists, and Matt is desperate to be a farmer), and the prized possessions are their favourite things in each life (Katherine keeps a diary, and Matt loves his fountain pen).

In that case, ‘he would love me for myself’ is a punchline to a conversation in the book here:

Kate’s ‘Disney quiz’ to Matt here is what actually inspired me to make the buzzfeed quiz in the first place, so I had to make sure the punchline was part of the quiz. 🙂

(And don’t worry about inclusivity, the sequel is a lesbian love story…. I’ve got your back. Hopefully you can forgive this one answer not being diverse enough!)

#the next together #Anonymous
19TH DEC 2015

Creator versus Fandom – Authors on Social Media

At YALC this weekend, I gave a seminar on Social media with the wonderful Alice Oseman. This blog post is adapted from that seminar, for anyone who missed the workshop.

Alice and I have both been using social media since we were kids. However, since we’ve become authors, we’ve noticed a difference between our place online. It’s very different interacting in an online space as an author and as a fan.

folded.between.pages.of.books: “I’m glad that I met you. I don’t regret coming here, and keeping you for a few more days, even if it led to this. I would return over and over if it gave me a little longer with you.” – The Next Together 💕

#i love this so much #had to reblog it #the next together
22ND JUL 2016

littlebundleofbooks: “@laurenjames Foyles really likes you!

OH MY GOD!!!! THIS IS AMAZING!

#Thank you hannah!!! #The next together
4TH APR 2016

Grand giveaway! (Open INT)
So… it’s exactly three months today until The Last Beginning is released. Whaaaaat. NO, WHAT? Can you believe The Next Together came out ten months ago?! Time travel is definitely involved. Probably.

ANYWAY. To celebrate the imminent publication of my second novel, I’m holding a GRAND GIVEAWAY. Three prizes, for the three months until The Last Beginning comes out. And it’s open internationally! Here are the prizes:

RUNNER UP:
A signed and embossed copy of The Next Together + A signed postcard + A signed bookmark
I will send you ALL OF THE FREE THINGS. ALL OF THEM. Plus a signed copy of TNT, also embossed using my special press.

image
AND THIS IS JUST THE RUNNER UP PRIZE.

SECOND PLACE:
A query or first chapter critique + A signed postcard
If you’re an aspiring writer, I will read and give feedback on a query letter or the first chapter of your novel. I’ll also send you a signed postcard. (If you win this prize and you’re not a writer, I’ll send you a signed copy of TNT instead.)

GRAND PRIZE:
A query or first chapter critique + An exclusive annotated, signed and embossed copy of The Next Together + A signed postcard + A signed bookmark
All of the previous prizes, PLUS this signed copy will also include annotated notes on the pages, such as behind the scenes details about Katherine and Matthew, little doodles and (hilarious, obv) jokes. One of only two to exist in the world! HOW DOES ALL OF THAT SOUND? PRETTY GOOD, RIGHT? RIGHT? OKAY, LET’S GET TO IT. LEMME SHOW YOU HOW TO ENTER.

To enter:
Leave a review of The Next Together or Another Together on Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones, iTunes, your blog, and any other retailer site of your choice.
Send links to the review(s) to thenexttogether@gmail.com.
Each site that the review is posted on counts as one entry. The same review can be posted on multiple sites. Pre-existing reviews can be used. Reviewing a book, good or bad, continues to be the best way to support authors. And as Another Together is a free novella, anyone can enter this competition, regardless of whether they own a copy of The Next Together. It’s free! Download it and read away! Open Internationally.

The three winners will be chosen at random on 6th August 2016.

You have a month to enter. GOOD LUCK.

The Next Together: Amazon UK | Waterstones | Amazon US | The Book Depository |Wordery | Foyles | Kobo | iBooks | WHSmith | Goodreads

Another Together: Goodreads | Amazon Kindle | Kobo | iTunes | Amazon US | Amazon ANZ | Amazon DE

#giveaway #competition #free stuff #reviews #books #ya #the next together #prizes #author #another together
6TH JUL 2016

dragonwingsandtimetravel: right listen up it is time for some well overdue fangirling

Reasons You Should Read: The Next Together by Lauren James (@laurenjames)

set across three (well, four) time periods so there’s something for everyone
Kate’s Official Lesbian Nanas
Flo and Nancy are legendary and make no decisions even in times of crisis until they’ve made everyone a nice cup of tea
basically the book most of tumblr is looking for
bits of it are set in the future and in this future Scotland is the hero
Kate and Matthew keep running into each other throughout history. Is it fate? Is it reincarnation? Is it time travel? IS IT ALL THREE???
variety of ages, from teens to mid-twenties
sees your need for AUs and pUTS AUs IN THE BOOK
Kate and Matt: The Students of Science Edition
Kate and Matt: The One Where She Dresses as a Boy
“You’re not a goose egg” “Thanks for the reassurance”
The One Where’s She’s a Lady, He’s a Servant and Oh Look Rebellion
and my personal favourite, Kate and Matt: THE TUMBLR ERA
“I should never have married him, he has no respect for the sanctity of Netflix”
partially told in post-its, diaries, powerpoints, texts, emails and drunk blogging
like Outlander but with the humour of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
even high level conspiracies and Drama™ can’t get in the way of the fact that Kate and Matt have a healthy, consensual relationship
“You are ridiculous and I love you.”
their relationship is sex-positive!
Kate is all sass. All of her. Every version
Matt is adorkable. At one point he wanted to be a farmer???
Kate uses tumblr to document both her relationship and her discovery of a secret that could potentially cause the apocalypse
“WHAT IS THIS LIFE AND WHY IS IT DOING IT TO ME IN PARTICULAR.”
a cross between a book and the insane crackfic you wrote when you were 14
“in a voice she hoped was sexily husky and not just reminiscent of someone suffering from a bad cold”
frankly liberal use of the flipping tables emoji
“WE AREN’T THE COOL KIDS WE GET FIRED FOR SEXUALLY HARASSING A DESK”
Matthew, on his ideal Disney Prince: “He would love me for myself”
Katherine, on her choice of uni: “I only came here because a girl at a careers fair told me they did good field trips”
why yes, the fate of the world does rest on the shoulders of people who make these kind of decisions
Kate is (as they would say in ye olden times) Very Forward and is comfortable with her sexuality and making the first move
“Shut up. There isn’t anything wrong with a healthy interest in crop rotation”
TOM!! HOW have I not mentioned Tom yet
Tom is Matthew’s hot hacker brother
the only person who possibly loves Tom more than I do is Kate
“Stop talking about my brother when we’re in bed together!”
Lauren has sworn Tom is even hotter in the sequel. I am holding her to this
there’s a sequel which is good because I STILL HAVE MANY QUESTIONS
The Last Beginning: A Sequel, this time featuring EVEN MORE LESBIANS
the heroine of The Last Beginning (out October 2016 from Walker Books) is Clove and she is Very, Very Gay
her girlfriend Ella is also Very, Very Gay
LGBTQ rep! queer ladies who live!
Time Travel Romances: They’re Not Just For Straights Anymore!!
“I miss his stupid face” #truelove
I have read this book approximately 463 times and it still cracks me up
the duology tumblr would write if everyone clubbed together and threw plot at the metaphorical storytelling wall just to see what would stick
and of course: “King William furious as Scottish government confiscates Balmoral”

#THIS IS THE CUTEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN #the next together
30TH JUN 2016

#m- m -Matthew #The next together
28TH JUN 2016

bechdels: a pleasant thought: gay grandparents will soon be commonplace

#the next together
13TH MAR 2016

I copied a cute idea done by @themackenzilee to compare the differences and similarities between her books. So here’s the things in both The Next Together and The Last Beginning (out in October!). 😶

#the next together #the last beginning
12TH MAR 2016

In one timeline we kiss but the stars don’t come down. In another you set a world on fire for me but I perish in the flames. Another and we’re strangers on a busy street, brushing by close enough to send each other reeling off balance but not stopping. Somewhere there’s a final space where your hand on my face is the punchy climax to an epic saga, where the way our mouths meet takes the breath right out of people’s throats. One universe has us right, of all the millions stacked on millions. So it’s not this one. I can live with that. The world is full of wonders and a hundred years ago the moon was too much to dream of touching. Look how far we’ve come. Turn over your shoulder and just look. Maybe we’ll come across each other at the turning of the century, racing across the breaches between worlds. I’ll build my life on that maybe.
— elisabeth hewer

#The next together
10TH MAR 2016

albus-dumbledore asked: Hi Lauren! I really liked The Next Together and I just wanted to ask, don’t you think the song Avalanche by Walk The Moon FITS THE BOOK SO WELL. They’re my favorite band and after reading your book I couldn’t listen to the song without thinking of Katherine and Matthew. The song has lines such as “You’ve got a look in your eyes / I knew you in a past life” and “I don’t want to wait till the next life” and “Sometimes the past echoes in the future / Starting long before we were born” LIKE REALLY

oh WOW. I hadn’t heard this and HONESTLY. It’s so perfect! thank you for sharing it. it’s going on my playlist.

#the next together #claflin
23RD FEB 2016

Extract from The Next Together
As it’s Valentine’s day, I’m going to copy the lovely Kate Ormand’s idea and post a little romantic extract from my book! After you’ve read about her Flo and Jett being cuties, here is Katy and Matthew being cuties too. If you prefer, you can read it on Wattpad here.

Varna, Bulgaria, 1854

Katy had never felt such relief as the first time she managed to clean herself properly after the voyage from Southampton. It was the evening of their first day back on land, in the camp at Varna in Bulgaria. Their tent was dark and small, with only a single tiny cot, but it afforded

the privacy she needed to unwrap her chest, and it felt like a wonderful luxury. She scrubbed her skin until it was pink and the bowl of water Matthew had collected from the pump was brown and soapy.

When she finally felt clean again, she went outside to where Matthew was waiting. They were sharing the tent, just as they would have been if she really was his manservant. They couldn’t ask for another and, besides, Katy had been sleeping in a hammock next to Matthew and dozens of soldiers for weeks now, so she didn’t think it would be awkward.

“I’ll fetch you a fresh bowl of water,” she said. He nodded wearily. It had been a long journey from the steamer to the encampment, which sprawled outside the city of Varna, along the edge of a huge lake. Once they had arrived, they’d had to collect their tent and erect it. They were both exhausted.

As Katy walked to the pump, she passed the campfire where soldiers were cooking the meagre rations they’d managed to get. Katy felt a pang in her stomach. They hadn’t had any food since arriving and probably wouldn’t until the next day.

When she returned to the tent, Matthew was inside, shaving, having developed a layer of stubble during their voyage. She wouldn’t call it a beard exactly.

“Thank you,” he said, washing off the soap with the clean water she’d brought him.

“You’re welcome.” She sat on the cot and ran a brush through her hair, wincing at the build-up of tangles. She was going to need to get it cut soon. She’d kept it closely clipped ever since some of the other servant boys had teased her for her curls, saying they made her look like a girl. Now her hair was starting to curl up around her ears, and while she was androgynous enough to pass as a boy, it would be just asking for trouble to have long curly hair.

She sniffed at herself. Since she’d washed she had become very aware of the smell of her dirty clothes. “Do you think if I wash my clothes they will be dry by morning? I don’t think I can stand to wear these again. They smell horrendous.”

Matthew shrugged. “If they’re still damp then you can borrow some of mine.”

She looked up in surprise. Although she knew that he’d forgiven her for lying about her gender, this new kindness was unexpected. “Thank you,” she said softly.

He nodded, and returned his attention to shaving with an air of quiet embarrassment.

She tugged at the loose hair on the brush, admiring the mix of strands, her ginger and Matthew’s brown.

“Can I borrow some now? A shirt or something, to wear tonight?”

Matthew focused more than was necessary on washing the soap off his razor. “Yes. Take whatever you need out of my bag.”

Katy swapped her dirty shirt for Matthew’s clean one with relief. Matthew, who was washing his face, carefully kept his back to her. When she’d changed clothes, she sniffed herself again, but all she could smell now was a lingering trace of Matthew’s scent on the clean material.

Katy then tried her best to clean her clothes with just a small bowl of water and cheap soap. By the time she was finished, and the wet clothes were hung outside the tent to dry, it was dark.

Katy took a sheepskin off the cot and laid it on the floor, before making a pillow from a brown linen coat. The dirt floor didn’t look appealing, but she told herself it was better than sleeping outside, or on a ship, and settled down for the night.

“What are you doing?” Matthew asked. Arms crossed, he looked like a man on a mission. He would have been quite intimidating, if it hadn’t been for the way his hair curled around his face as it dried.

“I’m going to sleep?” she said.

“No. Stop it.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “We’ve had quite a long journey. I think I deserve at least a nap.”

“I’m not going to make you sleep on the ground. Obviously you will take the bed.”

“We could always … share it,” she said. “Aren’t people supposed to huddle together for warmth in hostile conditions?”

He rolled his eyes, but a hint of a blush rose to his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He began violently brushing out his hair, sending water droplets flying. “That’s in the Arctic. I don’t think you’re in danger of getting frostbite here.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about me,” she said. “Me, I’ll be fine. I was talking about you. You’re so thin you might freeze completely through.”

“I think I can handle sleeping on the floor.”

“Well, don’t come crying to me if you’re a cold dead corpse tomorrow morning. You’re a delicate flower. I don’t think you can handle the floor.” Then when he didn’t respond, she added more firmly, “Matthew, I’m not making you sleep on the ground. I’ve caused you enough trouble as it is. Besides, I bet that cot is full of bedbugs. The ground is probably cleaner.”

“I’m not giving in, Katy.”

He started a brief staring contest, which was apparently his new method of persuading her to agree to his point of view without the hassle of actually yelling. She always squirmed under his steady gaze, but she was determined not to be the first to look away. However, this time Matthew was even more determined. She rolled her eyes, conceding defeat by overdramatically throwing off the blanket. It actually was quite cold on the floor, though, and she shivered involuntarily.

Matthew punched the air. “I win!”

“We will alternate nights. I’ll have it tonight and you can have it tomorrow. Otherwise we are both going to end up sleeping on the ground, aren’t we?”

“We are going to have the same discussion tomorrow, because I’m never taking the bed from you.”

“I’ll have a whole day to think of arguments,” she warned him.

“So will I.” He smirked.

Katy felt a rush of affection for him. She usually enjoyed their exchanges, and would have replied with something cutting, but today − in their new tent with a completely stationary floor and a proper bed, and not even one snoring soldier in here with them − she just wanted to be nice to him. He had been so forgiving and lovely to her since finding out that she was a girl, and she had never had the chance to return the favour. She’d have to wash his clothes for him and maybe find food for them both first thing tomorrow. It didn’t look like they’d be getting rations from the army any time soon. A sudden impulse overtook her and she stood up and wrapped her arms around him.

“Good night,” she murmured into his ear. He was tense, but he relaxed slowly, finally pulling her tight against him and pressing his face into her hair.

“Night,” he said back, a touch of something like surprise in his voice.

She stepped away, pulling down the shirt which had ridden uncomfortably high on her thighs. Then she climbed quickly into the cot and pulled the blanket over her.

“Matthew, thank you, really,” she said. “You’ve been so good to me.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “It was a small matter.” He paused, and then added, “As the girl said to the soldier.”

Katy let out a thrilled, too loud laugh, and Matthew settled into the makeshift bed on the floor with an unmistakable air of self-satisfaction.

If you enjoyed this extract, you can buy The Next Together on Amazon UK, Waterstones or The Book Depository internationally, and add it on Goodreads.

#the next together #blog #extract
14TH FEB 2016

This time next month the US edition of The Next Together is finally released! It’s been a long road to get here (my original US publisher shut down before the book could be released – hence the long wait!) but it’s almost here now.
I don’t have any…
This time next month the US edition of The Next Together is finally released! It’s been a long road to get here (my original US publisher shut down before the book could be released – hence the long wait!) but it’s almost here now.

I don’t have any copies of the lovely hardback to show you yet, so for now, here is the dust jacket. I’m still not over that beautiful sunset.

Out with Sky Pony Press on June 13th

16TH MAY 2017

evecoffn: character concept: two people who have been reincarnated for thousands of years and have always found eachother but instead of being in love they just fucking hate eachother

simonlevvis: @laurenjames this would be one hell of a next together au

Someone…..write me this. 🗡🔫

#the next together
24TH APR 2017

Anonymous asked: If you were to write Katherine and Matt’s wedding scene, what would it be like and why? (ps. love your books ❤ <3)

omg. WELL first off in 2056 kate proposes to matt. i know this is obvious, i barely need to say it. she does the whole monica thing and fills a room with candles, courts him until he’s blushing etc.

on the day, Matt wears a tuxedo and is so nervous that he’ll get the words wrong that he gets drunk before he even puts the suit on

Kate dips Matt when the vicar says they can kiss.

she doesn’t wear white (”i did that last time”), she wears something shiny like this:

her ‘something old’ is a tortoiseshell hair clasp from carlisle in 1745, her ‘something borrowed’ is clove’s watch with the rainbow strap (so spart can be part of the ceremony – matt insisted, “since you brought us together after all”).

her something blue is a tattoo of matt’s name written in blue fountain pen ink which she gets done drunk on her hen night. jen got a tattoo too: hers says ‘st andrews university

tom has this whole melodramatic joke about it. at the rehearsal dinner he tells every. single. person. that he’s not jen’s first love and he might never recover from the heart break. clove has to move to a different table because he’s so embarrassing.

oh, clove! Clove is the maid of honour. ella is technically her date but officially the ring bearer (”why do you want to be the RING BEARER?” – clove “we don’t have them anymore! i want to hold the cushion!” – ella. “if you lose the ring you are time travelling right out of that church to buy another.” – clove)

on the day, ella arrives in some futuristic dress that clove absolutely refuses to let her wear (”is that – is your dress made of clouds? are you FLOATING? No. no way. how did you think you would get away with this without anyone noticing?!”) so meg lends her a dress that looks like this:

the wedding is the first time meg and ella meet and that goes as awkwardly as you would expect.

kate and matt’s wedding song is come on eileen.

ella lends them her skim for their honeymoon. they go on a tour of all of their lives. they’re gone two years but they time it so they come back after 2 weeks. no one notices how long they were really gone. even though matt has started going grey.

they have a baby boy six months later, and clove is the best big sister in the entire world. tom and jen enjoy being aunt and uncle and taking a less active role in the parenting (”you’ve got enough grey hair for both of us, i don’t need more stress in my life” – tom to matt. “if that were true you wouldn’t demand to babysit once a week” – matt to tom “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DON’T STOP HIM!!” – kate to matt)

Summary: all my favourite power couples have a gr8 time
#the next together #this was so fun thank you for the ask!! #unofficial epilogue to tlb i guess?

Anonymous asked: Kate and Matt have A SON?? CLOVE HAS A BROTHER??? WHAT’S HIS NAME?????

I didn’t know until yesterday that they had a son, but YES THEY NOW DO. They didn’t get to raise Clove after all – they’ve never done the parenting thing!

His name is probably Alfie? That’s a nice name.

(Who’s gonna start the petition for a third book about him? I WILL SIGN IT)

#the next together #Anonymous
17TH JAN 2017

dragonwingsandtimetravel asked: I’D READ ABOUT ALFIE. What’s he like? *narrows eyes* Has he inherited a penchant for time travel troublemaking…?
i guess this is a THING now, okay. I HAD THINGS TO DO TODAY BUT OKAY.

Alfie Galloway is ginger. He’s not as clever as Clove and he feels bad about that sometimes. He LOVES trains. Anything about trains, he’s not picky.

Kate’s instagram is entirely made up of cute pictures of Matt and Alfie asleep together. Like, she posts one every single day. Sprawled on the sofa. Cuddling over a bedtime story. In the back of the car on long trips.

When he’s four he accidentally time travels himself somewhere with Ella’s skim and everyone freaks out. They manage to track him down in the end.

He doesn’t realise Spart is a AI and talks to him in a very serious voice like he’s a tiny man trapped inside all the computers.

He has a pet axolotl.

He worships Tom. Like, Tom is his favourite person in the entire world. He rides around on his shoulders and laughs at his jokes so hard that he cries.

Kate and Alfie make pancakes every Sunday morning while Matt has a lie in.

Matt and Alfie make chocolate cake on the days Kate works late.

When he’s six he starts reading the Harry Potter books and decides that he’s Ron Weasley. He makes Clove knit him a jumper with a big ‘R’ on it like Molly makes Ron, and wears it every single day until it’s too small for him.

#dragonwingsandtimetravel #the next together
17TH JAN 2017

ahsburkes asked: this thing i hear about what ella and clove’s engagement would be like….i’m afraid i’ll need to know more
Anonymous said:Please write Clove and Ella’s engagement scene!

Okay guys. LET’S DO THIS. After school, Clove does a degree at St Andrews while Ella finishes her degree at her home uni. Then Clove moves to Ella’s uni for a masters in theoretical morality, while Ella starts a PhD in classical history control potentiality. They live together in a tiny terraced house with a back garden, which Ella turns into a vegetable patch. It produces approximately 3 Brussel sprouts and a cucumber every summer. That’s all.

When they both finally graduate with a million degrees between them, Clove goes back to St Andrews to start running tests on the time machine with Jen, who now runs the St Andrews Physics department. Ella moves back with her. She commutes using her skim to a theatre company, where she works to gather accurate details about ancient greece for their productions, using her Skim.

They adopt a rescue dog, who Matt babysits during the day, because he works from home with Tom (they started a business together. they argue constantly.) Alfie, kate and matt’s three year old son, cries every day when Clove picks up the dog after work. Alfie hates goodbyes.

When Ella turns 25 she gets really nostalgic for how she and clove met (she reads a lot of fic written about them. Clove kinkshames her. It’s a Thing.). They drop the dog off with kate and matt and alfie and go on holiday to 1745. They hang out with 1745 Katherine and Matthew, and then Ella takes Clove on a picnic by the river, at the exact place where they met. The picnic is the same as the one Ella brought then, except there’s smoky bacon crisps too, this time.

After they eat, Clove naps with her head on Ella’s stomach. When she wakes up, there’s a bouquet of violets resting next to her. She laughs when she sees it, hysterically, and Ella gets offended that she finds her romantic gesture funny. Then Clove reaches into her bag and pulls out a box. She hands it to Ella.

Inside, there’s a ring.

“I guess we both had the same idea,” Clove says, blushing bright red. “You gave me a violet once, a long time ago. I thought it was about time I repaid the favour.“

Ella’s eyes flick down between the ring and Clove. “Are you…?” she says.

Clove nods. “Elenore Walker. Will you marry me?”

Ella bursts into tears. “You weren’t supposed to propose for another two years!” she yells. “It’s in your autobiography!!”

Clove grins. She’s been planning for a while that when she gets around to writing her ‘autobiography’, she’ll include some lies. Gotta keep Ella on her toes somehow. “Surprise?”

Ella says yes, they get married the next summer, it’s very stressful for everyone involved. The wedding photos go viral on Ella’s social media. Obviously this is their wedding song.

#the next together #the last beginning #simonlevvis #obviously as soon as they get home ella pulls out a ring she bought before she even officially met clove #she saved up her pocket money for it
9TH FEB 2017

#Kate would do this to alfie #tom would love it but matt and jen would refuse to have any part in it #the next together
14TH FEB 2017

simonlevvis:

∟ books read in 2016; the next together by lauren james

‘’I love you. In every life, I love you. I love you so much.’’

#I LOVE THIS SO MUCH #the next together #GOSH #THANK YOU
3RD DEC 2016

taxloopholes: me applying for any job: so here’s the false identity I’ve constructed to appeal to you,

#lmao #Katy #the next together #crimea
30TH OCT 2016

New Kate & Matt short story – SNAILS.
My old university, the University of Nottingham @uniofnottingham asked me to write a short story for their alumni magazine recently!

As one of the timelines in The Next Together is set on the University of Nottingham campus in 2039, I decided to write about Kate and Matt during their time at the uni.

The short story is set somewhere between Kate and Matt’s first meeting, and the point when everything goes to hell. So… Chapter 2? :’)

If you’re a Nottingham uni alumni, you can enter a competition to write a 1000 word short story set at a Nottingham campus, to be judged by me! Details here.

SNAILS.
“So,” the Head of the School of Life Sciences said, eyeing them both over the rim of her glasses. “Why don’t you tell me how this happened?” “Kate?” Matt said, in a strangled voice. “Why don’t you explain?” Kate grimaced. “Well- I mean- I guess-” “Please.” The Head massaged her temples. “Just tell me how the fire started.” Kate swallowed. “I suppose it started with the snails.” Beside her, Matt slowly sunk lower in his seat, deflating like a very embarrassed balloon.

Read the rest here on Wattpad!

The @chronicintrovert art prints should have started arriving today! Has anyone got theirs yet?

#alice #the next together #the last beginning #the loneliest girl in the universe
13TH SEP 2018

flyflysstuff asked: Hi Lauren! I was just reading your great piece about the publishing process and how excited you were, trying to motivate myself with edit 3 of what I’ve written. I was just wondering if you had done the same kind of account for when you were trying to find an agent. Reading about peoples real experiences is really helpful. I had a look but couldnt find anything. If not no worries, I know you’re busy. Love your books btw and so excited for TQATEOTW 😁

This one? I don’t have one about finding an agent, apart from some early early posts about writing The Next Together here and here.

Good luck with it!!

#the next together #flyflysstuff
23RD JUN 2018

Anonymous asked: Hi! Are any of your books been translated to any other languages? ❤

Yes! Here are the ones published so far:
První konec (“The First End”) – Czech Republic (CooBoo)

Em Nossa Proxima Vida (“In Our Next Life”) – Brasil (HarperCollins)

Bir Sonraki Hayatımız (“Our Next Life”) – Turkey (Yabanci Yayinlari)

Любовь И Другие Катастрофы (“Love and Other Catastrophes”) – Russia (Ripol)

Forever Again: Für alle Augenblicke wir (“For all our moments”) – Germany (Loewe) | Audiobook

image
Poslední začátek (“The Last Start”) – Czech Republic (CooBoo)

Son Başlangıç (“Last Start”) – Turkey (Yabanci Yayinlari)

Forever Again – Wie oft du auch gehst (“How Often You Go”) – Germany (Loewe)

#the next together #the last beginning #Anonymous
13TH MAY 2018

phoneus: *holding clipboard* hm…. *kisses your cheek* interestning… *writes down results on clipboard but the results are a drawing of us holding hands*

#kate and matt #the next together
15TH MAR 2018

dragonwingsandtimetravel asked: Oh, I would love to see Kate’s responses to questions 19, 20 and 21…!

19. what is your favourite thing right now?

Kate: My newborn son, Alfie! He’s a little terror but he’s young enough that even when he’s having a tantrum it’s still kind of new and exciting – I never got to do that with Clove!

20. what is your hidden talent? (example: memory, double joints, etc. )

Kate: I can sense and uncover any chocolate cake hidden in any building, like a truffle pig.

21. what is the best dream you’ve ever had?

I once woke up from a pretty wonderful dream about my friend Matt actually being my husband in some kind of castle during a siege…..turned out that was actually a memory? It was a fun dream, though.

#the next together #thank you!! #dragonwingsandtimetravel
27TH FEB 2018

Anonymous asked: Is it bizarre to you that next year’s gonna be 2019??? THE 2019
I know!! Somewhere out there right this minute, new graduated

Katherine Finchley is applying to jobs in labs. And Matthew Galloway has no idea the new employee at CSL is about to storm into his life and kiss him in supply cupboards.

#the next Together
16TH JAN 2018

Thank you to everyone who came to Romy’s second lift off tonight! I can’t believe I got to do this all over again. Will post lots of pictures tomorrow but for now – look how far we’ve come, @ajgraingerauthor! 2015-2017. Let’s hope we’re still doing…
Thank you to everyone who came to Romy’s second lift off tonight! I can’t believe I got to do this all over again. Will post lots of pictures tomorrow but for now – look how far we’ve come, @ajgraingerauthor! 2015-2017. Let’s hope we’re still doing this in twenty years time, @walkerbooksya.

#the loneliest girl in the universe #the next together
12TH SEP 2017

For anyone who has read The Next Together series and is wondering if they’ll like The Loneliest Girl: here’s your answer, statistically and qualitatively.

#the loneliest girl in the universe #the next together #the last beginning
1ST SEP 2017

avocavo: turn on: a very nice pen with an even flow of ink

#Matthew #the next Together
23RD JUL 2017

Talking of art, some pretty outstanding pictures of my books have been popping up recently. Here are some of my faves. You guys are all so clever!

#the next together #the loneliest girl in the universe #the last beginning
14TH JUL 2017

Posted byWren James04/08/201520/01/2020Posted inthe next together8 Comments on Tumblr tag archive – The Next Together (part 4)

Behind the Book: Editor Annalie Grainger

More in this series: Agent | Ghostwriter | Editor | Library Assistant  | Publicity Assistant | Typesetter | Cover Designer | Foreign Rights Manager | Blogger |Scout |Translators | Book charity | Copyeditor

I am very, very excited today to be talking to my editor at Walker Books! Annalie is one of the most genuinely nice people I’ve ever met, as well as being an editing genius.

Her editorial notes are always spot on, to the point where I’m just nodding my head as I read them, saying obviously I should have done that! under my breath every other second. I’m convinced her line editing abilities are actually magic (she can find 10,000 unnecessary words to remove from a manuscript and completely change a plotline from slow to pacey in seconds – all without taking out a single scene. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?).

She also writes her own novels – Captive, a thriller about the Prime Minister’s daughter being kidnapped, is out now. I had to get her perspective on publishing, from both sides of the field.

What does your job involve?

Acquiring books for the children’s and YA fiction list at Walker Books, then working with authors on edits as well as supporting them throughout the whole publishing process. I also work closely with the design team to create a cover and liaise with our marketing and sales teams over campaigns and pitches to booksellers.

How did you get started in editing?

My first job out of uni was as a marketing assistant at a children’s publishing house. I fell in love with the books but knew that I wanted to be more hands-on with their creation. After getting some editorial experience at a magazine, I became assistant editor to the fiction publisher at Walker.

What are your favourite children’s books now and from your childhood?

As a child, I loved A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, as well as Ursula Moray Williams’ Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat and Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch. Oh and The Witches by Roald Dahl. And The Deptford Mice by Robin Jarvis. (I loved so many books as a kid; I could write this list for ever.) As an adult, my favourite children’s books change, but at the moment I love Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl and Eleanor and Park. For younger readers, Frank Cottrell Boyce and David Almond are great. I’ve also just read Katherine Woodfine’s The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, which is gorgeous.

What drew you to The Next Together? 😉

The epic love story – I’m a total sucker for romance. I also really liked the characters, and the writing was very funny! Plus, the use of ‘original’ historical documents to help tell the story was unusual and intriguing. I would have loved that as a teen. (Is your head getting very big now, Lauren?!)

Yes, yes it is. Keep talking….

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Working with authors to make their book the best it can be.

You’re also a published author yourself. How does writing fiction affect your work as an editor, and vice versa?

I have definitely become more sensitive to my authors’ needs since becoming a writer myself. I like to think I’ve always been empathetic, but I really get it now – the insecurity and how exposed you can feel as a writer. It’s made me feel even more protective of my authors.

In terms of the way my editing affects my writing: I would say it has helped with structure. It has also made me less precious – if a scene doesn’t work, it has to go; that’s just the way it is. It can be hard to turn my editor’s brain off, though, so I can try to edit my work too early.

What are you proudest of in your career?

I feel proud every time a book arrives from the printers. (I felt especially proud when it was a book I had written!) It’s also lovely when authors tell me that I helped them to create the book they had in their head. That’s pretty special.

How do you go about choosing books to acquire? Is there anything in particular you’re currently keeping an eye out for on your book wishlist?

When I read a book that I want to acquire, I always get the same feeling – a desire to run around and tell everyone about it. However, acquiring a book is about more than just loving it. It’s worth new authors remembering that, as rejections can feel personal, but an acquisition is a business decision too. It’s about what else we have on the list, what is selling well and how we think this particular book might fit in.

I am always on the lookout for new and original voices and stories. I like books with complex characters, ones that surprise readers and make them think about things in new ways. And I like a love story too, but it has to have edge. Nothing too fluffy!

Has being involved in publishing changed how you read books for pleasure?

It certainly means that I don’t read as many adult books as I used to! If I’m not reading submissions, I’m reading published books to make sure I’m aware of the market.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to get into editing?

Talk to editors – ask them as many questions as you can to make sure that it is the job for you. Connecting with publishing professionals is much easier these days, with Twitter etc. See if you can go into a publishing house, to get a feel for the job. Read a lot and widely. Being an editor isn’t just about loving books. You have to be aware of the marketplace, both past and present. And finally I would say don’t think of editing as the only way to work with books. The publicity, marketing, sales and foreign rights teams all have lots of interaction with the books we publish. The job opportunities can be more varied and there are often more of them – especially at entry level.

Annalie Grainger is fiction commissioning editor at Walker Books. She joined Walker in 2007 and now edits a range of children’s and YA books by some very talented writers, including Jandy Nelson, Non Pratt, Zoë Marriott and Sarah Webb. Her authors have appeared on many award lists, including the Carnegie and the Branford Boase.

She is also an author. Her debut novel, Captive, written under the name A. J. Grainger, is published by Simon & Schuster. It was named ‘One to Watch’ by The Bookseller and was listed as one of The Telegraph’s best YA books of 2015. Her second novel is due out in spring 2016.

Find Annalie on Twitter at @_AJGrainger or her website.

In other news: Final copies of The Next Together are in! Isn’t it pretty? A little birdy has told me that if you come to my panel at Nine Worlds, they may be available to buy a month early…..so get on that!

I wrote about my favourite Harry Potter moment for Jim Dean’s 50 Magical Moments celebration of the 35th birthday of Harry Potter.

I filmed a ‘Kiss/Marry/Kill’ based video with Alice Oseman, while drunk, called the Cinnamon roll challenge. You’re welcome.

A rebloggable version of this post can be found here.

Posted byWren James31/07/201517/10/2015Posted inbehind the book, writing posts14 Comments on Behind the Book: Editor Annalie Grainger

July Favourites! Hannibal | The girl with all the gifts |

It’s that time where I wave my favourite things in your face again! Sit back and enjoy the Things.

Previously: April | May | June

MAGICAL.

Stationery: Pencilcase

Okay, so this is my all time favourite of the month. Nothing is going to beat this, in any way.

My pal Mel took the cover design of The Next Together and got it MADE INTO A FABRIC and then had the fabric made into a little pencilcase!

It was a complete surprise and I’ve still not recovered from my amazement. Is that not the best thing in the entire world?

Music: Halsey – Badlands

An anon on tumblr recced Halsey to me, and ever since I’ve basically been listening to her non-stop. She is so. good. Especially Trouble, which is literally a summary of the novel I’m writing at the minute.

Halsey describes her music as being like a horror movie, and that’s exactly right. I love it.

TV show: NBC Hannibal – Series 3

Hannibal is destroying my life. I had to make a new tumblr just so I could complain about all of my Hannibal feelings without everyone in the world unfollowing me. HANNIBAL, GUYS. I can’t handle it. It’s too much for me. Just – in every way. Help me.

The series so far is best summarised by this headline from The Onion:

By Silkysimpona

JUST KILL ME NOW.

Book: The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey

By Powells

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her “our little genius.”

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.

Honestly, I just love this because it reminds me of The Passage, which is one of my favourite books. I haven’t finished it yet, but it’s already one of the best books I’ve read in 2015, I think. I’m such a sucker for this kind of storyline. Give me more.

Recipe: Coconut rice

I went to a thai restaurant for my friend Clare’s birthday last week and tried sticky coconut rice for the first time. I think it changed my life. How have I never had coconut rice before? How?!? Why didn’t you guys tell me about this?

Charlie, being a cutie.

Webcomic: Recovery: A mini comic by Alice Oseman

Alice draws the most amazing art of her characters (and mine!) and posts something new and incredible almost every day.

She completely knocked it out of the water this time, with a comic about the characters from her new e-novella Nick and Charlie. It’s very short but hard hitting, and I highly recommend you check it out, along with basically everything else on her art blog.

Plus, we filmed a video together at YALC which is hopefully coming . . . some time soon? So brace yourself for that magic. It’ll probably be something like this.

Article: 7 Signs He’s Not Over His Ex – Clickhole

1. He regularly refers to you as a “poor man’s Janet”: Sorry, but if your guy constantly calls you a “poor man’s Janet,” referring to his ex named Janet, chances are he’s still hung up on her.

2. When he says his ex’s name he points at the sun, but when he says your name he points at the sewer: Not much else this could mean. He’s definitely not over her yet.

I would usually aim for something a little more highbrow that a spin-off Onion site (The Onion is clearly a theme today). However, I haven’t been so genuinely tickled by something as I am by “poor man’s Janet” in a long time.

Poor man’s Janet.

Fanfiction: “I like Spain” AU by Arianne

“Hi,” he said, then glanced at a hastily-written note in his hand and added, a little warily since she hadn’t blinked in several seconds, “Katherine?”

So, don’t freak out guys. Be chill. But…..someone wrote The Next Together fanfiction. SOMEONE WROTE FANFICTION FOR MY BOOK. WHICH ISN’T EVEN OUT YET?

It’s ridiculously sweet and adorable and I love it soooo much. Basically, Arianne is my new favourite person.

And….we’re done! We survived another month, guys! Give yourselves a pat on the back.

Posted byWren James29/07/201504/11/2015Posted inbook recommendations, favourites8 Comments on July Favourites! Hannibal | The girl with all the gifts |

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