My book A Game of Life or Death, begins with the discovery of the body of a young girl in her locked apartment with no signs of a break in….
The inspiration behind it came from a TV series I was producing at the time for RTE 2 – Gamer Mode – looking at the world of Video games. After that show I knew I wanted to do a thriller set in the world of eSports. One featuring a tech corporation run by a cult-like leader. And I also wanted to make it readable (so non-gamers could enjoy it), with heaps of romantic tension.
My Path to Publication
Imposter syndrome is real. I wanted to write early in my career but lacked confidence. So instead, I worked for decades in film and television producing other people’s stories. It gave me opportunities to travel, to meet people and to learn about storytelling and structure in the writer’s rooms of drama series. However, eventually, I wanted to do more – I started by first doing short evening courses in writing for teens (run by the amazing author Sarah Webb). Then I joined a writer’s group run by Simone Schuemmelfeder (at the Irish Writers Centre). From that came a manuscript which, once edited, I used to start trying for an agent.
I received offers from two agents with that manuscript, signing with the inspirational Marianne Gunn O Connor. That draft got me Marianne as an agent but despite lots of nice comments and getting close – it didn’t get picked up by a publisher. So, after about a year I decided I needed to upskill. I applied for the M. Phil in Trinity College (a Master’s in Creative writing) (which I did while also working full time). The course had amazing tutors like Eoin McNamee, Carlo Gebler, Claire Keegan, and Kevin Power – I came out of it with the first few chapters of what became my debut novel. Then through the mentorship program run by Words Ireland I got help on that draft from the BRILLIANT Louise O Neill (during lockdown, Louise was my lifeline in terms of keeping me focused on writing).
After the masters and the Words Ireland mentorship I finished what would become A GAME OF LIFE OR DEATH – and sent it to Marianne who asked for a few tweaks before it went out on submission. Marianne called a few weeks later saying she had an initial offer. Then there was more interest and suddenly it exploded. A pre empt eventually led to a five-way publisher auction and a 3-book deal with Scholastic UK. A complete whirlwind over just a few weeks, and now the book is in shops. It was also recently named as one of Waterstone’s UK best YA books of 2023 and one of the Sunday Times top 50 books for Christmas. I really can’t stop pinching myself that this has all really happened.
My next book is out March 14th 2024 and If you want to know more, or to get a free extract from the book (or some more writing tips) then please sign up for my (free) newsletter at www.trionacampbell.com (which will be starting in the new year). And let’s be friends – you can find me on Instagram @Triona_Campbell.
My Writing Tips
Everyone’s journey is different – this is what I found worked for me:
- If you want to be a good writer – you need to be a good reader. (& if you’re thinking of writing YA or for kids, can I recommend following @discoverIrishKidsBooks over on Instagram).
- The first draft is just for you – don’t self-sabotage by letting your inner critic loose – just focus on getting the story on the page.
- Find a time that works for you in terms of writing and stick to it. When I wrote my debut novel that time was 5am – 6.30am (before my kids woke up) five days a week.
- Have a plan. Film and Tv are BIG on structure and that was something I took from producing drama. I rely on having a ‘road map’ going into a draft. Not that I always stuck to it, but I found having something to refer to helped.
- My “story road map” starts as a 1 pager of the book focused on the main character’s “wants” and “needs”. Their possible journey is then loosely based on the “Hero’s Journey”. e., a character has a problem. They try to avoid and then solve that problem. They fail, they try again, they fail again, then there’s an “all or nothing” climax. If I can complete that 1 pager, then I know I have enough of a story to start writing. What stuck with me from working in TV is if you’re having issues at the mid-point or at the end of a story it’s not because the problem is there – it’s because you have a first act / set up problem.
- When reviewing your work – either read it aloud yourself or use the review button on Microsoft work and hit “read aloud”. It’s an easy way to spot word repetition, spellings etc.
- Learn hope to cope with rejection – there is a lot of it. If I could recommend one book for new writers, it would be Stephen King’s book “On writing” that also deal with this topic.
- Writing groups – a supportive writing group can be amazing in terms of keeping you on track.
- Only pitch your work when it’s as good as you can make it. The saying you get one shot to make a first impression holds true.
- When submitting – Do the research so you’re pitching to the right person. Then do multiple personalised submissions (sticking to the guidelines that each agent suggests).
- Use whatever you can to ensure you stand out from the crowd. If you were lucky enough to work with a writing mentor who is already published – ask if they would mind doing a blurb you can add to the front page of the manuscript. Got a social media following or you’re an expert in a field related to your book – put it in your pitch.
- On rejection from agents – remember everything is subjective, you don’t always know who else the agent is repping or what those writers might be working on (and sometimes it means agents aren’t looking to sign a potentially competing author no matter how much they love the work).
Happy writing!
(c) Triona Campbell
About A Game of Life or Death:
When sixteen-year-old Asha Kennedy discovers her older sister Maya’s dead body in their home, her world falls apart. Desperate for answers, and to stay out of the hands of the social services she grew up in, Asha turns to her hacker friends for help.
Her search leads her to Zu Tech, the hit games studio where Maya was a lead coder. As Asha begins to unravel the riddle of her death, she realises that the only way to uncover the truth is from the inside.
Asha ghosts her old life and infiltrates a Zu Tech eSport tournament as they launch ‘SHACKLE’, the revolutionary Virtual Reality video game Maya was working on – and which hides a monstrous secret…
- Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and They Both Die at the End
- A guaranteed page turner full of heart, tension and twists you won’t see coming!
- The first book in a major new YA series
Order your copy online here.
