Addicted to Novels - YA Books and more... discussion

Who are you? Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Well hi. I'm Joshua Winning. I was born in Cambridge and I live in London working as a freelance film journalist. Which probably sounds a lot more exotic than it is – I spend most of my time working from home and distracting myself by annoying the cat, Mia. She's very patient. Mostly.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Everywhere and nowhere. Anything can set me off. A sentence in the newspaper. A line in a movie. Something I overhear on the bus. The way somebody on the street chooses to dress. I try to be as sponge-like as possible and just absorb everything around me in the hope that it will kick off a story idea.

Do you ever experience writer's block?
I think I have the opposite problem – I have loads to write, but I never have the time. That said, there's nothing more terrifying than an empty Word document and that insidiously blinking cursor.

While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?
I see it more as channeling a character than actually becoming them – especially as there are quite a few characters in my book, Sentinel, who aren't particularly nice. There were a few moments when I was writing a particularly nasty character where I felt like I should go have a third shower, though.

How did you come up with the title/s?
I wrote out a great long list of potential titles for Sentinel, but I ended up settling on the simplest (which was about halfway down the list). I've always liked one-word titles because I think they have a bit of a punch – and we can't all get away with things like A Feast For Crows, can we?

Do you have a nickname?
I have one that a particularly old friend uses, but I don't think it's worth revealing to anybody else!

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
Pride comes before a fall, they say. I've accomplished a fair bit, but I'm always looking for the next thing: the next challenge, the next mountain to climb. That's far more interesting than mulling over things you've already accomplished. Still, I'm pretty pleased that I managed to teach myself Swedish (with a lot of help and guidance).

Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor?
There are certain people in my life that I've always gone to with different things. I'm lucky to have an amazing group of friends (and family) who all have their own unique qualities. I couldn't possibly pick just one.

Will you have a new book coming out soon?
Give me a chance! Sentinel was released on 1 May. It's the first in a planned trilogy, though, so I'd better get cracking on book two. So far I've written about seven chapters but it's slow going – I'll have bursts of creativity here and there, then great long stretches where life gets in the way. I'm getting to it, though.

Where can we find your books?
You can find out more about Sentinel at www.thesentineltrilogy.com. Thanks!

If you could leave your readers with one bit of wisdom, what would you want it to be?
Do what you love and don't worry about what anybody else thinks of that. Also, never eat yellow snow.

Who are the Sentinels? They’re everywhere, but you’ve never seen them. The Sentinels are the world’s best-kept secret, but that secret’s about to come out… Are you ready for it?​

A dark fantasy set in Cambridge, Sentinel is the first instalment in the thrilling Sentinel Trilogy, which takes place in a world that everybody knows, but few would recognise. Who are the Sentinels? Who is the mysterious godmother? And why is fifteen-year-old Nicholas Hallow able to sense things that others can’t? Filled with action and mystery, Sentinel takes the reader on a whirlwind adventure with unconventional heroes and a little bit of magic.