THE WRITE WAY Two local authors’ books hit the big screen

ALL WRITE NOW As November is Novel Writing Month, we spoke to two local authors – Beth Reekles and Jack Meggitt-Phillips – who are making a worldwide impact, with their books being made into films by Netflix and Warner Bros. By Lisa Evans

There is some serious talent across these pages. These two local twenty-somethings are both literary sensations who have written books that have been, or are being, turned into films. The Kissing Booth, adapted from Beth Reekles’ best-selling novel, became one of Netflix’s most-watched movies in the world, while Jack Meggitt-Phillips’ The Beast and the Bethany has been snapped up by Warner Bros. – who put Harry Potter on the big screen. Here we chat to both of them…

Jack Meggitt-Phillips 27-year-old Jack, who was born and raised in Cardiff, has had a crazy bit of news recently. His book, The Beast and the Bethany, which was released in October, has resulted in Warner Bros. picking up the rights to the book for a major film deal.

To top it off, producer David Heyman of Heyday Films is attached to the film deal, too. Heyman and Warner Bros. have a strong relationship dating back to the multi-billion-dollar Harry Potter franchise and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

“I know I should probably try and be all cool about it, but I danced and skipped around the place with glee when I was told the news, which came around the same time as the publishing deal,” says Jack, who went to Llanishen High School. “My poor neighbours. explains Jack of his book aimed at eight to 12-year-olds. “One day, the “I’m particularly pleased that Heyday Films are attached to produce. beast announces that it wants to eat a child, and so Ebenezer brings a These are the people who made, among rebellious prankster into the house. other things, the Harry Potter and Paddington films. The beast and I couldn’t hope for better partners in our quest to delight and terrify as many children as possible.” The beast Jack talks of is of course the carnivorous monster that his book is centred around. “Ebenezer Tweezer keeps a beast in the attic of his mansion, who he feeds all “They made the Harry Potter and Paddington films; I couldn’t hope for better partners” Enter Bethany. “I started The Beast and the Bethany because I wanted to have fun writing again,” he adds. “And because the idea had been coughing pointedly in the back of my mind for quite a while.” In case you’re an avid writer reading this, we made sure to ask Jack how he got published in the first place. “That’s all manner of things – performing monkeys, pet thanks to my wonderful agent, Rachel cats, the occasional cactus – and in return the beast vomits out presents Mann, who took me on as a client pretty soon after I sent her the for Ebenezer, as well as potions which keep him young and beautiful,” manuscript,” he says. “She then set about editing it, and sending it out to publishers – including Egmont, who came in with a pre-empt offer. Without Mann, there would be no beast in the world, and I’m enormously grateful to her.”

THE WRITE WAY We asked Peter Gill, the managing director at Graffeg, a book publishing company in Cardiff Bay, for his top tips for people who dream of getting a book published... And does he think he’ll write more books? “I very much hope so,” he says. “Egmont has bought three books in The Beast and the Bethany series, so Ebenezer, Bethany, the beast, and I are currently having a long, serious think about the sequel. “I’m in a very fortunate position where I’ve been able to make 1 Write and send a synopsis of the story with a sample of 500 words. Let the publisher know who the audience is, and whether writing my job for the time being. This has left many more hours in the day for me to pursue my other hobbies of waistcoat shopping, bubblethe book is fiction, non-fiction, non-illustrated or illustrated. bathing, and rewatching the Bridget Jones trilogy.”

2Things that impress a publisher are: good story ideas, great writing style and ability, well-defined characters, scripted scenes, storylines with a plan, potential for a series, believable and memorable characters, and the ability to connect to followers through social media.

3As for what you shouldn’t do, don’t send complete manuscripts, and don’t send illustration ideas unless you can draw.

4It’s not all about the quality of the text, the story idea and the ability to communicate and express the idea is the most important starting point.

5Submit your text to many publishers as you have to before getting some interest. www.graffeg.com Beth Reekles The Kissing Booth author Beth wrote her debut novel when she was just 15, and now the 25-year-old, who is from just outside of Cardiff in Rogerstone, and who was named one of the most influential teenagers in the world, is still adjusting to her new life since her book was made into a hit Netflix movie.

The light-hearted Netflix comedy tells the story of teenager Elle Evans who falls in love with her best friend’s brother Noah. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said the film was “one of the most watched movies in the world,” which Beth thinks is surreal.

“I just feel so lucky,” says Beth, who wrote the best-selling YA novel while at school. “I couldn’t have imagined it being done in a cooler way. I didn’t have much involvement with the movie but they kept me in the loop. I was thrilled with the casting; they didn’t look like the characters that were in my head but all I wanted was for them to feel like the characters, and they did.

“It felt like some bizarre dream walking on to the set and seeing

hundreds of cast, crew, lighting crew ect. My dad turned to me and The sequel, The Kissing Booth 2, was released on Netflix a few months said ‘all these people are here because you were a weird, introverted ago, and Beth has recently announced the news that a third book, based 15-year-old who wanted to write all day every day’. on the script of the upcoming third film The Kissing Booth 3: One Last

“Netflix is a global online platform, but it’s quite fitting, I guess, Time, is due to be released next year. considering that’s kind of where the story As if a book and Netflix deal weren’t started,” she adds, referring to Wattpad, the huge online community where users share and read fiction. That’s where, as a teenager, she first debuted The Kissing Booth, and while it was being read more than 19 million times online, she signed a mammoth publishing deal with Random House UK. “Beth was named one of the most influential teens in the world” incredible enough, Beth was also named one of the most influential teenagers in the world, by US magazine Time, ranking alongside the likes of Malala Yousafzai, Justin Bieber and Barack Obama’s daughter. “I was really humbled,” she says. “When I saw the list, I knocked all the doors of my

“I really liked how I could write university flat just so I could share the news.” anonymously on Wattpad, because at the time I think I saw writing As for her advice to other aspiring writers, Beth says, “Write the kind as kind of a weird hobby,” she says. “As the story started to get more of books you want to read, because you’re so much more passionate popular on the site, I became more open about it with friends about the story that way. And definitely share it online to Wattpad or a and family.” similar forum.” n

5 MINUTES WITH… Children’s book illustrator Rebecca Harry, from Canton

Tell us about the books you’ve worked on… I have illustrated over 40 children’s books and these have been translated into over 20 different languages. The most successful is The Ruby the Duckling series, originally published by Pan Macmillan; and The Snow Bunny series, published by Nosy Crow.

How would you describe your style? Soft and painterly. I hand-draw the images in pencil then paint them with acrylics on a thick watercolour paper.

What’s the process of book illustration? As an example, my new picture book, A House for Christmas Mouse, came out on November 5, and this is how it took shape: the publishers, Nosy Crow, approached me with a lovely Christmassy text and asked if I would like to illustrate it. Illustrators don’t usually work with the authors, instead they work directly with the publishers.

My first job is to establish the main character and get them just right. So I create a couple of pages of character study doodles and then paint them up in colour. The important thing

is to show variation on each spread so that the reader wants to keep turning the pages to see more. If I was to fill a whole book with full spread illustrations, then it would seem a little repetitive. So instead I would mix them up with vignettes and pages with more white space on them. I then transfer the drawing onto watercolour paper and paint using acrylics. The paintings are posted to the publishers where they are then scanned and the designer will set the text around the digital version of the illustrations. The whole process can take approximately four months.

And you don’t just illustrate books, do you… My most recent job was packaging design for independent Cardiff business Blossom & Nectar. They wanted to rebrand their tea, gin and soap packaging. Basically, if a client likes your work, an illustration can be applied to any number of surfaces. If you think about it, it’s pretty much endless!

www.rebeccaharry.com