Indie Author Week - Rachel Meehan

I now pass the Spotlight on to indie author, Rachel Meehan!

Rachel is the author of the YA Dystopian, Water's Edge. It is book one in her Troubled Times series.

The climate is changing.  Thousands are fleeing the chaos and social unrest.

With their own water and power supplies, fourteen year old Nairne and her family are well prepared to cope, but most people are less fortunate.  When Nairne persuades her father, Daniel, to house some of the evacuees on their small holding in the south of Scotland she plunges the family into a world of violence, deception and murder.

With society at breaking point, she has to grow up quickly as she discovers that the fortress Daniel built to give his children a chance has become the prize in a struggle where winning can mean the difference between life and death.

Rachel Meehan lives in rural, southern Scotland and has been writing fiction for a number of years, concentrating on the young adult genre. This passion for writing comes from Rachel’s artistic background and reflects her own interests in plot-driven writing that has its context in real life.

Rachel loves reading fiction especially, young adult, end of the world and dystopian novels. She also has a keen interest in the environment.

Rachel lives with her partner, and their house is situated well above sea level where they grow much of their own food and generate some of their own electricity.

Rachel checks her garden and surrounding areas regularly for signs of triffids...

Welcome Rachel! I was very happy to see that you are ever vigilant when it comes to Triffids. (If you don't know what a Triffid is go ahead and click the link. We'll wait.) Let's talk a bit about your novel, Water's Edge. Is there one character in your novel that you feel the most passionate about? 

The character I have chosen is Nairne Grear. She is the main protagonist in the novel. Nairne is fourteen years old and lives with her father and older brother in rural part of the south of Scotland. The story is seen through Nairne’s eyes and the plot unfolds through her responses to life changing circumstances. Nairne is the girl who doesn't fit in and who does not know how to fit in.

What aspect about this character was the most difficult to envision? The easiest? 

The easiest aspect of Nairne’s character to develop was her moral compass. She is a girl who sees the world in black or white, right or wrong and finds it difficult to change her views which she comes to quickly. She is very driven and focused and does not find friendships easy to develop. She has a lot of self belief and conviction in her views and actions, which can sometimes make her difficult to like. 

Her physical appearance was not the most difficult thing to imagine, and in my mind it is quite clearly developed, but it is not contained within the book in any detail. This was a purposeful decision at the outset as I was much more interested in her actions and views defining her character than her physical attributes which for Nairne are unimportant. I also hope that by deliberately leaving some of that to the readers’ imagination it may allow readers to identify with her more easily and to take on Nairne’s role throughout the novel. 

During the birth of your novel, was there any point where this character took an unexpected turn? (Ex. In personality, actions, heroism, characteristics) 

I would have to say no to this. The character of Nairne was quite clear in my mind from the earliest ideas about the book. Even though the plot was not fully formed until I started writing, her character was already quite developed. As the book took various twists and turns in its development it was more a case of analysing how this character would respond to the unfolding situation in which she finds herself. This sometimes led the plot in a different direction rather than making the character behave in an unexpected way. 

If this character suddenly sprang from the pages, what questions would you have for him/her? 

I think there would be a couple of questions for Nairne as we find her by the end of the story. These would be: 

Do you still see the world and its inhabitants as good or bad, or do people have the ability to prove you wrong? 

Do you wish at the beginning of the novel you had been able to compromise when your circumstances changed? 

Is there a particular passage or scene from your novel that you feel embodies this character the best? 

The scene I have chosen is near the beginning of the book (to avoid spoilers!) but I think it sets the scene for Nairne’s relationship with her peers and to some extent the world around her. The school has received a huge influx of new students who have had to move to the area to avoid the impacts of climate change. It is the start of the new term.

"Nairne felt like time had slowed down; each glorious August day spent in a classroom seemed longer than the previous one. By the following Wednesday afternoon, it was as if the holidays had never happened. It was double biology and they split into groups of three to look at samples under the microscope. Nairne was teamed with Laura Howard, one of the self-appointed class beauties, and Tamara Potter-Smith, a new girl. Nairne set up the microscope and loaded the first slide into place; she examined it and stepped aside for Laura.

“I don’t want to look,” said Laura pointedly.

“Nor me,” chimed Tamara.

Nairne made notes of what she had observed and loaded the next slide; once again the two girls did not participate. Mr Cunningham, the biology teacher, became aware that only Nairne was taking part while her team mates stood idly by, whispering to one another.

“Is there a problem Laura? Nairne, make sure you all get a proper look at each sample.”

“They don’t want to look sir,” said Nairne.

“Laura, do you know the answers to this lesson without taking part?”

“No sir.”

“Then why won’t you look in the microscope?”

“We don’t want to share, Mr Cunningham.”

“You heard what Mr Watson said, with so many new students we all have to make allowances and share some of the equipment. All right?”

“We don’t want to share with her! Can we join another group?”

Mr Cunningham paused, he knew that Nairne was unpopular, but he hated the petty squabbling and bullying that went on in school and he would not tolerate it.

“No, you will stay exactly where you are and participate in the lesson or give me a good reason why not.”

“It’s her sir, she’s dirty, I don’t want to touch that thing not after she’s touched it, and you can’t make me. She’s a dirty gypsy; she shouldn’t be in the class with other people.” Laura’s face was flushed with excitement as she spat the words; Tamara stood behind her giggling nervously, as a hush descended on the room.

Mr Cunningham removed his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose and rose to his feet.

“Laura, come here right now!” There was an edge to his voice. The girl walked forward, stopping a few feet from him.

“You will report to the headmasters’ office at the end of this lesson, but first, you will apologise to Nairne.”

“I won’t,” she said defiantly, looking to the rest of the class for support. “It’s true, everyone knows it; her mum had dysentery. And you get that from being a dirty gypsy. They just have to touch you, I saw it on the news and you can die from it. She shouldn’t be here; she should be sent home.”

Mr Cunningham was speechless. Nairne closed her notebook and placed it in her bag. She swung the bag over her shoulder and walked to the front of class towards Mr Cunningham and Laura.

“I think I need to go home,” she said to Mr Cunningham.

“Nairne, it’s okay. Laura will apologise or we will take this matter straight to Mr Watson.”

“Oh it’s okay sir, it is true. My mum did have dysentery, so maybe Laura’s right to be scared.” With this she spun the other girl round grabbed her head tightly between her hands and kissed her hard on the lips. Whoops of disbelief from the class filled the air. “Let’s just hope I’m not that infectious.”

Minutes later Nairne was out of the school gates and running along the street, her heart pounding as tears of rage ran down her face. She never wanted to go back.

Wow! Thanks for sharing such a great excerpt! And thanks for taking part in my spotlight week.

Readers, don't forget to show some author love and visit Rachel on her WEBSITE and on GOODREADS!  
It is also available for purchase on AMAZON!