Seven months after releasing her first book, up-and-coming Port Stephens author Madeline Drew has released its sequel and is hard at work penning the third in the series.
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Drew, from One Mile, launched her first young adult fiction book called The White in May and has quickly followed this with the December 5 release of the second instalment, called The Grey.
“I think it will always be a surreal feeling to know that the words I’ve written are being read and, hopefully, enjoyed by others,” Drew said when asked how it felt to have second book in the public’s hands.
“Due to the personal nature of some of The Grey’s storylines, this one makes me feel a bit more vulnerable.
“Nothing beats seeing someone reading a story you created.
“Nothing beats the feedback you receive and nothing beats that feeling of accomplishment that at 25 years old I’ve released two books into the world.”
The Grey is a direct sequel to The White, continuing the story of a carefully selected group who have been chosen to lead a new world.
The books are suitable for readers 13 and up.
“The White and The Grey can be enjoyed by anyone. Everyone should find a character to relate to,” Drew said.
Both books have been written and self published by Drew and edited by friend Nicole Thompson from Salamander Bay.
Drew began writing The Grey on Christmas Eve of 2017. She said she completed writing around July this year.
She said the the sequel was “so much easier” to write than the first book, The White.
“The words were spilling out of me for this one,” she said. “I think the easiest part about The Grey in comparison to The White is that I have changed narrators. The Grey is narrated by my favourite character, Miles Young.
“The Grey is almost transformational for me. I draw from personal experiences for my writing. The Grey taught me that there’s beauty and a lesson to learn from every ending, even the sad ones.
“With regards to writing, I learnt that I need to not attempt to control my writing method, because I write better without one.”
Following the editing by Thompson, coming up with a cover design and typesetting The Grey was published and is now available for purchase from Drew’s website: madelinedrew.com.
Paperback copies retail for $19.95 each. The eBook versions of both releases start from $2.99.
“Now that the release of The Grey is finished I can focus on writing the final instalment of the series which is to be titled The Black. I aim for a late 2019 release,” Drew said.