I analysed ways to create characters, set up twists, structure scenes, and more. I read a lot of craft books about how to write a novel, but in the end I found that the best way to learn was to read and to watch TV shows and movies – to see how other people tell stories. I found myself googling things like ‘How long is a chapter?’ And ‘How do you create a character?’ And ‘What happens next in my plot?’ (Sadly, Google didn’t have an answer for that last one!) I’d written short stories, but nothing novel length, so at the beginning the biggest challenge was trying to figure out how to write a novel. Only a Monster is the fourth published novels to have come out of that dinner! It turned out that we had all been thinking about writing novels, and we made a pact to do it. Only a Monster is my first novel, and it began at a dinner with some friends. Hi! I’m a writer and educational editor from Melbourne, Australia. ' Only a Monster is captivating and unique and - dare I say it - utterly monstrous (in the best possible way).Hi Vanessa! Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey till now. She'll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. And her rare and dangerous power means she's being hunted. Joan is drawn deeper into a world that simmers with hostilities, alliances and secrets.

When the monsters of London are attacked, Joan is forced on the run with the ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family who are sworn enemies of her own.

And what's more, her summer crush Nick isn't just a cute boy - he's hiding a secret as well a secret that places Joan in terrible danger. The Hunts are one of twelve families in London with terrifying, hidden powers. You must never tell anyone about monsters.Įvery family has its secrets, but the summer Joan Chang-Hunt goes to stay with her Gran in London, she learns hers is bigger than most. A brilliantly compelling YA fantasy from a dazzling new Australian talent.ĭon't forget the rule. Joan Chang-Hunt has no idea she's part monster until she's thrust into a battle between the boy she has a crush on and one of the most ruthless monster families of London.

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len