Bridgerton meets The Handmaid's Tale: Meet The Virtue Season author L.M.Nathan
I've been out out - am I cool now? Plus news, events & opportunities
My dear wordsmiths,
Hello and welcome to my little influx of new subscribers - I literally see every one of you as Substack sends me an email and it always cheers me up! What have you been up to? I’ve been out out to an actual concert at Manchester - Green Day at Old Trafford. I donned my dress, leather jacket and trainers and tried to look cool. I’m not sure it worked and it didn’t help that I was actually invited in a box (thanks Emirates) which didn’t do my credibility much good but there was free wine so say no more. An incredible double rainbow appeared in the sky above the crowd and it was quite something. The music was excellent too - actually I was inspired to play ‘American Idiot’ on Sunday’s radio show like a proper DJ.
You are fabulous
We all need a little praise don’t we? It doesn’t matter how long in the tooth, how experienced, how accomplished or how content we are on the surface - there is nothing like a ‘thankyou, that’s wonderful’ to make your day in the sea of life (aka polluted waters) we have to contend with. So if you are a writer battling the rewrites, the query trenches or the rejection - remember how amazing you are for getting that far. How many people do you know who said they would try and write a book? A Gazillion - so pat yourself on the back.
It’s a long time since I had much in the way of praise in my day job in journalism. As an editor I tend to get the complaints; people rarely think to stop and say thanks which I don’t think is just a news thing. But to my surprise my recent travel article to Dubai has proven a hit - apparently the Dubai tourist authority are sending me a present to say thankyou which I’m secretly hoping is a camel (even a card is lovely). Watch this space..
Check out previous editions:
Life’s little mysteries and five literary agents open for submission
How I will be supporting authors even more, fisticuffs at dawn & my first radio show
Meet.. author L.M.Nathan
Tired of the election? Well, another big event is happening on the day which could prove a distraction. Today I’m introducing author L. M. Nathan (Lisa) whose upcoming novel, The Virtue Season is set for release on July 4, 2024.
Described as a blend of Bridgerton and The Handmaid’s Tale, this dystopian tale promises to captivate readers who crave high-stakes narratives, intricate world-building, and resistance against oppressive regimes. With the resurgence of the dystopian genre driven by TikTok, readers are hungry for stories that tackle tough, dark subjects. So The Virtue Season does just that, addressing issues such as women's rights, bodily autonomy, and the persecution of minority groups, all while exploring first love and the deep bond of friendships.
A decade ago, while grappling with depression, Lisa stood atop Clitheroe Castle in Lancashire, staring at Pendle Hill, and imagined how a simple flood could wipe out the civilization below. This thought was fuelled by her personal struggles with mental health, her father's deteriorating condition, and the harsh realities of the benefits system for the disabled. It inspired the The Virtue Season, which showcases an unforgettable friendship between two women navigating a dystopian world, a testament to the resilience of love and friendship in the darkest times.
Born in the East Midlands, L. M. Nathan has lived in Bristol, where she studied English and Drama, and Malta, where she completed her MA in Literature. She also holds an MA in Journalism from Manchester. With over seventeen years of experience as an English teacher, she now resides in rural Lancashire (not far from me!), in the shadow of Pendle Hill. This novel, ten years in the making, is a profound exploration of human rights within a totalitarian regime, demonstrating how love and friendship can prevail even in the bleakest of conditions.
WHO?
My mum calls me Lou. My grandad called me Lucy Locket. And now, my debut novel calls me L.M. but really, I’m just Lisa, an English teacher from the East Midlands who splits her time between two children, a pony and a dog. I live in the Ribble Valley now, which inspired The Virtue Season, a YA dystopia about love, and control. The central characters attend the virtue season balls and are matched according to the purity of their bloodlines. Those who are considered ‘flawed’ are cast out, and not allowed to marry. Manon discovers something in her family that is considered a ‘flaw’ and must hide it if she is to thrive in this regime.
2. WHAT?
When I began writing The Virtue Season, my goal was simply to inspire people who had been made to feel they were wrong in some way, which I think we all have at one time or another. As a teacher I saw it all the time, how the weight of expectation prevents us from daring to be who we truly are. Now, as I write my second book, my goal is to write something I’m equally proud of. I don’t think I’ll ever write anything with a message as important as The Virtue Season again, but I hope I can match the feeling of accomplishment with the quality of the writing. The compulsion to teach has not left me but I’d like to teach creative writing unfettered by the limitations of exam criteria.
3. WHERE?
My first memories of writing are from when I was a kid and my brother had rather a lot of girlfriends, who he made me write poems for. I must have done a decent job because he married one of them and they not only have children but an adorable grandchild as well. At secondary school, writing was the only thing I was any good at. I received public praise twice. Once for a diary from the perspective of Juliet and the other for a diary from the perspective of a girl trapped in a plague village. A recurring theme…perhaps my next book should be a diary.
4. WHY?
I don’t know that I want to be a writer. It’s a frustrating thing to be really. I just am. It’s in the way I think. I’ve never been able to turn it off. It’s like having a second self on a parallel track, that rides alongside you, collecting, sifting, shaping, whilst you get on with your day-to-day routine. Now I can say I’m a published writer but if I had never got a publishing deal, I’d still function the same way.
5. WHEN?
On July 4th . When that date was chosen, we couldn’t have anticipated a general election on the same day but for a book with an oppressive dictatorship at the helm, it feels significant. The characters in The Virtue Season don’t have the luxury of democracy. Thank goodness, we do.
6. HOW?
The best thing I’ve learned is to share my work with people who will read critically, and who won’t pull their punches. I was lucky to be able to do that through the Curtis Brown Creative Novel course I took in 2021 which gave me access to those readers as well as industry professionals. But since then, I’ve found my local writing community who are trusted and valuable first readers.
7. What are you reading now?
I just finished reading You Are Here by David Nicholls. I love the way he writes relationships – understated and real and yet still gloriously romantic, perhaps even more so for their honesty.
Thanks Lisa! (L.M.)
You can look up L.M.Nathan here:
L M Nathan X: https://twitter.com/lmnathanwriter
L M Nathan Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lmnathanwriter/
Scholastic X https://twitter.com/scholasticuk
Scholastic Instagram https://www.instagram.com/scholastic_uk/
Scholastic TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@scholasticuk
News, event and opportunities:
Searchlight awards - Best children’s picture book text 2024: For un-agented and unpublished writers only, entries are now invited for the popular children’s picture book text competition. Submit the complete manuscript and a short pitch explaining what the story is about.
The Caledonia Novel award: The Edinburgh-based international writing competition for unpublished and self-published novelists is open for submissions. Writers have the chance to get your work in front of exceptional literary agents, with the possibility of winning cash prizes and a place on a Moniack Mhor writing retreat. The Caledonia Novel Award 2025 accepts all genres for adults and YA with a number of sponsored places to writers on a low income. Open for entries now and closes midnight GMT October 15. Judged by Alice Lutyens, literary agent at Curtis Brown
Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival: The event has announced the first round of authors and chairs participating in its events on September 27 and 28. Tickets will go on sale on 27 July. Friday will include three panels, opening with an indie author panel at 4pm on Friday afternoon while Saturday features six panels and an evening event.
Many thanks for reading , please like, subscribe and share plus get in touch! Nicola x