2099
A world all at sea.
Mara and Fox. Oceans apart.
Battling for a future in a broken world.
A thrilling trilogy set on a flooded Earth.
‘A miracle of a novel, a book you will remember for the rest of your life’ Guardian
‘Vivid.. urgent... like chapters in some magnificent epic.’ Scotland On Sunday
‘Breathtaking’ Bookseller
Julie Bertagna
About me...
I live in Scotland which is mostly wonderful but also mostly wet, and I’m the author of 12 books. Half of my books are Young Adult novels, published in 20-something countries around the world (the ‘something’ keeps changing as new editions in languages I cannot read pop through my letterbox). I've had the good fortune to win awards and be on all sorts of shortlists, but far more important for a writer is passionate readers who want to debate and argue about your books - and I've been very lucky to have lots of those!
My latest book Aurora is the final part of the epic Exodus trilogy. People keep haranguing me (nicely) for more, so who knows, maybe one day...? But now I’m writing my 13th novel (hopefully not unlucky!) set in a very different future from Exodus - Riven is a kind of cosmic dystopia full of heart-stopping heart-break, peril, battles and stars. Can the magic of science save us if we wreck the Earth? What if it takes us to places we never imagined possible...?
About books and writing...
The best thing about being a writer? The journeys. Sometimes they’re real - hey, research is a great excuse! - but the most incredible journeys I’ve ever had have been in my head. You can go anywhere, do anything.
I like to write in different places. New scenes and sensations spark ideas - like this bridge in Paris where I recently got an idea for a ghostly time travel story. The sunrise was strangely eery, with no one else around and I got spooked!
Bits of my books have been written in Italy, Greece, France, Switzerland, all over the wilds of Scotland - and in nearby cafes, libraries, museums, on park benches and outside dancing classes when my daughter was little. My first book found a publisher when she was just a few months old. My agent phoned me with the amazing news as I was up to my elbows in nappy... so I learned to scribble on a notebook balanced on the handlebars of her pram. I've done lots of journalism so I can write fast in all kinds of places!
Bits of my books have been written in Italy, Greece, France, Switzerland, all over the wilds of Scotland - and in nearby cafes, libraries, museums, on park benches and outside dancing classes when my daughter was little. My first book found a publisher when she was just a few months old. My agent phoned me with the amazing news as I was up to my elbows in nappy... so I learned to scribble on a notebook balanced on the handlebars of her pram. I've done lots of journalism so I can write fast in all kinds of places!
As a teenager, I loved dystopian novels long before anyone called them that - big, powerful stories with weird or futuristic settings that set my imagination on fire. So I try to write the kind of story I love.
On Demention...
I’d wanted to set up a blog for fans of these kinds of books and never found the time, so I was delighted to be asked to join Demention. I think I’m going to love it here - we hope you will too.
Where else to find me...
My website julie.bertagna.com and BLOG
Twitter @JulieBertagna
Via my agent Sarah Davies at The Greenhouse
