Young Achill author’s tale of mystery earns book lovers’ approval

HE could be the next Stephen King or Terry Pratchett, but before Gareth McNamara finishes his first novel he has the small matter of his Junior Certificate to sit this summer.

The 15-year-old’s short story Times Two was one of 3,000 entered in a competition to mark World Book Day by students from more than 600 schools across Britain and Ireland.

But it is one of just a dozen — and the only one from an Irish entrant — chosen for publication.

“It’s a mix of horror and fantasy, two of the genres I mostly read, along with crime,” explained Gareth, a student at Scoil Damhnait in Achill, Co Mayo.

“I’ve always found mirrors kind of weird and I brought that into the story.”

The tale is published in an anthology of stories written by 12 young authors under the title Why Were Her Toes Like That?

Students were given a choice of opening lines with which to begin, and Gareth developed his idea from the contribution of author Malorie Blackman: “‘You must never open it,’ said my brother. ‘Promise me you’ll never open it’.”

His 1,700-word story is an occult account of the sudden death of the brother of narrator Hazel, a teenage girl, and how it is linked to a mysterious jewellery box with a mirror inside.

But he did not come up with the idea specifically for the competition. Instead, it was an element of a novel he was already planning.

“I’ve been writing the novel for about two months now and I hope to have it finished this year. I suppose it’s in the same genre as the story, but slightly more crime oriented,” he said.

Much of his writing is done at weekends, often for a whole day at a time. But he doesn’t rely solely on modern technology when putting his ideas on paper.

“I use an old manual typewriter for the first drafts. I got it from my grandmother during a cleanout, it has a kind of charm about it.

“It’s not one of the easiest career paths but they say you should do a job you enjoy, and I’ve loved doing this,” said Gareth.

His school has a strong culture of creative writing and Gareth’s English teacher Breege O’Brien said staff and students are delighted with his success. “I recognised his writing skills although it was hard to compare it to any standard. But his selection for the book shows just how strong a writer he is,” she said.

To mark World Book Day today, Booksellers Association of Ireland members are donating tokens worth €4.5 million to primary and second-level students around the country.

“In the last 11 years, more than 33 million book tokens have been given to Irish children,” said spokesman John McNamee.

Extract:

Awkwardly, I stood alone, away from the others, clutching a single red rose in my freezing hands. I squeezed it tightly in my fist and felt a brief sting as the thorns pierced the skin. I held up my hand so I could see the thin trickle of blood slithering down my palm, red on white.

And I started to cry.

It was ridiculous. How could he be dead? How? Alexis Darling Cain; quiet, clever, protective Alexis. Always there to grab my arm so I didn't walk out in front of a car. Archangel Alexis. And now he was gone.