This New Novel Is Co-Written By 7 YA Authors

As if the list of YA novels we can't wait to read wasn't already two miles long, a new YA novel co-written by seven UK YA authors is on its way to head straight to the top of that list. Floored will be a collaboration between top YA authors Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood — and oh my gosh July 2018 cannot come fast enough. The novel will follow a group of teenagers and their intertwining lives — with each author writing a different character. How amazing does this sound?

There are six main characters in the novel, who start off as strangers but bond after they share a traumatic experience. Once a year, the six teenagers meet to commemorate the person that they lost. As there are seven authors for this YA extravaganza, I'm speculating that we may get a glimpse into that person's story as well.

Floored was commissioned by Rachel Petty, the editorial director at Macmillan Children's Books. The idea came because, as Petty explained, “the UKYA community is so strong and supportive and I wanted to translate that into what I knew would be a really special collaboration."

This massive YA collaboration certainly sounds like a unique way of storytelling, and I can't wait to see the finished result. Petty admitted that it has been "editorially challenging to edit seven different voices into one coherent novel" but said that "it's been fascinating, and so much fun. The end result feels seamless – we’re keeping which author has written which character a secret and they all blend together whilst remaining totally distinct. I couldn't be more excited to share what this fantastic bunch of authors has come up with.” Mega-fans of these incredible authors will have a challenge on their hands: will they be able to recognise their favorite writer's voice, and work out who wrote which character?

Sara Barnard, author of Beautiful Broken Things and one of the writers contributing to Floored, said: “I'm beyond excited to work on this project with these brilliant, talented writers, who are individually producing some of the very best YA in the UK. I think Floored is going to be something very special, and I feel very lucky to be a part of it.” A novel written by seven favorite YA authors is certainly very special, and I'm counting down the days until I can get my hands on this awesome sounding book.