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author
Mark Cowlin
Good writing keeps me sane, and attempting to become a better writer keeps me honest. I have written a number of articles, screenplays, two novels, a clutch of short stories and gained an honourabl...view moreGood writing keeps me sane, and attempting to become a better writer keeps me honest. I have written a number of articles, screenplays, two novels, a clutch of short stories and gained an honourable mention in The Writer's Digest Short story competition, 2008. I also worked on a skill-sharing project between the UK and Ghana.And I cannot exist without taking photographs. I have a BA in screenwriting for film & television from Bournemouth University (UK) and have written screenplays for both (some television scripts were developed but not produced). I have written one other young adult adventure novel besides Angel Heirs. When not writing I'm teaching literature to the next generation of readers and writers in middle and high schools and wrote Angel Heirs for them.As a teacher I have learned not to under-estimate teenagers. They are smart, sophisticated thinkers and readers that navigate a decade of emotional and physical upheaval, self-awareness and confusion with deft skill and a lot of luck. Pressure from parents, social anxieties and the media they consume contribute to the complexity of the teenage situation. Far too many young people find this weight overwhelming and take their own lives. I have experienced this as a teenager myself, losing four friends, and as a teacher it rocks the school community to its core and you are always left wondering what more you might have done. Angel Heirs was born partly from wanting to address these issues as well as from watching kids in class get bored with not being able to read gritty novels that expressed their reality a little more.Angel Heirs was conceived before the advent of Facebook and Twitter but written while they and many other social media filled all our lives on our pads and phones and hybrid devices. This author, rather like most teenagers, is excited by the potential for writers and their readers in this new media world.view less