This Young Authors’ talk was introduced by Mavis Cheek. Amy Sackville certainly has a fascinating and engaging persona; Cynan Jones was similarly appealing and talked openly about his experiences as a writer.

Both read from their books. Amy presented one of the many scenes where the wife of the main character is looking out to sea, a waif-like creature, through which the weather and wind seem to pass.

Later, she described the interaction between man and wife.

Cynan read the opening chapter of The Dig, a brutal description of the badger baiter’s attempt to cover up his work.

Whilst Amy’s work was about obsession and was delicate, haunting and intense, Cynan’s was much more about being trapped by the human condition.

I remembered, with some shame, reading a real page turner (Twilight) whilst cooking for my family, when Cynan said, “you can’t read Orkney whilst cooking risotto”.

These books are challenging books; books that arrest one’s attention, that demand your concentration, that totally involve you.

The writing experience was very different for both authors.

Cynan tries to have the book in his head before he sits down to write, so that the writing experience is more like remembering or watching.

Amy, on the other hand, finds that she is a restless writer and talked about trying to write without realising that she is actually doing it.

Interestingly, both authors were demanding readers.

Amy reads for style, not plot. She wants to be lost in the book and be able to say ‘how did you do that?’ at the end, and doesn’t want to be asking ‘how are you doing this?’ whilst reading.

Cynan referred to wanting to revert back to being a child when reading, how he wants to lose himself in the book.

The interesting question and answer session touched on the use of Kindles, the places in the two books discussed and how the two authors came to be writers.

The idea of belonging and of someone trying to find or feel the place they belonged united these books.

As writers, these two people had very much found where they belonged.

Kay Kiggell