When an early draft of Miranda Moore’s YA debut longlisted for the Bath Children’s Novel Award in 2018 she decided to keep working on it. Cut to 2025, and A Beautiful, Terrible Thing is newly published by David Fickling Books, after winning their Search for a Storyteller Competition in 2024. Miranda shares her writing journey and why she especially loves writing for older teens.

Congratulations on the publication of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing! For those yet to read it, can you tell us what the story is about — and what first sparked the idea?

It’s a contemporary YA dual narrative about love, loss and atonement. On his first day after leaving school, his life ahead of him, Nathan, 18, drives into town to meet a friend. Distracted, he hits a boy, who dies on the tarmac before him. Twenty-five miles away, final year schoolgirl Cara, 17, is called home to the most devastating news: her little brother is dead, killed by a young driver. Nathan and Cara’s stories collide and intertwine. It’s about the lung-squeezing pain of grief, the soul-lifting power of love, and the dazzling preciousness of life.

I was a passenger in a friend’s car one day, and she was looking at her satnav and nearly hit a woman who was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing. I remember thinking how easily that could turn tragic, especially if there was nobody in the passenger seat yelling at you, and how that single moment would shatter and send shock waves through so many lives.

An early draft longlisted in 2018, picking up a coveted golden vote which said: “Powerfully descriptive and addictive – an accomplished piece of writing, which really gets into the head of the two main characters. GOLDEN YES.” Can you recall what this meant at the time?

Absolutely. I think when you’re working away on your manuscript, desperate to become a published novelist, listing in an award of this calibre is a massive boost. It helped me to think: OK, I’m not completely deluded; I do have something here worth working on. It made me want to improve my manuscript and keep improving it until it was ready.

Your manuscript shone out for its emotional punch and powerful storytelling …

The stories that resonate the most with me – that really stay with me – are the ones that have made me feel; that have made me sob, snort and sigh with sadness, laughter and joy for characters who feel real. So for me, it was always about emotion. It was about getting inside the heads of my two main characters and letting them lead the story. The plot came from the characters and their situations and values and choices. I did outline a rough plot, but the characters took the story in their own direction.

What part of the book was the hardest to get right? And which part came most naturally?

Probably the ending was the hardest bit to get right, with pacing a close second. I think the dialogue came most naturally.

Can you tell us about your path to publication — how did you come to sign with David Fickling Books?

David Fickling Books and Arvon launched their inaugural Search for a Storyteller competition in February 2024 for a novel by an unagented, unpublished writer. The prize was editorial development, an Arvon course and publication. They chose my novel, so here I am!

As an editor yourself, what was it like working with your editor at DFB and seeing your story evolve during the editing process?

It was tremendous. I love the editorial process, chiselling away to reveal the story to the world. I had two editors, and they’re both phenomenally good at their jobs. They offered insightful feedback and suggestions but never dictated. I felt trusted. I loved working with them and responding to their queries and nudges.

How did it feel when you first saw the finished book in your hands?

It felt like alchemy. I’d emailed a Word file, and here in my hands was a shiny book with a fantastic cover (it’s all about the cover). Pretty cool!

How did you choose the final title?

The story’s about a tragedy – a terrible thing – but also about a beautiful thing that emerges. I had a working title for the book but the publishers asked how I’d feel about brainstorming a new one that would be more marketable and lend itself to a striking cover. I would have been happy to go with someone else’s suggestion but my brain splurged a list of possible titles and everyone liked this one best.

Did anything about the publishing process surprise you?

Ooh, good question! I think what has surprised me has been the level of care and attention the whole publishing team has shown and continues to show. I perhaps didn’t expect to be so included in the whole process (very different to newspapers!). They are all just the loveliest people. I guess I’d never really considered from an industry perspective just how difficult it is to launch a debut and quite how much work goes into that effort.

Is there anything you wish you’d known earlier in your writing journey?

That I’d get here, in 2025, with DFB. Other than that, I really think it’s an apprenticeship and you need to put in the time to develop your craft. I’m not sure there are any shortcuts.

What’s one piece of feedback that really changed the way you write?

Oh, tricky! I remember a mentor telling me to play out a scene live rather than reporting it after the event. I think that’s what really made me understand showing versus telling. In addition to that, I think making the most of big scenes, learning to jump-cut and thinking about pacing and proportion has also helped. I have a tendency to rush, possibly because my instinct is to avoid overexplaining and overwriting.

Are there any habits, rituals or writing tools you’ve found especially helpful?

Is locking my husband and kids out of the house and blockading the doors allowed? My best writing tool is a deadline – I do love a deadline! If I’m stuck or blocked, I stop trying to write and go for a walk or do yoga or meditate instead. That’s when my plot issues resolve themselves. Similarly, to get inside a character’s head and see scenes playing out, I let myself relax into a receptive state of mind.

What’s next for you — are you already working on your second book?

I am. It’s called Wild Child and is about a girl raised by wolves then seized by armed police and taken into care. It’s about Silver’s struggle adapting to the world of humans. The setting is fictional but is loosely eastern Europe and the vast forest bordering Poland and Belarus. It’s an unconventional coming-of-age story about identity, belonging, the natural world and the human world, with lots of clashing between those elements. I think it resonates with a lot of struggles young people are grappling with today. It sounds dark, but there’s fun, warmth and resilience in there too.

What do you especially like about writing for older teens?

I know a lot of young people through my own kids and their friend groups, and I love their humour and banter and worldliness and idealism. I feel as a section of society, teenagers are at the sharp end of so much negative stereotyping. There’s a lot of really tough stuff for them to deal with in their own lives and in the world. They’re transitioning from childhood to adulthood while having to balance all that. I recall much of the discomfort I felt at that age. If a young person is struggling with scary thoughts and feelings, I think it can be reassuring to read about those emotions and go to those places within the safe pages of a book – but with a strong undercurrent of tenderness, humour and hope. A lot of young people I know are brilliant and savvy. I wanted to reflect some of that.

What do you hope readers remember most about A Beautiful Terrible Thing?

I hope the characters, Nathan and Cara, stay with them and move them, but leave them with an overriding sense of hope.

Lastly, do you have any advice for writers thinking of entering this year’s competition?

Go for it! What have you got to lose? If you get longlisted, you get readers’ comments, which is invaluable, and if you’re shortlisted, you get Junior Judges’ comments – your target readership. This feedback is gold. Keep working your sample until it gleams. Read it. Listen to it. Listen to it again. Make sure the pacing feels right. If anything feels off, fix it. Make sure the characters are clear and distinct. Reach beyond clichés and stereotypes for specific details. Remember senses. Consider your characters’ motivations. Read it one last time, then hit submit, pour yourself your favourite drink and congratulate yourself for sending it out there.

Interview by Caroline Ambrose