Kerry Wilkinson: Guest Post & Giveaway

What if someone could tell you precisely what you're good at?

The first book in the Silver Blackthorn series is called Reckoning - which is named after the 'test' that sixteen-year-olds take to determine their place in society. Broadly, after taking it, young people are told the type of things they're actually good at and then directed to work in that area. For example, a person might be really good at architecture. He or she naturally knows how to design a building or a city - and yet it's not the type of thing that would be taught. Most people wouldn't even try it.

The idea behind it came about through me becoming an author. It really was an accident. I was very happy in my career as a sports journalist, even though I was always looking for ways to advance myself. I got the job I always wanted at roughly the same time that my books took off!

I have a very short attention span, however, and so was always looking to do things on the side. I did volunteer work, I drafted extensive notes for a stand-up comedy routine, I started cycling long distances ... and I wrote a book. The book did really well and I wrote more. It all just sort of ... happened.

That changed my life in a way that I never could have anticipated four years ago. I've travelled 

extensively, given talks to huge rooms of people, led workshops at schools - and so on, which all came about because I tried something new.

Whatever people might think of my books and my writing, like it or not, I really can write a book. I've had a dozen published, so have some idea what I'm doing.

But I always think, 'what if I hadn't tried?'. I would have never know that I was capable of doing so.

The plot point of the Reckoning is an extension of that. It was an idea that lots of people - perhaps even most people - have no idea what they're capable of because they either never try, or never think to try. Maybe, just maybe, I'm the greatest tap dancer who ever lived. I've never tried, so how would I know?

(I'm definitely not, by the way).

So what if all that was taken away and a person was simply told what he or she was capable of? Would that make a better world?

 That's the society in which Silver grows up.

 As for whether it's better or worse, well...I guess that's for readers to judge!

                                                       ❥ Win 1 of (2) copies of Renegade 

❥  UK ONLY.

 ❥  Enter by Thursday, 21st May
   ❥To enter, leave a comment below with your @ twitter handle/and or email address.

❥ Winner chosen by randomresult.com and contacted on Friday, 22nd May.
❥The winner has 48 hours to reply back or another winner will be picked.
                 
Good luck!