University News Last updated 03 July
A BCU Alumna has released her first novel, ‘Dead Real’, inspired by her teen self.
Natalie Perry, who uses the name Poppy T. Perry when writing, graduated from BCU with a degree in Visual Communication (Illustration) in 2007 and is now a Writer and Illustrator alongside being an Art Technician at a local Sixth Form College.
Her debut novel, ‘Dead Real’, is an illustrated Young Adult ‘Zom-Com’ which tells the story of an apocalyptic road trip across the Black Country – and a complicated love story. The graduate found that the characters in the book helped her to get to the bottom of problems she had fought with earlier in life and hopes that the book will help others too.
She said: “Dead Real is an illustrated Young Adult ‘Zom-Com’, think ‘Heartstopper’ meets ‘Shaun of the Dead!’
“The protagonist, Nora Inkwell, is ready to tell her best friend Ruby that she’s in love with her. But there are a few obstacles; college school gossip, internalised biphobia, Ruby’s romantic detours - and a zombie apocalypse.
“With the undead at her heels, Nora must fight monsters, dodge drama, and maybe, just maybe, survive long enough to confess her undying love.
“It is aimed at older teen readers but is really for anyone who loves a fast-paced, fun zombie romp. We aimed to get it somewhere between a novel and a graphic novel.”
The alumna was inspired by her own experiences as a teenager for the novel.
She said: “I’d written several full manuscripts before this one and I was speaking to an agent about the manuscript that came before ‘Dead Real’ and she said, ‘It’s good, but I’m not sure you’re the right person to tell this story’, and she was completely right. I’ve learned so much on my journey to being published. But her words got me thinking: What story am I the right person to tell?
“This, combined with an idea that I’d had for a while - of an apocalypse road trip story across the Black Country, being on the run with someone you really fancied, and your parents - was the starting point.
“The idea’s changed a lot over the drafts. The parents moved to a subplot. I put more of my teen self into Nora and Ruby. I made it a zombie apocalypse because I was obsessed with zombies at that age. I also made them want to be Special Effects Artists, because that was what I’d wanted to be.
“The internalised biphobia wrote itself into the story, because I guess that was what I was battling with then too. Growing up as bisexual during Section 28* really had a negative impact on me and what I thought of myself.
“In the way that writing can be a form of therapy, the characters in the book really helped me get to the bottom of some of the stuff I’d fought with, and I hope they might help others too - while also being on an epic adventure.”
Working on the novel gave the alumna the opportunity to write with freedom and creativity in a way she’d never been able to before.
She said: “I love the combination of creativity and problem solving that comes with writing. The freedom to build worlds and characters but then having to find a way to weave the voices, narratives and themes to make the heart of the story to glow.
“When it’s working, it’s the best feeling! Your characters start talking for themselves and the world appears as they move through it. It is so much work to get to that point, but when it happens, it’s pure magic.
“Writing is just like drawing in that you start with a rough sketch, then you polish and tighten all the lines until you’ve created something that makes you smile.
“Ultimately, I love to learn! With writing and illustration, you can study your whole life and never know it all. The more I write and draw, the more I learn from other artists and writers, and the better I get. That will never stop and knowing that makes me so happy and excited by my own potential.”
Alongside now being a published author, the alumna also does a range of other roles, and her years of working in the creative industries means that she has key advice to current students and fellow graduates.
She said: “As a creative, I have many roles. Alongside being a writer, I also work three days a week at Sixth Form College as an Art Technician.
“I also work freelance as an illustrator and artist and, through my love for figure and life drawing, I also work as a consultant artist.
“My advice to current students is to keep going. I’d dreamed of being a published writer for over 13 years, and of having my illustrations in a published book since I left University in 2007. It has indeed taken me a long time, but it is so much sweeter for it. I can be confident in my craft because I know I’ve put the work in. Now, I just have to fulfil part two of my dream where I make it a lifelong career.
“Also, never stop creating. Write things you love. Create art you love. That way, when you get found, you’ll be asked to make more of what you love, and people will see the heart in your work. But most importantly, always have fun.”
‘Dead Real’ is available now on Amazon and at WHSmith.
*Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 was a piece of UK legislation that prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality or teaching about it in a positive light, particularly in schools. It was repealed in Scotland in 2000 and in England and Wales in 2003.