I am looking for representation for three stories:
WHICH Trials
WHICH Trials is a psychological magical realism teen thriller. It tells of Joe (14), a bullied boy who magics his troubles away when he accidentally downloads a witch-training app: only to find his problems double when the spells run out. He has to commit a crime to get his magic back and then he’s stuck, caught on camera by blackmailing witches. He must decide: back out and face the consequences or keep the magic and carry out more crimes.
The story is complete at 55,000 words, and draws on my experiences as a staff kid at a 1970’s approved boarding school. It looks at the relationship between bully and bullied, searching for the point at which a vulnerable person says no.
Hagstone
Fourteen-year-old Stu can see the future. He’s just inherited the scrying stone of the Brahan Seer and secrets and lottery numbers are his for the taking. It’s not all good news, though – the stone says he’s going to be murdered. Very soon.
Stu’s only hope is to catch his killer before his killer catches him. But who could it be? And when the answer lies partly in the past, can he put the clues together in time?
Hagstone is a story of murder, mystery and a little bit of magic. Set in Scotland, it is a teen magical realism thriller with an intergenerational twist.
Hagstone was selected for Undiscovered Voices 2020, run by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. It was also longlisted in the 2020 Mslexia Children’s Novel competition, while in 2019 it was shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize, run by Floris Books.
Psigns
Psigns is a young adult fantasy, also set in Scotland. It tells the story of psychic teen Roz, who gains a conscience she doesn’t want when she accidentally creates a mental link with a boy at school. Born to fight, but taught to hide, the link means that Roz’s life under the radar is over – and it totally complicates the rescue of her kidnapped mum from a sinister cult.
Psigns was longlisted in the Bath Children’s Novel Award in 2017 and the opening chapters of the book secured me a Scottish Book Trust New Writer’s Award for Children and Young Adult Fiction in 2017. As part of this, I worked on the novel for nine months with my mentor, award-winning author Julie Bertagna.
Psigns was also shortlisted in the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition in both 2016 and 2018 and helped me gain a place on a 2016 Curtis Brown Creative online course on writing for children, mentored by Catherine Johnson.
According to award-winning author Julie Bertagna:
“Helen MacKenzie is a strong and intriguing new voice in YA fiction. With twisty, pacy storytelling, diamond-cut writing and a compelling mix of sci-fi and fantasy, Helen has created an absorbing world and a unique young Scottish heroine with guts and heart in an original, mind-bending read.”
Helen MacKenzie 