A New Hope – Will Maslen, Neve McRavey, James McGunnigle, Emma Taylor and Gabriel Gontor

A New Hope is an anthology of fiction and poetry, giving a voice to young people.

Through Calum’s Legacy, Indie Authors World funded five young people aged 16–25 from Central Scotland to co-author, publish and print a book. Will, Neve, James, Emma and Gabriel took full ownership of the writing, editing, design, production and print processes with support from the expert team at Indie Authors World. They grew in skills and confidence; developing and honing their creative, entrepreneurial and teamwork abilities to emerge at the end the process with their own book, published under the Calum’s Legacy imprint, printed and ready to bring to market.

Becoming a published author is a transformational experience for many, opening doors, establishing or raising profiles, boosting confidence, connecting with peers and generating an income stream. We launched Calum’s Legacy to enable young people, who may be otherwise lacking in creative and entrepreneurial opportunities due to their situation or responsibilities, to experience that positive transformation at first hand. 

The five came from different backgrounds, some more experienced writers than others. Together they bonded into a group of supportive friends, helping each other with the problems they faced. The result is the book you hold in your hand.

The process took longer than we had hoped as COVID interrupted our plans but the young people stuck with it.

The four novellas and collection of poems cover a variety of genres. Will’s story is a modern fantasy about the spirit of a sphinx. Neve delves into the witch trials of Scotland’s past by giving it a contemporary twist. James writes a humorous fantasy that has echoes of the nonsense verse of Edward Lear and the comedy of the Goons. Emma’s poetry is both personal and poignant. Gabriel’s incredible imagination delivers a high fantasy tale of dragons and swords. Each of them has faced their own personal challenges to deliver these wonderful stories and poems.

The title of the book comes from Calum’s love of Star Wars, and seems appropriate as hope must come from giving young people a voice.

We hope you enjoy these stories.

Sinclair, Kim and Kirsten Macleod