Estelle Maskame is just 24 years old but is already seven years into an astonishingly successful career as a writer of fiction for young readers. Her first novel was initially published via online writing community Wattpad, where it gained four million hits before being picked up by Scottish publishing house, Black & White.
Since then, Estelle’s Did I Mention I Love You trilogy has sold more than one million copies and she had written two standalone novels, Dare to Fall and The Wrong Side of Kai. The latest book, The Making of Mila & Blake, is the finale in her addictive MILA trilogy.
She has been writing since she was tiny and now still can’t quite believe that she has able to call her favourite pastime a career. “My mum introduced me to the library at a young age which is where my love of books began, and this spilled over into storytelling. I wrote my first stories aged 7, and have yet to stop!” She enthuses from her home in Peterhead, where still still lives, “surrounded by my huge, supportive family.”
Stories for young adults
Estelle’s focus is on writing for the huge young adult market and she loves the connection that she has built with her readers both through her writing and her very active social media presence. “The advantage of being a young author writing about young characters are that their voices are authentic and current! And being not much older than my audience allows for an amazing relationship with them.”
So does she ever feel intimidated by the fact that she is so much younger than most of her fellow authors? “To be honest, there haven’t been any challenges,” she says, “and I’m very happy that my age has never held me back.”
“The majority of my readers are teenagers, which means they are very enthusiastic about the things they love. They will shout from the rooftops about my books! My readers have always been so supportive and never shy away from giving feedback, which I love to hear.”
Her latest trio of novels has been inspired by what she describes as: “my love of all things country! I wanted a book set in the US South, with an old-fashioned ranch, horses and country music.
“In the middle of all that, I wanted there to be a love story between two young people who hadn’t figured out their place in the world yet, having always been overshadowed by their parents,” she explains.
With fans of the first two instalments of the Mila and Blake love story champing at the bit for this final chapter Estelle says that bringing the series to an end is bittersweet. “My readers are excited to have the next instalment in Mila and Blake’s story,” she says, and is happy to report that, “The final book has gone really well so far.”
Looking forward
Despite the popularity of the characters, the author is adamant that, “That’s it for Mila and Blake, unfortunately, but I’m excited to move on to something new and figure out what’s next. I’m currently dabbling with a few ideas, so watch this space!”
Citing Holly Jackson and Karen M. McManus as two of her favourite authors, Estelle still finds the time to read for pleasure, “though I do end up inspired too!” she laughs.
The Making of Mila & Blake, by Estelle Maskame, is available now, £9.99, Black & White Publishing.
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