The glittering life of social media influencers is under the spotlight in LON KIRKOP’s novel. The author speaks to Times of Malta on his work.

TOM: The glitter of influencers and the shine of social media ‘stars’ are the seedlings from which your first novel, Mitt Elf Isem Ieħor: HappyVeganGirlJules, grows. Does this mean you see social media and influencers as a negative force in contemporary life?

LK: I think it depends on how one looks at it. I believe that social media can be a positive thing and can be a good tool if one knows how to make use of it. The same goes for influencers.

There are many influencers on various platforms that share positivity and can influence their viewers in a good way, especially the younger generation, while helping them deal with their struggles. These kinds of influencers helped me mould Julia, one of the protagonists in the novel.

Nonetheless, on social media platforms, where everyone can freely share whatever they want, there’s always going to be dangerous and harmful content. So, what we should ask ourselves is if users, especially teens, are educated enough to know how to use social media and how not to let it impact others or themselves in a negative way.

I believe there is a lot more room for improvement when it comes to education on this matter, especially in schools. Hopefully, this story will shed more light on the harsh reality and expectations that teen­agers have to face daily due to online influences.

Debut novelist Lon Kirkop

TOM: Your story then deve­lops into one of obsession and you aren’t afraid to go to dark places narratively when telling the story. What would you say is the genre your novel belongs to?

LK: This is a difficult question to answer as I think it straddles different genres. Categorising broadly, the novel is young adult fiction, but if I had to specify further, I think it fits well within the realistic fiction and social commentary genres.

TOM: Mitt Elf Isem Ieħor is your first novel, but you are also a successful emerging artist. Tell us more about your career arc so far.

LK: Apart from being a writer, I am also a visual artist and a printmaker. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Fine Art at MCAST in 2017 and since then I’ve been in many exhibitions both locally and internationally.

After I finished school, I got back into writing, mainly writing short plays, and since then I have had the opportunity to produce and direct some of my plays. Currently, I am reading for a master’s degree in printmaking at the Cambridge School of Art.

Story explores the struggles of being a teenager in a world obsessed with social media

TOM: Every author has a different route to publication and the bookshelves. What was yours?

LK: With this story, I knew I had something very special, but as it was my first ever novel, I didn’t have the confidence to submit my manuscript to a publisher to consider for publication. So instead, I decided to submit it to The Literary Contest of Novels for Youth organised by the National Book Council and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ.

Winning this contest gave me the confidence needed to approach a local publisher, so I immediately contacted Merlin Publishers. They liked it, and the rest is history.

Social media can be a positive thing, but it also harbours a dark side.

TOM: Your publisher reports that the novel is proving very popular not only with teens but also with adults. Do you find this surprising at all?

LK: I cannot say I am surprised that it’s also doing well with adults. Although it explores the struggles of being a teenager in a world obsessed with social media, it’s also about relationships between family members and friends while touching upon social issues that affect many people irrelevant of their age.

TOM: And finally, the inevitable question – what’s next for Lon Kirkop?

LK: At the moment, I’m working on multiple artistic projects that I can’t talk about yet, but I’m feeling blessed that I am working with a lot of talented people.

In March, I will be competing as a lyricist in the upcoming edition of Mużika Mużika: Festival Kanzunetta Maltija with the song Fittixni, composed by Gilbert ‘Bibi’ Camilleri and sung by Victoria Sciberras. Later in the year, I will also be publishing my second book Fil-Ħajja Li Jmiss u Drammi Oħra tat-Triq, a collection of short plays, with Merlin Publishers.

Mitt Elf Isem Ieħor: HappyVeganGirlJules is available from all leading booksellers and from the Merlin Publishers website.