Waiting On Wednesday–The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, started by Jill at Breaking The Spine, highlighting future book releases everyone is waiting on!

The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black

Published by Indigo in September 2013

It’s Holly Black!!!! Her name alone will make me buy the book because she is just so darn talented! And isn’t this one of the coolest titles you have ever heard?

Book Summary

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

On Country Weddings… by Catherine Alliott

I was over the moon to be asked to take part in Catherine Alliott’s blog tour for her new book, My Husband Next Door. When I first discovered Chick Lit, Catherine was one of the first authors I fell in love with. Her books are hilarious and I recommend everyone reads them. In this post, Catherine talks about country weddings.

Country weddings can be absolutely delightful.  If everything comes together – weather, catering, families – there's nothing nicer, but for those very same reasons – weather, catering, families –they can also be fraught with difficulties.  

A great friend of mine has a beautiful country house which she inherited from her parents, but which costs a fortune to run.   To make it pay, she has an enormous permanent marquee in her garden from where, every Saturday during the summer, she hosts wedding receptions.  Luckily most go off without a hitch, but some have been disastrous.  There was the time the heavens opened from six in the morning to six at night, resulting in a river running straight through the marquee.  Or the time the caterers misjudged the alcohol and the police had to be called as there were so many fist fights between the guests.  Or the time the groom got cold feet literally hours before the service, and the whole thing had to be called off. Poor, poor girl.   But the one that really sticks in my mind is the time when one of my friend's pigs –yes, she keeps pigs too, she's a busy girl –  escaped in the middle of the festivities.

Below is a passage from The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton.   I stole this moment – we writers are like magpies, we nick anything – and embellished it a bit, for dramatic purposes.  But not much, actually.  Her pig WAS called Leonard, and he WAS enormous, and he DID make a terrible mess.   There really wasn't much for me to do, except dedicate the book to my friend Anna.

It was at this salient moment that the pig chose to enter the arena at racing speed. It stampeded through the crowd and sprayed guests left, right and centre as they ran, shrieking, for cover.

The pig continued to storm: he careered around the dance floor like a bull in a ring, knocking people off their feet, sending champagne glasses flying, upending tables and spindly gilt chairs at the fringes of the dance floor. Mouth gaping and barking loudly, he was huge, bewildered and terrifying. Women ran shrieking for exits, clutching their hats, and a huddle of bridesmaids who’d taken cover under a table rose up like a flock of birds as Leonard charged towards them, scattering them in all directions in a flutter of ivory silk. Men shouted orders to each other, to surround him, to corner him. One whipped off his jacket and fell on him, attempting to wrap the pig’s head in his coat, to blind him. But Leonard was big, clever, and surprisingly nimble. Despite the fact that his trotters failed to gain purchase on the parquet dance floor and he slithered frantically, he still evaded capture; bucking like a bronco, tossing the coat off his head and the fifteen-stone man from his back, breaking out of the circle.

Obviously the moral of this story is lock up your daughters –and your animals!

One of the occupational hazards of being a romantic fiction writer is that quite a lot of my stories inevitably end in marriage – and why not!  One that springs to mind for obvious reasons is The Wedding Day (you have to wait until the end to get the wedding but it IS quite romantic. As I recall, they float across the river to the church in a boat . . .)    Another is Not That Kind of Girl where poor Henny is jilted literally at the church door.  The cad of a boyfriend is a guard’s officer called Rupert, so dashing and so good looking, and who, fifteen years later, when she's happily married with two children, has the temerity to turn up in her life yet again . . .

So yes, weddings can be beginnings for me, and they can also be endings.  Either way, as a writer, they are gold dust . . .

LINKS TO BUY:

*SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL OFFER – A CROWDED MARRIAGE AND THE WEDDING DAY AT £1.99*- BUY HERE: http://bit.ly/crowdedebook and http://bit.ly/weddingebook

My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott (1^st August, eBook £7.99/ Trade paperback £12.99, Michael Joseph) – BUY HERE: http://bit.ly/MHNDebook

To find out more about Catherine Alliott:

Penguin / Facebook / Website

Have A Little Faith by Candy Harper

That’s it. I am never going to school again.

I was woken up this morning by Dad  doing some brutal curtain opening and entirely unnecessary breathing and existing. He said,’Wake up, sweetheart. First day back at school!’

Pages – 259

Published by Simon & Schuster on 1st August 2013

Goodreads Summary

Being fourteen is a minefield: with fashion dilemmas, teacher trauma, embarrassing parents and boy drama, Faith is just hoping to make it through Year Ten without too many disasters. But when she and her best friend Megs sign up to take part in an inter-school choir with the local boys comprehensive, Faith's life gets even more complicated… just how is she supposed to concentrate on becoming the next Cheryl Cole when she's trying to understand how teenage boys' minds work?

*******

After hearing the author, Candy Harper, read a few passages from this book, I knew I had to read it. In fact, I  have visions of her reading the whole book aloud to me. If there are plans afoot to develop an audio version of the book, then Candy Harper must read it – because in my eyes she is an older version of Faith.

I loved Faith! As soon as I was introduced to her, I knew I was going to want to know her better. If I was at high school, Faith would’ve been the girl I’d have befriended. She is so full of herself, yet adorable with it. She pushes her friends to the limit before reeling them back in. She can’t keep a secret, but feels she is doing her duty as a member of society by getting the information out there. She’s just wild and daring, extremely selfish at times, yet caring at others and I love her. Her sarcastic views of the world had me in stitches.

The book is a sort of diary format and follows  Faith’s first four months back at school. She’s been split up from her best friend Megs, and it’s interesting to watch how they deal with  the changes and cope with the new additions to their little friendship group. On top of that the girls are now spending time with the lads from the local boys school, which adds yet another layer to their group as they navigate their way through the minefield of blossoming romance.

This book will really appeal to fans of Louise Rennison’s books. In fact I think Faith is about to give Georgia Nicholson a run for her money when it comes down to who might be the funniest.  This book is hilarious from start to finish – Faith is one of the funniest characters I‘ve come across in years. I’m looking forward to spending time with her again.

Race The Wind by Lauren St John

Long before any of the humans stirred, the horse saw the trouble coming. He stared out into the darkness as two pinpricks of light grew steadily on a country lane where cars rarely passed at 3.35am.

Published by Orion Children’s Books in April 2013.

Pages - 216

When Casey Blue's Badminton victory earns her and Storm an invitation to the prestigious Kentucky Three Day Event, it is a dream come true. But that dream is about to turn into a nightmare. After her father is arrested for a crime Casey is convinced he didn't commit, she finds herself the victim of a vicious blackmailer. To make matters worse, Storm is behaving like the wild horse he once was. Faced with losing everything she loves, she needs the help of her farrier boyfriend, Peter, to win in Kentucky. But is he for her or against her?

*****

I used to be able to say with my hand on my heart that I had absolutely no desire to ever ride a horse again, especially after flying over the top of one when I was in my teens. Yet when I read this series by Lauren St John, I get this incredible urge to find a riding school! She makes horse riding so appealing and exciting, that you come away wondering why you never considered riding before.

The characters are awesome and always come across as the underdogs pushing their way to the top. Casey has so much more to deal with in this book – with her father facing many years in jail for a crime he appears to have been set up for, she must try and win the Kentucky to save him. Now this would be fine, if she wasn’t recovering from just winning the Badminton Cup and if Storm wasn’t ever so slightly temperamental. No pressure!

Storm is one of the best animal characters I’ve come across in  a long time. He is just about to pip Manchee from The Knife of Never Letting Go to the crown! He is feisty and independent – if he doesn’t want to do something, he soon lets Casey know. He is a force to be reckoned with.

From the first page you are completely caught up in the story again. You are desperate to find out what will happen to the characters. On reading it I would say it could easily be read as a standalone as there was enough information in it, to understand what happened in the previous book.

I’m really pleased to see that this book is told from various view points which includes a few adults. The inclusion of McLeod added a comical element to the story, especially as his friendship with Peter grew throughout the story. I am secretly hoping he sticks around for the third book and perhaps falls desperately in love with Mrs Smith!

There are still elements of the story left to be solved. We know that Mrs Smith is poorly but as of yet we have no idea what’s wrong with her. I would imagine her illness will make a major part of the plot for Book 3.

Lauren St John has written  a thrilling tale that leaves you breathless as you wait for the final book in the trilogy. As with the first book it has an old school feel about it which I love and will make this book appeal to children and adults. If you love Black Beauty and National Velvet, then this book is for you.

Non Fiction Friday - Girl Least Likely To: Thirty years of fashion, fasting and Fleet Street by Liz Jones

I went to visit my mum today.  She is in her old bedroom, still in the semi-detached Sixties’ house she shared with my dad in Saffron Walden in Essex, but the room could now by anywhere.  Or at least, anywhere inside an institution.  Her bedroom furniture has been taken away – the double divan, the heavy, dark dressing table – as the carers found it to be in the way, too low, too high, too heavy.  Basically, my mum’s pride and joy, Pledged over many decades, contravened health and safety.  She is, instead, in a narrow hospital cot, with metal bars on each side, a hoist above her hovering like an obscene child’s mobile.  It twinkles, I suppose, when someone has bothered to open the curtains (a ritual that began and ended my mum’s every day, whilst she could still wield a mop to shove the heavy, oak curtain pole back up into place, given it always drooped with the weight of the blue velvet).  But rather than being a comfort, the mobile-hoist hybrid is a constant reminder of her infirmity.

Published by Simon & Schuster on the 4th July 2013

288 pages

Book Summary

Liz Jones is Fashion Editor of the Daily Mail, and a columnist for the Mail on Sunday.  She is the former editor of Marie Claire, which sounds quite an achievement, but she was sacked three years in.  A psychotherapist once told her, ‘What you brood on will hatch’, and she was right.  Nothing Liz ever did in life ever worked out.  Nothing.  Not one single thing.

Liz grew up in Essex, the youngest of seven children.  Her mother was a martyr, her dad so dashing that no other man could ever live up to his pressed and polished standards.  Her siblings terrified her, with their Afghan coats, cigarettes, parties, sex and drugs.  They made her father shout, and her mother cry.

Liz became an anorexic aged eleven, an illness that continues to blight her life today.  She remained a virgin until her thirties, and even then found the wait wasn’t really worth it; it was just one more thing to add to her to do list.  She was named Columnist of the Year 2012 by the British Society of Magazine Editors, but is still too frightened to answr the phone, too filled with disgust at her own image to glance in the mirror or eat a whole avocado.

She lives alone with her four rescued collies, three horses and seventeen cats.  Girl Least Likely To is the opposite of ‘having it all’.  It is a life lesson in how NOT to be a woman.

******

Reviewed by Georgina Tranter

Liz Jones is a bit like Marmite.  You either love her or hate her and this book will not change that.  Many who already dislike her will read this and continue to do so.  Those of the three million readers of her column in the Mail on Sunday will read it and love every word.  So what about those who aren’t sure, or have maybe never even heard of Liz Jones?

Journalist and fashionista Liz Jones never felt she would be good at anything.  She only really had two ambitions, to own a horse and to appear in Vogue magazine.  The first she finally managed a few years ago, the latter she never achieved.  Starting out as reporter on Lyons Mail, Liz worked her way up through the likes of Company magazine until she was offered the role of Editor of Marie Claire.  She was to dramatically fall from grace just three years into the role by challenging the ‘body issue’ and the way that magazines portray women.

This is Liz’s account of her life, from her first childhood home by the A130 that she was too scared to cross, to her failed marriage to an adulterous husband; Liz reveals all.  I will readily admit to being a reader, and admirer, of her column in the MoS.  I do think that she has become a parody of herself, that with her writing she has created a persona that she now cannot afford to shake off.  But, she has an unfailing talent for writing, and publishing things that shouldn’t be said, but for Liz, that has made her career.  She no longer has a husband, or very many friends as a result but she tells it as she sees it.  She is nothing but unseeingly honest.  I actually really enjoyed this book, she focuses more on her earlier years than the later ones of her marriage, and current relationship to the Rock Star, but that’s what the book is about; if you want the latest ins-and-outs of her life, read her weekly column.  However, I wouldn’t want to be Liz Jones for anything.  She clearly is a woman who tries too hard, and seemingly fails at almost everything in doing so.  Is she her own worse enemy?   Probably.

Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Don’t. Please don’t say my name. You have no idea who I really am.’’

Published by Electric Monkey (an imprint of Egmont) in June 2013

Hardback 259 pages

‘Summary from Egmont’s own site.

No one really knows who Andrew Winston Winters is. Least of all himself.

He is part Win, a lonely teenager exiled to a remote boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts the whole world out, no matter the cost, because his darkest fear is of himself . . . of the wolfish predator within.

But he’s also part Drew, the angry boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who, one fateful summer, was part of something so terrible it came close to destroying him.

****

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

This psychological thriller is definitely one for the top end of the teen/YA market. It straddles the border into New Adult territory – and many readers beyond their twenties who like dark and complex books will get a lot out of it. It is not suitable for younger children.

The cover on the Hardback UK edition with its illustration by Jim Kay (the artist who collaborated with Patrick Ness on A Monster Calls) sets the tone accurately.

On her website, Stephanie Kuehn says “I think Mr. Kay has perfectly captured the emotions and conflict of the story.”

As a reader, you do need to be paying close attention pretty much all of the time. There are a number of plot strands and two main timelines which intersect frequently. You have a very unreliable narrator in the shape of Win/Drew and it can feel that you don’t know what is true at all at some points. Of course, this makes you want to read on all the more.

Right from outset, there is implied violence and tragedy –it is not a comfortable read. It’s intense and full of menace and yet despite this darkness, it does have a convincing and positive resolution. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but there is a sense at the end of things being worked out, of hope and the power of friendship.

It’s only fair to warn potential buyers that there is some rather extreme language. In view of the subject, it works well in context. Similarly, there is a degree of implicit and occasionally explicit violence. It is not gratuitous.

Generally, Egmont is seen as a ‘literary’ publisher. Certainly, this is a book which requires intelligence to get the best out of it – but the vocabulary and syntax used is quite easy to follow, on the whole. The complexity is in the ideas and the shifts of perspective – just what has happened?

You will really enjoy this if trying to understand the behaviour of a troubled central character intrigues you; if confronting the darker sides of human psychology makes you want to read on.

Secret Serendipity Seven with Suzy Cox

As part of The Dead Girls Detective Agency blog tour, I’m pleased to welcome author Suzy Cox to tell us all her darkest secrets about her debut YA novel.

1. ‘Hotel Attesa’ wasn’t its original name

At first, I called the place where the Dead Girls (and boys) are sent to live while they’re trying to solve their own murders ‘Hotel Obmil’ (get it?!). But my editor, the amazing Lindsey Kelk, who writes the I Heart… series, very nicely told me it was way, way too obvious. ‘Sala di attesa’ means ‘waiting room’ in Italian, so I borrowed that instead.

2. The Attesa actually exists

Well, kinda. When I was trying to dream up a spooky New York home for the Dead Girls, I couldn’t stop thinking about a night I spent in the Washington Square Hotel [www.washingtonsquarehotel.com/] in the Village. It’s this gorgeous old art deco place which used to be a hang-out for artists and writers – everyone from Bob Dylan to Joan Baez has stayed there. You can feel the hipster history dripping in every cranny. The July night I stayed was super-hot – New York fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot – and I got ten minutes sleep, max. Every time I almost drifted off, I was convinced there was someone in our room, watching me. I didn’t say a word to my husband until we were on the plane home (he doesn’t sooo believe in the supernatural), but to my surprise he admitted he’d had the same feeling too and been really freaked out. I’ve been too scared to stay again since!

Which brings me onto Number 3…

3. I’m scared of ghosts

Ghosts stories terrify me. I watched Paranormal Activity two years ago and still have nightmares about a poltergeist grabbing me in the night. If I so much as see a trailer for a scary movie on TV after 9pm, I know I won’t sleep. I think that’s why I loved writing Dead Girls so much – I got to create some nice friendly ghosts that I can control! If something goes bump in the night, now I know it’s only Charlotte. And who could be scared of her?

4. Camels in a Freeway came from a film

When I was trying to think of a cool name for David’s band, Little Miss Sunshine was on TV. There’s a scene where the family are driving thorough the desert in that beat-up yellow camper van and they pass a totally bizarre ‘watch out for camels’ sign… and my band name was born.

5. I’ve never lived in New York…

…though I’d really, really love to. But I have been there six times. I wrote the New York in Dead Girls’ from memory – and with a map of the city laid out on my London living room floor. Hands up, I’m totally obsessed with New York. For me, it’s the most magical, beautiful city in the world. If I had to be marooned in one place for eternity, it would totally be Manhattan. Not that I’m jealous of Charlotte. Because she is, well, dead.

6. I learnt to speak American from TV

Growing up (erm, and even now, tbh) I had a bit (read: major) of a problem when it came to American teen TV. Good Morning Miss Bliss, Saved By The Bell (original, College Years and New Class), My-So Called Life, 90210, California Dreams, USA High, Buffy, Sweet Valley High, The OC, Gossip Girl… I have spent SO much of my life watching them all. Before Dead Girls, that was known as ‘time wasting’. Now I call it ‘legitimate research’.

7. Dead Girls has a different ending in America

But I’m not going to tell you what it is, or it’ll ruin Dead Girls 2. The UK one is the version I wrote first and a little darker, I guess. I hope readers like it as much as I do.

The Dead Girls Detective Agency is on sale now and published by Much-In-Little, an imprint for Constable and Robinson.

To find out more about Suzy Cox:

Twitter / Facebook

Maisie Hitchins: The Case of the Vanishing Emerald by Holly Webb

"Maisie! Maisie!"

Maisie Hitchins looked up from the hallway of her gran's boarding house to see Lottie Lane, the actress who rented the third-floor rooms. She was hanging over the banisters in a most undignified way – Gran would have told Maisie off for doing that – but she still looked beautiful, even upside down.

One of a series of books about Maisie Hitchins, this is an exciting mystery story set in Victorian London. Feisty Maisie is determined to be a detective when she grows up, and living in her gran's boarding house gives her plenty of opportunities to practise her detective skills.

****

Review by Liss Norton

In this book the beautiful young actress Sarah Massey, a friend of one of gran's lodgers, loses a priceless emerald necklace given to her by her fiancé. There is a curse attached to the necklace and Sarah is convinced that it is causing all her bad luck. Maisie and her dog, Eddie, are soon on the case and have an exciting time backstage at the theatre where Sarah is performing, as they try to find the necklace and get to the bottom of the curse.

I found the story fast-paced, with a plot that twists and turns and surprises the reader from time to time. There is a sprinkling of humour, too, particularly when mischievous Eddie gets involved. Line drawings every few pages make the book even more appealing to its target audience, girls aged 7+. Well worth reading!

Introducing a New Team Member to Serendipity Reviews - Children's Author Liss Norton

I am so pleased to welcome international children’s author, Liss Norton, on to the Serendipity reviewing team.

Liss Norton is a children's author with thirty books published in the UK and internationally. One of her books has been televised in Australia and another won the Picture Book of the Year award in South Korea. Liss is a regular visitor to school book weeks, where she loves inspiring budding readers and writers.

Liss is a member of SCBWI and kindly hosts a local group for authors which I have recently started to attend. Liss was eager to join the reviewing team  along with my other talented reviewers. Liss would like to specifically review books for the  5 to 7 and  7 to 9 year old  age brackets, so if any publishers have any books that you would like reviewed  that fits this age group, then please email me at vivienne_dacosta@hotmail.com and I will forward them to Liss for her perusal.

Watch this space, as Liss has her second review for the blog  coming up later today.

Have You Seen The Trailer for All Our Yesterdays???

Check out the amazing trailer for All Our Yesterdays by Christin  Terrill which is out on August 1st and published by Bloomsbury! Created by the very talented Casey from Dark Readers!!!

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

What follows is the strange and fateful tale of a boy, a girl, and a ghost. The boy possessed uncommon qualities, the girl was winsome and daring, and the ancient ghost…well, let it only be said that his intentions were good.

Published by Random House Books in June 2013

Pages - 369

It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings. . .

*****

This book was brought to my attention after references to it’s similarity to The Book Thief. Now I’ve never read The Book Thief as it’s one of those books that intimidates me, so I refused to let this new release make me feel the same way.

Right from the start you find yourself listening closely to the omnipresent voice of the ghost that haunts Jacob, although I don’t actually think you could calling it haunting, more nurturing than anything. The ghost is quite a studious and moralistic soul and claims to be the voice of Jacob Grimm, one of the famous Brothers Grimm, which really adds a fantasy overlay to what seems to be a contemporary story.  Fairy tales and the lives of the Brothers Grimm, play a really  important part in this story and you need to keep that at the forefront of your thoughts as you read it – otherwise you might be completely shocked by the final quarter of the book. A huge event occurs in the last part of the book which I completely missed  and I am kicking myself for not seeing it sooner.  Ingenious plotting!

The characters evoke empathy in you as soon as you meet them. From Jacob right through to the Sten, the baker, I sympathised with them all and only wanted to see happiness brighten their lives. They had all suffered in one way or another. Ginger was probably my favourite. After appearing a little cocky and perhaps a bit of a trouble maker, you soon realise there is a lot of love in her heart.

The setting was extremely charming. It felt very contemporary and yet their was an invisible layer of magic that floated over the top of it. You couldn’t see it or feel it, but you knew deep down it was there.

At the heart of the book there is a gentle and innocent love story that blossoms out of friendship and fear. After their experiences, nothing will ever break the bond between Jacob and Ginger from that point on.

This is a beautifully written tale and one that will stay with me long after finishing it. I can honestly say I haven’t read anything else like it. The author has managed to take elements of fairy tales and weave them intricately into a contemporary novel.   I would say it is  unique and original and definitely a book I will return to again and again. 

The Unquiet Grave by Steven Dunne

Saturday, 22 December 1973 - Derby

The boy looked up from sorting through his football cards to watch him mum light another cigarette.  Her hands were tight and clumsy as she fumbled for her props but, eventually, the hiss of gas and a guttering flame signalled job done.  Tossing her gold lighter on to the coffee table, she took a quivering draw, holding the blue-grey poison in her lungs for a beat before exhaling across the room.

     Jeff watched in silence as she tried to ease back and relax but she couldn’t manage it, at once pulling back her frame to the edge of the sofa, her legs bent double, her tension-wracked shoulders invisible under the uncombed hair.  She played with her housework-reddened hands, sometimes picking at a jagged nail, sometimes swivelling the two rings round her wedding finger.

     ‘I’m hungry, Mum,’ said Jeff, in that way children have of asking for things without actually posing the question. 

     Without looking over at him she answered, her voice hoarse and strained. ‘Dad’s home in an hour.’

     Jeff gazed unblinking, waiting for her to crack.  It didn’t happen.  ‘But I’m hungry now.’

     ‘You can have a sandwich when Dad gets home,’ she replied, trying to keep the rising emotion from her voice.  She glanced his way to reassure but it didn’t take.

Published by Headline  on the 4th July 2013

448 pages

Goodreads Summary

The Cold Case Unit of Derby Constabulary feels like a morgue to DI Damen Brook.  But in disgrace and recently back from suspension, his boss thinks it’s the safest place for him.  

But Brook isn’t going down without a fight and when he uncovers a pattern in a series of murders that date back to 1963, he is forced to dig deeper.  How could a killer stay undetected for so long?  Could it be luck or are there more sinister forces at work?

Applying his instincts and razor sharp intelligence, Brook delves deep into the past of both suspects and colleagues unsure where the hunt will lead him.  What he does know for sure is that a significant date is approaching fast and the killer may be about to strike again…

*******

Reviewed by Georgina Tranter

This is the fourth novel by Steven Dunne featuring DI Damen Brook.  Following on from his previous case, Brook has been placed on suspension and is just returning to the force, a figure in disgrace.  There is only one place for a policeman such as him and that is to be stationed in the basement of the police station working on the cold cases of the

Derbyshire force.  But as you can probably imagine, he’s a good policeman, and his instincts soon lead him to reinvestigate a number of murders, that date back as early as 1963.

Unfortunately for Brook, there aren’t many left on the force that he hasn’t already managed to antagonise, so he is left pretty much a one-man team with his enquiries.  But has he discovered a developing pattern that has been left undiscovered by his predecessors, or was the now-deceased DCI Sam Bannon actually on to something when he flagged up the supposed ‘Pied Piper’ killer all those years ago?  If that is the case, Brook only has a matter of weeks before the killer strikes again!

This is a well-written, fast-paced novel.  Despite the plethora of characters that Dunne manages to entwine into the book, it’s a real page-turner.  I couldn’t wait to find out if Brook was right and that there was a link to the Cold Case Unit and if he would catch the killer in time, of if other factors were actually at work.  If you are a fan of crime fiction, which I most definitely am, and haven’t discovered Steven Dunne yet, this is a pretty good place to start.  As for me, I’m off to devour his back catalogue!

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

Trucks with mud on the tires were what I was used to seeing parked outside  a house party. Expensive foreign cars weren’t. This place had at least twenty of them covering up the long driveway. I pulled my mom’s fifteen-year-old Ford truck over onto the sandy grass so that I wouldn’t be blocking anyone in. Dad hadn’t told me that he was having a party tonight. He hadn’t told me much of anything.

Pages – 246

Published by Simon and Schuster in July 2013

Goodreads Summary

When Blaire Wynn's mother passed away, Blaire's life changed in an instant. Having cared for her sick mother for the last three years, suddenly Blaire has to leave the small farmhouse in Alabama they shared, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. But what she isn't prepared for is the lifestyle change that comes with the move, and she knows she'll never fit into the new world of luxury and extravagance that suddenly surrounds her.
Even worse, her father has run off to Paris for the summer with his wife, leaving her stranded with Rush, her new stepbrother, who's irritating, arrogant and… seriously sexy. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous; his famous father's guilt money, his mother's desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no. Blaire knows he is anything but good for her, but somehow she can't fight the attraction she's feeling, especially when she starts to think the attraction might be mutual… Rush is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that Blaire just may have fallen too far.

******

I honestly can’t get enough of Abbi Glines’ books. I love them so much that I actually tried to analyse this one to see what it was that made me practically inhale them. Starting with the first chapter, Abbi had me hooked when I realised Blaire’s mother and father were obviously separated and Blaire’s dad was living a life of luxury while his daughter struggled to make ends meet. I got all that in the first paragraph and needed to know more. On looking closely at the first chapter, I realised it was a perfect blend of dialogue, setting, action, emotion and exposition. Seriously! I actually highlighted the parts to see and it was an even mixture! No wonder I can’t stop reading these books!

The characters hold your hearts string straight away. Blaire has a gentle  toughness surrounding her like a fragile egg shell, that is easily broken. She is innocent when it comes to guys, similar to many of Abbi’s female leads, but she knows she wants to lose that innocence as quickly as she can. Rush is a total jerk to begin with, but hot with it. As the story progresses I became a huge fan of Rush’s and I look forward to meeting him again in the following two books.

The story has a surprising twist at the end. I knew there had to be something not quite right about Nan, but I wasn’t expecting it to be what it was. I was also really shocked at where the characters were left at the end of the book. 

Normally I would have issues with a relationship involving two step siblings, but I was enjoying the romance so much, it kind of flew over my head. Blane and Rush didn’t know each other; they hadn’t grown up together so I didn’t feel they had to act like brother and sister.  The sexual tension between these two characters, who both knew they should stay away from each other, was mind blowing. I’ll say it again as I’ve said before, Abbi knows how to write hot male characters that have you swooning.

The secondary characters really come to life in this book. Woods turns out to be a Marcus style character, which Abbi brought to life in the Sea Breeze series. I really like Grant and I seriously hope he will be reappearing in the other two books. Bethy made me giggle – she came across as hot, white trash and I loved her for it.

This series is now running head to head with the Sea Breeze one for me, as I struggle to work how which I love the best! It might have to be a tie.

If you haven’t read any books by Abbi Glines yet, then you are missing out. Buy every single one of them and take them on holiday with you. I promise you will read the lot by the time you come back.

Secret Serendipity Seven with Amanda Sun

As part of the INK blog tour, I’m pleased to welcome Amanda Sun who has kindly agreed to share some secrets with us about Ink in the author feature, Secret Serendipity Seven.

1) INK as a Contemporary

Here’s a little-known fact—INK actually started out as a contemporary. The first time I saw Tomo in my head, he was hunched over his sketchbook in a field, drawing the birds as they chirped in the nearby trees. I knew I’d wanted to write a novel involving my time spent on exchange in Japan, and Tomo was the first character who revealed himself in my mind. Katie and I started watching him sketch—we knew so little about him, only that he wanted to be an artist, but his father insisted he go into the sciences or something “practical.”

And then a strange thing happened. Katie and I were watching Tomo draw one day, and suddenly, his sketch moved across the page. I was shocked. Slowly Tomo revealed who he really was, and what was really going on, and I knew I had some other book entirely on my hands.

2) INK and Egyptian Mythology

Japanese mythology is definitely at the heart of INK, but there’s another surprising influence in there—ancient Egyptian myths. I majored in Archaeology at university, and one of the courses I really enjoyed was Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphic. I learned that the scribes who painted the hieroglyphs on the tomb walls would often paint or chisel jagged lines through the middle of any glyphs that had snakes in them. Why? So the snakes wouldn’t come alive and bite the entombed Pharoah in the After Life.

I loved the idea that drawings could come alive in such a dangerous way. I combined this idea with the origins of Japanese kanji (characters) as a way to communicate with the spirit world and the ink was born. I like the idea that the more ancient myths and writings hold a kind of power that isn’t safe. Safe stories aren’t nearly as fun, are they?

3) Katie’s Space Ventures

So you know how characters pop into your head one day, and slowly grow and change until you discover where they fit in? Well, that’s what happens for me at least. And the truth is Katie showed up in my mind long before INK.

Katie was originally a starship ensign in a Star Trek fan fiction of mine. I can’t remember now if I actually wrote it down or it was just a recurring daydream, but Katie first got her literary legs on Voyager, working in the Astrometrics lab with Harry Kim and another invented character of mine, Lt. Jonathan Greene. Despite his best efforts, Jonathan couldn’t win Katie over—she was too headstrong and not interested. I realise now they were the wrong match. When Tomo started sketching in my head, I knew Katie was the right one to set in his path to push him out of his comfort zone.  She changed and grew to fit her new role. The Greene name made the leap with her, though Jonathan himself is still lurking in my head waiting for his new story home.

4) Katie’s Run-in with the Law

There’s an outtake from INK, and that is when Katie follows Tomohiro to Toro Iseki.  In the deleted version of the early chapters, it’s after many of Tomo’s strange disappearances that Katie finally decides to follow him. If you’ve read the book, you know that she has to duck under a chain-link fence into the off-limits area. But in a deleted scene from INK, Katie actually got caught by the security guard patrolling the fence. What happened? Well, the guard got flustered when he realized she was a foreigner, and let her off, telling her just to go home.

My exchange student friends and I found that authoritative figures in Japan are often very reluctant to correct foreigners if you make mistakes—for example, if you buy the wrong train ticket or end up in an area that’s off-limits. So when this event happened in INK, Katie again felt isolated and out of place because of the special treatment.

5) Jun’s Musical Talent

In INK, Jun asks Katie who her favourite classical composer is—his is Beethoven. But there’s more to Jun’s love of classical music than merely listening to it—Jun plays an instrument. Which one? You’ll have to read Book 2 to find out!

Music is only one of Jun’s hobbies. He also loves police dramas on TV, kendo, and Italian food. He enjoys Korean food and café au lait too, when he’s not busy getting into trouble.

6) Secret Messages

If you follow my Facebook page (Facebook.com/AmandaSunBooks), you may have noticed the feature Chibi Thursdays, when I post stats on each of the characters in INK—things like favourite foods, birthdays etc. These details, while fun, also have hidden secrets about the characters in them.

For example, Tomo’s birthday is December 23, which is a special holiday in Japan because it’s also the emperor’s birthday. In the same way, Katie’s birthday is placed around the time of year called Seijin no Hi, or Coming of Age day. This is to note how Katie is growing and finding her place in the world after losing her mother and moving to Japan.

There are also character traits in the kanji I’ve chosen for each of the characters names. I tried to choose very carefully, and some of the characters discuss their names in more detail in Book 2.

7) Deep River Cameo

In SHADOW and INK, Katie talks about a little town in Canada where Nan and Gramps live—Deep River. The truth? That little town is where I grew up! It’s on the Ottawa River, which separates the provinces of English-speaking Ontario and French-speaking Quebec. It’s so tiny that there are no buses and only a single traffic light. There are lots of forests, though, and at times I had close encounters with bears, foxes, and skunks on my way to school. I used to take books into the forest to read, picking wild raspberries as I went. Other times I pretended I was in another world and wandered the forest as a knight or lost hero.

Katie talked in a little more detail about her summers with her friends in Deep River, but they didn’t make the final book. Those are secrets for another day, I suppose!

Hope you enjoyed all these behind-the-scenes secrets, and I hope you look forward to reading INK! :)

Amanda Sun was born in Deep River, a small town where she could escape into the surrounding forest to read. Ink is her first novel and The Paper Gods series is inspired by her time living in Osaka and travelling throughout Japan.

Visit her at www.AmandaSunBooks.com and on Twitter at @Amanda_Sun.

Available from amazon http://amzn.to/12FzSMN

Watch the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h51YUkiyGc

‘Transcendence’ by C. J. Omololu

It’s happening again.

The tingling at the back of my neck, the disconnect I feel from everything around me, the tiny beads of cold sweat on my forehead – as soon as I recognize the symptoms, I know I’m in trouble.

Bloomsbury June 2013

325 pages

Summary from Bloomsbury

Nicole fears she's losing her mind. Lately, everywhere she goes, everything she touches, triggers vivid scenes of a time she doesn't know, in a place she's never lived. Then she loses her heart too . . . When Griffon first sees Cole, he knows immediately that she is special, like him - that her visions are memories of past lives. And he is sure their paths were meant to cross in this life . . .  With Griffon's help, Cole pieces together clues from many lifetimes and discovers a secret that could ruin her only chance of a future with Griffon. But risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

*****

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

Transcendence is a romantic YA thriller with a strong supernatural element. It is written  as if from 16 year old cello prodigy Cole’s point-of-view. The central premise involves past life recall and there are plenty of time-slip cameos of these memories scattered through the book. 

I particularly like the ‘male lead’ Griffon being a person of colour – and that not being an issue in the book. Since he is very close to the centre of the story, I rather wish they had used the US cover as this shows both him, and their relationship, clearly.

Whilst there are moments of peril, and supernatural events, it is fundamentally relationship focused. The romance is gently handled – it would be quite suitable for younger teen readers. There are some nice moments of character-led humour and the overall story is neatly resolved.

However, there is strong series potential in some of the subplots – and I know that there is at least one sequel – Intuition. Those who love Cole’s relationship with Griffon and all it entails will look forward to this, I’m sure.

I have only one reservation – and it’s nothing to do with the actual story. 

I have no problem with an American heroine using words like ‘sidewalk’ and ‘Mom’ – but I do object to English characters speaking like Hollywood extras. A Yeoman Warder of the Tower of England would not say ‘infirmary’, for example. I wish the publishers had done a little editing here – it’s partially set in London and it’s meant to be the UK edition.

Rant over.

Far more importantly, if you want an American-styled paranormal romance with twists and turns, and plenty of heart, then ‘Transcendence’ may well suit you. There is no love triangle, and no supernatural creatures, yet it has plenty of mystery and a touch of passion.

Waiting on Wednesday–More Than This by Patrick Ness

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, started by Jill at Breaking The Spine, highlighting future book releases everyone is waiting on!

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Published by Walker Books in September 2013

I’m a huge Patrick Ness fan, even though he makes me cry uncontrollably most of the time. I can’t wait for this book!

Book Summary

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .

Postcards from my Writing Hut to my Unpublished Self by ML Peel

Today on the blog, I’m pleased to welcome Megan Peel, author of  The Fabulous Phartlehorn, Affair which was  published by Walker Books in February 2012. Megan has written some lovely postcards to her unpublished self.

Dear Megan (aged about 5), 

   I’m sorry you’re upset after failing your new school’s reading test, and getting sent to the “remedial reader’s club” (whoever thought of that stupid name!) Don’t be sad. I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of those boring books you’ve been given. Roger Red Hat would be enough to put anyone off reading. My advice is to go to your local library and look under ‘D’ for Dahl, or ‘B’ for Blyton, that will get you reading in no-time. 

    Love, Megan 

PS – when you’ve whipped through those books, you could also try asking the librarian about a detective called Nancy. 

***

Dear Megan (aged about 10) 

   I hope you can take your nose out of that book about Anne Boleyn for long enough to read this. Your dad tells me (you probably don’t realise how much he boasts about you) that you want to be an author. That’s great, but don’t be itching to grow up too fast. All this weird and wacky childhood stuff is going to be really important material. Even the things that are making you sad will end up being useful in stories. Take that crazy nanny of yours, the one who’s a bit like Mary Poppins, only with a Mohican and a robin reliant with a hole in the floor, well she’s a book in herself! In fact, the most useful thing you could write now would be a diary. 

  Love, Megan 

PS – you probably don’t want to tell too many people you think you’re Anne Boleyn’s reincarnation! 

***

Dear Megan, (aged about 15), 

    Time for some tough talking: I know your hormones are raging, but all this mooning over boys is quite frankly embarrassing, as are all the terrible yearning poems you are writing about them. Why not try writing about something other than yourself: like politics or nature?  Also, you might want to think about reigning in your floral descriptions, just a little bit. You know all those long letters you wrote to that boy Marc from Florence. Well, one day, in about twelve years’ time, you’re going to bump into him again, and he’s going to tell you he’s kept those letters and you’re going to squirm with embarrassment. If you want to learn the truth about love, and how to write well about Florence, you should read Edith Wharton, 

  Love, Megan. 

PS – stop making eyes at that poor young history teacher. One of the many reasons he is ignoring you is because he is a good and kind man. If he were to make eyes back at you he would be a creep, and therefore not worth fancying. 

***

Dear Megan, (aged nineteen), 

I am really glad you’re loving university (it seems too good to be true, being encouraged to lie around on the college lawn and read novels all day!), but sad to hear you have lost your confidence in your own writing. Maybe it’s true you’ll never write a novel as good as The Waves or a poem as good as September Song, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying completely. I know you chickened out of going along to that creative writing group, but I think you should try and pluck up the courage again. I promise you that everyone there will be feeling as anxious as you are about not being William Wordsworth. 

Love, Megan 

PS – try not to go too mad with that new cheque book…. 

***

Dear Megan (aged twenty seven), 

   I’m so happy you’ve finally started writing again. It’s hard to find the time when you’re working such long hours in advertising, but trust me all these early mornings and late nights will pay off in the end. Don’t fret about that Arvon children’s writing course you’ve booked yourself on, and whether it’s a waste of one of your precious week’s holiday: I promise you it will end up being one of the best weeks of your life, and the best gift  you’ve ever given yourself as a writer. Going on that course will inspire you to sign up to a poetry evening class when you get back, and that poetry course will change your life in more ways than you can imagine. I don’t want to spoil the end of the story for you, but let’s just say, it’s amazing who you meet when you start doing the thing that makes you happy. 

Love, Megan 

PS - I know you sometimes feel like you are wasting time working in an office, but the truth is that when you finally become a published author (yes, that’s right it IS going to happen), it will come in very handy to be able to work freelance in advertising to earn a bit of extra money!

***

Dear Megan, (aged thirty two) 

  So you finally took the plunge, bought a stack of brown envelopes, and sent the first three chapters of that children’s novel, out to some agents. … and now, you’ve got a lot of rejections.

Honestly, that’s normal I promise. Believe it or not, the fact that some of them actually took the time to write you a personal rejection (rather than the photocopied slip that most of them sent…) is really promising. You’ve still got a couple of agents left to hear back from, yes, I know it’s been months and months since you posted it to them, but it really can take them that long to fish you out of the slush pile. All you need is ONE agent, who believes in your book. The agent who believes in your book will be the best one to sell it. 

  Hang on in there, it’s not long to go now, I promise, 

  Love, 

Megan x 

***

Dear Megan, (aged thirty two),

  So your agent says she’s getting some interest in your novel. Congratulations! That is fantastic!!! The morning when you will walk into a large London bookshop, pick your book up from the shelf and stroke it, before suddenly coming over all embarrassed, and running out again, is just around the corner. 

   Be warned though, getting your book published will not solve all life’s problems. In fact, it might even create some new ones, like the fact that now you’re going to want people to actually read it; but when they do read it, you’ll worry whether they like it; and then there’s the fact that you’re going to have to write another one: this time to a dead-line. 

Love, 

Megan x 

   PS - You’ve got this idea that writing your second book will be easier. I am sorry to have to break this to you, but it won’t be. Because you know that man you met at your poetry evening class, you’re going to have a baby, and that baby, well, she doesn’t like sleeping. …

To find out more about Megan Peel:

Twitter 

Absent by Katie Williams

‘When you die,’ Lucas Hayes once told me, ‘It’s like every wound your body has ever had-every skinned knee, paper cut, pimple – opens up and says See? I told you so.’ Lucas had held Brooke Lee as she’d jittered and bucked, rolled and foamed, and – yeah – died, so I figured he knew what  he was talking about.

Published by Chronicle Books in May 2013

Pages – 180

Goodreads Summary

When seventeen-year-old Paige dies in a freak fall from the roof during Physics class, her spirit is bound to the grounds of her high school. At least she has company: her fellow ghosts Evan and Brooke, who also died there. But when Paige hears the rumour that her death wasn't an accident--that she supposedly jumped on purpose--she can't bear it. Then Paige discovers something amazing. She can possess living people when they think of her, and she can make them do almost anything. Maybe, just maybe, she can get to the most popular girl in school and stop the rumours once and for all.

*****

The premise for this book had my interest straight away. I am a sucker for a ghost story, especially if there is a bit of body borrowing going on. Right from the start, the story reminded me of A Certain Slant of Light. It had that sadness to it, knowing you can’t change things about your life once you die – sort of a finality about it. As the story progressed it had hints of Dead Rules about it too, especially when Paige has concerns about the way she died. However, the ending of this book definitely made it stand out in it’s own spotlight of uniqueness. I did not see that ending coming. Kudos to the author for originality.

Paige wasn’t my favourite character in this book. I found myself getting  annoyed with her own self importance and need to change everyone’s opinions about her death. However, she did manage to do some good deeds by the end of the book, but  I think the changes that occurred in characters were accidental rather than planned.  My favourite character had to be Evan. So thoughtful and understanding, showing a maturity beyond his spiritual age. I felt his life could have been so different, but I’m glad he felt remembered by the end.

The book is quite a short story but definitely worth reading. There is a natural beauty in the writing that I really loved. The book handles some difficult subjects such as teenage suicide and sexuality acceptance. The innocence and the emotions of each character were at times hard to read but the author edged them with a little humour to ease the pain.The scene with the revealing of the mural had me in tears. It’s significance and meaning was so beautiful and yet raw. I’m putting this author on my radar for all future books published.

The Big Break with R.S. Pateman, author of The Second Life of Amy Archer and A Giveaway!

Another exciting debut author features on the blog today – R.S. Pateman, author of the psychological thriller, The Second Life of Amy Archer, published by Orion this month.

1) Your debut novel, The Second Life of Amy Archer, is about to be published. How are you feeling? 

Excited, anxious, happy, proud. But mainly I feel the nip of my fingers against my flesh from where I’ve been pinching myself since Orion offered me a book deal. It’s taken me a long time to get here, so standing on the brink of a life-long goal is very gratifying but also a little terrifying – I’m on the brink of sales figures and reviews, etc, too! Billie Jean King said that pressure is a privilege and she’s right. So, beneath the euphoria and the anxiety there’s a very real sense of being both privileged – and lucky.

2) The book is a psychological thriller. What kind of research did you have to do in order to get the story right?

My writing process is a little chaotic so my research tended to be on a ‘need to know’ basis – as in, I’ve hit a brick wall and need to know about ‘xxxx’ before I can continue. That doesn’t sound very clever or organised – and it isn’t. But, in this instance, it worked for me. I did some very light digging into reincarnation but quickly stopped as it’s such a complicated issue and I didn’t want the book to become too dry or theoretical. It helped that such a lot of the arguments about it were way over my head! Plus, I wanted Beth’s reaction to Esme’s claims to be as untainted and instinctive as possible – most people have a view on psychic/paranormal things one way or the other and the views tend to be basic, knee-jerk reactions rather than considered opinions based on sophisticated researched. 

3) What was the most interesting piece of information you discovered while researching for the book? 

Perhaps the most significant piece of information I discovered was the name of one of the characters – and where it led me. It had to be a name that was unexpected and unusual for the person concerned, but not too common as to make tracking them down via the internet unfeasible. Henry is a fairly unusual Christian name for people of the character’s age. I thought a double-barrelled name would narrow things down even further. I remembered the name of a Jamaican sprinter, Veronica Campbell Brown. I substituted Black for Brown and then tried Google. Henry Campbell Black had just one entry – a long-dead lawyer whose legal dictionary had become a staple text for lawyers. The ‘research’ gave me a character name and the narrative format for that character’s story – a kind of dictionary.

4) How long did it take you to write?

I first had the idea for the book over twenty years ago but left it buried in a notebook. When we met, my agent, Oli Munson at A M Heath, didn’t think the book I was writing was right for my debut. He asked if I had anything else. I told him about the idea that had been festering in my notebook for the last twenty years. He said to play around with that. So I did. The Second Life of Amy Archer is the result. The actual writing of the book – from first draft to approved, copy-edited version – took around ten months.

5) Were there times when you felt that it would never get published? If so, how did you work your way through them?

Crikey, yes! Sometimes – most of the time – it felt like crawling across the Sahara. Writing a book is a real leap of faith. It requires such an investment of time and effort – of your soul – and yet there is no guarantee of any return (financial or otherwise). Once the book’s finished, there’s the slog of finding an agent and even when you’re represented, your book might not find its way onto the shelves. For me, every part of the publication process – from writing to finding an agent to getting a deal – was a test of how much I believed in my writing. A test of character, too, perhaps. I weighed up what I wanted against what I’d have to do to get it. Priorities suddenly became much clearer. I’d put off my dream of writing for such a long time, I owed it myself to give it my best effort for as long as I could. 

6) Were you given any good writing advice that you would like to share with my readers?

I’ve read so many tips for writers and rules for writing I’m almost loathed to add to them as much of the advice seems to contradict itself. I tied myself up in knots of doubt if I wasn’t doing things in the prescribed way. But the most pertinent advice I ever read is also the most blindingly obvious: writers write. For years I was a wannabe writer – but I very rarely wrote anything. Showing up at the laptop is the only way to get the job done. 

7) What was your first reaction when you found out your book was to be published?

You mean when Oli rang me at 1.50pm on Thursday 5th July 2012? As you can tell, the moment is seared into my head and heart. I was stunned, ecstatic, disbelieving, overwhelmed. Bonkers. And that still doesn’t sum it up. I cried too of course, and still do from time to time. And no matter how hard it had been – all the slog, doubts, rejections and so on – it was all totally worth it for that moment. 

8) Who is the one person that cheered you on and supported you through your writing?

There have been so many at different stages of my life but the one person who played a big part in this book (apart from Oli) is a writing buddy of mine, Sarah Evans. We both attended a weekly writing group where we took it in turns to read our work or give feedback. I left London to write the book but Sarah continued to give me feedback and send me her work for crit. Her comments on the chapters made a huge difference – she’s a great critic and a great writer. Agents and publishers of contemporary women’s fiction take note! 

Book Summary

On 31st December 1999, ten-year-old Amy Archer went missing from her local playground. Her body was never found and the lives of her parents, Beth and Brian, were torn apart.
On the tenth anniversary of the disappearance, Beth is alone, still struggling with the enormity of her grief and the horror of not knowing the fate of her only child. But the fear and confusion have only just begun, and Beth's world is turned upside down when a stranger knocks on her door, claiming to know what happened to Amy.
Beth is introduced to a little girl who is the uncanny double of her missing daughter, who knows things that only Amy would remember; the name of her favourite toy, the place where she scratched her initials, what Beth likes for breakfast. But this can't be Amy, she hasn't aged a day...
Now Beth is forced to question everything she has ever believed in, and push her faith and her sanity to the limits, if she is to find out the truth about what happened to Amy.

To find out more about R.S. Pateman:

Twitter : @rspateman

****

So if the information about has caught your interest, how would you like to win a copy of the book. I have two up for grabs. This is a UK and Ireland only competition this time. If you would like to win, all you have to do is cut and paste the sentence in red  below and post on Twitter and leave your email address in the comments section below. The competition closes on Monday 22nd July 2013. Good luck everyone!

Want to win R.S. Pateman’s debut book, The Second Life of Amy Archer ? @Serendipity_viv has 2 copies to give away. #amyarcher

Letterbox Love

Britain at it's best, bringing you it's own version of IMM! All the books that came through my letterbox thanks to publishers and Royal Mail! This meme is hosted by the amazing Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.

Books for Review

Little White Lies by Katie Dale published by Simon & Schuster in August. This is Katie’s second YA novel and it is described ‘as a gripping, roller-coaster of a story about family secrets, relationships and deceit.’ The main character, Lucy is drawn to the mysterious Christian, but the more time she spends with him, the more she realises he has a secret past he doesn’t want to share.

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper published by Simon and Schuster is also published in August. This book sounds hilarious and will appeal to fans of Louise Rennison. Faith has just started Year 10 and she is already causing havoc.

Terra by Mitch Benn is published by Gollancz in July. Neil Gaiman mentioned in a review that the author’s voice reminded him of Roald Dahl, Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, but it also had a uniqueness about it.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. The eagerly awaited sequel to Throne of Glass. I loved that book last year as well as the extra novellas. This high fantasy series is a must for everyone.

Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre  is published by Oxford University Press and is about a trepid, young explorer who is about to have his biggest adventure yet. Two brilliant forces in the children’s book world come together to create this fantasy children’s book.

 

Cruel Summer by James Dawson is published in August by Orion Children’s Books. This is the eagerly awaited second novel from this author and is a little different from Hollow Pike. A group of friends enjoy a long, hot summer in a Mediterrean villa – until someone starts killing them one by one…

Half Lives by Sara Grant was published by Orion Children’s Books. Just for the record, I love Sara Grant! I think she is an amazing author and a brilliant teacher. If you get chance to go one of her writing courses I would highly recommend it. Half Lives is a dystopian novel which follows two different people living in two different times.

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher is published by Chicken House in October. Lucy Christopher is one of those authors who has passed me by but I feel I should have read. This is a psychological thriller.

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein is published by Electric Monkey in August. This book is set in apocalyptic world consumed by terrifying monster. Perfect for fans of Suzanne Collins, and Stephen King. This is the first book in a dualogy and the film rights have already been sold to Universal.

Tudors by Peter Ackroyd was published by Macmillan in July. I’m not sure how I ended with this but I’m suitably intrigued by it. This is the story of the Turdors. From Henry VIII right through to Elizabeth I. This is the paperback version.

Bought

The Language of Spells by Sarah Painter is one of the books being published by MIRA’s new digital imprint, Carina. This has a magical realism quality to it.

Forever Too Far by Abbi Glines. The third book in the Fallen Too Far series. I’ve just read the first one and I can wait to read the next two.

That’s my haul. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else got this week.

Non Fiction Friday - I Laughed, I Cried: How one woman took on stand-up and (almost) ruined her life by Viv Groskop

July 2011

The back room of a pub in Stockwell, south London.  Close to 11 p.m.  ‘Please welcome to the stage…’ Oh no, it’s me.  Sometimes they don’t tell you where you are in the running order. I know I must be on soon as there are only a few slots left. But it still sometimes comes as a shock. As I register my name being called, the adrenaline kicks in.  For a good few seconds I can’t breathe.

I’m sitting near the back and I have to push through the crowd to get to the stage.  Cheers, clapping, whoops of support.  The applause dies down.  It’s just me, a microphone and whatever I thought I was going to say.  And – oh, yes – a massive white torture light shining in my face and blinding me.  There’s a feeling, suddenly, that I have worn the wrong underwear: these pants are too tight and they are cutting into me.  Not that anyone else knows this.  I try not to let the information about the pants show on my face.

Published by Orion Books  on 27th June 2013

288 pages

Summary

Everyone wished their life had turned out a certain way.  What if you can still make it happen?

Viv is fed up, recession-scarred and pushing forty.  She always wanted to be a comedian.  But surely that’s not advisable if you have a mortgage, three children and a husband who is, er, not exactly a fan of stand-up?

With no time to waste, Viv attempts the mother of all comedy marathons: 100 gigs in 100 nights.  Sometimes the audience laughs.  Often they don’t.  Along the way she is heckled, flattered, hated, hit on and told that she is ‘not as funny as Miranda.’

A brave new start or the last desperate roll of the dice?  This is a laugh-out-loud, inspirational memoir about having the guts to find out what you were really meant to do with your life.

*****
Reviewed by Georgina Tranter

How do you go about doing something that you have always wanted to do, but not yet found the courage to do it?  It’s what happens to Viv Groskop, wanna-be comedian.  As a journalist, broadcaster and book critic, with three small children (and a husband), it’s not as if Viv’s life isn’t full enough already.  Then she decides she wants to try stand-up.  Not just once, but insanely, for 100 nights.  That way she can finally find out if she is any good at it.  100 gigs in 100 nights.  Simple really.

Only it isn’t.  Viv’s gigs take her up and down the country, away from her family and the roles that she normally fulfils.  Simon, her husband, suddenly becomes full-time parent as Viv can usually be found sleeping in during the morning school run, due to an early morning finish at a gig the night before, or leaving to perform at a gig just when the children need their tea and putting to bed.  The cracks start to show; is this challenge really worth it?

Away from her family, and in trying to achieve the impossible, Viv sometimes has to perform at more than one gig in a day, driving from London to Sheffield to perform to a mother and baby gig in the morning, then back down South to a seedy club, with little, or no audience whatsoever.

This is a warts-and-all tale of the risk one woman will take to find out if she really can fulfil her dream.  Many of us have a vision of ‘what could have been’ but when push comes to shove, do we have the courage to go out and pursue it, or spend the rest of our lives thinking ‘if only?’  

I really enjoyed Viv’s memoir of her 100 days of stand-up comedy.  I certainly couldn’t do it.  I admire her more for having done so.