Saturday 31 May 2014

The Write Way with Simon Packham – #countdownya

As part of the huge celebration for the 5th of June, when a vast amount of excellent UKYA books will be published, I am happy to welcome author, Simon Packham onto the blog. As you might have guessed, Simon’s new book, Trust Games will be published on this auspicious day.   I managed to catch up with  Simon earlier this month and interrogated him about his writing secrets for a special edition of The Write Way.
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1) Your latest novel, Trust Games, is about to be published, can you tell my readers a little bit about it?
Like most of my books, Trust Games is really about friendship. What does it mean and how far would you go to preserve it? Beth thinks she’s found the perfect friend in Hannah. So what does she do when she finds out that Hannah’s having a ‘relationship’ with a teacher? 
2) What kind of research did you need to carry out before writing Trust Games?
I trawled the internet for every newspaper article I could find on the subject. As with my book ‘Silenced’, which deals with the aftermath of a teenage car crash, there was no shortage of material. I’m also lucky enough to have a sister who is a practising child psychiatrist and I always have long chats with her about the various ways my protagonists might react in different situations.
In terms of on-going research, my 18 year old son and 15 year old are invaluable founts of knowledge on many school related topics, particularly when it comes to finding the humour in things. A few months ago there was a huge fire at my daughter’s school that made the national news. I was amused to hear that what rankled most with the pupils was that when they were evacuated they weren’t allowed to take their bags with them, which meant no one could film the fire on their mobile.  
3) From cyber bullying in ‘coming 2 gt u’ and underage sex in ‘Trust Games’, you have shown you are not afraid to write about difficult topics. Do you get teenagers asking for advice in response to reading your books? 
I hope the books themselves might be of some small value to teenagers experiencing something like cyber-bullying – or at least as the starting point for discussion. I was bullied for a short while at school and ‘comin 2 gt u’ was in part a letter to my twelve year old self. But fortunately for all concerned, I’ve never had to act as an agony uncle. The main requests I receive on my website are from German students (where ‘comin 2 get u’ is a best-seller) asking for any autobiographical information that could earn them ‘extra credits’. 
4) Is there a difficult subject you still wish to tackle within your writing?
I don’t like to think of myself as an ‘issues’ writer, but publishers are quite keen on them. I was very interested in assisted suicide for a while, even flying to Switzerland with my best mate ‘Big D’ for a lad’s research trip. But there have been so many books on the subject now that it would have to be a very original take on it. If there was something else on the agenda, I don’t think I’d want to tempt fate by mentioning it! 
5)  I understand that you used to be an actor, what made you take up writing instead? 
Even when I was acting, I had a couple of plays performed in fringe theatres as well as writing some incidental music. I stopped acting initially to look after our two small children (which was no great loss to the theatrical profession) but as soon as Jon started nursery I began to take my writing more seriously. It took me several/ many years to get my first book published (an adult novel called The Opposite Bastard) but it was something I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve never regretted it.
6) Has your previous career, helped or hindered your writing?
It’s perfect preparation for the inevitable rejections and coping with criticism. Creating new characters is of course something you’re very used to, and having been called upon to deliver some very poor lines in my time, I take a lot of care over my dialogue.  
7) Being an experienced writer, do you find the process gets easier with each book you write?
Not really. It’s a bit like popular music. You have your whole life to come up with your first album and only a year to write the next. The same with books; maybe you get a little bit better at the technical side of things, but sitting down and doing it never seems to get any easier.  
8) Do you try and aim for a daily word target when writing?
It’s a pretty weedy target compared with some writers I hear about, but I try and do at least 600 words a day. I often I manage considerably more; occasionally I don’t make it.
9) Do you edit as you go along or do you wait until the first draft is finished?
Every time I start a new book, I tell myself I’m going whizz through the first draft and edit later. But I just can’t do it. I’ll sit a fiddle over every line until I think it sounds right - hence my answer to the next question. Unfortunately when the first draft is finished I still go back and re-write it again.
10) When is your ideal time to write? Morning, afternoon or evening?
I work best from 7.30 in the morning until midday. The internet is disabled on my work computer until 1.30pm (although I often cheat on other devices) and it’s always more difficult once I’m on-line.
11) Which authors inspired you whilst growing up?
I loved Richmal Crompton’s William books, probably had a bit of a crush on Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking and was a big fan of Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear. As with my writing now, I always preferred a more realistic setting (although a talking bear isn’t that realistic I suppose) and I can remember really enjoying The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe right up until the point they arrived in Narnia.  
12) If you could have written any other book in the world, what would it be?
A toss-up between American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis and Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh.  
13) What are you working on right now?
I’m on the 17,499th word of a new book provisionally titled ‘Only We Know’. Like my other YA books it’s again set at St Thomas’s Community College and was partially inspired by the young person I found myself sitting next to at Christmas dinner last year. More than that, I’m afraid I can’t say.
14) What advice would you give unpublished authors?
This is the hardest question of all because I know it’s the answer I would have skipped to myself before I got published.  I’m very wary of giving advice to anyone beyond ‘you’ll never regret brushing your teeth, but here are three random thoughts:
1. All criticism is autobiography.
2. Keep sending your work out. Rejection is the norm, but you might just get lucky on your hundred and first submission.
3. It’s probably worth compromising now and again.
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Thank you Simon for a fantastic interview. I hope to have my review up very soon.  As mentioned earlier in the post, Trust Games is published on the 5th of June.
To find out more about Trust Games and Simon Packham:
To find out what’s going on next on the #CountdownYA blog tour, please click here.

Friday 30 May 2014

Daughters of Time - An Anthology from the History Girls. Edited by Mary Hoffman

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Published by Templar  Fiction
Exceptional Women; Extraordinary Stories
From Amazon
Look through fresh eyes at the stories of some of history’s most remarkable women, in this inspiring collection of short stories by the finest female authors writing historical fiction for children today, The History Girls. Subjects include: Queen Boudicca, Aethelfled, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Julian of Norwich, Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth Stuart, Aphra Behn, Mary Wollestonecraft, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Emily Davison, Amy Johnson and the Greenham Common women. Authors: Penny Dolan, Adele Geras, Mary Hoffman, Dianne Hofmeyr, Marie-Louise Jensen, Catherine Johnson, Katherine Langrish, Joan Lennon, Sue Purkiss, Celia Rees, Katherine Roberts, Anne Rooney and Leslie Wilson
Blurb from the back cover
Be surprised, as you look afresh at the stories of some of history’s most remarkable women, as imagined by the finest female authors of historical fiction for children.
Be enthralled, as you encounter both famous figures and lesser-known heroines from across the ages, from warrior queens to anti-nuclear activists.
But most of all … be inspired.
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What a treat this anthology was. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about each and every one of these truly amazing women who have trail blazed their way through history. 
Each author shows their subject through the eyes of a young narrator who comes into contact with them by chance. Each narrator has a brief view into the lives  of these women – who range from queens to suffragettes – and they are forever changed by their encounter. 
This literary device works really well. The narrators are mostly young girls, and mostly fictional. There are some twists which bring the reader up short and made me really think about what it must have been like to be female in different historical periods. The writers have filled in some of the gaps to parts of the stories; we can never know for sure if such encounters happened, but they are feasible and believable. They are like first hand witness accounts which give us a window onto the world of  these important historical figures.
I don’t think the stories would have worked so well if they were told from the famous historical women’s viewpoint. They would be harder to believe as the authors would be trying to represent how they felt and thought and this would be very hard to pull off in a short story. Using a witness also shows that these women had an impact when they were alive, and continue to do so now. 
Michael Gove tried to remove Mary Seacole from the National Curriculum earlier this year, but thanks to an online campaign and popular feeling the Secretary of State for Education did a U-turn. This book should play an important part in keeping these women’s stories alive, including Mary Seacole’s. Girls and young women need to read these stories to know that they can do anything if they are passionate, determined and tenacious. 
I strongly recommend looking at the History Girls blog which was started by Mary Hoffman in 2011. Here the authors share their thoughts on writing, research, reviews etc.
And who are the History Girls? They are a group of bestselling, award-winning writers of historical fiction. They write for YA, adults, and for younger reads. And their books cover history from the Stone Age to WW2, and geography from Victorian England to Ancient Rome.

Tuesday 27 May 2014

The Australia and New Zealand Festival of Literature and Arts - Win Tickets!

Have you heard about the Australia & New Zealand Festival of Literature and Arts?
No? Well,  prepare to have your notions about Australia & New Zealand turned upside down.

Join some seriously talented people  for a seriously good festival of discussion, performance, film, music and food from the edge of the world.

This year’s inaugural Festival takes place at Kings College, London 29th May – 1st June.
If you are interested in attending the whole event, then please click here to book tickets. If you want to follow the events online, please click here to access the Facebook page.
To help celebrate this event, the organisers are offering  a double pass to Being Brave, Bring Curious: LGBTQ Teen Writing. which will be held this Saturday, 31st May 2014. Details of the event are listed below.
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BEING BRAVE, BEING CURIOUS: LGBTQ Teen Writing
From Jared Leto’s trans character in Dallas Buyer’s Club to Laverne Cox in Orange is the New Black, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) and intersex are experiencing greater visibility in the arts than ever before. Nowhere does this outward representation make a greater difference to real lives than for LGBTQ youth. 
Join Australian writer Alyssa Brugman, author of the funny and moving YA novel Alex as Well about an intersex teen; James Dawson, 2012 Queen of Teen nominee and author of Being a Boy and This Book is Gay; and host BJ Epstein, lecturer, editor and writer of Are the Kids All Right? about the portrayal of LGBTQ in children’s literature. They’ll explore the differences across LGBTQ characters in Britain, Australia and New Zealand, and discuss why everyone should be reading this fiction.
Saturday 31st May, 2.30pm
King's College London, Strand Campus
Tickets: £10, conc. £8 from www.ausnzfestival.com
If you would like to be in with a chance of winning these tickets, then all you need to do is leave your email address in the comments box. The winner will be picked randomly on Thursday 29th. Tickets will be put aside for the winners at the box office at the event.

Saturday 24 May 2014

An Agent’s View of Submissions.

As part of the blog tour for The Mystery of the Exploding Loo, I am so pleased to welcome the author, Rachel Hamilton’s agent, Luigi Bonomi onto the blog. Luigi is one of the founding agents of the LBA Literary Agency. Today he is on the blog to talk about discovering Rachel’s book and why he loved it so much.
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As an agent, I spend substantial amounts of time reading manuscripts of all kinds from unpublished authors. I receive a lot of submissions by email, and I also judge several different writing competitions every year, in all kinds of different venues, which is how I came across Rachel and her children's novel, The Case of the Exploding Portaloo.  People always ask what I'm looking for, but it's not as simple as that. I didn't sit down in my big grey armchair last February thinking, I'm really looking for a middle-grade novel about a genius kid whose scientist father disappears in a freak toilet incident. When you open an attachment sent by an author, or turn over the first page of a manuscript, there's just no knowing what you may find. Even after nearly 30 years in the business, I still find this incredibly exciting. It's like opening a Xmas present and not knowing what's inside - will you truly love it or just say you do; does it fill your heart with dread or make it leap and want to shout out loud? It's a very personal thing and very visceral - you feel it deep down. In Rachel's case my heart leapt from the very first paragraph - it's all about the voice, in the first instance. Is the voice of the novel attention-grabbing, and does it convince as the person it's supposed to be? And that's what hooked my attention in Rachel's writing - the absolute confidence and conviction of the voice of a 12-year-old, right from the first page. We're right the in the middle of the story and in the head of the main character. If it works, it feels effortless - but it's extraordinarily hard to do. Rachel did it brilliantly and seemingly effortlessly. It's also very funny, and I don't know if I can possibly convey to you how hard it is to be funny. There are very few comic novels published these days, and if you look at the long list of authors I represent you'll see very few writing comic fiction. We do, though, receive quite a few comic submissions and I must admit my heart sinks when I see them. It's probably even harder to be funny for children, as they're the harshest critics and can sniff out anything too calculated or artificial a mile away. But Rachel's novel made me really laugh, and it made my then 11-year-old daughter laugh when I showed it to her. It was clear that I had been lucky enough to find something pretty special - the kind of thing that makes an agent want to get out of bed in the morning. Rachel and I worked together on the novel and she was a dream author - extremely open to ideas, even to the point when I proposed changing the gender of one of the main characters! She was a consummate professional and I can't tell you how rare and refreshing that is in our business.  In May, almost exactly 18 months after I first read an extract from The Case of the Exploding Portaloo, it will be published in the UK, by Simon & Schuster. This is a pretty fast trajectory, by publishing standards, and I simply can't wait - I'm so confident that the children who are its intended audience will love it as much as I did, and for the very same reasons!
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The Case of the Exploding Loo is on sale now.
To find out more about Rachel Hamilton:

Saturday 17 May 2014

Book Bound!

On Friday the 9th May, I joined 23 unpublished authors for a weekend that I’m certain none of us will ever forget.
We had all applied for the Book Bound course and were successfully chosen to take part in the schedule weekend retreat . If you’re an unpublished author wanting to take that next step nearer to publication, then Book Bound is a course you seriously need to consider. Devised by four best friends, with the intention of creating a compact, intense writing weekend, they had no idea they would also bring together an army of united writers, confident and brimming with motivation to succeed and make them proud.
To say these ladies had experience in the publishing world would be an understatement; between them they have over 30 years of editorial experience. Not to mention that they have helped over a 1,000  books reach publication, as well as writing nearly 40 published books between them.
The four ladies in question were as follows:
Karen Ball – a publisher with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Atom. Karen has also written over nineteen books herself, published by Puffin, OUP, Usborne, Harper US and Random House US.
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Sara Grant – well loved YA author, whose first novel, Dark Parties won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Europe. Also co-founder of Undiscovered Voices, which has launched the writing careers of twenty two UK authors.
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Sara O’Connor – Digital and Editorial Director at Hot Key Book and co-founder of Undiscovered Voices. Pioneering the development of digital writing projects, including the IBook of award winning book, Maggot Moon.
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Jasmine Richards – Senior Commissioning Editor for children’s fiction at Oxford University Press. Author of the dark thriller, Oliver Twisted as well as her debut novel ,The Book of Wonders.
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The course was held at Oxon Hoath, a stately home in Kent. Built in 1372, it was opened as a retreat in 1999. The house and grounds were stunning. I spent the first few hours repeatedly gasping at how beautiful it was.
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Through out the weekend, I found myself constantly drawn back to the library – not sure why…
And the food! We were spoilt every meal time, as we devoured home made, home grown, organic, vegetarian dishes. I can honestly say, everything I’ve eaten since returning home has been extremely bland.
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As I mentioned earlier this was an intense course. It felt like we were absorbing important information from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. On the Friday evening, we were given an insight into what an acquisition meeting was really like. The experience was informative and eye opening!
Saturday was the busiest part of the weekend and we spent the day  rotating through the sessions. Within groups of six, we took part in lessons that covered all aspects of developing our manuscripts. From examining our first few chapters to developing our characters. From plotting our manuscripts to ruthless revision; we finished the day with our minds truly blown. I was amazed at how much I absorbed in one day. I came out of each session with a list of things I needed to do to make my book stand out from the crowd.
We were all lucky enough to have a one to one session with one of course leaders. This allowed us to talk through any problems we had with our manuscripts as well as discuss any editorial feedback we had been given.
At the end of Saturday, the course leaders presented a superb comedy sketch, showing us how to make sure how first book was definitely not our last. I could share so much of it, but I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you, should you ever get the chance to see it! I think Sara Grant and Jasmine Richards should consider touring writing festivals with this little gem.
On the Sunday, we were taught how to pitch to agents. This was probably the most nerve wracking experience I have ever had.  We practised with each other until we were word perfect. By the time the agents arrived, we were armed with our pitchs and ready to present them. We were lucky enough to pitch to four leading literary agents.
Julia Churchill – A.M. Heath
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Zoe King – The Blair Partnership
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Polly Nolan – The Greenhouse Literary Agency
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Hannah Sheppard – DHH Literary Agency
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This experience was invaluable. In fact the whole weekend was invaluable. I can’t remember a time that I’ve ever felt so excited and confident about my writing. I arrived for the weekend, with huge doubt in myself and left with the strong belief that I am actually a writer. I’m not pretending, I can really write!
Since returning home, I’ve spent most of the week, trying to come to terms with what I’ve experienced. I don’t think any of us were prepared to come away with so much after one weekend, nor did we realise what an impact it would have on us going forward. Not only did we leave with a collection of invaluable writing tools, but we also came away with a network of  long term friends. Throughout the weekend we relied on each other to analyse our writing and I am hoping this is a relationship that will continue.
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By the end of the weekend, we were brimming with confidence and highly motivated to polish our manuscripts.
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I would like to personally thank the four fabulous women, who organised this weekend.  They were happy to share their knowledge and experience and made us truly believe we could do this. I think I may be indebted to them for quite some time.
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So from one unpublished author to another, let me give you some good advice. If you attend one writing course, then let it be this one. The next one will be held in Oxon Hoath again from the 17th to the 19th of June 2016, however there are plans for some non residential events throughout 2015. If you want to know more, then head over to the Book Bound website  where you can sign up for the newsletter which will keep you updated with any future events. 
If you would like to know how my fellow writers felt about the course, then head over to Words and Pictures to read all our views on this superb course.
Also a big thank you to Harry Ball-Weber for the last three photos in this post.  

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Scarlet Ibis by Gill Lewis

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“Be careful,” I say.
He looks at me, his eyes wide, his red hair lit up by the setting sun…
…Red’s hands clench and unclench in small fists.
He’s working it out, planning every move in his mind. He has to take five steps across the lagoon of green carpet, only letting the soles of his feet touch the brown threadbare patches before he reaches safety. I keep my fingers crossed he gets it right first time. If he gets it wrong he’ll make himself start all the way back in the bathroom with brushing his teeth again…
…Red pulls his blanket tighter round him. “And we’ll always be together?”
“Always,” I say. “Just you and me in that little boat, as evening falls, watching the scarlet ibis flying back to Caroni Swamp.”
Published by Oxford University Press on 1st May 2014
Pages – 203
Summary
Scarlet is used to looking after her brother, Red, a little boy with complex difficulties. But when disaster strikes their fragile family, Scarlet and Red are separated and Scarlet knows she has to do whatever it takes to get her brother back...
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Reviewed by author, Jill Atkins
I jumped at the chance to review this book as I have read and loved Jill Lewis’s previous novels and I couldn’t wait to read it. 
From the first page Scarlet Ibis gripped me. In Scarlet’s troubled life only one thing matters and that is keeping her little brother Red safe. But that’s easier said than done. Red is very hard to manage and their mum suffers from her own mental health problems. Scarlet has been keeping the family together for years.
By caring so deeply for Red, Scarlet has discovered how befriending birds and collecting feathers, keep him on an even keel and this is a central theme throughout the story. Red’s obsession with his feathers and birds gets him into trouble a few times, but Scarlet and a few sympathetic adults help to calm the situation. Through daring and determination, she searches for a way of ensuring that Red is safe forever. 
Told in the first person, present tense, Scarlet’s voice is very strong. Her deep love for her little brother is shown clearly through her thoughts, words and actions and I found I could empathise with her as she patiently tells him his favourite story of the scarlet ibis on Caroni Swamp in Trinidad, undemonstratively copes with caring for him and their Mum and keeps ‘The Penguin’ (the social worker) at bay. 
The characters of Mum and Red, the foster parents, Scarlet’s new school friends, the old bird lady, the zoo keeper, are all convincingly drawn. Even ‘The Penguin’ has a softer side to her rather officious nature.
It’s a moving, gripping book that covers relationships and serious issues of mental health in a sympathetic way. A brilliant book for middle grade! I look forward to Gill Lewis’s next one.

Monday 12 May 2014

You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher

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Only fifty-two feet stood between me and my husband-to-be. All that was left for to complete the transformation from Miss Maddy Hurst to Mrs Maddy Miles was to walk that fifty-two feet and say my vows. Then I’d be able to leave the past behind and look to the future…
Published by Penguin in May 2014
Pages – 320
Maddy, dressed in white, stands at the back of the church. At the end of the aisle is Rob - the man she's about to marry. Next to Rob is Ben - best man and the best friend any two people ever had.
And that's the problem.
Because if it wasn't Rob waiting for her at the altar, there's a strong chance it would be Ben. Loyal and sensitive Ben has always kept his feelings to himself, but if he turned round and told Maddy she was making a mistake, would she listen? And would he be right?
Best friends since childhood, Maddy, Ben and Rob thought their bond was unbreakable. But love changes everything. Maddy has a choice to make but will she choose wisely? Her heart, and the hearts of the two best men she knows, depend on it...
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Imagine standing at the altar, ready to marry the man you’ve known since childhood, only to realise that you might have picked the wrong one. A scary thought, but that is exactly how Maddy feels at the start of this story.
The reader is left in the dark as to how this will end, as the story transports them back through the lives of Maddy and Ben, the best man, as they each tell their version of events through a dual narrative. This is an excellent example of how to write a love triangle. The reader is left hanging until the epilogue, unsure of which way Maddy’s affections will finally fall. Both of the male leads are such wonderful characters, that it is impossible to show allegiance to either side. This book is brimming with emotion and every moment of unrequited love hits you straight in the heart.
This is the type of book that would make a fabulous chick flick. It has so many elements that Richard Curtis (creator of films such as Love Actually) would lap up. Throughout the second part of the book, I forgot that I was actually reading it, as the story played out visually in my mind. I was glued to it and honestly couldn’t put it down.
To say I was surprised at how good it was is an understatement. I was dubious to the author’s talents as she is better known for her marriage to the lead singer of the group, McFly, than her writing skills. On reflection, I’m certain the author could cast a wet blanket over any fired up doubters that might have questioned her writing ability. Giovanna Fletcher has created a beautiful love story, filled with the real temptations of life that will sweep readers off their feet.
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Thursday 8 May 2014

One Wish by Michelle Harrison

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In a busy side street of London, a hooded figure let itself into a small shop. Once inside, the person locked the door and checked that the CLOSED sign was displayed, then threw back the hood. A thin-faced, bespectacled man with grey hair, he appeared ordinary at first glance. Yet look a little closer and the tips of two pointed ears were visible beneath his hair – to those who were able to see such things at least.
Published by Simon and Schuster in May 2014
Pages - 346
The Spinney Wicket Wishing Tree can grant your heart’s desire – just wish out loud, or hang a message from its branches. It sounds as though the Wishing Tree is just a sweet old tradition, but Tanya is only too aware how real its magic could be.
Tanya can see fairies, and would love to meet someone else can see them too. When she meets Ratty and his cheeky fairy, Turpin, it seems at last she’s found them. But Ratty has a secret, and a dangerous enemy who'll stop at nothing to get to him.
Tanya must use her one wish to save her new friend - but wishes should be used wisely . . .
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When it comes to recommending books about fae, Michelle Harrison is  always  one of the first authors I  recommend. The author writes about fairies in such a way, that I am  instantly transported back to my childhood days, reading Enid Blyton books. However, unlike the fairies created by Enid Blyton, the ones in Michelle’s books are darker, nastier and like to play to tricks on you without considering the consequences.
This book is a prequel to the author’s Thirteen Treasures trilogy, where we follow Tanya on holiday with her mum, who is recovering from the break up of her marriage. Whilst away, Tanya stumbles upon the Wishing Tree, which glistens magically throughout the book. The plot continually returns to it, leaving you with a desperate wish to find your own wishing tree to use.
Tanya makes some new friends while at the tree. Well to be honest, it doesn’t really start out as friendship and Turpin takes quite some time to warm to Tanya. However with Ratty in danger, Tanya shows just how good a friend she can be.
Tanya encounters some interesting people in her quest. These characters are unique and colourful, yet damn right frightening at times. Through out the book, I found myself holding my breath as I waited for Tanya to escape from another difficult situation. As the story progresses, Tanya comes to fully understand what selfishness really means and realises that what she wants isn’t always for the best.
The plot builds up to a worrying finale, where you hope to God, they all get out alive. There are moments when you will feel that all is lost, until the book reaches a climatic ending.
I adore the fairies that live in Michelle’s world and I am so pleased she returned to writing about them. I really hope there might be a few more in the pipe line. This boo is  a glittery return into a world of magic, trickery and glamour – but be warned, you may just miss it – if you don’t have the ability to see fae…

Wednesday 7 May 2014

Secret Serendipity Seven with Frances Hardinge

As part of the Cuckoo Song blog tour, I am so pleased to welcome Frances Hardinge onto the blog for the very first time. Frances has written a wonderful piece, telling us seven secrets!
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1) The Grim Mere
The Grimmer (the sinister, willow-draped pond encountered by the heroine near the start of Cuckoo Song) actually does exist. It's in Wickham Skeith, the village where my mother's mother lived as a child. It was originally called 'the grim mere', and they really did used to duck witches in it once upon a time. The name 'Grimmer' was so beautifully eerie, I couldn't resist using it in my book. I even went to see the real Grimmer, so that I could describe it better.
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2) Changelings vs Pirates
When I first explained my idea for Cuckoo Song, my editor wasn't that keen. (I don't blame her - it was very different from anything I'd written before.) She was much more interested in another book idea of mine, a bizarre story about pirates sailing through a world made of memories. Since I was really keen to write Cuckoo Song, I suggested that I try writing both books at the same time! She agreed, and when I was halfway through both books, she asked to see the unfinished manuscripts. Fortunately, once she actually started to read Cuckoo Song, she became enthusiastic too, and agreed that I should concentrate on finishing it. Maybe I'll return to those pirates some other day...
3) The Other Changeling
Cuckoo Song isn't the only changeling tale I've ever written. Many years ago, I wrote a changeling short story called Every Little Girl Would Like To Be. It has never been published, but I did once read it out during a Halloween event in a darkened library. Apparently I scared a few people with that one...
4) Tram Chase
I don't want to give too much away, but one really important scene in Cuckoo Song takes place on a... very unusual tram journey. I wanted to get the description of the trams right, so I spent time in the London Transport Museum, clambering about on their trams and taking notes. I even wrote to the Museum, with questions that started out fairly sane-sounding (“Did trams have electric lights inside? Were they all double-decker?”) but quickly descended into weirdness (“So... could you open any of the windows wide enough to push someone out through them?”) The Museum people were kind, patient and not easily scared. They answered all my crazy questions.
5) Dark Mirrors
Changelings, doubles, doppelgangers, evil twins, shape-shifters, imposters... when I was little these terrified me. As a child, my very worst nightmares were the ones where I suddenly realised that someone dear to me had been replaced by something else disguised as them. I also hated the idea that I might have an evil twin of my own, who might take my place, or do terrible things and put the blame on me.
Twin girls leaves
6) Tailor Made
Poor Mr Grace changed quite a lot while I was revising the book. In the first version he was younger and rather more chipper. By the time the book went to print I had aged him, changed his hair colour, and heartlessly given him a war wound. In the first draft I had only hinted at his back story, but in the final version I pulled it out of the shadows, in all its twisted glory.
7) Wickedness on Wheels
Violet's motorbike is partly inspired by my mother's tales of her mother, who sadly died long before I was born. My grandmother was sent to work in London when she was in her early teens, but instead of moping she made a life for herself in the big city. She used to ride a motorbike, which was decidedly racy for a young woman back then (1930s) and whenever she rode home to visit her sleepy home village, everyone was rather shocked by it!
I wish I'd known my grandmother. She sounds fun.
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What a lovely post. Thank you Frances for taking the time to write it.
To find out more about Frances Hardinge:

Monday 5 May 2014

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

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Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family.
No one is a criminal.
No one is an addict.
No one is a failure.
Published by Hot Key Books in May 2014
Pages – 225
Summary
We are the Liars.
We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.
We are cracked and broken.
A story of love and romance.
A tale of tragedy.
Which are lies?
Which is truth?
******
The Sinclairs are just as you would imagine a family who owned land in Martha’s Vineyard. They are loaded with money and aristocratic values, causing them to look down their noses a little at the world that surrounds them. They appear to the world, as a close knit family, tightly bound by generations and generations of strong blood lines. Yet as the book progresses, you watch in awe as their perfect lives, starts to lose the glamorous facade they have painted over it. The cracks appear, as we find out more and more about Cadence and her family and you find yourself no longer envying them but pitying them.
This book has a strong sense of  F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby about it. The way the various strands of the family come together for the summer on the island. I adored the cousins when they were all together. Mirren, Jonathan, Gat and Cadence are a united group, who might not see each other the rest of the year but are closer than siblings as each summer returns.
I loved the way this book was written. E. Lockhart writes with a poetic nature and her words transform the tale beautifully, given a vintage glamour to it. I loved the inclusion of the family tree and the map of the island. I wanted to visit the island and explore it for myself.
Interspersed between the chapters, there are variations on the fairy-tale stories we have all grown up with. Each time one appears, you get a clearer picture of what the family are really like. Cadence loves fiction, growing up surrounded by the fairy tales brought from around the world. However, you start to wonder whether she can separate fact and fiction as the story unfolds.
This book may actually have caused a few of my brain cells to explode. I was convinced I was reading one genre and happily making my way through the book until two thirds of the way through, the author changed tactics and sprung a completely different genre into the tale. The transformation was carried out with perfection, but by then my mind was blown. The ending of this book will require discussion and lots of it. You’ll find yourself searching on Twitter and Facebook for fellow victims of this tale, because you will need to analyse it and break it down in segments to work out where you should have guessed what was coming.
On further reflection, you realise that every word you read, probably had a different meaning, leaving you with the burning desire to re-read it, in order to spot the signs which were hidden during the first read.
This extremely clever tale will wow you. You will read it. Gasp with shock and then rush to read it again. You will try to separate reality form mythology to understand what really happened to this family. A book that can easily be devoured in a day.

Thursday 1 May 2014

Sweet Damage by Rebecca James

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‘Tim, you’re going to have to grow up,’Lilla says. ‘Get a real job.’
‘I do have a real job,’ I say. ‘I go to work. I do stuff. I get paid for it. Seems real enough to me.’
Published by Faber in March 2014
When Tim Ellison finds a cheap room to rent in the perfect location in Sydney it looks like a huge stroke of luck. In fact the room comes with a condition, and the owner of the house, the mysterious Anna London, is unfriendly and withdrawn. When strange and terrifying things start happening in the house at night, Tim wonders if taking the room is a mistake. But then his feelings for Anna start to change, and when her past comes back with a vengeance, Tim is caught right in the middle of it.
******
I feel really bad! I read this in March and I’m only just  getting around to reviewing it.
This book was amazing.  I think I might have developed a real taste for contemporary thrillers, as this one had me glued to the pages.
Tim is an easy going guy – you know the type – chilled, surfer boy, living for each wave and strolling through life like the future doesn’t really matter. This grates on the nerves of his OCD, career climbing, ex girlfriend, Lilla, who appears determined to push him into his future, whether he likes it not. Fed up with him sleeping on her sofa, she finds him somewhere to live.
When Tim moves in with Anna, he realises there is a lot more going on in the house, than he first realised. Nervous and a little bit wary of his new landlord, Tim worries that he might have made a mistake. As he spends more time with Anna, he realises that everything really isn’t as it seems.
This book has lots of hidden secrets, just waiting to spring out at you and take your breath away. There are some rather creepy moments, that have you looking over your shoulder on more than one occasion.  The ending blew my mind. It was totally unexpected.It goes to show that people aren’t always what they seem.   And the moral of this story is…DON’T TRUST ANYONE!!!
A thrilling, page turning, gripping, suspense novel that everyone needs to read. I shall definitely read more by Rebecca James in the future.