#UnicornDay - Setting The Scene by Catherine Coe

Happy Unicorn Day!

To celebrate the publication of the last two books in the Unicorns of Blossom Wood series, I am pleased to welcome author, Catherine Coe onto the blog to tell us all about where the inspiration for the settings of the book came from. 

To tell you about the inspiration behind Blossom Wood I first have to go back to the first set of adventures - the Owls of Blossom Wood - and how the three main characters first found themselves magically transported to Blossom Wood. The idea for this first series goes back thirty years - to the garden of my childhood home. At the bottom of that garden were two towering trees that I played under - whether it was spring, summer, autumn or winter. The view from my bedroom was dominated by those huge but friendly trees and when I shut my eyes, I can picture them perfectly - the image brings back wonderful, happy childhood memories. 

In the Great Storm of October 1987, when I was seven years old, I woke up one morning, looked out of the window, and one of the trees was gone. It had crashed down in the hurricane-force winds and suddenly our garden - and my outlook - had changed forever. But I never forgot that tree, and that’s what inspired the tree trunk that Alex, Katie and Eva crawl into in the Owls of Blossom Wood. With the help of a feather they find inside it they are whisked off to the magical Blossom Wood. 

So that was the starting point of the tree, which naturally led to a woodland setting. I wanted the wood to feel quite familiar and not at all scary, so I included lots of recognisable trees and plants, and populated it with (mostly) friendly animals. I wanted to create a setting that I would have wanted to find myself when I was seven - somewhere vast and exciting to explore, somewhere where I could make friends with the animals, and somewhere that felt safe and from where I could always return home. 

I wanted the wood to have lots of interesting areas in which adventures could take place, which is why I included non-woodland parts such as Echo Mountains, Willow Lake and Badger Falls. And I wanted it to feel familiar to readers from all around the world, so I included plants and animals that are found in many different countries, such as badgers, beavers, butterflies, rabbits, foxes, hummingbirds, otters, ducks and even bears (you’d struggle to find all of these in the same wood in real life!).

When creating the Unicorns of Blossom Wood, I wanted the three main characters to get to Blossom Wood using a completely different route to the tree trunk. I did a lot of research on unicorns and found that there have been a number of unicorn sightings in Scotland, which gave me the idea of a Scottish lake (loch). I imagined unicorns roaming the shore of a lake and the hoof-prints that they’d leave. Then I thought - what if the hoof-prints were magical and never disappeared? What if they could transport whoever stood in them to Blossom Wood? This is how I came up with idea that my three main characters - cousins Isabelle, Cora and Lei - could be on holiday in Scotland. On the first day of their trip they are playing beside a lake when they find the hoof-prints that transport them to Blossom Wood. 

Now, whenever I see a set of prints in the ground, I wonder what animal made them and if the prints might have the magical power to transport me somewhere special…

Believe in Magic

When cousins Cora, Isabelle and Lei discover magical hoof prints in the ground, they're whisked away to an amazing land where they're no longer girls … they're unicorns!

But the animals in Blossom Wood don't believe in unicorns! Can the three cousins change their minds - with the help of a little magic?

Join the Unicorns of Blossom Wood on their first adventure!

Festival Time

Isabelle, Lei and Cora are back in Blossom Wood - just in time for a magical festival.

All of the animals are there, except for one. Lizzie the bunny is lost in Echo Mountains!

Can the Unicorns of Blossom Wood use their magic to find her?

Storms and Rainbows

Lei's fed up - she still hasn't found out what her unicorn magic is. Maybe she doesn't have any!

But when Lei, Cora and Isabelle arrive back in Blossom Wood, there's a bigger problem. A summer storm is pouring down and everywhere is being flooded!

Will it ever stop raining - and will Lei find out her magical power?

Best Friends

Loulou the squirrel is organising a talent show in Blossom Wood, and Cora, Lei and Isabelle can't wait.

From tightrope-walking bears and a breakdancing beaver to hula-hooping bunnies and caterpillar jugglers, the woodlanders are busy practising. But why isn't Loulou performing anything herself?

Can the Unicorns of Blossom Wood find out the real problem, and make Loulou truly happy?

To find out more about Catherine Coe: 

Website / Twitter

Debuts 2017 - Lisa Thompson

Today is the last debut of the season. And yes, I know I went over the original seven, but there were so many amazing debuts to showcase. So the final debut of 2017 is Lisa Thompson. Lisa's debut The Goldfish Boy was published by Scholastic this month. 

Did you ever feel like quitting writing?

Yes! Very regularly. I spent decades writing on and off and constantly made excuses to myself that I didn’t possibly have the time to finish a book. It took me years to realise that if I wanted to do this I had to be dedicated. Another reason for wanting to quit is hearing all the negativity out there aimed at would-be writers; you’ll never get off the slush pile, there are a million unpublished manuscripts hitting agent’s desks each week, you need to know someone in the industry etc. It does wear you down, but, you know what? Sometimes it does happen and now I wish I’d tried harder a lot earlier. Looking back I also think I was too frightened to try in case I failed and then that would mean my dream would be over. Better to fantasize that; ‘one day I’ll be a writer’ than actually ‘try to become a writer’. How ridiculous! It was only when I was approaching 40 that I finally thought - okay let’s do this and I gave myself a year to get an agent.

What was your reaction when you knew it would be published?

My agent took a bit of a risk sending my manuscript when he did as it was just days before the Frankfurt Book Fair and we were a bit concerned that it could get lost amongst the masses. However, it paid off as the wonderful French publisher Pocket Jeunesse were very quick to buy the rights. As soon as that happened it went a bit crazy and there was more interest over the next week or so. I couldn’t sleep and I had a constant pain in my jaw where I’d been clenching my teeth for 24 hours a day (I ended up getting a mouth-guard to use at night!) but I was utterly ecstatic. There was interest from a few UK publishers so I knew at this stage that my book really was going to be printed, even if I didn’t know who with! About ten days after it had gone out on submission my agent forwarded an email he had received from Lauren Fortune, a commissioning editor at Scholastic. She had clearly fallen head over heels for The Goldfish Boy and her email was so passionate about wanting to buy it that I actually sank down into a heap onto the kitchen floor! How dignified.

How does it feel to have your name on a book?

It feels incredibly surreal and it’s almost as if I’m on the outside looking in. I write under my maiden name as a tribute to my lovely Dad who died in 2007 so the whole thing has been very emotional. He loved reading and from a young age he used to take me to the library and we’d walk home talking about the books we loved. I know he would have been so proud to see my name in print.

How have you kept yourself occupied in the run up to publication day?

It’s been a very busy year and incredibly interesting to see how the publishing world works! I’ve been into London a few times for meetings with Lauren, my UK editor, and was thrilled that my editor from the US was over for a holiday last summer so I got to have lunch with him too. I’ve been growing my on-line presence as an author, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and I’ve also got a great guy building a website for me so I’ve been writing the copy for that. I recently ran my first workshop for a class of year 6 children who were kind enough to be my guinea pigs and not laugh at me fluffing my lines. Then of course there has been the small matter of editing The Goldfish Boy (two big-ish ones for a bit of restructuring, then copy edits, line edits, proof reads…) and on top of that I have a deadline for book two rapidly approaching so working on that has been a huge distraction.

What advice would you give to unagented and unpublished authors?

I have *so* much advice I could share but here are just a few things; 

1) Don’t rush to send your work out to agents. Sit on it for as long as you can bear it, then re-read and re-edit until it’s as perfect as it can be. Listen to your gut and never send anything out that is ‘good enough’. 

2) I used a literary consultancy very early on in the process as I wanted to hear what a professional thought about my work rather than my mum! I paid for the cheapest critique and received some positive feedback which gave me the confidence to push on. It’s not for everyone but for me, it really helped me to conquer that self-doubt and it was worth every penny. 

3) When you’re not writing, absorb as much as you can through your ears. Listen to the radio, listen to podcasts, listen to people chatting around you and always, always read your work out loud when you’re editing.

Summary

Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn't been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbors from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits as they bustle about the cul-de-sac. 

When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbors is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child's life... but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home?

To find out more about Lisa Thompson:

Twitter

Debuts 2017 - Alice Broadway

Today 2017 debut author is Alice Broadway. Alice is the author of Ink, which is published by Scholastic in February. Ink has already attracted a lot of attention. Here's Alice to tell us more about her debut. 

How are you feeling about your debut this year? 

It depends on the moment. I’ve been so excited about people getting to read Ink and so proud and thrilled that it’s actually happening. But then, I’ve also been feeling desperately nervous and as though I’d like to hide! I’m not terribly brave or confident, and it’s been a real challenge to not get too scared!

Have you seen the book cover and how did it make you feel? 

I felt like I had been completely understood! It was amazing to see Ink in real life and I just knew that Andrew Biscomb, the book’s designer at Scholastic, had completely ‘got’ the feel of the book. It’s a beautiful, atmospheric cover and I am incredibly lucky to have something so special.

How does it feel to have your name on a book?

So good! I remember being on a beach in December when I was about seventeen and I wrote ‘Alice Broadway’ in the sand. I told my friend that I would write a book one day, because my name would look really nice on a cover. He laughed. (We’re not friends now). 

What advice would you give to unagented and unpublished authors?

Get a piece of paper and write on it: ‘I am a writer’ and then believe it. You are a writer no matter how many people get to read your work. The best advice I can give is to be brave and keep going with writing, reading other people’s words and submitting your work. But remember that you started writing because you love it - don’t let that joy get stolen. 

What did you do when you found you were going to be published? 

My lovely agent, Jo Unwin, rang me but I was really ill and had no voice. I just kind of croaked and wheezed my excitement and then went back to bed. Not quite the glamorous champagne-popping moment I’d imagined. But all along the journey from finishing a manuscript, to getting an agent to publication, there are so many moments of joy - I’ve been trying to learn to celebrate each one. 

How has your life changed since getting a book deal? 

I thought what would really change is that I would completely believe I was a good writer, but sadly the insecurity hasn’t vanished! The biggest changes have been feeling like I can justify the time to write and the amazing experience of working with an editor. Genevieve Herr, who is my editor at Scholastic is absolutely brilliant and I have learned so much from her about how to craft a story and create characters that really work. I hit the jackpot when I got to work with her.

Summary of Ink

Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora's father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all.

To find out more about Alice Broadway:

Twitter / Website

Debuts 2017 - Simon James Green

I don't know about you, but this is the last day of my holiday before I go back to work. Where has that time gone? I hope you are all enjoying this series and this helps you to ease back into normality tomorrow. 

Today's debut is Simon James Green. Simon has only recently announced his debut. His book, Noah Can't Even will be published in May with Scholastic.  

1) Have you seen the book cover and how did it make you feel?

I have - although we haven’t done the cover reveal yet, so I obviously can’t say too much. My editor at Scholastic sent me an email saying they’d all had a meeting to look at possible cover designs and that there was ‘one clear favourite.’ He then told me to ‘brace myself’ before I scrolled down to see it. Oh. My. God. I loved it. It’s bright, bold, memorable, funny and edgy, and I have to admit I spent most of the rest of the day just staring at it because I was so happy. The cover was designed by Liam Drane, and I have to take my hat off to him because it’s a real talent to be able to read a book and then sum up so much about the tone and content in a cover design. I think it might raise a few eyebrows when it’s revealed - and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

2) What has been the most memorable moment of the run up to your debut?

There have been quite a few, so it’s hard to choose. Being long-listed and then selected for SCBWI Undiscovered Voices was pretty memorable - and then attending the party where agents came up to talk to me, asking me to send them the book, was also very memorable because that’s not normally how it happens! Joanna Moult from Skylark Literary calling me to offer representation was a lovely moment, and then getting the offer from Scholastic for a two-book deal was obviously super memorable, not least because I worked myself up so much I ended up in bed with an IBS attack, which is really glamorous and totally part of the ‘cool author’ image I am trying to portray!

3) How have you kept yourself occupied in the run up to publication day?

I’ve been busy working with my editor at Scholastic (Linas Alsenas) making a few changes and generally polishing up the manuscript. Linas is an amazing editor - he totally ‘gets’ the book and his ideas and suggestions have been brilliant. My publicist at Scholastic (Olivia Horrox) has also been in touch and we’ve had initial discussions about things we can do to market the book. I’m very lucky to be working with team there, because they’re all so lovely and supportive. In the coming months I’ve got to sort out a new website and focus on the marketing and publicity side of things, whilst starting work on writing ‘book 2’ - the first draft of which is due in August. 

4) What is your biggest fear about publication?

Well, obviously my biggest fear is that everyone hates the book and they organize parties to burn it, whilst people with pitchforks and flaming torches come to my front door. That aside, there is something really quite scary about this thing you’ve been working on for the best part of four years finally being released into the wild for absolutely anyone to read. Writing a book is a fairly solitary journey and my characters so far only exist in my head, those of a handful of editors and book people, and my closest friend. I guess it’s a bit like sending your kid off to school for the first time and knowing there’s nothing more you can do, except hope he makes a few friends, gets on OK and everyone doesn’t pick on him.

5) What advice would you give to unagented and unpublished authors?

The single biggest thing that helped me get a deal is getting professional editorial feedback along the way. I had four editorial reports on Noah Can’t Even before submitting to Undiscovered Voices, and each one revealed new things and helped me make improvements - and not just on that manuscript, but generally as a writer. I’m a member of the Golden Egg Academy, and through their workshops and the guidance of my assigned editor, I was able to take the manuscript to the level it needed to be. There is a cost implication to all this, and it isn’t cheap, but for me it made all the difference and turned out to be the best investment I could have made. 

Stay focused on your goal and don’t give up; Noah Can’t Even is actually my third novel. We won’t talk about the other two, but they both paved the way for this one. 

Surround yourself with people who support, encourage and inspire you. Don’t put up with anyone who thinks it’s ‘just a hobby’ or doesn’t take what you’re doing seriously. Those types suck the joy out of everything and drag you down and no one needs that in their life. 

Enjoy the journey. Sometimes it’s slow. Sometimes there’s a rail replacement bus service. But you will get there.

****

Summary of Noah Can't Even

Painfully geeky Noah Grimes is desperate to do whatever he can to survive school. He thinks his best chance at social normalcy is to start up a romantic relationship with the wonderful Sophie, but his plans are hopelessly derailed when his best (and only) friend Harry kisses him at a party. And that's when things go from bad to utter chaos.

To find out more about Simon James Green: 

Twitter / Website

Debuts 2016 - Sue Wallman

And today we share the last of our 2016 debut authors - writing buddy and #zoellabookclub chosen author - Sue Wallman. Sue has had a cracking debut year. Here she is to tell us more about it. 

What was the highlight of your debut?

There are three.

Lying About Last Summer being selected for the Zoella book club was incredibly exciting. I’d gone into the Scholastic office to meet my new editor, Linas, and so I wasn’t expecting any news. Just a handshake and maybe a coffee. When he told me, I did that classic thing of covering my face with my hands because I was so surprised. Then we had some champagne.

I’ve really appreciated being part of a debut group of authors, brought together by Olivia Levez who wrote The Island. There are five of us - the other three are Patrice Lawrence, Kathryn Evans and Eugene Lambert. We’ve done promotional events together, and I’ve loved getting to know them and having their support. They are a thoughtful bunch of people. 

Holding my book for the first time is something I’ll never forget. I was handed it by Lucy Rogers, my editor, before I did a bloggers event. I remember thinking But it’s not very heavy. It didn’t quite tally with the amount of effort I’d put it! I hadn’t realised that there would be a water droplet texture to the cover. So there were lots of things going through my head at the same time.

What was the low point of your debut?

Having the pressure of doing edits for book two in quite a short space of time. They felt daunting. I’d built a world that was overly complicated and my brain nearly exploded. I was relieved when everything finally hung together. 

Did you have to visit schools and were the visits what you were expecting?

I haven’t visited many schools. I need to do something about this, but I’ve been so caught up with writing See How They Lie which comes out in March. I’ve become much more confident about speaking in public though, thanks to doing other non-school events such as panels and talks. My stomach still goes weird but I don’t feel the same level of fear.

What kind of reaction have you had from your readers?

The first message I received via the contact form on my website was from a member of my critique group. And then I started getting some from actual readers. I love it. Most of them are 11 or 12 and they usually want to know how old I am or where I was born for their English homework.

What was it like working with a publicist?

I love this question! The publicity form I had to fill out for Scholastic brought it home to me that I have no celebrity friends or useful connections, so that was a shame. It felt very glamorous to have a publicist, especially when she came with me to a Speak Easy event where the cocktails were named after the books of the authors there. It’s been great having someone who wants to get your book into the hands of readers as much as you do. 

Summary

The story centres around a girl called Skye, who is sent to a camp for troubled teenagers after her sister dies in an accident. However, once she is at the camp she starts receiving text messages from someone pretending to be her dead sister.

To find out more about Sue Wallman:

Twitter / Website / Instagram

How to Hide a Lion at School by Helen Stephens

Iris and her lion went everywhere together.

The lion was the town hero, because he once rescued the mayor's best candlesticks from some robbers.

But there was one place where they couldn't go together - and that was school. Iris's teacher, Miss Holland, said lions weren't allowed at school.

The lion didn't want to be apart from Iris, though, so every day he'd sneak after her.

Summary From Scholastic

Lions aren't allowed at school, but Iris's lion doesn't want to be left behind. He even stows away on the school trip to the museum, causing chaos as he hides among the exhibits.

But when the school bus breaks down, it's time for the lion to be a hero…

This third adventure in the bestselling How to Hide a Lion series is full of Helen Stephens' acclaimed warmth and humour, and will delight her many thousands of fans.

Fun and mayhem are wonderfully conveyed through Helen's warm, witty illustrations.

****

Review by Liss Norton

The title of this book is wonderfully silly and so are some of the places the lion hides when he follows Iris's class to the museum. In fact the idea of Iris having a lion is pretty bonkers, but it works! The story's simple but satisfying and the illustrations are a delight. They remind me of Edward Ardizzone illustrations for books I read when I was young, only most of his were black and white line drawings and these are full of colour. 

So what more can I say? A fun story, great illustrations, a crazy title. What are you waiting for? Get out there and buy the book!

Fortune by Eve Ainsworth

Another fabulous Halloween inspired post today from Young Adult author, Eve Ainsworth, revealing a reading from a fortune teller...

I’m not sure I ever really believed in fortune tellers, I mean most of them are a bit naff aren’t they? I remember going to see a few as a kid, the kind of seaside ones that have a giant crystal ball perched on the table in front of you. 

“I can see a D….dad maybe?” 

“I can see water…a great journey. I can see you sitting exams.” 

It hardly convinced me BUT I was still interested. I loved this kind of stuff. I read horror and mystery books, I loved exploring the weird and wonderful things in life - and let’s face it -some things just can’t be explained, can they? 

When I was twenty-one I’d just finished university and was a bit, well, lost. I was working on a temporary contract in a recruitment agency (which involved hiding behind a big computer pretending to make sales calls - I hated it). I was back living at home and had dated a succession of not very suitable men. 

I was feeling underwhelmed in my post-university life...

I was also still trying to write a book, although I didn’t tell many people about that. 

My sister decided to take me to Psychic Fair to cheer me up, it did look really interesting. Amongst all the weird and wonderful stalls and displays, there was a Psychic there. He had pretty good credentials having worked with the likes of Paul McKenna - but more importantly he looked nice. He had a lovely smiley face and kind eyes. 

I decided to give it a try. 

The first thing he said? “You’re in the wrong job. You should be doing something creative.” He took my hands. “I can see these gripping a pencil. One day you make your living this way.” 

I remember smiling, thinking of my 200-word unfinished manuscript tucked under my bed. Yeah, right. But it was nice to dream eh? 

His next words were more sombre. 

“You’re going to have a tough time coming up. You need to keep an eye for a family member. I’m sorry it might not be easy.” 

I wasn’t sure at the time who he meant. Then a month after the reading my brother passed away. His words echoed with me for ages. 

He finished up by saying: 

“And I know it worries you, but you are going to meet someone soon. He’ll be slightly older. Very arty and kind.” 

Two months later I met a slightly older guy, an architect. He is very arty. And kind. We’re married now. So I guess you could say that part came true. 

“Any kids?” I asked. 

He looked at my palm and smiled. 

“Two.” 

Well, that was spot on as well…. 

For ages I had the taped recording of the session and there was a lot more that he said that did come true, or was correct about me personally. I honestly can’t say how he did it but it was fascinating, if a little bit creepy. 

I will never again be quick to dismiss such things. 

And I’ll never forget my fortune teller with the kind eyes.

Crush is published by Scholastic 

Summary

The dark and compelling tale of an abusive teen relationship, told from the perspective of the victim, fourteen-year-old Anna

To find out more about Eve Ainsworth:

Twitter / Website

How To Catch A Witch by Abie Longstaff

Charlie was dreaming. 

The house was flying through the air, spinning and bumping on the wind. 

She was off to Oz to see the Munchkins.

Here comes Glinda, floating around in a pink bubble saying, "Charlie, Hogwarts is expecting you. Wear your blue-and-white dress."

Then she was falling.

Published by Scholastic in October 2016

Pages - 240

Summary

Charlie and her family have moved from the big city to a small country village, and everything feels wrong. Their cottage is old and creepy. Anxiety about her new school is causing Charlie's stutter to return. And the villagers are just plain weird. Not least, Agatha, who may not have a broomstick or a cauldron, but is definitely a witch...

*****

What a gorgeous launch to a  brand new series. I adored How To Catch A Witch from the first line and I didn't want to put it down. Not only is it an entertaining, page turning story, but cleverly hidden within the plot, are lots of interesting facts about the history of witches. You can tell that Abi has carried out thorough research just by how detailed the spells are.  It's like getting two books for the price of one!

The story has that believable factor to it. There's no flying on broomsticks or swishing around with a witch's hat. This book portrays a much more modern approach to witches and magic. 

I loved the main protagonist, Charlie, who really tried hard to cope with her speech impediment and finally could see how it might help her by the end of the book. However my favourite character was definitely Agatha. She radiated the modern day witches I've come across over the years.

Abi writes beautifully. Her descriptive languages sucks you into the story, grabbing hold of you until the very last page. 

The book has a real classical feel to it. It would have been a firm favourite with me as a child and I'm sure it won't be long before the series is loved by the Middle Grade brigade. I knew Abi was a talented picture book writer, but she has definitely made her mark in the Middle Grade bracket. 

 I can't wait for more. Luckily I won't have to wait too long, as the next book, How To Trap A Wolf is featured in the back of the book and will be out in 2017. 

Creating a modern-day witch by Abie Longstaff

If you haven't had the opportunity to meet Abie Longstaff yet, you are definitely missing out. I'm so pleased she agreed to join me on the blog today to tell us how she went about creating a modern day witch for her first Middle Grade novel, How To Catch A Witch. 

My new book contains a witch. We all know what witches look like, right? 

Broomstick? Tick  

Black cloak? Tick

Cat? Tick

Pointy hat? Tick

This kind of witch outfit is commonplace at Halloween or, as the witches call it, ‘Samhain’. 

But, when I created my female witch, I wanted to steer clear of the fairy-tale witch. I wanted to make someone more modern, more contemporary, more real. If I was going to put a witch into 2016, what should she be like? Surely these days a witch would be using some fancy modern technology - lasers to cut through things, funky gadgets, sonic energy, rocket-powered broomsticks? That’s the kind of thing I set out to imagine. 

I began with research, looking at witches through the ages. White witches in early mediaeval times were healers - ‘wise women’ or ‘cunning folk’. They were (usually) women with a sound knowledge of plants, much revered in their communities. People would go to them for help reducing a fever, for childbirth, for aches and pains, and, perhaps less believably, for spells to make crops grow, or weather improve. But the 1400’s saw a difficult period of famines, diseases and wars. Someone had to be to blame - and witches became the target of the angry and confused. Over the next few hundred years, witchcraft was considered evil and ungodly and many women were accused, tortured and executed. Those who knew about plants hid their abilities and practised their craft in secret. 

Witch-hunting died out in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and from then on ‘witches’ took the role of baddie in our fairy tales and folklore. 

What about today? 

In search of contemporary ideas on witchcraft, I visited Burley village in Sussex, home of modern-day white witch Sybil Leek. I looked on forums for Wicca and witchcraft and discovered that there are people today who believe in and practise elements that would be familiar to those mediaeval healers. They use herbs and spices, they keep special sun and moon days, and they say they have psychic powers. I shamelessly used their websites and forums for my research. 

My modern witch began to take shape. 

I deliberately took on the mind-set of witchcraft as a reality. My criterion for spells became: if someone on these forums believes this spell will work, I’ll use it. I researched every ingredient mentioned, learning that apple is good for healing, and that orange peel brings focus. I learned about sigils and shape shifting and poppet dolls and witch bottles. 

I read about twenty-first century witches, how they learn their craft; what it’s like to feel different, to sense your powers growing. I learned that emerging witchy powers seem to tie into feelings of uncertainty and not fitting in; to feeling your body and views change; to ‘coming of age’. These seemed to intertwine perfectly with the themes in my book. 

I imagined what it would be like for a young person to develop witch ability - how she’d have to train, how much she had to learn, how she’d google the ingredients she needed, how difficult it would be for her to combine it with normal school life. And how scary it might be to be caught and found out. 

In the end, in my desire to create a fresh modern witch, I ended up going full circle - because, actually, witchcraft hasn’t changed much since that early mediaeval period. Today’s young witches still use herbs and candles and chants the way white witches did hundreds of years ago - the only difference is they share their spells on internet forums. They still have a fear of being found out (although these days, it’s fear of ridicule rather than fear of the ducking stool). And, whether you believe in them or not, they still see themselves as helpers, providing people with spells and chants to deal with problems. 

They do all this without broomsticks, cloaks, cats or hats. 

So if you see a dressed-up witch this Halloween, she probably isn’t the real deal. Indeed, as my main character is about to find out, magic might be a lot closer to home.

How To Catch A Witch was published by in October 2016

Summary

Charlie and her family have moved from the big city to a small country village, and everything feels wrong. Their cottage is old and creepy. Anxiety about her new school is causing Charlie's stutter to return. And the villagers are just plain weird. Not least, Agatha, who may not have a broomstick or a cauldron, but is definitely a witch...

To find out more about Abie Longstaff:

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Poppy Pym and the Double Jinx by Laura Wood

It was late in the evening and I was soaring majestically though the air, whizzing around like an acrobatic bumblebee. Somewhere below I could hear a crowd of people chanting my name as I tumbled into a particularly impressive mid-air pirouette. Madame Pym, ringleader and trapeze-artist extraordinaire, swung back and forth in front of me, her short legs hooked over the trapeze and her arms held out waiting to pull me to safety. Reaching forward, I stretched out as far as I could, ready to grab on to Pym and to hear the humongous roar of applause fill my ears. Instead, I felt my fingertips brush Pym's before they slipped away, leaving me grabbing at mothing but thin air. Then I was falling. Down.

Published by Scholastic in September.

244 pages

Summary From Scholastic

Curses: load of rubbish or for real? Super sleuth Poppy must figure it out when trouble strikes ‘cursed’ play Macbeth… People say Shakespeare’s Macbeth brings bad luck to all who try to stage it. In the case of the Brimwell town production, this seems to be true. An arsonist has struck, burning down the venue. Now the play has been moved to Poppy’s school. But the attacks aren’t over - and the fact that it’s Halloween just makes things creepier. Can Poppy find the culprit and save the play? Circus star. Super sleuth. Mystery buster. Queen of surprises. If Poppy isn’t your best friend yet - why not? 

New from the winner of the Montegrappa Scholastic Prize. The second book about Poppy - sleuth and circus star 

Addictive school story mixed with a Halloween mystery. Great if you love Enid Blyton or Murder Most Unladylike 

*******

Review by Liss Norton

What a great book this is! It's got it all: comedy, spookiness, thrilling adventure, a mystery, a treasure hunt and a cast of wonderful characters. There's even a whole load of guinea pigs thrown in for good measure. And it's beautifully written to boot.

Poppy Pym, who comes from a family of memorable circus performers, is a boarder at Saint Smithen's school. She and her two best friends, Ingrid, who is mad keen on reading, and Kip, who's always first in the queue at mealtimes, set out to discover who burnt down the town hall. Along the way, they investigate the disasters that keep befalling rehearsals of Macbeth and search for long lost treasure. The story hares along at breakneck speed and it's written in short chapters that make it perfect for bedtime reading. Scholastic say it's for children aged 11 and 12, but I know a 9 year old who's going to love it so I'm pretty sure it would also be suitable for book-loving younger children.

Laura Wood's writing style is fun to read. She uses words very precisely and includes lots of original similes that often made me smile. Her characters are well drawn and I especially loved Kip who longs to be taller and who can demolish a whole plate of cakes in about ten seconds flat. There's also an underlying plot line about Poppy's desire to find out about her birth parents. (She was left at the circus when she was a baby.) This creates some poignant moments and I'm keen to read the third book in the series when it's published to see if this issue is resolved. (Come on, Laura Wood, no slacking now! You mustn't keep your fans waiting!)

This book is the second in the series. (How on earth did I miss the first one?) But that didn't detract from my enjoyment of it as it tells a great story in its own right. I can't recommend it highly enough. Don't miss it!

Inspire Me with Lou Kuenzler

As part of the Finding Black Beauty blog tour, I'm pleased to welcome the author, Lou Kuenzler onto the blog to talk about what inspired her to write this book. 

When my editor at Scholastic asked me if I would like to “revisit” or “reimagine” a classic story for contemporary readers, I knew at once that it would be Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty - a book I had read (and wept over) many times as a child growing up on a farm in Devon. The book was important to me - not just because it was about horses, which I loved - but because it felt real and gritty and sad. I loved how the book could make me cry - big heaving sobs sometimes. Crying wasn’t always something that came easily to me. I was sent away to boarding school at the age of seven (one of only two girls amongst hundreds of boys for my first few years away). Learning not to cry, not to be seen to be ‘a baby’, very quickly became a survival mechanism. After the first week of the first term, I don’t think I ever allowed myself to cry because I missed home. I did have my copy of Black Beauty though (perhaps not when I was seven, but certainly a few years later). I was happy to cry under the covers with my torch for the beautiful horse who is taken away from his mother, the spreading chestnut tree and his wonderful country home (no big heaving sobs in case anyone else heard me of course). I don’t think back then I had a clue what I was doing - that I was transferring my own sense of loss and estrangement onto the story. And anyway, it is a cracking adventure too!

Perhaps it was those childhood memories, my own association with the horse, that meant when I came to consider the best way to approach my modern version, I decided almost at once that it would not be told from the point of view of Black Beauty himself (as the original is) but through the eyes of a young girl. In my story it is Josephine, disguised as a stable lad, who talks directly to the reader. Josie has lived a happy and privileged childhood until she is forced to make her own way in the world when her father dies and she is turned out of her home. Desperate to work with horses, she has no choice (in Victorian England) but to pretend to be a boy. The minute she cuts her hair short and binds her chest, she is plunged into a world of boys and men. This again, of course, is familiar territory for me … although it is only now that I have been asked to write this blog that I am joining up the dots with quite such startling self-awareness. Thank you, Serendipity. You have really made me consider the true reason that Anna Sewell’s wonderful story may have always inspired me so much.

Finding Black Beauty by Lou Kuenzler is published in October 2016 by Scholastic. 

Summary

Told from the point of view of a young girl who masquerades as a boy in order to become a groom, this is the other side of the classic horse story BLACK BEAUTY. Aspiring groom Jo comes to love Beauty and when they are separated she travels to London to find him - on the way solving the mystery of her long-lost mother. A sweeping tale of a young girl and her love for a horse, and the circumstances that divide them.

To find out more about Lou Kuenzler: 

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