Random Bits #9

Every year around this time of the year my wishlist grows by at least 10 titles and they all directly come from the Mythopeoic Awards list. 

This year's list looks like this:

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

• Lisa Goldstein, The Uncertain Places (Tachyon)
• Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus (Doubleday)
• Richard Parks, The Heavenly Fox (PS Publishing)
• Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless (Tor)
• Jo Walton, Among Others (Tor)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

• Lisa Mantchev, Théâtre Illuminata series, consisting of Eyes Like Stars, Perchance to Dream, and So Silver Bright (Feiwel and Friends)
• Tamora Pierce, Beka Cooper series, consisting of Terrier, Bloodhound, and Mastiff (Random House)
• Delia Sherman, The Freedom Maze (Big Mouth House)
• Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races (Scholastic)
• Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Feiwel and Friends)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

• Jason Fisher, ed. Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays (McFarland, 2011)
• Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, The Art of the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 2011)
• Carl Phelpstead. Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity (Univ. of Wales Press, 2011)
• Sanford Schwartz. C.S. Lewis on the Final Frontier: Science and the Supernatural in the Space Trilogy (Oxford Univ. Press, 2009)
• Steve Walker, The Power of Tolkien’s Prose: Middle-earth’s Magical Style (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

• Ruth B. Bottigheimer, Fairy Tales: A New History (SUNY Press, 2009)
• Bonnie Gaarden, The Christian Goddess: Archetype and Theology in the Fantasies of George MacDonald(Fairleigh Dickinson Univ. Press, 2011)
• Ursula K. Le Guin, Cheek by Jowl (Aqueduct Press, 2009)
• Darrell Schweitzer, The Fantastic Horizon: Essays and Reviews (Borgo Press, 2009)
• Jack Zipes, The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films (Routledge, 2011)

I am especially over the moon to see one of my favourite authors of all time - Catheryne M Valente on here twice.  I realise I've never actually reviewed the books on MFB and there is no real excuse for that - but if you're intrigued, just take my word for it: she writes sublimely well, with lyrical prose that makes your heart soar and your brain trip. 

I've highlighted / put in (black) bold the titles I have at home, which I'll definitely look forward to share with you in the near future.  The red bold titles are ones that have winged their way onto my wishlist, unexpectedly, and quite by accident.  How did that happen? 

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Onto some other very exciting news from Orion:

Cornelia Funke (her of the Ink Heart novels fame) has signed a contract with Orion for a new book series called GHOST KNIGHT: 

Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft never expected to enjoy boarding school. He never expected to be confronted by a pack of vengeful ghosts either. And then he meets Ella, a quirky new friend with a taste for adventure... Together, Jon and Ella must work to uncover the secrets of a centuries-old murder, while being haunted by ghosts intent on revenge. So when Jon summons the ghost of the knight Longspee for his protection, there's just one question - can Longspee really be trusted?

Cornelia Funke says of GHOST KNIGHT:

I already know the best Christmas gift I will find under my tree this year. I am so thrilled that Orion will bring Ghost Knight to printed life in the UK this winter! I very much hope that my story will bring children from many corners of the world to see all the beautiful places that inspired me to write this  knight's story- Salisbury, Kilmington, Lacock Abbey and of course Stonehenge:) I can't wait for them to hear about the fabulous Ela Longspee, who was the first female sheriff of Wiltshire in the 12th century, and to feel the enchantment of Salisbury Cathedral whose grace and beauty made me find this story. 

I actually yelped at the news because well, Cornelia Funke writes books only for me.  No, seriously.  *stares challengingly at screen* I believe this, no matter what others may say.  Her writing never fails to transport me and make me think.  

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Next up, some more grown up adult fiction news: 

The Desmond Elliott Prize shortlist of three first novels is announced today, Thursday 24 May 2012. The Prize celebrates the very best of debut fiction by the rising stars of the literary world.

The shortlist for The Desmond Elliott Prize 2012 is as follows:

• The Land Of Decoration by Grace McCleen (Chatto & Windus)
• The Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness (Seren)
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Doubleday)   

This year’s shortlist has been selected from a longlist of ten, announced in April. The three shortlisted authors are: poet and academic Patrick McGuinness, whose novel The Last Hundred Days was inspired by his years in Bucharest in the lead up to the Romanian revolution; award-winning radio playwright Rachel Joyce, whose book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was originally drafted as a radio play for her dying father, and Grace McCleen with The Land Of Decoration, a story based on the author’s own upbringing in a Christian fundamentalist sect in Wales.

The judges were struck by the strong characters and coruscating language of Patrick McGuinness’ dystopian novel about the last days of the Ceauscescu dictatorship in Romania, Rachel Joyce’s beautiful storytelling, with its insights into human nature through the tale of an ordinary person motivated to perform extraordinary actions, and the original language and ideas in Grace McCleen’s vivid and life-affirming story of a young girl in a Christian sect who believes the Last Days have come. 

Sam Llewellyn, 2012 Chair of Judges and one of Desmond Elliott’s own protégés, commented:

‘It has been extraordinarily hard to choose a shortlist of three from such a powerful and diverse longlist. Desmond Elliott once told me that his ideal novel was a cross between a treasure hunt and a race. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is both these things, and a lot more besides. The Last Hundred Days, written with wit and irony, is a really fine and original addition to the literature of disintegrating empires, and The Land of Decoration is unlike anything you’ve ever read. It’s a rollercoaster of a book that makes the reader laugh and cry at entirely unpredictable intervals.’

Sam Llewellyn is joined on the judging panel by Tom Gatti, Editor of The Times Review section, and Caroline Mileham, Head of Books at Play.com.

William Hill spokesman, Graham Sharpe, commented that ‘despite having dramatically varying themes, it is very difficult to differentiate between three brilliant debut novels’, but gave Rachel Joyce a narrow lead with the following odds:

• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - 5/4
• The Last Hundred Days by Patrick McGuinness - 7/4
• The Land Of Decoration by Grace McCleen - 2/1

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the £10,000 award for a first novel published in the UK, set up in memory of the celebrated publisher and literary agent Desmond Elliott to ‘enrich the careers of new writers’.

The winner will be announced on Thursday 28 June at Fortnum & Mason, London.  When choosing a winner, the judges will be looking for a novel of depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The work should be vividly written and confidently realised and should contain original and arresting characters.

The 2011 winner was Anjali Joseph for Saraswati Park, published by Fourth Estate. Previous winners of the Prize were: The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw (Atlantic Books, 2010); Blackmoor by Edward Hogan (Simon & Schuster, 2009) and Gifted by Nikita Lalwani (Penguin Books, 2008).

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Over at The Guardian, they're looking for nominations for the Guardian First Book Award. You have the chance to nominate a book of your choice - debut - to be added to their list of books to consider for the prize.  The "competition" closes on 4th June.  Go nominate someone awesome!

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Heard about Magic Town? I didn't know of it until I got this bit of PR from Simon and Schuster about their superb Aliens love Underpants books: 

Simon & Schuster UK and Mindshapes today announced that Claire Freedman and Ben Cort’s bestselling Aliens Love Underpants series is now part of Magic Town (www.magictown.com), the first virtual world of picture books and stories for children aged 2 to 6+. There will be four Aliens Love Underpants stories in Magic Town.

In Magic Town, children meet Max and Izzy, animated guides who show them around a vibrant landscape of uniquely illustrated houses, each of which holds interactive stories and related puzzles and games, featuring fairy tales, original titles and well-known series. Magic Town’s virtual world uses games technology to provide each child with a customised experience. An algorithm presents relevant stories for each child, and daily visits to Magic Town unlock additional content. In the future, parents will be able to further personalise Magic Town by selecting specific brands and stories.

Each Aliens Love Underpants story in Magic Town is presented as a Livebook™, Mindshapes’ proprietary storytelling format designed to stimulate young children’s development through educational, interactive tasks. Magic Town was created with input from teachers and early childhood development experts, and has been tested with children, parents and educators.

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That's it from Random Bits for now! 

Cornelia Funke's Reckless Blog Tour

As one of Ms. Funke's biggest fans, I swooned with joy when ChickenHouse asked me to be part of the Reckless blog tour. I jumped at the chance and worked my butt off on the questions and the interview below is the result.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!

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Reckless drips with dark fairy tale menace, and several of your other books also have a ‘fairy tale’ feel. Are you a big fan of fairy tales and can you perhaps tell us which have influenced you the most?

Funnily enough, I never liked fairy tales. I preferred myth and folk tales that are much older. But, as a German child of my generation, I was brought up on Grimm’s fairy tales, and they haunted me and proved to be quite unforgettable. Reckless is also about my experience of living in two worlds: in America, which is in so many ways the younger and more modern world, and in Europe, where we still meet the past at every corner and our own romanticised interpretation of it. Fairy tales talk so much about a lost past, about human nature and all its darkness and light, that the more I explored them the more I was fascinated by how much they have changed and how they were sometimes used as a tool to transport beliefs and social rules.

In Reckless, your writing style is far darker, more mature, than in, say, your Inkheart books. Was this a deliberate change in tone and how did Lionel Wigram co-writing with you affect your writing voice?

When I was editing Inkdeath I started to feel that the style did not fit me anymore. The last few years brought vast private changes for me: my husband of 27 years died, I moved to America, and my daughter left home and now lives in London - which makes me travel a lot. I felt I needed a less ‘baroque’ language; less sentimental, less wordy, more modern. I also felt that there were stories stirring in me that were older. With my being 52 that’s probably not a big surprise; even my ‘young’ son is now 16 and taller than me. When my friend Lionel Wigram [producer of the Harry Potter movies] came to me with the initial ideas for Reckless, he was the perfect collaborator for helping me find that new voice. Lionel and I were soon working so closely together that we were ruthless when it came to criticising each other’s ideas. It feels different to be edited by a close friend who is also a well-respected creative partner. I am much more protective of my characters and stories when editors criticise them, as they only spend a few days or weeks with them while I have been living with them for years. Lionel, in contrast, had created them with me and therefore sometimes knew them even better than I did, especially the male characters. It was also vastly inspiring (and refreshing) to discuss characters and motives not only in my own head but with someone else. It was like I could paint a rather brilliant Yellow and Lionel, a beautiful Blue. But together we could suddenly paint this quite magical Green – rich and dark and unlike anything we could have come up with alone.

I recall Lionel mentioning at your hardback launch last year in London that he had learned a tremendous amount writing Reckless with you. Do you think any of Lionel's script-writing skills have rubbed off on you?

First of all, he taught me how to collaborate, to enjoy the inspiration of another imagination colliding with my own. Guillermo del Toro [producer of Pan’s Labyrinth] asked me to work with him on an animation project this year and I realised how much I had learned about collaboration during the past five years.

Lionel is used to telling a story in a very disciplined and lean way as he has only two hours to fill on the screen. I, in contrast, am a storyteller who can get easily distracted by every minor character who stumbles out of my imagined forests. Lionel learned from me, I think, to sometimes follow those random intruders and I learned to sometimes stay away from them and follow our main hero instead. Lionel is sometimes more insistent on asking a character some quite uncomfortable questions (Jacob hated him for that). On the other hand, Lionel enjoyed spending a whole chapter inside a character’s head – something that is impossible to do in a script. Some readers mistook my new voice for something more movie-like, whereas I personally find it more literary with its inner monologues.

I recently read one of the interviews you gave and you mentioned that your characters sometimes scare you. Who in Reckless had the greatest impact on you and your nerves?

I think that character will fully appear in book three. I only discovered him while I was promoting Reckless in Moscow. I took a walk across the Red Square with my literary agent, Andrew Nurnberg, and suddenly I stopped and murmured something like: “Heavens. I had no idea! So he is behind this.” Writers are used to this kind of fictional ‘encounter’, but Andrew had probably not witnessed it before and was quite amused.
Of course the Tailor, whom we meet in Reckless, is very scary, and two of the characters in the second book aren’t the kind of company you might wish for, but I don’t think they are any competition for the character I met in Moscow. Let’s see…

I loved your two female characters in Reckless (Fox and Clara), and was wondering how much time you spent creating these characters or did they simply turn up, fully formed, ready to be written into the storyline?

Fox turned up fully formed and ready, but only because Lionel fought me when I wanted to turn Valiant into an almost dog-like devoted companion for Jacob. “No!” he said. “If you want a dog, give Jacob a dog; let it be a talking dog if you want, but the dwarf is mean!” A talking dog… hmmm… that was interesting.

Suddenly, all the foxes popped into my head that we meet in the Grimm’s dark forests. They always talk and they are wise and very helpful. So… there was Fox. I only realised that Fox was a woman a few chapters later. That came as quite a surprise. Fox is my alter ego, more than any character ever was; she is the alter ego of my female side.

Clara, in contrast, hid from us. We had endless discussions about her before we could see her clearly, and what finally made me understand her was how she related to Fox.

As for the female characters in Reckless, I admit my secret favourite (aside from Fox) is, for sure, the Dark Fairy, and many girls, even very young ones, love her passionately. But I was once asked to kill her…

You have written extensively for teen and younger readers. Have you considered writing exclusively for the adult audience?

No, I love the fact that as a writer for children I can tell a story for three or four generations, and that they can travel together through the world I offer them. As I am now 52 and my children are both quite grown up I have started having ideas for ‘older’ stories – quite natural I guess. Reckless is a step in that direction, though I have heard from 10-year-olds who loved it. I will for sure write another three or even four books in the Reckless series, and I have plans for stories that are for a younger audience. But I also love the fact that some stories just come my way and won’t leave me alone until I write them. So let’s see who and what will show up in the next few years.

What are some of your favourite reads as an adult? What are you currently reading?

At the moment I mostly read books that are research for Reckless – books on the 19th century and on fairy tales. One is The Conquest of Nature, by David Blackbourn, about the straightening of the Rhine river, completely fascinating. And then, just for fun: Forests and The Dominion of the Dead by Robert Pogue Harrison; The History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor; Mirror of the World by Julian Bell; and Citizens by Simon Schama – which may be research for a possible new project. Additionally, I love to listen to the audio version of Ten by Maugham: A Collection of Short Stories by Somerset Maugham. He is still one of the greatest storytellers for me.

For all the aspiring writers out there, can you share with us any advice you received as an aspiring writer that stuck with you?

I didn’t receive any advice, as I just started writing one night because I was a very bored illustrator and desperately longed for different stories from those the publishers sent me. I developed my method and rhythm of writing over the years myself, as I think that every writer has a different way to find the right story. I tell children who want to be writers that they should always carry a pen with them (one that also writes on skin in case they run out of paper), as the best ideas tend to show up in the most impractical places and dissolve in our minds as easily as soap bubbles. I also recommend that they only choose to write stories that they feel passionate about – passionate enough to spend many months or years with them – and that they should allow their characters to sometimes surprise them and show them what their story is truly about. But, as I said above, for every writer there is a different path through the labyrinth.

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Thank you so much to ChickenHouse and to Cornelia for this great interview.

Do follow the rest of the tour!

An evening with Cornelia Funke

Tonight was one of the highlights of my bloggery / fan-girly "career".  I got to attend an event to celebrate the launch of Cornelia Funke's new novel RECKLESS.

I had an opportunity much earlier this year to meet her, at the Chicken House 10 year birthday, but due to being struck down with swine-flu, I couldn't attend.  However, tonight made up for that 100%.  I am still smiling.

Mary, the PR person sent me an email last week to tell me about this dress that Cornelia would be wearing and to make sure that I bring my camera to document it.  Well, I invariably lug my trusty little Nikon with and wow, what an event.

First, let's show off some photos.

Hmm - shiny pretty bookses

I could not resist taking this shot of the room reflected - and no, that's not me you can just about see...

Fantastic treasure on display 

The Lady and the Dress - I have dubbed Cornelia Funke in this dress as the Queen of Air and Darkness

A genuinely charismatic and down to earth lady with a tremendous story-telling gift

Michael Schellenberg from Canada and Cornelia Funke 

Cornelia and Lionel Wigram, co-creator of Reckless in discussion with Nicolette Jones.

It was such a treat listen to Ms. Funke and Mr. Wigram chat about how they came together through mutual friends and then found out that they are very much on the same wave-length when it comes to storytelling.

Now, for those of you who don't know, Lionel Wigram is a pretty cool guy in his own right.  Embarrassingly, it took me AGES to realise who he was.  But once I did, I resolved to chat to him about Sherlock Holmes which I loved.  

I digress - so Nicolette Jones (dressed beautifully in a period frock) chatted to Ms. Funke and Mr. Wigram about their partnership and how different it must have been for Cornelia to work with a narrative partner at this time.  

I was struck by how genuine Ms. Funke seemed.  And wonderfully confident and charismatic.  She spoke the most, I'd say, but she had her audience hanging on her every word.  Between the two of them, they had an easy banter and Nicolette had only been given 20 minutes to chat to them, but I suspect we could have stood there listening to them for a good hour or more.  

Afterwards, Mr. Barry Cunningham, the head of ChickenHouse told us all to nab some of the books off the display and to get the author and co-creator to sign it.  I did not need to be invited twice.  I got two copies - one for me, of course, and one for my friend in Cape Town.  Her name is Michelle and it is through Michelle that I discovered Inkheart and subsequently my love for children's literature.  So, a big thanks, lovely Mich, for sharing your obsession. 

And that's my story - it was an amazing evening.  I didn't really get the chance to say much to Ms. Funke as there was an entire room keen to talk to her. 

Oh! Before I do log off - the picture of Michael and Cornelia has an amusing story:  Michael was downstairs at the venue with some friends when he spotted Mary, the PR lady.  Mary told Michael she was at Beach Blanket Babylon to host an event for an author.  Michael asked who - and then when he heard it was Cornelia, he decided he had to come up and be part of it.  It turns out that Michael works for Random House Canada.  So I made sure to nab his card off him so that I can send him a link to the blogpost so that he has another picture of him and Ms. Funke mugging for the camera. 

My review for Reckless should be soon - I'm taking it with me on holiday to France. A big thanks to Barry Cunningham and his wonderful staff and Mary, for the very flattering invitation to the event.  I am one exceedingly happy fan girl.  Dreams are made of this. 

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

Synopsis:

Since the extraordinary events of Inkspell, when the story of Inkheart magically drew Meggie, Mo and Dustfinger back into its pages, life in the Inkworld has been far from easy. With Dustfinger dead, and the evil Adderhead now in control, the story in which they are all caught has taken an unhappy turn. Even Elinor,left alone in the real world, believes her family to be lost-lost between the covers of a book. As winter turns to spring, there is reason to hope...

A close friend of mine, Michelle from South Africa, bought me the first book in Cornelia Funke's trilogy, Inkheart quite a few years ago, when it was first released. Michelle insisted that my obsession with books reminded her strongly of the main character, Meggie in Inkheart. Personally I thought it was rubbish - no one can possibly be as obsessed by books as I am. Yes, my friends, I had a lot to learn!

I have read Inkheart and Inkspell several times and have bought copies for other friends to read and enjoy. I have waited a good old time for the closing chapter in this amazing trilogy and I'm thrilled to say that Inkdeath does not disappoint.

Things are very different in Inkdeath, right from the start. The world is in chaos and it is a no holds barred ride mixing all the elements that Cornelia Funke has become known for - with dark obsessive characters and nightmarish events. The story highlights how people change in the face of adversity and the characterisations are at their peak.

I really am not going to give away the story lines, they are vastly complex, with a dizzying array of characters and the author's innate skill at planning and following through story arcs has to be applauded. She has many links to tie up from the two previous books and her storytelling moves you effortlessly through these, tugging the reader along at a thrilling pace.

Inkdeath is a swashbuckling story of princes, villains, lonely characters and a struggle to do the right thing, making momentous decisions or desperately trying to deal with decisions made in the past. There is the confrontation with mortality, vividly portrayed by the pressence of the White Women, and the question of reality versus imagination is raised, along with the pressing need for the characters to find a way to escape the world they are in.

Meggie remains the pivotal character in the story but we find Fenoglio struggling cope with the loss of his writing and story telling ability. In a turn of events self-obsessed Orpheus has the final copy of the Book so he is using that to his own advantage, rewriting Fenoglio's words, trying to control the story. And...well, a lot more besides. It is a must read for anyone who has started on this journey a few years ago with the publication of Inheart, especially as Inkheart movie will soon be coming out to a theatre near you (we saw an extended trailer last night on DVD and it looks AMAZING) with release dates having been set for 12th December 08 in the UK and January 09 in the US.

Inkdeath is a wild ride, buckle up and follow the story to its conclusion, you will not be disappointed.

You can find Cornelia Funke's website here with more information about all her books and movie news. Her publisher's Chicken House, can be found here.