MFB chats to Cristy Burne, author of Takeshita Demons and The Filth Licker

I fell for Cristy Burne in a big way when I was sent Takeshita Demons to review last year. I loved that it made use of a mythology I knew so little about, apart from the anime Hellboy movie: Sword of Storms, I had not heard or read much about Japanese folklore and mythology, which, considering that folklore and mythology is totally my "thing" is actually embarrassing.

I received Cristy's second book: The Filth Licker to review too (review here from yesterday) and I have to say, the stories are going from strength to strength.  But, before I ramble on too much like the fan-girl I am, here is the blogpost Cristy did for us about writing and research for Miku's world.


Cristy and her friend, The Head


1) Can you tell us your route to publishing?

I don’t have an agent and I have never been plucked from a slush pile, but I have always entered writing competitions, even when I was at school. Although I’ve long-forgotten the competitions in which I got nowhere, I will never forget the buzz of being short-listed or winning other competitions. Getting feedback on my writing in this way was really important: just hearing someone who wasn’t my Mum tell me that my writing had promise was invaluable. It gave me courage to keep writing through the times when I’d think, ‘this is rubbish, why do I bother?” And then one day, in 2008, I spotted the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Childrens Book Award (http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/the-frances-lincoln-diverse-voices-childrens-book-award/). I knuckled down to write Takeshita Demons and entered it into the award and voila! I was short-listed and won. Part of the prize was publication, and that was my foot in the door. Since then I’ve pitched six books to Frances Lincoln Publishing and they’ve signed three of those books so far.

2) What kind of research did you do for the various creatures?

The creatures featured in the Takeshita Demons series are mythological Japanese monsters, called yokai. I began researching yokai while living in Japan, nearly ten years ago, but I didn’t ever plan to put them in a book. I was just asking questions about some of the weird and wonderful ghost stories and traditions in Japan’s history. When I decided to write Takeshita Demons, I began my research in more earnest, using websites and texts in Japanese and English, as well as traditional art, stories and general chat with Japanese friends.

3) How did you make sure the demons fit into your story?

I am a plotter, not a pantser, which means I drafted the plots of each Takeshita Demons book before I started writing them (while sitting pregnant in a Starbucks at Angel station, to be precise!). In each case, the plot is driven by the needs of the human characters – Miku Takeshita and her pals – and the yokai they meet along the way also influence what happens. I find that if I don’t draft the plots, I write myself into boring spots or dead ends and end up very stressed and unhappy. Pre-plotting means I love the book right from the start.



Cristy at a signing with some fans!

4) What was it like bringing this "exotic" culture to British readers?

It has been fabulous! Many British kids already know some of the Japanese yokai, from manga and movies, and they’ve loved the books, which is great. It’s really fun to find other yokai fans out there. Some yokai are so quirky that even Japanese people haven’t heard of them, and that’s been fun too. But I think the best bit is that Miku Takeshita is seen as just like any other kid. She speaks Japanese at home and eats Japanese food in her school lunch, but she still freaks out when her supply teacher turns out to be a cut-throat demon. I think there’s something of Miku in every kid. We can all relate to her adventures.

5) What is the best advice you were given as an aspiring writer?

“Read, read, read”. I think it’s useful to read great books at any time, but if you want to be a writer, you need to read, read, read from a young age, so the love of words and stories is a solid, breathing part of you.

6) What is your advice now to aspiring writers?

Enter writing competitions! Pick and choose the competitions you enter (I would only enter if they interested me, seemed reputable, and had a low or zero entry fee) and then forget all about your entry. Just move on with your next writing project. That way, if you get no news or bad news, you’re already engrossed in a new, more exciting project anyway. And if you get good news, well…that’s just a wonderful surprise! Good luck!

And, because Cristy is cool and she knows what big fans we are, we get to show a sneak preview of the cover for Takeshita Demons: Monster Matsuri, released in June 2012:

Isn't it fabulous?

Takeshita Demons: The Filth Licker by Cristy Burne

Miku is going to School Camp in the forest, with her friend Cait and the rest of her class. It should be fun. But Miku has premonitions of danger, and when Oscar goes down with a festering rash, and a rushing wind blows out the bonfire she's sure something bad is going on. Then Alex finds the frog-like Filth-Licker in the boys' toilets, and all at once Miku, Cait and Alex are on a secret mission to overcome the vengeful Shape-Shifters or Super Demons before it's too late… Later that night, with Alex kidnapped by a pyromaniac fox, and Cait possessed by some angry sickle weasels, it's up to Miku and the Filth-Licker to save them all from disaster.

This is the second instalment of Cristy Burne's series about a young Japanese girl called Miku who has moved to London with her parents.

In the previous book - Takeshita Demons - Miku and her best friend Cait discover that the legends Miku's grandmother told her about demons and creatures from mythical Japanese lore does in fact exist. And that they are only too happy to cause chaos in young Miku's life.

In this, the second book, Miku and Cait are off to Summer Camp. They are good friends but it is odd as Cait seems to not quite remember what's happened to them not so very long ago. Added to this is the peculiar goings on, on their way to the camp, and also, at the camp. Is someone playing a rubbish trick on Miku or is what they are experiencing another attack by supernatural creatures?

The artowrk by Siku is wonderful - it's dotted throughout the novel and enhances Ms. Burne's text, showing us what these creatures Miku and Cait and their newly made friend, Alex has to face. And, as previously in Takeshita Demons, the creatures they face may not always wear a demonic or critter-like face, so once you become used to this, you can't help but wonder who are the bad guys.

The book is slender - giving younger readers the sense that they have read quite a bit - but do not let its slenderness put you off. The story is twisty and turny and told in a great voice and pacey way. I really liked it and think that Ms. Burne's has created a wonderfully feisty character in Miku and that I am happy to read Miku adventures till the cows come home.

The folklore is superbly researched and given a modern twist. I love that we are, without realising it, taught some great bits of mythology and Japanese culture. It never gets preachy and reads very natural. It really is one of my favourite series for younger, confident readers.

As full disclosure, I was asked by Amazon Vine to review this book and as a geeky fan girl, I of course said yes!  The review above appeared on Amazon's site several weeks ago now, but I knew I wanted to feature Cristy on the site for #u14so, so I thought I'd re-post my initial review back on the blog and urge you to give it a try.  The artwork really is so great and it does compliment the story wonderfully.  Do visit back tomorrow as we chat to Cristy Burne about writing the two Takeshita Demon books and Japanese mythology

Indigo Bloggers Event

We were very lucky to be invited to the Indigo Bloggers Event held at Orion's offices last night.

This wasn't the official launch of their new Indigo imprint, but rather it was an exclusive preview and a nod of thanks to the bloggers who review Orion's existing children's list.

Sadly, I was around ten minutes late due to the Central Line dying - eejits - so I had to bus it along Oxford Street - eejits - and managed to slip in late...only to be shown to the VERY front row! I was mortified, much to everyone else's amusement.  Thanks guys!

However, the lovely Nina Douglas and Louise were on hand to get everyone else's attention yet again.  They talked enthusiastically about the books being launched from September through to April next year as part of the list:


Marcus, Sara, Kate, Sally


September 2011

Darkness Falls by Mia James - the second novel by the Mia James authors which does sound very involved and interesting and I know Sarah really did like the first novel, By Midnight.

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison - she read from the book and it is sounding very good! She also gave a little talk about the idea behind Soul Beach and what she did in her Previous Life as journalist and romance writer. 

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Shelter by Harlan Coben

October 2011

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick - the Sedgwick also read from his new book and it sounds incredible.  The story starts in the future and moves backwards through time, basically making use of the "have you ever felt that you've lived another life" idea and toying with that.  It sounds superb.

Dark Parties by Sara Grant - who also read an extract.  I am very proud to know Sara as she is a fellow SCBWI member as well as a great writing coach and I've had the benefit of sitting through one of her classes on revising.  Listening to her read made me realise how much hard work she's put into this, her debut novel.  Sara is also one of the key members at Working Partners so she knows how stories go!  Am really looking forward to reading this dystopian novel.

White Cat - Holly Black (Love It!)

The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

November 2011

The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner - Sally read the opening sequence of her novel and on the way home Mark turned to me and said: That lady, Sally Gardner really knows how to write, doesn't she?  The words just flowed and the descriptions were amazing.  I couldn't agree more. We are looking forward to reading The Double Shadow as the concept just sounds wow.

The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima - now, I've not been saying anything about these books because I know nothing about them apart from he fact that Jenny over at Wondrous Reads is a fan.  Which is good enough for me.  I actually have the first book which I bought last year on a whim from Foyles as one of their imports and it sounds excellent.  However, Indigo/Orion confirmed that these will be released in standard sized paperbacks which is far better for me personally as I tend to read the majority of my books on commute and travelling with oversized books is not idea.




Kate chatting to us about Soul Beach


January 2012

The Hunting Ground by Cliff McNish - ah, yes.  Lovely Cliff writes deeply worrying things and I'm very much looking forward to this!

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding - Chris is a tremendously prolific writer, writing for both adults and younger readers.  Retribution Falls was published in the past by Gollancz, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Orion.  However, it was decided that Chris has such a strong following of younger readers that it would be a great idea to offer them Retribution Falls and the follow up novel, Black Lung Captain, on the Indigo imprint too.

Crossing Over by Anna Kendal - also a Gollancz release in the past, but again it was felt younger readers would love the intrigue.

The Double Edged Sword by Sarah Silverwood - Sarah is also equally prolific and this is her fantasy novel for younger readers.  Adult readers would know Sarah as Sarah Pinborough who excels at writing darker fiction for adults.

February 2012

Hollow Pike by James Dawson - looking at James in Real Life you would never expect anything dark and supernatural to come from him.  However, we have it on superb authority to not be fooled by James's lovely looks because, like Cliff, looks can fool you and Hollow Pike is grim and scary and dark and wonderful.  I can't wait! Also, the cover which I did not take a photo off (sorry) is simply stunning.



Sally being utterly charming whilst talking to us about The Double Shadow

 An Act of Love by Alan Gibbons - Alan is such a mainstay of great writing and I cannot wait to read this novel about two blood brothers who grow apart.  I know he has done a tremendous amount of research to get the facts and story right for this novel and it sounds like it is one of those books that might become a game-changer.

Dark Mist Rising by Anna Kendall

March 2012

Firespell by Chloe Neill

Darkness Falls by Mia James

Raining Fire by Alan Gibbons

The Traitor's Gate by Sarah Silverwood

April 2012

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

A bright and Terrible Sword by Anna Kendall

The evening ended with much applause and we all decamped to their outside patio balcony area for air and lovely treats.   We got the chance to chat to the four authors in attendance and get all fan-girly. 

It was a really lovely evening and Mark and I are very proud to have been asked to attend.  The Indigo imprint looks like it is going from strength to strength and I wish Nina and the editors the best of luck in their new endeavour.

Also a massive shout-out to all our blogging friends who were there - it's always so great to see them all because (selfishly) events like this always make me feel like we're at some kind of convention of our own.  I know, totally self-centred but hey, what can I say? If I can't talk books and blogging to my mates, who can I talk to?

In attendance were (the ones I can remember speaking to!):

Wondrous Reads
Floor to Ceiling Books
Bookzone for Boys
Feeling Fictional
Teenage Fiction for All Ages / Eurocrime 
Books and Writers
The Bookette
Carly Bennett
Matt Teen Librarian
Serendipity Reviews

This is the original Indigo press release sent through to us a few months ago, should you be interested in reading it.

And these are the titles I nabbed for MFB's reading pleasure:

Laura Marlin Mysteries 2: Kidnap in the Caribbean by Lauren St John

Synopsis

Laura cannot contain her excitement when she wins a trip to the Caribbean for herself and her uncle, Calvin Redfern, especially when her best friend, Tariq, and her three-legged husky, Skye, accidentally find themselves on board too. But when they dock at Antigua, they discover that Calvin Redfern has vanished, and Laura and Tariq are about to be kidnapped by the fearsome Straight A gang. Dramatic escapes, an erupting volcano and a race against time to stop the deadly undercover 'Marine Concern' make Laura's second adventure every bit as exciting as the first.

From Cornwall to the Caribbean, 11-year-old ace detective Laura Marlin comes face to face with pirates, sharks, criminal masterminds and an erupting volcano in her second mystery adventure, which follows the Blue Peter award-winning first book DEAD MAN'S COVE.

I loved Dead Man's Cove and was really looking forward to reading the follow-up. Before I get into the review proper I just want to talk about how lovely this book looks. It's hardback with a beautifully illustrated dust cover and pictures throughout. It looks like a little gem before you even open it. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kindle for the ease of reading massive tomes whilst on the go but there's something about books like this that means, I hope, they will never be replaced.

The book opens with Laura content in St Ives except for the dreary weather. However, when she wins a holiday to the Caribbean she can't wait to get on board and head for the sun. The wonderful Tariq and Skye also find themselves stranded on the boat but even before they have left port suspicious things start to happen. Laura's Uncle Calvin is bedridden after a mysterious fall and then disappears leaving Laura and Tariq to cope alone. But once they reach Antigua things get worse and worse.

I found Dead Man's Cove reminiscent of Enid Blyton but in a better written, more exciting kind of way and still get this feel from the Laura Marlin series. Laura is self-reliant after her unfortunate start in an orphanage and drives the plot along with her determination to be as good a detective as Matt Walker - star of her favourite books. If she finds herself in a situation which seems impossible she tries to think of what Matt or her uncle would do. Tariq is her steady and calm friend who's just so loyal and sweet - however, he's no pushover and not to be underestimated. A new character, Jimmy, goads Laura and Tariq and is initially obnoxious. But his parents are so awful and pushy that I soon felt sorry for him. Laura and Tariq take time to get to know him and, happily, he's an integral part of the book.

A really enjoyable book, Kidnap in the Caribbean is a great for confident younger readers but probably too young for those aged 11- 14. It has just the right amount of action, friendship and danger to make it a compelling and exciting.

Mistress of the Storm by M. L. Welsh

Synopsis

Verity Gallant has always struggled to fit in. Outshone by her perfect sister and tormented by her schoolmates, she knows there is nothing special about her.
But everything changes when the Storm docks at the quiet harbour town of Wellow, and Verity receives an ancient book from a mysterious stranger. It tells the chilling story of the Mistress of the Storm – a story that has been kept from Verity all her life.
Suddenly Wellow is stirring with long-hidden secrets and bitter rivalries. As dark clouds roll menacingly above and Verity begins to uncover the truth about her family’s past, she becomes dangerously entangled in a web of dark magic and powerful revenge.

My first review for Under 14's Only month and I'm absurdly excited. I was kindly given a hardback copy of this book at the Random House book bloggers brunch earlier this year but as the paperback was coming out in June I thought I'd save it until now. As a huge fan of Susan Cooper I've got a soft spot for coastal adventures and the synopsis really intrigued me.

From the synopsis I expected to feel sorry for Verity, pity her even. She's a bit of an outcast at school and finds comfort in her local library where she tends to hide out. Unlike her sister she describes herself as sturdily built and can't find pretty clothes to fit. As a result she's low on confidence but has a quiet strength that I admired. Far from feeling sorry for Verity I was cheering her on from the first few pages when she stoically ignores the boys who steal her schoolbag or put her gym skirt up a tree. Hope comes in the form of Henry, a boy at her school and soon her only friend. Also, her perfect sister may be adored by all around but she's an incredibly sweet character who supports Verity and tries to help her.

Verity's life is jolted into the extraordinary when a stranger gives her a book and her Grandmother comes to stay. The latter is a poisonous woman who clearly hates Verity from the beginning. I was reading with clenched fists as she steals Verity's room and throws away all of her out-of-print and first edition books. At first the grandmother simply throws snide remarks at Verity but soon she shows a more supernatural side and when angry starts to look almost skeletal. The passages that involve the grandmother are totally gripping and eerie. Soon Verity starts to find out more about her own past and with Henry and later Martha at her side she is able to discover how her family history could be tied into current events.

There's so much to love about this book. Firstly, watching Verity grow in confidence as she builds friendships and discovers sailing. Also, this book is so creepy. Verity's mother is pregnant and the book covers three seasons. As the pregnancy progresses so does the feeling of menace. Towards the end I was flying through the pages, almost too scared to continue! I honestly couldn't think of a better book to kick this month off for me. If you like stories that are full of adventure, magic but with a firm footing of solid friendship try this - a wonderful book.

Diary of a Lottery Winner's Daughter by Penelope Bush

Does money have to change everything?


Charlotte and her family are determined that winning £3.7 million on the lottery won’t change them. But they haven’t counted on how everyone around them will react.


Charlotte’s best friend is acting strangely, and someone’s spreading cruel rumours at school. Can Charlotte use the money to change things for the better?


Penelope Bush goes beyond clichés and creates quirky, truly believable characters with complicated lives.

When we meet Charlotte (who I'm so pleased to say never is called anything but Charlotte) she is about to go on holiday with her mum and dad, her oldest sister Chelsea and Spencer, her older but smelly brother.  They are borrowing their aunt and uncle's caravan and heading to Weston Super Mare for a week's break by the sea.  We very early realise that Charlotte and her family aren't wealthy and that their house on one of the estates in Bristol is too small for them.  Charlotte has to share with Chelsea and everything about Chelsea is hard work.  She seems permanently sulky and miserable.  She kicks up a fuss about everything and makes her parents lives very difficult indeed.

Charlotte is sweet and kind and generous and she's a bookish kind of girl.  She is also quite small for her age.  She is about to turn 13 so finds it very difficult to relate to her older sister.  She is close to her brother, Spencer, which I quite liked and the two of them form a good unit and buffer against Chelsea's bad ways.

When they get back from their holiday Charlotte's mum has them stop at the local Tesco to quickly run in to do some shopping and to buy a new lottery ticket.  In the process of buying the new ticket, she finds the week before's ticket and when the staff check it...they advise her to ring the number on the back of the ticket.  She does when they get home and it's revealed that it is indeed a winning number.

Cue the dramatic screaming and shouting.  Slowly but surely things change for Charlotte and her family.  Chelsea starts househunting for them, Spencer who is clever and good at maths asks to be sent to a better high school and Charlotte, Charlotte asks for more books and some stationery.  A girl right after my own heart.

So, after the initial shrieking and the initial random clothes buying, what next? Life goes back to normal, really.  And that is what happens to Charlotte.  She goes back to school but she finds that her best friend Lauren is acting a bit standoffish towards her but she doesn't really think anything about it.   As the weeks go by, and her mum and dad reveal that they are moving into a new (older house) place, moving away from the estate, all that Charlotte can think about is: a room of her own and also floor to ceiling bookshop. And that is exactly what she gets.

Lauren's not at all happy and immediately makes friends with the new girl who moves into Charlotte's old house on the estate.  Chelsea is having problems too.  Suddenly the girls who used to hang out with her become antagonistic and fights start breaking out.

Charlotte becomes deeply upset when she realised that Lauren and the new girl, Stacey, have become good friends.  And they were basically freezing her out.  Annabel, a girl who lived near to Charlotte (someone she had seen in class but never really spoke to) starts speaking to her and before their friendship can really grow, it all goes wrong.

I enjoyed reading this novel - I thought that Charlotte's character deserved to have everything she wished for her and others.  She is honestly a nice kid and really likeable.  She's just not very adept at dealing with the real world, so that when the new girl Stacey takes advantage of her, she's so shocked that instead of telling her parents, she bottles it up and tries to work through it herself.  When she bungles telling Lauren, Lauren doesn't believe her.

Her fragile friendship with Annabel starts growing but things are falling apart at home.  Chelsea runs away from home after a bad fight with her dad and her parents start blaming themselves.  It's a complete nightmare.

As the story evolves and changes, Charlotte is a complete heroine and does her utmost to find and help everyone.   And of course, we are so vested in Charlotte's story, we can't wait for everything to be fine for her.

I thought that the writing was first class and the characterisation works very well.  The story and situations all make complete sense as they are super-believable.  It's not all sunshine and roses all the time, not even when you've won the lottery, as it brings its own ups and downs.

Diary of a Lottery Winner's Daughter is a fun read and it's given us a great new heroine who is just a tiny bit fabulous and cool, for all her geeky bookishness.  This is the author, Penelope Bush's second novel and I have to say...I think we've got a new voice for younger girls in the vein of Cathy Hopkins and Cathy Cassidy.

PBS #7 - Little Monster Did It by Helen Cooper

Everything was quiet and peaceful in the house until Little Monster arrived. 


Little Monster loves Amy, but he hates the new baby.  Soon he starts doing some very naughty things and Amy gets the blame...

Little Monster Did It by Helen Cooper is a wonderfully illustrated picture book for younger readers.  I would say under six's would get most enjoyment out of it, and of course, us older folk too.  Especially in the fine detail of the artwork which is not intensely coloured, but instead, by using muted hues, their impact is quite striking and...thoughtful.  It's difficult to explain.  The colours used throughout made me want to pause in my consideration of them, they drew me in, which I really liked.

Amy loves her mum and dad and loves the time they spend together.  She likes that it's only the 3 of them.  But when her mum goes to hospital, after giving Amy a large Little Monster as a present, and she comes back with a new baby, needless to say, Amy is not best pleased.  And Little Monster is deeply upset.  He throws tantrums and makes a noise when the baby wants to sleep.  When they all cuddle in with mum and dad and the new baby, Little Monster spitefully opens the hot water bottle in the bed and empties it all out.  Of course, all his naughty actions are blamed on Amy.

It is a very fast read, mostly because the pictures themselves tell most of the story - the prose is light and clever, but not as clever as seeing Amy's naughty face peer out from behind the tv watching Little Monster push donuts into the VCR.  The expression is surprisingly sly and naughty and works so well.

I know exactly what Amy was going through and although I didn't have Little Monster, I acted very badly towards my nieces and nephews until I realised that they would become my best friends forever.  All I had to do was give them a chance.

Little Monster Did It is a clever book for young readers struggling to cope with a new addition to the family or an upcoming new addition to the family.  It makes them stop and think and it made me, as a reader, feel very nostalgic for my own overly busy childhood with hordes of nieces, nephews and cousins underfoot.

Find Helen Cooper's website here.  A bit thanks goes to Random House who have listened so kindly to my pleas for more picture books to be featured on Picture Book Saturdays.  They give me immense enjoyment and I find my wishlist of picture books growing and growing!

In Conversation: Lucy Coats and Nicola Morgan

Click on the photo to be taken to the Offical ABBAlitfest Site

This weekend is the stupendously cool Awfully Big Blog Adventure Literary Festival.  What makes it superb is: it's an online festival.  Which instantly makes it accessible to anyone who has internet access, which translates into an international festival the likes I've never seen.

Like many other aspiring writers and a big fan of various authors, I have never actually had the chance to attend a  literary festival.   I know, I have no one but myself to blame but as I was chatting to Lucy about doing something for ABBA to help promote the LitFest, she suggested (in this calm way of hers): how about talking about the importance of literary festivals but not just actual ones but also online ones, like we will be having this weekend?

I could have hugged her.  Yes! I wanted to know all about this.

So, she grabbed the Crabbit aka Nicola Morgan and wrestled her into doing a Q&A and this is the result:

***

Nicola Morgan eats, drinks and talks with Lucy Coats about the wonderful online literature festival organised by the Awfully Big Blog Adventure this weekend - 9th and 10th July. It’s going to be exciting, fun and fascinating. And hectic!
_____________________________

Hello, Liz, and thank you for inviting us to come and talk about the first ever online lit festival organised by children’s authors! Lucy Coats is hugely busy with her role as Publicity Campaign Director, so we decided that I (Nicola) would write up our thoughts. Lucy, along with Sam Mills, Penny Dolan, Ellen Renner and John Dougherty, is one of the driving forces behind the whole festival. I’m not – I’m a mere contributor, and eater of chocolate fondue. But that was Lucy’s fault.

We made the enormous sacrifice of meeting for lunch in the glorious surroundings of the Court Restaurant at the British Museum in London. So, over a glass of dry white wine and some delicious food, I picked her brain about the festival and we discussed how online stuff, counter-intuitively, makes us more connected to real people.

I asked Lucy about the aims for the festival. “I see it as reaching out to an even wider audience,” she said. “The ABBA blog is full of fabulous content and has become a really strong community, making wonderful links between writers and readers, but with the third birthday of the blog it seemed time to do something different, something to make a big splash, something to celebrate and shout a bit, and get even more people involved. We children’s writers are very proud of what we do, and we want people to see that.”

Lucy has seen the blog’s stats rocket since the announcement of the festival went out a couple of weeks ago, so something’s working already. There’s been masses of press interest and all of it positive—there’s been coverage by The Bookseller, Reading Zone and Mslexia, as well as approaches from The Sunday Times and the Guardian. ABBAlitfest has even been mentioned in papers as far away as the Dallas Morning News (USA), as well as on countless snippets, author interviews and general chat on blogs, Twitter and Facebook. The ambition over the festival weekend is to get #ABBAlitfest trending on Twitter!

Lucy and I decided to focus our chat on why there was a need for an online festival when there are so many actual ones, such as Cheltenham, Edinburgh and Hay. Some people might think we should all spend less time online and get out more, meet real readers. Well, frankly, Lucy and I could talk for Britain on the subject of the value and advantages of online activity and how ungeeky and actually human it is, but at this point the waiter arrived with this…

Yum!

Whereupon, frankly, it all became a bit messy. So, what you will now get is not so much a conversation as a list, and you could imagine the bullet points as the unavoidable chocolate splodges at the corners of our mouths. (Note to self: if you want to look elegant, do not talk while eating chocolate fondue. This also explains why there are no pics of me and Lucy.)

• One might think that online activity takes us further from our readers, that it becomes impersonal. But actually it allows us to connect with far more readers, in far more countries. Those readers are less inhibited than if they had to pluck up courage to come and talk to us, and we end up often in lovely conversations by email or on blogs or Twitter.
• Once we’ve struck up relationships via the internet, whether with readers, fellow-writers, editors, journalists, book bloggers, librarians or booksellers, we often find ways of meeting in real life, too. Both Lucy and I have met countless people after getting to know them online. Most authors would say the same.
• Similarly, those online conversations have often led to new writing opportunities for both of us. So, not just enjoyable, but useful – a real way of opening doors to unpredictable possibilities.
• After the rise (and, apparently, wane?) of book groups, an online litfest seems like the next big step, bringing forums for discussion and opportunities for writers and readers to engage as fully as they wish.
• Sometimes, it feels as though physical literature festivals have a certain demographic but online is fully open to all, whatever class, income, ability, background. Basically, if you know about it and can access a computer, you are our guests and equally welcome.
• It’s green! Lucy was very keen that this festival should be green – so, no travelling, no expensive electricity generators for the marquees, no printing of brochures. OK, so there was some carbon footprint to the production of our meal…
• It doesn’t matter if you’re late or even if you’re away that weekend – all the blogposts from the online festival will go into a separate bit of the blog, easily accessible forever.

 All of which seems like a mass of very good reasons for doing it. We hope you will all pop by and see what’s happening – something different every half hour through each day.

Oh, and one other thing – when you join us at the weekend, Lucy and I and all the other ABBA bloggers will be there but you will never know whether we have chocolate on our mouths. We (and you?) might not even have got dressed. How’s that for an advantage to an online festival?
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Lucy Coats is the author of the highly-acclaimed Atticus the Storyteller’s 100 Greek Myths and many other books for children of all ages. She tweets too much at @lucycoats and is currently wearing a fetching ABBAlitfest Publicity Campaign Director’s Hat.

Nicola Morgan is an award-winning and best-selling writer, mostly for teenagers. She is also founder of Help! I Need a Publisher! and the author of the new best-seller, Write to be Published. She also tweets too much, at @nicolamorgan.

The blogpost where we find out more about Irish publishers: O'Brien Press

We are pleased to have these guys take over MFB for part of the day to promote EDDA, Conor Kostick and themselves. Before we were approached by O'Brien we'd not heard of them before and I thought today, as part of Conor's blog tour, it would do us no harm to find out more about O'Brien Press and to see who their authors are and what kinds of books they publish.

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The O'Brien Press was established in 1974, evolving out of a family-run printing house, and over the past 37 years has established a reputation for quality and excellence in publishing for adults and children.

Since its foundation, The O'Brien Press has published over 1,200 books, approximately 550 of which are still in print. From the beginning, Publisher Michael O'Brien has been committed to quality in writing, editing, design and illustration. This commitment has been recognised by numerous awards down through the years including the Irish Book Awards, the Bisto Book of the Year Award and awards from the Reading Association of Ireland. This has extended to awards from abroad also.

The O'Brien Press is the only Irish publisher to have received the prestigious International Reading Association Award and boasts over 400 works available in translation in over 30 languages and 50 countries.

The O’Brien Press has a strong history of finding the best, new talents in writing and illustrating and was the publishing house that discovered Eoin Colfer, Judi Curtin and the current Irish Children’s Laureate, Siobhán Parkinson.

The O’Brien Press has an extremely successful record in securing exclusive biographies of some of the biggest names in Ireland and the UK, such as X Factor star Mary Byrne and The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

It is the publisher of the bestselling Agnes Browne Trilogy by BAFTA Award nominee Brendan O’Carroll, whose hit TV series Mrs Brown’s Boys was based on characters from his O’Brien Press books The Mammy, The Granny and The Chisellers.

You can view a full list of our titles, including our exciting new range of books for 2011, at www.obrien.ie.

A big thanks to Donna and everyone at The O'Brien Press for indulging MFB and trotting out this blogpost for us!

Edda

We are super pleased to be part of the Edda blog tour. The author, Conor Kostick (apart from having a fabulously sounding rock god name) seems to be a bit of a writer too. I've not read Saga or Epic and was tempted to read them but then I thought: will this work for me as a standalone? It is the last in the trilogy and should therefore wrap up the Avatar Chronicles and be quite a neat package in itself.

And I'm happy to say that it does work as a standalone. I didn't for a second feel as if I was out of my depth, that the characters were unfamiliar or that the setting was peculiar. I had my own issues to deal with regarding the realities, but that was a personal thing completely.

Edda tells the story of an electronic world, EDDA, which had been created by humans but for whatever reason, no one now plays this game. The characters in this game had become sentient and so we have Lord Scanthax - a particularly grasping and motivated warmonger - battling other electronic worlds, killing everyone and taking over their territories. But, because he's a sentient being, he cannot script (create) new weapons. This is of course a problem but he's a clever bad guy because back in the day he searched and found the only human child left on the uninhabitable planet that houses EDDA's servers. He is basically keeping 15 year old Penelope prisoner, so that she can script for him. And Penelope in turn is Princess in EDDA and has started questioning not just the role she plays in EDDA but who she really is and what she's really doing there. She rebels, as much as she can as she desperately tries to figure out how to search for avatars with humans running them.

It is a story full of vivid imagery and strong characterisations and writing. I think that older readers (I'm talking adults here) will be intrigued by Kostick's storytelling because it is a complex, layered plot, that grabbed my attention and refused to let go. We have characters from the previous two books coming through to try and figure out what exactly Scanthax is planning as they discovered his envoys tealing into SAGA stealing weapons, which they take back so that Penelope/Princess can script.

I had to work really hard at keeping the avatars and humans and sentient beings straight in my head. Ghost, who is the queen of Saga, stole my heart though and I liked reading about these strong independent characters.

It is a roiling mix of punk and rock n' roll and military science fiction and would suit gamers (boys and girls) to a T. I would recommend this to the upper scales of our #u14so readers and definitely for adults. The reason I'm recommending it for older readers is because of the complexity of the storyline, more than anything else. I suspect it would suit younger, very confident readers, who have no problem following layered storytelling and science fiction concepts who may be avid gamers themselves.

I think, had I found this as a younger reader, instead of reading Asimov and Herbert, I would have become a very big science fiction fan indeed.

I am very proud to have read and understood EDDA and not just that, but liked the writing and the storytelling. I have no reservations about recommending it to readers. And that man Conor Kostick better hurry up pretty sharpish with something new for me to read.

Thank you so much to O'Brien for sending this along and for introducing themselves to MFB. Please pop by later this afternoon when I've got a small blogpost going live, showcasing who O'Brien are and some of their titles.

Find Conor's friendly and down to earth website here.

Interview with Andy Briggs, author of Tarzan: The Legacy of Greystoke

After reading Tarzan: The Legacy of Greystoke I was burning to chat to Andy about bringing one of my childhood heroes up to date and am so grateful to him for agreeing to this fantastic Q&A with MFB.  I cannot recommend reading the T:TLoG enough - it's well written, superbly pacey and packed full action and adventure.  It will suit boys and girls who are looking for more meaty reads and it might entice reluctant readers too, especially as the action is very cinematic and it will definitely make them feel like they have experienced the book, rather than just read it.

But, I'll calm down now and let Andy chat to us instead:

1. How did it come about that you got the opportunity to reboot the Tarzan franchise and bring it up to date for contemporary readers?

I was a huge Tarzan fan and simply noticed that he didn’t appear to be around any more. I approached the ERB (the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate) who own the rights and explained my idea of bringing the classic character back to life for a whole new generation of readers. They liked it and the whole project was suddenly a go!

2. What was it like going back and looking at these books now that you were an adult? Did you feel nostalgia at all and were you concerned that your vision for Tarzan would somehow change your own memories of the books?

I had a very firm memory of the old books so I wasn’t too concerned that my own version of Tarzan would have altered my opinion. My biggest memories of Tarzan are the TV shows and movies which were always on TV when I was off school - so it was a great chance to regress back to those times when it was a bank holiday or summer holiday and Tarzan allowed me to escape into the wilds of Africa...

3. How many books will there be in the series?

There is TARZAN: THE LEGACY OF GREYSTOKE which is out now and next January there will be TARZAN: JUNGLE WARRIOR. We are looking to get at least one more out next year and after that, who knows?

4. When I devoured your new reboot of Tarzan, (which was on an awful dull and dreary day) I was struck by the setting of the jungles of Africa and I wondered if this was somewhere you’ve been yourself as I honestly felt as if I was there, experiencing the heat and the rain with the characters?

That’s great to hear! I took the opportunity to travel to Africa to experience as much as the wild as I could. Some areas of Africa are real no-go areas, so I also travelled to the jungles of South America to soak in that experience. Regarding the gorillas, I was lucky enough to work closely with the keepers at Bristol Zoo who helped me with the finest details of living with the wild apes.

5. Tarzan remains such a strong central character, only slightly civilised, with this very focussed perception of what is right and what is wrong in his world. Did you find it difficult to portray at times?

I found Tarzan surprisingly easy to write. His morals and beliefs are black and white. He leads a simple life without the complicated baggage we all carry. Robbie and Jane, being modern teenagers, have such a more complex perception of right and wrong, which inevitably leads them into trouble of their own creating. They were more difficult to write as they had to come across as modern teenagers living in a remarkable environment.

6. Jane Porter, the “Jane” character is a thoroughly modern young teen, addicted to her iPod and hating her dad for dragging them into the jungles of Africa. I understood where Jane’s prickliness came from but I struggled to identify with her at first. Was she a difficult character to write / to get into her mindset?

I think she is a difficult (and prickly) character as she starts out as a very resentful person who dislikes here current situation. She is clinging on to the ideas of civilized life and that’s what she misses... until she starts to embrace and accept the new world around her. She also has to be an equal to Tarzan, while that’s impossible physically, Jane is his moral compass and allows him to see reason on a different level. I think she would be equally difficult to write if she was boy. Jane was always a character who slowly draws you in, rather than somebody you immediately identify with from the outset - hopefully Robbie will do that for the reader.

7. Did you have to do a lot of research, not just into animal and gorilla behaviour but also political research into the area and various factions that are currently vying for control in the region you’ve set Tarzan?

I was lucky enough to travel to Africa to get some firsthand experience of life there. The areas of jungle I wanted to explore are in politically volatile regions, so I also travelled to the jungles in South America to get a feel for the seething humid landscape. It was terrific fun. Researching the history and politics of the DRC and the surrounding countries was fascinating. There is so much to use, yet Tarzan would only be able to scrape the surface of it all. However, it makes the Congo a more thrilling canvass to have adventures on that I would have thought possible.



Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

 8. Did you ever watch any of the Tarzan movies, as part of your research? And what did you think about the differences between the original source material and the movies?

I read as many Tarzan books as I could and watched every film and TV show I could lay my hands on. The books and the films are very different and there have been no real faithful adaptations (the Christopher Lambert Greystoke movie was the closest, and even the latter half of that movie meandered).

The public’s image of Tarzan comes from the movies more than the books and I wanted to capture the best parts of each and distill it into a “super Tarzan” that would appeal to older fans as well as new readers.

9. What was it like, sitting down to update the Tarzan books and his adventures to be more contemporary? What did you find were your biggest stumbling blocks?

Times have changed since Tarzan’s first appearance, and so have social and racial attitudes - however, Africa is still a huge adventure playground for any writer and I don’t think we have lost much of the magic that was inherent in the old stories.

The only real stumbling blocks were fans that complained that Tarzan couldn’t be updated - despite the fact they would happily watch contemporary Tarzan movies and forget that when Tarzan was written in 1912, it was a contemporary story.

10. Were you ever concerned that showing the savagery of Tarzan’s life in the jungle might concern new readers who might not have read the earlier works and thought it would be quite a “sanitised” look at the King of the Jungle’s adventures?

Not at all! I think most people who delve into the world of Tarzan expect some level of “tooth and claw” violence. There’s even some dark savagery in the Disney cartoon. I probably could have gone further with the level of “violence” in my book, but I am quite happy to leave it to the reader’s imagination - in my book most of that happens “off the page”, or I quickly gloss over the details, and you are left filling in the gory blanks yourself. I think a sanitized version of Tarzan would have been an injustice to the character.

11. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there?

We need writers! I look forward to being entertained in the future by other people, so you all better get writing! The key piece of advise I can give is “don’t give up”. Another piece of advice comes from the wonderful move, “Throw Momma from the Train” - it’s simply: “A writer writes, always.”

Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy by Andy Briggs

Synopsis:

What lies in the depths of the jungle?


Escaping a dark secret, Robbie Canler joins an illegal logging team in the Congo jungle. Now they’re under siege from a sinister force.


When the daughter of the camp’s boss, Jane Porter, goes missing, they assume bloodthirsty rebel soldiers have kidnapped her. Robbie sets out on a rescue mission - unaware he is being watched ...


Are the rumours of a feral man raised by wild apes true? If so, can the mysterious untamed savage be trusted to help them?


On the Saturday I received my copy of Tarzan, by Andy Briggs, I lay myself down on the couch, after breakfast and tidying the house and shelves and got reading.  At around 2pm, Mark started complaining about starving but I ignored him, deaf to the world and his plea of malnutrition.

I was having this incredible adventure and I really didn't want it to stop until I had read every single word. I'll fully admit to not expecting to like Tarzan's new updated adventure.  I was quite attached to the older stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs and of course, my true love was the Christopher Lambert Tarzan in Greystoke: Legend of Tarzan Lord of the Apes.

But I completely fell for Andy Brigg's updating of this timeless legend.  He's created a Tarzan very much in line with the original, focusing on the savagery of living in the jungle, without really making it overly dramatic or unbelievable.

Robbie, one of our main characters is a nice kid.  He's run away from home and found himself in the Congo, having joined an illegal logging operation.  It sounds really bad and I was worried that Robbie's reasons would be a bit dodgy and that the whole thing would be unsavoury but instead we've got a very plausible reason for it all.  We even learn the very mundane reason for Jane's dad to be part of the illegal logging operation and the risks he's decided to take to make a better life for him and Jane.

I liked that their reasons were legitimate but that the means they go about it, was wrong.  It really did make you war with yourself and your own perceptions of the right and the wrong of it.

Jane's character is far more disagreeable than Robbie's.  She comes across as spoilt and indulged and a bit of a brat.  She's forever sulking and quite nasty to those around her, including Robbie.  I admit to not liking her at all, at first.  I could see completely where Andy was coming from, having created her to be our actual window into this very different dangerous and foreign world.

The logging operation basically relies heavily on local guerillas to not interfere with them.  They pay them a stipend to prevent attacks and raids on their camp, yet the workers in the camp are continuously finding items missing or broken and of course, they blame unhappy spirits and the gorilla fighters for these.   There is also a rumour of something else out there, something watching the encampment.

Between Robbie and Jane we get a comprehensive idea of what it's like being in the jungle, living and working there.  In a place that no one could prepare you for, you have very little to rely on, except for yourself and your forward thinking.

When, during some heavy rains, Jane disappears everyone goes a bit crazy.  Jane's dad isn't around, as he's gone off with his friend to confront the rebels about sabotaging the camp.   Things are left in a bad way with the gorillas and when they return to the camp and discover that Jane's gone, seemingly "taken" they are thrown into turmoil.

Jane in reality is swept away by the river as she tripped and fell, trying to get water to the burning outbuilding.  By the time she wakes up she is in the middle of nowhere with no recognisable landmarks, except for the jungle, all around.

This is the point we get to meet Tarzan.  And he's not urbane or charming.  Instead, he is very much part human and part a product of the jungles.  He helps Jane to his lair which he shares with some real gorillas - the animal kind - and Jane does her very best to not run away screaming.

But slowly and surely, she comes to realise who Tarzan really is - he is the mysterious watcher everyone in their camp talks about.  He's the one sabotaging the machinery and scaring the workers away.  She also discovers more about him, how he got to be in the jungle and slowly pieces his story together.  She is however horrified when he brings her bloody meat to eat and quite happily tears into himself, eating like an animal.  When she refuses to join him he shrugs and later on brings her fruit and nuts that he gathered from the jungle.

Tarzan reveals that he hates the people who come into his jungle to poach animals or steal the forest away.  He does not understand their reasons and sees everything in a very simplistic black and white way.  I liked that.  He is a super simple creature and it is Robbie and Jane's point of views that are made up from various colours of grey.

I won't say more except to say: it is a bloody good book.  It really remains true to the original works in spirit and adventure.  I started out not liking Jane but by the end of the book I really appreciated her stubbornness and her spirit.  I also like that her character underwent the biggest development arc and how the ensuing story affected her.  Robbie also grows rapidly as a character and I think he comes to realise that acting out of loyalty and friendship is not always the best of things.

I'd recommend Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy to confident readers from 9+ upwards.  There are some mature themes though and some of the descriptions of battles and violence had me biting my lip in anxiety as they were quite stressful! But this is a great book for younger (and more mature readers) and it has not been sanitised at all for the modern audience, which I think is fab.  It holds true to the original novels in its sense of scope and adventure.  It's underlying eco-message is there if you look for it and it does drive the story, in a way, but I think Mr. Biggs has managed to not be pontificating so without really realising it, the reader is shown far more than she may realise and that, people, is what good books do.

Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy is out now from Faber & Faber.  This is Andy's great website.  Be sure to pop by tomorrow, when we've got a great interview with the author himself.

Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo

Doctor Proctor has finally created something to help him fulfil his dream of becoming a world-famour inventor- a super-strength fart powder than can propel people into outer space!

DPFP opens with a young girl named Lisa watching new neighbours moving into the house where her best friend used to live, and meets 10 year old Nilly, who’s the smallest boy she’s ever seen. Nilly’s heard every joke and comment about his name and his size, and wants nothing more than to play his trumpet in a marching band on the upcoming Independence Day parade. But then Nilly meets Doctor Proctor, an eccentric scientist whose most recent invention was a powder that makes your body glow a luminous green, a meeting that leads to the first test of what will become a super strength version of his Fart Powder.

But while Lisa, Nilly and the Doctor are trying to survive the explosive, pants-ripping results of the tests and find a way to make the Fart Powder a commercial success, there are others who want to get their hands on the Fart Powder and claim the rewards for themselves.

There’s a lot more going on in the background though, with an escaped anaconda on the loose, a bitter music teacher, playground politics and a daring escape from jail all adding to the chaos. Nilly and Lisa are likeable, distinct characters throughout, and Nesbo doesn’t let them stray into becoming annoyingly precocious. The story has a lighthearted, fun feel to it and with short, punchy chapters punctuated by Mike Lowery’s quirky artwork, it reads incredibly quickly and won’t intimidate younger readers.

While some of the humour has a.. Norwegian flavour to it, and perhaps loses something in translation, it’s hard not to laugh when everything revolves around a revolutionary fart powder.

Blood Magic Competition Winner

The winner of an advanced reader's copy of Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton is ……

Jemma

Congratulations and I've contacted you by email to get your address.

Million Dollar Mates: Catwalk Queen by Cathy Hopkins

Pop diva Tanisha comes to live at Porchester Park, where she's mentoring a modelling competition.  Jess is encouraged to enter.  It's her chance to stand out from the crowd and get the attention of the boys in her life.  But competing on the catwalk brings out all her worst insecurities.  Has she really got what it takes to be a catwalk queen?


I am such a girly fan of Cathy Hopkins's books and writing.  Which, if you know me, should come as a big surprise.  I am not a girly girl but there is something about Cathy Hopkins and Cathy Cassidy's writing that really just gets under my skin and I love their writing and the stories they tell to bits.

For some reason I've not read the other Million Dollar Mates books, so I thought to read the newest one to see how easily I could get into the existing series.  I am happy to report that although the books are a series, it looks to me like each book can be read as a standalone.  You are briefly caught up with the minimum of fuss as to who Jess is, what's going on in her life and who the boys are she's currently crushing on.  (And I have to say, I do think JJ sounds like a honey!)

Jess, our main character, is just an average normal girl whose dad is the caretaker and manager of the very prestigious Porchester Park apartments in London.  She lives with her dad and her brother (who sounds so lovely but is a bit clueless) and she is best friends with Alisha Lewis (the daughter of an American actor) Pia Carslon and good friends with Flo and Meg from school.

When they discover that a new resident moving in to Porchester Park...the girls are all in a fizz! Who could it be - Pia and Jess dash upstairs to chat to their friend Alisha who, as the daughter of the super weathly and super famous Jefferson Lewis, is far more in the "know" than they are.  Alisha reveals that it is none other than the pop diva Tanisha and the girls all swoon and fall about as they all love her to bits.

When they meet her in Real Life, it turns out that Tanisha is actually as nice as they could have imagined.  And it also turns out that she was in town to promote a new modelling competition and when she suggests that Jess definitely should give it a go Jess and her friends are all excited and thrown in turmoil.

In a flurry of excitement, and a bit of a "what's the worst that could happen" Jess and Flo go about wearing pretty clothes and make-up and have the various boys in their lives take photos of them upstairs in Alisha and JJ's apartment.  It turns into a bit of a party and what starts off as a joke gets quite serious when it transpires that both Jess and Flo are chosen to be part of the competition.

The book uses the super popular TV shows like Britain's Next Top Model and America's Next Top Model as a framework but Ms. Hopkins has made it her own, concentrating heavily on Jess's relationship with her friends and family, grounding her firmly in reality.  There are various ups and down and as Jess as our moral compass we are shown what a tough life aspiring young models have, being told that they are fat, their noses are too big, their ears too outy, their tummies to saggy or their bums too big.  Both anorexia and bulimia are touched on but not really investigated or dwelled on.  Instead we are shown these things and left to make up our own minds.

Jess's discomfort with the whole selection process is interesting as between her and Flo they talk about the astonishingly pretty girls who seem to crumble before their critics as the selection process continues.  Girls who appear so full of confidence and who could literally have anyone and anything they want, suddenly see themselves the way others see them, as somehow lacking in minor department.  The process makes both girls uncomfortable and they aren't sure how to deal with it.  So at the end of the competition, when they have a chance to sort of show off what they've learned, they put all they can into a fashion show at their own school, asking Tanisha to help them with it.  And it's unlike anything that has ever been portrayed before and I loved it.

It really is a very interesting book and Ms. Hopkins writes in a heartfelt and real way about the way media portray young women, upholding unrealistic photoshopped models and comparing them to the real girls of the world - who are lumpy, funny, charming, too tall, too skinny, too fat, to sport, too clever, too bespectabled, too big-boned...and asks the question who would we rather be?

I really do think, that even if you've never read Cathy Hopkins and if you are a girl (aged six to sixty) this book will speak to you about self-worth, confidence and dealing with what nature has given you.  It also will speak to you about being a girl, about having good friends and how sometimes you have to buck the trends of the world around you, not even to be rebellious, but to be true to yourself.

I cannot recommend Million Dollar Mates: Catwalk Queen enough.  The final scenes are so great, clever and empowering, I can't urge you enough to pick it up.  It's writers like Cathy Hopkins that lift your soul and make you feel a bit...floatier than you ought to be, like you can do anything if you set your mind to it and if you had the right kind of friends on your side and from experience, I heartily approve.

Million Dollar Mates: Catwalk Queen is out now and is the third book in the series, with Million Dollar Mates being the first and Paparazzi Princess being the second.  Find Cathy's fab website here and this is the official Million Dollar Mates website here.   And a big thanks to Simon & Schuster who feeds my addiction of Cathy Hopkins books.

K.A.S. Quinn - The Queen Must Die Blog tour

Synopsis:
A magical, thrilling, time-travelling adventure trilogy for for 9-12 year old readers.

This is the story of Katie Berger-Jones-Burg.

One minute, she’s under the bed of her New York apartment… the next she’s in Buckingham Palace, at the height of Queen Victoria’s reign... A dangerous place to be.

The Royal Family is in mortal peril. In the secret passages of the palace, a plot is afoot. Suspicious figures huddle in the gas-lit streets of London. And Katie is not the only time-traveller in the city…

Grove Atlantic have put their left foot in, then their right foot in...and now they are shaking it all about with the first release of their very first book for younger readers: The Queen Must Die by the mysteriously named K.A.S. Quinn. Ms. Quinn has agreed to give us some information about The Queen Must Die, timetravelling and also an exclusive excerpt. But, before we get on to the blogpost, from the bio on the Atlantic Books website I personally love this line: "She still reads children’s books in bed, after lights out, with a torch." She sounds like my kind of girl.

You’re a time traveller…so prove it!

What if you found someone under the sofa in your house and they told you they’d travelled from the future? Right. I wouldn’t believe them either. I’d call the police.

Katie comes from contemporary New York. But it turns out she’s part of The Tempus, the chosen, and can travel through time.

Princess Alice wants to believe Katie. She likes her immediately, and is excited by this new friend, not chosen through royal protocol. James O’Reilly thinks Katie is a fraud. He is a very loyal subject to the crown, and believes Princess Alice is in grave danger. Alice thinks she can take care of herself. In this part of The Queen Must Die, they are all getting to know each other. They also meet James’ little brother, Riordan, and learn some sad things about James’ life.

When I write, I become very attached to my characters. When I finished writing The Queen Must Die, I became very sad. I had spent over a year with Katie, James and Princess Alice. I missed them. So I was thrilled when my publishers said they wanted to publish a trilogy. Two more books! This meant at least two more years with some of my favourite people.

The second book in this trilogy, The Queen at War, will be published in the spring of 2012.

Katie thought for a moment. She could talk to them about cars, airplanes and rocket ships –– fantastic inventions yet to come. But it could all be taken for fantasy. She had no proof. She couldn’t exactly rustle up a computer out of thin air. And while computers and TV were great, some of the things in the future – well, they weren’t that great. She even knew bits and pieces of their own futures. Wars, looming in the decades to come, and diseases they couldn’t cure, and death. Perhaps she should start with what she’d seen here, that night.

‘Do any of you understand what’s wrong with Prince Leopold?’ she asked.
‘We know he has the bleeding disease, haemophilia, and that Dr O’Reilly is trying to find ways to strengthen his blood vessels.’

‘It has nothing to do with his blood vessels,’ Katie explained. ‘It’s the blood itself. It doesn’t clot.’ Alice looked confused, so Katie tried to explain in simpler terms. ‘When you cut yourself and bleed, the blood quickly changes from liquid to solid. The platelets in your blood bunch together around the wound to form a kind of plug to stop the bleeding. Prince Leopold’s blood doesn’t do this. If he lived in my time, we could give him injections of the bits he needs to make clots in his blood, but I don’t think you can do even the simplest blood transfusions in your time, I don’t think you can…’

‘Will we find the cure?’ Alice asked, looking earnestly into Katie’s face. ‘Can we learn from you, and save him?’

Katie looked down at her green wool socks. She didn’t like what she had to say.

‘I don’t know enough,’ she replied finally. ‘And you don’t learn enough in time… the cure doesn’t come in time…’

Alice’s eyes filled with tears, but James’s eyes showed only distrust and anger. ‘Your diagnosis and analysis of the case are sheer foolishness,’ he protested, ‘made up words and total fiction. Dry your tears, Princess Alice, it’s a hoax. She is a foreigner, bent on badness. I really do insist…’

They were interrupted by a cooing cry followed by the soft slap of bare feet, as a very round-limbed toddler padded around the corner, laughing at the sight of James O’Reilly.

‘Blast,’ said James, ‘the nursemaid must have dozed off again.’

‘He obviously knows you,’ said Katie, as the small child wrapped himself around James’s legs.

James picked him up and hugged him tightly. ‘This is my brother, Riordan
O’Reilly.’

‘That’s a funny name,’ said Katie, forgetting briefly that her own name was Berger-Jones-Burg.

‘It’s an Irish name,’ said James. ‘My mother chose it. She died soon after Riordan was born.’

Everyone else in the room was silent. James held his little brother tight to his chest and turned his face away from the girls. No one knew what to say. James’s anger and distrust, Alice’s hauteur and Katie’s fear evaporated. They seemed petty and silly in the face of death. James O’Reilly might not be likeable, but Katie felt deeply sorry for this stiff, dour, motherless boy.

Alice broke the uncomfortable pause. ‘First things first,’ she said gently. ‘Baby Riordan simply must be returned to his cot. It’s very cold, and he’s only wearing a nightshirt. Then, Jamie, you must leave too. We will all think more clearly in the morning. Katie and I shall meet you tomorrow. If her story is true, and I believe it to be so, then we must try to send her back to her own time as soon as possible. Your family must be frightfully worried.’

Katie thought of Mimi, drinking margaritas in her honeymoon suite in Acapulco. She didn’t see the need to share this picture with the other two. James bowed again to Princess Alice. ‘I will settle Riordan, and then I will be in the corridor, directly outside your door. One call and I will be at your side.’

Alice sighed. This wasn’t how subjects behaved towards her mother. ‘Fine,’ she replied curtly, ‘if you wish to spend the whole night in a chilly corridor that’s up to you.’

Giving Katie one final, furious look, James shouldered his little brother and left the room. Alice turned to Katie.

‘Now to bed,’ she ordered, running her eyes over her new friend as if she were trying to remember every detail. ‘And if you are a dream, as you say you might be, then let me tell you this before you disappear. This day has been the greatest adventure of my entire life.’ And with that the Princess climbed into bed and fell fast asleep.

PBS #6 FArTHER by Grahame Baker-Smith

When a father who dreams of flying goes off to war and does not return, his son decides to make the dream come true. Grahame Baker-Smith’s moving story, with stunning illustrations, shows how, with love and a bit of ambition, you can reach seemingly impossible goals.

For our sixth Picture Book Saturday we received FArTHER and I am very grateful to Templar for sending me a copy to review and to hold and love.

Only a few days ago this gorgeous book won the Kate Greenaway Award 2011 and a more worthy winner would be hard to find.

Not only are the illustrations whimsical and creative and beautiful, the story is wonderfully touching.

It is completely from our main character's point of view.  In a few words he explains his father's obsession with flying.  He is always thinking about it, puttering around in his workroom making fantastical flying contraptions that somehow just just lack the ability to fly.  The boy says how he then crawls into his father's lap until his father remembers that he's there.  Then his father would grab him, and run with him and they would spend time on the beach, laughing and playing and flying kites.  But that is until his father gets that look in his eye.  And once again the boy is left to his own devices as his father starts tinkering with his creations yet again.

The story moves on from there, but to tell it here would be unfair.  FArTher is meant to be read by parents to their children.  It is meant to be read by adults so that they can remember where they come from.  It is meant to be read by teens to remember that once upon a time, not so long ago, they were that small and that  confused by their parents lives and that following your dreams may not be a bad thing.

I adored FArTher (a lovely play on the words further and father that you will understand once you've read the book) and it made me really miss my own dad with his own crazy ideas and whimsical dreams.  But even more important is the core central message of "never stop dreaming" and I heartily approve.

I think that FArTHER has become my picture book of the year thus far and I will definitely want some of the whimsical pieces of art by Mr. Baker-Smith for my walls here at home.  Do visit here, for a look at some of his illustrations.

MFB hosts Under 14's Only - July 2011

Mark, Sarah and I are so excited to bring you our second annual Under 14's Only month this July.  Last year's event was a great success and so popular with readers, parents, teachers and kids, that we decided to do another one this year.

In July we will be focussing on books for younger readers - picture books, silly books, cool books and crazy books will be featured.  Books for boys and girls, for readers of all ages, and even some monstrous books.  Books full of adventure and tears and monsters and wild things not safe to be let out from between covers. 

We are embracing all kinds of books and shenanigans in July and at the end of the month, there will be a box of the featured books to be won.  Scrap that.  There will be two mega big boxes of books to be won.

So, if you'd like to link to Under 14's Only by using the picture above, please let us know and we can send / display the html code.  The more we spread the word about these books for younger, and often reluctant readers, the better!

A big thanks goes out to the publishers who supported us for this fantastic month long celebration.

• Walker Books
• Random House Kids Books
• Bloomsbury
• Simon & Schuster
• Frances Lincoln
• Hodder
• MacMillan Children's Books
• Catnip Books
• Barrington Stoke
• Templar 
• Atom 
• O'Brien Publishers 
• Faber & Faber Kids 
• Orion Kids
• Quercus Kids
• (more publishers will be added as we work our way through the book piles)

And an even bigger thanks to the dedicated authors who spend so much time perfecting these books for younger readers.   You guys really are the best.  And especially to my fellow bloggers and reviewers who have agreed to do guest reviews and blogposts = you guys really are the awesomest.

A big thanks goes out to Ana and Thea from The Booksmugglers who kindly gave me their "picture guru's" contact details.  Her name is Kenda is she may possibly be the most talented person I have met in a long old time.  Find her blog here.

We will be adding a post every day - EVERY DAY - sometimes more than one, so be sure to visit often!  Follow us on twitter with this hashtag: #U14SO all of July.