Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR RAISED BY WOLVES

Synopsis

At seventeen, Bryn is has the usual schoolgirl worries: a new boyfriend, a new school and a new home. But she has one major concern that her friends don't have: she is an alpha - a human girl in charge of her own werewolf pack. When Bryn and her closest friends, Dev and Lake, broke from the werewolf Callum's pack, it had all felt right. Together with Chase, Bryn's new love, they had rescued some newly made female werewolves from a despicable master and established their own pack, with Bryn as leader. Yet Bryn has always resented the rules of Pack life - the constant bowing to authority, the submission to the alpha. And she is determined to live differently, to run this pack openly and justly. Then one night, a badly beaten werewolf shows up on her territory. He needs help, sanctuary, care. But taking him in could violate inter-pack rules, and no one knows better than Bryn the costs of challenging those rules. Obedience is law in Pack life, but Bryn is going to break the rules, again.

The second book in a series can be tricky. After all, some of the exciting stuff has been and gone; world building, character introductions, love interest etc. However, the flip side to this is that the characters are now old friends. We know that Bryn is a survivor, stubborn and determined to succeed despite the difficulties she faces. The book opens with Bryn getting used to being the alpha of her new pack. Whilst she wants to be relaxed and non-confrontational about it the events of Trial by Fire force her to look at her position in a different way. Just as she's trying to adjust Lucas arrives on her doorstep; beaten and bloody.

Now she's an alpha there are few people she can turn to for advice. Callum is being unhelpful and the other alphas are just not the kind of wolves Bryn would turn to. Instead she finds she has to dig deep and find the answers within whilst trying to keep her pack calm. Devon is as brilliant as even in Trial by Fire and has become Bryn's second in command - but even this can be difficult as Bryn treads the fine line between friendship and leadership. Just as things couldn't get more difficult a strange group of humans turn up and stake a claim on Lucas.

Ironically it's the human characters that are more menacing in this book. I enjoyed the complex and threatening character of Caroline who really pushed Bryn into difficult decisions. Also, Chase and Bryn's relationship isn't just cut and dried which I appreciated. They haven't known each other long and Bryn realises that they have a great deal to learn about each other before their relationship deepens. I loved that wolf and human or not they still have to deal with mundane complications like differences of opinions. Trial by Fire is a great sequel to Raised by Wolves. The stakes have been raised and as a result Bryn is forced to make serious decisions which have far reaching results. Also, an absolutely awesome twist at the end which I didn't see coming. I look forward to more!

Weta Workshop and Harper Collins Strike a Deal

I know, I know - this is really geeky news I'm sharing here, but I just can't help it.

Ever since LoTR I have been a fan of the creators and artists at WETA.  I love the fact that they sit there and create all these amazing monsters and creatures for us to view on screen.  What I like even more is that I can buy stuff from them directly.  It makes me feel like I am somehow supporting independent creative types.  Crazy, I know!

 

Mark was reading his emails this morning over breakfast when he mentioned that Weta and HC have struck this book deal.  My ears perked up and I had him email me the newsletter.  I followed the links and this is what the article on the main Weta site said:

In what is a landmark move for both companies, HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand and Weta Workshop have entered into an agreement to publish works which will showcase Weta's remarkable creativity and talent.


There are major opportunities for both companies in this agreement. The most significant is the global publication of beautifully produced movie tie-in volumes written and designed by Weta's own creative people, illustrating the amazing skills and talents of the Weta team. Traditionally, the authors of movie tie-in books are several steps removed from the making of the movie, and the books are last minute additions to the movie merchandising plans. However, these books, which will be published under the management of HarperCollins New Zealand's experienced publishing and production teams, will give a real insight to the creative genius that Weta brings to the projects it is involved with.

In addition to print books, HarperCollins and Weta Workshop are exploring the development of ground breaking digital products which will offer the reader the opportunity for a greatly enhanced experience.

‘We are extremely excited about the opportunity to combine the skills and talents of our people all around the world with those of the multi-award-winning team at Weta Workshop,' says Tony Fisk, Managing Director, HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand. ‘We see this as a unique opportunity to present the work of our friends at Weta to a global publishing audience and to work together with them to develop ground breaking new projects.'

‘We have been developing book ideas for many years and now with our relationship and friendship with the team at HarperCollins we can see these books reach an even wider market through their global network', says Richard Taylor, Creative Director and Co-founder of Weta Workshop.

The relationship between HarperCollins and Weta Workshop goes back many years. As the publisher of the works of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, HarperCollins and Weta have developed an appreciation and understanding of each other's capabilities whilst working together on The Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia movies. Recent projects include The Art of District 9 and the award-winning The Crafting of Narnia.

I am over the moon and I really cannot wait to get my grubby paws on some of these Weta/HC produced books.  Mark and I are big fans of what they do and at the end of last year he bought himself one of the London Hellgate figurines and the attention to detail is superb. Even if it is decidedly gory and visceral.


Male Templar from Hellgate London

Please do check out the Weta site and article I've linked to above - it is a great resource and it never fails to give me "grabby hands of want"! And I hasten to add that the blogpost is brought to you out of sheer geekiness and love and we have nothing to do with either Weta or HC NZ.  We are just excited!

Cover Love - Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Apart from possibly have the most cool author name ever, we are celebrating Nova's brand new novel - IMAGINARY GIRLS - release this week by showcasing the cover and a few other bits and pieces on MFB.

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.



But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

It sounds so interesting and with a starred review from Kirkus this will be going onto my wishlist over at either Amazon or Book Depository to buy when available.

Dutton/Penguin US have also done a chilling video trailer for Imaginary Girls.  Check it out:



We think the premise sounds so intriguing and that cover is gorgeous and knowing some of our readers, you would definitely think the same!  We wish Nova the best of luck with Imaginary Girls!

And just yesterday, a review from The Booksmugglers on Imaginary Girls came up. I am now even more intrigued and keen to read it.

Helion Rain by George Mann (Audiobook)

The world of Idos is on the verge of destruction, wracked by catastrophic storms and plagued by ravening tyranids. Into this maelstrom come the Raven Guard 4th Company, the warzone perfectly suited to their lightning-strike methods of combat. Led by Veteran Sergeant Grayvus, their mission is simple – to rescue the planet’s last survivors. But in the midst of this nightmare, they receive new orders to locate and destroy a power station..

By way of introduction to Sergeant Grayvus of the Raven Guard, Helion Rain drops you into the middle of the war for the survival of the imperial world of Idos. Plagued by the unrelenting Tyranids and hammered by the meteor swarms sweeping the world, Idos stands on the brink of destruction.

In HR, George Mann eschews the preliminary stages of the war to focus on the desperate gambit which could change the outcome of this war, the kind of behind-enemy-lines raid the Raven Guard are so good at, and which is entrusted to Grayvus and his squad of scouts. Mann does make the assumption that the listener is at least familiar with the basics of the 40K universe here, but to be fair it is a relatively safe bet.

HR is combat heavy, with the background chatter of bolters and howling aliens a near constant throughout as Grayvus and his squad fight their way towards their objective, although Mann makes full use of the lulls between engagements to flesh out some of the traditions of the Raven Guard, and perhaps it’s the relative fleeting nature of these moments that gives them more impact.

Performed by Black Library stalwart Toby Longworth, the characters voices are clear, and the background sound effects are used well, never overpowering or undermining the narrative. All in, it’s a nice piece that underlines the war in Warhammer, gloriously oversupplied with exploding xenos and the desperate heroism of the Astartes.

The Mermaid's Mirror by LK Madigan

Lena has lived her whole life near the beach – walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves – the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father – a former surfer himself – refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something lures Lena to the water … an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman – with a silvery tail.

Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon … what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life …

I have to thank Amanda from Floor To Ceiling Books for buying me a copy of The Mermaid's Mirror last weekend. I have been eyeing it for ages and of course knew about LK Madigan's very sad passing. I also knew about TMM's magic, having read people's reaction about the book online. What I did not expect is to fall for it as hard as I had.

When aspiring authors ask agents and publishers what exactly it is that they look for when picking up an unsolicited manuscript the answer is invariable "voice". People do not know how to describe this mysterious "voice" except to say that "we know it when we see it". Personally, for me there are a handful of novels whose "voice" stand out - books by Kirsten Cashore drips with voice, Sherman Alexie's writing is all "voice", Diana Wynne Jones and Eva Ibbotson shiver with "voice". The Mermaid's Mirror by LK Madigan is "voice".

The writing style is unaffected, uncomplicated and at times a bit dreamy to keep pace with Lena's emotions.

Lena is a great character - close to her parents and her little brother Cole. She is loyal to her friends and a bit in love with her boyfriend Kai. On the surface Lena is a girl who lives a happy complete life. We see her as a nice girl. What we are shown by LK Madigan's superb writing is a girl who is slowly losing her grip on reality. She has started sleepwalking. Often waking up on the beach, not remembering how she got there. Lena finds herself staring out at the sea often. She wakes up in the lounge, with her mother talking to her, in the small hours of the morning, humming some unknown song. Lena also finds herself constantly looking for something. It is a yearning she does can't place. She feels like she's going a bit crazy. Her parents are worried about her, it creates a tension in their small family they aren't entirely sure how to handle.

Kai, her best friend and now boyfriend explains her sleepwalking by saying that she is clearly so keen to learn how to surf, that it is working on her, keeping her awake. It actually makes sense and both Lena and Pem (her other best friend) reluctantly agree. Lena's dad does not want her to learn to surf. He had an almost fatal surfing accident just before her birth, and has not been in the sea since. Before this incident, he had been one of the best surfers in the area. And he is refusing to allow Lena to learn how to surf.

As the story unfolds in this wonderfully windswept and sea-spray way, and we learn the secret Lena's parents have kept from her and the choices she has to make, our hearts yearn that she makes the right choice.

I fell hard for this book. It is beautifully written and Lena is such a great character to spend time with. As a reader I wanted everything to work out perfectly for everyone. I loved the setting and think Ms. Madigan did an amazing job creating a very visual, very real-feeling world inhabited by both the mysterious and mundane.

I would highly recommend reading The Mermaid's Mirror for the sheer beauty of the prose and the characterisation of Lena. To say anything more would be superfluous.

Happy reading, MFB friends!

Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver

Fresh from Afghanistan, James Bond has been recruited to a new agency. Conceived in the post 9/11 world, it operates independent of Five, Six and the MoD, its very existence deniable. Its aim: to protect the Realm, by any means necessary.
As Liz mentioned before, the hardback is a striking book, and weighs in at a pleasing 428 pages. The cover proclaims that it is “the new James Bond novel”, and it’s true on two fronts: this is a new James Bond novel, and it’s a new James Bond. This contemporary take on Bond has nothing to do with the Connery/Moore era, or Craig’s, or even the Faulk’s Devil May Care incarnation, although it does hold to some core traditions of the James Bond enterprise.

Carte Blanche sees Bond on the trail of a creepy villain with quasi-necrophiliac tendencies and his delightfully ruthless assistant, working against the clock to uncover the nature of the chaos they are planning to unleash. It’s a pursuit that ranges from London to the outskirts of Belgrade, from the heat of Dubai to the streets of Cape Town, the trail littered with red herrings and near misses.

Deaver is accomplished writer and Bond is an institution, a byword for high stakes thrills. The child of this happy union, however, doesn’t really live up to the pedigree of its parents. All of the elements are there- M, Q, Moneypenny, fast cars, silenced Walthers, beautiful women and exotic settings, with the added twist of being set in a world dogged by the legacy of Al ‘Qaeda and its cohorts.

And yet, if you replaced ‘Bond’ with ‘Smith’, you wouldn’t really take much away from the story.

It’s a decent enough espionage thriller, with a couple of nice twists, but apart from one notable exception it never really convinced me that (the somewhat metrosexual) Bond was in true danger. And Bad Guy no. 1, Hydt, doesn’t really gel with the emphasis that has been given to the book being set in the modern world, given the ever present spectre of counter-terrorism that it has become synonymous with. Hydt’s quite a character, but he feels like a throwback to the villains of the age of Connery et al.

While I can appreciate what has been attempted here, I don’t think it’s worked. Not for me at least. In a word: meh.

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Synopsis

Pack life is about order, but Bryn is about to push all the limits, with hair-raising results. At the age of four, Bryn watched a rabid werewolf brutally murder her parents. Alone in the world, she was rescued and taken in by Callum, the alpha of his pack. Now fifteen, Bryn's been as a human among werewolves, adhering to pack rule. Little fazes her. But the pack's been keeping a secret, and when Bryn goes exploring against Callum's orders, she finds Chase, a newly turned teen Were locked in a cage. Terrifying memories of the attack on her parents come flooding back. Bryn needs answers, and she needs Chase to get them. Suddenly, all allegiances to the pack no longer matter. It's Bryn and Chase against the werewolf world, whatever the consequences. A thrilling new YA adventure, with an electrifying link between a tough heroine and an exciting boy-were at its heart, Raised by Wolves will leave you howling for more.

This poor book has sat on my TBR shelf for ages, since September of last year to be exact. I kept looking at it and thinking, "I really must get around to reading that." I read brilliant reviews of it and then the sequel turned up and I was finally spurred into action. A day and a half later I was totally sold on the world that the author has created.

Bryn lives with her human adopted mother with a pack of werewolves in the middle of a wood. Kids at the local school know she's different and avoid her, occasionally poking fun at her in class but otherwise she doesn't exist. She holds herself separate from the pack too and even goes so far to erect barriers so she doesn't have the mental traffic that were's share. As a result, apart from truly brilliant friend Devon, she's very alone in her world. This all changes when she senses a change in the pack. She has to be home by dusk by order of Callum, the alpha were. Finally, her curiosity gets the better of her and she breaks into Callum's basement to find Chase, a boy who got bit and survived the transformation into a werewolf.

Firstly, the voice of Bryn is brilliant. From page one you feel as if you're kicking back at the side of a creek chatting to her. I was reminded of Kelley Armstrong and I hope I'm not throwing her name in just because she's a fellow werewolf writer but rather because she also has amazing skills in writing voice. Bryn's fierce, stubborn and independent - a life in the pack has moulded her. She drives the plot through and I never questioned her thoughts or actions. There are an amazing array of secondary characters - I particularly loved Lake, Devon and Callum. Raised by Wolves doesn't hold back on the harsh realities of pack life either. This is no simple paranormal romance and the pack dynamics are well thought out, sometimes to their brutal end.

As the book progresses it becomes something of a manhunt and the tension ramps up. The showdown and resulting conclusion was certainly not what I was expecting. Raised by Wolves is exciting, unconventional and innovative - I thoroughly enjoyed it (and am still apologising to my copy for keeping it waiting so long).

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them..

The first thing that struck me about the hardback copy was how good it felt in the hand with its lovely matt dust cover. It's chunky book, which has become a bit of a hallmark for young Mr Abercrombie, and weighs in at a respectable 498 pages.

The Heroes tracks the build up, execution and aftermath over the 3 days that a vicious battle rages in the North as the punitive force of the Union seeks to bring the army of the amoral and ruthless Black Dow to battle in an attempt to curtail his rising influence. The story is told from the viewpoints of 3 of the principal characters, the narratives weaving around each other to create a very convincing and visceral overview of the battle.

The first is the careworn Curden Craw, veteran of almost as many battles as Black Dow himself, but burdened with a streak of honesty and a notion of honour that few of his peers share. He's finding that his regrets at the hard life he chose all those years ago are growing by the day, eroding the beliefs that have kept him alive and sane so long.

The second is Calder, a self obsessed prince of the North whose desire to grab power is almost as strong as his disdain for the idea of having to work for it. He'll lie, cheat, steal and kill to get what he wants, and not necessarily in that order.

The third, and my favourite, is Bremer dan Gorst, the disgraced former champion.A master swordsman and lethally efficient killer, Bremer is tortured by the ignominy of his dismissal and is seeking redemption or death in the maelstrom of battle - and not even he is sure which he would prefer. Socially awkward and scorned by his peers, he seethes with bitterness and his narrative is littered with his caustic, unspoken thoughts.

There's precious little for the characters to sing about in the world Abercrombie has made for them- it's a brutal, unforgiving place, bleak and scarred by the wars of men and the legacy of the ancient feud of an order of wizards that's barely hinted at in this book- the resident archmage and one of his principal opponents do feature, but magic gets about as much screentime here as it did in Peter Jackson's siege of Helm's Deep.

What we get instead is political scheming, betrayal, axes smashing into faces with lethal effect, infected wounds, and the wounded screaming and pissing themselves. Death doesn't come easily, but when it does it's brutal and messy. And that's precisely half of what makes The Heroes so cool. The other half is the way Abercrombie brings his characters to life, rounding them out layer by later against the backdrop of a well crafted and immersive setting, making The Heroes stand out as much more than just a gorefest. Admittedly, the fact that he does lavish attention on secondary characters does threaten to clutter things up now and then, particularly when it comes to talking about the warriors of the north and their pedigrees, but it's a sporadic thing rather than a constant, and as such doesn't hinder the otherwise fast pace of the story.

If you like your fantasy hardboiled and gritty, then The Heroes is a wargasm waiting to happen. If you're looking for unicorns and Tom Bombadil, move along.

And no, I don't care for unicorns.

The blogpost in which Josephine Angelini does NOT talk about her favourite books!

So, we asked Josephine Angelini to tell us a little about her favourite books. I didn't expect what we got back but it sure is funny! Thank you Josephine - you really made me giggle.

I’ve been dreading writing this post. I’ve put it off for days, hoping in vain that the next time I look at the title it will have changed to something else. Like “Favorite Board Games When You Were A Child” or something like that. Mousetrap and Operation, in case you were wondering. I also would have liked Checkers, but my sister Louise would pinch me if I didn’t let her win so that ruined that game for me. I ended up hating playing Checkers because I really wanted to win just once, but Weezie pinched hard.

But this blog isn’t about “Favorite Board Games”. I look at the title, and there it is… staring at me. Not changing. “My Favorite Books” (cue ominous music).

See, I don’t have a favorite book. I don’t have a favorite writer. I have TONS of favorite books and favorite writers. But listing them is like walking into a trap. Think about it. You’re a writer and you meet lots of other writers—imagine you’re a big party where you’re all hanging out, mingling. Now imagine running into a writer who listed everyone in the room as one of her favorites, except for you. Awkward.

Now flip it. You’re the one shaking the hand of a writer who you accidentally left off a list of favorites. You look around the room and realize that you mentioned everyone else but this one person. This goes beyond awkward. This is “Seinfeld” level of uncomfortable.

In fact, I think there must be an episode about this. I couldn’t say for sure because I missed out on “Seinfeld”. For years, starting when I was about 15, I worked too many jobs to watch TV. I’ve also only seen a handful of episodes of Friends. The only character name I know is Rachel, and only because of the haircut. I watched “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” when I could, but later, and mostly in re-runs. I love “Buffy”. The original movie is pretty awesome, too.

*sigh* I guess I just have to bite the bullet, right? I have to give you a few books titles or I just won’t be fulfilling my end of the bargain. The only safe thing to do is list dead people. I certain I won’t run into any of them at a big party, at least for several more decades. But then, what about after I die? Hum.

Could you image listing everyone but Chaucer, and then you die and go to a ghost party with all the greats—Shakespeare, Austin, The Bronte sisters, Homer, and the like. They’re all on your list. And there, over by the wet bar is Chaucer. Just glaring at you. What do you say? Do you suck it up, go over, and start with, “’The Canterbury Tales’ really was super badass and I can’t believe I didn’t list it” or do you avoid him all night? This is just “Seinfeld” with ghosts. Maybe there’s a supernatural YA book in that…

I’m still stalling, aren’t I?

Vampirates Ahoy! Day 2 of Justin Somper's Blog Tour

We are really proud to host Day 2 of Justin Somper's blog tour on MFB. Justin is the creator of the Vampirates sequence of books and they are roaringly good fun.  We will be reviewing the final book "Immortal War" in July as part of our Under 14's Only month.  In the meantime, I got to interview Justin about all and sundry.  Check it out:

***

When you started writing the Vampirates books, did you ever think the series would extend to six books?

 When I first had the idea and began playing around with it, I knew that it was going to be too much material to fit into just one book. I had the idea to do the first book and then "suck it and see" after that (have to utilise all vampire puns while I still can!). It was my UK publisher, Simon & Schuster, who initiated the six book sequence. Initially, they bought four books and then decided, even before the first one was published, that they would like another two. I think there is mileage in the idea and characters to go even further without it getting tired, hence I have left a few loose threads at the end of IMMORTAL WAR. At the same time, I feel pretty satisfied at having written these six big books with all these characters in. It's been quite a journey for us all and hopefully the books have got better and more intriguing as the story has gone on.

A lot happens in them – we have a lot of characters and great set-pieces – did you end up creating something like a series bible to keep it all straight in your head?

 I've often been tempted to create this kind of bible but I've just never got around to it. Sometimes I do have to do a fair bit of referring back to the previous books but mostly all the characters are in my head. And of course I have a great team of editors, both in the UK and US, to keep me on the right path. But, going forward, with another project with lots of characters, I think I probably would create a bible from the get-go.

I know my favourite character has to be Grace. Do you have a favourite Vampirates character? (we won’t tell anyone, we promise).

 I have many favourites! I could say Sidorio, because he consistently pushes the envelope, or Lola, because she takes it to the next level. But my favourite character might well be Stukeley. just think he's really complex and intriguing. He was only ever intended to appear briefly in TIDE OF TERROR and die, end of. I didn't expect Sidorio to sire him or Stukeley to still be there, in IMMORTAL WAR, but there he is. I like how conflicted he is between his new existence and the life, and comrades, he's left behind. I like the way he sometimes seems drawn back to goodness, but then the darkness takes hold of him. The chapter in BLOOD CAPTAIN where he returns to Ma Kettle's Tavern is one of my favourites across the whole sequence. One of my favourite characters in IMMORTAL WAR is Moonshine Wrathe.


How much research did you find you had to do? I am talking about weapons research, about pirates, about vampires and of course, about ships and sailing for the books?

 I have pretty much had to do constant research for these books. Thank goodness for google! Obviously, the big initial research was into pirate history and vampire myth, to work out how best to fuse the two strands together and also to start developing characters. As the sequence continued, I did a load of research on mermaid myths for DEAD DEEP, as I worked on creating Kally and the fishtails. For BLOOD CAPTAIN, research work went into creating the geography and ritual of Sanctuary, as well as researching real-life cowboys as Johnny Desperado made his debut in the story. Originally Johnny was going to be a blue-eyed, blonde-haired all-American cowboy but as I researched, I found the vacqueros more intriguing and I figured Grace would too! We both like real outsider figures. Then for BLACK HEART, it was all about wine as I brought in Lola! Weapons research has been a constant too - for Sidorio and Connor's duel in EMPIRE OF NIGHT, say. My dad was an enthusiastic amateur sailor and he helped me with the sailing scenes in the first book. I also got the chance to go on the Cutty Sark a couple of times, which gave me the feel for the size and height of the ships. It all feeds in.


In a dream situation, should Jerry Bruckheimer knock on your door and say: “Justin, we want to turn Vampirates into a movie, who do you think should play your main characters?” What would your answer be and remember, money is no object.

 LOL. I know that in reality I probably wouldn't get much say about this but it's a fun game to play! I would pay good money to see Angelina Jolie as Lady Lola. When I first wrote Sidorio, I thought of him as Vin Diesel but in the later books, he's become more Javier Bardem. I'd like to see George Clooney in there too, maybe as Molucco Wrathe. There's been waves of Hollywood interest in a VAMPIRATES movie and I know the Nocturnals are keen on this, so you never know!


I wanted to ask you about book 4 in the series: Black Heart. It is, for me, the book most tense book, with the Biggest Reveal. Did you anguish about writing this one at all?

That's very perceptive of you. All the books have presented me with different challenges but BLACK HEART and IMMORTAL WAR were probably the toughest of the six. With BLACK HEART, there was the real stress of revealing the twins' true parentage. And, by the way, this was not a plot I had planned from the outset of the sequence. As the books were read and got more and more popular, I was getting a lot of questions from readers, and noise online, debating Grace and Connor's real background so I decided to really crank up that sense of mystery towards the end of BLOOD CAPTAIN and then tackle it head on in BLACK HEART. The way that Grace and Connor were conceived was potentially problematic given the broad age range of my readers, so I had to be really careful at how this was depicted. Then there was Sally's return which was hard to write. The first draft of the book had lots of chapters where Sally told her story to Grace. My wise UK editor slashed her red pencil straight through about eleven of these and we then put our heads together to work out a more engaging - emotional but unsentimental - way to tell that back story. The answer became to have Grace, with her growing psychic powers, effectively step into Sally's memories and become her. This changed the whole feel of the book for the better. Then we had, as you say, the reveal of the true nature of Grace and Connor and that was stressful too as it wasn't something I'd intended from the outset. I worried that I was taking the sequence into too dark a place but, at the same time, it felt right. The sequence has become more epic and darker than I originally envisaged it. With all this going on, I couldn't find room to bring back the Vampirate captain in this book which is why his return is delayed until EMPIRE OF NIGHT.

With The Immortal War, you bring the Vampirates sequence of books to a close. What was the most difficult / emotional thing for you to write (without spoilers) in this one?

 I found writing the whole of this book surprisingly emotional and difficult. It has an elegiac feel from the outset and you'll see there are clocks everywhere you turn in the story, showing that time is ticking away. The challenge this time was bringing the story to a pause, if not a complete close, and giving all the key characters a chance to say goodbye to the readers who have journeyed through six books with them. Some characters get their happy ending but others don't. With EMPIRE OF NIGHT, I actually cried when I was writing the final death scene - most unusual! With IMMORTAL WAR, the whole writing process was quite challenging and raw in some ways. And again one departure resulted in minor waterworks. I'm still too close to this book to know how good a job I've done. I'll have to await (nervously) your, and other reader's, verdict.


I have always read the Vampirates books to background music – mostly soundtracks as it calls for stirring music. Did you ever do a soundtrack for yourself whilst writing?

 I never write with music in the background - that just doesn't work for me. But there are pieces of music that I used to "warm up" for certain scenes and characters and other music which has inspired some of my writing. I've been asked to put together a VAMPIRATES playlist and you can find this both on GIRLS WITHOUT A BOOKSHELF and at www.vampirates.co.uk.


And I hate asking this, but I know a lot of your (and my) readers would love to know...what’s next for you?That's a nice question! I've got several ideas but one seems to have pushed itself to the fore so I'm doing some research and starting to play around with characters, setting etc. I don't want to say too much more in case it doesn't work, or is superceded by another idea, but it's another "enclosed world" story with a lot of strong, conflicted characters, with various shades of morality. I'd envisage it appealing to the same readers who enjoy VAMPIRATES, though there will be no vampires or pirates in this one!

Final question, one of my favourites as an aspiring writer. It’s a two-parter: a) what is your advice to aspiring writers out there and b) what was the best advice you were given when you started out?

 My advice to aspiring writers is fairly simple - 1) read a often

as you can and as widely as you can, so that you are open to the diverse ways different writers use language and tell stories, 2) write as often as you can and push yourself to try new things in your writing and don't get trapped into one genre all the time and 3) don't give up - the third one is essentially what separates those of us who are published and those who aren't. The best advice I was given was when author Jan Mark did a writing workshop at my school and advised the seventeen year-old me not to depend on writing to make a living! I've been lucky with the success of my books both in the UK and overseas, but it's nice not to have to write to earn money. That's a pressure I don't really want to introduce to my writing. Besides which, having other strings to my bow, helps keep me enjoying my writing and having fresh ideas to bring to it.

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Synopsis

Destiny brought them together. The Gods will keep them apart.

When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton sees Lucas Delos for the first time she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has seen in her life; the second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.

With an ancient curse making them loathe one another, Lucas and Helen have to keep their distance. But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen . . .

When I first heard about this book I wasn't sure how a Greek myth based paranormal romance would work. Potentially this combination isn't a bad thing but it sat on my shelf for a while before I dived in. Helen lives with her dad and has one close friend, Claire . Other than that she enjoys running track, working in her dad's shop and being inconspicuous. As the book develops we realise that she isn't just terminally shy - she's aware that there's something different about her. A man who tried to touch her on a ferry disappears with a sizzle of electricity. She has to try to run more slowly in track to avoid bringing attention to herself. Helen is a girl who's spent her life knowing she's different but trying to ignore it.

When Lucas and his brothers arrive at school all her effort goes out of the window in a day. She can't stop herself from throwing herself at him - not to get his attention but to kill him if she can. She soon finds herself a victim of school hierarchy - the one thing that she'd tried so hard to stay away from. Although Helen discovers the answers about her super-human powers she also finds that she could potentially be in danger as could her whole family.

I enjoyed reading Starcrossed, Helen is incredibly likeable and her friendship with Claire is genuine and funny. I also thought that the development of her relationship with Lucas is really well done. I really felt for Helen and the injustices she goes through at first at the hands of his family. The only part that I didn't enjoy was a character who arrives later on in the book. Possibly this is because this character is getting in the way of my preferred ending and all books need conflict but I found myself really disliking this character and the hold they have over Helen. Other than this the mythology aspect of Starcrossed is very enjoyable and gives the book a real structure. Seeing how the Greek gods and their offspring manage in 2011 is very entertaining! One of my favourite characters is Cassandra who, just like the Greek myth, is a prophetess who has a tragic future ahead of her. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of her (and the rest of the characters) as the series progresses. The next book, which I think is called Dreamless, is out in May 2012.

The Terry Pratchett First Novel Award

The Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now First Novel Prize

Mark and I were really lucky to be able to attend this brand new event hosted by Transworld, in partnership with Sir Terry Pratchett.

The award / prize took place at Waterstone's Piccadilly.  The shortlisted titles were:

•Postponing Armageddon, Adele Abbott

•The Platinum Ticket, Dave Beynon

•Half Sick of Shadows, David Logan

•Apocalypse Cow, Michael Logan

•Lun, Andrew Salomon

•The Coven at Callington, Shereen Vedam

Mark and I met up with Geeksyndicate 's Dave Monteith (soon to be dad for the first time!), Rob and Sophia who do the booky side of things on the Sci Fi Film Festival that takes place in London, as well as Mark and Rob from Forbidden Planet. There was a great deal of chat and speculation as to who won.  Caroline from Portrait of a Woman attended too and she confidentially told me that she has a big favourite but refused to say who it was. 
 
Sir Terry Pratchett and the rest of the judges eventually turned up and Sir T looked as dashing as ever.  Tony Robinson was in attendance as well but had to shoot off to catch a flight somewhere exotic. 
 
Not all of those shortlisted could make it, but some had sent representatives on their behalf. The shortlist was read off and each person came up to shake hands and accept their certificate, goody bag and champagne.
 
Then came the big announcement.  Who the winners were: (and it threw us all) the judges had decided that the prize was to be shared between two people.
 

David Logan and Michael Logan- who are not related, for their respective novels (Half sick of Shadows by David Logan & Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan).  Both David and Michael looked genuinely surprised.
 
I stood in the front, snapping away with my iphone, but I had tears streaming down my face as these guys' dreams had literally come true right in front of the gathered crowd of strangers, friends and family.  It was incredible. 
 
Brief speeches of thanks and congratulations were made and then everyone sort of dispersed around the room to twitter about it and to talk books and geeky things.
 
It was a lovely evening and I think everyone had a great time.  Mark and I stepped over to chat to one of the short-listed people, David Beynon who had travelled from Canada to visit family and also attend the award ceremony at the same time.  What a great guy - he was so positive about being shortlisted, even if he did not walk away with the "prize".  He mentioned that he had subsequently been approached by various agents for representation and that there has been a lot of interest in his work.  This was fantastic news and I just wanted to squish him.  We told them about cool places to go and they asked us where they could see a real life Tardis.  We failed at helping them in that respect and I think our standing plummeted a bit. 

We let Mr. Beynon and his family be and shuffled off to talk to other people like the media professionals we are.
 
Thanks to the always fabulous Lynsey for inviting us to attend and to Transworld for being so courageous in hosting an event like this. 

The official PR bit from Transworld:

Sir Terry Pratchett and Transworld Publishers launched a new award for aspiring debut novelists in June last year, the Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now Prize. After the deadline for submissions of 31 December 2010, 500-plus entries were received for the £20,000 prize.


The six judges (including Sir Terry Pratchett and Tony Robinson) met yesterday at Waterstone’s flagship store in London’s Piccadilly to thrash out a winner. After hours of debate the conclusion was reached that it was impossible to select a single victor! The entries were so diverse that it was unanimously decided to split the prize and award it to David Logan for his book HALF SICK OF SHADOWS, and to Michael Logan (no relation!) for APOCALYPSE COW. Both writers will receive a publishing contract from Transworld.

‘It was a long deliberation and although to some it might seem a cop out to split a prize, we decided that since the existence of the prize was to find new talent then this was the happiest decision to make. Half Sick of Shadows and Apocalypse Cow both stood out in their different ways and I wish their creators the best of luck in their writing careers.’

SIR TERRY PRATCHETT

The Winners

Half Sick of Shadows is a darkly atmospheric, richly written coming-of-age novel in the spirit of Ian Banks’ The Wasp Factory. David Logan, who lives in Carrickfergus, N. Ireland, commented:

“I am disappointed for the runners up. The difference between winning and losing is a hair’s breadth. I just feel very lucky.”

Apocalypse Cow follows the story of a group of social misfits thrown together after an experimental bio-weapon is accidentally unleashed by the government, with peculiar repercussions for Britain’s farm animals. The Scots-born but Kenya-based Michael Logan commented:

“Ever since I wrote my first short story at the age of eight, it has been my dream to become an author - although the idea for a novel about sex-crazed zombie cows did come a little later. The full impact of attaining a lifelong goal has yet to fully sink in. I'm sure it will hit me on the way home, when I will bemuse all around me by performing a victorious knee-slide across the concourse at Gatwick.”

Sir Terry Pratchett and Transworld Publishers would like to thank everyone who submitted an entry to the prize.

The winners, chosen from a shortlist of six, were announced at the 5th View champagne bar last night at 7pm.

Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K Wittman and John Shiffman

The Wall Street Journal called him “a living legend.” The London Times dubbed him “the most famous art detective in the world.”

In Priceless, Robert K. Wittman, the founder of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, pulls back the curtain on his remarkable career for the first time, offering a real-life international thriller to rival The Thomas Crown Affair.

Rising from humble roots as the son of an antique dealer, Wittman built a twenty-year career that was nothing short of extraordinary. He went undercover, usually unarmed, to catch art thieves, scammers, and black market traders in Paris and Philadelphia, Rio and Santa Fe, Miami and Madrid.

In this page-turning memoir, Wittman fascinates with the stories behind his recoveries of priceless art and antiquities: The golden armor of an ancient Peruvian warrior king. The Rodin sculpture that inspired the Impressionist movement. The headdress Geronimo wore at his final Pow-Wow. The rare Civil War battle flag carried into battle by one of the nation’s first African-American regiments.

The breadth of Wittman’s exploits is unmatched: He traveled the world to rescue paintings by Rockwell and Rembrandt, Pissarro, Monet and Picasso, often working undercover overseas at the whim of foreign governments. Closer to home, he recovered an original copy of the Bill of Rights and cracked the scam that rocked the PBS series Antiques Roadshow.

By the FBI’s accounting, Wittman saved hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art and antiquities. He says the statistic isn’t important. After all, who’s to say what is worth more --a Rembrandt self-portrait or an American flag carried into battle? They're both priceless.

The art thieves and scammers Wittman caught run the gamut from rich to poor, smart to foolish, organized criminals to desperate loners. The smuggler who brought him a looted 6th-century treasure turned out to be a high-ranking diplomat. The appraiser who stole countless heirlooms from war heroes’ descendants was a slick, aristocratic con man. The museum janitor who made off with locks of George Washington's hair just wanted to make a few extra bucks, figuring no one would miss what he’d filched.

In his final case, Wittman called on every bit of knowledge and experience in his arsenal to take on his greatest challenge: working undercover to track the vicious criminals behind what might be the most audacious art theft of all.

After reading The Infiltrators which I loved, I thought I'd give another of my languishing non-fiction book titles a read.  I chose Priceless as I genuinely enjoy heist movies and heist books.  I wanted to see what a real life/live detective did to capture these "gentleman" thieves as they are often portrayed in the movies like The Thomas Crown Affair / After the Sunset etc.

I was not disappointed.  Working together as a team, Wittman and Shiffman's narrative flows easily - it never gets bogged down with too much extraneous information and we very quickly come to realise that there is no flash, no show, about Wittman.  We meet Wittman as he's on his way to meet some villains.  He's in the back of the car, an FBI agent, deep under cover and there is this sense of malice and you wonder: is this guy gonna make it out of this alive? 

Witmann tells us where he grew up, some information about his parents, other things he did before joining up with the FBI and how he came to be part of the "Art Crime Squad".   Not everything goes smoothly and Witmann has some awful things happen to him and his family in this time.  But reading Priceless you get a real sense of Witmann's character and that of his wife.  They form a strong team and I think a lot of that really helped me connect to Witmann and so I wanted him to succeed.

We are taken along for several cases, both standard FBI jobs and the more "glamorous" art theft cases.  Whitmann makes this really interesting statement at one stage - and I know I was guilty of this thought too - that because of Hollywood we always assume that thieves steal items on demand for fabulously rich collectors or for themselves.  This is of course not the case.  Most thieves are dirty nasty scoundrels and their customers are no better.  I felt my "world view" slightly dented but I read on because the sheer determination, nose to the grindstone hard work that went in to each case as it unfolds is just remarkable.  But then, so was blind luck. 

Some way into the book there are photos of various items Wittman managed to save.  There are also photos of him and his family and some villains whom he has met.  They vary widely from nasty pieces of work to slightly clueless people who suspected they were passing on something stolen but weren't quite sure. The photos look impressive, until you read the book and discover the amount of hard work and various shenanigans it took to get these items back to their rightful owners and you realise what an amazing job had been done.

I found it fascinating how he described some procedures and how low priority art theft cases are in the bigger scheme of things when there are terrorists threatening violence.  Also, what struck me is how the majority of the book deals with art theft in the USA and how it had a very low profile, it was practically non-existent, until Wittman proved to his superiors that it should be looked at on an equal footing as other more severe criminal cases.  It is an interesting book, full of great information but also, stories well told from the "other side" of the heist spectrum. 

Like The Infiltrators, I would highly recommend this non-fiction book as something to dip into to reassert reality because things really aren't like they are in the movies or in fictional books.  It is a great informative read and one that is definitely a keeper and a recommender-onner to others for the sheer differentness of the subject.

Blood Harvest by SJ Bolton

NOW YOU SEE HER... Gillian is haunted by the disappearance of her little girl two years ago. A devastating fire burned down their home, but she remains convinced her daughter survived.


NOW YOU DON’T... Ten-year-old Tom lives by the town’s neglected churchyard. Is he the only one who sees the strange, solitary child playing there? And what is she trying to tell him?


NOW YOU RUN... There’s a new vicar in town – Harry – and he’s meeting the locals. But menacing events suggest he isn’t welcome. What terrible secret is this town hiding?

In Blood Harvest we meet the lovely Fletcher family, mum Alice, dad Gareth and sons, Joe and Tom and daughter Millie.  They have just moved into the village of Heptonclough and built their new house by the church(es) and graveyard. 

The book opens with Tom and Joe having a great look around the graveyard and a bit of a game.  It is when Joe hears Tom calling to him, and realises Tom is too far away to be doing so, and that the voice is far too near, that the icy cold drops of terror roll down your spine.

Harry, the new vicar, senses that someone is watching him whilst he's preparing the church for service.  It's been closed down for several years as an awful accident happened there some time ago and because of that no one wanted congregate there any more.  Harry is determined to gather his new flock together, no matter what it takes.

Evi is a psychiatrist and has started seeing Gillian, a young bereaved woman who had lost her home and her small daughter in an awful fire not too long ago.  Gillian is grieving and heartbroken but she appears to be flourishing under Evi's guidance.

When Gillian becomes obsessed with Harry and thinks she's fallen in love with him and that he was "the one", Evi resolves to stay away from Harry, even if it means putting her own blossoming feelings second. 

Tom and Joe come to realise that someone is out there, watching them.  Joe has sort of made friends with her and will speak to her when no one else is around.  The times that Tom does see her, he is scared out of his wits.  She's odd-looking, with hands and feet and a head too big for her small child-sized body.  And when Millie is stolen from a harvest festival and then found up in the gallery rafters of the old church, they are convinced that it is this strange girl who is to blame.

His parents doesn't believe Tom when he speaks about her.  He becomes obsessed with keeping the house locked up, checking the doors and windows.  His previously close relationship with his brother Joe disappears and he becomes withdrawn and obsessive.  His parents hand him over to Evi to try and figure out what's going on.  The fact that he hears voices, this little girl's voice, has his mother Alice worried about schizophrenia.

As the story unfolds, strand by strand, SJ Bolton gives us exactly what we want.  A twisty tale full of tension and no little terror.  There were some instances, whilst I was reading this (alone) whilst away from home, that I literally felt myself pinned to the bed by terror.  I couldn't even reach out to turn off my light.  I was scared out of my wits.

SJ Bolton is a superbly subtle writer.  She knows her audience exceedingly well and she plays us like a finely tuned instrument.  She manages to to give us very real characters who act and react in a very human and honest way to various pressures placed on them.  The thriller aspect of the novel, or rather the psychological impact of the novel is tremendous.  We are never quite sure if Tom and Joe are crazy - are they seeing and hearing this girl?  And if so, who is she? And does she have anything to do with the disappearances of other girls in the area, as well as Millie's kidnapping?  And if it's not her doing all these things, then who is it really?

By far the most noticeable character arc/development within Blood Harvest is that of Harry, the new vicar assigned to Heptonclough.  Harry is a such a nice guy.  I warmed to him as a character and all I wanted was for him to come out on the other side of this in good order, with maybe a chance to win Evi's hand.  I obviously will not tell you what happens but I was hugely sad when I closed the covers of the book and had to say goodbye to Harry, Evi and the Fletchers.  They had really got under my skin as characters and I did dash away a bit of a tear at the end.

SJ Bolton's writing is going from strength to strength.  She really has become, without a doubt, one of the UK's top thriller writers.  Her planning and pacing is immaculate and kudos to her editor Sarah for allowing Ms. Bolton to tackle such varied stories within each standalone novel thus far.  I am really looking forward to reading Now You See Me and this time, for sure, I won't be waiting until the paperback comes out!

If you're tentative about reading thrillers and think they are all about the crazy action and breathless pace, put your doubts in your pocket and give SJ Bolton a try.  Her writing will surprise you and shock you.  It is spine tingling stuff and it is just so well written and thought out. I am about to blaspheme (look away!): I think that in SJ Bolton we have someone who can take on Tess Gerritsen at her own game and win.  For sure.

PBS #5: Me and You by Anthony Browne

One day, a girl came into our house, ate my porridge, broke my chair and fell asleep in my bed.  I wonder who she was?

This is a thoughtful retelling of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story.

It left me with a sense of peculiar sadness and I'm not sure why.  Actually, I think I know.  I think it's because of the artwork - it has a peculiar quality to it.  Unlike most picture books where the artwork truly invites you in with vibrant colours and over the top drawings, Me and You has made use of subtler tones.

On the one hand we have the pages illustrating the young girl leaving her home with her mum.  The artwork is quiet, grey, dull.  She's dressed in a hoodie and the area does not look very nice.

Contrasted wildly with the greyness of the young girl's world, we have the home of the bears.  A wonderfully large home, far brighter and more interesting.  There is also a cohesion in the family in that it has a mum, dad and boy bear - a family unit.  They go out and do things together.

The girl spots a balloon whilst she's standing in front of a shop window with her mum and she runs off to catch it.  She doesn't pay attention where it's going and before she knows it, she's lost and the balloon is entirely out of her reach.

She wanders around and finds the wonderfully large and beautiful home of the bears.  She does exactly what Goldilocks is meant to do - basically invades their home and privacy and eventually falls asleep in the bear junior's bed.  The bears return home after a lovely stroll out and discover their house broken in to.  They sneak around and find the girl asleep.  They confront her and she runs away.

Soon the artwork changes again to reflect the greyness of the girl's surroundings and as she flees the bears and their neighbourhood, she runs deeper into the darkness.  But it ends well, with a great blast of colour.

I think that this one is by far the most subtle picture book I've read in ages.  I think young folk would like it for the obvious Goldilocks story but I think slightly older, more advanced readers, would notice the contrast between the girl's drab life and that of the bears and it will make them wonder.

It's a beautiful book but it's definitely one that makes me feel melancholy.

The SJ Bolton Experience

Mark and I were invited by Lynsey from Transworld to attend something a bit unusual for a book launch.  I am a big fan of SJ Bolton - she writes very creepy thrillers - and so when the invite came through, I barely glanced at it and immediately emailed Lynsey back to say "ohmygodyes".

Turns out the new book - NOW YOU SEE ME - is reminiscent of Jack the Ripper's reign of terror in olden day London town.  And what would be a better way to launch a Jack book...than by having a guided Jack the Ripper walk?

I confess: I do not know much about Jack, at all.  Obviously I know who he is, about his lore, a few bits of info about his killings, but I am by no means an aficionado.  So this evening was not just going to be fun, it was going to be educational too.

Well, there we were, lurking outside Liverpool Street Station along with Keith from Books and Writers, the guys from Goldsboro Books, Miles from Milo Rambles blog and Tom from Crime & Publishing along with Mr. Tony Lee and his lovely bride, Tracey.  We were joined by author du jour, SJ Bolton (who looked immaculate as always) and a swathe of Transworld people.

Whilst we were standing, we became aware of this odd bloke staring at us.  He wore a bowler hat, was completely dressed in black in this suit that is maybe a bit...not quite right, and most curious of all, he carried this unlit lantern.  We traded stares with him, with each other.  Lynsey revealed that this is in fact our guide.  I thought "oh great, creepy deluxe!" Just who I want to show me around the remote alleys of London as frequented by Victorian London's most infamous killer.

The tour got underway once everyone was gathered.  Our guide, "Frank" took to his role of creepy tour guide with gusto.  It is difficult to explain his schtick - it's sort of dead-pan psycho with a bit of a Tyler Durden, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp on a good day, thrown in the mix.   I admit it - I was dubious.  But once you get over the initial oddness, and you just accept that he's pretty damn good at what he does, you are happy to follow him around.

He took us all over the East End and spoke eloquently, with a trained orators voice, about the various Jack the Ripper murders, where they took place, some of the lore surrounding the killings.  But he also gave us interesting asides about the places we walked around.

Following Frank it was really interesting to see how people reacted to his very pale face, his tallness, his odd attire and the lit lantern he carried.  They stared, they giggled and some just preferred not to notice.  They realised pretty quickly though that this was a Jack the Ripper tour and some people stopped to briefly speak to him.  We also had the occasional person linger amongst our group to listen to him or take a photo or six.

At the end of the evening we ended up at The Bell and Frank became Ben, much to our collective reliefs.  Ben was far more lovely than strange-staring-eyed-Frank and also easier to get a laugh out of.  SJ Bolton gave a great speech and did some singing of books.  It was an incredible evening and Transworld really outdid themselves with their hospitality and putting the tour together.  We are genuinely happy to have been part of it.

At the moment I'm reading SJ Bolton's previous novel, Blood Harvest and the opening few pages creeped me out no end.  We'll be reviewing Blood Harvest and Now You See Me very soon!

Oh, friend and fellow blogger Keith has already written his review of Now You See Me as well as a further write-up on the tour.  Check it out.

This is the very creepy book trailer they created for Now You See Me.

Carte Blanche - Jeffery Deaver

I was so sad that I could not make the champagne reception for the new 007/James Bond novel by Jeffery Deaver yesterday.  I swooned when I saw the photos of the event, with the marines rapelling down from St Pancras Station ceiling - the car, the bike, the dolled up ladies and the hunky boys in uniform.  It sounded fabulously over the top and great fun.

I am waiting to receive some high res images from yesterday so will upload those shortly.  But it looked fantastic. 

However, I have just received - into my grubby paws, the actual book.  Now, I don't do this often and this is honest to goodness not bragging, but it is a gorgeous looking book.  Hence this blogpost.  Imagine the Marks & Spencer voiceover lady as you read this, with dramatically swoony music in the background and the smell of gunpowder and blood up your nose:

Front cover / dust cover

The dust-cover is lovely thick paper and it's matte. The print as you can see is a wonderful rich red with Jeffery Deaver's name being partially faded out by the "smoke". The smoke itself has this glint to it that says "touch me". The circle and 007 at the top of the page is glossy red and embossed. It looks and feels great.

Actual cover of hardback



End papers

I took the dust-cover off and a tiny gasp of surprise. The cover itself is embossed with the circle and 007. I am a geek, I know. I love it. The end-papers are silvery with a muted gloss, and the smoke from the dust cover is echoed inside.  


Back cover of Carte Blanche

And that has to be the best quote ever: "Our mission is simple.  We protect the Realm...by any means necessary."

Spine

 I love the look and feel of this book - it feels rich and well made in your hands.  Does this sound odd?  I think not.  I know a great many of my booky friends examine books in the exact same way.  I've not read a single word of Carte Blanche as yet and have no idea if it lives up to its glorious cover, but one thing is for sure, if looks could kill...

And thank you for allowing my very self-indulgent post. That lady from M&S can stop speaking in her dramatic breathy voice now!

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters



Various copies of the book exists, this is the front cover of mine

Amelia Peabody is Elizabeth Peters' best loved and brilliant creation, a thoroughly Victorian feminist who takes the stuffy world of archaeology by storm with her shocking men's pants and no-nonsense attitude!

In this first Egyptian mystery, our headstrong heroine decides to use her substantial inheritance to see the world. On her travel, she rescues a gentlewoman in distress - Evelyn Barton-Forbes - and the two become friends. The two companions continue to Egypt where they face mysteries, mummies and the redoubtable Radcliffe Emerson, and outspoken archaeologist, who doesn't need women to help him solve mysteries - at least that's what he thinks!

I am sure there are others like me, who have eyed up this series from afar, alongside the MC Beaton books and other historical fiction series (I'm specifically thinking about the one that takes place in ancient Rome as well as the series featuring a sleuthing monk as main character) and felt a bit at a loss.  Can you start anywhere?  Is it best to start at the beginning.

In this instance, I decided to start my Amelia Peabody experience right from the beginning.  I wanted to know as much as I could about the character and her adventures because I like to think that if I had lived back then, and I had been a lady of means, I too would have travelled the world in an eccentric fashion.

On the surface, Amelia is very much a product of the Victorian age.  Very proper (in some matters), forward thinking, highly educated (due to her father's belief that a woman does have a brain and needs to use it), and dauntless.  Also brave.  Very brave.  She is a big girl, tall, well endowed but of a certain age.  She believes herself unattractive and unmarriageable.  Although there had been some interest in her after her father's passing, which left her extremely well off, she is not fooled.  And that is what I loved about Amelia - terribly forthright and no-nonsense, yet deep within she is this fantastic dreamer.  But more of that later.

As well learned as Amelia is, very little prepares her for her actual travel.  She has a companion whom she does not like very much, and so decides to send her back to England as soon as possible.  Whilst sojourning in Rome she meets the wonderful Evelyn who honestly suits Amelia to a T.  The two strike up an amazing friendship - one that had me giggling and laughing out loud.  Amelia's no-nonsense factoid world is unexpectedly invaded by a very determined young woman called Evelyn and instead of Amelia pampering this delicate flower, she finds Evelyn quite stubborn and unexpectedly creative.  She arranges for various outfits for Amelia's wardrobe and quite alarms Amelia that she gets away with it!

Evelyn's story is closely tied in with the entire plot for the novel, but I'll do my best not to give anything away.  Needless to say Evelyn and Amelia's travels do not go quite as planned.  Once they get to Egypt and Amelia secures a boat for them to travel down the Nile (or rather, up the Nile) things go a bit...wrong.  There are delays with getting the boat prepared and fitted out to her exacting standards (imagine brand new hangings in the parlour to match her new red dress (!!) as well as a piano being installed) but once that is underway, and they've managed to antagonise the brilliantly grumpy Radcliffe Emerson and his younger brother, Walter.  The sparks fly.  Radcliffe is beyond rude.  He is opinionated, arrogant and blinkered.  But he is a brilliant archaeologist.  Walter on the other hand is a lovely guy and falls for poor Evelyn so loudly all of Egypt could hear it.  He is in deep contrast with his brother and fully aware of how boorish Radcliffe is. 

They set off for their designated dig and Evelyn is a bit heart sore.  Eventually Amelia and Evelyn's boat is ready - they have a crew, provisions, everything is ready and they too set sail for their adventure.

Obviously there are some obstacles along the way - mainly Amelia who insists on stopping at as many historical sites as they could as they travel along the Nile.  She clambers everywhere and gets as mucky as you can imagine.  In this respect she is completely the rebel and I loved her for it!  Her vigorous brain is well informed and nothing seems to monumental a task to complete.  It is also this behaviour that reveals what a dreamer she is. 

They eventually happen to meet up with Emerson and Walter again and this is where the nitty gritty of the novel takes place, at this remote dig with the rumours of treasure, rebel kings and the disappearance (and reappearance) of a mummy who seems extraordinarily fascinated with Evelyn.  It is a set-work of fantastic characterisation, peppered with political and local knowledge against a colourful backdrop of a changing world.  I love Ms. Peters attention to detail and how vibrant her character (both main and secondary) are.  They really made such a great impression.

I admit.  I fell in love with Ms. Amelia Peabody and she has become my heroine.  I will be reading the rest of the series this year and by all counts, I am in for a big treat.  I have heard tremendous things about it and I hope you enjoy the ride with me.

The Amelia Peabody books are published by Constable (Constable and Robinson) here in the UK.

Haunting Violet Book Launch

I was so excited to be invited by the lovely people at Bloomsbury to the Alyxandra Harvey meet and greet yesterday held at the Bloomsbury offices. I arrived, a bit overheated but right on time (I got a bit waylaid on Oxford Street and found myself having to rush!) to find a fabulous group of bloggers already there. I met the lovely Carly from Writing From the Tub Karen from Teenage Fiction For All Ages and Sammee from I Want To Read That. We were whisked upstairs to meet Alyxandra who is, quite frankly, one of the most inspirational young adult writers I've met.

Here we all are with a copy of her latest book, Haunting Violet.

From left to right: Sammee, Karen, Alyxandra, Carly and me. Massive thanks to Carly for this photo.

I knew Haunting Violet would be right up my street and I'm already a quarter of the way through having started it on the train home last night. Alyxandra said yesterday that she loves research so much that she sometimes gets carried away and could forget to write the actual book. This is so apparent in Haunting Violet and she gets the Victorian tone so right. One of my favourite authors is Sarah Waters and I'm getting exactly the same feel of authentic setting alongside a strong thread of the supernatural in this book. Anyway, I'll save this for the review and giveaway at the end of June!

We were lucky enough to have Alyxandra all to ourselves and asked a whole load of questions about her writing, the books she has planned and the upcoming next book in the Drake Chronicles. I was struck by just how hard Alyxandra has worked for her success. She began writing at fourteen and had written a massive twenty-six books before she landed an agent. Ironically it is Haunting Violet that got her her agent but the Drake Chronicles were published first (Bleeding Hearts, the fourth in the series is out in October in the UK by the way).

I was struck by just how passionate Alyxandra is about her fans. She obviously thoroughly enjoys interacting with them and discussing their ideas and thoughts. We all chatted for a while about her books, writing habits (an average size novel normally takes her around three months to complete) and interests (historical fiction from Egyptian to Regency and beyond and the paranormal genre). I think we could have happily talked to her for hours. To celebrate the upcoming Haunting Violet release there was an amazing cake which we all admired before devouring.

Haunting Violet is released on 4th July in the UK and, as I mentioned, MFB will be doing a giveaway at the end of June to celebrate. Alyxandra is currently doing a tour of the UK, details of which can be found here.