Review: The Glimpse by Claire Merle

GoodReads



In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.


Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.


Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society, and as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper’s abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe.


Review



Ana is a teenager with a noose hanging over her head.  She's been diagnosed as having the potential to develop one of the Big3 mental illness' that plague society and after living most of her life thinking she was a Pure and then discovering she may become a Crazies which no choice in the matter everything has changed.  Her father is one of the scientist that developed the diagnosis and the discovery of the genes that are affected and so she is under the watchful eye of him, the Board and Wardens that are almost on edge to see if she is on the turn.  She is preparing to be Bound to Jasper, a ceremony that starts the process of marriage, and yet she's lost as he is kidnapped with so many unanswered questions.  She ventures out of the safety of her Pure world to find him in the City discovers more secrets and lies than she could have even imagined.  She also finds Cole who could be more to her than she even realises when they first meet.


A dystopian with a twist you say? Set in London? Why yes I think I will give you a go.  That was basically the key selling points when I heard about The Glimpse a few months ago because when you hear the word dystopian you get a few instant titles that flash up in your head but really this story  had a lot of weight behind it.  You could imagine it really happen if science developed ways to predetermine mental illness in people and how society at large would react.  Like a lot of humanities history has shown is differences in society cause rifts, isolation and even war and more horror that is only "discovered" years later.  Plus I loved that it showed the clashes in society not only down to the mental illness issues but money and power as it divides people all over the city.  


The Glimpse has a special flair about it as I read more and more I found more aspects that appealed to me.  At face value it may not jump out at you as much different from other YA books out there but it really is the writing that spoke to me.  Claire Merle has created a superbly strong female character that deals with far more of her fair share of trouble and heart ache and yet still has an inner flame that flickers and makes her a heroine of sorts.  She doesn't start out this way but as her eyes are opened to a life outside of Pures and Crazies she evolves.


I'd really love to see more of this world or even a whole new one created by Claire to just look at how her writing tackles other issues or types of people.  The Glimpse tackles large social issues with grace within a thriller tale with romantic undertones.  A fabulous debut that has me watching out for Claire Merle's next book already.



Rating: 7.5/10


Published by Faber and Faber and is available here and book shops now

FrostFire Blog Tour: Inspirational Fantasy by Zoë Marriott

Today I couldn't be more pleased to welcome Zoë Marriott to the blog as part of her FrostFire blog tour.  Zoë has written a fab post about inspirational fantasy writers and i'm now adding lots of goodies to my wish list so you'll probably will be too.  Over to Zoë!

One of the things I'm often known to rant about is how important it is to get kids reading. Some people charitably assume that this is because I care about literacy rates and exam results and Important Stuff like that. Others less charitably assume that it's because I want there to be a bigger audience for my books. Both are kind of right. And kind of wrong. Because the reason I really want to get kids reading? Is that it honestly breaks my heart to think so many young people are missing out on how heart-breaking, exciting, funny and inspirational books can be.


Books changed my life, I'm telling you. I can go back and list the books that made me into a reader, and a writer, and the books that made me into a better PERSON. But for the purposes of this post, let's look at some of the writers who inspired me to fall in love with and dedicate my career (so far!) to fantasy.

Diana Wynne Jones. This author has to come first. Although really, I feel as if I shouldn't have to do anymore than write her name to conjure up everything that needs to be said. She was a legend and is a legend, and her work - ambitious, moving, hilariously funny, multilayered and without parallel in fantasy or children's writing, ever - changed more lives and inspired more proto-writers than can possibly be listed here. Go re-read one now. A Tale of Time City? Fire and Hemlock? Howl's Moving Castle? Charmed Life? The Merlin Conspiracy? Dogsbody? Hexwood? If there's one you haven't read - or if you've somehow never read this writer's work? Go fix that. Her books are so diverse that there is literally something for everyone. Diana Wynne Jones - we salute you.


Margaret Mahy. When I was a little kid, her books of short stories and poems used to light up my world. She wrote dozens of them, and I was especially entranced by her witches, wise, mischievous, wicked and, in some cases, rather dim. I searched the world for black and red stripy tights, which Ms Mahy said were a sure sign of a witch. I searched the world for spells and enchantments and fantasy too; her words made me sure it must be there. A great example is her anthology The Chewing Gum Rescue. It's out of print but if you can get hold of a copy you are in for a huge treat. Those stories are just as funny and fascinating to me now as they were twenty years ago. She also wrote a YA anthology, The Door in the Air, which I cherish to this day and take with me to every school visit I do. The Big Kahuna for me, though, was The Changeover. Winner of The Carnegie Medal and subtitled 'A Supernatural Romance', this is perhaps one of the very first YAs in the category we now call paranormal romance - and it knocks most of the others into a cocked hat. Read it, and if you can resist falling in love with tragic hero Sorry and determined heroine Laura, you have a harder heart than I do, Gunga Din.


Victoria Walker. This writer only penned two novels for children. The first, The Winter of Enchantment, illustrated with her own artwork, was a lodestone of my childhood and probably one of the main reasons why fantasy rooted itself in my soul. For years the book was out of print and incredibly hard to come by. The copy that my local library had was long gone. I missed it so much that when I got my first job I saved up for months and spent a ridiculous (I mean it - really blooming STUPID) amount on one of the few remaining copies because I had to own it for myself. It's now in print again. Invest in it and discover this wonderful little tale about the terrifying and lovely magic hiding in everyday things.

Robin McKinley. Again, it was a short story anthology that won this author my eternal love and devotion. In the very limited selection of children's books in my local library growing up, there was only one book by Ms McKinley: The Door in the Hedge. I borrowed it so many times that when it inevitably wore out and the librarians had to withdraw it from stock, they gave it to me as a present. Like all the author's works, it is lyrical, romantic, and highly influenced by folklore, and includes two re-told fairytales and two original short stories, all wonderful. It led me to all her better known works, like Beauty, The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown. If one author has influenced my writing style and the stories I chose to tell more than any other, it is Robin McKinley.


Tamora Pierce. This author takes us a little further forward in time, out of my childhood into my late teens, when I knew that I wanted to tell stories more than anything in the world - but hadn't yet figured out what kind. I've told the tale many times, so I'll sum up here by saying that I'd loved Tamora Pierce as a youngster, but lost track of her as I hit my early teens and started reading adult books (mostly because there were more on offer in the libraries). When I re-discovered her Song of the Lioness Quartet as an eighteen year-old, I literally felt as if I had been hit by a lightning bolt. I knew I wanted to write books like THAT. Fantasy, adventure, strong heroines, romance... it was all in there. Never changed my mind since!

Garth Nix. I discovered this author's books during that awkward period between deciding my life's vocation was to write fantasy for young adults...and the rest of the world agreeing with me. His Old Kingdom trilogy - brilliantly characterised, well plotted and with one of the most unique, beautiful and fully realised fantasy worlds I'd ever come across - were a revelation to me. They gave me my first crafty inklings on how to write grit and lyricism together, combining unlikely details like the vivid spray of drying blood across fallen flower petals to increase a reader's sense of immersion in a fantasy universe. 


Lois McMaster Bujold. This author is generally famous for her science fiction novels - which are brilliant - but it's her fantasy that is so inspirational to me. She's the only exclusively adult novelist on this list, but...she just had to be here. Her novels made me see the genre in a whole new light, and instead of thinking of stories in terms only of adventure and events I started to look at the souls of my characters and try to understand them, try to CHANGE them, in the course of my writing. Ms McMaster Bujold penned the book which is - probably, possibly, maybe - my favourite book of all time. The Curse of Chalion. Without it, and the mind-bending effect it had on me, I doubt anything I've written would be half as good. Read it, and you'll also want to read Paladin of Souls, The Hallowed Hunt, and her The Sharing Knife series. Her books are simply brilliant.


Now, I decided to limit myself to seven authors in this list - seven being my lucky number - so inevitably there was a lot of pushing and shoving as I put it all together and some people who really ought to be on it got shunted off, just because of my mood and the day of the week and the alignment of the planets as I wrote. So here's a shout out to Terry Pratchett, Megan Whalen Turner, Sarah Rees Brennan, Ursula Le Guin, Sherwood Smith, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, Elizabeth Marie Pope and Cassandra Clare, among others, who have all inspired me with their fantasy in the past and continue to inspire me now.

Go forth and read, my lovelies! 

Zxx 

Zoë Marriott

Thanks a MILLION to Zoë and Walker Books for letting me be part of the FrostFire Blog Tour.  Seriously; Zoë's books is HOLY COW AMAZING!

To find out more about Zoë Marriott check out her website  her stunning blog and her new book FrostFire is published July 5th in the UK

Harry Potter is 15?! SAY WHAT?!

I still can't believe Harry Potter is 15 years old.  15 years ago the boy wizard was first published and to celebrate it amazing fact Bloomsbury is having a very special contest.  Check out the details from the Press Release below:

Celebrating 15 years of Harry Potter magic

The search for UK and Ireland’s biggest HARRY POTTER fan

From an idea born on a train journey, to its creation in a small cafe in Edinburgh Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the book that started a global phenomenon.  Rejected by many publishers and with an initial hardback print run of 500 copies, it has now sold over 90 million copies worldwide. It is the book that put Harry’s destiny in motion and created a whole new generation of readers. It is hard to think now that before 1997 none of us knew about Hogwarts, Quidditch or Voldemort (who was voted as the favourite literary villain in a recent Bloomsbury poll).

To celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Bloomsbury is launching a nationwide competition to find the UK’s biggest HARRY POTTER fan.

Bloomsbury is inviting fans to write a letter of no more than 50 words explaining why they love HARRY POTTER. We are looking for the most creative, clever and entertaining reasons and, while the word limit is set to a strict 50 words, entrants are encouraged to draw, doodle and make their letters as elaborate as possible.

HARRY POTTER fans can only enter by visiting a local bookshop or library and posting their letter in the specially designed postboxes. Over 1800 bookshops and libraries have already signed up to take part. The competition will run from Tuesday 26^th June to Tuesday 31^st July 2012 after which we will name the UK and Ireland’s biggest HARRY POTTER fan. The winner and runners up will be announced on Saturday 1^st September.*

The competition is an ideal opportunity for fans to show how much they love HARRY POTTER as well as supporting their local bookshop or library. Details of how to enter and a list of participating bookshops and libraries can be found on the website: www.bloomsbury.com/harrypottercompetition

Cover Gush: The Book of Doom by Barry Hutchison

I want to say something smart or funny or just make sense but the cover for The Book Of Doom will trump anything witty or genius like I will say

HE'S WEARING GOLD SPANDEX HOT PANTS AND ROLLER SKATES. CAN NOT TOP THAT!

Seriously though I love how it's less busy than The 13th Horseman cover and the colouring is lovely and I can't wait to see it all shiny and glossy.  I can imagine a few raised eye brows from parents and epic laughter from the YA (and not so YA) readers.

Blog Tour: Deleted Extract from The Glimpse by Claire Merle

Hi! It’s great to be here as part of The Glimpse blog tour. Thank you for having me! Today on the tour, I’m going to share with you a scene that was cut in the late editing stages from the final book. I eventually decided to take it out because it slows down the action and because the POV character, Neil, is a minor character who after a round of editing, never made it back into the plot at the end of the book. But I love Neil! He is the security guard who allows Ana to sneak out of her ‘safe’ Community to go and find her abducted fiancé, Jasper Taurell. Neil’s shift ends at 6 p.m. and if Ana isn’t back from the City by then, they’ll be big trouble for both of them.


Cut Extract from THE GLIMPSE (Originally the beginning of Chaper 8 ‘Noodles and Giants.’)


For the hundredth time, Neil the security guard drew a large circle with his forefinger. A projected clock appeared on the cabin wall. The second hand ticked around the dial. The long hand inched towards an upright position. ‘The time is five-thirty-six p.m.,’ said the calm voice of the speaking clock into his earphones. Neil scrunched his eyes, trying to hold the clock in focus. The voice in his head automatically counted down – five, four, three, two, one – and the clock vanished. He felt a flutter in his chest, the murmur of another palpitation. He reached out and hurriedly drew another circle in the air.
The projected clock appeared again. Neil released his held breath. He was starting to feel dizzy. He’d seen this method of coping with stress on a health show, but now he wondered if he’d remembered it right. Breathe in when the clock disappears, breathe out when the clock comes back. At the end of his shift, on the way home, he’d drop in at the Archway Mental Watch Centre, see if the receptionist could offer him any advice. She wouldn’t be qualified of course, but Neil was a Carrier and Carriers couldn’t make appointments with the psychs. The time he’d tried to at the Finchley Mental Watch Centre, the receptionist had grown quite unfriendly. He hadn’t liked to push it, because if someone decided a mistake had been made and he had an active anxiety disorder, he’d lose his job.
Five, four, three, two, one.
What would he do if Ariana didn’t come back? When it came to light she was missing, the Wardens might pull all the security guards aside and question them individually. Neil wasn’t good under pressure. He’d probably crack, confess that he’d let her go into the City unaccompanied, without even IDing her. What on earth had made him do that? ‘The time is five-thirty-seven p.m.,’ said the speaking clock.




Neil released his breath with a gasp. His hands were tingling. He held them up to the blue LED strip light. They didn’t look right.
Just as he thought it couldn’t get any worse, a rap sounded on the window. He jumped. It was his replacement. Neil’s blood dropped from his head to his feet. Felix was early.

Thanks for having me on the blog and thank you for reading! 

Thanks so much to Claire for this post and I have my review of The Glimpse up later this week so be sure to check that out.  Also for more Glimpse goodness have a look at the teaser trailer for the Tamsin Diaries and the blog

The Glimpse is published by Faber and Faber and is available here and book shops now

What's Going In My Summer Suitcase?

So I have a problem dear book lovers.  You may have experienced this problem yourself and therefore can understand where I find myself.

I'm going on holiday for about 3 weeks and even though I'm super excited (and slightly terrified by the severe cut down in my twitter time) I'm spoilt for choice with my reading choices.  It's likely to be a busy holiday and the fact that i'm already mentally book shopping in the US book shops and second hand shops so I've been very strongly advised (yelled at) by my family not to take too many books.  I'm allowed a few and I'm taking the Kobo but the trouble is …what do I take??

Should I take a bunch of smaller and lighter tales or a couple weighty stories that'll last the whole flight out and most of the first week?? OH WHAT TO DO!!

I know straight away I shall be taking Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore that was lovingly sent to me by the good folk at Gollanz as I've been waiting to read it for so long and I wanted to give it real focus that a long flight can provide.  It's a chunky volume but worth the baggage weight.  

Then on the Kobo I've got the last in Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness, Monster of Men, that I've actively been holding off reading so I could enjoy in one huge gulp.  I treated myself to Kiss, Date, Love Hate by Luisa Plaja because I've heard it's a nice fun read and will be my poolside read I think but what else should I take?!

I'm tempted to buy Morgan Matson second book Second Chance Summer because I ADORED Amy and Roger's Epic Detour as my last holiday read and it'll be nice to have the next one for in the sun too.  

So I'm looking for recommendations and if you know a book I haven't read then speak now!  I've linked my TBR list from GoodReads so you can see what I have and make your voice heard.  It's a long time away and a long flight.

Letterbox Love [8]

Letterbox Love is a weekly feature hosted by Lynsey on Narratively Speaking inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie

It came out of a group discussion on twitter for the desire and need for a UK feature to share our weekly grabs, buys and haul of a bookish nature as well as any other goodies we care to share.

Received

The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien


Thanks a million billion to Rosi at Harper Collins. *huggles Hobbit*


FrostFire by Zoe Marriott 
The Gift by Alison Croggon
*FLAP FLAP FLAP* EEEEEEE FROSTFIREEEEEE! Thank you Hannah!!! Thank you Walker Books!


Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
I bought this one with part of a gift card from my birthday because Morgan's first book floored me and this is my special treat for my holiday

I couldn't attend the recent Random House Children's Books Blogger event and they sent me the goody bag! HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THE RANDOM HOUSE LOVELIES? LOTS!

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Now is Good by Jenny Downham

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

Muddle and Win by John Dickinson

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

ACES! So very excited to read Time Between Us as it's described as A Time Travellers Wife for the YA market.  

HAPPY READING

Book Trailer: FrostFire by Zoe Marriott

MUPPET FLAIL!!!

Had to get that out of my system now because I can't tell you how excited I was to finally see the trailer for FrostFire.  Zoe has been talking about it on twitter for quite a while and she even wrote the script for it so it really has the Marriott touch to it and makes it sync with the book so well.

I LOVE it

The casting is great and it's ever so creepy and has actual British actors in it and makes me want to hug and smother it so much.  I was SO lucky to be sent a copy of FrostFire early from Walker Books because I'm part of the blog tour!  So come back on Friday to see a really wonderful post from Zoe on inspirational fantasy authors and follow the rest of the tour as it hits 5 FAB blogs

Review: Burn Mark by Laura Powell

GoodReads



Glory is from a family of witches and lives beyond the law. She is desperate to develop her powers and become a witch herself. Lucas is the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition—the witches’ mortal enemy—and his privileged life is very different to the forbidden world that he lives alongside.


And then on the same day, it hits them both. Glory and Lucas develop the Fae—the mark of the witch. In one fell stroke, their lives are inextricably bound together, whether they like it or not . . 


Review


There seems to be a trend for witch craft stories slowly emerging in the YA seen with Hollow Pike by James Dawson and A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton both having impressed me immensely that I was very excited to get a proof copy of Burn Mark to dive right into.  I love the idea of witches and not just the magical stuff but the historic aspects too and Burn Mark manages to mix a world of mafia style living and  the lure of magic holds like a weapon or a drug with the corruption of government and bigotry that comes with people being "different".  Lucas becomes involved in the world of Witches in a way he never expected and Glory being part of a long line of Witch Craft and a family under the eye of the Witchfinder's means the two have to work together to solve both their problems.  They've grown up in different worlds and yet forcing them to work together makes their differences seem so small compared to their similarities.


I've become a bit jaded over time with all the supernatural and dystopian YA books and even when I find a good one unless it has a clever hook or something really unique about it I may enjoy the read but wouldn't be overly fussed about the ending.  Burn Mark really stood up to the test though and managed to combine tales of witch craft with being too 'Harry Potter' in the magical element and the London setting made it a real draw for me personally.  It reminded me of a V for Vendetta world of secrets and lies about witch craft and social division.  


Laura Powell combined a London landscape in an alternate future when power and corruption can tilt the balance and having a simple mark of the witch upon you can isolate you from family, friends and society.  The interlocking character point of views was a nice twist to read when the action was happening and I found myself gripped at each twist and almost annoyed at having to let go of one characters point of view to see the other even though I knew they'd gradually come together soon enough.  


However what I really loved was the bonds and relationships between the characters because they were so complex at times and there were so many layers to the two main characters of Glory and Lucas and it made their relationship all the more interesting to see grow and develop and it doesn't always turn out how you'd expect.  Plus the family relationships were just as much of a mystery to try and solve as the one Lucas has been sent to help investigate.


Rating: 8/10


Published by Bloomsbury and is available here and bookshops now

Blog Tour: Review: WitchBlood by Emma Mills

Summary



Jess is no ordinary vampire. Protected by the Manchester vampire clan, and
initiated by her family’s east coast American coven, she is sought after by
every dark witch and warring vampire faction. Jess must fight if she wants
to keep hold of her friends, her sanity and finally her existence.


As the dead bodies of human girls begin to stack up, and her recently
accepted vampire boyfriend, Daniel, finds himself in prison, Jess goes on a
crazy, forbidden trip to London, racing against time to save an old friend
and solve the mystery behind Daniel’s incarceration. In battling new enemies
and finding new friends, Jess’s confidence finds room to grow, but who will
she lose along the way?



Review



witchcraft follows on from the first in the series witch blood which really took me by surprise because i do get asked to read self published books from time to time and this one was rather good.   It was rough around the edges in place but had some nice original ideas and characters and the relationship between the main characters were complex and kept me going.  When Emma offered me a chance to be on the blog tour and review the second in the series I was interested to see where the story went and how the characters had developed.  PLus it was set in Manchester which not only is that a big tick for my UKYA loving heart but a welcome change to London or "mysterious English countryside".


Witchcraft continues pretty much at the same point as we left in Witchblood and Jess is still dealing with being a vampire and now in the second book we get to see more of her witch side and how the two balance or don't as the case sometimes is.  The story was once again interesting but I found it still had the roughness that I felt in Witchblood.  It didn't put me off reading it at all but I felt like I wanted to tweak some bits or wonder how it would be if there were an extra scene or two and some pieces cut.  I won't lie when I tell you that my skin crawled a bit when the words Justin and Bieber appeared.  They weren't used to cheer him on but I have a weird emotion reflect and just cringe seeing his name.  


My favourite relationship once again was that between the vampires because time has made their lives so tied up with each other and Jess is VERY new and a game changer for them really.  I really didn't get on with Luke as her ex and that was mainly because I couldn't see his appeal.  It seemed a bit moody and judgemental but not always in a good way.  I wished they'd been more exploration of the relationship between Jess and her BFF from her former human life, Alex because she becomes part of the story and yet you don't quite understand how much a part of Jess' life she was.  I could have also seen more of the building relationship with Daniel and how her contact with her ex Luke affected him.  There are hints at it but a scene with jess and Daniel having a heart to heart or Jess getting a frank talk from Eva about Daniel would have made the story feel more whole.


I love to see new talent coming out of the UK and giving self published books a try once in a while and I'm glad I took a risk with Emma Mills because you can see she has an interesting way or telling a story and characters that you gradually get to know and want to see more of.  It wasn't perfect but I think it speaks well of UK writers out there that aren't with big publishing houses but still create worlds well and with intrigue.


Rating: 6/10



Witchblood (the 1st in the series) is available here and Witchcraft is available to buy here on Amazon UK and Smashwords right NOW


For more information on Emma and the series check out her website

Japanese Fiction Week on Portrait of a Woman

Last year Caroline over at Portrait of a Woman ran a fan-tabulous theme week all about Japanese fiction and YA based in Japan and Japanese authors and I just adored it.  It made me buy one of the books she reviewed straight away and I followed every post over the week.  I have to say i have a weird thing about Japan and find it this strange and magical place I'd love to visit.  It's almost like a comic book world come to life in my mind.  So when Caroline mentioned doing another week I was very keen to take part!

So head over to Portrait of a Woman for some wonderful posts and mine is up today!  Check out the other goodies and true a bit of something new!

Cover Gushing: Dead Romantic by C.J.Skuse

So I'm a big time lover of C.J. Skuse and her books and quite frankly I can't believe that I've lasted this long without knowing more about her 3rd book.  So excited for it and then C.J. slips this little gem out into the twitter world last week and I think I went a bit mental.

BOOK 3 COVER!!!

I love this one because even though the design is fairly simple compared to the previous two books of C.J.'s (Pretty Bad Things and Rockoholic) it's fair more creepy and has a gritty edge to it.  Plus I think because it isn't too OTT on the pink-ness it'll have a broader appeal to boys and girls alike.  That may just be my own two cents but there you go.  Plus I adore the font.  Check out more info on Dead Romantic and C.J. Skuse here

Event Post: Keris Stainton Book Launch for Emma Hearts LA

I am a bit crazy.  This is sort of a known fact by now and so when I tell you I made a trip up to Manchester for less than half a day and then back to London for a book launch would you be surprised.  What's more surprising is I made it back at all!   There was some issues with maps, running, coughing up a lung and JUST making it to my last train home.


I'm a big time Keris Stainton fangirl and not only was I floored when Keris sent me and the lovely Raimy a copy of Emma Hearts LA before it was seen by anyone other than editors and then being mentioned in the acknowledgements too!  Keris is a fab writer and just an all round good human being that I'm thrilled to have gotten to know via this blogging randomness.  So Keris was having a book launch at Waterstones Arndale Centre in Manchester and I really wanted to go and lucky for me my bosses gave me the afternoon off work and I made the 2 hour 30 minute trip up there on the train only to leave the station and after being super excited to have made it there realise I didn't know where I was or where to go.  Thank goodness Raimy knew the area and guided me via texts to meet her and her sister for some food before the signing.


Manchester was quite wet and rainy so I felt like it was a home away from home really.  Apart from that it was nice and generally I approve of Manchester.  Manchester; you are saluted.  huzzah!

I was very excited to not only be able to share in the excitement for Keris but to meet some great other bloggers and authors that were attending.  Bungle from Midnight Reads, Iffath from Painting with Words (again but still awesome), Steffie among other bloggers and not only was Tanya Byrne at the launch (LOVE TANYA) but Tom and Laura Clempson.  For those that don't know; Bungle and I have this on going demand for cake from Tom.  I don't even really remember how it started but I can confirm that as soon as Tom arrived I said 'TOM! Did you bring cake?' to which Tom did a huffy groan and produced this bad boy.  With Emma Hearts LA bunting made by the creative queen Laura Clempson.  We didn't eat the cake but everyone helped themselves to Reeses Peanut Butter Mini Cups.  HEAVEN.

I also got to meet the lovely Liz Scott and Sharon Jones who I've had a few chats with via the wonder that is twitter but hadn't met in person until that evening.  It was quite an informal launch and I think because we all knew each other or knew of each other we all just had a nice chit chat and then got Keris to sign books (and I brought a random item to be signed which was a cardboard cup holder from Starbucks that is mentioned in the book).  

We kinda got kicked out of the shop because it was closing and then Keris' other half took her two boys home (Keris' two boys are SO ADORABLE.  We all wanted to take them home and Keris seemed quite open to this idea but we let them go off to bed).  A bunch of us headed for a nice pub round the corner to have a proper chat and quite frankly that was nice and relaxing for Keris I think after the gaffing about trying to meet everyone at the launch.


Then because I had work the next day I had to RUN for the last train home at 9.15pm.  I didn't really know where I was and had to ask at the front desk of a hotel for help and made it with half my guts still working and drenched in sweat.  It's not a pretty image but it's a fact.  I don't do running.  Thank goodness I had a seat on the train and twitter to keep occupied on the journey home.  


Thanks so much to the staff at Waterstones Arndale for hosting the event, the awesome bloggers and authors that came and said hi and to Keris for inviting me, being awesome and signing my books!

Huge thanks to Laura Clempson for this photo of Tom, Me and Bungle. Tom was so happy to see us!!!

LetterBox Love [7]

Letterbox Love is a weekly feature hosted by Lynsey on Narratively Speaking inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie

It came out of a group discussion on twitter for the desire and need for a UK feature to share our weekly grabs, buys and haul of a bookish nature as well as any other goodies we care to share.

Didn't have a Letterbox Love last week because of Geek Week (I can not tell you how awesome it was for me for all the feedback and such so THANKS AGAIN)

Snow White and the Huntsman by Lily Blake, Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini

Thanks to Atom Books for this one and I'll probably be passing it along to a fellow blogger to enjoy!

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

OMG! SUCH A PRETTY PROOF! This photo does not do it justice but thanks a million to Macmillian Children's Books for this one.

Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke

Was lent this one from my cousin so will probably take forever to read it but she rarely gets mad at me for having things for ages!

Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton

SHINY PRETTINESS! Bought this at Keris' signing in Manchester that I made an epic journey to attend and I'll have an event report very soon.  It's signed too!

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Thanks muchly to Steffi who had a copy at Keris' book launch and basically stood there until I took it. lol

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

YEEEEES! Been waiting this since I heard about it and the cover is awesome.  Couldn't wait to get a proof or even a real copy so as soon as Strange Chemistry released in on NetGalley I requested it!

Trailer Tease from Zoë Marriott

So I love Zoë Marriott's books.  She has a way of writing that makes me clutch at the pages and whine when the book is finished or the character doesn't do what I want them to do.  So I'm already jumping at the bit to get a copy of of FrostFire because not only is the cover Oh So Pretty but I know that the standard of writing won't disappoint.

If you head on over to this LINK HERE you can check out Zoë's write up about the up coming book trailer that not only looks awesome but was co-written by the lovely Miss Marriott herself.  The cast looks pretty cool and fitting to the character descriptions and I'm glad that Zoë appears to be pleased with how the trailer has turned out.  I can't wait to see the trailer itself put here is a screen grab from Zoe's post to get the taste buds gushing

OOOO SLIGHTLY CREEPY AND STARING FROST IN THE MIST AND SHADOW

Burn Mark Blog Tour: What Comes Next?

For everyone that is wondering what is to come in the follow up to Burn Mark by Laura Powell (and who wouldn't!!) then here is an insider look from Laura of what is on the way!:

Burn Mark is set in London, so I wanted the sequel (coming out in Spring 2013) to be set all over the place. The action moves between the UK, Switzerland and South America, and it’s a good chance to see how other parts of the world would cope with having witches in their population. While British witches are tightly policed and regulated, I had fun imagining what life would be like in a “Costa del Witchcrime”, where there’s no Inquisition and witches dominate public life. 

The second book will explore the workings of the witch-terrorist organisation Endor, the Universal Council of Inquisitors and the various secret services that employ witches for international espionage. Many of the characters in Burn Mark will return, some in unexpected places, and the past catches up with both Glory and Lucas in a big way…

Thanks so much to Laura and the lovely people at Bloomsbury for this juicy bit of information!!

You can view the trailer for Burn Mark here and find out more about Laura on Twitter and Facebook and  her website: www.laurapowellauthor.com