Bookshop Blog Tour: Reviews for How to Find Love in a Bookshop & Astley Book Farm

Today I’ve teamed up with Orion and the Books are my Bag campaign to bring you a special post all about bookshops! I’m reviewing the new novel by Veronica Henry, How to Find Love in a Bookshop and am also featuring my own local independent bookshop Astley Book Farm for Independent Bookshop Week.

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry 
Publisher: Orion
Release: 16th June 2016
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Nightingale Books, nestled on the high street in the idyllic Cotswold town of Peasebrook, is a dream come true for booklovers.

But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open. The temptation to sell up is proving enormous - but what about the promise she made to her father? Not to mention the loyalty she owes to her customers.

Sarah Basildon, owner of stately pile Peasebrook Manor, has used the book shop as an escape from all her problems in the past few years. But is there more to her visits than meets the eye?

Since messing up his marriage, Jackson asks Emilia for advice on books to read to the son he misses so much. But Jackson has a secret, and is not all he seems...

And there's Thomasina, painfully shy, who runs a pop-up restaurant from her tiny cottage. She has a huge crush on a man she met and then lost in the cookery section, somewhere between Auguste Escoffier and Marco Pierre White. Can she find the courage to admit her true feelings?

How to Find Love in a Book Shop is the delightful story of Emilia's fight to keep her book shop alive, the customers whose lives she has touched - and the books they all love."

Review 
I’m a sucker for books about books so I couldn’t resist How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry. This is my first book by the author and it won’t be my last! I loved this charming tale of a family owned bookshop set in a Cotswold town.

Julius Nightingale lives and breathes books, after the death of his young wife he’s a single father bringing up their baby daughter Emilia alone. He opens a bookshop ‘Nightingale Books’ and creates a happy home full of stories for his daughter. Julius’s warmth and passion for books soon draws in the bookish locals looking for some escapism and therapeutic advice from the kindly bookseller.

Thirty years later and Julius’s untimely death leaves a gaping hole in the local community. After inheriting the book shop, Emilia struggles financially to keep it open and running – but books have a special way of leaving a mark on our hearts and those Julius has touched over the years with his recommendations are determined that Nightingale Books isn’t going down with a fight. Can a community of book lovers save their beloved bookshop?

How to Find Love in a Bookshop follows a large cast of characters. As well as Julius’s chapters set in the past and Emilia’s chapters set in the present, we also follow the town’s locals whose lives Nightingale Books has touched in some way. I really enjoyed reading about how books bought these characters together and loved how their individual stories tied in with the main plot. Julius was by far my favourite character, he was such a sweetheart and I felt the impact of his death just as much as the characters in the book. He’s everything you want in both a bookseller and a friend.

Any book lover will enjoy spending time in Nightingale Books, the independent bookshop that is the beating heart of this story. It’s everything you envision a good bookshop to be. I wanted to crawl inside of the book and spend hours exploring this little shop.

How to Find Love in a Bookshop is a wonderful story that shares a special message with its reader about how books have the power to bring people together. It’s a celebration of reading, bookshops and booksellers demonstrating how it only takes one story to change your life forever.

Follow the rest of the blog tour!

Astley Book Farm 

A Playground for the Bookish 

I am lucky enough to live a ten minute drive away from Astley Book Farm – the largest second hand bookshop in the Midlands and home to 75,000 books. Situated in the beautiful Warwickshire countryside it’s the perfect place for book lovers to escape the hustle and bustle of city life in favour of a day amongst books.

The bookshop itself is far bigger than one might expect, you can easily lose an entire day getting lost in a maze of books as you wander the shops corridors. The bookcases are crammed with books new and old, ranging from popular bestsellers to out of print rarities. The décor is homely and rustic with old books propped along the ceiling beams, funny and inspirational decorative quotes hang on the walls and a squishy armchair can be found around every corner to tempt customers to snuggle up and read for a while.

Once you’ve finished perusing the main shop floor, there is a separate Children’s Hayloft where young readers can discover the joys of a good bookshop for the very first time. Back outside there’s the Ten Bob Barn, a treasure trove of mismatched books selling for a mere fifty pence each. It’s the perfect place to get lost for anyone who loves a good rummage around looking for hidden gems.

Every book lover knows that book shopping is hard work and the onsite coffee shop is the perfect place to sit down and read with a nice cup of tea and a doorstop slice of one of their delicious fresh cakes. The coffee shop also extends out into the garden so that customers can enjoy a light lunch in the sunshine during warmer seasons.

With friendly, knowledgeable staff and enough books to last even the most avid reader a lifetime, Astley Book Farm is a truly special bookshop with a huge amount of personality. Whether you’re visiting on a daytrip with friends or just stopping by to find your next great read Astley Book Farm is a playground for the bookish with something to offer every reader.

Check out Astley Book Farm's website here for more information

Follow them on Twitter and Facebook

Blog Tour: The Fire Child by S. K. Tremayne

Welcome to my stop on The Fire Child blog tour! I absolutely loved S.K. Tremayne's book The Ice Twins and can't wait to read The Fire Child. If like me you can't wait to read this book then you're in luck! Today I'm sharing with you a teaser extract to whet your appetite just in time for the books release on the 16th June.

The name stings a little, though I hide it.

Nina Kerthen, née Valéry. David’s first wife. I don’t know much about her: I’ve seen a couple of photos, I know she was beautiful, Parisienne, young, posh, blonde. I know that she died in an accident at Morvellan Mine, eighteen months ago. I know that her husband and in particular her son – my brand-new, eight-year-old stepson Jamie – must still be grieving, even if they try not to show it. 

And I know, very very clearly, that one of my jobs here in Carnhallow is to rescue things: to be the best stepmother in the world to this sad and lovely little boy.

‘I’ll have a look,’ I say brightly. ‘At the books. Maybe get some ideas. Go and catch your plane.’

He turns for a final kiss, I step back.

‘No – go! Kiss me again we’ll end up in the fourteenth bedroom, and then it will be six o’clock.’

I’m not lying. David’s laugh is dark and sexy.

‘I’ll Skype you tonight, and see you Friday.’

With that, he departs. I hear doors slam down long hallways, then the growl of his Mercedes. Then comes the silence: the special summery silence of Carnhallow, soundtracked by the whisper of the distant sea.

Picking up my phone, I open my notebook app.

Continuing Nina’s restoration of this huge house is not going to be easy. I do have some artistic talent to help: I have a degree in photography from Goldsmiths College. A degree which turned out to be utterly pointless, as I basically graduated the same afternoon that photography collapsed as a paying career, and so I ended up teaching photography to kids who would never themselves become photographers.

This was, I suppose, another reason I was happy to give up London life: the meaninglessness was getting to me. I wasn’t even taking photos any more. Just taking buses through the rain to my cramped and shared Shoreditch flat. Which I couldn’t actually afford.

But now that I have no real job, I can, ironically, apply these artistic gifts. Such as they are.

Armed with my phone I begin my explorations: trying to get a proper mental map of Carnhallow. I’ve been here one week, but we’ve spent most of that week in the bedroom, the kitchen, or on the beaches, enjoying the blissful summer weather. Much of my stuff from London is still in boxes. There’s even a suitcase left to unpack from our honeymoon: our gloriously hedonistic, sensuously expensive trip to Venice, where David bought me his favourite martini, in Harry’s Bar, by St Mark’s Square: the gin in a shot glass, chilled nearly to ice ‘and faintly poisoned with vermouth’, as David put it. I love the way David puts things.

But that is already the past, and this is my future. Carnhallow.

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

Mystery & Mayhem Blog Tour: Robin Stevens

Welcome to my stop on the Mystery and Mayhem blog tour! I'm delighted to be bringing to you a guest post from one of my favourite authors Robin Stevens on the origins of her short story The Mystery of Room 12.

The Origins of ‘The Mystery of Room 12’ by Robin Stevens 

Sometimes, stories just happen to you.

In spring last year I travelled to St-Annes-on-Sea for Storytellers Inc’s Midsummer Mystery festival. I knew I had a short story to write for a mystery anthology I was working on at Egmont, but I hadn’t been able to find inspiration for it yet. I wanted to challenge myself by creating something contemporary – after four books, the 30s felt dangerously comfortable, and I wanted to make sure I was actually capable of writing a detective story in a world with iPads and smartphones and Google. But where should I set it? And what could it be about?

It should have occurred to me that St-Annes-on-Sea was probably by the sea – but, somehow, what I found when I stepped off the train was a complete surprise. A miles-long expanse of beach and sky, beautiful but with a slightly eerie, off-season loneliness of it as the sun began to set, and one single donkey plodding along very slowly, far out on the sand. I stood and stared at it, and I thought to myself, this is a place that someone could get lost.

I wheeled my suitcase along the row of beachfront hotels until I found the one I’d been booked into. It was tall and white with elegant windows, like something from an episode of Poirot. And I suddenly realised that I wanted to set my story in a hotel, in a seaside town just like this one.

I went up the steps, and pushed open the front door. The hall was empty, the front desk lit by a big antique lamp with a fringed shade. I went up to the desk and rang the bell – and a gorgeously large and hairy dog leaped up out of nowhere, banged its front paws down on the wood of the desk and panted in my face. A hotel with a dog concierge! I thought. That sounds like the beginning of a story.

By the time I’d been shown to my room, at the top of a winding, narrow set of stairs, hung with paintings and lined by statues and figurines and china ornaments, lamps and tables and desks and drawers, the story was alive in my head. My detective would be a little boy called Jamie, who lived in a seaside hotel with his father and his pet dog. And the mystery, of course, would be a disappearing guest. Jamie would be a modern detective, with all of the gadgets of the 21st century at his disposal – but the mystery would still have to be all about careful observation and clever deductions, with three suspects and one bewildering question: what happened to the guest in Room 12?

The idea sat in my head for a month, and then I finally wrote it in August last year. Writing a short story turns out to be very different to writing a novel. A book is a marathon – slow and steady’s the way to go. But short stories are one sprinting burst of inspiration. It took me less than twenty-four hours to write 4,000 words of it – and it turns out that I love writing short stories. You can test yourself, try new things and explore ideas without the pressure of 60,000 words ahead of you. Trying to create a totally new character, too, was harder than I’d expected – I had to make Jamie seem real instantly, and different enough from Hazel, the narrator of my Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries, to be believable.

I hope Jamie and his story works – and, from reading the 11 other stories in the collection, I know that it’s in great company. The stories of Mystery & Mayhem are smart, funny, strange and gruesome. I never knew what to expect – and I hope that, when you read them, you’ll feel just as fascinated and delighted by them as I did.

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

Blog Tour: Lying About Last Summer

Hi everyone, today is my stop on the Lying About Last Summer blog tour! I have author Sue Wallman on the blog today with a very intriguing post, can you uncover the truth?

Truth or Lie by Sue Wallman 
(A list of things about Lying About Last Summer where some things are true, some things are false but no indication of which is which)

• My character Brandon was named after Brandon Stanton who founded Humans of New York, which I follow on Facebook. I was on Facebook in one of my (many) writing breaks when I was trying to name him.

• When I wrote the first draft of Lying About Last Summer I wrote it in chronological order and didn’t include any flashbacks.

• When Skye and Brandon go orienteering, Skye vaults over a five-bar gate. I used to be able to do that.

• There’s a paintballing scene in the book. I was once hit in the neck by a paintball pellet and had a massive bruise that looked as if someone had tried to strangle me one-handedly.

• I was shown an early version of the cover in black, white and red.

• The epilogue was the quickest chapter to write.

• There’s a farm shop in the book. I had a Saturday job at a farm shop for a couple of years when I was teenager.

• After I’d finished writing the book I read a story in the paper about a grandmother who’d been buried with her mobile. Her granddaughter used to text her to help get over her grief and was stunned when she started getting replies.

• For research I interviewed someone who runs activity camps for teenagers in Scotland.

• My middle daughter helped me get the kayaking scenes right. She’s kayaked for England. 

ANSWERS! (Highlight to see)
My character Brandon was named after Brandon Stanton who founded Humans of New York, which I follow on Facebook. I was on Facebook in one of my (many) writing breaks when I was trying to name him. TRUE – I’m a big fan of Brandon Stanton 

When I wrote the first draft of Lying About Last Summer I didn’t include any flashbacks. TRUE – I misguidedly thought it was frowned on to put flashbacks into young adult fiction 

When Skye and Brandon go orienteering, Skye vaults over a five-bar gate. I used to be able to do that. TRUE – I used to get a real kick out of doing this 

There’s a paintballing scene in the book. I was once hit in the neck by a paintball pellet and had a massive bruise that looked as if someone had tried to strangle me one-handedly. FALSE – I’m too much of a wimp to go paintballing 

I was shown an early version of the cover in black, white and red. FALSE – I only ever saw the finished cover and as far as I know there wasn’t one in black, white and red 

The epilogue was the quickest chapter to write. TRUE – it just all came together really easily (the only part that did) 

There’s a farm shop in the book. I had a Saturday job at a farm shop for a couple of years when I was teenager. FALSE – when I was a teenager I worked in a café and the local post office, and I was also a chambermaid 

After I finished writing the book I read a story in the paper about a grandmother who’d been buried with her mobile. Her granddaughter used to text her to help get over her grief and was stunned when she started getting replies. TRUE – the grandmother loved her mobile so much she’d been buried with it. Then O2 reassigned the number to someone else and when the granddaughter texted the number to feel close to her nan, the man who’d acquired the number texted back as a prank. 

For research I interviewed someone who runs activity camps for teenagers in Scotland. FALSE – I based the camp on a mix of activities my daughters had done, trips they’d been on, and internet research 

My daughter helped me get the kayaking scenes right. She has kayaked for England. TRUE – apologies for parental boasting 

 Did you uncover the truth? Make sure you follow the rest of the blog tour!

Blog Tour: Review for The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater and Giveaway

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Release: 26th April 2016
Genre: Paranormal, YA
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis: 

"The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure any more."

Review 
The Raven King is a book that I’ve been both anticipating and dreading. I’ve fallen in love with this world where magic is ripe, dreams can be brought to life, curses are destined and death is a promise. For four books I’ve been spellbound by Blue and her Raven boys, a family of psychics and the poetic, dreamlike way their story is told. From start to finish this series has been pure magic.

As with most final books in a beloved series there were things I was both happy and dissatisfied with. There were some things that I’ve been dying to see come about since book one that happened that I was so happy with but there were also other outcomes that I found disappointing and a little anticlimactic after so much build up throughout the series.

For me, the most important thing about a final book is for the characters that I’ve come to know and love to have an ending that I am happy to leave them with. Overall I was really happy with the outcome of the book but there were one or two characters who I felt deserved more of an ending. I loved how Maggie really brought this series full circle but in some situations I’d have liked a little more clarity and closure.

The pacing for this book was pitch perfect, I never once wanted to skip to the end to find out what happened because so much was happening throughout to change the course of the story. The big things that I wanted to happen were delivered perfectly at just the right moment; a certain kiss went way beyond my expectations. Again there were a few plot points that I found somewhat anticlimactic but for the most part my expectations were more than met.

I truly feel like I’ve been on a magical journey with The Raven Cycle and I’m so sad that our time with these characters has come to an end. Each book has read like a haunting dream that I find myself getting lost in; every word has delivered beauty and has held me enchanted. I was so sad to turn the final page and wake up.

Giveaway 

For the chance to win a set of these exclusive Raven Cycle badges enter bellow!

Giveaway Rules 

 To enter you have to fill in the Rafflecopter 

 Open to UK residents only 

 One winner will be drawn and contacted by email with 1 week to reply else another winner will be selected 

 Make sure you complete what the form asks of you - I do check! Any winner who has not completed an option will be disqualified

  a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Make sure you follow the rest of the blog tour!

Susin Nielsen Blog Tour: Writing Two Narrators

Welcome to my stop on Susin Nielsen's UK blog tour! Today I have the lovely Susin herself guest posting a piece about what it's like to write two narrators.

      

What’s It Like Writing With Two Narrators? by Susin Nielsen

Until We Are All Made of Molecules I had never written a book with two narrators. I really wanted to write a story about a blended family. And if it was going to be blended, two narrators seemed like the way to go. Stewart – intellectually gifted, socially awkward, empathetic – was the voice that came to me first. I remember having fun with the first iteration of the opening chapter as I began the journey of discovering his voice.

Ashley was more challenging. I knew she needed to be, in many ways, the polar opposite of Stewart. I knew she would be much more self-centered, socially gifted, academically not so much. It wasn’t until I’d been playing with her opening chapter for a while that I had a revelation: I had met her before. She had been a secondary character in one of my earlier books, Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom. In that novel, she had been little more than the stereotypical mean girl. Suddenly I couldn’t wait to dig in, and dig deeper, into that character.

So – as you can tell from their micro-descriptions – I rather intentionally started out with two characters who, at first glance, could be perceived as stereotypes; then, chapter by chapter, started stripping back their layers.

I loved writing Stewart because he is just such a decent human being. But I loved writing Ashley, too. Beyond having fun with her malapropisms, I had a lot of sympathy for her. Most readers seem to warm to her; I’ve had a few people tell me they couldn’t stand her. If I’m “totally one hundred percent honest,” to use Ashley’s phrase, maybe I have sympathy for her because I remember being her in so many ways. She is in that teenage girl swirl of hormones and insecurity, and it results in some really crap behavior. Um … been there, done that …

From a technical perspective, writing two narrators was a unique challenge. On the plus side, I really only had to write half a length of a book for each of them. :) The challenges were making sure I kept the story propelling forward every step of the way. I tried hard not to have too much repeat information, unless it was crucial to get it from both perspectives, in which case I’d try to tell it from a different entry-point into the scene.

I also had to be very careful to make their voices entirely distinct. Thank goodness for my great editors, because they found a few slips, where I had given certain expressions to both of my narrators.

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

We Are All Made of Molecules and The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen are both out now and available in all good bookshops. 

For more from Susin follow her on Twitter @susinnielsen and check out her website http://susinnielsen.com/

Blog Tour: Review for The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury

The Sleeping Prince 
by Melinda Salisbury 
Publisher: Scholastic
Release: 4th February 2016
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Return to the darkly beautiful world of The Sin Eater's Daughter with a sequel that will leave you awed, terrified . . . and desperate for more.

Ever since her brother Lief disappeared, Errin's life has gone from bad to worse. Not only must she care for her sick mother, she has to scrape together rent money by selling illegal herbal cures. But none of that compares to the threat of the vengeful Sleeping Prince whom the Queen just awoke from his enchanted sleep.

When her village is evacuated as part of the war against the Sleeping Prince, Errin is left desperate and homeless. The only person she can turn to is the mysterious Silas, a young man who buys deadly poisons from Errin, but won't reveal why he needs them. Silas promises to help her, but when he vanishes, Errin must journey across a kingdom on the brink of war to seek another way to save her mother and herself. But what she finds shatters everything she believed about her world, and with the Sleeping Prince drawing nearer, Errin must make a heartbreaking choice that could affect the whole kingdom."

Review 
The Sleeping Prince is a companion novel to The Sin Eater’s Daughter offering a different vantage point to the world that Melinda Salisbury has created. In this book we follow Errin – a clever, resourceful, Tregellan girl. Although new to us, Errin isn’t an entirely new character, she’s sister to Lief who we met in The Sin Eater’s Daughter.

As a Tregellan, Errin has lived a life of logic and science as an apprentice apothecary in her village. But the legends that she thought were fairy stories are starting to come true.

After a trip into the woods Errin’s mother becomes sickly with blood red eyes and a vicious temper. Errin is convinced that her mother has turned into a beast from one of her books.

When the sleeping prince awakens and begins a war with his army of golems, Errin leaves behind everything she thought she knew as she gets sucked into a new world of myth and legend and becomes a vital piece in a war fought with poison, potions and blood.

All too often I give up on reading a series, not because I’m not enjoying it, but because I forget what’s happened in previous books so I was thrilled to find that The Sleeping Prince follows a new set of characters and a new storyline. At first The Sleeping Prince and The Sin Eater’s Daughter feel quite separate, but the stories begin to connect later on as you see how Errin fits into the bigger picture.

I loved that this book delved deeper into the religions and myths that make up this world that I was so curious about when reading the first book. I also found the alchemy aspect fascinating. All of the potions, poisons and cures are so interesting to read about and bring an element of science to a fantastical world.

Melinda Salisbury has really showcased her skills as a writer with The Sleeping Prince. Her writing has gone from strength to strength and was absolutely stunning to read. The plot was expertly crafted with clever twists and heart-stopping surprises that I didn’t see coming.

The Sleeping Prince is part fairytale, part fantasy and isn’t quite like anything I’ve read before. Be warned that the ending is a cruel one: Mel is an awful tease and leaves you desperate for the third instalment.

If you love rich worlds, dark fairytales and magical alchemy don’t miss out on the imagination of Melinda Salisbury.

About the Author

When not working on her next novel, Melinda Salisbury is busy reading and travelling, both of which are now more addictions than hobbies.

Website: http://melindasalisbury.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ahintofmystery 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/

The Sleeping Prince is out today and is available to buy here.

You And Me Always Blog Tour: Giveaway

Hello you lovely lot! Today I am so excited to be kicking off the blog tour for Jill Mansell's new novel You And Me, Always which is released today! To celebrate publication day I've got 2 copies of the book to give away provided by Jill's lovely publisher. To enter simply follow the rules and fill in the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

Giveaway Rules 

 To enter you have to fill in the Rafflecopter 

 Open to UK residents only 

 Two winners will be drawn and contacted by email with 1 week to reply else another winner will be selected 

 Make sure you complete what the form asks of you - I do check! Any winner who has not completed an option will be disqualified

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you follow the rest of the blog tour!

Never Evers Blog Tour: Tom and Lucy's Favourite UKYA Books

Welcome to my stop on the Never Evers blog tour! Today I have the wonderful duo and authors of Never Evers Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison sharing their favorite UKYA books.

Tom and Lucy's Favourite UKYA Books 

TOM

1. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 & 3/4 - Sue Townsend
Not a very original choice, I'm afraid, but I do think it's one of the best books ever written about being a teenager. Not to mention one of the funniest/most cringeworthy/unputdownable, too. Everything from bullying and first love to school, parents and friendship is covered in an incredibly funny and moving fashion.

2. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling 
I'm a massive fan of the whole series, but if I have to pick one, I'm going for Goblet of Fire because it's got everything: the Tri-Wizard Cup, the lake, the dragons, the ball, Ron wearing that ridiculous gown... Everything. Plus, I really fancy Fleur.

3. Just William - Richmal Crompton
Like Adrian Mole, this pre-dates the whole existence of the 'YA' genre, but it was a massive favourite of mine growing up, and it really captured the hilarity and confusion and frustration and awkwardness of being a pre-teen.

 LUCY

1. Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging - Louise Rennison 
It's everything UKYA should be - funny, relatable, honest... It was one of the main inspirations for our first book, Lobsters, as we wanted to try and write a Louise Rennison-style book full of cringey comedy, for slightly older teens. Georgia Nicolson is such a great character. Whether she's mistakenly dressing as a stuffed olive, or shaving one of her eyebrows off, you can't help but love her.

2. Silence is Goldfish - Annabel Pitcher
I literally finished it this morning and it is SO good. Brilliantly written, moving and memorable.

3. The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson
Amazingly written, sensitive, real. I loved this book the moment I read it and will always have it on my book shelf and book-push it whenever I can.

 Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today Tom and Lucy! Some of these are my all time favourites too. 

 For more fun from Tom and Lucy don't miss out on the rest of the blog tour!

Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison published by Chicken House is out now priced £6.99 and available from all good bookshops.

Truthwitch Blog Tour: Friendships Discussion With Alyssa and Susan

Hi everyone! I'm absolutely thrilled to be taking part in the Truthwitch pen pal blog tour today to celebrate the release of the phenomenal Truthwitch by Susan Dennard! Truthwitch was one of the best books that I read last year and I'm so excited that it's finally out in the US and will be out in the UK on the 14th January. One of my favourite aspects of Truthwitch is the kickass friendship between our two heroines Safiya and Iseult, so for our stop on the blog tour Alyssa from The Eater of Books and I will be hosting a friendship based, non-spoiler discussion on Truthwitch. Stay tuned until the end as we will have Truthwitch author herself Susan Dennard join us!

                    

Alyssa & Jessica: Hey everyone! Welcome to the Truthwitch blog tour! Today’s stop is hosted by Alyssa (USA) and Jessica (UK). We’ll be discussing Truthwitch in the most non-spoilery way that we can. Join us in the comments!

Alyssa: Truthwitch was quite the whirlwind! What’s one word that encompasses how you felt about the book when you finished? For me, it was probably something along the lines of “OMG”. Although that’s technically not a word… or actually it’s three words… but you get the idea. The book was just WOW!

Jessica: I think for me it was “FINALLY” I don’t think I realised how much I was craving a book about an epic female friendship until I read Truthwitch. Sure, you see strong female friendships in contemporary all the time, but it wasn’t until I read Truthwitch that I realised how lacking they are in fantasy. Usually the heroine is too busy trying to save the world to keep up with her girlfriends so it was fantastic to see two heroines go on an adventure together here.

Alyssa: I didn’t think of that! I think I was more concerned about the fate of our protagonists. :D But that’s so true - YA non-contemporary lit has a bit of a scarcity in strong female friendships. I think one of the the reasons why I love fantasy the most is because of the epic story - but it’s so important to show some female solidarity in what used to be a heavily male-dominated genre. One of my favorite female friendships in non-contemporary YA is Ismae and Sybella’s, from Robin LaFevers’ His Fair Assassins series (one of my favorite series in YA!). Despite being separated for a book and a half, the pair maintain their strong connection and stand with each other with the duchess. They grew up together and fought together and learned the ways of Death together - not an easy friendship!

Jessica: I love that series too! I think it’s brilliant that Truthwitch is bringing female friendships into the limelight especially for a teenage audience in YA. As a teenager the most important thing to me were my friendships and so it’s great to see that being reflected more and more in YA. Truthwitch got me thinking about other strong female friendships that I’ve loved in books. Staying in the fantasy genre I love the friendship between Celaena and Nehemia in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas . I think that Sarah and Susan’s friendship is reflected in their own characters which is wonderful to see.

Alyssa: Celaena and Nehemia’s friendship surprised me! I wasn’t expecting them to be so deeply connected, but I loved how their friendship came about. It’s such a beautiful reflection of Sarah and Susan’s relationship! As well as Safi and Iseult’s friendship. I love seeing authors who are such good friends! Another set of powerful relationships in YA fantasy is the six girls in the Waterfire Saga by Jennifer Donnelly. There are six girls who are linked together by ancient magic, and while they had a rocky start when they learned about each other, their friendship and connection became very unshakeable. Especially Serafina and Neela’s! They are like sisters. All of these strong friendships show that there can be an epic plot and all the impending doom of saving the world, but a girl can always have time for friends! And other relationships, amirite?

Jessica: Speaking of other relationships, who are you shipping in Truthwitch!? As well as friendships Sooz does romantic relationships so, so well. I could practically feel the chemistry sizzling off the page for some couples! There is a ball scene early on in Truthwitch that had me blushing! My favourite ship though is a bit spoilery so I don’t want to say too much here but let’s just say it involves Iseult and had me feeling ALL OF THE FEELS come the end of the book!

Alyssa: Oh my goshhhhh, I ship Merik and Safi so hard! I think by now, most people know at least about this couple. There are (in my opinion) two other ships in the book BUT *zips lips*. For any readers interested in a swoony Merik/Safi scene, I shared one during the Waterwitch Babes blog tour! One of my favorite scenes - along with the ballroom scene. I loooove the pair’s banter. There are two other pairs, one of which is not quite a ship - yet! What do you think - will Sooz go in that direction in the next books? :D

Jessica: I think she will! I’ve spoken to a couple of friends who have read it and they seem to think the same which I’m very excited about.

Alyssa: It would be so great! I love that pair. My favorite ship has to be Merik and Safi though. While I love the girls, Merik is my favorite character - he’s got a bit of a temper, which I love. He’s also so duty-bound and driven, and he has good intentions and a fierceness about him that I really like. He’s so devoted to Nubrevna, which is honorable and respectable. But mostly, I like his temper. The first meeting between him and Safi is precious!

Jessica: I’ve seen a lot of love for Merik! I think my favourite character has to be Iseult. I can see a lot of Iseult and Safi’s relationship between myself and my best friend. When we took the quiz on the Truthwitch website to find out which character we are I wasn’t the least bit surprised when she got Safi and I got Iseult. I see a lot of myself in Iseult, she’s very relatable to me so I think that if I had to choose she would be my favourite character.

I see you’re in the Water clan - are you a Waterwitch then? I love all of the different types of witchery in this book and can never decide which type of power I would like to have! I took a quiz (yes, I am addicted to these quizzes okay?) that placed me as a Waterwitch but I also love the idea of being a Wordwitch! If any readers would like to find out what type of witch they’d be you can take the quiz here.

Alyssa: Yes and no! I was placed as a Voidwitch when I took the quiz, which I took twice (“Void is the element of power. It is creative and inventive and dark. Your choices reflected an original mind, open to many things. Void is the possibility of everything.” - I’m okay with that!). BUT I definitely identify with the Waterwitches - as a Waterwitch clan of Sooz’s Witchlanders street team. I love the street team! It’s a lot of fun and we do tons of creative promotional stuff, rather than spammy repetitive messages. Sooz is fantastic!

I think being a Waterwitch would be epic - the Waterwitch in Truthwitch is one of my favorite characters. I think being a Poisonwitch would be interesting (as it is a subset of Waterwitchery)! I’m a chemistry nerd so the thirst for that type of knowledge is there. I cannot wait to discover more types of witches in the future books! Do you think we’ll get to meet more rare types, like Truthwitches or witches from the Void like Aeduan?

Jessica: I LOVE the street team. I have a few friends who are part of it and it looks so fun! Ohhh you’re right a Poisonwitch would be so interesting. I love that there is so much potential for different types of magic in Truthwitch and I definitely think that more types will get revealed throughout the series. I felt like in Truthwitch we were only just being introduced to this world and new magic system and that Sooz has so much more in store for us! Because I got to read Truthwitch early there is such a long wait for book two and it’s already killing me! Trying to keep this spoiler free, what would you like to see from the next book?

Alyssa: Ahem, more from the ships! Safi and Merik (it IS called Windwitch!), but also development of the one ship that we shan’t spoil! I’d also like to see Safi develop and wield her Truthwitch power, which I think is very probable. I also think we’ll see a lot more of Aeduan and his internal struggle with certain… things. And you?

Jessica: Most of the things that I want to see more of are spoilery! Let’s just say that I’d love to learn more about Safi and Iseult’s friendship and what that means for this world. I’d also love to see more of Aeduan and the ship that we can not spoil!

Alyssa & Jessica: Thanks for reading our discussion *cough* fangirling *cough* of Truthwitch. We’d now like to welcome Truthwitch author Susan Dennard to join the discussion and answer our question for her.

Alyssa & Jessica: If you and your friends lived in the Witchlands, what would you get up to?

Susan: If my friends and I lived in the Witchlands…Well, as much as I’d like to say we’d be down in the Pirate Republic of Saldonica raising a ruckus, let’s be honest! My friends and I (most of whom are authors) would probably live in the canal-filled, trade hub of Veñaza City. We’d all be Wordwitches (able to magically manipulate spoken and written word to persuade or tell fantastic stoires), and we’d probably sit in a coffee shop all day while we waxed poetic. ;)

Hmmmm, the pirate option was way more fun, wasn’t it?

 If you've read Truthwitch feel free to join in with our discussion in the comments! And make sure to follow the rest of the blog tour for more Truthwitch goodness. 

 Find out more about Susan and her books at: http://susandennard.com/

Snowed in for Christmas Blog Tour: Christmas With Claire Sandy

For my stop on the Snowed in for Christmas blog tour author Claire Sandy is taking part in my Christmas blog feature 'Christmas With...' answering some questions about all things festive! So grab a hot chocolate, turn on your Christmas playlist and spend a White Christmas with Claire Sandy...

Christmas with Claire Sandy

1.) What made you want to write a Christmas book?
I was born wanting to write a Christmas book. I am pro-Christmas; violently so. I would march on Downing Street if my right to obliterate my house with tinsel was taken away. I've always savoured Christmassy scenes in books, loving how the stories glow on the page. When I had the opportunity to bring out my own, I knew there must be turkey and snow and flirting; pinning down that special hyper-happiness of Christmas Day on the page was a thrill and I can only hope readers agree with me.

2.) How did you get into the festive spirit to write? 
Hmm. Well, this is where the glow dims a bit. It would be wonderful if I'd written the book over Christmas, mince pie in one hand, wonky paper crown on my head, but books take months to write and this one came to life in late spring and early summer. I stuck a list of festive words above my laptop - random ones like tingle and snowballs and enchantment. Plus of course Baileys and indigestion. When in the thick of writing a scene, I was lost in a wintry wonderland, snow all around, the tip of my nose a Rudolph red and my soul serene. Then I'd look up and realise the sun was shining into my study, and flowers were brazenly growing in my window box. Usually I welcome these signs of renewal but right then all I could do was mourn the vanished whiff of sprouts.

3.) If you could get snowed in anywhere where would it be? 
I'd get snowed in in a log cabin. I have no desire to go skiing - obviously I'd break both my legs and at least one of my husband's - but I do have a yen to snooze in front of an open fire as the snow banks up against the windows of a timber house. Being snowed in is as much a state of mind as anything else; I'd relish the opportunity to switch off. If it was impossible to go anywhere I'd have to be satisfied with what was on hand. It goes without saying that there's a full fridge in my snowed-in fantasies.

4.) How would you spend a day snowed in with your loved ones? 
Hmm. Do all of my loved ones have to be there? I mean, I love them (hence their title) but that doesn't mean I want to be snowed in with them. I'd probably spend the day avoiding them... 

5.) What’s your favourite thing about Christmas?
EVERYTHING. How can you make me choose? It's like asking if somebody has a favourite child. In no particular order my favourite Christmas things are: drinking champagne for breakfast; stockpiling talc; turkey sandwiches; cracker jokes being funny due to champagne for breakfast; chocolate as far as the eye can see; old films on the TV; gravy; Yule Log; a good row and a good making up.

6.) Do you have any Christmas traditions?
I have many, thank you for asking. Christmas Eve = smoked salmon for me and Him, after we put our daughter to bed. Even though He (and I don't mean God by the way, I mean my other half) doesn't like smoked salmon. Another must is my father-in-law coming round at midnight to dress up as Santa and bumble into my little girl's room with a sack of presents. Christmas isn't Christmas unless we eat stuffing made to my mum's recipe, and lay out clementines studded with cloves, and have at least one bout of fisticuffs over the remote control.

7.) Favourite Christmas food and drink?
From the twentieth December I move into a Quality Street tin and don't emerge until New Year's Day. As for a tipple, I'm all about fizz.

8.) Favourite Christmas movie?
If I'm wearing my Intelligent hat (it doesn't fit too well) I'll say, with a pious expression, "It's a Wonderful Life". If I'm wearing my far more comfortable Big Kid hat, I'll answer honestly with "Elf".

9.) Favourite Christmas song? 
That's easy. I have no choice; I have to say Mistletoe and Wine. Yes, I know, Cliff sings it like a nun in a jock strap, but my father in law wrote it, so...

10.) What does Christmas mean to you? 
Christmas means to me what it means to you. It's a bright beacon in the midst of winter's gloom, a celebration. It's permission to be sentimental, to cry over the people you've lost, to feed the ones you have. It's the best and silliest time of the year.

 Snowed in for Christmas is available to buy now from all good bookshops 

 Add Snowed in for Christmas on Goodreads here 

Follow the author on Twitter @berniestrachan 

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Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper Blog Tour: Christmas With Debbie Johnson

For my stop on the blog tour for Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper author Debbie Johnson is taking part in my new Christmas feature 'Christmas With...' answering some questions about all things festive! So grab a hot chocolate, turn on your Christmas playlist and spend Christmas with Debbie Johnson...

Christmas with Debbie Johnson

1.) What made you want to write Christmas books?
I have always loved writing stories – and I have always loved Christmas, so it was a good fit! When I had the idea for my first HarperImpulse book – Cold Feet at Christmas, which came out last year – I was walking my dogs across a field in a huge snow-blizzard, and it all felt so mysterious and full of potential – like anything could happen! Plus Christmas is such an emotional time of year – sometimes good, sometimes bad – that it seems the perfect occasion for some wish fulfillment! My Christmas is focused around my kids now, but I do remember when I was single, how I’d always hope for a bit of Christmas romance – a kiss under the mistletoe, meeting someone at a party, a special encounter on a night out! I do write books that aren’t set at Christmas, but I love the romance opportunities that the festive period brings – heightened feelings, a focus on hopes and dreams, plus of course the very dodgy Christmas jumpers!

2.) How do you get into the festive spirit to write? 
That can be tough – Christmas Jumper was written in the summer, and during an especially hot part of the summer! I was wearing sandals and T-shirts and Maggie and Marco were wrapping up warm in boots and gloves! Music helps – listening to Christmas albums is an excellent way to put yourself in the mood!

3.) What are your favourite Christmas stories?
I think THE Christmas story is actually a fantastic one – we’ve all seen nativity plays a million times, but really, if you sit down and really think about that tale, it’s amazing. I’ve had three babies, and I really can’t imagine riding around on a donkey at the end of my pregnancy, and then not being able to find a place to rest. It’s the original and the best, I suppose! But I also love some of the wonderful children’s Christmas stories that are out there like The Snowman and the Little Matchgirl. For myself, I always love a bit of Bridget Jones at Christmas!

4.) Which fictional character would you like to kiss underneath the mistletoe?
Hmmm...purely fictional, maybe Han Solo, before he met Princess Leah (as I wouldn’t want to tread on her toes!)? Or James Bond, Daniel Craig era.

5.) What’s the worst Christmas jumper you’ve ever seen?
It was one I saw at a party that was a 3D turkey – all the turkey’s legs and bits and bobs were dangling down the front of the man’s chest; to be honest, it looked absolutely obscene!

6.) What’s your favourite thing about Christmas? 
Spending time with my family, when everyone is switched off from work/school/real life – and focused on being at home, enjoying each other’s company! Christmas is like a very welcome break from reality.

7.) Do you have any Christmas traditions?
We have a few. We go and choose our Christmas tree from the same place – a garden centre in the suburbs of Liverpool – on or around December 1. I usually go into a zen-like state of trance as I wander around, looking at almost identical pine trees until one ‘speaks’ to me – although not literally. I’d get really worried if that happens. We also let all three of the kids choose a new decoration – which means that our tree, like Maggie’s, looks like a drunken elf has vomited all over it! We’ve been going there since the kids were tiny, and the staff always remember us. We also go to a service at our local church called Christingle on Christmas Eve, which involves carols and sweets on sticks stuck into oranges, and that is always lovely – sometimes Christmas Eve is actually nicer, because of the sense of anticipation. It’s the calm before the storm, and doesn’t involve batteries, Phillips head screwdrivers or cooking!

8.) What does Christmas mean to you? 
For me, at this stage in my life, a perfect Christmas is all about family – seeing the excitement on my children’s faces in the morning; sharing a meal with loved ones; celebrating all that is good in our lives. It’s a time to count our blessings and be thankful – which is very easy to forget in the insanity that lead up to it! If the cooker broke or the dogs ate the turkey (both very feasible scenarios in my house), I’d still be happy if we were all healthy and together. In Never Kiss A Man in A Christmas Jumper, Maggie is facing up to her first Christmas alone – and although she tries to stay strong about it, that is also one of my worst nightmares. Having a young family is chaotic – but does make for the best Christmasses ever!

9.) Do you treat yourself to a reward once you finished writing/published a book?
I usually just sit back, take a big sigh of relief, and put something fab on the telly! I know that sounds boring, but I have to try and avoid the TV when I’m on deadline – working from home is fraught with perils, and the goggle box is one of the main distractions! I once got lost in a Netflix boxed set of an American sports drama called Friday Night Lights for weeks on end...so being able to grab a coffee, sit on my own and watch something entertaining is brilliant – it’s a chance to enjoy the fruits of someone else’s imagination, rather than just using my own!

 Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper is available to buy now 

Add Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper on Goodreads here 

Follow Debbie on Twitter @DebbieMJohnson 

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