Blog Tour: Review for Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan 
Publisher: Hodder
Release: 11th July 2019 (paperback)
Genre: Fantasy, YA, LGBT+ romance
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

  

Synopsis:

"Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honour they could hope for...and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten years ago, her mother was snatched by the royal guards, and her fate remains unknown. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after - the girl with the golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, Lei does the unthinkable - she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge."

Review
Do you ever read the synopsis of a book and immediately know you’re going to love it? That’s what happened to me with Girls of Paper and Fire. From the lush fantasy world rich with Asian culture, to the f/f slow burn romance, to the feminist take on concubine palace life, I was here for it all and Natasha Ngan delivered!

Girls of Paper and Fire takes a trope that’s been done many times in fantasy and gives it a much needed diverse, feminist revamp. I loved the characters, the demon castes, the culture, the political intrigue and court life. I loved how the magic and history of the world was still fully realized despite our main character being trapped in the palace, something that lesser writers would find hard to pull off, but Ngan executes flawlessly. This book just encapsulated so many of my personal preferences that I like to see in books.

However this book is by no means an easy read and should be read with a trigger warning for rape, physical and emotional abuse, animal cruelty and bestiality but what I really respected about Ngan’s handling of these topics is how our main character Lei doesn’t come away from these traumas unscathed. I feel like so many times in fantasy books the heroine is the only character who somehow manages to avoid abuse by using her wits, striking up a friendship with her captor or “being different from other girls” a message that has never sat well with me and I feel sends a harmful message on the “types” of girls who are abused. I really appreciated how Natasha Ngan wasn’t afraid to show exactly what life is like as a paper girl through her main character Lei’s own personal experiences. Although it was brutal, it felt real and honest to what so many girls go through in our own world.

Overall Girls of Paper and Fire is an accessible, important and diverse fantasy story. The ending was so intense that I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I read those final few pages. This is one of my new favourite books and I can not wait to read Girls of Storm and Shadow.

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Blog Tour: I Hold Your Heart by Karen Gregory

Hey everyone and welcome to my stop on the I Hold Your Heart blog tour! Today I am sharing a guest post from Karen Gregory on five things to know about her main character Gemma from I Hold Your Heart.

· Music. Gemma is a singer-songwriter who loves country music and writing her own songs. Her love of music is a big theme in the book and most especially how her relationship to music develops and changes over time.

· Friendship. Gemma’s lucky to have a supportive and loving group of friends, including her best friend Esi and singing partner Cal.

· I Hold Your Heart is set in a town by the sea, and the beaches and sea Gemma’s grown up with play a big part in her life and how she sees the world. She also works in the Beach Café with Esi.

· Family. Gemma has a younger brother, Michael, who is a rising football star. While her relationship with Michael is a loving one, she sometimes feels overlooked by her parents, something Aaron is able to play on as time goes on.

· Big-hearted. Gemma makes some mistakes throughout the course of the book, but she’s fundamentally a big-hearted and loving person. Hopefully this shines through!

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Blog Tour: Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Kingsbane blog tour! Kingsbane is the second book in the Empirium trilogy by Claire Legrand and I'm so excited to be sharing an extract from the book today for my stop on the tour.

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Blog Tour: Beauty Sleep by Kathryn Evans

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Beauty Sleep blog tour! I'm excited to be kicking off the tour by bringing to you today an interview with the author Kathryn Evans and to be giving you the chance to win a copy of the book!

Hi Kathryn, welcome to the blog! Can you tell us a little bit about Beauty Sleep and what sparked the idea behind it?

The very first idea was an image that came to me of a girl waking up in a high tech room and having no idea where she was or why. I guess fairy tales are so deeply embedded in my subconscious, I was thinking about a modern sleeping beauty without even realising it.

In Beauty Sleep, Laura is cryogenically frozen. How much research did you have to do on cryogenics for this book?

Quite a bit – I wanted it to be convincing. I read a lot about the theory but also the human stories behind it. While I was writing the early drafts, there was a very sad story in the news about a 14 year old girl who wanted to be cryogenically preserved and had to go to court to win that right. She did, and I think it will have eased her pain towards the end of her life. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/18/teenage-girls-wish-for-preservation-after-death-agreed-to-by-court

But there was also a story about a women who died in a cryo-chamber used for ‘cold therapy.’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11987722/Coroner-finds-woman-who-died-trapped-inside-cryotherapy-chamber-suffocated.html

I also visited an ice chamber in a spa – it wasn’t for me!

What does your typical writing day look like? 

Pretty much every day is a writing day. My life is quite busy because we run a small farm growing fruit plants. I’m usually at my desk by about 8.30 but I tend to work at one thing in short intense bursts of 20 minutes to an hour at a time. Unless I have a tight deadline, I alternate farm work, volunteer work for SCBWI (I manage the finances), writing, editing, interviews and domestic stuff. My daughter usually rings daily too and we often chat for about an hour! Then in the evenings I have fencing training or dancing and I always finish the day by reading in bed.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read and write every day. Learn your craft – there are some excellent organisations that run courses and some brilliant books and websites on writing. I blog for one called Notes From The Slushpile. If you can join a writing community, online or in real life, it’ll help a lot. My friends from Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators have been my loudest champions and biggest supporters. It took me fifteen years to get a publishing deal, it’s nice to have some pals around when you’re dealing with a lot of rejection! It’s also a real joy to see your friends succeed – it gives you hope!

What books would you recommend to fans looking for similar stories to your own? 

I’ve been waiting for the Black Mirror anthology to come out but it’s still not available! Teri Terry writes excellent thrillers with a sci-fi edge – her book Mind Games is one of my favourites. Christopher Edge writes for younger people but I still love his take on science fiction. For a more apocalyptic take on the genre, try Eugene Lambert’s The Sign Of One. Obviously The Hunger Games and Divergent And Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series. And the classics! I was such a fan of John Wyndham, HG Wells, Margaret Atwood, Aldous Huxley – I could recommend books forever and a day.

Can you tell us a bit about what you're working on next? 

There’s always a heart in my stories – More of Me is about searching for your own identity and growing up, Beauty Sleep is about modern society but also about dealing with loss – my new book is about equality – or the lack of it. I think that’s all I can say about it, I’m editing it with my agent at the moment so it still feels a bit fragile – but it’s very much in my style, a strangely original thriller with a sci-fi edge.

And lastly what three words best describe Beauty Sleep?

Exciting, Emotional, Enchanting. 

For your chance to win a copy of the book enter over on Twitter

🌟GIVEAWAY🌟
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— Jess Hearts Books (@JessHeartsBooks) May 10, 2019

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Blog Tour: Pulp by Robin Talley

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Pulp blog tour! I'm such a huge fan of Robin's writing and brilliantly diverse books so it really is a pleasure to have her on the blog today sharing her top writing tips. I hope they prove helpful for all you budding authors out there!

Robin Talley’s Top 3 Writing Tips 

1. Start with a plan. Personally, I’m a big outliner — I use spreadsheets to plan my novels, then more spreadsheets to revise them — but you don’t have to make an official outline if the prospect seems overwhelming. It is good, though, to have some ideas in your head of where a story might go so you don’t wind up floundering when you get past the beginning. And if you think there’s any chance you might forget what you had in mind, write it down. You don’t have to follow your original plan to the letter by any means, but having a record of it can be a jumping off point as you keep brainstorming if nothing more.

2. Try to write — or at least think about writing — as close to every day as possible. This can be hard, especially in the middle of holidays and travel and other obligations, but for me, once I’ve started a writing project I need to keep working on it or I’ll lose the momentum and it will be much harder to dive back in. I try to plan in advance when I’ll squeeze in pockets of writing/brainstorming time even during busy periods — when my daughter is napping, for example, or for an hour at night after an evening with my extended family.

3. Read as much — and as widely — as possible. This is my biggest tip, especially for writers who are just starting out. You should always be reading something. Definitely make sure you read in the genre/category you’re writing in, but read outside it, too. If you write YA, then make sure you’re reading YA, but also read adult and middle grade books. If you write thrillers, then by all means read your favorite thriller authors, but also make a conscious effort to read outside your comfort zone. Contemporary stories, fantasies, nonfiction, even fanfiction — all of it helps develop your writing muscles and expand your thinking.

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Blog Tour: The Light Between Worlds

Hey guys and welcome to my stop on the The Light Between Worlds blog tour! I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this and really enjoyed it so keep an eye out for my review soon. Today I have a guest post for you from the author Laura Weymouth all about writing soundtracks and how it influences her writing.

A Soundtrack for The Light Between Worlds – Laura Weymouth 

I’m one of those writers who strongly prefers listening to music while working. The Light Between Worlds was plotted, drafted, and revised to music, and here’s what I listened to throughout the process.

While plotting, I prefer to listen to songs with lyrics that sum up the mood or theme of whatever scene or arc I’m working on. For The Light Between Worlds, I had two key songs for both Evelyn and Philippa – for Ev, they were Old Days by Ingrid Michaelson (“Maybe what you think of me won’t change, but I still hold on to the old days”) and The Light by Regina Spektor (“I know the morning is wiser than the nighttime, I know there’s nothing wrong, I shouldn’t feel so down.”)

For Philippa my songs were Half the World Away by AURORA (“And when I leave this island, I book myself into a soul asylum, I can feel the warning signs running around my mind”) and Drink You Gone by Ingrid Michaelson (“Like a sinking ship while the band plays on, when I dream you’re there I can’t even sleep you gone.”)

While actually drafting and revising, I tend to prefer music without lyrics – generally movie scores. From the moment I started seriously working on The Light Between Worlds, I knew what its soundtrack would be. One of my favorite films is The Village – originally pitched as a horror film, it’s really not a frightening movie so much as an exploration of the lengths we’ll go to in order to protect the things we love and perceive as good in this world. And it has one of the most ethereally beautiful, haunting scores you’ll ever hear. Every word of The Light Between Worlds was written to that score, and now I can’t listen to it without seeing the woods outside Evelyn’s boarding school, dripping with late winter rain.

Laura Weymouth is the author of The Light Between Worlds (Chicken House, £7.99). Find out more and read the first chapter here.

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Blog Tour: Two Dark Reigns

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Two Dark Reigns blog tour! I'm a proud member of the poisoner court and so for today's post Kendare Blake is sharing her very own song choice for each court and I'll be adding my own addition for us poisoners. Plus! I'm going to be giving away a copy of Two Dark Reigns over on Twitter so make sure you don't miss that.

Kendare's Playlist 

Poisoners: Billie Eilish, "See Me in a Crown" I've heard from several readers that this song makes them think of Katharine, and the dramatic, slightly offbeat melody feels very Arron to me. 

Elementals: Florence and the Machine, "Shake it Out" Elementals love big soaring voices, and songs with a lot of movement. Florence and the Machine always sounds like a dance to me, and I can see all of Rolanth dancing right along with her.

Naturalists: AWOLNATION, "Bad Wolf" This one is for Arsinoe, although the beat and the antithetical vibe does feel very naturalist. Mostly though, there's a line that goes, "Mother*ucker I'll be back from the dead soon" and I can totally hear Arsinoe saying that. If Arsinoe swore.

And for my addition for us poisoners I'm going with Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift, especially the music video which is fantastic and perfectly captures the poisoner energy and aesthetic. Basically it's a big mood.

Have you read this series? I'd love to know which court you belong to and what song you associate with it!

Blog Tour: A Storm of Ice and Stars

Hello everyone! Today is my stop on the A Storm of Ice and Stars blog tour and I'm so excited to be bringing to you an interview I did with author Lisa Lueddecke all about folklore, mythology and life as an author. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Hi Lisa, welcome to the blog! Firstly, can you tell us a bit about A Storm of Ice and Stars? 

Hello, and thank you for having me on your blog! A Storm of Ice and Stars is a prequel novel to my first book, A Shiver of Snow and Sky. It is set at an earlier time, and follows a different set of characters. You don’t have to have read the first one to read this one, but you will probably get a lot more out of it if you do.

What can fans of your previous book A Shiver of Snow and Sky expect from this one?

If you loved the icy setting and the folklore in the first book, then you can expect more of that from the second book. Telling little stories within a bigger story is something that I love to do, especially if it adds to the history and depth of the world. We also get to explore a little bit more of the island of Skane in this book, which I loved doing.

I love the folklore and mythical creatures in your books. Are they based on any particular mythology? Or are they a product purely of your own imagination? 

I did a lot of reading of folklore and mythology when I started writing these books. Some things inspired me in one way or another, but mostly just reading about various things got my wheels turning, so to speak, and helped me to imagine a rich folklore for my own world. I really tried to immerse myself in Scandinavian legends and whatnot to get a feel for the environment and the lore, but Skane isn’t based off of any one place.

Your writing is so atmospheric and lyrical, are there any writers who influence your writing style? 

Reading Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted really inspired me to write fantasy. And although I don’t think that other writers’ writing directly influences my own, I always feel inspired when I read something by Leigh Bardugo (although I haven’t read all of her books).

What’s been your best moment as an author so far?

Honestly, doing my first event in London last year and getting to meet people who had read my book was a high point for me. It left me a bit teary. Even knowing that one person bought and read my book was life-changing.

What does your typical writing day look like? 

Prior to being pregnant and having my day to day life significantly changed, I would write from early morning until I felt like my creativity was waning. I have always loved writing in the very early morning, around dawn, as I feel like that’s when the day is new and exciting, and it makes me feel like anything can happen.

Do you have any advice for aspiring fantasy writers? 

Look for inspiration everywhere you are, in sunrises and sunsets, in rainstorms and snowstorms, and in everything that you do. A lot of scenes that I have written have been born from moments in my real life, in one way or another, whether dialog or setting descriptions. Understand your world, and have fun building it. If you aren’t having fun, that will be obvious to your readers.

What books would you recommend to fans looking for stories similar to your own?

I haven’t read the whole series yet, but I loved The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. It has a wintry setting, as well, and I just loved it. I have also started reading Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, and although I haven’t finished it yet, I am loving the snowy landscapes and the mystery!

Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next? 

I’m working on something that I’ve always wanted to write. It’s been in the back of my mind for a while, so I’m exploring it and seeing where it takes me. I can’t say much about it right now, but I can assure you that it’s a fantasy.

And lastly, what three words best describe A Storm of Ice and Stars?

Frozen. Heartache. Bravery.

 A STORM OF ICE AND STARS by Lisa Lueddecke out now in paperback (£7.99, Scholastic) 

@LisaLueddecke www.lisalueddecke.com 

#ICEandSTARS

Blog Tour: Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Hello everyone! Today is my stop on the Pieces of Her blog tour and I'm thrilled to be hosting a Q&A with Karin Slaughter. I'm a huge fan of this author so it's honestly such an honor to have her on the blog. Read on for Karin's thoughts on literary success, writing inspiration and what she likes to read when she's not writing.

What is your favourite underappreciated novel? 
I tend to read a lot of popular fiction. I could go back to GONE WITH THE WIND—it was definitely appreciated in its time, but I don’t think as much now, because it was such a cultural movement, and the movie has overshadowed it. In the book Scarlett is much more nuanced, she has a lot more marriages and a lot more children. And also, just as a time capsule for going back to the Lost Cause. There’s a solid explanation for what you see happening not just in the South, but in the country, regarding the Civil War. Even Kanye West saying “slavery was a choice.” You can find roots for that in works like GONE WITH THE WIND. This idea of the noble confederate, when in fact that wasn’t it at all, right? As a piece of history, it’s interesting, but also as a foundation for what later became a movement. But then you also have a really freaking good story.

What does literary success look like to you? 
To me, it means I get to write the stories I want to write. I’ve never been censored, my editor Kate Elton has always trusted me and believed in what I was doing. I think sometimes editors might publish a book they’re not actually so excited about, and Kate is always excited about all kinds of books, whether it’s rereading Daphne du Maurier, or reading my stuff, or Eleanor Oliphant, or whatever. She loves popular fiction. And I think sometimes people don’t embrace that. They don’t accept their love of popular fiction because they think they have to be this way, or that way. So success to me is basically, I get the write exactly what I want to write, and that’s given me the confidence to write things like PIECES OF HER, because it’s a little different, but I feel like my publishers will support me.

Your novels are so character driven. Where do you draw your inspiration? Do people in your day-to-day life ever see themselves reflected in your books?
I don’t think anyone ever really sees themselves in my books. Even if I take pieces of them, sort of like when you hear your voice on a voicemail and you’re like “where’s my sultry voice? Who’s this twelve year old?” I learned that lesson pretty early on because I did put one of my neighbors, growing up, in my first book. And she was really mean—I can say this because she’s dead now—she was this old lady who lived on the corner. We had really big lots that the houses were on because we were in a country setting. It was much faster to go home through her yard, and she wouldn’t let us, she’d turn the hose on us. And so there were certain things she did and said, if you heard them, you’d say, “Oh that’s Miss So-And-So.” I put those characteristics in the book. And at one of my first signings, this woman, she was there. She came up, and said “I know who that character is…” And I was thinking “Oh, crap.” And she goes, “It’s Mrs. So-And-So down the street!” And I was like, “Yes ma’am, please don’t tell her.” So, I think there are things that other people see in you that you don’t see in yourself. I don’t think any person sees another person the exact same way. There are all different kinds of shades. My sister really liked her—probably because I was kind of tubby and I couldn’t move fast so I always got wet. I learned really early on, don’t worry about putting people in the book. In this book in particular, I really wanted to write about how things have changed for women. If you look at Laura’s generation of women, which isn’t that far off from my generation of women, there weren’t a lot of options for what you were going to do with your life. You’d get married, have kids, maybe you would have a job. Maybe you might have a career but it would be nursing or teaching or one of those womanly types of jobs, but your focus would be your children of course. And then you look at what Andy is looking at, and in some way she’s at a stalemate because she has so much choice. She could be a doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut, anything. In a way, Laura was paralyzed by her limited choices, and now Andy is paralyzed by having too many choices. That was something I wanted to write about, and I think women in their 30s today are like women in their 20s when I was growing up. There’s sort of this 10 year soft-landing that young women get, and young men, that we didn’t get before. I remember very clearly when I graduated from high school, my dad was so proud of me, and he took me aside and said “I’m so proud, you can do anything you want. You just can’t move back home.” It would have been a stigma to move back home. It would have been a failure. And it’s interesting because I travel a lot, and when I was in France, or Denmark, or whatever, every place I’ve gone to has a phrase for “helicopter parents.” In Denmark it’s called “curling parents”—like the Olympic sport of curling where the move the broom ahead of the puck so it has an easier way to go. And I think it’s a 20th century phenomenon—not necessarily socioeconomic. I think there’s a desire for all parents to want their kids lives to be easier, and do what they can. Some people have more resources.

What are your favourite books and movies? Are you usually drawn to thrillers, or do you stay away from them when you’re writing? 
I read all kinds of stuff. I can’t read when I’m writing because I need to focus on my story and I don’t want to read something else, and suddenly I’m writing like someone else. It’s very important to me that my writing has a voice and I don’t want anything to clutter that up. But I do read magazines and blogs and look at cat pictures; I just can’t read books. I love historical fiction. I’ve been reading a lot about that lately. I’ve been reading about reconstruction; I read this really fascinating book called MASTERLESS MEN about the South during the time of the Civil War. And people who go on my Goodreads will probably think “what the hell?” But I do love reading crime novels—Lisa Garners, Lisa Unger, Sara Blaedel, Lee Child, the usual suspects. I don’t like slasher movies because they scare me. The stupider they are, the more terrified I’ll be. You know, the person’s standing and talking to someone and then someone else goes up behind them, that freaks me out. But I love SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and subtle scary movies. I don’t like anything with demons and Satan because I was raised to be terrified of those things, and no matter what I do I’m always worried about that. It’s in my blood. My favorite movie of all time is called CLAY PIGEONS. It’s very dark and funny and fantastic.

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Her Name Was Rose Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Her Name Was Rose blog tour! Today I'm interviewing the author Claire Allan on writing, life swaps and what she's working on next...

Q1.) Hi Claire, welcome to the blog! Can you tell us a little bit about Her Name Was Rose and what sparked the idea behind it? 
Hello! Thanks for having me here. Her Name Was Rose is the story of two women, and is told from the perspective of Emily D’Arcy, a woman who lives a fairly uninspiring life while she battles the demons of her past, which included an abusive relationship. The book opens as Emily watches Rose Grahame, a woman who seemingly has it all, die in an horrific hit and run accident outside a busy shopping centre. Emily becomes obsessed with the notion that she, who had little to live for, should have died instead and begins to stalk Rose’s social media. Slowly she wheedles her way into the life Rose left behind – but all is not what it seems and Rose’s life may not have been as perfect as Emily believed it to be.

Q2.) Her Name Was Rose is a new direction in genre for you, what made you decide to write a thriller?
It all came around fairly accidentally but it was a happy accident. I wanted to write something darker than my previous novels – more as a challenge to myself than anything else. It wasn’t my original intention to write a thriller but as the first draft of the book developed I was encouraged to go all out and release my dark side. I don’t think I believed I would ever be capable of writing a thriller, so it was a challenge and one which surprised me. I loved writing it. It was exhilarating.

Q3.) In Her Name Was Rose the main character Emily slips into Rose's old life. If you could live as someone else for a day who would you choose? 
Writing Rose’s story has shown me that not everyone’s life is as perfect as it may seem on the outside so I think I’d always be cautious choosing someone to live as for a day! That said, I’d say living as Luisana Lupilato, aka Mrs Michael Buble, would be quite lovely for a day.

Q4.) What does your typical writing day look like?
My writing day starts after I’ve left the children to school and walked our puppy, Izzy, who is always much nicer to be around when she has been able to burn off some energy first thing. I like to be writing by about 10.30, which gives me a solid four hours until I have to leave for the school pick up.

Until two years ago I also worked as a journalist and most of my writing was done in the evenings and that’s a habit I’ve not really kicked yet. Once the homeworks/ dinner/ housework is out of the way I tend to write a little more from about 8pm onwards.

My schedule changes depending on what stage of a book I’m at. If I’m approaching deadline or in the final quarter of the book I can spend hours and hours lost in writing. But along with drafting a book I also have to factor in time for edits, answering emails from readers and my publishers, reading proofs, keeping up with social media and planning for creative writing sessions or panel talks.

Some days I also feel the need to factor in binge watching Four in a Bed or Couples Come Dine With Me too.

Q5.) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 
Every published writer is someone who was exactly where you are right now. And they all wondered if they would ever do it too. And they all wondered, and probably still wonder, if their books are good enough. Be brave. Write the book. Allow yourself the time to follow your dream. Take advice but remember it’s ultimately your book and no one else can tell your story just the way you can.

Q6.) What’s been your best moment as an author so far?
I’ve had a number of really incredible moments over the years but if I’m being completely honest it was probably attending the Irish Book Awards last year as part of team Harper Collins. It was my first time at the awards, and I was sitting beside one of my very best writing pals Fionnuala Kearney and we just grinned at each other that we were in a room with Ireland’s best writers and we were there legitimately as writers in our right. That and visiting Harper Collins HQ and hearing the Avon team speak so enthusiastically about Her Name Was Rose were my two “pinch me” moments.

Q7.) Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next? 
I’m working on my second thriller, ‘Apple of My Eye’ which is due to be published in January 2019. It’s a story of a mother’s obsession with protecting her bond with her daughter, and the lengths she will go to stop someone from hurting her. It was my most challenging write to date – and I loved it.

Q8.) And lastly, what three words best describe Her Name Was Rose? 
Gripping, honest and relevant!

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The Death of Mrs Westaway Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on The Death of Mrs Westaway blog tour! The Death of Mrs Westaway is one of my favourite reads of 2018. If you like bleak family dramas with an Agatha Christie style mystery running through it then you are going to love this book! Today I've had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Ruth Ware for my stop on the tour and I'm also giving one of you lucky lot the chance to win a signed copy of The Death of Mrs Westaway and a special set of signed tarot cards to go with it!

Hi Ruth, welcome to the blog! Can you tell us a little bit about The Death of Mrs Westaway and what sparked the idea behind it? 

The Death of Mrs Westaway is about a tarot reader, Hal Westaway, who receives a letter telling her that she has inherited a substantial bequest from her grandmother Hester. There is just one problem - Hal’s grandparents died many years ago, and this woman is a total stranger to her. However she sets out to collect the bequest anyway.

I’m not sure where exactly the idea for the novel came from, but the character of Hal is easier to pin down - having written three books where the main character was someone who stumbles into events through no fault of their own, I wanted to do something very different for my fourth. So I came up with the idea of a girl who sets out to commit a crime, and in doing so sets the whole complicated mechanism of the plot in motion.

What can fans of your previous books expect from this one?
I hope they’ll find some similar pleasures - a twisty plot, an atmospheric setting, and a dogged and determined main character. But it’s a little bit different too. It’s a little bit darker, a little bit more gothic than some of my previous books. And although my love of Christie is still there, students of literature will probably be able to see a strong influence from Daphne du Maurier in the settings and some of the characters.

Tarot cards play a huge role in The Death of Mrs Westaway, have you ever had a tarot card reading?
I have now - but I only went for one about halfway through writing the book. Prior to that I’d never had a tarot reading, and before I started researching for the book, I knew almost nothing about the meaning of the cards. I am not sure why I’d never tried it - I’m not a very superstitious person, and I suppose I was worried about being sucked into something embarrassing or some kind of con. Actually it was very entertaining!

Your books are constantly compared to Agatha Christie's work, does she influence your writing style?
Not my writing style, I don’t think. But definitely my plotting. I strive to do what she does so well - arm the reader with all the information they need to solve the plot, but still surprise them.

What’s been your best moment as an author so far?
Oh wow, gosh. There are so many! Probably finding out that Reese Witherspoon had read and loved my first book.

What does your typical writing day look like?
I have school age kids so I get up, get them ready for school and walk the little one to class. Then I get home about 9.30 and (try to) write until I leave to pick them up around 3. I say “try to” because I have good days and bad days. Some days I sit right down and write all the way through until pick up. Other days there’s an awful lot of dallying on social media…

Do you have any advice for aspiring thriller/mystery writers?
Just read lots in the genre I think, and pay attention to what you enjoy and how the writers pull the wool over your eyes.

What books would you recommend to fans looking for stories similar to your own? 
I love Erin Kelly, Megan Abbott, Sarah Vaughan, AJ Finn, SJ Watson, Lisa Jewell…

Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next? 
Book five, obviously!

And lastly, what three words best describe The Death of Mrs Westaway? 
Dark, gothic, twisty!

If you'd like the chance to win a signed copy of The Death of Mrs Westaway and tarot cards head on over to Twitter to enter! 

⭐GIVEAWAY⭐
Win a signed copy of #TheDeathofMrsWestaway by @RuthWareWriter and a signed set of tarot cards!
RT & Follow @JessHeartsBooks to enter
UK only #bookbloggers #thriller #blogtour #giveaway #win https://t.co/UTQ04unNi3 @DeadGoodBooks @HarvillSecker pic.twitter.com/geHtqAn1RJ

— Jess Hearts Books (@JessHeartsBooks) June 29, 2018

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour

Ace of Shades Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Ace of Shades blog tour! Today I'm hosting an extract from the book and a chance for you to win a copy over on Twitter!

Intrigued? Don't miss your chance to win! 

⭐GIVEAWAY⭐
Win a copy of Ace of Shades by @AmandaFoody
RT & Follow @JessHeartsBooks to enter
UK only #bookbloggers #aceofshades #blogtour #giveaway #winhttps://t.co/Buuyo0sV1O pic.twitter.com/r4ekixlndO

— Jess Hearts Books (@JessHeartsBooks) May 11, 2018

Make sure you check out the rest of the blog tour

The Beast's Heart Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on The Beast's Heart blog tour! Today I was supposed to be hosting a review for this beautiful book however I haven't received my copy, it seems to have gone astray off having its own little adventure, so I'm improvising with five reasons I can't wait to read The Beast's Heart (when I do finally get my hands on a copy!)

1.) Fairytale retellings are my thing. I love seeing what unique spin each author puts on their retelling. I love all of the little nods that pay homage to the classic and the new twists and additions their story takes on. My favourite fairytale retellings have to be The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, her books are a perfect example of fairytale retellings done right!

2.) I'm a big fan of all fairytales but Beauty and the Beast is my favourite and has been since I was a little girl. I've always related to Belle, with her endless curiosity and love of books and I still want to be her when I grow up. Even as an adult I'm still madly obsessed with Beauty and the Beast. I have everything from funko pops, to t-shirts, to my very own Chip mug!

3.) I first heard about The Beast's Heart back last summer when they handed out the beautiful purple proof copies at YALC and since then I have been counting down the days to the books release. If you haven't seen the proof editions you need to Google them - they're so, so pretty!

4.) Unlike a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings, The Beast's Heart is told from Beast's point of view! I've never come across this before and I'm so excited to read from his side of the story.

5.) The final cover. Seriously? Does this need any more explanation? Just look at it! If that doesn't draw your eye in a bookshop I don't know what will!

 Hopefully I'll get a copy soon so I can review it for you guys 

but until then make sure you check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour!

I Was Born For This Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to day two of the musical I Was Born For This blog tour! The way this works is each host is hosting a song chosen by Alice Oseman herself from the I Was Born For This playlist with a little bit of info on how it connects to the book. We're then adding our own song to create one epic giant YA playlist that celebrates fandom so make sure you stop by each day to get the full playlist!

Alice's Choice: Starz In Their Eyes – Just Jack 

This song could have been written for I Was Born for This. The lyrics explore the fleeting and sometimes traumatising nature of fame and being put in the spotlight. That’s definitely something IWBFT’s boyband narrator, Jimmy, is struggling to deal with throughout the book! “Since you became a V.I. person / it’s like your problems have all worsened” could be I Was Born for This’ tagline…

   

My Choice: Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran 

Hands down my favourite artist is Ed Sheeran. I've followed him since his days of posting on MySpace so it's amazing to see how far he's come in the industry. Last year I finally got to see him perform live on his Divide tour and the first song he played was Castle On The Hill which is my personal favourite from the album. I'm going to see him at Wembley next month and I can't wait! 

Make sure you follow the rest of the blog tour 

to hear all of the songs from the playlist!

Our House Blog Tour: Q&A With Louise Candlish

Hello everybody and welcome to my stop on the Our House blog tour! Today I'm interviewing the wonderful Louise Candlish about Our House, writing and life as an author.

Q1.) Hi Louise, welcome to the blog! Can you tell us a little bit about Our House and what sparked the idea behind it? 

Thank you for having me! Our House is a thriller about property fraud inspired by the growing number of news reports about conveyancing crime. That was the starting point, then I created a bespoke crime, one that hinges on the fact that a married couple is in the process of separating. My couple, Bram and Fi Lawson, set out with the best intentions for conscious uncoupling, but end up in the most horrific danger.

Q2.) What can fans of your previous books expect from Our House?

They can expect the same irrepressible social commentary! There was a lot to sink my teeth into with this one. Anyone who enjoyed The Sudden Departure of the Frasers will recognise Our House as a development of the cautionary note I tried to strike there about our dangerous love of property. Fi has a line where she says if she had her time again she would concentrate less on her house and more on the people in it. That’s the message in a nutshell.

Q3.) What’s been your best moment as an author so far?

It’s hard to beat the moments when you see your book in a chart alongside one of your literary heroes. If feels like it must be some sort of fantastic accident. From a technical point of view, the best moments are when your plot is all tangled up and you know it needs something very clever to release it and then you finally have that moment of solution. You feel like a genius. (It doesn’t last.)

Q4.) What does your typical writing day look like? 

I’ll work for about five hours during the day, then, if I have a deadline, I’ll do a few more hours in the evening and at weekends too. For the last seven years, I’ve structured my day around dog walks. I’m simplifying this: in reality, I’m easily distracted and work time is fractured.

Q5.) Do you have any advice for aspiring thriller writers?

I’ve been very instinctive in my thriller plotting, so I might not be the best model to follow. I’m anti-formulaic and quite rogue, which is probably not what they teach you on courses. I would say that mood and voice are as important as the technical plotting. The key is the central idea, so read widely to expose yourself to all the stranger-than-fiction stuff going on in the world. Almost anything can be reconfigured as fiction.

Q6.) What books would you recommend to fans looking for stories similar to your own?

I’m not sure who is similar but I can tell you which current British suspense writers I really like: Clare Mackintosh, Fiona Barton and Harriet Lane. With each, you’ll get a combination of mystery and psychological dissection. On my TBR rock and calling like sirens are Gillian McAllister, Erin Kelly, Mark Edwards, CL Taylor, Amanda Jennings, Louise Jensen, Liz Nugent and BA Paris. I’m always behind with my reading and genuinely ashamed about it as other authors are incredibly generous and supportive.

Q7.) Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?

I’m just finishing the first draft of a novel about a group of neighbours obsessed with a newcomer to the street, who has destroyed the perfect suburban lifestyle they’ve created for themselves. When tragedy strikes, the police try to discover if they’ve plotted to kill him.

Q8.) And lastly, what three words best describe Our House? 

Homeowner’s worst nightmare.

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

The Fear Blog Tour: Q&A with C.L. Taylor

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on The Fear Blog Tour! Today I'm so excited to be interviewing one of my favourite thriller writers C.L. Taylor where we're talking about trauma, writing inspiration and being a bestselling author.

Q1.) Hi C.L. Taylor, welcome to the blog! I absolutely loved The Fear, what sparked the idea behind it? 

Hi Jess, thanks so much for having me on your blog.

I’d had the basic idea for The Fear for a while but it wasn’t until last year that it all started to come together. Without wanting to give too much away I wanted to write a novel about the power play between a prisoner and their captor but, when I sat down to write it I realised I had the back story all wrong. Instead of my main character confronting the man who was responsible for her sister’s disappearance eighteen years earlier she would be confronting the man who groomed and seduced her as a teenager and convinced her to run away to France with him. The idea immediately appealed. It was so much more powerful and – importantly to me – unusual than my original idea. There was one particularly high profile news story about a school girl who ran away with her teacher that dominated the paper for months. I was interested, not so much in the grooming angle, but on the impact that experience would have on the girl as she became a woman and started relationships with other men.

Q2.) What can fans of your previous thrillers expect from this one?

The Fear is slightly different from my other books (where women find themselves in strange or dangerous situations) because Lou actively goes after Mike, to confront him for what he did to her when she was fourteen. She’s the strongest, most pro-active female character I’ve written so far, although she’s also quite vulnerable. I also write from the point of view of Wendy and Chloe, the other women in the book and I think what makes the book quite powerful is that each of their stories are gripping and unusual and, when they all meet for the first time…well, that would be telling.

Q3.) The characters in your books typically deal with some sort of trauma and this is especially the case in The Fear, how do you get into that mind set to be able to write their stories? 

You’re absolutely right about that, my poor characters! When I start writing my books I normally know what each character wants (their goal), what their flaw is and what they fear. I spend a lot of time thinking about their past. What happened before the stories starts that made them the way they are? We’re all the result of our childhood and the relationships we’ve had since, whether we like it or not and I spend a lot of time thinking about my character’s pasts. Once I know all that it’s normally time to start the first draft. I think this is true of most writers but, when I write from the point of view of my characters, I become them. I see what they see, hear what they hear, feel what they feel. That makes writing traumatic scenes from their point of view really emotionally taxing because I’m feeling their fear, anticipation or dread. To get myself in the mood to go to a dark place in my mind I often write those scenes at night, with a couple of candles burning and some atmospheric instrumental music playing. Afterwards I’ll leave my study and go and watch something light hearted on the TV to try and shake myself back out of the character.

Q4.) Last year you released your first YA book The Treatment do you have any plans to return to the genre? 

I do! I’ve got a two book contract with HarperCollins HQ for young adult thrillers and, hopefully, I’ll be writing the second one this year. It’s going to be a little tricky through as the publishing process for the adult psychological thriller I’m writing now goes on until mid-September so I’ll have to try and write the young adult book in the two week gaps where my editor’s doing her structural and line edits or the copyeditor is doing her thing.

Q5.) What’s been your best moment as an author so far? 

I’m very lucky in that I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences since becoming an author in 2009 and it’s hard to pinpoint just one. Holding my debut in my hands for the first time has to be a highlight. So is winning a Dead Good Books award for The Escape last year, and being presented with Specsavers Nielsen Book Awards for The Accident and The Lie this year. Oh, and being able to give up my day job to write full time was a dream come true. So maybe that.

Q6.) Do you have any advice for aspiring thriller writers? 

Watch your pace and keep the action going. I get sent a lot of proofs and I can’t possibly read them all. As a result I’m pretty brutal about putting a book down when I get bored and picking up another. There are a couple of reasons why I get bored:

1) Too much description

2) Not enough action

3) Too much (character) reflection

4) Too much repetition (of how a character is feeling or summarising events I’ve already read about)

5) The plot is predictable or OTT

Each scene in your book should move the plot forward or give the reader a valuable (not redundant) insight into a character. As my author friend Julie Cohen says ‘make shit happen’. When I read through my own first drafts I always mark on the page (or use Kindle notes) when I feel my attention waver or I’m bored and want to stop reading. If I feel like that the chances are the reader feels like that too. Inevitably the reason I’m bored is that there hasn’t been any interesting action for a while so it’s time to cut or rewrite that scene.

Q7.) What books would you recommend to fans looking for stories similar to your own?

There are so many brilliant psychological thriller authors out there that I always feel bad when I answer this question in case a friend sees it and thinks, ‘why didn’t she mention me?’ But I do see certain similarities between my style and Mark Edwards’, and Tammy Cohen is the queen of a twist ending. Oh, and I hugely recommend Lisa Jewell’s psychological thrillers. They pack an emotional punch as well as being gripping reads.

Q8.) Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next? 

Not really as I’m only 24,000 words in and I’m superstitious about talking about a book before I’ve finished it in case it takes some of the magic away. But it will be the first of my books with a single word title and I’m hoping it will appeal to readers who really loved The Lie.

Q9.) And lastly, what three words best describe The Fear? 

Tense, claustrophobic and gripping.

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

Blog Tour: The House of Hopes and Dreams Extract and Giveaway!

Hi guys! Today I'm very excited to be hosting my blog tour stop for Trisha Ashley's brand new novel The House of Hopes and Dreams. I have an extract from the book to share with you and if it leaves you wanting to read more then you're in luck as I have 3 copies of the book available to win over on Twitter!

Intrigued? Don't miss your chance to win The House of Hopes and Dreams! 

⭐GIVEAWAY⭐
Win 1 of 3 copies of The House of Hopes and Dreams by @trishaashley
RT & Follow @JessHeartsBooks to enter
UK only #bookbloggers #HouseofHopesandDreams #blogtour #giveaway #winhttps://t.co/5b1GXIIkYf pic.twitter.com/ivpG7fApkY

— Jess Hearts Books (@JessHeartsBooks) March 16, 2018

Make sure you check out the rest of the blog tour

Blog Tour: Review for Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris and Giveaway

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris 
Publisher: HQ
Release: 8th March 2018
Genre: Thriller
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"A young British couple are driving through France on holiday when they stop for gas. He runs in to pay, she stays in the car. When he returns her car door has been left open, but she's not inside. No one ever sees her again.

Ten years later he's engaged to be married; he's happy, and his past is only a tiny part of his life now. Until he comes home from work and finds his new wife-to-be is sitting on their sofa. She's turning something over in her fingers, holding it up to the light. Something that would have no worth to anyone else, something only he and she would know about because his future wife is the sister of his missing first love.

As more and more questions are raised, their relationship becomes strained. Has his first love somehow come back to him after all this time? Or is the person who took her playing games with his mind?"

Review 
B.A. Paris is one of my favourite psychological thriller authors, she puts her characters in these impossible situations and I can never turn the pages fast enough as I’m desperate to see how the story will unfold.

This time in Bring Me Back we’re following Finn whose girlfriend Layla went missing 12 years ago whilst the couple were on holiday in France. On their journey home Finn pulls their car into a rest stop but once he returns from the bathroom Layla has vanished, never to be found.

Now in the present-day Finn is engaged to be married to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Not long after their engagement Finn comes home to find Ellen clutching a Russian doll a symbol that holds huge significance between Layla and Ellen and their past. As more Russian dolls are left for them and Finn starts to receive emails from somebody claiming to be Layla the past comes rushing back to haunt them. Is Layla still alive? And if she is what really happened to her that day in France all those years ago?

Once again B.A. Paris had me absolutely absorbed in her writing. Right from the start you know that Finn is a suspicious character and that we’re not getting the whole truth from him but you’re never sure how much he is to blame for what happened to Layla. I loved playing detective and trying to guess what happened back then and if Layla truly is alive and well in the present day.

I also loved the role that the Russian dolls had to play in this book. It gave the story a distinctly horror-esque vibe that you don’t often see in thrillers, adding another chilling piece to this complex puzzle.

I have to say that I did have some mixed feelings on the ending to this one. I found that I had to suspend belief a little too much for my liking but it’s also an ending that got me thinking and discussing the situation with my friends to see what they’d do and I love when a book leaves you thinking long after you finish it.

Overall Bring Me Back is another gripping domestic noir from B.A. Paris and I’m already eagerly anticipating her next book.

As part of the blog tour I'm giving away a copy of Bring Me Back! 

Make sure you enter over on Twitter 

⭐GIVEAWAY⭐
Win a copy of #BringMeBack by @BAParisAuthor
RT & Follow @JessHeartsBooks to enter
UK only #bookbloggers #thriller #blogtour #giveaway #win #forgetsleephttps://t.co/S96jOnScYo @HQstories pic.twitter.com/Zn8heWrcFd

— Jess Hearts Books (@JessHeartsBooks) February 23, 2018

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Anything You Do Say Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Anything You Do Say blog tour! I'm thrilled to have a brilliant Q&A with Gillian McAllister to share with you today on writing, what to expect from her latest book and how her life has changed since becoming a Sunday Times bestselling author.

1.) Hi Gillian, welcome to the blog! How has your life changed since becoming a bestselling author after the release of your debut novel Everything but the Truth?
Wow, what an interesting question. It’s quite strange and paradoxical. It’s changed in loads of ways and hasn’t changed at all: both are true at once. I still live in the same house, have the same boyfriend, friends, job (I’m a lawyer).

On the other hand… I now work part time. That’s been a big change. I see my book in a lot of places – it’s still in all bookshops and was in the supermarkets for ages, too. I get a lot of messages from readers and strangers – several a day. I get a lot of proofs sent to my house to read in advance of their publication (which is awesome). At anything social that’s outside my immediate inner circle, I get a lot of questions about being an author (and being a bestseller), some of which can be slightly awkward and personal or financial in nature… One of the most peculiar things, I think, is having a reputation that precedes you. Not that strangers know who I am when I walk into a room – of course not – but friends of friends and acquaintances often are aware that I am an author when I know nothing about them.

 2.) What’s been your best moment as an author so far?
God, another great question! I have two: the moment my agent left me a voicemail in February 2016 saying that I should call her. I did, and Penguin had pre-empted my novel. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life; it’s not often you feel so very far from achieving a life ambition, and then, one voicemail later, you achieve it. It was very special.
The second is really in the every day nuts and bolts of it: the writing. Sitting in a Starbucks and making things up and knowing it’s my job. Feeling totally in love with a work-in-progress as it nears completion. The dynamite feeling of an idea arriving while you’re brushing your teeth. All of that.

 3.) What can fans of Everything but the Truth expect from Anything You Do Say? In what ways are they similar or different?
I would say that Anything You Do Say is more of a thriller than Everything but the Truth. While the relationship takes centre-stage in both of them, Anything You Do Say has a denouement and a resolution that stands apart from the marriage between my main protagonists.
They both explore morally grey areas, guilt, lies and relationships in turmoil. Both also have medical and legal elements.
Anything You Do Say is definitely more ambitious – it is two books in one and an unusual structure.

 4.) What sparked the idea for Anything You Do Say and what made you decide to tell it in a Sliding Doors narrative structure?
I had wanted to write a Sliding Doors novel for ages and had been toying with ideas. I thought about having a woman in an unhappy marriage whose husband does/doesn’t die on the way home from work in a car crash, and exploring both strands, but really, I’m a crime writer and I wanted to write novels with that interesting criminal/legal element.

I had been trying to think around the idea of a Sliding Doors novel. I was putting the bins out one night and, and I reached down to pick up a piece of rubbish that had rolled out of the bin bag, I thought: Sliding Doors plus crime. I left that thought alone and, the next night – in the middle of the night – I woke up and thought about a woman who hands herself in and leaves the scene of a crime. Anything You Do Say was born at half past two in the morning.

 5.) If you were your main character Joanna which path would you choose?
Definitely Reveal. I am very law-abiding. Waiting to get caught would actually be worse than getting caught, for me.

 6.) Was writing a second novel harder or easier than writing the first?
Both. It was easier because I knew I knew how to do it. It was harder because Anything You Do Say was so ambitious – it is the longest novel I have ever written, and what I didn’t realise when I had the initial idea was that there would be double the character development. In each strand, Joanna’s husband, best friend, brother and parents have totally different character arcs. At one point it felt out of control and sprawling. Luckily, I wrote it before my first novel was published, so I never felt the weight of the readership (that came later).

 7.) Do you have any advice for aspiring thriller writers?
Finish a draft. It’s as simple – and as difficult – as that. Sit on the chair, most days, until it’s done. This is the biggest hurdle - I have observed - that aspiring writers fall at. I did, too - for years.

 8.) What books would you recommend to fans looking for similar stories to your own?
Interesting question. Imran Mahmood writes in the crime sphere, though is more literary than me. Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty both occupy (brilliantly) the Venn diagram where women’s fiction meets crime.

9.) Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
Of course. I have just delivered my third novel, No Further Questions. It’s about a woman who looks after her sister’s eight week old baby overnight. The baby dies, in somewhat suspicious circumstances, and she’s accused of manslaughter. It’s a courtroom drama, and it was an absolute joy to write.

10.) And finally, what three words best describe Anything You Do Say?
Tense. Edgy. Sad.

 Thank you for stopping by the blog today Gillian! 

For more fantastic posts don't miss the rest of the blog tour!