The Bookette

Author Interview: Katherine Roberts Q6

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:24:00 +0000

The countdown : 4 days to go!

Every day from now until Song Quest by Katherine Roberts is back in print and her new novel the Sword of Light is released, I'll be sharing with you a question posed by me and answered by Katherine. The most in depth answers ever offered by an author in bitesize daily doses. Enjoy! And my thanks to Katherine for taking part.

If you haven't read my review of Sword of Light, follow this LINK.

More information about the Song Quest Campaign can be found HERE.

Question 6

Let's talk about villains. How do you go about writing a believable fantasy villain? I once read that you can have characters in fantasy novels that are just evil without giving any back story about how they came to be that way. Do you think that's true or do you think that even fantasy villains need a source from which their evil develops?

Ah, yes - every book needs a good villain! And fantasy villains are great fun to write. I do have trouble making mine totally evil, in the same way my heroes and heroines are not totally good, because in my experience people are just not like that... but while adults and older readers appreciate shades of grey in characters, younger readers tend to prefer things to be more clear cut.

I think as you go down the age range, you need to make your villains darker and your heroes brighter, so in my new Pendragon Legacy series I have gone for a dark villain in the shape of Prince Mordred, crippled in battle and out for revenge. In contrast, my heroine Rhianna, King Arthur’s daughter, is more feisty than I usually write. But she does have her faults... she's human, after all!

I would not write (or enjoy reading) a fantasy book, even for younger children, that did not have some back story for the main characters, including the villain. Just because a story is set in a fantasy world does not mean that the people in it are not real to that world. In fact, you probably have to work a bit harder at making them seem real than you would if they lived in our "real" world… if that makes sense!

Katherine Roberts

That makes perfect sense! The good characters need flaws in order for us to relate to them. The bad characters need a human side in order to make their evil deeds convincing.

You can visit Katherine's website:

www.katherineroberts.co.uk

Rhianna Pendragon, heroine of Sword of Light, is on Twitter. Follow her here: www.twitter.com/PendragonGirl

Tomorrow, Question 7!

Author Interview: Katherine Roberts Q5

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:59:00 +0000

The countdown : 5 days to go!

Every day from now until Song Quest by Katherine Roberts is back in print and her new novel the Sword of Light is released, I'll be sharing with you a question posed by me and answered by Katherine. The most in depth answers ever offered by an author in bitesize daily doses. Enjoy! And my thanks to Katherine for taking part.

If you haven't read my review of Sword of Light, follow this LINK.

More information about the Song Quest Campaign can be found HERE.

Question 5

You mentioned that the idea for Song Quest came as a what if scenario. Is that how you usually find an idea you want to explore further? You seem like you have lots of ideas, so how do you decide which ones to spend the time working on?

Finding ideas has never been a problem for me, and "what if" never fails to spark off a story! This can be quite a small thing, such as "what if I walk down the end of my road and meet a rabid dog?" or a bigger thing like "what if the polarity of the earth reverses tonight?" I keep a notebook where I scribble down the most persistent ideas in case I want to use them one day. I'll never have time to develop them all into stories, though, so the real problem for a writer is deciding which of their ideas might be worth developing further.

Books happen in several ways:

Passion: An idea will not go away, and I am really interested in the subject matter or feel a need to explore it further. I start writing in a blaze of passion, and out comes a story. "Song Quest" was written like this, since it was my first novel and I didn't have any idea what publishers wanted so I just wrote what inspired me most at the time. Once you get published, you never really regain that absolute freedom of the first novel, because you start worrying about what publishers want, and what sort of book might sell enough copies to pay the mortgage and so allow you to continue writing. "I am the Great Horse" is another example of a passionate book, and that one got written because I had a dream contract from Chicken House that simply said “new novel” - but I think that level of author freedom is (sadly) rare these days.

Market: Some ideas are obviously more marketable than others. I am constantly coming up with outlines for series and developing characters and plots, only to find that once I start writing, everything goes dead on me! The trick is finding something marketable that also feels worth a year or more of my life, and sometimes I cannot tell that until I have written at least part of the book. Many of these ideas fizzle out after a few weeks' work and are stored away in various files awaiting a spark of inspiration that might bring them to life. I think the main problem with aiming for the market is that the most obvious ideas have already been used up and wrung dry. Also, fashions change. An initial idea might take years to develop into a book/series and reach the shelves, and by that time the bandwagon you were aiming to hitch a ride on will probably be vanishing over the horizon…

Work for hire: Sometimes a publisher will come up with an idea and need a writer to write the "book words". There are different levels of this, from projects where the publisher (or a third party such as Working Partners) provides a detailed storyline and the writer just joins the dots, to other projects where the writer is expected to plot and develop the characters working from the publisher's brief. Since it removes the most joyful part of the process for me, this is the kind of thing I will only take on when the bailiffs are at the door. So far I have done one: "Magical Horses" (for Carlton).

Writing any kind of book is hard work, so it's important to have something driving you quite hard in order to finish it – whether this is passion, some sort of challenge, money, or a fan with a sledgehammer threatening to break your ankles!

Katherine Roberts

Thank you Katherine. I found that such an interesting insight into the reasons you might write a story beyond your own passion for an idea. But I can see that writing about something that has a really personal meaning for you would be more inspiring.

You can visit Katherine's website:

www.katherineroberts.co.uk

Rhianna Pendragon, heroine of Sword of Light, is on Twitter. Follow her here: www.twitter.com/PendragonGirl

Tomorrow, Question 6!

Author Interview: Katherine Roberts Q4

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:51:00 +0000

The countdown : 6 days to go!

Every day from now until Song Quest by Katherine Roberts is back in print and her new novel the Sword of Light is released, I'll be sharing with you a question posed by me and answered by Katherine. The most in depth answers ever offered by an author in bitesize daily doses. Enjoy! And my thanks to Katherine for taking part.

If you haven't read my review of Sword of Light, follow this LINK.

More information about the Song Quest Campaign can be found HERE.

Question 4

Song Quest features magical creatures which, I believe, are partly based on mythology. Do you particularly enjoy writing about magical or otherwordly beings? What is it about fantasy writing that you really enjoy?

Yes, the Song Quest trilogy features several half-creatures: mermaids (which I call merlee because there are male ones as well), half horse half human centaurs, and half bird half human quetzal. I love writing about mythical creatures, and you'll find several strange ones in my Seven Fabulous Wonders series too, such as the fire-breathing chimera. There are even some telepathic fairy horses in my new Pendragon Legacy books. And, of course, my muse is a unicorn...

What do I enjoy about fantasy writing? Hmm, possibly the escapism… but also the freedom. If I wrote about real world children being kidnapped and riding off into the mountains on dangerous quests without adult supervision, or wrote about sailors slaughtering real world sea creatures, there would be an outcry. But in a fantasy world, you can address difficult themes from a safe distance. A fantasy story might seem to be about magic and heroic battles and elves, but in reality it is about power and war and different races trying to work together. If I try writing a book with no magic in it, the story always feels unfinished. Fantasy creatures such as mermaids and unicorns might not exist in our world, but out there somewhere in the universe... who knows? I absolutely believe in ghosts and spirits and things we cannot see or explain. Science has not discovered everything yet.

Katherine Roberts

You can visit Katherine's website:

www.katherineroberts.co.uk

Rhianna Pendragon, heroine of Sword of Light, is on Twitter. Follow her here: www.twitter.com/PendragonGirl

Tomorrow, Question 5!

Author Interview: Katherine Roberts Q3

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:25:00 +0000

The countdown : 7 days to go!

Every day from now until Song Quest by Katherine Roberts is back in print and her new novel the Sword of Light is released, I'll be sharing with you a question posed by me and answered by Katherine. The most in depth answers ever offered by an author in bitesize daily doses. Enjoy! And my thanks to Katherine for taking part.

If you haven't read my review of Sword of Light, follow this LINK.

More information about the Song Quest Campaign can be found HERE.

Question 3

What made you take the leap into e-books? How are you finding this new venture into Kindle publishing?

I feel I was pushed rather than leapt of my own accord! After my agent died, I had a five year break in contracts, which meant a creative backlog coupled with time on my hands and disappearing income. I knew I had to do something. Amazon had just opened the door to independent publishers, and at the same time my older books started going out of print and my publishers showed no sign of bringing them back to the shelves. So I began the painful process of reverting the rights, and meanwhile taught myself how to format a book for Kindle with the idea of republishing my backlist as e-books. I finally got Spellfall up for sale with amazon.co.uk in January, and with amazon.com later in the year when the sublicense with Scholastic expired. Since then I have republished all of my Seven Fabulous Wonders series as ebooks as well, though so far I’ve not had time to do much publicity for them.

One of the good things about authors republishing their backlists independently in this way is that they can price them competitively. You can find more ebooks by UK authors at the group blog www.authorselectric.co.uk

Katherine Roberts
www.katherineroberts.co.uk

Rhianna Pendragon, heroine of The Sword of Light, is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PendragonGirl

Tomorrow, Question 3!

Author Interview Katherine Roberts Q2

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0000

The countdown : 8 days to go!

Every day from now until Song Quest by Katherine Roberts is back in print and her new novel the Sword of Light is released, I'll be sharing with you a question posed by me and answered by Katherine. The most in depth answers ever offered by an author in bitesize daily doses. Enjoy! And my thanks to Katherine for taking part.

If you haven't read my review of Sword of Light, follow this LINK.

More information about the Song Quest Campaign can be found HERE.

Question 2

Can you tell us a bit about the process of Song Quest being taken on by Catnip? Are there any different steps in the process for a book that has been with a previous publisher? Is it a different experience second time around?

The publishing process picks up later, at proof stage, missing out all the detailed editing and rewriting that happened the first time round. This makes sense, since that part of the work on the book has already been done. There are still proofs to check, though, because the layout of a book is copyrighted to the original publisher. In this case, I believe Catnip bought a copy of the Chicken House edition and retyped it, then reset the story for printing with fresh illustrations. They also commissioned a new cover image, which they put to a vote for the final colour decision – black or gold – and readers voted for gold. So the finished book looks a bit different, but I resisted rewriting the story so the words are the same. In this age of e-books, I’m delighted that “Song Quest” will soon be back in print as a proper book.

The experience of being published this time around is different because I have moved on to new projects. Song Quest’s first publication ten years ago was very exciting for me, since it was my first published novel and represented a personal achievement after five years of rejection from publishers and agents. My first editor Barry Cunningham visited me at home to make the offer, and then worked closely with me throughout the editing process, bringing the book out in hardcover with Element Books, where he had moved to set up a children's list after signing JK Rowling for Bloomsbury.

"Song Quest" could easily have sunk without trace, as many debut books do, except Waterstones in Piccadilly ordered 150 copies and displayed them around their foyer, and soon after that I got a phone call to tell me the book had won the Branford Boase Award, and would I be coming to the ceremony? Since I had no agent at the time to tell me what to expect, I thought this was all quite normal for a first novel! Then Disney asked to read it and things got even more exciting, but in the end they decided not to make the film, which was probably just as well because any money from such a deal would have been lost when Element went into receivership a year later... publishing is full of such ups and downs!

Anyway, after noticing your wonderful campaign to get the book back into print (THANK YOU!) Catnip must have visited my website and seen that the rights had reverted to me… and so a new edition was born, making Song Quest my longest surviving book in paper format with three UK editions so far – Element, Chicken House, and now Catnip.

Katherine Roberts

Three UK editions! And in just eight days, I will own them all. I am so excited! I can't wait to see the cover in the flesh (well, paper).

You can visit Katherine's website:

www.katherineroberts.co.uk

Rhianna Pendragon, heroine of Sword of Light, is on Twitter. Follow her here: www.twitter.com/PendragonGirl

Tomorrow, Question 3!

Author Interview: Katherine Roberts Q1

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:12:00 +0000

The countdown : 9 days to go!

Every day from now until Song Quest by Katherine Roberts is back in print and her new novel the Sword of Light is released, I'll be sharing with you a question posed by me and answered by Katherine. The most in depth answers ever offered by an author in bitesize daily doses. Enjoy! And my thanks to Katherine for taking part.

If you haven't read my review of Sword of Light, follow this LINK.

More information about the Song Quest Campaign can be found HERE.

Question 1

Where did Song Quest's journey begin?

It began with a short story called "Death Singer", which was first published in a small-press fantasy magazine called Xenos in 1994. I had the original idea when I came across fascinating book on music therapy in my local library. Doctors had discovered that playing a patient’s favourite music following an operation helped the patient recover faster. Obviously, this music would be different for each patient, but I started thinking what if… what if there was a single song that could heal everyone? And if there was such a song that healed everyone, then there might also be a song that could kill – a death song, which might be used to execute criminals. Intrigued by the idea, I developed this further into five Songs of Power and wrote the Echorium Anthem one wet afternoon, which became the first page of "Song Quest".

Echorium Anthem

For healing sleep of lavender dreams,

For laughter golden and gay,

For tears shed in turquoise streams,

For fear, blood and scarlet screams,

For death of deepest midnight shade.

For these the Songs, five in one:

Challa, Kashe, Shi, Aushan, Yehn.

“Death singer and other fantasy tales” is now available from amazon.co.uk as an e-book for Kindle priced at £1-99.

Katherine Roberts

www.katherineroberts.co.uk

Rhianna Pendragon, heroine of The Sword of Light, is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PendragonGirl

Tomorrow, Question 2!

Review: Sword of Light

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:09:00 +0000

Author: Katherine Roberts

Release date: 1^st February 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Target audience: 9+
UK Publisher: Templar
ISBN: 9781848773905
Series: The Pendragon Legacy Book 1

Review:

Sword of Light is an exciting fantasy novel which takes Arthurian legend and carves out for it a whole new journey. This is the Pendragon Legacy.

Rhianna Pendragon is the daughter of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. But she did not grow up in the mortal world of men. She grew up not knowing her true identity in the land of Avalon, where the fairies live. She was the only human permitted to live there and she dreamt of what it would be like to visit the world of men. Rhianna’s best friend is the Prince of Avalon, Elphin. They are a great pair and share a loyal bond.

The story begins with Rhianna and Elphin in Avalon racing their fairy horses. Their fun is interrupted by the arrival of the wizard Merlin. He appears in a boat through the mists to bring Arthur’s body to heal in the crystal caverns of the fairy King’s palace. But in order to return to health, Arthur will need the magic power of the Sword of Light – Excalibur. Only a person of Pendragon blood can wield the sword and so Rhianna must travel to Camelot and with Merlin’s aid retrieve Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. On her journey Rhianna is accompanied by Elphin and his magic harp and some endearing characters she meets along the way.

The quest, of course, is not as easy as it first appears. The Saxons are waging a war against Camelot and they are under the influence of the Dark Knight Mordred. Injured by Arthur in his final battle, Mordred is determined to take Excalibur for his own. He too is a Pendragon. The story is full of exciting twists and turns. It is full of heroic, chivalric knightly deeds and honour.

This is the book that I’ve been desperate to add to the school library. All those fans of the TV show Merlin will love this. It takes Arthurian legend and creates a new generation of mythology. The Sword of Light is a story which will enchant readers young and old and have them cheering for the just and valiant future of Camelot. It’s fantastic, so accessible, full of delightful magic and is all carried off by a fiery heroine in a man’s world. I loved it.

Source: Review copy from Templar Publishing.

Review: The Statisical Probability of Love at First Sight

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:09:00 +0000

Author: Jennifer E Smith

Release date: 5^th January 2012

Genre: Contemporary YA

Target audience: 12+

UK Publisher: Headline

ISBN: 9780755392179

Review:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a charming and touching contemporary teen romance. From the very first page you’ll be considering those tiny split second decisions that change the course of your life forever.

For once I didn’t mind the prologue at all, in fact, I loved it. It is two pages of what if this never happened, what if that... The tiny insignificant details that mean Hadley is running late to get to the airport. She arrives just in time to see the gate close and her plane to England take off without her. So now she’s stuck with the knowledge that these choices resulted in her being four minutes late. She should be thrilled as maybe she won’t make it to London in time for her father’s wedding but there are a lot of questions, emotions, and possibilities running riot in Hadley’s head.

This was in some ways quite a difficult book for me to read. I tend to steer clear of any book that involves a character dealing with parental abandonment issues. I have enough of those of my own. Hadley’s feelings really got under my skin and Jennifer E. Smith describes with painful accuracy how it feels to be left behind by your father. How it feels for him to go off and want to start a new life without you. As far as you’re concerned the life he had with his family was just fine. Yes, there are tears in my eyes as I write this and a lump in my throat. It is sixteen years since my dad left my mum and I have a great relationship with him but even now remembering those emotions is one of the most painful things I can do to myself. Yes, the keyboard is blurry through my tears.

But The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight isn’t a sad book. It just happens to be a book that touches the very depths of my identity. It is actually a very joyful book. It is full of hope and possibilities. You see while Hadley waits at the airport contemplating what she expects will be one of the most difficult days of her life, fate throws a cute boy her way. Or rather he very gallantly helps her out of a potential criminal act and so their stories weave together. The story that takes places in the next twenty-four hours will make you smile, will make you laugh and it will leave you feeling hopelessly romantic. It will also make you feel less phobic and free to just be.

I loved all the statistical references in this book and the quirky, witty flirting of the two characters on the plane. I know that the next time I take a flight I’ll be wondering if there are two people on the flight whose lives are about to change forever. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is sweet, tender and uplifting – everything you could want from a contemporary Young Adult novel.

Source: Proof copy sent by Headline.

Announcement: Auditions for Glimpse video diaries

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:18:00 +0000

An Announcement Post from author Claire Merle

FABER & FABER HAVE JUST LAUNCHED ONLINE AUDITIONS TO FIND A TEENAGE GIRL TO PLAY THE LEAD ROLE IN A SPECIAL SERIES OF FICTIONAL VIDEO DIARIES. The video diaries will prequel debut author Claire Merle's unputdownable dystopian thriller ‘The Glimpse’. They will feature one of the characters from the book, 16-year-old Tamsin Strike, and will be shot by an award-winning director.

Interested in auditioning? Go NOW to: www.facebook.com/theglimpse. (Please note, you must live in the UK to enter.)

For those of you who aren’t eligible to audition, join in the fun and help promote this amazing opportunity for one young actress! Claire is running a dystopian giveaway on her facebook page for anyone who helps spread the word. Check out the giveaway on Claire’s facebook wall: www.facebook.com/theglimpse#!/pages/Claire-Merle-Author/195817850451377

Watch a video about the competition: www.facebook.com/theglimpse.

So what’s the STORY behind the video diaries?

Throughout the UK people are now divided into Pures and Crazies according to the results of a DNA test, with the Pures living in small Communities cut off from the madness of society, and the Crazies living outside the walls in the squalor and mayhem of the City.

16-year-old Pure-girl Tamsin Strike is an outsider among the girls of her Community. Her parents come from a poor background and work endless hours in their shop in the hope that one day she'll Join with a rich Pure boy and have a safe, assured future. A non-conformist, Tamsin dreams of becoming an actress. She detests the idea of being Joined and pregnant by the time she's eighteen, and she questions the separation of the Pures from the majority of the population. Unlike other Pure girls, she isn't afraid of the City beyond their guarded walls and willingly accompanies her father to the markets to buy goods for their shop. When her father allows her to go to the cinema on her own, Tamsin meets a guy who changes everything. But nothing is what it seems. Least of all, Brian. If Tamsin doesn't work out the truth from the lies fast, becoming a baby-maker for future Pure generations, might be preferable to where she could end up.

Guest Review: This is Not Forgiveness

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:58:00 +0000

Author: Celia Rees

Release date: Paperback 2nd February 2012
Genre: Contemporary YA Fiction

Target Audience: 12+

UK Publisher: Bloomsbury Books

ISBN: 9781408817698

Guest Review by Anne Cassidy

This is Not Forgiveness is a startling new novel by Celia Rees. It’s ‘startling’ because the subject matter is quite unexpected.

Celia has, in the past, worked in a number of genres but this is a love story and a story of brothers at war, figuratively and literally. It’s mostly told by Jamie whose older brother Rob is back from Afghanistan with a shattered leg. He is lost away from the field of battle and takes refuge in drink and drugs. Jamie is working on the punts for the summer recess and becomes involved with Caro, a headstrong and enigmatic girl.

Both brothers forge relationships with this girl. One of these leads to heartbreak and the other to a political act.

This is a powerful story told as a multiple narrative. It’s a brilliant read for both younger and older adults.

It is published in February 2012.

Thank you to Anne for guest reviewing at The Bookette.

Review: The Court Painter's Apprentice

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:50:00 +0000

Author: Richard Knight

Release date: 1^st January 2011
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Target audience: 8+
UK Publisher: Catnip Publishing
ISBN:9781846471278

Review:

The Court Painter’s Apprentice is an atmospheric historical novel with a mysterious twist.

The novel begins with Hugo, an elderly court painter, stopping at an inn for the night. There he spies an extraordinary drawing and asks the innkeeper if he knows the artist. The Innkeeper reveals that the artist is none other than his eleven year old son Johann. Hugo convinces Johann and his parents that he would benefit from an education in the art of portraiture and so Johann becomes Hugo’s apprentice, he leaves the inn behind and begins a journey into a new world.

The story is hugely atmospheric – the scenes at the inn on the stormy night immediately pulled me into the story. Also the new world of life in the studio and workshop jump off the page and are a great example of how setting can really make a story.

The plot of this book was not at all what I expected. I should have paid more attention to the blurb but sometimes I just pick up a book simply because I assume it will be about a particular thing. I wonder if anyone else does that? Sometimes I also choose a book for the age group it is written because of my work and again that was the case with The Court Painter’s Apprentice. I was looking to read a novel for the lower middle grade market. So I was surprised at the dark and sinister twist that this story took. I think it’s quite unusual for a novel aimed at this age group to explore isolation and how it can lead to depression. Yes there are many stories about being an orphan but not about how a choice to follow a dream can see a person lost within their own talent.

The story felt almost ghostly and gothic at times. It defies the current trend for children’s fiction to be abundant with humour and I didn’t mind that at all. However, I did lose the sense of how old Johann was at times through the story. I felt that he was aging but I was confused as to how old he was by the end. Perhaps this was a deliberate decision by the author as Johann lost his childhood self in pursuit of his great talent.

There is a swirling mystery in this book and it centres upon Johann’s unusual gift. Personally I think some of the unexpected happenings were not entirely resolved. Yet I loved the pace of the book and that the author didn’t waste time telling us unnecessary details and descriptions. Despite the confusion I felt at the end of the book, I was riveted all the way through and found it a real page turner. I imagine parents reading this to their children will find their own enjoyment in the mystery and satisfaction in a refreshingly different story. The Court Painter’s Apprentice is an intelligent and compelling novel.

Source: Proof copy sent by Catnip Publishing.

Guest Post: Writing Comic Sci-Fi for Children

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:51:00 +0000

WRITING COMIC SCI-FI FOR CHILDREN

by Mark Griffiths

Martin Amis once said he could never write children’s literature because of the restrictions this would place on his artistic freedom. I don’t know if Marty has read the nursery rhyme ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ recently, but in it a cow actually jumps over the moon. I mean, how much freer can literature be?

Science fiction comedy (and if a cow jumping over the moon doesn’t count as that, I don’t know what does) seems to me a natural form to use when writing for children, allowing, as it does, tremendous scope for the imagination and for the inversion of the normal way of things. Indeed, science fiction with a humorous twist is at the core of much memorable children’s literature. The marvellous medicine George feeds his granny in the Roald Dahl story is simply a comic update of Dr Jekyll’s potion.

The mind-swap trope, in particular, has a long and distinguished history in (usually comic) literature – from F. Anstey’s classic tale of father and son who exchange souls, Vice Versa, through PG Wodehouse’s Laughing Gas, to the modern braintwizzling hijinx of Mary Rodgers’ Freaky Friday and Todd Strasser’s Help! I’m Trapped… series. These stories appeal to children’s innate sense of fairness because they usually portray imposing authority figures being forced to undergo the humiliations they normally inflict on others.

In my book Space Lizards Stole My Brain!, an evil, warmongering, alien lizard creature, Admiral Skink, is brought down to Earth, literally, when his mind is transferred into the body of an ordinary Earth boy, Lance Spratley. Skink, the interstellar bully (at the opening of the book we see him picking on a weaker, nerdier, alien civilisation) is forced to experience life from the victim’s point of view. Now it is he who is pushed around by the stronger life forms that normally plague the existence of Lance Spratley – school bullies, mean teachers, tyrannical parents and an impossibly bossy little sister. Slowly, the alien warlord develops a grudging respect for the fortitude that Lance must show in the face of such daily indignities.

Using the viewpoint of an alien creature as a distorting lens, the everyday upsets and worries of an 11 year old boy are made to look like weird, incomprehensible, life-threatening perils – in fact, just the way they actually feel to an 11 year old boy. Admiral Skink is Lance’s alter ego in many ways. When, his mind trapped in Lance’s body, he goes on a ruinous rampage through town astride a dinosaur, it’s hard not to feel that it is the frustrated child Lance himself who is taking destructive revenge on a world that constantly slights him.

Science fiction is often about what ifs – what philosophers call thought experiments – ways in which we reimagine the world to compare and contrast it with the one we’re familiar with. Children do this with constant and unthinking freedom in their games, and by writing comic science fiction for them, as an adult I can go some way towards recapturing that freedom.

***

Many thanks for your thoughts on writing comic scifi Mark.

Space Lizards Stole My Brain is released today!

WINNER: The Statisical Probability of Love at First Sight

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:38:00 +0000

Just one more day to wait until the release of The Statisical Probability of Love at First Sight.

I've read this charming tender book and my review is coming soon...

To celebrate the release I have one signed hardback copy to giveaway on behalf of the lovely people at Headline.

To Enter:

Complete the form below.

Open to UK entrants only.

Under 16s must get parent / guardian permission before entering and provide their parent's email address rather than their own. Check my Contest Policy for further information.

Closing date:

CLOSED

WINNER:
Congratulations to Melanie of Library Mice. I'll be in touch for your details.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Flying Free: Book blogging for me 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I am setting myself a challenge. I am calling it Flying Free: Book Blogging for Me 2012.

The terms of this challenge are:
There are no terms!

You read what you like, when you like and then you review it if you feel like it.

Call me a revolutionary but I want to return to reading for the sheer joy of it. Welcome to 2012 at The Bookette.

These are books that I have been meaning to read for ages and would, in an ideal world, like to have read by the end of 2012. But hey, no pressure!

Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts
Time Riders Book 3 by Alex Scarrow
Pegasus by Robin Mckinley
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Scat by Carl Haasen
The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan
Heroes of Olympus Book 2 by Rick Riordan

I'm going to add more books to this list as I sort through my shelves.

You can join me if you want and do your own Flying Free post.

I'll put a linky here (just in case) but if I'm going solo that is totally cool too!

See you in the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

That's it from The Bookette for 2011.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

See you in 2012!

Reading Challenges: Completed

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:54:00 +0000

The good news is I did complete two challenges. Horray!

2011 Debut Author Challenge

Books read:

Entangled by Cat Clarke REVIEW
Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis REVIEW
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White REVIEW
Hidden by Miriam Halahmy REVIEW
Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson REVIEW
The Memory Cage by Ruth Eastham REVIEW
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand REVIEW
Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien REVIEW
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard REVIEW
Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson REVIEW
Divergent by Veronica Roth REVIEW
Blood Red Road by Moira Young REVIEW
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher REVIEW

Target 12 books.

13 books read and reviewed = CHALLENGE COMPLETE

2011 British Books Challenge

Books read:

Candy by Kevin Brooks REVIEW
Ravenwood by Andrew Peters REVIEW
Waves by Sharon Dogar REVIEW
Shadow Web by N.M. Browne REVIEW
City of Masks by Mary Hoffman REVIEW
The Returners by Gemma Malley REVIEW
The Declaration by Gemma Malley REVIEW
Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis REVIEW
Entangled by Cat Clarke REVIEW
The Island by Sarah Singleton REVIEW
The Stranger by Sarah Singleton REVIEW
The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo REVIEW
Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson REVIEW
The 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison REVIEW
The 13 Curses by Michelle Harrison REVIEW
The 13 Secrets by Michelle Harrison REVIEW
The Memory Cage by Ruth Eastham REVIEW
Exodus by Julie Bertagna REVIEW
Paradise Barn by Victor Watson REVIEW
My So Called Haunting by Tamsyn Murray REVIEW
Immortal War by Justin Somper REVIEW
The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence REVIEW
David by mary Hoffman REVIEW
Emerald by Karen Wallace REVIEW
Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould REVIEW
The Thief Taker's Apprentice by Stephen Deas REVIEW
Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper REVIEW
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher REVIEW
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick REVIEW
When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman REVIEW
Blood Red Road by Moira Young REVIEW
Hidden by Miriam Halahmy REVIEW
Bloodstone (Rebel Angels Book 2) by Gillian Philip REVIEW
Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David REVIEW

Target 12 books for a Home Grown blogger

34 books read and reviewed = CHALLENGE COMPLETE

Sadly, I didn't make the 50 books target which I'd set for any really keen British bloggers. But I'm really pleased that some of you wonderful people did make it. I haven't forgotten about your crowns but I haven't had time to think about it yet.

Reading Challenges: Failed

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:56:00 +0000

Oh dear...

I haven't made my targets on two challenges.

The 2011 Aussie YA Challenge

Books read:

The Dead of Night by John Marsden - REVIEW
Becoming Bindy MacKenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty REVIEW
Finding Cassie Crazy by Jaclyn Moriarty REVIEW
TroubleTwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams REVIEW
Stride's Summer by Jenni Overend REVIEW

The target was 6 books! I was so close.

The Anne McCaffrey Reading Challenge 2011

Books read: 0

The target was 2 books! I read none. That is so terrible.

At least I gave the Aussie YA challenge a good shot. Next year I must be very selective about which challenges I sign up to.

End of Year Survey: Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:39:00 +0000

Last year I participated in Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner's End of Year Survey. So this year I thought I'd answer the questions again. Swapping 2010 for 2011.

Part Two:

1. New favourite book blog you discovered in 2011?
My favourite new blog to follow this year is The Tales Compendium. I love Jess's reviews and finding out about Aussie fiction through her blog. I love her less is more method. Blogs which don't post for the sake of posting are my favourite kind. I want to be more like Jess.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2011?
Hmmm... I guess it was Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard. I love it when a book gives me food for thought and this was one of those situations. I wanted to write a review because I felt I had something to say. That hasn't always been the case this year. Some books I just felt indifferent about and so the reviews were a bit soulless.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
I didn't have any discussions this year. That kind of surprised me actually.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else's blog?

Caroline's Lesbian Teen Novels Week back in July was thought-provoking from start to finish. She showcased so many titles and I really admire her for putting so much of her soul into it.

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
I haven't been to many real life events this year. I found myself being overwhelmed by them. But I did invite authors to come into school and one of them was Ali Sparkes. Her workshops with my Year 3s and 4s were brilliant. I sold more books than ever at the signings and now nine months later her books are still racing off the library shelves. I love it when that happens.

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2011?
This year it's easy. My highlight has been working with Catnip Publishing on the new cover for Song Quest. We are weeks away from it's release now. I'm so delighted Catnip are bringing it back into print.

7. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.) ?

I guess this must be my kobo. I'm still not sold on the whole ereader experience. But I love downloading the previews. Sometimes when you're in a bookshop you buy a book based on the blurb. Then when you get home you realise the style of writing is not your cup of tea. Well now I download lots of previews and read them in bed. Then I pick the books that hook me with their first few pages. It's a really great system!

Well that's it for the survey. My next posts will be for completed (or not) challenges!

End of Year Survey: Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:06:00 +0000

Last year I participated in Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner's End of Year Survey. So this year I thought I'd answer the questions again. Swapping 2010 for 2011.

Part One:

1. The Best Book of 2011?
I'm going to pick two. A UK one and a US one.

The Best UK YA book of 2011 is Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis.

The Best US YA book of 2011 is Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard.

Surprisingly they are both realism which is not my favourite genre. Both books are incredible!

2. Worst Book of 2011?
I'm picking a book that was actually published in hardback last year. But I got the paperback this year (thank goodness I didn't invest in the hardback). The award for one of the worst books ever penned goes to... I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (or a bunch of anonymous people). I didn't get beyond 30 pages. It was just awful. Present tense perhaps? Who knows... I genuinely believe it to be unreadable.

3. Most Disappointing Book of 2011?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Eek! A controversial choice I think. But it had so much hype and I found it really challenging to read. So many perspectives to follow and then the recounting of the circus, switching forward and back in time. Five people in the staff book group loved it. Three thought it was so-so. I'm in the latter category and seeming as it was my choice, I was left disappointed.

4. Most Surprising in a Good Way Book of 2011?
I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. It really charmed me.

5. Book You Recommended Most to People in 2011?
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. A complete surprise to me when I read it. I was on the edge of my seat. It was nice to read a book for the staff book group and find that not only did I enjoy it but I loved it. So now I recommend it to everyone. I lent it to my sister and now it's her favourite book.

6. Best Series You Discovered in 2011?
The Curse Workers by Holly Black. A series which I know everyone was raving about but frankly the US cover of White Cat was hideous. I didn't think I'd ever pick it up. But I had dinner at a conference with the lovely Nina Douglas of Orion and she promised me it was excellent. She also hooked me in when she explained about the gloves. I can't wait for Book 3 now.

7. Favourite New Authors Discovered in 2011?
Robin Wasserman - Hacking Harvard was brilliant. Stephen Deas - in my phase of reading as much Gollanzc YA as possible I stumbled upon The Thief Taker's Apprentice and thoroughly enjoyed it.

8. Most Hilarious Read of 2011?
Swim the Fly by Don Calame. Totally had me laughing out loud so much that my husband kept moaning at me! And I was in the garden. He was inside the house.

9. Most Thrilling Unputdownable Book read in 2011?
Divergent by Veronica Roth. A total page-turner - lots of action but also great characterisation.

10. Book you most Anticipated in 2011?
Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles. It was a fun read. It didn't have the passion of Perfect Chemistry but it was still highly enjoyable.

11. Favourite Cover of a Book you Read in 2011?
Chain Reaction. So steamy!

12. Most Memorable Character in 2011?Katsa of Graceling! I can still picture her in my mind crossing those mountains.

13. Most Beautifully Written Book of 2011?
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard. Such poignant observations about life.

14. Book that had the greatest impact upon you in 2011?

So this is perhaps a strange choice but my pick is Hacking Harvard. Since September my health has not been good and I hardly felt like reading or really doing anything at all. So when I read Hacking Harvard and it was such a joy, I felt like I'd been reminded about why I love reading and why I love life and a book couldn't have given me a greater gift at that time.

15. Book that you can't believe you waited until 2011 to read?
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. When I first started blogging everyone said it was amazing but I didn't believe them. More fool me. It was absolutely outstanding. I cannot wait for Bitterblue!

Part Two coming soon...

Review: Stride's Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:23:00 +0000

Author: Jenni Overend

Release date: 2007 paperback
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Target audience: 10+
Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Review:

Stride’s Summer is a contemporary story set on the Australian coast. It is a touching story of loss, grief, family and friendship.

This novel opens as Stride is on his way to his father’s funeral. It follows Stride and his family as they come to terms with their grief. Stride’s mother shuts her children out as she struggles to cope with her loss. Stride is angry and they often argue over silly things like the chores around the house. Stride finds strength through his attachment to his late father’s cockatoo. Ferd is a great comfort to Stride and this book is in part about their growing relationship. Stride takes Ferd everywhere – for walks on the beach, for bike rides and even lets him sleep in his bedroom.

Stride meets a strange girl near the beach and he is unsettled by her and the way Ferd responds to her. Stride resents tourists who take over the beach which he has lived by his whole life. This story evokes the Australian setting wonderfully – the wildlife, the beach, the homes, the bush – the authenticity of the world was tangible.

There is a simple and gentle heart to this story. It is about Stride coming-of-age through his grief but also through his bravery. He has to find a way to become his own self and the man of the house. The book has a simple plot but it has a surprisingly fast pace with great action and it seems to race ahead. I think this novel will suit younger teens as it conveys the sadness of loss but also the comfort of friendship. There is no gritty edge but I’m sure there wasn’t meant to be. It is about a boy and his bird and their journey together to find a way forward after such a tragic loss. Stride’s Summer is a short, touching read.

Read for the Aussie YA Challenge 2011.

The Bookette's Guide to ... Popular Books this Term

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The Christmas term is nearly finished. Horray!

So want to know which books topped the charts at school this term? Read on... I've highlighted the books that were on my 'If you like Wimpy Kid, try...' display. I do believe it worked.

#1 being the most popular book in my school library since September

Boys 8 - 12

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (all of them) by Jeff Kinney
The Donut Diaries by Dermot Milligan aka Anthony McGowan
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham
Danny Baker Record Breaker: The World's Biggest Bogey by Steve Hartley
Milo and the Restart Button by Alan Silberberg
Scream Street: Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donbavand
Big Nate Out Loud by Lincoln Peirce
Boys United (Football Academy) by Tom Palmer
Into the Shadows (Nemesis #1) by Catherine MacPhail

Girls 8 - 12

Dork Diaries: Pop Stars by Renee Russell
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (all of them)
How to Get What You Want by Peony Pinker by Jenny Alexander
Candyfloss by Jacqueline Wilson
Jane Eyre (abridged version)
My Sister's A Vampire (all of them) by Sienna Mercer
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon
Stars on Ice (Skate School #1) by Kay Woodward
Best Friends by Jacqueline Wilson

Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever is the most reserved book in the library right now. I bought three copies. We have at least seven children waiting to read it. So I guess the reign of the wimpy kid will long continue. I expect half the school will have put it on their Christmas letter to Santa Claus.

Winner of the Ashes Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:15:00 +0000

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the Ashes Giveaway is Ryan. Thank you to everyone who entered. There will be more giveaways in the new year.

Ryan, Congratulations! Expect an email from The Bookette.

Irena's Review: Marcelo in the Real World

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:13:00 +0000

Author: Francisco X. Stork

Release date: 1^st February 2011 UK

Genre: Realism

Target audience: 12+

UK Publisher: Scholastic

Summary:

Marcelo Sandoval hears music no one else can hear--part of the autism-like impairment no doctor has been able to identify--and he's always attended a special school where his differences have been protected. But the summer after his junior year, his father demands that Marcelo work in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world." There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm.

He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture he finds in a file -- a picture of a girl with half a face -- that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.

Reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the intensity and purity of its voice, this extraordinary novel is a love story, a legal drama, and a celebration of the music each of us hears inside.

Irena’s Review:

Marcelo in the Real World is a heart-warming tale about self-discovery, personal growth and standing up for who you are.

Seventeen-year-old Marcelo Sandoval is different from his peers and not only that, but different from everyone else he knows: Marcelo has a condition no one has really been able to identify, but it is closest to Asperger's Syndrome. Marcelo doesn't see the world the way others see it, and he doesn't feel the same way, either. He has had to learn about feelings, jokes, double meanings and about what is expected from him in society. Marcelo has always been sheltered from the society of "normal" people, being allowed to live in his world, according to his own rules and likes. When his father wants him to work at his firm for a summer, Marcelo feels his world is about to collapse. He faces the "real" world bravely, but no matter how much he tries to avoid the changes - for Marcelo doesn't like changes - the real world begins to affect him.

The novel has been compared to Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and parallels can be drawn between the two novels, but Marcelo is a hero who stands out for his own merit and offers the reader an intriguing story that includes crime and romance. Marcelo's personal growth was my favourite part of the novel. While facing the so-called real world caused him to lose some of the things he cherished, they were replaced by new feelings and perceptions that he welcomed maturely. Although perceived by some (uninformed) people as retarted, Marcelo is far from it and he shows that being different is simply being yourself. Marcelo sticks to his principles and convictions, and surprised the reader with his great moral compass, strengthened by the doubt he has to surpass and the lies he has to face.

Marcelo is a memorable character that definitely makes the book what it is; heart-warming and thought-provoking. There is a bit of romance present and it was intriguing to witness Marcelo, who didn't really know what love was, experience it for the first time and I believe the author recorded his feelings - including his disappointment - beautifully. There is also a crime story that shows Marcelo's bravery, as he is able to stand his ground, even if it means hurting someone very close to him.

Marcelo in the Real World is a novel that can be enjoyed by anyone who has ever felt the slightest bit different, or simply by those enjoy a good story about real-life characters. The novel stayed with me after I turned the last page, and I hope you will experience a similar feeling.

Becky says: This book sounds stunning Irena. I think I’d love this. It sounds like it embodies so many different and yet complimentary themes. Thanks for the review.

Both our thanks go to Scholastic for sending the book to review.

Review: Hacking Harvard

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:25:00 +0000

Author: Robin Wasserman

Release date: 2007 US paperback
Genre: Contemporary YA Fiction
Target audience: 12+
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Review:

Hacking Harvard is a funny, contemporary teen novel set in Cambridge, Boston. Think: subversive techno spy novel meets a high school romance with a great big helping of humour thrown in!

The first time I tried to read this book my brain just didn’t get it. The opening scene sees the three main characters – Eric, Max and Schwarz – mid-action. They are undertaking a hack. But because we are also given their code names for the operation, it was all rather confusing. I bought this book when I was in Boston, specifically in the Harvard Coop – a book store that is actually mentioned in the book – so I really wanted to read and enjoy it. So I decided to come back to it another time when my brain was less tired and the second time, I did get it. Not only did I get it, but I found it to be absolutely brilliant. Hacking Harvard is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Eric, Max and Schwarz are self-proclaimed geeks. They wear their geekiness with pride. Eric is characterised with a very strong sense of right and wrong. His world is black and white and he doesn’t accept any middle ground. He’s a technological genius and he uses it to rebel against the system and the corporate machine. Max is more of an entrepreneur. He is motivated by money and is more of an ideas guy. Schwarz adores numbers. He is already a Harvard student and he is unable to say no to anyone so ends out getting into all kind of mischief. But the person who tells this story is Alexandra – Lex to her friends – and she is full of surprises.

There were so many fantastic things about this book. The characterisation was quirky and the dialogue had a funny and captivating spark. From the outset Eric, Max and Schwarz’s goal is clear: they will get a bona fide bum into Harvard. It will be the best hack of all time. Each character has his own reasons for taking on the challenge. I felt in very safe hands reading this book. The direction of the story was always clear. There were obstacles in the way of hacking into Harvard and our heroes had to find ways to overcome them. Then there is the love story. It was sweet and frustrating and charming but I want to keep you guessing about that. It is a joy to discover as part of the reading journey. The stakes of the story kept being raised and so I really wanted the hack to come off. I was rooting for them.

Having visited Harvard and Cambridge, the setting felt very familiar to me and I had such a clear picture in my mind about how and where the action unfolded. But above all, this book was simply a joy to read. It was funny. It was tense. It was romantic. It was quirky. I cannot recommend it enough. For me, Hacking Harvard had everything a great teen book should have: great dialogue, fast pace, relatable characters, humour and a cracking plot. Robin Wasserman’s genius writing was an absolute pleasure to read and I am so happy that I brought this book all the way home from the USA.

BBC: Link up your Completed Challenge posts

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:21:00 +0000

So you've finished the challenge?

Congratulations!

Please link up below your post listing all the books you reviewed. I would love to find out exactly how many British books we reviewed altogether.

You've still got time to get in a few more... Link up until the end of the year. And if you loved it this time, hop on over to Kirsty's blog The Overflowing Library and sign up for the 2012 CHALLENGE.

Oh and leave a comment with the title of your favourite British book that you read this year. I want to know what I've been missing out on. It might inspire me to sign up for next year too.

Thank you!