Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts
Monday, 27 April 2020
A Fabulous round of "This or That" questions with Nicki Thornton, author of The Seth Seppi mysteries including the latest awesome title "The Cut-Throat Cafe" - Out now from Chicken House Books.
We're joining a fabulous blog tour to celebrate a local author now, awesome Nicki Thornton whose brilliant Seth Seppi Mysteries are available from Chicken House Books, including C's favourite to date - the superb Book Of The Week-winning "The Cut-Throat Cafe".
We've cooked up a series of 10 "This or That" questions to tax Nicki's amazing brain, so here without further ado are our questions and Nicki's answers. Take it away Nicki!
Cats or Dogs?
Oh start with a tough one why not! There is a widely held belief that you do have to be more one or the other, but I would like to say I have met many dogs I have loved; many smart pooches, many soppy-but-lovely ones. And some real monsters I would cross the street to avoid. And it is the same with cats. I should like to make a plea that I be allowed to make a judgment on each individual.
Magicians or Sorcerors?
As you probably know from the fact that I make up words in my books, I am quite interested in words and their origins. There are many different ways of referring to magical folk. Did you know ‘wizard’ probably relates to being wise (as in the middle ages, philosophy and the ability to see into the future and magic, were pretty blurred).
The words magician and sorcerer are pretty interchangeable, but I generally use ‘sorcerer’ as just about the only difference I can ever find is that ‘magician’ can refer to someone using sleight of hand or tricks. (That’s more information that you really wanted, isn’t it?)
Cakes or Biscuits?
If you were to ask my family this question they would instantly tell you that I am ‘very strange’ because I really don’t have a sweet tooth so I don’t go mad for either. Worse, when I make my own I cut down the sugar. Any pudding that doesn’t taste particularly sweet in our house gets referred to as a ‘mum pudding’ and the rest of my family avoid these. Most shop-bought biscuits I can taste little except sugar (nasty). So I would go for the cake, but would quite probably remove that nasty layer of icing. Yep – strange, I have been told!
Would you rather run a cosy cafe or a busy bookshop?
This is a very easy one for me. My preference for books over cake is very high. I can spend all day talking about books, even ones I don’t personally like. Whereas I tend to look at anyone with a piece of cake and just think ‘why are you eating that?’ It is no surprise that I was actually a bookseller for many years. I have never had a great deal of success selling cake.
Seaside or Countryside for a holiday?
Too too tough. I am lucky enough to live somewhere we can get out into the countryside quite easily, so for holidays we tend to head for somewhere with big waves.
Enid Blyton or J.K. Rowling?
I spent many hours as a child enjoying the company of Enid Blyton. She was kind of a one-woman industry for years. I hadn’t re-read any since my childhood I was pleased that when I read my favourite series of hers (the five find-outers) to my children, they did love them too. Funny, with great, yet simple puzzles.
Before Harry Potter were there even any specialist children’s publishers? Or specialist agents exclusively for children’s books? Did any children’s books ever get reviewed? JK Rowling kind of single-handedly revolutionised an entire industry, and one where I now earn my living. I am a huge fan of JK Rowling.
I also totally love Harry Potter and a self-confessed nerd, so don’t get me started on just how much I love those books. (Ask me a HP question, go on, anything . . .)
Brown Sauce or Tomato Ketchup on a Bacon Butty, Hotdog or Burger?
Easy one – you can keep all of it. I am vegetarian and although I would eat a veggie burger I would not put brown or red sauce on it (‘why are you eating that?’
Chocolate or Cheese?
I have nothing particularly against chocolate. It’s just that I love cheese. Cheese is my idea of pudding heaven. Chocolate is ok as long as it is not sweet. The plainer the better. Sorry cream eggs, you are the worst offenders in the ‘Why are you eating that?’ of the chocolate world
Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn?
Tricky, tricky. One of the things I most love about the UK is the seasons. I like the UK weather, I really do. I love watching how things change and nature comes around. I like rain. The only thing I get fed up with is when anything goes on too long withoutchanging, so even I will grumble if it is still cold and rainy by May, but apart from that, you can’t really have any of them without the others, so I am going to choose them all. Greedy, I know!
Mary Poppins or Nanny McPhee.
You have caught me out on this one! You have picked two books I have somehow passed on. I have not even watched the Nanny McPhee film. So a poor show from me on your final question. Apologies (Nanny McPhee, based on Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda books, right?) I have seen the Julie Andrews Mary Poppins film, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t entirely faithful to the book so possibly not fair to judge on that. Must now go and read Mary Poppins, I have heard it’s very good and that there are even several books.
Our huge thanks to Nicki for answering such tricky questions with aplomb! Check out Nicki's fabulous books including "The Cut-Throat Cafe", all available now from Chicken House Books and do check out the rest of the awesome stops on this blog tour - see below!
Monday, 22 July 2019
A fab Q & A with Nicki Thornton, author of the fantastic "The Last Chance Hotel" and "The Bad Luck Lighthouse" (Chicken House Books)
Labels:
Blog Tour,
Chicken House Books,
Nicki Thornton,
ReadItDaddy Interviews,
The Bad Luck Lighthouse
In "The Bad Luck Lighthouse" Seth Seppi and his moggy sidekick Nightshade are back for more mysterious antics, all tinged with a touch of dark magic.
We've been totally engrossed in this book for weeks, and it won our well-deserved "Book of the Week" accolade so do go and check out our review.
In the meantime we're also joining the blog tour for this fab book with a devilishly tricky set of questions for Nicki, which she answered with great gusto!
So without further ado, let's dig in!
Take it away Nicki!
5 Questions from Phil
Q1) Congratulations Nicki on your second book! Let's kick off by asking whether it was easier /
harder to work on "The Bad Luck Lighthouse" than "The Last Chance Hotel"?
A1) Thank you! I am delighted I have a second book. Particularly because The Last Chance Hotel was so extremely hard to write.
I thought about the idea for ages. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted a detective plot. I knew I
needed to construct an entire magical world, and to create a large cast of characters from which you
had to guess whodunnit.
I really wanted it to have all those elements of classical detective stories that I love. To me, this means red herrings, not just clues. You have to be able to bring the reader up short, backtrack, mislead them into thinking the wrong thing...but without leaving them utterly bewildered, or guessing too easily!
The word count for the age group suddenly seemed too small to pack all this in! (I know EXACTLY what you mean! - Ed)
I got the world and the magic and the main characters long before I finally had a plot and a way into
the story. After my far-seeing publisher said they wanted to publish, it then took two years of editing.
I rewrote the entire book four times for structure to navigate where to put the clues / how to balance the backstory / have a complex plot – yet make sure it’s actually very easy to read.
So yes, by the second book, luckily I had a little more idea of how to do it!
Q2) You're so amazing at worldbuilding in your stories! Do you ever have real-life locations in
mind when you think up where you're going to set your books?
A2) Thank you again! Yes indeed. And you quite possibly know the inspiration for The Last Chance Hotel because I suspect you might have been to Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire? (We haven't but we're going to make it our business to do so!! - Ed)
A big, marvellous wood, and right in the middle is this really strange house. It looks like it belongs in the Black Forest – not in the UK at all. And it’s huge. To me it looked like a witch’s house, except blown up to vast proportions.
And, I stayed in a lighthouse once. That isolation and all that raw nature when a storm blew up. Of course I’d have to set a murder mystery there.
A4) Ha ha! I was completely thrilled that Chicken House wanted to stay with Seth and his friends – the whole team there has been incredibly supportive. When I was trying to dream up how I could do a murder mystery set in a magical world, I inevitably ended up with a whole world and a huge sprawling story in my head.
One of the difficulties was knowing where to start, and I think that was one of the biggest struggles of writing The Last Chance Hotel – way too much story for one book.
Seth still has a whole lot more to learn about the magical world. He learns more about magic (while
solving a murder, of course).
So, of course, you start to wonder: why would that house have been built here . . .? I never thought the Last Chance Hotel actually looked like that, but I loved the feeling of having stumbled on something extraordinary and that’s I wanted to create.
And, I stayed in a lighthouse once. That isolation and all that raw nature when a storm blew up. Of course I’d have to set a murder mystery there.
You don’t have to travel far to find the world is full of wonder if you have curiosity and imagination and that is pretty much the starting point for my stories.
Q3) I think we might have asked this one before but it's worth asking again. Were there any
customers from your time at Mostly Books who ended up in the books by hook or by crook
(you can tell us, we won't tell anyone else, honest!)
Q3) I think we might have asked this one before but it's worth asking again. Were there any
customers from your time at Mostly Books who ended up in the books by hook or by crook
(you can tell us, we won't tell anyone else, honest!)
A3) Working in a shop is great for coming into contact with all sorts of people, which is gold dust when it comes to writing characters. Although there is no single person I consciously wanted to put in a book, you can’t help but soak up all the mannerisms and quirkiness out there. You can put in all the niceness you encounter, but also writing is definitely therapeutic for getting out all your crossness!
Q4) We know you're busily working away on book 3. Any sneaky exclusives we can share
about it with our readers or would Chicken House put you in the doghouse for revealing
anything?
about it with our readers or would Chicken House put you in the doghouse for revealing
anything?
A4) Ha ha! I was completely thrilled that Chicken House wanted to stay with Seth and his friends – the whole team there has been incredibly supportive. When I was trying to dream up how I could do a murder mystery set in a magical world, I inevitably ended up with a whole world and a huge sprawling story in my head.
One of the difficulties was knowing where to start, and I think that was one of the biggest struggles of writing The Last Chance Hotel – way too much story for one book.
Seth still has a whole lot more to learn about the magical world. He learns more about magic (while
solving a murder, of course).
In book 3 the action moves deeper into being among magical people. Just as Seth gets a slim chance of a proper magical apprenticeship and a more secure magical future, it is the apprentices who are coming under attack.
In editing, things change – but I’ve just had my first editorial feedback and I’m confident those elements are going to stay! (oooh awesome, you heard it here first folks! - Ed)
Q5) Do you have any would-be author tips and tricks about planning your stories that you'd
love to share?
A5) Learn to love editing!
No, seriously. The thing is to be brave, just write, and accept you are not going to get it all perfect.
Planning for me is less important than writing regularly. Write a lot. And write what’s important to you.
I think about things a lot before I start to write. But knowing what my character wants and what I want my readers to feel is more important than having the plot all sorted out.
Get words on a page. Get to the end (so important). And usually about the end of the first draft the story will reveal itself to you and you will finally know what you are writing about.
...and now 5 questions from C and her mum (who *MIGHT* eventually let me read the book once they've finished it!)
Q6) How long did it take (roughly) to write your second book?
A6) Lovely to hear you are reading it together! Sharing books is such a particularly enjoyable way of reading.
Writing is definitely a habit with me. So I would have started it probably three years ago, working on it in between two years’ of editing for The Last Chance Hotel.
In editing, things change – but I’ve just had my first editorial feedback and I’m confident those elements are going to stay! (oooh awesome, you heard it here first folks! - Ed)
Q5) Do you have any would-be author tips and tricks about planning your stories that you'd
love to share?
A5) Learn to love editing!
No, seriously. The thing is to be brave, just write, and accept you are not going to get it all perfect.
Planning for me is less important than writing regularly. Write a lot. And write what’s important to you.
I think about things a lot before I start to write. But knowing what my character wants and what I want my readers to feel is more important than having the plot all sorted out.
Get words on a page. Get to the end (so important). And usually about the end of the first draft the story will reveal itself to you and you will finally know what you are writing about.
...and now 5 questions from C and her mum (who *MIGHT* eventually let me read the book once they've finished it!)
Q6) How long did it take (roughly) to write your second book?
A6) Lovely to hear you are reading it together! Sharing books is such a particularly enjoyable way of reading.
Writing is definitely a habit with me. So I would have started it probably three years ago, working on it in between two years’ of editing for The Last Chance Hotel.
I finished a first draft of The Bad Luck Lighthouse in September 2018 and for it to have time to go into production and be printed and distributed by summer 2019, all the changes had to be done by January. So it was a slow first two years, then a real foot-to-the-floor. My editor and I did in four months what probably took eighteen for the first book.
Q7) We love the way you describe Nightshade in the book, but are you more of a cat or dog person?
A7) That is so tough, and my answer is that I like both! I have had both cats and dogs that have been important in my life, all of which have had bags of personality, which is probably why I love writing Nightshade.
A7) That is so tough, and my answer is that I like both! I have had both cats and dogs that have been important in my life, all of which have had bags of personality, which is probably why I love writing Nightshade.
She’s got rather a high opinion of herself, but she’s also comforting.
Q8) What made you think up characters named after plants? Great idea by the way!
A8) One of the fun things about being a writer is how you use words to give subtle messages. But these are usually just fun things a writer likes to do, knowing most people won’t even spot them – so you are very clever to have picked up on this.
I have three reasons for doing this (probably sounds like a lot for what seems a really minor part of the book). But plants have such great names. And not many people know them! It is such fun to have a name like bladderwrack, when it’s a real thing and you don’t even have to make it up.
Sorcery in my books is something that has been around for a very long time and often runs in families, so giving many of them ancient, natural names is also a way of emphasising this.
And the final reason is that Seth has lived his life being very in tune with the outdoors, something that is, sadly, increasingly uncommon for children in the UK. So it was partly my way of making plants and nature important to the story.
Q9) If your books became a movie or TV show, who would you cast as Seth?
A9) Please can I have a younger Eddie Redmayne (may need a time machine) (GOOD choice! - Ed)
Q10) What were your favourite books as a child?
A10) I grew up on my mum’s old Enid Blyton books, Paddington, devoured Roald Dahl and loved The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. But I was always a curious reader and stumbled on Agatha Christie and was completely hooked, and spent pretty much the rest of my childhood working my way through Sherlock Holmes, Dorothy Sayers, Ellery Queen, etc. That, coupled with the sorts of things they made me read at school – I think I was probably at least fifteen before I realised that you could actually read a book by a person who wasn’t dead.
Thanks for coming up with all your brilliant questions. Keep reading as a family. It is fantastic!
Q8) What made you think up characters named after plants? Great idea by the way!
A8) One of the fun things about being a writer is how you use words to give subtle messages. But these are usually just fun things a writer likes to do, knowing most people won’t even spot them – so you are very clever to have picked up on this.
I have three reasons for doing this (probably sounds like a lot for what seems a really minor part of the book). But plants have such great names. And not many people know them! It is such fun to have a name like bladderwrack, when it’s a real thing and you don’t even have to make it up.
Sorcery in my books is something that has been around for a very long time and often runs in families, so giving many of them ancient, natural names is also a way of emphasising this.
And the final reason is that Seth has lived his life being very in tune with the outdoors, something that is, sadly, increasingly uncommon for children in the UK. So it was partly my way of making plants and nature important to the story.
Q9) If your books became a movie or TV show, who would you cast as Seth?
A9) Please can I have a younger Eddie Redmayne (may need a time machine) (GOOD choice! - Ed)
Q10) What were your favourite books as a child?
A10) I grew up on my mum’s old Enid Blyton books, Paddington, devoured Roald Dahl and loved The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. But I was always a curious reader and stumbled on Agatha Christie and was completely hooked, and spent pretty much the rest of my childhood working my way through Sherlock Holmes, Dorothy Sayers, Ellery Queen, etc. That, coupled with the sorts of things they made me read at school – I think I was probably at least fifteen before I realised that you could actually read a book by a person who wasn’t dead.
Thanks for coming up with all your brilliant questions. Keep reading as a family. It is fantastic!
...And thank YOU Nicki for such a brilliant set of answers to our tricky questions!
THE BAD LUCK LIGHTHOUSE – the sequel to Nicki’s bestselling debut THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL – is out now, published by Chicken House.
THE BAD LUCK LIGHTHOUSE – the sequel to Nicki’s bestselling debut THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL – is out now, published by Chicken House.
Connect with Nicki on Twitter: @nicki_thornton and don't forget to catch up with all the other stops on the Blog Tour below!
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
More from the "How Rude!" Blog Tour with our review of this hilarious new picture book by Clare Helen Welsh and Olivier Tallec (Words and Pictures)
Friday, 29 June 2018
Joining Matt Brown's awesome blog tour for "Aliens Invaded my Talent Show" with a guest post from the man himself. @mattbrownauthor @Usborne
Author Matt (Compton Valance) Brown has put his considerable comic talents into "Aliens Invaded my Talent Show" coming soon from Usborne Publishing.
To celebrate the launch of the book we've handed over the reins of the blog to Matt himself to talk about his comedy influences, and all things alienesque.
Take it away Matt...!
Aliens Invaded My Talent Show! Blog: Comedy Influences
My new book, "Aliens Invaded my Talent Show!" is, I hope, the funniest book you will ever read about aliens invading a talent show. I have spent my whole life obsessing about funny TV shows and reading funny books and comics. To my simplistic brain, there is little in life as thrilling as the sight (and sound) of someone fall about laughing when you tell them a joke.
Comedy double-acts have always been my thing. For as long as I can remember I have loved watching partnerships like Laurel and Hardy, Morecambe and Wise, and Reeves and Mortimer. And, if I’m honest, I think that the aliens in Aliens Invaded My Talent Show!are my attempt to create my own double-act.
When I was growing up, I had two favourite comedy actors, Rik Mayall and Ade Edmundson and I watched everything they were in. And I mean everything; the Young Ones, Filthy Rich & Catflap, Happy Families, the Comic Strip, Bottom as well as a host of cameo appearances, charity performances and movie roles. If they were in it, I wanted to watch it. I loved the way they bickered and squabbled and fought with each other. They were sort of like Tom and Jerry but they made jokes about farting. So, when it came to creating my alien double-act, I looked to Rik and Ade for inspiration and found it in one of their earliest incarnations, the Dangerous Brothers. The way my aliens speak and act with each other is based on Richard and Sir Adrian.
Speaking of the aliens, I named them after one of my all-time favourite jokes. The joke involves the actor, Edward Woodward, who was famous when I was in school. Okay, here is the joke, and it is much funnier if you say it out loud. Go on, try it on someone…
Why does Edward Woodward have so many ‘w’s in his name?
Because otherwise he’d be Edard ooDard.
Why does Edward Woodward have so many ‘d’s in his name?
Because otherwise he’d be Ewar Woowar.
So, my head alien had the name E-Dard Oo-Dard because I LOVE that joke. In fact, in an early draft of the story, the other alien was called E-War Woo-War but it was quite confusing so he became Trevor instead.
In Aliens Invaded My Talent Show, the aliens visit Dreary Inkling Primary School to inspect the children, to see if they are worthy of life. They disguise themselves in “human clothes” and give themselves “human names”.
E-Dard Oo-Dard calls himself Mr Don O’Tenter after he sees a Do Not Enter sign but Trevor becomes known as Mr Watt-Watt-Watt-Watt after a misunderstanding.
This whole misunderstanding was inspired by a brilliant routine by Abbott & Costello called ‘Who’s on First’. Costello is trying to find out the name of the baseball player who plays first base but the name of the player on first base is Who.
About two months after I finished writing the book, this happened in real life. A footballer called Sanchez Watt was sent off for dissent after the referee thought he refused to give his name. Sometimes life is too perfect.
(Watch that Abbot and Costello clip below btw)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M&t=87s
"Aliens Invaded my Talent Show" by Matt Brown is out now, published by Usborne Books.
Thursday, 26 April 2018
A fantastic delve into Russian Folk Tales with Sophie Anderson, author of the stunning "The House With Chicken Legs" (Usborne Publishing) @sophieinspace @usborne #HouseWithChickenLegs #BlogTour
The House with Chicken Legs Blog Tour
"Fifteen Russian Fairy Tales and What They Mean to Me" by Sophie Anderson, Author of "The House with Chicken Legs" (Usborne Publishing)
We're delighted to be joined by Sophie Anderson this morning on our stop on the fabulous "The House with Chicken Legs" blog tour. Sophie has spun a superb version of the classic Baba Yaga folk tale, adding an impressively atmospheric new twist to this well-loved classic.
Sophie has joined us to talk about another Russian folk tale as part of the tour, so take it away Sophie!
4. The Death of Koschei the Deathless (on untold stories)
‘In a certain kingdom in a certain land …’
The Death of Koschei the Deathless or Maria Morevna is a Russian fairy tale,collected and published by Alexander Afanasyev in 1855.
In the story, Prince Ivan’s parents die, and his three sisters marry and leave the kingdom. Prince Ivan becomes lonely and sets off to visit his sisters. On the way he finds an army, slain by the warrior queen Maria Morevna.
Maria takes a liking to Ivan, marries him, and takes him to her kingdom. But after a while, Maria decides to leave Ivan at home while she goes off to make war again.
Before she leaves, she tells Ivan not to look in a particular closet …
Of course, Ivan looks in the closet, and finds Koschei the Deathless chained up. Koschei begs Ivan for a drink and Ivan gives him some water. This restores Koschei’s strength and he breaks his chains, runs off, and takes Maria prisoner.
Ivan sets off to rescue Maria, visiting his three sisters along the way and leaving a piece of silver with each one. He finds Maria and attempts to take her home while Koschei is out hunting. However, Koschei catches him up and steals Maria back.
This happens a second time, and a third, and on the third time Koschei cuts Ivan into tiny pieces, throws the pieces into a barrel, and casts the barrel out to sea. The pieces of silver Ivan gave his sisters blacken, so they know something bad has happened and they send their husbands to find Ivan.
They do find him, piece him back together and revive him with the water of life.
Determined to rescue Maria this time, Ivan steals a super-fast horse from Baba Yaga and whisks Maria away. But once again, Koschei catches him up. However, this time Ivan’s super-horse swings a hoof and smashes Koschei’s head, and Ivan finishes him off with a mace.
‘Thereupon the prince gathered together a pile of wood, made a fire, burned Koschei the Deathless, and scattered his ashes to the wind.’
This story fascinates because of all the untold stories it contains.
Firstly, how did Koschei the Deathless end up chained in Maria Morevna’s closet?
Considering that, at the start of story, Maria is a warrior queen capable of slaying armies, my theory is she captured and imprisoned Koschei herself. This is an untold story I would like to hear!
Secondly, why does Maria Morevna, this amazing warrior queen, turn into a damsel-in-distress half way through the story; allowing herself to be captured by Koschei and waiting at his castle – even when Koschei is out hunting - for Ivan to rescue her?
This has never felt quite right to me, and I can’t help but feel something else is going on. Perhaps Maria willingly went with Koschei … perhaps they had a history together… perhaps she was testing Prince Ivan. Or perhaps this part of the story has been completely altered by a patriarchal storyteller.
I would like to hear this part of the story told again, from Maria’s point of view, and from Koschei’s point of view, as I think they may provide a more realistic and balanced version of events.
And thirdly, how on earth is Koschei the Deathless killed by a blow to the head? Koschei the Deathless is immortal, and according to other fairy tales, can only be killed by finding his death (or his soul) which is hidden far away …
‘in the sea there is an island, on that island stands an oak, under the oak a coffer is buried, in the coffer is a hare, in the hare is a duck, in the duck is an egg, and in the egg is my death.’
I have always been fascinated by the idea of Koschei hiding his soul to become immortal. It is another untold story I would love to hear. Why did Koschei hide his soul?
Untold stories like this are rife in fairy tales, and one of the reasons they provide endless inspiration for writers. Fairy tales beg to be told from different point of views; the hero’s, the villain’s, and the damsel-in- maybe-not- as-much- distress-as- all-that’s.
It is immensely satisfying to pick at the threads that don’t feel right, and to reimagine the story until it makes more sense in your heart and mind.
And there is a lesson that carries over to real life too; about not making judgements on someone, or accepting them as a villain, without hearing their side of the story.
There is an upper YA / adult reimagining of this tale, Deathless, written by Catherynne M. Valente, published by Tor.
Monday, 5 March 2018
A fabulous "This or That" questions and answers session with Vashti Hardy, author of the fantastic "Brightstorm" (Scholastic Publishing)
We're joining in with a fantastic blog tour to celebrate the launch of "Brightstorm" by Vashti Hardy, a brilliant steampunky middle grade novel full of adventure, airships and plenty of swashbuckling.
Vashti has submitted herself to our intense scrutiny via the medium of "This or That" questions, so let's hand over to Vashti for her answers...
1) Chocolate or Cheese?
Chocolate, no hesitation! Salted caramel…
2) Pens or Pencils?
Pencils – they are excellent for sketching maps.
3) Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars! I grew up with them – Leia is my kind of princess. In fact, all the characters are marvellous in Star Wars. Most recently Rey and Finn are my favourites, and BB8 of course. I love how you can understand droids without them actually speaking!
4) A lovely cup of tea or an invigorating cup of coffee?
Ha, this one hundred percent has to be tea, tea and more tea!
5) Cats or Dogs?
Small fluffy dogs! I dream of having a Shi-Tzu puppy to take for walks.
Small fluffy dogs! I dream of having a Shi-Tzu puppy to take for walks.
6) Holidays by the sea or strolling in the countryside?
I love the countryside which is strange because I live by the sea. I’m a wannabe country girl at heart and would be more than happy spending days trudging over hills dreaming stories…
7) Airships or steam-propelled land conveyances?
Old fashioned style sky-ships I think, although land conveyances could be fun too. *ponders new invention
8) Marmite Lover or Marmite Loather?
LOVE IT. On toast with a cup of tea (my desert island food/drink picks!).
9) Writing in silence or to a background track / noise?
I like soundtracks for writing, especially when I’m germinating ideas. They get you straight to the heart of an emotion, which helps me when I’m busy and snatching time to write in between other things. I like silence when I’m editing as my brain is usually being more practical than emotional.
10) Pioneering explorer in South Polaris or Gadabout in Lontown?
Explorer, although perhaps somewhere a little warmer than South Polaris, like the Eastern Isles, or a trip back to see kings Batzorig and Temur in the Second Continent Citadel – they would be fun to spend more time with!
(Thank you for your great qs!)
...and thank you for your superb answers!
"Brightstorm" by Vashti Hardy is out now, published by Scholastic.
Vashti Hardy lives near Brighton and was a primary school teacher before moving into digital marketing. She is an alumni member and buddy at the Golden Egg Academy. Brightstorm is her debut novel published by Scholastic.
Thursday, 1 September 2016
An awesome guest post from Catherine Coe, author of the stunning "Blossom Wood" series published by Scholastic.
We're super-fortunate that today is a bit of a splurge on the blog. Posts here, posts there, posts everywhere. We couldn't resist squeezing in our stop on the fantastic "Unicorns of Blossom Wood" Blog Tour though, with a fab guest post from Catherine Coe, author of the Blossom Wood published today by Scholastic Publishing. You may have already caught up with Catherine's brilliant "The Owls of Blossom Wood" stories but now it's time for even more magic and fun with Charlotte's favourite mythical creatures.
Mr Skinny
When I was very young, I adored the Mr Men books, and so I had to pick one for this list. I’ve singled this out because I love the little tummy Mr Skinny gets at the end of the story – it never fails to make me smile.
Mrs Pepperpot by Alf Prøysen
I’ve got a big thing for tiny characters (The Borrowers nearly made this list) – and Mrs Pepperpot is definitely one of those. A little old lady who lives with her husband, Mrs Pepperpot has a secret – that she sometimes shrinks to the size of a pepperpot. It’s a simple yet vivid concept, and I liked that every book was split into many short stories – perfect for a newly confident reader as I was at the time. I also now I appreciate that the series was originally Norwegian – I wish that more foreign-language children’s books were translated into English.
Please Mrs Butler by Allan Ahlberg
One of the things I love about poetry collections is they’re perfect for reading out aloud, making reading a very social experience. And this is the great Allan Ahlberg at his finest. I remember reading the hilarious poems over and over again with family and friends – I can still recite most of them now! ‘Please Mrs Butler, this boy Derek Drew…’
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
Books set in woodland are also a love of mine – and for me, Winnie-the-Pooh started it all. But while the setting provides the atmosphere and sense of freedom in the stories, it’s the dialogue between the characters that makes them sparkle. Just flicking through my copy now, I can open any page and find a line full of such voice and vivid characterisation it’s mesmerising – I can only dream of being as talented as Milne.
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Although it may not be very PC today, this was by far and away my favourite book as a child. I couldn’t wait to get back to the tree and to discover the next land at the top – and even when I reread it (as I did many, many times), the lands still felt magical and exotic. The idea of taking readers on magical journeys is something I try to replicate in my Blossom Wood books – giving readers the feeling that anything is possible, just like Blyton did for me.
First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
Yep – another Blyton! I loved school stories. In fact, I still do (I’ve been known to commission the odd one or two in my other guise as a children’s book editor). And I read them over and over and over. Apparently, I would beg my parents to send me to boarding school – not because I didn’t like home, but because it seemed like it would be such an adventure. I didn’t want to miss out on that! But alas, I never went, and so I satisfied my appetite by reading instead. Malory Towers was my favourite Blyton school series, but I also devoured St Clare's and, when I was younger, The Naughtiest Girl in the School.
My mum and I read Matilda together when I was seven years old, taking in turns to read while I was tucked up in bed, and so, while the book is a brilliant piece of storytelling in itself, this also makes the list because of how magical those moments of reading together were. I’m a fan of many of Dahl’s books – Danny the Champion of the World is another favourite – but Matilda beats them all because she is such an extraordinary, determined character.
The first two books in Catherine’s new Unicorns of Blossom Wood series, "Believe in Magic" and "Festival Time"(with more to follow in 2017), publish today, 1st September 2016 from Scholastic Books.
Find out more on Catherine's awesome website www.blossomwoodbooks.com
Read More
Here's Catherine with her favourite children's books to share with you. Take it away Catherine!
Mr Skinny
When I was very young, I adored the Mr Men books, and so I had to pick one for this list. I’ve singled this out because I love the little tummy Mr Skinny gets at the end of the story – it never fails to make me smile.
Mrs Pepperpot by Alf Prøysen
I’ve got a big thing for tiny characters (The Borrowers nearly made this list) – and Mrs Pepperpot is definitely one of those. A little old lady who lives with her husband, Mrs Pepperpot has a secret – that she sometimes shrinks to the size of a pepperpot. It’s a simple yet vivid concept, and I liked that every book was split into many short stories – perfect for a newly confident reader as I was at the time. I also now I appreciate that the series was originally Norwegian – I wish that more foreign-language children’s books were translated into English.
Please Mrs Butler by Allan Ahlberg
One of the things I love about poetry collections is they’re perfect for reading out aloud, making reading a very social experience. And this is the great Allan Ahlberg at his finest. I remember reading the hilarious poems over and over again with family and friends – I can still recite most of them now! ‘Please Mrs Butler, this boy Derek Drew…’
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
Books set in woodland are also a love of mine – and for me, Winnie-the-Pooh started it all. But while the setting provides the atmosphere and sense of freedom in the stories, it’s the dialogue between the characters that makes them sparkle. Just flicking through my copy now, I can open any page and find a line full of such voice and vivid characterisation it’s mesmerising – I can only dream of being as talented as Milne.
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Although it may not be very PC today, this was by far and away my favourite book as a child. I couldn’t wait to get back to the tree and to discover the next land at the top – and even when I reread it (as I did many, many times), the lands still felt magical and exotic. The idea of taking readers on magical journeys is something I try to replicate in my Blossom Wood books – giving readers the feeling that anything is possible, just like Blyton did for me.
First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
Yep – another Blyton! I loved school stories. In fact, I still do (I’ve been known to commission the odd one or two in my other guise as a children’s book editor). And I read them over and over and over. Apparently, I would beg my parents to send me to boarding school – not because I didn’t like home, but because it seemed like it would be such an adventure. I didn’t want to miss out on that! But alas, I never went, and so I satisfied my appetite by reading instead. Malory Towers was my favourite Blyton school series, but I also devoured St Clare's and, when I was younger, The Naughtiest Girl in the School.
My collection of Enid Blyton school stories. The dog-eared ones on the left were originally my mum’s!
Matilda by Roald DahlMy mum and I read Matilda together when I was seven years old, taking in turns to read while I was tucked up in bed, and so, while the book is a brilliant piece of storytelling in itself, this also makes the list because of how magical those moments of reading together were. I’m a fan of many of Dahl’s books – Danny the Champion of the World is another favourite – but Matilda beats them all because she is such an extraordinary, determined character.
The first two books in Catherine’s new Unicorns of Blossom Wood series, "Believe in Magic" and "Festival Time"(with more to follow in 2017), publish today, 1st September 2016 from Scholastic Books.
Find out more on Catherine's awesome website www.blossomwoodbooks.com
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
If I weren't an Author...A brilliant guest post from Caighlan Smith, author of upcoming awesome YA novel "Children of Icarus"
Labels:
Blog Tour,
Caighlan Smith,
Children of Icarus,
Curious Fox
If I weren’t an author, I’d be…
A comic artist.
Except I’m rather inept at drawing. That might be a detriment to the plan. Plus, is being a comic artist cheating?
I’d still want to write the stories as well as draw them, so technically I’d still be an author.
OK, maybe I’d be a video game designer? I’m a huge gamer, and I will basically play anything from RPGs to farming simulators to first-person shooters. But I guess creating games would also be cheating, in a way, because I’d want to create the plot behind the games, and the characters.
I definitely wouldn’t want to do the programming, as I’m also inept with computers shy of word processers. So I’d be a video game tester. Oh yes, now that does sound nice. Very tempting too, actually. A girl can have more than one career, right? (ed note: Videogame testing is actually TERRIBLY boring, trust us on this one!)
Some of my favourite video games are fantasy related—whether it’s straight-up magic or hunting mutant demons or zombies. Fantasy’s my favourite genre in general, for games or books, and I regularly cuddle all its cousin genres: post-apocalyptic, supernatural, sci-fi, etc.
Some of my favourite video games are fantasy related—whether it’s straight-up magic or hunting mutant demons or zombies. Fantasy’s my favourite genre in general, for games or books, and I regularly cuddle all its cousin genres: post-apocalyptic, supernatural, sci-fi, etc.
 |
| Caighlan Smith |
So it’ll come as no surprise that my new novel, Children of Icarus, has a heavy dose of the fantastical. The story follows a girl who is forced to enter a labyrinth which will supposedly lead her to paradise.
Instead, she and a group of other youths must fight for survival against the horrors of the labyrinth.
Did I mention I also love survival games?
"Children of Icarus" is out now from Curious Fox. Don't forget to check out all the other stunning posts on the CoI Blog Tour!
Friday, 20 May 2016
Continuing our "Harold's Hungry Eyes" blog tour stop with the man himself, Kevin Waldron and five things that inspire him.
But what of Harold's "Dad"? His creator Kevin Waldron has come up with a devilishly good guest blog post on five things that inspire him.
Kevin Waldron grew up in Dublin and studied in London. He
now lives in New York with his wife. He shares a studio with Oliver Jeffers and
Jon Burgerman also from the UK. Waldron won the Bologna Opera Prima Award in
2009. He has published four picture books to date; The Owl and the Pussy-cat, Tiny
Little Fly, Mr Peek and the
Misunderstanding at the Zoo and Pandamonium
at Peek Zoo.
Take it away Kevin!
Five
objects that inspire my work by Kevin Waldron
1. My bike
I cycle in and out of the studio everyday over the
Manhattan Bridge. When I’m cycling all I think about is not getting run over -
I don’t think about work or bills or deadlines.
2. Music
I listen to music all day long! Sometimes the only
reason I work is to have something to do while listening to music. Here are
four albums I’ve been wearing out this month:
3. Animated shorts
Recently I became obsessed with animated shorts. I
have always been interested but the deeper and deeper I explored, the more
rewarding I found it. This sidetracked me for a while but I really think it has
helped my occupation.
4. Movies
I don’t go to the cinema very often but I get through
about five movies a week from the library. I’ve been enjoying the work of Karel
Zeman recently:
5. Books
I almost exclusively read fiction. I never leave the
apartment without a book. Here are the last four books I read:
Up in the Old Hotel (1992) Joseph Mitchell
Under the Net (1954) Iris Murdoch
Madame Bovary (1857) Gustave Flaubert
The Street of Crocodiles (1934) Bruno Schultz
Thank you so much for a brilliant guest post Kevin, and we're wishing you all the best and continued success with "Harold's Hungry Eyes"
Please do check out the rest of the stops on the "Harold's Hungry Eyes" blog tour as there are still more fantastic stops to go!
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