Hello everybody!
Today, I’m really excited to have an author interview with Jenny McLachlan, to celebrate the release of her latest YA book Truly Wildly Deeply (which shall be in my March Reviews post this Saturday!). Onto the post!
Continue reading “Bloomsbury Spring YA Tour: Author Interview with Jenny McLachlan”
Hello everybody!
Today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for Artie Conan Doyle and the Vanishing Dragon, the second book in the series. I enjoyed the first last month, so I’m looking forward to getting to this, hopefully in the next few weeks or so. Onto the interview!
Continue reading “#ArtieonTour : Author Interview with Robert J Harris.”
Hello everybody!
Today, I’m really excited to welcome the authors of the fantastic Witch’s Kiss trilogy, Kate and Liz Corr for an interview as part of their blog tour for the 3rd and final book The Witch’s Blood. Onto the interview!
Hello! Thank you so much to you both for being here ☺
Hi Amy! Thank you so much for having us and for being part of our blog tour. 🙂
1. To start off, can you please describe the trilogy in 5 words?
Love, betrayal, friendship, siblings, witchcraft.
2. What served as your inspiration for the trilogy? Am I correct in saying that the books are loose retellings of different fairytales?
Kate: You’re right, The Witch’s Kiss was originally inspired by Sleeping Beauty – but it’s a gender-reversed version of that fairytale, with a sleeping prince instead of a princess, who gets rescued (more or less!) by a teenage witch. The Witch’s Tears is part inspired by Rumplestiltskin (such a weird fairytale, and definitely one that deserves more attention)
.
Liz: There’s also a bit of Pride and Prejudice in The Witch’s Tears (in terms of Leo and Merry’s relationships with Ronan and Finn). The last book in the series, The Witch’s Blood, is the story that grew out of the first two books, but it also has hints of Rapunzel in there.
3. On that note, what are your favourite fairytales?
Liz: Apart from those mentioned above, we both love Beauty and the Beast (no surprise there) and Snow White (that glass coffin!).
Kate: I always liked Rose White and Rose Red, because for once it’s the brunette who gets the prince.
4. You collaborate on writing. How do you split the writing? Are there any main advantages or disadvantages to writing together?
Kate: We always start with a very detailed plan so we’re both (literally) on the same page, though the plan alters as we write. We start off aiming to write alternate chapters, but this usually falls apart pretty quickly since we a) write at different speeds and b) start fighting about getting to write our favourite parts.
Liz: Yeah, the disadvantage is that you can spend ages writing something then get up the next morning and find your co-writer has red-lined the entire thing and re-written it. *glares at sister* But there are way more advantages: by editing each other’s work we definitely save our editor some pain, plus there’s always someone else around who is keen to talk about our imaginary worlds.
5. Do you either of you have any unusual writing habits?
Kate: I’m not sure whether this is unusual but I have to write in complete silence. My inner (stereotypical) librarian can’t cope if there’s the slightest bit of noise. This usually means Liz and I can’t be in the same room whilst drafting, since she’s a bit… chatty.
Liz: I like to write in my PJs, with my favourite fluffy slipper boots on, for that little extra bit of comfort. But I don’t think that’s unusual. It’s not. Is it?
6. One of my favourite parts of your books are the characters. Who are your favourites, and who are you most like?
Liz: My favourite is Leo. He is the fantasy big brother we’ve always wanted but never had. Who am I most like? I want to say Merry: brave, resilient, underrated, sporty…
Kate: Sporty?? *Nearly dies laughing* I love Merry (obviously), and I have a soft spot for Jack, particularly as he’s such a key character in The Witch’s Kiss, but I’m also big fan of Finn: his character definitely develops through the two books that he’s in. My closest character match… Liz is sitting here suggesting the two most evil characters in the books, but I think (hope) I’m closest to Gran. A bit bossy, a bit judgy, but fundamentally a good person.
7. Since you`re now at the end of your first trilogy, what have been your best moments of author life so far?
Kate: Seeing our books in bookshops is always an amazing rush! The first time we saw one of our books in a window display was really special. I’ve enjoyed the events we’ve done too – having the opportunity to talk about your work is a joy.
Liz: Getting an agent was hugely exciting – it was the start of what’s turning out to be an incredible journey. And getting our first piece of fan mail through our website from a young reader was unbelievable. We’ve also been lucky enough to receive some fan art – it’s brilliant to see your characters through someone else’s eyes.
8. Can you give any hints about what you`ll be writing next?
Kate: We have a number of things on the go right now. Could be a middle grade in there somewhere, could be a high fantasy YA….
Liz: Definitely something involving magic. And given Kate’s tendencies, bad things happening to nice people!
QUICKFIRE
1. Hogwarts house?
Kate: Ravenclaw
Liz: Gryffindor
2. Cats or dogs?
Both: Cats!
3. Favourite film?
Liz: The Goonies – I always wanted to be part of their gang, discovering pirates and ‘rich stuff’ with them!
Kate: The Lord of the Rings (yes, the whole trilogy. Because Aragorn, elves, Boromir, Eowyn, etc etc.)
4. Disney character you`re most like?
Liz: Cinderella (before the Prince turns up, sadly. I spend way too much time picking up after two small children and two cats and desperately need a holiday).
Kate: Maleficent. (I’m thinking of the Angelina Jolie version, but Liz says I’m more like the original cartoon version. Excuse me while I put a curse on her…)
5. Favourite ice cream flavour?
Kate: Chocolate, or something which is mostly chocolate. NEVER vanilla.
Liz: Cookie dough. I love the extra lumps of sugary goodness. Ordinary ice cream is just not sweet enough.
Hello everybody, and happy March!
Today, I’m thrilled to be welcoming Vashti Hardy, author of debut Brightstorm (released today!) For an interview. Onto the post!
Hello everybody!
Today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for the Eye of the North, a fabulous new middle grade which is released this Thursday (you can read my review here) by interviewing it’s lovely author Sinéad. Onto the questions!
1. Can you please describe the Eye of the North in 5 words?
Exciting, friendship, secrets, scary creatures!
2. What inspired the book?
I got the ‘seed’ idea for The Eye of the North when I was about 21 (a.k.a a very long time ago), and I was working in an office job I really did not enjoy. I came up with a story about a girl named Emma Marvell working in an office job she really did not enjoy – that bit didn’t take much imagining – but her job involved the recording and cataloguing of artefacts relating to mysterious, mythical creatures which were sent in from all over the world by a team of roving explorers. (My job wasn’t half so interesting.) In the proto-story, when an explorer sends in a sample with a dodgy covering letter, Emma gets curious as to what he’s hiding and goes on the hunt to find out the truth. The published version is very different, but the core elements – mythical creatures, the North, a plucky girl and a stowaway boy – were there from the beginning. I have always loved mythical creatures and I’ve been fascinated with the polar regions all my life, so this story has been a long time brewing.
3. I saw lots of similarities between Emmeline and I. Which book characters would you say you`re most like?
I think I see bits of me in Arianwyn Gribble from James Nicol’s Apprentice Witch series, mostly in her serious and slightly worried/responsible approach to things, and in Hermione Granger (I am a bit of a swot), though the Potter character I’m most like, I think, is Ron – food-focused, loyal and a bit afraid of most things. I’m clumsy like Mildred Hubble, stubborn like Lyra Silvertongue, and I’m a hobbit all the way down to my toes (though luckily, they’re not as hairy!)
4. I also adored her sidekicks Thing and Meadowmane. Do you have any favourite literary sidekicks?
Siddy from Abi Elphinstone’s Dreamsnatcher trilogy always made me grin. I love all the kids in Katherine Rundell’s The Explorer, though I don’t think any can really be classed as a sidekick! Of course, the brilliant Malkin in Peter Bunzl’s Cogheart books is a sidekick we all need. The best hero/sidekick team in literature , though, is Pidge and Brigit from The Hounds of The Morrigan. I wish I had a Brigit to this day.
5. The adventure in the book is incredible. If you could choose any adventure, real or fictional, to take part in, what would it be?
Because I trained as a medievalist in another life, I feel I must say I wish I could have been a pilgrim on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. I think I would have enjoyed an ale or two with the raucous, brilliant Wife of Bath! I would have loved to take part in a polar expedition, too – perhaps Scott’s, except without the tragedy. And of course I would have loved to see the battle between Iorek Byrnison and Ragnar Sturlusson alongside Lyra and Pan.
6. The book also reads like it would make a fabulous film. If it was ever optioned, do you have a dream cast?
What a brilliant question! I think Ruth Negga would make a fab Sasha, and Oscar Isaac would be my choice for Edgar. I would love Dominic Monaghan for Mr Widget and Sophie Okonedo for Mrs Widget. As for the children – I think finding some new, undiscovered talent would be great!
7. This is your debut novel. What has been the standout moment of your journey to publication, and what are you most excited about after the book comes out?
The standout moment, for sure, was the day my agent phoned to tell me she had sold the book to my UK publisher, Stripes. We had been waiting so long for a UK/Irish deal that I had given up hope of ever getting one, and so that was a true joy. It has been a very long path, and there have been many highlights, but that’s my favourite one. As for what I’m most excited by – I can’t wait to meet readers, interact with people who have read the book, and talk about it with children. It’s such a privilege to write for young readers; they are the best readers. I’m hugely looking forward to learning from them and finding out how I can keep improving as a writer.
8. Finally, before our quickfire questions, can you divulge any secrets about what your second book might be?
The second book I have sold is the story of Tess, who has grown up with no knowledge of her parentage until the day a stranger comes to claim her from the loving home she has always known. She has to uncover who this man is, what he knows about her and her past, and how to get out of his clutches, all before he can use her unique abilities to bring destruction to her world, and many others… (Also, she has a pet tarantula called Violet, who is the real star of the show.)
QUICKFIRE
1. Hogwarts house? Ravenpuff? I am mostly Ravenclaw, a bit Hufflepuff!
2. Favourite chocolate bar? Plain and simple, Cadbury Dairy Milk
3. Favourite colour? Purple.
4. Top 3 books of 2017? The Huntress: Sky; The Explorer; A Skinful Of Shadows.
5. 3 random facts about you? I can read Middle English (and Old English, with a bit of practise); I used to work as a trainee butcher and could pick up a pound of mince, almost to the ounce, simply by eye; I have a fear of balloons
Thank you so much for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the interview down in the comments or or on Twitter @GoldenBooksGirl!
Amy xxx
Hello everybody!
Today, I’m really excited to have an author interview with Lari Don, whose books I absolutely loved when I read them last year. Onto the interview!
Hi Lari! Thank you so much for being here!
1. Can you please describe your writing in 5 words?
Magic, monsters, adventure, ambushes, danger…
2. What is your writing routine like? Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wish I had a regular writing routine, involving nice quiet days typing in my study and going for long walks to think through plot problems. In fact, I do most of my writing on trains and in a shed. I spend a lot of time talking to young readers and writers in schools and libraries, so if I want to keep on top of my deadlines, I have to write while travelling. Then when I am at home, my family are usually there too, being noisy and distracting, so I have to escape to the garden shed to get peace to think and imagine. And the shed isn’t a fancy shed, it’s an old leaky tool shed, with a desk, a box of blankets, and lots of spiders. Therefore, my unusual writing habit is getting someone brave to check the shed for spiders lurking in the corners or above my head before I start to write.
3. All of your middle grades are mainly fantasies. Was there any reason you chose to write in that genre? Do you have any favourite fantasy books?
Of my 9 novels so far, 8 are fantasy adventures! I write about magic and quests and monsters because that’s what I’ve always loved reading. Also, most of my inspiration comes from reading, researching and telling old myths, legends and folklore. So I write fantasy because I love fantasy, and because most of my ‘what if’ ideas lead to me that way. My favourite fantasy books are the ones I read when I was young, by Diana Wynne Jones (the Chrestomanci books, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Power of Three) but I’ve read some brilliant ones recently too, including the Five Kingdoms series by Vivian French and the Bartimaeus books by Jonathan Stroud.
4. Your books are all set in Scotland, which I loved (It was so nice to understand all the school references for a change!). Did you always plan for that, or did it just seem natural to set the books there when you started? Is there any part of Scotland that you’d like to set a book in that you haven’t yet?
I don’t really plan anything! I just write the stories that won’t leave me alone! My stories generally find themselves happening in Scotland because I know Scotland better than anywhere else in the world, and because the Scottish landscape is fantastic for quests and adventures. Also, location research is easier if it’s a coastline or mountain or castle that I already know or that I can visit in a weekend. However, not all my characters are Scottish (Theo in Spellchasers is from Egypt, for example) and the monsters and magic are inspired by myths and legend from all over the world. Also, I have written a novel (Mind Blind) set mostly in London, so I hope my imagination doesn’t stop at the border! Spellchasers is set in Speyside, where I was brought up, and the Fabled Beasts quested in parts of Scotland that I visit for holidays or to see family: the Borders, the West Highlands, Orkney, Skye, Sutherland… If I want to write about a ‘new’ bit of Scotland, I could consider Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Glasgow, and various other islands. But I’ll have to see what the next story wants and needs. (I think it might need a port, so perhaps I’ll set it in Leith?) Also, I’m delighted that you enjoy reading books set in Scotland and recognising the references. When I was young, I only read one (ONE!) adventure novel for kids set in Scotland. Everything else was English or American. Nowadays, there’s so much more choice for young readers, so much more opportunity to read about their own landscape and culture and history. I know that’s the case in Scotland, I hope it’s the case everywhere else as well!
5. One of the main elements of Spellchasers is shapeshifting, as that is the thing the main character Molly has been cursed with. What 3 animals would you most like to shapeshift into, and why?
A hare – because I spent so much time researching hares, that I’d love to know whether what I imagined and described every time Molly ran as a hare is really how it feels. Also, I’d love to run that fast!
A hawk – because who doesn’t want to fly? And I’d love to hover above the landscape, watching all the stories happening below me.
A cat – after all that sprinting and running, I’d probably want to turn into a pet cat, so I could curl up beside a fire and have a snooze!
(Then, of course, I’d want to become human again, because I don’t fancy eating grass or rodents for my tea!)
6. I`m going to be a bit mean now. Who is your favourite Spellchaser, and Fabled Beast? Mine are Beth/Atacama and Sapphire, if you’re interested.
I should struggle to answer this, because I should love all my characters equally, but if I’m honest I already know my favourites. Yann the centaur in Fabled Beasts and Innes the kelpie in Spellchasers. (And my favourite baddies are the Faery Queen in Wolf Notes and Nan in The Shapeshifter’s Guide to Running Away. There are probably common themes in both of those pairs of favourites, which possibly reveal far too much about me…)
7. This one should be a bit easier! What’s your favourite thing about being an author?
That’s not easier, because I love so many things about being an author! I love the moment an idea arrives, the ‘what if’ and ‘I wonder’, and especially when several smaller ideas crash together and sparks fly and I can feel I have a new novel coming to life. But I also love the process of discovering the story, the long journey to find the answers to the initial questions. And I am excited any time a character does something unexpected, especially those wonderful and rare moments when a character takes control of the story and runs off with it (that happened in Rocking Horse War, my only standalone fantasy, and it seriously improved the plot!) And I love editing (yes, really. I know that’s unusual, but I love seeing the story get stronger as I slice away the extra words that I needed to find the story but that the readers don’t need to enjoy it.) And I love the moment a new book arrives, all shiny and real. AND I love talking to young readers and inspiring them to come up with stories of their own. Despite the late nights and long train journeys and spider-filled sheds, I love everything about being a writer!
8. Finally, before the quickfire questions, can you let us in on any secrets about what you`ll be releasing next? *crosses fingers for more fabulous MG*
I hope there will be more ‘fabulous MG’ (thank you!) sometime soon, but the next book is actually a picture book. It’s called The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, and it’s quite dark and dangerous, but also magical and mysterious, with amazing illustrations by Nataša Ilinčić. And after that – who knows? I needed a creative break after writing the Spellchasers trilogy (a trilogy takes a long time and a lot of complicated story-weaving) so I am having fun with several possible novel ideas right now. But all the ideas I am playing with involve magic, betrayals and danger, so I hope you’ll enjoy the next novel, whatever it is!
QUICKFIRE
Hogwarts house? – Ravenclaw
Favourite sweet treat? – Orange or mint chocolate, in the middle of the night, to keep me awake when I’m editing
Favourite season? -winter
Your 3 favourite reads of 2017? – The Empty Grave (Lockwood and Co) by Jonathan Stroud
Within the Sanctuary of Wings (the Memoirs of Lady Trent) by Marie Brennan
Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris
(and I got a pile of intriguing books for Christmas which I’m really looking forward to working my way through)
3 random facts about you-
• I’m terrified of spiders, but don’t have any problems with wasps, bees, moths, birds, snakes or dragons;
• I am learning British Sign Language;
• My current favourite vegetable is cauliflower.
Thanks for asking such wonderful questions!
Thank you for answering so wonderfully!
I hope you enjoyed Lari’s answers as much as I did. Do you love Lari’s books? Are they on your TBR? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @GoldenBooksGirl!
Amy xxx
Hello everybody, and welcome to the 18th day of blogmas. Today, I have a Q and A with Katy Cannon, author of Love, Lies and Lemon Pies (among other great books too, but I like to mention LLALP as much as possible since I love it so much 😉).
Onto the post!
Hi Katy! Thank you so much for being here!
1. Love, Lies and Lemon Pies was your first YA book. Was there any particular inspiration behind it?
I was actually eating cake with my agent, Gemma, in a local coffee shop, talking about ideas for a new book. I wanted something that resonated with my own interests, and I was doing a lot of baking with my daughter at the time (it was at the height of the Great British Bake Off’s popularity) so Gemma suggested a school Bake Club. We started brainstorming around that, and suddenly I had a whole book’s worth of ideas!
2. The book balances a more serious side and fun so well. Was it difficult to get this just right?
There’s always a balancing act in all books, and I never get it right the first time! As with all things in writing, it takes a lot of revising and editing to get the balance right. But it’s always worth it in the end, when the book works.
3. I`m going to be very mean, seeing how hard I`d find it to answer this! Who`s your favourite member of Bake Club?
I think my favourite is Jasper, because he reminds me of my youngest brother.
4. This is another tough one. What`s your favourite scene of the book, and why?
That one is tough – especially since I haven’t read it for a long time! But I think probably the scene with Mac and Lottie outside on the trampoline at Grace’s party.
5. Was it fun to return to these characters for Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines? Would you ever write more stories in the Bake Club world?
It was so much fun! And I loved seeing the world through Grace’s eyes for a change, too. I also loved going back to write Jasper’s Christmas short story – Love, Lies and Mince Pies. As for any more stories in the Bake Club world… well, I’m off to Paris next week, so maybe there’ll be a short story of Lottie and Mac in Paris yet!
6. Before the quickfire round, can you say a little bit about your story in I`ll Be Home for Christmas and why you wrote it?
My story, Christmas, Take Two, is about Heather, who is spending her first Christmas at her Dad’s new house with his new girlfriend and her family. For me, home always means family, but families come in so many forms that I wanted to explore a little bit how we can make any family home – biological, adoptive, step or half family, or just the family that we choose. As long as we have people on our side whoever they are, we have a home.
CHRISTMAS QUICKFIRE
Hogwarts house? (they have amazing Christmas scenes, plus I love asking people this!)
Ravenclaw
Favourite food to eat?
Risotto. It’s my ultimate comfort food.
Would you rather meet a penguin or a polar bear?
Penguin.
Favourite Christmas film?
The Muppets’ Christmas Carol.
Favourite Christmas song?
Carol of the Bells (note: this is my fave one too! And no one has ever heard of it, so I love that this is Katy’s too!)
Your Christmas traditions?
Too many to name in a Quickfire round! But my favourite is Boat Sunday – the day my whole extended family go out for dinner before Christmas, and then we all sing Christmas songs together.
Thank you so much for reading! Are you a Katy Cannon fan too? Do you like Carol of the Bells? 😉. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @GoldenBooksGirl, I’d love to hear from you!
