The Lucky Thirteens Tweetchat!

I'm very excited to announce that the Lucky Thirteens, the fab group of debut authors which I'm part of, will be hosting monthly Tweetchats, with the first taking place this week!

Chats will be guided by a moderator and cover a range of topics, which you can see listed below. Most of the chats will take place at 8pm EST (which unfortunately for my non-night-owl self is 1am GMT), but there are also two Saturday chats scheduled for 3pm EST/8pm GMT which I'm hoping to take part in. 

If you want to come along and talk to us, all you have to do is follow the Luckies on Twitter or keep an eye on the hashtag #Lucky13s during the scheduled times. We look forward to seeing you there!  

The Lucky 13s Tweetchat Schedule and Topics:

Thursday January 24th:  Meet the Luckies!
Thursday February 21st: The Boys and Girls We Lurrve: Love Interests and BFFs in our books
Thursday March 21st: Mostly Middle-Grade (Yay! MG!)
Thursday April 18th: Science! And Fiction! Science Fiction!!!: SF and the science in our fiction
May 18th (Saturday Chat, special 3PM EST Start): Worlds Apart: Wordbuilding and our Fictional Worlds
Thursday June 20th: Paranormally Yours: The Strange, Creepy and Otherworldly
Thursday July 18th: Cheers for Contemps: Contemporary Books
Thursday August 22nd: Kicking It Old School: Historicals
Thursday September 19th: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly: Antagonists and Protagonists
October 19th (Saturday Chat, special 3PM EST Start): Before “Once Upon a Time”: Character’s Backstories
Thursday November 21st: Ask Us Anything!
Thursday December 19th: Year in Review and What’s Up Next

Stories Are Everywhere

I was a bit stuck for what to blog about this week, so I asked Twitter. Someone suggested blogging about not knowing what to blog about, but I couldn't think what to say (yeah, I'm hopeless!). Then someone else said, 'Why not blog about what inspires you?'

Hmmm. That got me thinking. I've blogged before about Eureka Moments – those times when an idea suddenly flashes into your head, bringing to life part (or all) of a story which previously, was lurking in the background, scuffing its feet and refusing to look at you.

But these moments are not the only thing which create my stories. If they were, I'd be doing a lot of hanging around, waiting for them to turn up. Instead, what I try to do is be open to those things in everyday life which might become the seeds of ideas.

I see and hear hundreds of things every day which could become part of my stories, often without even realising until the moment when I actually need them arrives. Quite often, photographs For example, while looking online for pictures of people who looked like my characters in ACID, I found this image:

Image source - rasmus ledin on Tumblr

As soon as I saw this photo a name came into my head – Myo. And Myo is now one of the main characters in my new novel, THE FEARLESS, which I'm currently editing. At first, I wasn't sure what his role was going to be, but there was something about this photo that told me he had a secret, and as soon as I realised that, I realised what this secret was, and where he'd fit in the story. Around the same time, I stumbled across a website about a place called Hashima Island in Japan (also known as Gunkanjima - 'Battleship Island' – and recently used to inspire a location in the latest James Bond film). The images on this site have been a major source of inspiration for one of the main locations in THE FEARLESS, which is set in a near-future, post-apocalyptic Britain. (The website where I found out about Hashima, gakuran.com, has some incredible photos of ruins and abandoned buildings, so if you're writing your own post-apoc and want inspiration, check it out!) 

Image source - mab-ken on Flickr (licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Music, too, can provide inspiration. The type of music depends on the type of book I'm writing, but certain pieces of music can make a scene spring into life inside my head, sometimes long before I'm ready to start writing it. This is one of the reasons I make soundtracks for my books which I listen to almost exclusively while I'm writing the various drafts (you can see the THE FEARLESS's soundtrack in this post here).

And what about other books? Some people don't read when they're writing to stop themselves being influenced by other people's work, or won't read anything in a similar genre to the book they're working on, but for me, this would be like stopping breathing. While I would never copy anything another author has done (that's called plagiarism, people, and it's a VERY BAD IDEA), seeing how other writers approach problems similar to ones I might be having in my own writing is incredibly useful, especially with a book like THE FEARLESS which is turning out to be quite complex (3 POVs at the moment, and multiple plotlines with a lot of backstory).

But inspiration doesn't have to come from anything so concrete. It can be sparked off by anything: a gesture, a word, a sound, the way the sun slants across the horizon, the sound of a dog barking being carried on the wind… any number of those tiny, fleeeting moments that set your senses tingling and make you want to reach for your pen (or laptop) and write.

Stories are everywhere. They're just waiting for us to find them.

The Quiet Librarian: A Split Worlds Tale by Emma Newman

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Emma Newman to the blog. Emma, a talented author who I first met at BristolCon last year, when we were both on a panel discussing if YA was just for girls, has asked me to host one of her Split Worlds Tales. Being a library assistant, this one is particularly close to my heart, so without further ado, over to Emma!

In 2013 the marvellous Angry Robot books will be publishing three Split Worlds novels, the first is out in March and called "Between Two Thorns". This story is part of a crazy thing I decided to do before I got the book deal and was forging ahead with the project on my own: releasing a new story every week for a year and a day, hosted on a different site every time, all set in the Split Worlds. I wanted to give readers a taste of my kind of urban fantasy and have the opportunity to build in secrets and extra tit-bits for those people who, like me, love the tiny details. It's also been a major part of my world-building work alongside writing the novels.

This is the forty-fourth tale in the year and a day of weekly short stories set in The Split Worlds. If you would like me to read it to you instead, you can listen here. You can find links to all the other stories, and the new ones as they are released here. You can also sign up to get the stories delivered to your inbox, one per week for a year and a day.

The Quiet Librarian

They watched, both peeping out from behind open books, both holding their breath. The librarian moved closer to the trap, making Xavier's right leg bounce up and down with excitement.

"She's getting old," George whispered to him. "What if she has a heart attack?"

"Mundane medicine is very advanced, I'm given to understand. She'll be fine."

The librarian reached the space on the shelf and didn't appear to notice the tiny lines of formulae written towards the back of it, nor the box tucked away at the end of the symbols. She hefted up the huge encyclopaedia, her arms trembling with the effort, and slid it into place. As the book completed the criteria required for the formulae to take effect, dozens of bright yellow spiders ran out over the top of the books and down their spines, only inches from her face.

Her mouth curved downwards and she wheeled the trolley back to the main desk, leaving the spiders to find nooks and crannies to frighten future readers.

Xavier shook his head. "I was certain that would do it. Spiders worked perfectly before."

"That was in 1982," George said. "I remember it well; it was the only year in the eighties that I lost to you."

"Get ready to lose again," Xavier said. "I'm sure the next thing I have planned will do the trick."

"Don't be so certain." George pulled out his pocket watch. "We have two more hours before we're expected back in the Nether and this will be my tenth win in a row, I'm sure of it."

They abandoned their books and went their separate ways, hunting down locations to set up their next attempts as the librarian scanned in returned books and chatted with the locals.

George went up to the mezzanine floor and leaned on the railing, watching the activity at the main desk. He missed the solid thump of the old-fashioned date stampers. Now it was all barcodes and bright beeping sounds. Other than that, the library hadn't really changed over the last sixty years. There were new books, new posters on the walls and new bookshelves added for modern reference sections, but the fiction area was still as he remembered.

He'd already tried dropping a huge book, hoping the loud bang would elicit a response from the librarian. All it achieved was a crying baby and a stern glare in his direction. He'd mouthed 'sorry' and blushed, feeling childish.

He considered a simple formula to add water vapour to a section of air on the far side of library, to make her think there was a fire breaking out, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Making an old lady think a fire was starting in the library she'd worked in for most of her life just wasn't cricket. Perhaps he was going to lose this year.

"It's such a shame," a young mother's voice caught his attention. "I don't know what we'll do when it closes. You know how many books mine go through a week."

"They don't care about normal people," the librarian replied. "They're so rich they think everyone can just buy any books they want to read. I've written over twenty letters since they made the announcement and haven't even had a reply."

"We did all we could," the mother replied, picking up one of her children. "It was in the local paper, did you see it?"

"I did. The only good that's come out of it is that people have been talking to each other like they used to."

George went to the newspaper section as the mother and her children left. He found the latest copy and the headlines made the yearly challenge seem even more childish. The library was being closed down.

A movement drew his attention back towards the desk and he saw a large white rat scurry out from behind a bookcase. The librarian peered over the top of her glasses at the rodent.

"Well, really," she said and grabbed a cardboard box from under the desk. With the efficiency of a woman with better things to do, she caught the rat, taped the box shut and made some air holes in it. As she phoned the local pest control, George decided that there was no point keeping up the absurd bet with Xavier. The poor woman had been frightened in dozens of different ways over the years. They'd have to do something truly horrific to make her scream now and he simply wasn't prepared to do that anymore.

He leaned back and watched a small girl run through to the children's area, an older child close behind. An old man was hunched over a computer in the corner, typing slowly with one finger and occasionally grinning at the screen.

George put the newspaper back and went up to the desk. The librarian smiled at him. It was the first time he'd approached her rather than just conspiring to terrify her.

"I understand they're planning to close the library," he said. "I thought you should know that I'm about to go to the local council offices and give them one million of the Queen's pounds, with instructions that it be used to keep this establishment open for as long as possible and that you be employed here for as long as you wish."

Her mouth fell open. "Is this some sort of trick?"

"No madam, I can assure you this is a serious offer." He pulled out the Sorcerer's chequebook and showed her the name of the bank. It would be a simple matter to buy a bag of anthracite and create enough diamonds to replenish the account. "If you wish to accompany me to see it done with your own eyes, you are most welcome to do so."

Her cheeks flushed. "Isn't that the one the Queen banks with?"

He nodded and she reached over the desk to throw her arms about him and kiss him on the cheek. As he blushed, she explained what was happening to the other librarian, put on her coat and then squealed with unbridled joy.

He extended his arm to her, and as they strode out together, he permitted himself the briefest triumphant glance back at Xavier. He had won after all.

---

Thanks for hosting, Emma!

Thanks for asking me to host, Emma, and very best of luck with the Split Worlds novels - I can't wait to read them!

Between Two Thorns, the first Split Worlds novel, is available for preorder on Amazon now.

ACID ARC Giveaway - The Winner!

I had 94 entries into my signed ACID ARC giveaway - wow! Writing all those names out on pieces of paper to put in a hat would've been a little time-consuming, so I thought I'd let random.org decide for me. Here goes…

And the winner is…

Number 70 - @mcrogerson! Congratulations!

A big thank you to everyone who entered, and happy 2013!

The Final Four Books for 2012!

It's the last day of 2012, so what better way to see out the year than with my final four books on my 20 Books for 2012 list? Only with these, I'm going to cheat slightly. Y'see, these books aren't actually out until 2013, but as the authors are my fellow Lucky 13s, I got to read the ARCs, and they are so fantastic I had to include them on my list.

CJ Flood - Infinite Sky

Iris's mum's has left home, her brother's going off the rails and travellers have set up camp in the family's paddock. When Iris befriends Trick, a traveller boy, tensions spill over and events take a turn that will turn Iris's life upside down. This is an exquisitely written book which will stick in your mind long after you've read it. I predict great things for INFINITE SKY!

Demitria Lunetta - In The After

There was Before – before the monsters came; before humanity as we know it ended. And there was After. That's where Amy and Baby live, struggling to survive.  When they're rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of fellow survivors with plenty of food and shelter, it's like a dream come true, but they soon realise that nothing there is what it seems… This is a tense, gripping thriller packed with twists and turns that keep you guessing all the way through. I loved it!

Elsie Chapman - Dualed

In Kersh, everyone has an Alt - a twin raised by another family - and when the time comes, they're both activated and must hunt each other down. Only the strongest alt will survive and be deemed worthy of a place in society. West Grayer's time has come, but a tragic mistake has left her wondering if she deserves to survive. DUALED is a thrilling, gritty read which deftly blends action, romance and suspense in a brilliantly realised dystopian setting.






And finally (drum roll please…)

Imogen Howson - Linked

Elissa's future used to look bright. All that changed when she started suffering terrible headaches and pains, and having strange visions, and unexplained bruises started appearing all over her body. Just as she's about to undergo a cure, she discovers the truth behind her problems: she's been sharing the experiences of a twin she never knew existed, Lin. Together, they end up on the run, hunted down by a government who'll stop at nothing to get them back. LINKED is a breathless roller-coaster ride of a book, with a denouement that will leave you reeling.

Want to check out some more amazing books that will be out in 2013? Then head over to my group blog The Lucky 13s – if I hadn't been limited to 20 books with this list, they'd all be on there!

Don't forget – today is your last chance to win a signed ARC of ACID! If you haven't entered the giveaway yet and you'd like to, head on over to my cover reveal post and leave your name and Twitter handle or email address in the comments. The competition closes at midnight GMT and I'll be announcing the winner on here tomorrow.

Thanks for reading this blog throughout 2012, and I hope 2013 brings you everything you wish for and more. Happy new year!

ACID Cover Reveal & Signed ARC Giveaway!

So, this cover is probably the worst-kept secret on the internet as it's been up on Amazon and Goodreads for a while now, but for anyone who hasn't seen it… here it is! Isn't it gorgeous? I am so, so thrilled with it, and the cover model looks EXACTLY how I imagine Jenna to look. I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her, would you?

From the back cover:

ACID - the most brutal police force in history.
They rule with an iron fist.
They see everything. They know everything.
They locked me away for life.

My crime?
They say I murdered my parents.
I was fifteen years old.

My name is Jenna Strong.

Squee! A huge thank you to Larry Rostant and the design team at Random House Children's Publishing for coming up with such an amazing, badass cover! And even more gigantic thank yous and mince pies/gingerbread Santas to all the awesome book bloggers who are posting ACID's cover on their blogs today as well: Serendipity Reviews, So Many Books, So Little Time, Bookangel Booktopia, Pug's Story Corner, My Favourite Books, Books 4 Teens, Sister Spooky and Readaraptor!

So, do you want to win a SIGNED ARC of ACID? Of course you do! To enter, leave a comment below this post, along with some way of getting hold of you - Twitter handle, email or blog link. The competition will run until midnight GMT on Sunday 31st December 2012, and is open internationally. I'll announce the winner on Monday, 1st January 2013 to kick off the new year in style!

The giveaway is now closed - congratulations to @mcrogerson (comment number 70) who won the ARC!

Happy Christmas, everyone!

The Hound

Regular blog readers might have noticed I've been taking a blog break. Apologies – this wasn't planned. A few weeks ago, The Hound (that handsome stripy fella in my photo) fell ill, and twenty-four hours later, he had to be put to sleep. This post is written in his memory.

Dear Hound,

Do you remember the first time we met? I didn't know this then, but you were always wary of people you didn't know. Yet that day, a chilly November Saturday, you walked straight up to me, leant on me and looked up at me. Your gentle gaze hit me like a lightning bolt, and I knew from that moment that you were going to be mine.

Do you remember that day the following weekend when we brought you home? You'd never lived in a house before; never had a proper bed. The first time you lay down on your duvet and blankets, I could see the wonder in your eyes. At first, you wanted to be left alone, but as the evening progressed, you inched closer and closer to us – first laying in the doorway to the living room, then behind the armchairs, and finally, curling up on your blanket by my feet. And do you remember when you found the toys we'd bought for you? You'd never had those before, either, and when you chewed one and it squeaked, you couldn't work out where the sound was coming from.

Do you remember your first night here? Alone downstairs, you cried, until, ignoring the advice we'd been given by the kennels, we came downstairs to comfort you. And do you remember, after that, how quickly you settled in? How everyone who saw me out walking with you exclaimed over your size, your tiger-stripe markings and your gentleness? Watching you unwrap your presents that first Christmas was a joy. You got an orange ball which you chased all over the garden, leaping around like you were on springs.

Then, thanks to something that had happened to you before you came to us, you got sick. It took four months and a change of vets to get a diagnosis, during which time you were wasting away before our eyes. I was terrified we'd lose you, and couldn't believe you were going to be taken away from us so soon. But you were a fighter, and we fought for you too, and slowly, you began to come round. You weren't the same dog, and you would never be truly well again, but for us, that made you all the more special. Despite everything, you loved and trusted us, and we had a bond I've never known with any animal before. Life eventually returned to something like normal, and we were able to enjoy you more than ever before.

Do you remember the summer evening walks we used to go on, where you'd stalk through the long grass in the twilight, ears pricked up, your sharp eyes seeing things in the shadows we didn't even know were there? Do you remember how you used to get all your toys out of your basket, one by one, and fling them around? Do you remember lying on your 'sun lounger' in the garden, and I fetched a cushion to put under your head? Do you remember how you used to wait behind the front door when I got back from work, whinnying in excitement? 

I wish we could have had one more day with you. Three years was not enough. Without you in it, the world is a very different place, and I don't know if we'll ever get used to it. But I'm glad we got to share our lives with you for a while.

Rest in peace, The Hound. We'll never forget you. x

Dinos and Jungles and Bear Traps, Oh My!

I'm over at the Lucky 13s today, blogging about my first novel, which contained a suicide, two dino attacks, an explosion, a jeep crash, a near-drowning, an earthquake and a landslip… all by page 115! It also had the most dramatic ending EVAH. Find out more here!

Dinos and Jungles and Bear Traps, Oh My!

Almost A Proper Book

Last Wednesday was a bit of a special day for me. I'd just got home from work when there was a knock at the door, and I opened it to find the postman standing there with a large padded envelope. My reaction? I tore it from his hands, grinning like a maniac, saying 'I've been waiting for these!'

I'm sure he thought I was completely mad. But I make no apologies. For this is what was inside that envelope…

Proof copies of ACID (or ARCs – Advance Reader Copies – as they're known in the US)!

Aren't they gorgeous? This isn't the final cover – I'm hoping to reveal that before the end of the year – but it's so striking. I love it! It feels slightly surreal that, 19 years after deciding I wanted to be a writer, almost 5 years after first writing this story, and 16 months after it sold to Random House, ACID is almost a proper book. A book that people are going to read. Yikes. I think I might go and hide under the bed for a while…

Plus, I have a new publication date! ACID will now be available from 25th April 2013, which means there's just over 5 months to go. Double yikes.  

Don't forget, if you're a blogger, bookseller, reviewer or librarian who would like to request a proof copy of ACID, you can do so via the form on my website, or via the page at the top of this blog.

20 Books for 2012 - the Penultimate Post!

I realised yesterday that I'm long overdue for a 20 Books for 2012 post, and as there's only a few weeks left before the end of the year, I thought I'd better get off my you-know-what and get one written. For anyone who hasn't seen my original post, back in June, I took the Bookstart 20 Books for 2012 pledge and promised to share 20 children's and YA books on my blog. You can see all the books I've talked about so far on this page, and here are the next batch!

Abi Burlingham – A Mystery for Megan (Buttercup Magic)

When Megan and her family move to Buttercup House, she soon finds a friend in Freya, the girl next door. But a new friend is not the only surprise that awaits Megan; there’s the treehouse, some mice with magical powers, an extraordinary cat and a very special dog called Buttercup. This is a gorgeous book for 6-9-year-olds, or anyone who still remembers what it was like to be that age, about friendship, secrets and the power of using your imagination. I devoured it in hours and can’t recommend it highly enough!

Ali Sparkes – Frozen in Time

It’s the summer holidays, and Ben and Rachel are bored... until they find a secret vault buried at the bottom of their garden. Inside are the cryonically suspended figures of Polly and Fred, a boy and girl their own age, who were put there by their father in 1956, only for him to disappear and leave them frozen in time. This is a thrilling adventure for anyone who was or is a fan of Enid Blyton, following the ups and downs of Polly and Fred’s adjustment to twenty-first century life, and their search for answers about what happened to their father as they’re hunted down by sinister Soviet officials...

Chris Haughton - Oh No, George!

This is possibly my favourite picture book EVER. When Harris goes out to the shops, George, his dog, promises to be good. And he tries – he really does. But there’s the cake... and the cat... and some earth that’s just asking to be dug... You can probably guess the rest. Being a Hound minion dog owner myself, I could really relate to this book and just adored the bright, quirky illustrations, especially on the last page!

Ali Lewis – Everybody Jam

Danny lives in the middle of the Australian outback, and last year, his brother was killed in an accident. But nobody talks about it. His fourteen-year-old sister is pregnant, the rains haven’t come and as the annual cattle muster draws near, knowing he has his brother’s shoes to fill only increases the pressure on Danny. Then an English backpacker, hired by his mother to help out, arrives, a secret is revealed, and suddenly, the cracks are too big to paper over any more. This is a funny, gritty coming-of-age YA novel which I absolutely loved.

Jean-Claude Mourvelat – Winter Song

Originally published in France, this book is a dystopian YA with some fantasy elements blended in, set in a fictional country in a wintry, bleak world. A sinister force called The Phalange have seized power, and four teenagers, Milena, Bartolomeo, Helen, and Milos, must escape from their prison-like boarding schools in to help join the fight against the authorities, who killed their parents many years before. I’m not usually a huge fan of translated books, but this had been done incredibly well and I was captivated by the story and the imagery the writing conjured up.

 

 

Andy Mulligan – Trash

Raphael, Gardo and Rat live on a rubbish site, eking out a living by sorting through the mountains of trash other people have thrown away. Then, one day, he finds a bag containing something which leads him to an exciting and special discovery. But he’s not the only person after the bag’s contents, and soon he and his friends are playing a cat-and-mouse game with the authorities, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Apparently this novel was inspired by the time the author spent in the Philippines (although it isn’t specifically set there), and gives a real insight into the grinding poverty many people in the real world are forced to live in, yet it manages to be incredibly hopeful.

So, just four more books to go and I'll have fulfilled my pledge. Hurrah! What about you? What are you reading at the moment that's just too good to keep to yourself? Tell me in the comments!