Today we hear from author Susan Ross…

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things About Being a Children’s Author (Please get into the spirit of the article by singing the first part of the title.)

Okay, let’s get this out of the way. Of course, I don’t love everything about my job, but who does? I have two pet peeves: bookkeeping and consignment sales. They both tax my brain (no pun intended). So now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff.

I love writing and making up stories. I love how ideas just pop into my head. I get to use my imagination and creativity. I can make ANYTHING happen in my stories. It’s great! I love using my sense of humour, sometimes light, usually slightly edgy.

I used to do storytelling at different venues. There would be a special event and I’d make up a story around it. That’s how I got the ideas for three of my four books. With storytelling there’s no pressure, no worries about word choice or grammar; just the joy of creating and telling a story. However when I’m gone, the stories die with me. I was told by a parent at one event that I should write the stories down for my grandchildren (that I STILL don’t have) and so I did; but it was slow going so I got frustrated and stopped. Then I saw The Bucket List. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend that you do so. I got off my laurels and began working on my stories again. It was hard work but creative, challenging and well worth the effort. My fondest wish is that my stories will be read for generations to come.

The Great Bellybutton Cover-up was created for a sheep shearing event. I decided it would be funny if one of the sheep did not want to be sheared because everyone would see her bellybutton. She’d find different things to wear to cover it up. Violet is a very determined and creative sheep. She never gives up.

The Kit Kat Caper was created for a Halloween event. I love Kit Kats. So naturally I decided to make up a story about a rather impolite little witch who only wants Kit Kats. The little witch walks around in her tall black hat; on her shoulder is a bat; trailing her is a black cat. Everyone thinks she looks familiar. No one recognizes her. There are hints to her identity in the story and the pictures. No, I’m not going to tell you who she is.

The Rose and the Lily was created for a strawberry event. Pompous Princess Rose sent Prince Sterling on a quest for the perfect fruit. I changed the prince’s quest to the perfect hairpin when I retold the story at a children’s festival. This very funny fairy tale illustrates the proverbs “beauty is only skin deep” and “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I love Princess Rose. She’s absolutely horrid.

Generally stories just come to me, triggered by a word, picture or event. I have many stories yet to be published but no money for illustrations or printing. (This is my sneaky plug to get you to BUY MY BOOKS or no more stories for you!)

That leads me to another thing I enjoy: selling. Not selling to stores particularly, but selling “one on one” or at shows. It’s challenging, sometimes demoralizing, but usually exhilarating.

Collaborating on the illustrations and the layout of my books is another favourite part of the job. Having this type of control is, to my mind, the best thing about self-publishing.

I wish I could do the artwork and layout by myself but I don’t have the skills. So I use the illustrator’s/graphic artist’s talent and my vision of the story and together we create wonderful illustrations and layouts. If I had a publisher I would have no say in the illustrations. What’s the fun in that? I’ve got the whole book in pictures in my head. If it doesn’t look the way I imagine it, then it’s not really my story. Pictures are a huge part of picture books (hence the name “picture books”).

My favouritest (yes, I know there’s no such word but there should be) part of my job is doing author visits. Nothing gives me more pleasure than reading my book to a crowd of children and watching their reactions to my stories. Then I discuss all the aspects of my job with them. I talk about the writing, the illustrating and selling. Sometimes I talk about the layout, marketing and the business aspects if the kids are old enough. My “selling” stories are hysterical because I have no shame. If you look like you have kids or grandkids I’ll approach you in a parking lot, a grocery store, a restaurant (my husband hates that), the train, the subway station, anywhere I can. (Are you a plumber coming to my house to fix a leaky tap? Beware, I will try to sell you a book.) As for marketing – putting logos of sheep with bellybuttons on the car does not endear you to your husband. But hey, business is business and it’s a great way to advertise.

When I have extra time at a visit, I take advantage of my captive audience and try out my manuscripts on my little subjects to get their input. I get to check that they “get” the funny parts and that there are no boring or slow parts. The test is whether they would want the book as a gift. If most of them say “yes”, the story gets illustrated and published. Constantly changing the wording of the story can be frustrating. But in the end I know the story is much better than it would have been if I didn’t seek input from as many sources as possible. Writing is an art and a talent. As in all things in life, practice and hard work makes perfect; well nothings perfect but that’s another story.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my passion – children’s books. Perhaps I’ve inspired you to write your own story. Regardless, I’ll consider this article a success if you learned a little something and if I got you to smile.

Thanks, Susan! A fun insight. You can find out more about Susan here.

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Sarah…

Montacute House – Lucy Jago

Cess works caring for the chickens at Montacute House but on her thirteenth birthday everything changes. She finds a precious locket hidden in the chicken coop and is convinced someone has placed it there for her to find. But the day is overshadowed by fear as a boy’s body is found by the river, and then when William disappears, Cess is accused by the villagers of bewitching her best friend. Cess is determined to find William and prove the villagers wrong, but is soon embroiled in a plot that threatens her world and forces Cess to draw on powers she never knew she possessed, powers that will place her life in danger if they are discovered by the villagers. Witchcraft, politics and religious ambition combine in this gripping and wonderfully realised novel set in the Somerset of the 1500s.

Montacute House is Lucy Jago’s first fictional work. The novel is centered around Cecily Perryn, a thirteen year old poultry girl on the Montacute estate. Cecily was born out of wedlock and was thus, in Elizabethan England, considered to be an outcast. Her life suddenly takes a dramatic change in course when she finds a beautiful yet mysterious bejeweled pendant in one of the chicken coops. At the same time, the body of a young boy is found abandoned in the countryside, his body blistered and discolored. When it becomes clear that more boys have gone missing further afield in Yeovil people begin to panic and imagine that black magic – the devil’s powers – may be at work. Then, Cecily’s best friend William disappears and she realises that he too may be caught in this awful web.

The novel is set around Montacute House and the surrounding village, even as a reader Montacute is a mesmerizing place, perhaps made all the more exciting because it is a real estate in Somerset, which is now owned by the National Trust.

As a big fan of historical novels, I was really excited about reading this novel and it more than lived up to my expectations. Full of plots, power struggles, witchcraft and an element of romance, there is not a dull moment and with the rich description of every single element of the time even down to the types of bed that people slept on, I felt totally immersed in the story.

Can an ordinary poultry girl take on the force of evil striking at the heart of her society? This book will take you from the mysterious beauty of St Michael’s Hill to the bustling Inns of Yeovil and back via a labyrinth network of secret tunnels. It really is non stop adventure and I found I could not put it down!

The inclusion of witchcraft and affairs current to the time, such as the struggle between the Protestant and Catholic Church, makes the novel seem real. I loved the inclusion of fireworks, which would have been unheard of in normal society at the time.

The ending reveals another twist to this eventful tale, which I had not been expecting. After reading this novel, I also googled Lucy Jago and came across her fantastic website for ‘Montacute House’, here you can see drawings of the types of clothes that Cecily would have worn and also see pictures of the house and the village today. I thought this was a lovely addition to the story.

This is an amazing book with so many unexpected twists and turns. I can’t wait to read Lucy Jago’s next novel!

Thanks, Sarah, and thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for sending us a copy. It’s here for you to buy now…

Today we’ve a review for little ones…

Douglas – Giles Hargreaves

Douglas is a dog. Not just any old, run-of-the-mill everyday ordinary dog, but an extraordinary dog. A dog in a billion. Douglas can drive, read, ski and play chess. But there’s one thing he can’t do. One thing he desperately wants to do. Can a little bird called Basil help Douglas achieve his dream? Find out in this amazing picture book and enjoy the colourful Douglas stickers!

Douglas is a charming book, and both Douglas and Basil are totally lovable. The story’s easy to follow and Douglas’ ‘extraordinary’ ways make for some funny phrases and amusing pictures. It’s a relatively short picture book, perfect for a read before bedtime, and of course, it has a happy ending.

Douglas has become a firm favourite in our house already, with my 19 month old daughter asking for it all the time, and I’m happy to be reading it over and over again, too!

Thanks to Egmont Books for sending us a copy – it’s available for you to buy here now..

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Jess..

A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness, from the original idea by Siobhan Dowd

The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming… The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth. Costa Award winner Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final idea of much-loved Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel of coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

I really enjoyed this book. It was really great. I love the fact that the monster is made from a tree. The illustrations are also good. I prefer the way that you can never see Connor or his mum’s face because it lets you make your own up. It was good because you could really feel Connor’s emotions and how worried he was about his mum. You could feel how hard he tried not to let go, but all the same she till fell. I like the way the tree takes over him but then leaves Connor to take the blame. The book is really well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks, Jess, and thanks to Walker Books for sending us a copy.

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Sarah…

Ondine: The Autumn Palace – Ebony McKenna

One boy, one girl, one plot to be foiled! Hamish the gorgeous man (and part time ferret) has a new job with the Duke as a spy in his Autumn Palace. So Ondine goes with him. She imagines a hugely romantic escapade together that involves lots of kissing. What she hadn’t imagined was having to do endless laundry, go to school and keep Hamish the man a secret. All the while trying to find out who is plotting to kill the Duke. And if that weren’t bad enough, it seems that Hamish is more interested in getting the Duke’s attention than hers. Plus he’s always in ferret form. Things can’t go on like this! Can Ondine foil the would-be assassin, save the Duke and get her man back in gorgeous human form? It’s going to take a little bit of magic, a lot of stolen kisses and some ferreting around…

Ondine: The Autumn Palace is the second novel in the series by Ebony McKenna.  The story focuses Ondine, a teenage girl whose boyfriend, Hamish McPhee, flits between human and ferret form. The setting is the court of the Duke in Brugel; a mythical European country. The palace is a sprawling building and whilst Hamish and Ondine’s Aunt Col are set to work as the Duke’s spies, Ondine is sent to work in the laundry section and to the palace school.

There is a strong element of witchcraft in what is essentially a fantasy novel. Ondine herself has psychic powers and is able to read palms, whilst her Aunt is witch. I enjoyed the descriptions of Ondine’s powers such as her palm reading and her conflicting belief that she should not show what she really sees.

The novel is based around Ondine, Hamish and Aunt Col spying in the Duke’s household to see who would like to bring harm to the Duke. As with all great mystery novels things are not as they seem and the suspects change throughout. Parts of the ending did come as a surprise to me and I felt that the final third of the book really picked up pace and was quite exciting.

If you like fantasy and romance novels, you will love enjoy book. Ondine is a brilliant heroine and the description of the fictional palace and Brugel itself really got my imagination going.

My only real disappointment was that I felt that footnotes were over used throughout the whole story, whilst they can be very useful I thought that there were a few too many.

Thanks, Sarah, and thanks to Egmont Books for sending us a copy.

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Luke..

Birthmarked – Caragh O’Brien

In the future, in a world destroyed by the harsh sun, there are those who live in luxury inside the walled enclave and those, like sixteen year old Gaia stone, who live outside- struggling to survive. Each month the people outside must deliver a quota of babies to the Enclave, to be raised by the parents within and brainwashed to forget about the world outside.

This is the way it’s always been, and the way Gaia thinks it should be…..until here parents are arrested on suspicion of hiding a code; a code revealing the secrets of the “advanced” babies. Realising she is her parents only hope for survival, Gaia ventures inside the wall to rescue them. But she soon discovers that the Enclave is not as perfect as it appears; the gene pool has become too small and genetic irregularities are developing-something the brutal government want to stop. At any cost. Can Gaia break the code and discover the truth, before its too late?

Must say I started this book with reservations as the first page began with the birthing of a child, but after reading the blurb I decided it was worth continuing. We follow the story of 16 year old Gaia who is following in her mothers footsteps by becoming a midwife in Wharfton, an area outside the Enclave. Every month the first three children born from each district are given to the Enclave to be raised within by adoptive parents. It soon becomes clear that all is not well in the Enclave which is regarded by the inhabitants of Wharfton as utopia. Gaia’s parents are taken prisoner in the Enclave and Gaia has no idea why. We follow her as she enters the Enclave to find her missing parents, and to discover why they are being held prisoners. One of the first things she witnesses is the public hanging of a man and pregnant woman. They have broken the rules of the Enclave by having a child together when it was deemed genetically incorrect to do so. It appears that the gene pool in the Enclave is resulting in a high case of haemophilia and to stop this illness then the people of the Enclave are not allowed to marry or reproduce with anyone that may carry the gene.

Gaia’s parents kept an encoded record of all the births they quoted to the Enclave, and this is the answer to the Enclaves future.

To give away any more of the story would spoil it for any potential readers, but I would highly recommend this book. Gaia is a warm, intelligent girl who you can empathise with in her search for her parents. The book is very easy to follow and comes to a great conclusion leaving you wanting more from Gaia. I hope there is a follow on from this book, if not about Gaia then about Wharfton and the Enclave.

Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks, Luke, and thanks to Simon & Schuster Childrens Books for sending us a copy. It’s here for you to buy now..

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Iffath…

Forgotten – Cat Patrick

Here’s the thing about me: I can see the future in flashes, like memories. But my past is a blank. I remember what I’ll wear tomorrow, and an argument that won’t happen until this afternoon. But I don’t know what I ate for dinner last night. I get by with the help of notes, my mom and my best friend Jamie, and the system works …Until now. Everything’s falling apart. Jamie’s going of the rails. My mom is lying to me. And I can’t see the boy I adore in my future. But today, I love him. And I never want to forget how much..

London Lane is pretty much your typical teenage girl except for the fact that, every day at 4:33am, her memory ‘reset’s’ itself, and she finds that she can’t remember any of the events of the previous day. For this reason, London has to write detailed notes of everything of significance that happened during the day for herself, so that she can live her life as normally as possible. But when she falls for Luke, a guy who she just can’t remember from her future, London must decide whether she can lie to herself and forget him for her own safety or not. And things start to get a bit complicated for her when Luke keeps showing up, even though she still can’t see him in her future.

The concept of Forgotten was really unique and one that intrigued me. I really liked this idea of being able to remember what’s going to happen in the future, but not remember past memories. I honestly don’t think I would have been able to cope with something like that, and I could see how it could cause difficulties in London’s life. I mean, imagine meeting the coolest person in the world, or just somebody completely ordinary who just happened to catch your eye and smile at you (even though everybody knows that you’re a loser and nobody talks to you), and then completely forgetting that the next day. Like, it never even happened. But it did. But if you never see that person again, did it really happen? (I think I’m reading too much into this.) I’m probably boring you, but it fascinates me.

Writing her own notes means that London can choose what she wants and doesn’t want to be reminded of the next day. And it’s not like when you just try to forget an embarrassing incident that happened..she actually has no memory of it whatsoever, thus saving herself the embarrassment. Although the things she is able to see, I have one particular memory in my head, often lead her into questioning the people around her so that she can work out the real explanation behind the confusing things she is seeing.

I have to mention how easy-to-read Forgotten is. I started reading it for a while, then had to go do something and couldn’t find a bookmark, so I settled for remembering the page number (I never remember though..). I was on about page seventy-something or somewhere around that mark, and I couldn’t believe I was already up to that. It was like..reading the book had all been a dream or something. Bizarre, I know. (or maybe it’s just me. Knowing me, it probably is.) There were parts of the story that completely took me by surprise when I got up to them, and I found myself racing through the pages because I really had to know what was going to happen next! I can honestly say that there was never a dull moment in the whole novel!

Luke was such a swoon-worthy character! I really enjoyed seeing the pair’s relationship bloom, it was so wonderful to watch. Even with all the complications they have to face, they make it work and it’s perfect.

I really liked London. Despite all the things she has to go through daily, I didn’t see her once moaning about how hard it was to be her, and I really admired her for that reason; all she only wanted to do what try to be normal like everybody else. Patrick wrote her character extremely well, I felt like I could totally empathize with her.

Forgotten is like a piece of art, beautiful but also a little disturbing, in many different ways. Reading Forgotten was like one of the most calming experiences I have ever had. The atmosphere of the novel is like the definition of tranquility. Patrick’s writing is almost lyrical, and I found it hard not to wish that I’d written it! The idea is extraordinary, and from the way it’s written, you can tell that Patrick is going to deliver some impressive stuff. Original and believable, Forgotten had the perfect mix of romance, mystory and drama. It’s one you definitely won’t want to forget!

Thanks, Iffath and thanks to Egmont for sending us this – sounds like Iffath loved it! You can buy your copy here now..

Today we’ve books for little ones, reviewed by Wendy…

Fudgy Goes to the Farm and Fudgy Goes to the Zoo – Sarah Marley

My children were very excited when these books came to be reviewed as they had also been sent Fudgy himself. Fudgy is a lovely old fashioned type of bear and even has his name embroidered on his foot and on the golden ribbon round his neck.

The books are designed to be read with Fudgy bear so that children can follow Fudgy through his adventures and there is also a blog, twitter and facebook page for Fudgy to follow his further adventures.

The books are illustrated with Fudgy in photo style and are in lovely bold colours. The writing is nice and simple for early readers and my 5 year old grabbed them and Fudgy and read them straight away. My 4 year old cuddled Fudgy throughout us reading the stories and it helped to maintain his concentration and he then described for himself what adventures Fudgy had been on.

Fudgy goes to the Farm is all about a visit to the farm and what animals he meets there and the noises that they make. Fudgy goes to the Zoo is about his visit to the Zoo and what animals he meets there and the noises that they make. My children loved making all the animal noises.
These stories have been a real hit in our home and Fudgy Bear and the books have been in their own adventure too as they have been given the honour of being taken in to school for show and tell.

Thanks, Wendy, and thanks to Sarah for sending us them. You can find out more about Fudgy Bear, and buy the books and your very own Fudgy here.

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Aly, and offer one lucky Bookbabbler the chance to win a copy of the book…

Clash – Colin Mulhern

Alex: school psycho and under-ground cage-fighting champion. Kyle: talented artist, smart school-boy and funny man. When Alex witnesses a brutal murder at the club he can’t go back to The Cage, but without fighting, he starts to lose control. He soon sets his sights on Kyle, a boy he thinks can help. But Kyle has his own problems and he’s convinced Alex is one of them. Boys can play dangerous games when they’re scared and this one will haunt everyone involved. What will it take for each boy to confront the truth?

Clash took me roughly three hours to read which isn’t bad at all. I have to say that there was never a dull moment and it never lagged. I love when this happens because it makes the whole reading experience all the more smoother.  I had heard briefly of the book prior to reading it, but after reading the synopsis I was interested right away.

When I started the book I was a little unsure. The boys were practically children yet the synopsis promised something on the heavy side. How much could a child really face, how many children are cut out to be cage fighters out there? Well it would seem the author completely proved me wrong.

Gareth and Kyle are in the school toilets the first time they meet Alex Crow. Both boys are described on the geeky side, wimpish and quite timid. If you saw Alex Crow you would think the same. Which is why he is the prime example of why you should not judge a book by it’s cover.
Soon word spreads around school fast, Alex Crow is trouble, and he is not your average bully, there is no facade. He is the real deal. If you brush him the wrong way he will either beat you to a pulp on the spot or keep you waiting in anticipation of being beaten to a pulp. When first coming across the character of Alex the question that you are bound to ask is, how does a mere child become so cold-hearted, so insensitive and numb to feeling? There is however a lot more to his story. If you are willing to listen that is.

With a pushover of a mother, and an abuser of a father things have always been grim for him. Which is why it’s important to know that Alex was not born into being a bully, he was made into one. Forget his parents, his whole family is messed up.

The one person who he tends to look up to in times of need is his Uncle Joe who is just as bad as the rest. He is the one who introduced him into cage fighting. Forced him into it even. The decision was made the day his uncle and father watched as his own cousin continued to throw punches at him mercilessly. There was no concern on his father’s face, no anger at his son being hurt. Instead he was slapped with the decision that he had showed his worth, he showed potential. That was the beginning of it all.

Kyle on the other hand comes from a loving mother who seems to have boyfriends walking into her home as fast as they are walking back out. This obviously has a big impact on Kyle, he is someone who obviously wants the love of a father, he wants that bond, that guy talk that he can only have with a father figure. It’s clear that it’s something he craves.

Besides this he has quite the wonderful talent; he is an extremely talented artist, something that Alex is fully aware of because he is one himself. There is no arrogance when it comes to talent on Alex’s part, Kyle’s a talented guy, but instead of being jealous Alex respects him for it. Kyle is someone who Alex admires in a way, someone who he wouldn’t mind getting to know. Little do the both of them know that many things in the near future may just prevent that.

CLASH is no horror book, but it had a similar affect. Alex gave me goosebumps at times. I was actually horrified by him and his actions, mostly when I was seeing him through Kyle’s eyes – then it just made things even worse. I hated that Kyle and Gareth feared him, and I hated how Alex hated his father when he was a walking contradiction of him. If he is this ruthless and violent at such a young age, he might far surpass his dad’s action by the age of twenty. Does he seriously not realise that?

Despite this I felt for him. We are moulded by those we look up to. In his case it was his Uncle Joe and father. When he found out what they were really like it was too late anyway. The anger was there, the passion for fighting also. He had been taught to fight, to have no mercy in the ring, to be ruthless and KO a person, but never to have some self-restraint, to hold back and walk away from situations. You are taught the bad and the good growing up it’s almost as though he was taught just the bad.

What CLASH has taught me and those that will read this book is that we too often judge people based on face value. On what others say and the “label” attached to them. Getting to know the person beneath that stereotype is what should be focused on. Everyone can point the finger and laugh alongside a big crowd, but it takes that one great person to stand up and walk away from that crowd and give the person a chance. What Kyle and Alex share is all about breaking those barriers and trying to find some common ground.

There is a lot more to the story that I am keeping on the vague side, things that link to events that ultimately decide all three boys fate. This is no soppy story; it’s gritty, harsh and a little uncomfortable. But it’s a breath of fresh air.  The ending left me anxious and even a little creeped out. In fact, the last page, I mean the last sentence on the last page just shook me. It could mean so many things, and it made me question too much.

As I lay in bed I was so unsettled by it all that I seriously did not want to leave the room. There was no way that I had imagined that the book would have such an impact on me, of this kind specifically anyway. I have not fully recovered from that sentence on the last page, it just completely creeped me out.  Staying snuggled up under my duvet sounds much more inviting actually. I would recommend this to all YA fans who are looking for something exciting and little different than your typical paranormal or romance read.

Thanks, Aly – powerful reading. As promised, one Bookbabbler can now win a copy of Clash. To be entered into the draw, comment on this post, ‘like’ it on Facebook, or retweet it. We’ll pick a winner Sunday evening at 7pm (UK only).

Today we’ve a book for little ones..

Banana Skin Chaos! – Lilli L’Arronge

Hubert eats all of his banana. Well, almost all of it. He doesn’t eat the skin, of course – He throws it on the ground and that’s where the trouble begins! His sister explains that you can’t do that and then goes onto to illustrate what could happen from one dropped banana skin.

This book has very few words but has some amazing illustrations of the chaos caused by a dropped banana skin my children thought it was hilarious. The illustrations are very detailed and the more that you look at them the more you can spot.

As the book does not have very many words it is great for getting children to describe what they can see, and I spent ages with my kids looking at the pictures and them describing everything that was going on. There is also a list of questions on the back page for children to answer by looking at the pictures.

Thanks, Wendy and thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for sending us a copy.