Today marks the end of the month, ending SC Ransom’s residency with us, so she shares with us a final post…

‘Wear good shoes and show no fear…..’

I’ve just started doing school visits; going to secondary schools and talking about my books and the process of writing. I’ve never done anything like this before, so was somewhat apprehensive. I’ve done hundreds of business presentations, so I wasn’t worried about getting up and talking to loads of people, but the audiences I normally address are unlikely to heckle. I knew that I needed help so I turned to the writing community of Twitter, asking their advice. I got loads of really useful responses, but the one which really stood out was:

‘Wear good shoes and show no fear’

I can’t remember now who provided this particular gem (maybe Cat Clarke, author of Entangled?), but the advice seemed to resonate. I went shopping.

My first visit was to my old school, and a sea of familiar uniforms faced me as I stood there in my LK Bennett spiked heels. The girls there were lovely, and listened intently as I talked about how I had written the book, and how I had managed to get published. I had also recently been to see the first book being printed, and was still stunned by the whole printing process, so I talked about that too. Thinking back, they did glaze over a little at that point, but they asked loads of really good questions and I signed dozens of books.

I then set off on a mini tour, warming to my subject, and it wasn’t until I asked for feedback from one of the organisers of a particular event that I realised what I was doing – I was giving a business presentation about the practicalities of publishing. I wasn’t talking about what was in my book, but rather about how the book came to be there. As a result I don’t think that I was inspiring the kids to pick up books and read, which is what I had been hoping to do. So I ditched the presentation and started again.

Now when I speak to kids I still show slides, because I think that it makes a useful focus for their attention, but I talk a lot more about the characters, how I decided what they were going to be like and the locations I chose. I ask the kids who they would choose to play the characters in a movie (they all seem of have an opinion on that), what they think about the covers and where they would set a book. I’ve also been reading more from the books, as I’ve been assured by several of the librarians that the kids really like being read to. They’ve started asking lots more questions too.

I was really nervous before a recent talk: it was to a mixed group (my books are primarily aimed at girls), there were about 80 of them, and the audience included the ‘literacy disadvantaged’ set at the rear of the room. I was warned that they might get a little boisterous and be shepherded out mid-talk, and not to worry if that happened. I kept thinking back to the ‘show no fear’ advice and tried hard to make sure I looked relaxed. But I needn’t have been concerned. They were all fantastic, and the kids at the back asked some brilliant questions.

During my talks I’ve also been hugely impressed by the dedication of all the school librarians. They all seem so knowledgeable and so enthusiastic about getting the kids to read, whatever it is they enjoy, and it seems madness that so many of them are now fighting for their jobs. In my opinion reading is the very best preparation for being a writer, and a good librarian can introduce kids to a vast array of work in a structured and understandable way.

I see school visits as one of the best parts about my new part-time writing career, and I’m looking forward to doing many more. Getting feedback from the intended audience for the books is invaluable, and helping to inspire reluctant readers is unbelievingly satisfying. During my last visit a girl shyly asked me if I would review the novel she had been writing, and another school is running a competition to write a first chapter of a book called Small Blue Thing. I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

Thanks, Sue! It’s been great having you here at Bookbabblers – you’re very welcome back any time! You can buy Sue’s first two books here now..

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Emily…

The Stranger – Sarah Singleton

Charlotte is heading to a tiger sanctuary to do some voluntary work as part of her travels. But a fellow traveller working at the sanctuary starts to make her feel uncomfortable and she decides to ask Otto to visit her, pretending to be her boyfriend. When things start going wrong at the sanctuary, Charlotte fears a vendetta against her could be to blame. As tigers come under attack from poachers, the local authorities threaten to replace the sanctuary’s management. Mark the journalist reappears, ostensibly covering the poaching crisis, but also delving into the background of the traveller who is making Charlotte’s life a misery. But by now Otto and Charlotte’s ‘fake’ relationship seems to be developing into something a little more serious…and how will Mark, and Otto’s ex, Jen, feel about that?

The Stranger was a book with quite a bit of detail! It is set in India, and is quite exciting to read. The chapters were based on 3 characters, Charlotte, Otto, and Jen.

My favourite character is Jen, she is quite interesting, and likes lots of things. At the start of the book, Charlotte is involved in a train crash. It is so terrifying! There is a creepy backpacker, called Jack. He is very keen on Charlotte.

The language of the book was a bit more challenging than I am used to – I’ve added some new words to my vocabulary! If you like fast-paced adventure mixed with real life facts, set in a far away place, you’ll love this book. This book is probably best suited for 12- 15 year olds. I would read some parts again, some not. This was quite fun to read, I recommend it!

Thanks, Emily, and thanks to Simon & Schuster Children’s Books for sending it to us. It’s here for you now..

Today we’re taking part in the Here Lies Bridget blog tour, so we bring you Bookbabbler Aly’s review of it…

Here Lies Bridget – Paige Harbison

Can death be a fresh start? They say that before you die your life flashes before you re eyes. You think it s going to be the good stuff every kiss, every party. Don t count on it. I was Bridget Duke the uncontested ruler of the school. If keeping the wannabes in their place meant being a mean girl, then so be it! I never thought there d be a price to pay. Until the accident. Now, trapped between life and death, I m seeing my world in a new light: through the eyes of five people whose existence I ve made hell. And I ve got one chance to make things right. If I don t, I may never wake up again…

This is one of those rare times in which I find myself in a fit of muddled thoughts. It’s during these times that I find it hardest articulating my jumbled thoughts into words. But I’ll try my best.

Our protagonist ,Bridget, is that mean girl that you stay well away from. She’s the girl that makes your life hell if things don’t go her way, and she’s the girl who actually feels no guilt whatsoever for all that she has done. She’s needy, calculating, mean and cruel. It’s a little disturbing when you genuinely can’t seem to find one redeeming quality about an individual. It was this mentality of hers that threw away any chance of giving her the benefit of the doubt. I was then left with questioning what the author was thinking in making Bridget not only unlikeable but also unforgivable. Then it came to me. Maybe we weren’t supposed to forgive Bridget, maybe she wasn’t redeemable. It’s a wonderful and quite refreshing idea only there’s a little bit of a problem if you want to give her a chance like myself, if you want her to clean up her act. It’s then that things get messy.

You have to know that she is horrible. She belittles her most loyal friends being Michelle and Jillian, has driven away her father and ex boyfriend Liam, made her teacher Mr. Ezhno’s life absolute hell from day one, is cruel with every given opportunity to her stepmother who has perhaps shown her more compassion than her own father, and has not even spared Brett: the boy who has shown her nothing but kindness. What is ultimately Bridget’s worst mistake is not only her cruelty towards others but the fact that she does not even spare those that love her and are loyal to her. Worse still is that this girl shows no guilt or remorse for her actions. Frankly Bridget is one big massive heap of mess and downright nasty and selfish. So, when things don’t go her way and everyone doesn’t worship her so much anymore she contemplates committing suicide to make them pay, and grows excited at the thought of their guilt and sadness in not being lovely and sweet to her when she has been nothing but nasty. Not only is this greatly unsettling but actually pathetic . Even in attempting suicide her thoughts are selfish, calculating and in making others pay. What do you do with a character like that?

The majority of the book – being around 260+ pages – was about her bratty behaviour and all the messed up things she did that eventually landed her in her present situation. The book focuses back to the present in around the last 40 pages. Now, in my opinion too much time was spent writing about the past and not enough about the present when both are just as important.

Also, enough focus wasn’t placed into redeeming the main character in contrast to the amount of detail put in convincing us just how horrible she used to be (still is). Then she suddenly gets this epiphany in the last 30 pages or so. Can you blame me for not believing her? I didn’t believe her when she said sorry and I didn’t believe her when she made those drivelling confessions that meant absolutely nothing to me. At times I had to ask myself if she was trying to convince me or herself. She just did not seem genuine in her guilt. If anything the limited time span only made her seem as though she was doing what she was doing because it would make HER feel better. Because hey she probably wouldn’t be around to face the consequences. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s the vibe that I got from her. The girl in my opinion needed to genuinely be sorry before she went on a five minute mission of saying her bit and being done with it.

You might assume from all that I have said above that I didn’t enjoy the book, and that’s not true at all because I did: a lot. My issues were with Bridget herself and the rushed ending, but the actual book as a whole was actually very enjoyable and engrossing. I finished it in one sitting which makes this a little tougher because now I’m stuck in the middle. But I’m going to stick with my instincts with this one and say that I would recommend others to read this book. Even if our main character isn’t your cup of tea, the book itself does have a lot of heart and touches on some great issues. Most importantly, since I love a book that makes you think, in Here Lies Bridget’s case I assure you that it will leave you contemplating whether you could have done things differently, treated that someone who meant a lot to you a little more nicely. The book will also make you aware of how the slightest misused words can mean so much to another.  So, thought provoking always = instant brownie points!

Thanks, Aly, and thanks to Mira Ink for sending us a copy. It’s here for you to buy now.

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Luke…

Trouble Twisters – Garth Nix and Sean Williams

When their home suddenly explodes, twins Jack and Jaide are sent to live in a place they have never heard of, to stay with a grandmother they have never met. Portland might seem like a quiet coastal town, but it soon becomes apparent that the strange things going on there are anything but ordinary.
Who is the mysterious Grandma X?
How come they suddenly have strange, new abilities?
And why won’t anybody explain anything?!
One thing is sure – the twins are going to find out exactly what it means to be troubletwisters….

Jack and Jaide 12 year old twins are eagerly awaiting the return of their dad who is late as usual from his latest trip. What should have been a happy home coming ends in disaster when their home burns to the ground. They have no choice but to live with Grandma X whom they have never met. This is where the fun begins as they unleash powers they were unaware they possessed and which they struggle to control. An evil force threatens the town of Portland and they must use their powers to rid the town of this evil. With the help of Grandma X and her cats Kleo and Ari they overcome the obstacles in their way.

This is a great action book as Jaide and Jack must overcome many obstacles to unlock the truth. To tell you more would ruin the story line, but this is a book you can’t put down once you start to read.

What I loved about this book is that it didn’t baffle the reader with complex story lines and too many characters. The story developed as did their magical skills. I’m really looking forward to the next book as I’m sure there will be lots of twists. An excellent read.

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

Today we review our ‘author in residence’, SC Ransom’s, second book, and offer one lucky Bookbabbler the chance to win a signed copy…

Perfectly Reflected – SC Ransom

This is the second book in the Small Blue thing trilogy. Still recovering from her earlier brush with death, Alex’s source of strength and comfort is Callum, still locked in a sad half-life after drowing in the river Fleet that flows into the Thames. And she needs all the strength and comfort she can get: someone is out to make her life a misery, and someone is out to get hold of the extraordinary bracelet that enables her to communicate with Callum.

Perfectly Reflected is the second book in an exciting new trilogy from debut author S.C.Ransom. This book follows on from ‘Small Blue Thing’ the story of seventeen year old Alex and her relationship with Callum; a dirge trapped in a mysterious eerie world which centers around St Paul’s Cathedral in London and with whom Alex can only communicate through a silver bracelet which she found on the bank of the Thames.

Alex realizes that Callum has become a huge part of her life and knows that she must find a way that they can be together properly, but is this possible in the strange world of dirges and their half lives?

After her near death experience in the first novel, Alex finds that she is at the receiving end of a threatening hate campaign from an unknown person who seems to know everything about her and her life. Then, when Alex’s only link with Callum is broken she must find a way to communicate with him again.

In some ways this book felt to me like a fight between good versus evil. Will Alex find out who is tormenting her and why?

I loved the relationship between Callum and Alex and the setting of the story in London was a refreshing change for a fantasy novel. The addition of Catherine made the plot all the more exciting.

Be prepared for a gripping and unexpected ending that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This is a fantastic read; I cannot wait for the next installment!

Thanks for the review, Sarah! We’re offering Bookbabblers the chance to win a signed copy – to enter the draw, comment on this post, ‘like’ it on Facebook, or retweet it. We’ll pick a winner at 7pm on Sunday (UK only) – good luck all!

Today Wendy reviews a new picture book, out early July..

No, Baby, No! – Grace Nichols

Baby is busy doing all the things that babies love to do, like exploring the kitchen, chewing up newspapers and climbing up too high. But members of his family aren’t quite as positive about his antics as he is and there are lots of cries of ‘No, Baby, No!’ However, one day Baby does something really special and everyone celebrates with quite a different refrain.

We were lucky enough to receive a special edition of No, Baby, No! that was both a book and an audio CD. The CD is read by the author himself and is a great addition to the book. My children loved looking at the pictures in the book whilst listening to the story.

No, Baby, No! Is a story that all parents will relate to as it tells the tale of a baby doing all the things that babies do such as eating newspapers, grabbing at glasses and making big splashes in the bath and all of these are met with the refrain No, Baby, No! Then at the end of the book Baby learns to walk and no one is saying no, baby, no instead they are saying Go, Baby, Go!

No, Baby, No is a very sweet little book with illustrations in a watercolour style that illustrate the story well.

My daughter who is 5 found it especially funny as she could remember her brother being a baby and getting up to similar mischief. I would also recommend it as an early reading book as it is simply written.

Thanks, Wendy, and thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for sending us a copy. You can pre-order here it now.

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Liz…

The Wide Awake Princess – ED Baker

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie—blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic—can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen’s true love to kiss her awake.

But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn’t possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father’s guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own. (from Goodreads)

The Wide-Awake Princess is a fun and light-hearted retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Annie is the younger sister of Princess Gwendolyn, but unlike her sibling, she is immune to magic – both good and bad kinds. So while no pesky witches can turn her into a frog, she also doesn’t have the magical benefits of beauty and grace. But when Gwendolyn falls prey to a terrible curse by pricking her finger on a spindle, and sends everyone in the castle to sleep for a hundred years, it’s Annie’s job to find Gwen’s true love to kiss her and wake her up. But finding the right prince proves harder than it seems, so with help from a young guard Liam, Annie goes on quest to save her sister and her family, and realises that being immune to magic maybe isn’t so bad after all.

The Wide-Awake Princess was a very cute read and though aimed at a slightly younger audience, it is enjoyable for all ages. I never liked the fairy-tale of Sleeping Beauty because I thought Aurora was such a terrible character with no personality or conviction at all. That’s why The Wide-Awake Princess is such a great read – Annie was the complete opposite of her sister; she was strong-willed and a very likeable girl, who was able to ride horses and dance and swim and perform a variety of other tasks her dainty sister wouldn’t dream of attempting. She was the type of princess to make friends with all the servants and helpers, and knew the castle grounds back to front. I really liked the way she was the one to save Liam, because it just emphasised her character and the type of person she was. I also really like the relationship between Liam and Annie, especially when Annie was trying to win over Prince Andreas, which made for some hilarious comments from Liam.

Speaking of the princes, I think they were the most hilarious part of the book. Finding each prince often ended in some odd event or funny situation, and I really liked how Annie subtly showed them she was boss whilst still maintaining the manners of a princess. Another thing I liked was the casual mention of other twisted fairy-tales in the novel; a Rapunzel who didn’t want to be saved and a Hansel and Gretel pair called Tomas and Clara! They really added to the fun and cheery nature of the book and I really enjoyed reading about all of Annie’s adventures.

Overall, The Wide-Awake Princess was a funny and clever spin on the tale of Sleeping Beauty and I enjoyed it much more than the original story. Whilst only a light, sweet read with a few hints of romance, The Wide-Awake Princess is a perfect story for cheering yourself up, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy-tales with a twist, or to anyone simply looking for a cute book to curl up with.

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

Today we hear from Bookbabbler Emily…

Six Words and a Wish – Karen McCombie

Ever since Jem’s sister Gracie ran away from home, Jem’s wondered whether she’s to blame. Something she said to Gracie before he disappearance is preying on her mind – Jem couldn’t be the reason behind her vanishing, could she But one summer, a series of strangely spooky coincidences make Jem wonder if there’s more to Gracie’s disappearance than she thought… Can Jem find out the real story behind Gracie going? And will her big sister ever come home..

Six Words and a Wish is a cool book – a nice, easy read. It is about Jem, and her life after her 18 year old sister Gracie left home. Violet is Jem’s best friend, and can be a little weird at times – like when she said her knee was squeaking, and she thought it was a phenomenon. Her parents are a little unusual: Jem’s dad is a clown, and her mum runs a weird cafe called Yummy Fun.  They have an all year round Christmas display on their roof.

This story was sad in parts (for instance, when Jem was hurt on the stage where she was performing with her band) but there were lots of amusing bits to make up for it. The story kept me guessing right to the end. I would recommend this to girls who love a good laugh, and who are aged 11-14.  This was cool to read, and I will definately recommend this and look out for other books by Karen McCombie. Out of 5, this was 5, without a doubt!

Thanks, Emily, and thanks to Scholastic Children’s Books for sending us a copy. It’s here for you now..

SC Ransom’s with us this month, and today she shares with us her tips on fitting in the time to write…

Fitting it all in

I’ve blogged quite a lot about how I decided to write my first book, and how I found the time writing during my commute, so for this post I wanted to say a bit about the practicalities of it all.

Once I started thinking about writing a book I bought myself a little, handbag friendly notebook, spiral bound so that I could keep my pen in it. Then, as my ideas progressed and I moved from general plot points to characters I jotted everything down. I tried to write all the ideas, not just the ones which I knew were good, and I wrote them as soon as I thought of them because I have a hopeless memory. Looking back over the notebook is hilarious as I can see the plot thoughts I later discarded.

Before I started writing in earnest I described the whole plot to my husband and waited to see him fall about laughing. Amazingly he didn’t, and in fact was very encouraging. That gave me the courage to press on. I had a laptop but it was pretty chunky, so I decided to see if I could do the writing on my BlackBerry. I had just bought myself the new Storm, with a big (well, big-ish) touch screen, and after a bit of practice found that it worked really well. Editing was difficult though, so I concentrated on getting down as much as I could during each train journey. As we pulled into Waterloo I emailed it to my home account.

The story would keep whirling around my head as I walked over Waterloo Bridge, past the beaches on the South Bank which are exposed at low tide. Every day I could also see St Paul’s Cathedral further down the river. If I had any ideas I tried to remember to jot them down, often standing on the terrace of Somerset House. The notebook got quite soggy on occasions. Once I got to work I forgot about all of it, and as I opened the file on the train on the way home I was regularly surprised with what I had written in the morning – one definite advantage of having a terrible short-term memory! I knew I was doing OK if I read it and was disappointed when it suddenly stopped.

So most of the writing was done on the train, but I had to discipline myself to keep it going. Even on the days when the person next to me was reading the most delicious gossip in the free paper I had to keep writing. I knew what my deadline was – my daughter’s birthday – and I had to finish it. On the days when I got bored with what I was writing (or even worse, fell asleep reading it back!) I would have a quick look at the plan and pick a different scene to work on, ideally something with a bit of action. That accounted for about eighty percent of the time I needed to produce the book, but the rest of it I had to prise out of my schedule at home. I work five days a week, and I have to fit in all the household stuff around that. That didn’t leave a lot of time for writing. The only thing I could practically do was get up earlier at the weekends (I’ve forgotten what it’s like to not wake up to a blaring alarm), and stop watching the TV. This has been hard, and I’ve had to get the family to buy into the fact that my hobby means that I’m not always with them. To compensate, I tend to write in the kitchen so that I can interact easily if I’m needed.

Once I had written each chapter I printed it out and put it in a file and my husband would read it. He was a harsh but valuable critic, and helped with some fantastic plot ideas. I kept a spreadsheet with the word count for each chapter, and found that really motivational. I was doing about 300 words per journey, so they soon built up. Finally the first draft was done, and after a few rounds of edits I got it bound just in time for my daughter’s birthday. It took about seven months in total, using time which otherwise I would have improved my Soduko, read more books and watched more TV. True, my garden would have looked much better and my house would have been cleaner, but I gave myself different priorities.

For anyone reading who loves the idea of writing a novel but can’t see where you can fit it in, take a good look at your schedule. You really don’t need long every day, but you do need to be consistent and disciplined. Write things down as you think of them, because you can always change them later. Just start!

Thanks, Sue! Hopefully this has inspired some of you to go for it! You can follow Sue on Twitter here, and check out our ‘author in residence’ page for all of her posts so far this month.

Today we have a review for little ones…

Mrs MacCready Was Ever So Greedy – Julie Fulton

As the title suggests this picture book is about Mrs MacCready who was ever so greedy and the fact that she did nothing but eat! She loved eating so much she didn’t worry even if it tasted nice or even contained worms. The book starts with her being thin and ends with her being so large that nothing fitted not even a wedding marquee and her going off with a bang.

The story is written in rhyme and is illustrated with large vivid cartoon style pictures. It is written in a style suitable for early readers and my 5 year old was able to read it and this was helped by the illustrative cartoons. My children who are 4 and 5 thought all the different food she ate was very funny and loved the end where she went bang. I think as an adult you have to forget about whether it’s right to be discussing how much someone eats and just enjoy the joke.

Thanks, Wendy, and thanks to Maverick Books for sending us a copy. It’s here for you to buy now.