House of Night Fans will be excited to hear that today we’re bringing you our Q&A with PC Cast, and showing you the trailer of her latest book. It’s actually an adult book, but we could’t resist telling you about it, as we’re sure older House of Night fans will want to know more. The Avenger will be launching Mills & Boon’s exciting new paranormal imprint, Nocturne, this month.

Who were your favourite authors when you were a child?

Walter Farley, Ann McCaffrey, Sheila Burnford, Dr. Seuss to name just a few.  I’ve always been a voracious reader.

Mills & Boon and YA lit don’t often mix, so what can House of Night fans expect?

THE AVENGER is aimed at an adult audience, and the House of Night books are all young adult.  That being said, I dislike the idea that genres aren’t fluid.  A good story is a good story, no matter the intended audience.  I think my HoN fans who are not too young will love THE AVENGER, especially as it deals with Boudicca and her daughters – and in the HoN world it is Boudicca’s daughters who begin the Dark Daughters!

What’s your next writing project?

Beginning in December my Goddess Summoning Series will be released in the UK, starting with GODDESS OF CAMELOT.  I love these books and hope my UK fans will enjoy them, too!

I’m working on pre-production for a film adaptation of one of my Goddess Summoning Books, GODDESS OF THE ROSE, which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

If you could go to any fictional place, where would it be and why?

Ann McCaffrey’s Pern!  I’ve wanted to be a dragonrider since I was thirteen.

If you were to recommend a book(s) to get children hooked on reading, what would it be and why?

I’d say in order to get children hooked on reading they need to see their parents read, and they need to be read to.  As for young adults: find out what the teenager is interested in and then start giving him/her books about that interest.  Don’t worry about genre restrictions as much as whether it’s just an honestly good story.

Thanks, PC. We’ll be bringing you our review of The Avenger next week, but in the meantime, check out the trailer on YouTube…

Caroline Lawrence, author of the best selling Roman Mysteries books and CBBC series, has swung by Bookbabblers for a Q&A session..

Who were your favourite authors when you were a child?

I adored Nancy Drew mystery stories and devoured them all. In fact, my concept for the Roman Mysteries was ‘Nancy Drew in Ancient Rome’. My mother also used to read to us even when we were quite old (10 or so). She read things like Sherlock Holmes and Island of the Blue Dolphins. I also love a book called A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle and when I was 18 I read the book that changed my life by getting me interested in Classics, the study of Greek and Latin. That book was The Last of the Wine, by Mary Renault.

What drew you to writing for children?

When I had my own son, Simon, I rediscovered some of my old favourites like The Cat in the Hat, but also some new classics like Goodnight Mr Tom, I Am David and My Family and Other Animals. I thought these were better than most adult books! Also, I taught art and Latin to kids aged 8 – 11 and I LOVE that age group. When I was teaching Latin, I noticed there were lots of good textbooks and resource books, but not really any books that ‘transported’ the reader to ancient times and told how it smelled and felt and looked and sounded. That was another reason for writing the Roman Mysteries.

For people who’ve not read the Roman Mysteries, can you tell us a little about them?

They are mystery-adventure stories set in Roman times for children aged 8 and up. I have four characters around the aged of ten: Flavia Gemina, a highborn Roman girl and the leader of the pack; Jonathan her clever but pessimistic Jewish next door neighbour; Nubia, her beautiful, intuitive slave-girl and Lupus, a half-wild mute beggar boy from the Greek island of Symi. They all live in Ostia, the port of Rome. In the first book, The Thieves of Ostia, they meet and become friends and solve their first mystery: who is killing the watchdogs of Ostia. In the subsequent sixteen books and dozen short stories, they solve other mysteries with romance and adventures. Flavia’s father is a sea captain and so they get the chance to solve mysteries in Greece, Egypt, Africa and Turkey, all part of the Roman Empire in the first century AD. My aim is to teach kids all about the classical world, but without them realising it! I even won the Classics Association Prize last year for ‘a significant contribution to the public’s understanding of Classics.’

There is also a glossy BBC TV series based on the books and they are repeating it now every weekday at 11.30am on CBBC.

You’re working on the Western Mysteries now, tell us more.

I love Westerns and thought I would do for the Wild West what I did for first century Rome, write a series of books that are exciting and adventurous, but are crammed with facts and tell it like it really was! The western hero is always a loner, so my Western detective won’t have pals like . Also, I had the idea of writing a book in the first person so the reader doesn’t know if the narrator is a boy or a girl! P.K. Pinkerton is a misfit, half Indian, half white, who wants to be a detective in the famous Pinkerton agency in Chicago. P.K. arrives in Virginia City, Nevada Territory on the same day as a famous real person, Sam Clemens, soon to be known as Mark Twain. The Western mysteries show P.K.’s struggle to become a detective in a rough and ready mining town in the days of the Silver Boom.

Here is the first paragraph or two of the first Western Mystery, The Case of the Counterfeit Injuns:

My name is P.K. Pinkerton and before this day is over I will be dead.

I am trapped down the deepest shaft of a Comstock mine with three desperados closing in on me.

Until they find me, I have my pencil & these ledger sheets and a couple of candles. If I write small & fast, I might be able to write an account of how I came to be here. Then whoever finds my body will know the unhappy events that lead to my demise.

And they will also know who done it.

This is what I would like my tombstone to say:

P.K. Pinkerton

Born in Hard Luck, September 26, 1850

Died in Virginia City, September 29, 1862

‘Ye are all one in Christ Jesus’ Galatians 3.28

RIP

It will be out in June of 2011.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?

If I could be any fictional character it would be Dr Who because he lives forever and can time travel! I would love to travel back to the days of Ancient Rome and the Wild West, and also forwards to the future. (But I would be a female Doctor Who.)

Share 3 of your passions with us

1. My biggest passion is STORIES. Books, TV and movies. I especially love films and watch at least one a day. Mostly I watch them at home on my wide screen DVD player but at least one or twice a week I go to the cinema. This afternoon I’m going to see Shrek Forever After!

2. I also love LONDON. My husband Richard and I live in a beautiful riverside flat on the River Thames and I can walk to the Kings Road in Chelsea in under half an hour. There are also some lovely parks within walking distance. And there are three Cineworld multiplexes within a half hour’s walk. (Handy for passion number 1.)

3. I love my iPHONE. I listen to music, podcasts, film reviews and talking books on it as I walk by the river and travel on tube, buses and trains to various events. My iPHONE has a little map and tells me the quickest way to the nearest cinema. I have cool Apps which tell me which tube lines are running on time or what platform my train will depart from. I can even watch tiny movies on it! I don’t know what I did before I had it.

Oh, and I am quite fond of my family, too. You can read more – and see pictures of them and me – on my FAQS page!

Thank you, Caroline! Visit Caroline’s website here to find out more, and you can follow her on Twitter here.

As if getting a sneak preview of the forthcoming The Case of the Counterfeit Injuns isn’t enough for you, Caroline’s gone one step better and has offered Bookbabblers a fantastic giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a signed first edition of The Slave-girl from Jerusalem AND a paperback omnibus of the first three Roman Mysteries, also signed – wow!! What more could we ask for??! To be in with a chance of winning, comment on this post, retweet it or Facebook ‘like’ it (UK only). The Roman Mysteries is on CBBC every morning at 11.30, with The Slave-girl from Jerusalem showing today and tomorrow. The competition will end when tomorrow’s programme does – you have until 11.55am Friday, Bookbabblers…!

If you’re tempted now to start reading The Roman Mysteries, we’ve added the first book in the series to our shop and below, and then just search the shop for the others – enjoy!

Today we share with you our interview with Hazel Allan, author of the Bree McCready books:

What were your favourite childhood books?

My earliest memory of falling in love with a book was when I was about ten. I was off school with chicken pox and I picked up “The 101 Dalmations” by Dodie Smith. After about two pages I completely forgot about my itchy spots! I read that book in one day and it inspired me to write my first novel about a family of hedgehogs.I was very fortunate to have an elderly friend (Grace Burton) who introduced me to books at an early age. She gave me “The Little Prince”by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. A heartwarming tale full of poignancy and hope it tells the story of a little prince who falls to earth from a star and of an airman, stranded on a desert, who seeks to understand the prince’s secret. I remember crying when my mum told me the author died in action during World War 2, just one year after the book’s publication. This certainly is high up on my list of all time favourites.I was (and still am) a massive fan of Hans Christian Andersen. My favourite story is “The Little Mermaid”. If I close my eyes now I can conjure up the smell of the pages from the book I had as a little girl. I also loved “The Yearling” by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, “The Magic Faraway Tree” by Enid Blyton and Aesop’s Fables.

With a background in childcare, and of course, being a mother, what finally prompted you to put pen to paper and write a children’s book?

I have always loved books and making up stories. My head has buzzed with ideas for as long as I can remember and my imagination never rests. During the 1990′s I worked in a school situated in an area of multiple deprivation where literacy levels were staggeringly low. Most of the children had very little contact with books and were therefore intimidated by the written word. I found that they responded well to me TELLING them a story rather than reading from a book. I had this knack of being able to conjure up stories out of thin air and keep the children spellbound. I used to get a thrill out of watching their mouths hang open as I took them on an adventure. I stored all those stories at the back of my mind and promised myself that one day I would write them down. However, it took another eight years and a personal crisis to prompt me to pursue my dream of being a writer. I was thrown unexpectedly into the world of single parenthood and for some reason this cracked open a part of me that had been hidden away for a very long time. I found myself trying to grab onto something that really mattered to me in order not to fall into a very dark hole. And so began what is now “Bree McCready and the Half Heart Locket” It is really important to me that my son is proud of me and knows how hard I have tried to make life better for us both. That always provides me with the inspiration to keep going with my writing.

Tell us how the character Bree McCready took form.

“Bree McCready and the Half Heart Locket” actually started out as a short story about bullying called “In Her Shoes”. Bree was not the first character I thought up. It was another girl called Alice Renshaw. Now, Ms Renshaw is probably the nastiest person you can imagine so I needed someone who was the exact opposite of that to enable me to show her in all her nasty glory. I wanted a strong, wise, kind and clever girl who would help to cancel out Alice’s vileness and also provide opportunites for some interesting confrontations. Bree came to life very quickly in my mind. In her are all the parts of me that I felt were misunderstood as a child with a few extra bits and bobs chucked in for good measure. Once I had a firm idea of who Bree was it became easy to write about her. In fact she now does all the hard work for me! I always knew I wanted Bree to be someone who, despite all her amazing qualites was a bit ‘down on herself’ but who would ultimately grow to accept herself warts and all. I think Bree and I continue to grow together in that respect.

What will Bree be getting up to in her next adventure?

Where do I start? I think the second book is even more fast-paced and exciting than the first. There is quite a lot of humour in there too but the dark elements of the story remain. The story starts at the end of the summer holidays. All seems calm until Honey’s little sister, Mimi, disappears from the school library. Bree, Honey and Sandy realise trouble is afoot and return to aisle 142 to retrieve the magical book carried in their previous adventure.Soon they are crossing a land divided by centuries of misunderstanding. Its citizens have been tricked into thinking that The Flame of Irenus brings peace, when it fact it fuels hatred. Realising they must extinguish it, the three friends set off on another perilous journey. Fans of the first book will recognise some familiar faces and there are some new ones too, including a love interest for Bree. My intention was always to have a Bree McCready trilogy so I am nearly two thirds there!

Who are you, or your son’s, favourite current children’s authors?

My son is six, so anything with bogeys and poos goes down well! For that reason he is a massive fan of the Horrid Henry books and Dirty Bertie series. One of my favourite things about being a mum is reading to my son and it’s important that we find books which appeal to us both. My heart has to be in it if I am required to do silly voices and make a fool of myself! For example all the Mr Men have different voices, which is no mean feat considering there are 46 of the little blighters! Mr Uppity sounds like the Queen with a nervous twitch and Mr Small veers close to Graham Norton with a lungful of helium (that gives you an insight into my mad world!) I am currently reading him “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B White and he also loves anything by Spike Milligan or Roald Dahl. We still love picture books too, my all time favourite being “Shhh!” by Sally Grindley. It is full of suspense and terrific to read aloud.

Describe yourself to us in 5 words.

Well, this changes on a daily basis. I’ll try to imagine what my best friend would say about me to make it easier. Determined, loyal, stubborn, independent and strong.

Thanks, Hazel! Hope you all enjoyed our chat with Hazel. We’ll shortly be bringing you our review of Bree McCready and the Half Heart Locket, and have added it to our ‘reviewed’ shop for you now. You can find Hazel on Facebook here.

Sarah Harris is a successful journalist who has now turned her hand to writing children’s books. We decided to find out a little more about her and these new books…:

What were your favourite childhood books?

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis and all the Enid Blyton, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books I could lay my hands on.

Prince Jasper’s first book is out this month, so please tell us a little about him and what he gets up to.

Prince Jasper loves helping people, but he’s often too helpful which gets him into lots of trouble such as the time he re-hung the chandeliers in the palace and they all fell down and he polished the floors until they were as slippery as ice rinks.  In the first book in the series, his father, King Monty, has had enough of Prince Jasper’s ‘helpfulness’ and suggests that he goes on a quest to find a princess who needs his advice. Before Prince Jasper leaves the palace, he accidentally helps some jewel thieves steal the Crown Jewels.

However, he meets his match when he eventually stumbles across grumpy Princess Miranda who doesn’t want to be rescued from her tower. She persuades him to help her build a catapult with sticky consequences! Later in the four-book series, Prince Jasper attempts to track down the jewel thieves who stole the Crown Jewels, encounters a dragon with poor personal hygiene and gets kidnapped by pirates. Will his helpfulness save the day? You’ll have to wait and see!

As well as Prince Jasper, we can look forward to a Pirate Secrets series, so what adventures can we expect and when are these books coming out?

Pirate Secrets is a four-book series about pirate brothers – Captains Blackbeard, Orangebeard, Yellowbeard and Redbeard – who each have a secret to hide. It’s being launched by Tick Tock in summer 2011. In the first book, Captain Orangebeard, the scariest pirate in the world, likes nothing better than making people walk the plank. However, he has terrible eyesight and needs to wear glasses -only he doesn’t think this is a very pirately thing to do. When he loses his parrot, Bert, his crew finally guess his secret and find a replacement bird – a pelican. Captain Orangebeard’s problems are only just beginning…

Which do you find more exciting – journalism or writing for children?

I enjoy both but they’re very different disciplines. I like the fast-paced nature of news and find it exciting that you never know what you will be writing about each day. I enjoy interviewing interesting people, particularly other children’s authors. However, writing for children is my real passion. I love the excitement of getting an idea, finding a ‘voice’ for a character and going on a journey with them. I get a real sense of satisfaction, working out a plot and seeing the pieces all fall into place by the end.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?

Princess Leia from Star Wars. I was obsessed with the film as a child and loved my Princess Leia notebook, which I used to write stories in. I liked her because she didn’t just stand on the sidelines and wait to be rescued. She was feisty and could look after herself, fighting her own corner. She also got to kiss Han Solo, which can’t be too bad. I remember seeing the film for the first time and crying when I came out of the cinema because I thought that life could never be as good as Star Wars.

Share 3 of your passions with us

My children, writing and eating good food!

Thanks, Sarah! Hope you all enjoyed finding out more about Sarah and her books? We’ll be bringing you our reviews of the Prince Jasper books here soon.

Today we’re bringing you our interview with The Karma Club’s author, Jessica Brody:

How did you come up with the idea for The Karma Club?

This was definitely one of those ideas that just “came” to me. A friend of mine had told me some horrendous story about how a boy dumped her (I don’t even remember the story, I just remember it was infuriating!) and the entire time she was talking, I kept thinking, “Someone needs to do that right back to him. He can’t just get away with that. He needs a taste of Karma!” And then boom, the idea hit me! A secret society of girls who help each other out, dosing out Karma to those who deserve it when the universe is slow to do it on its own. And thus THE KARMA CLUB was born. Of course, as soon as the idea came to me, I also knew that my characters would never be able to get away with it. Karma is a tricky thing. And you definitely don’t want to meddle with the universe!

Do you believe in Karma?

Absolutely! I’m a big believer in Karma. But I also don’t think it’s as easy as doing a good deed and then the next day you’ll wake up with millions in your bank account. The universe works in mysterious ways and sometimes it takes a little searching and a little time for those ways to reveal themselves. But I love giving back and helping people and animals and the planet (even if I don’t get anything in return). Sometimes the “karmic payback” is that warm gooey feeling you get from knowing you made a difference in the world. That’s why I started TheKarmaClub.org. So I could share that feeling with the world.

You’ve written adult novels, too, so what attracted you to writing YA novels?

I really didn’t plan it at all. When I came up with the idea for THE KARMA CLUB (see question above!) at first I tried to plot it out as an adult novel and it felt all wrong to me. Then I started to think about it as a story about teens and suddenly it all started to fall into place. Of course, I had no idea how to write a teen novel. So I started reading a bunch of YA fiction to get a feel for the genre. The first book I read was KISS AND BLOG by Alyson Noël and I fell in LOVE with it. (She and I are now very good friends.) I then wrote out 50 pages of the story, showed my agent and asked, “Am I even close to the mark here?” She read it, liked it and told me to keep going with it. She said I had a “natural YA voice.” I think that’s code for “you’re still 17 at heart” (which I still feel!). Writing THE KARMA CLUB was so much fun I decided to stay in the genre. I have two more YA novels coming out in the next two years and a new YA series in the works too!

Tell us about your next YA book, My Life Undecided?

I’m SO excited about the next book. I think it actually might be my favourite yet (but don’t tell any of my other books that!) My Life Undecided is about a fifteen year-old girl who is notorious for making terrible choices and so she decides from now on, she’s going to post every decision she comes across on an anonymous blog with a poll for readers to vote on what they think she should do. And she vows to do whatever the poll result may be. Obviously problems and hilarity ensue! It was a blast to write. Brooklyn Pierce, the main character, became very near and dear to my heart as I wrote it. I’m excited to introduce her to the world.

What are your favourite books from your childhood?

I was a HUGE fan of Judy Blume. I read all her books. She taught me how to be a girl. I’ll never forget the first time I read, Just as Long as We’re Together. Her books made me feel like I was normal. And that’s a big deal when you’re thirteen!

If you could live if any fictional place, where would it be and why?

Edward Cullen’s bedroom. LOL. Just kidding…sort of. Um, I’d probably choose Hogwart’s Castle. I’d love to have my mail delivered by owl.

In the real world, you live in LA, so what’s the best thing about living and working there? (we are jealous – all that sunshine and The Grove shopping!)

Haha! You know what’s funny, I hardly go to the Grove! I guess it’s one of those things. When it’s right there, you don’t to go! But I do love living in LA. The best thing about living here (apart from the weather) is the fact that it’s a city of dreamers. Everyone here is following a dream. And they come from all over the world to do it. Actors, screenwriters, producers, models, directors, entrepreneurs. Some make it, some don’t, but that’s not the point. Everyone here has stepped out of their comfort zone to pursue something that makes them happy and I love being around that energy. Oh, and the beach is nice too!

Thanks so much for doing this interview! It was really fun!

Thanks, Jessica – it’s a pleasure having you with us. Look out for our review of The Karma Club coming soon, and we’re now eager to read My Life Undecided, too! The Karma Club’s been added to our shop for you now, too.

Find out more about Jessica here and you can follow her on Twitter here.

We told you about a new title out this month, The Oldmoor Orphans and the Rodents’ Revenge, by Simon B. Nicholson. Since discovering it ourselves, we’ve delved a little deeper to find out more about the book and the author, so thought we’d share our findings and our chat with you.

Simon has written lots and lots of children’s television, from BOB THE BUILDER to TRACY BEAKER to TIMMYTIME. Recently, he’s been writing books, and his new series of novels for children, THE OLDMOOR ORPHANS, is published from June 2010. It’s about two children called Ernest and Daisy who have been left in charge of an old hotel. Assisted only by an insane parrot, they must look after the peculiar grown-up Guests who come to stay…

Our Review:

“Before long, this hotel will be squirrel-free. Our Guest will be safe. All you need to do is go back to the lobby, stand by the front door, wait for every single squirrel to come racing towards you, chased by a bald-headed eagle. Open the door, then close it when they’ve left. Understand? Good.”

Ernest, and sister Daisy, one day awoke to find the woman they believed was their grandmother, as this woman helped these two related orphans, had left. She’d left a message, saying, “I may be away some time. Take charge of the hotel. Look after the Guests. Ernest to be Manager-in-Chief. Daisy, Head Housekeeper. Any questions, ask Samson.” (Samson was the rather annoying parrot, who was addicted to pratical jokes).

Ernest and Daisy, on a very boring day, after being tricked by Samson YET AGAIN, heard the doorbell which was very rarely used being rung. Yes, it was the hotel’s VERY FIRST guest. The very first guest was named Elsie Tulip. She was very mysterious, which Daisy knew automatically, yet took some time for Ernest to understand. This women apparently had an ‘allergy’ to fur. In fact, she was recovering from Rabbit’s Fur she caught last week. Anyway, when Ernest offered to take her bags to her room, she instantly rejected this offer, while clutching on to her suitcase. But, what was mysterious, was that squirrels kept appearing in the hotel as soon as she arrived…

Our Q&A with Simon:

How did you come up with the Oldmoor Orphans?

I found a Victorian photograph of a boy working as a porter at a grand London hotel. He was staring in a mirror, adjusting his uniform, and smoothing down his hair. So he was Ernest, my main character. The rest just took a bit of filling-in.

Tell us about the main characters, Ernest and Daisy.

Ernest is the Manager-in-Chief of the hotel. He is twelve years old, perfectly neat, highly efficient and almost as clever as he thinks he is. Daisy is his younger sister and works as the hotel’s Head Housekeeper. An utter mess in every way, Ernest thinks she is extremely annoying; but she’s actually rather BRILLIANT.

Rodents’ Revenge features lots of squirrels, so what’s your favourite rodent and why?

My favourite type of rodent would be a chinchilla, due to their speed and extreme fluffiness. The most amazing individual rodent I’ve encountered would be the rat that turned up in my house one day and tried to hide in the piano. As I tried to chase it out it kept bouncing against the strings, with the result that it played an actual tune. Quite a good one too.

As this is the first of a six part series, what else can we expect?

In each book, new Guests turn up at the hotel. In Book One we grapple with Elsie Tulip and her terrible squirrel-allergy. Book Two introduces the Brothers Gym, two ninety-five year old athletes who are obsessed with defeating each other at sport, and choose the hotel as the site of their final showdown. Book Three features the rather sinister Lucy Brittle, who is addicted to bedtime stories. The Guests after that, I’m still thinking up. One thing I know: they’re even odder.

What are your favourite children’s books?

I loved a completely-forgotten book called BOTTERSNIKES AND GUMBLES, by S. A. Wakefield. It was about nasty little monsters playing horrible tricks on each other in the Australian out-back. I also read lots and lots of DOCTOR WHO books – pretty much all of them, I think. Almost my favourite evening of my childhood was going to the theatre to see Roald Dahl read aloud from The Twits. I’ve still got the signed copy of the book I bought, though unfortunately the actual page that was signed fell out and got lost long ago.

Thanks, Simon. Looking forward to reading more about the Oldmoor Orphans and, just so we all know, we’d pick rabbits as our favourite rodents – what about everyone else? Tick Tock books have also arranged for us to have a signed copy of the book to giveaway to a Bookbabbler – lucky us! All you need to do to enter is, comment on this post, Facebook ‘like’ it or retweet it.

You can follow Simon on Twitter here and find out more about Simon and his books here, and we’re sure he’ll be updating it with news of his next books as he’s writing them. Buy this book from our shop now, or just click on the link below.

Today, we’re delighted to have an exclusive interview with Harriet Houdini, celebrity rabbit and star of the brand new book Stunt Bunny: Showbiz Sensation

So, Harriet, tell us about yourself:

You mean you don’t already know? Where have you been? I’m a small grey bunny with a big dream, a rabbit with star quality. I live with the Wilson family and Stunt Bunny : Showbiz Sensation is the story of how I hopped out of my hutch and auditioned to become the star of Saturday night television show Superpets. Oh, and I love carrots. Did someone say they were whisking me up a carrot juice?

Describe a typical day in the life of a VIP:

I’m usually awake first but I don’t get up until my owner, Susie, brings me my morning carrot. Then I have a quick hop around the living room and nibble on Susie’s dad’s slippers. After that, I might read my fan mail or get my nails done. Once Susie gets home from school, she puts me through my paces with the tinkly ball and, after a bit of TV, I catch up on my beauty sleep.

What’s it like living with the Wilson family?

Susie is my favourite person in the world – she’s great. Her mum isn’t bad either but I try to keep away from her naughty little sister, Lily. For a five year old, she’s got a wicked streak. The worst of the lot is their dad, Evil Edward. He’s never liked me and blames me for everything that goes wrong around the house.

What’s the deal with Superpets?

Superpets is a TV show featuring talented pets from all over Britain. Imagine what Britain’s Got Talent would be like if all the contestants were animals – that’s exactly what the Superpets Search for a Superstar competition is like. So there’s an opera singing poodle, a hula-hooping monkey and a counting kitten. The winner of the contest gets to appear on Superpets every Saturday night.

Any gossip about your Superpets co-stars?

Most of them are really great but that poodle is a pain in the fluffy tail. She really thinks she’s got what it takes to win but I’m determined to show her that I’m not just a pretty face. The hedgehog dance troupe, Spike-tacular are a great bunch, though. I think they’ll make it big one day.

What’s next for Harriet Houdini?

I’m going on tour! Superpets Live! will be appearing at a stadium near you early next year and you can read all about our adventures in Stunt Bunny: Tour Troubles in February 2011. Now, where’s that carrot juice you promised me?

You can find out all about Harriet Houdini and her Superpets co-stars at www.tamsynmurray.co.uk There’s a Stunt Bunny word-search to print off and even a Stunt Bunny puppet to make!

We have also added the book to our shop now, but we thought we’d go one better than that and sneak a couple of signed copies for a Bookbabbler giveaway. To enter, just comment on this post, retweet it or Facebook ‘like’ it (UK only).

As promised, today ‘The Moonstone Legacy’ blog tour is stopping by at Bookbabblers, so we bring you our review and our Q&A with the authors..

Our Review:

“In a sacred cave high in the mountains of northern India, a white-haired hermit sits cross-legged, and signs his final testament: “George Abercrombie, 1874…”

In present-day England, fourteen year old Lizzy Abercrombie’s mother dies in a tragic accident on the full moon. But was it really an accident? Lizzy discovers that her death may be linked to a mysterious family curse. Determined to find the truth, her quest takes her from a splendid Anglo-Indian mansion on the Yorkshire moors to India, where she uncovers her ancestor’s terrible past and a stolen inheritance. But her discoveries put her in mortal danger from a ruthless enemy.”

This book is aimed at young adults and is a really great read. The authors manage to keep you in suspense about the outcome of the book right until the very end and the climax of the book is quite action packed. I found it extremely interesting to try and figure out exactly what happened to the mysterious George Abercrombie and how his past actions are affecting Lizzy in the present day.

The best bit about this book is definitely the end, and the last few paragraphs open up a whole new mystery, which I think is going to be unveiled in a second book, which I now can’t wait to read.

From the Authors:

What was it about Collins’ ‘The Moonstone’ that tempted you to write this book?

It has the perfect ingredients which we could remix for our East / West mystery adventure story.

How does it link in with The Moonstone?

The last line of the original is “What will be the next adventure of the Moonstone? Who can tell?” We start from there!

If you were to use just 3 words to describe The Moonstone Legacy, what would they be?

The Moonstone Legacy!

As the book’s the first in a trilogy, what progress is there on the next 2 and when will they be out?

We’re hoping to get Book Two out within a year as it’s nearly finished. Book Three is under construction.

As you co-write, how do you share the writing?

Plot thoroughly together, then draft, draft and redraft togather on the same laptop.

And finally, who are your favourite authors?

Wilkie Collins, Vikram Seth and Anon (The Bhagavad Gita, the Bible and countless others…!)

All other tour dates are listed on our post 29.05.10.

Bookbabblers caught up with Helen Grant, author of The Vanishing of Katharina Linden and The Glass Demon, recently:

From your childhood, what book(s)stand out for you?

One of my favourite books was The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (who also created Sherlock Holmes). My father had a paperback copy of it on his bookshelf. It looked really exciting – it had some explorers being threatened by a monstrous dinosaur on the front! I begged and begged to be allowed to read it but my father said that if I read it when I was too young it would “spoil” the book for me. Finally when I was 10 he said that I could read any of his books. I went straight to the bookshelf and got down The Lost World!

I was very fond of adventure stories. I also loved She by H.Rider Haggard, about a lost tribe in Africa ruled by an immortal princess. It’s quite an old book now (it was published in 1887). When I was a child I had a lot of the books my parents had owned in the 1940s and 1950s so I read a lot of old- fashioned adventures!

How did The Glass Demon idea come to you?

The Glass Demon was actually inspired by the fascinating true story of the Steinfeld stained glass.

Steinfeld Abbey in Germany had a fabulous series of sixteenth-century stained glass windows, many of them created by the master craftsman Gerhard Remsich (who is supposed to have created the Allerheiligen glass in the book).

Several times in their history the Steinfeld windows had to be taken out of the window frames and hidden, becausethere was a war on and they could have been damaged, or in one case to let the cloister dry out. When the abbey closed in 1802 they were sold and vanished altogether. For a century nobody knew where they were.

In 1904 the famous ghost-story writer Montague Rhodes James was cataloguing the stained glass in the chapelofAshridge House in Hertfordshire, and realised that most of it came from Steinfeld. The name of the abbey was written on one of the windows in Latin. He was inspired by the glass to write a story called “The Treasure of Abbot Thomas,” which is set in Steinfeld. A German priest called Father Nikola Reinartz heard about the story and when he was in England for a conference he contacted M.R.James to find out where the glass was. He was then able to visit it at Ashridge. He was thrilled that the lost glass had been found at last.

The Steinfeld glass was auctioned at Sotheby’s in the 1920s and sold for the equivalent of about ?800,000 in today’s money. Most of it is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

I found this story fascinating for several reasons. I would never have believed that something as fragile as stained glass could be taken out of the window frames and transported to another country without being broken. Also, I couldn’t help thinking how amazing it would be if there were another set of similar stained glass windows still hidden somewhere, waiting to be found. It would be rare and almost priceless. That’s what inspired the The Glass Demon.

Why the name Lin Fox, and how do characters take shape?

Lin’s name is actually a shortened version of her full name (which is revealed at the end of the book); I chose to give her that name because it is rather revealing about the relationship between her and Tuesday. Tuesday is quite pretentious (which is why she chose the name) and Lin resents it. I chose the surname Fox because I think it sounds short, sharp and quite cool. Lin’s father Oliver is very concerned with his image; if his surname had been something unglamorous-sounding I think he would have changed it.

It’s hard to explain how the characters take shape. I don’t feel conscious of “thinking them up”. I feel as though they have an existence of their own; I just describe them, the way they are. When I was working on The Vanishing of Katharina Linden (my first novel), one of the first publishers I spoke to suggested some changes to the book which didn’t really fit Pia’s (the heroine’s) character. I had a very clear image in my head of Pia shaking her head and then walking sadly away. It was as though she was speaking for herself.

We know you enjoy having folklore running through your stories – what about it appeals to you?

I like the idea of retelling real folk tales because they are a precious link to the past. Many of them are also brilliantly good stories. “Bonschariant”, the “glass demon” in the book, is based on a legend about Count Sigebodo, who built Steinfeld Abbey. He had a foreign servant whose name was so difficult to pronounce that the Count called him “Bonschariant” (which means “the good servant”) instead. Bonschariant was actually a demon, and Count Sigebodo eventually realised that, after Bonschariant cured his wife of a deadly disease by using magic. He built the abbey and put a large cross on the highest point, to ward the demon off. I liked the name “Bonschariant”. I also thought it would be fun to use if anyone googled the name and found out that it was a real legend – it gives the book authenticity and makes it just that bit more creepy!

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on my third novel. It’s also set in the Eifel region of Germany, like my first two books, and like the others it is inspired by real history and legends, in this case the notorious witch trials that took place in the Eifel. The story is about a group of bored teenagers who decide to try to hex someone using black magic – and the person really dies! At first they are horrified but after a while they start to think that perhaps the person’s death was coincidence so they try again…

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

It’s wonderful being able to work at home. If one of my kids is sick and can’t go to school, I just don’t work that day (or I put a DVD on for them and work anyway!). I can take a day off when I feel like it, and I can take my holidays when I like. I suppose many self-employed people could say the same – but I also love writing itself; I can’t imagine a better job than making up stories! It doesn’t really feel like work.

Which current children/YA authors do you (or your children) most enjoy?

I really like Michelle Magorian’s books. I have read Goodnight, Mr.Tom loads of times. It’s a wonderful book, set during the Second World War, about a crusty old man who manages to find room in his heart for an unhappy child.

My son really likes the Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney and my daughter is completely crazy about the Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter. I’ve read the first Warrior Cats book and I thought it was good, too – it’s about a domestic cat who feels the call of the wild. But I’m not sure I could read every single book (there are over 20 books plus manga cartoons!).

And finally, let us in on 3 of your passions.

Exploring old buildings is one of them! I love visiting old castles and churches. Sometimes I write articles about them. I once went to the south of France to visit a particularly beautiful old cathedral, and I also went to Jutland in Denmark to look at the old houses in the town of Viborg. I had read some ghost stories which were set in those two places, and I wanted to find out what the locations were really like.

I love to learn foreign languages. French was my second language and I was absolutely terrible at it until, at the age of 13, I went to stay with a French-speaking family in Belgium for a month. When I arrived I could barely understand a word but when I got back I was fluent. I’d heard nothing but French for four weeks! Since then I have also learnt German and am now learning Dutch, because I live in Flanders. I get a tremendous kick out of being able to speak another language. I suppose it’s because I’m a completely compulsive communicator. I put this down to the fact that I come from a family of four children and it was difficult to make myself heard!

My final passion is a totally disreputable one. I absolutely love disaster movies! Don’t ask me why; I’m not a pessimistic person. I couldn’t wait for 2012 to come out in the cinema, and I also loved The Day After Tomorrow and The Core. Perhaps it’s the grand scale of the destruction that appeals – I like a bit of drama.

Who doesn’t, we say?! The Glass Demon is in our shop now, you can find out more about Helen at her website here, and follow her on Twitter here.

We were lucky enough to get signed copies of Daniel’s ‘Broken’ for our giveaway last month (if you’ve not read it yet, it’s brilliant- you can find it under featured/reviewed in our shop) and here’s what Daniel had to say when we caught up with him recently:

What were your favourite books and authors when you were a child?

There were very few books in our house so I just tended to read whatever I could get my hands on; usually quite dark stuff, though I remember reading The Eagle Of The Ninth (which, I think, has just been turned into a film) several times as it was so good.  Later, as a teenager, I loved The Pan Book of Horror Short Story series plus a similar range published by New English Library, then moved on to James Herbert and, finally, Stephen King.  All nice light cheerful stuff.

When did you know you wanted to write?

Since before I can remember, and long before I understood writing could be a career.

How much of Broken is based on people and situations you knew?

Little snippets definitely seeped in from my life – Mr Jeffries’ world view was quite similar to mine at the time I wrote the novel. The situation Broken’s parents go through, not knowing how to get him help, understanding the State are failing him but not being equipped to kick up the necessary fuss to get him seen by the right people, is also something I’d seen someone close to me go through.

Setting wise, it’s very personal – I live around the corner from the place where I imagine Drummond Square to be, and, in the original draft, I wrote it as if the characters lived in the same street as me (my wife made me change that…)

What was it about the story that made you confident it would be successful? (or as confident as you can ever be?!)

Successful and confident are scary words to use when it comes to trying to get your first novel published!  I don’t think either ever applied to me because I’d come close to being represented by a big-name agent once before and was pretty resigned to the fact nothing would ever happen for me, so I was just writing because I love to write and then going through all the standard motions of trying to get published with no real faith the system would work for me.  With Broken, though, six months after I’d finished the first draft, I dug it out of a drawer thinking I’d just have a quick flick through, and, reading it for the first time after such a long break, it felt like someone else’s work, and seemed to be at a much higher level than anything I’d ever written before:  I still didn’t think it would ever be published, because life’s just unfair like that a lot of the time, but it was nice to go on to prove myself wrong…

I think with any sort of writing, except, perhaps, for genre novels, it’s impossible to know if they truly work until they’re finished. For me, the few times I’ve tried to write with a specific plot in mind, the outcome has been disappointing, and usually gut-wrenchingly so.   It’s much scarier to write thinking, well, maybe something like this can happen, maybe I could throw something like that in half-way through, but the results can often be as surprising for the writer as they are for the reader, which is usually a good thing, even though you have no idea if you’re producing anything good or not until a few months after it’s finished…

What’s your new book about?

It’s called Swap and, primarily, it’s about a woman called Angela who, at the age of thirty-nine, has lived the same life her parents lived before her – one job all her life, one relationship all her life, one house all her adult life, one son to show for it all:  When her mother dies and her husband isn’t very supportive she embarks on an affair with her best friend’s husband, the repercussions of which change everyone’s lives forever.

Unlike Broken, it doesn’t really have a linear plot (it tells two parallel stories in three very distinct stages) or the same shades of right and wrong, but I really wanted to capture the way ordinary life can change so rapidly, and not through anything sensational such as murder or physical violence, just through decent people not quite valuing each other enough. I also wanted to show how an ordinary suburban woman’s life can be as shocking and riveting as anyone else’s, and just as hope-filled as well.

When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

I like to read and I write a few articles here and there, plus I critique other writers’ work for writers’ news.  Away from the keyboard I like to ski.  I surf every now and then but not very well.  I like going on bike rides as well, but only really if they involve pubs…

If you were to recommend a book(s) to children to get them hooked on reading, what would they be?

Anything they’re likely to relate to – that doesn’t mean it has to be by a modern writer reflecting life for children today, but just someone portraying character-traits and values they can recognise and identify with. I think, also, the big trick is to make books accessible but never force one on a child (or anyone, really):  I had to read Chaucer and Shakespeare at school and ended up with an Ungraded in English Literature O Level because I just couldn’t decipher what the two of them were on about, yet I’d already read Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm – which were covered in CSE – two years before we sat our exams and had written three novels of my own by the time I left school.  It was ridiculous and turned me off that sort of writing forever, whereas, probably, if I’d found my own way to them later on in life, I’d have loved them.

It might sound obvious, but I’d suggest Harry Potter.  Given how popular they are, I’d imagine no child would feel any stigma in being seen reading them. Also, as a series, they’re perfect for children because the first book is a very quick and easy read, and then each subsequent installment demands more concentration and gets progressively darker – a bit like life, really.

So that’s all from Daniel – hope you enjoyed it as much as us? We’d be hard pressed to come up with a better recommendation than Harry Potter ourselves, but let us know what you think..