WILD BOY BLOG TOUR: WHERE IDEAS COME FROM

Today I'm really excited to welcome Rob Lloyd Jones, author of the forthcoming children's book Wild Boy to My Book Journey. Not only is the cover for this book absolutely stunning, but I'm currently reading Wild Boy and it is fab!! Set in dark and dangerous Victorian London, Wild Boy is considered a freak and a monster. But with his own special skill of detection, he is sure to get caught up in a whirlwind of adventures!

I'm really excited to hear Rob's perspective on writing and forming story ideas. So Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, and with a drum roll, read on to find out...

Where Ideas Come From

Hi and thanks for having me on My Book Journey.

I don’t get asked many questions. I’m pretty new to this, so I don’t have a lot of advice to offer. Also, I suspect there’s something about me that suggests I might not give good answers. I mumble and fidget when asked about anything important. Or I pretend to need the loo and flee. There’s one question, in particular, to which I always mess up my reply. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to write it down for the record. Now I can simply direct anyone that asks to this blog.

The question is, of course, where do I get my ideas from?

Just because this is asked a lot of writers doesn’t make it a bad question (if there’s such a thing as a bad question). Different people will give different answers, yielding new and interesting advice. So ask it as much and as often as you can.

Usually writers offer smug, rehearsed replies to this question. So here is mine: Where do my ideas come from? My brain.

I was never much good at science, but I think that’s where ideas come from.

That sounded very smug didn’t it? Sorry.

The point, though, is this: everyone has ideas. They are not a divine privilege of writers, just as not only philosophers are allowed to think. We all have ideas, all the time. You’re probably having one right now. The only difference between writers and other people are that writers write their ideas down.

So always - always - carry a pen. Your mind is a motorway, where ideas flash past way over the speed limit. Some of them aren’t much to see – dented old saloons towing rusty caravans. But every now and then – vroooom – there goes a Ferrari!

And if you don’t write that down you’ll forget it was ever there. No, it’s worse than that – you’ll remember it was there but you’ll forget what it was.

Write it down!

There are ways to jump-start good ideas (okay, enough with the cars stuff already). Look around you, for a start. Pay attention. Even the most humdrum everyday things might throw up an interesting story idea. As you look around ask ‘What if?’ What if one of those puddles in the park wasn’t a puddle at all, but a watery hole that sucks you down to somewhere incredible? What if the kitchen oven started speaking to you? What would it say? What if, flicking through a book, you saw a photo of yourself? Only it’s a history book and the photo was taken over a hundred years ago...

Speaking of history, what a treasure trove of ideas that is! Read about pirates, knights, spies in wars... At school you need to remember what reallyhappened. But now imagine what might have happened. What if there was something else living in no-man’s-land between those two armies?

That’s how I stumbled across the idea that became my first book. I was reading about Victorian England (one of my favourite subjects) and, in particular, the travelling freak shows that toured the countryside. I remember writing down two questions.

What if one of the freaks - a boy covered in hair? - spied on people for clues to the outside world? Would he be a detective?

To be honest, I knew immediately that I had to tell this boy’s tale. I was never going to forget that particular idea. But, once it was written down, itcouldn’t be forgotten.

Sometimes our ideas turn out to be a bit wobbly. Flicking through my notebook, I’m always cringing with embarrassment that I had this or that thought. But then, occasionally, my fingers tighten around a page, and I think, Oooh, that was a goodun. Maybe I’ll never do anything with it, but it would have been lost forever if I hadn’t written it down.

So if you have an idea – and you have loads! – don’t waste it. Write it down. One day it could change your life.


Wild Boy will be published on April 4th 2013 by Walker Books.
For more information about Rob or his other children's books, you can find him on Twitter.

Don't forget to visit Clover at Fluttering Butterflies on Friday for the next instalment of the Wild Boy blog tour!

REVIEW: HIDDEN AMONG US

Author: Katy Moran
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Walker Books
UK Release date: 7th March 2013
Genre: YA, Fae
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

When Lissy meets a mysterious and strangely beautiful boy on her way to Hopesay Edge, she is deeply unsettled by their encounter.

She discovers that the boy, Larkspur, is a member of the Hidden, an ancient group of elven people, whose secrets lie buried at Hopesay Reach. Before long, Lissy and her brother Rafe find themselves caught by a powerful magic and fighting to escape a bargain that can never be broken. (From Goodreads)

One of my favourite things about Hidden Among Us was the British setting. It wasn't just that the story was set in the UK, but the rural Hopesay Edge felt wild and rugged. This atmosphere (and very typical British rainy weather) fit perfectly with the scary fae theme. It also made the old house Lissy stayed in feel like it was right on the border with the dangerous and mysterious fae world - which of course it was.

The faeries were typically ethereal - tall and inhumanely beautiful. But they had a very dark, wild and scary side to them. They flitted in and out of the story to start and I didn't know what to expect from them; but I did know they were up to no good by stealing children from the human world to take back to the faery world. The fact that they didn't understand or follow human emotions and morals made them unpredictable, cold and dangerous. The faery King in particular was a nasty figure. Bur Larkspur was different; he seemed to understand humans and empathise with them, and for some reason I had a little soft spot for him.

I really liked that the story was told from different character's perspectives; Joe's, Lissy's and Rafe's. each character, and narrative style, was very distinct. Lissy was both wonderfully fragile and strong. There was obviously something or someone coming after her, but even when she was in serious danger she still fought back. Rafe was the tough older brother, charging around trying to find out the mystery behind Hopesay Reach. In comparison, Joe was thrown into this strange family and was made to feel like the useless outsider. In my opinion though, he was the best character in the book. He wasn't pretentious or overly macho like Rafe, but he was still brave and caring. Despite being a naturally sensible person, he still took risks. I think he was fab!

What I didn't expect were the mysterious people following Lissy's brother, Rafe. They were always unseen but always following, and so I instantly knew they were creepy and dangerous. Mind you, with this story there was danger lurking around every corner, and this really kept me on my toes.

Hidden Among Us was a grippingly creepy and wild adventure with the fae.

Rating: 4*

KATY MORAN BLOG TOUR - CONCEIVING A BOOK

Today, I'm really excited to have Katy Moran on My Book Journey to talk about Conceiving a Book (and pinning down the plot), in particular for her latest book Hidden Among Us.

Having read and really enjoyed this story of the fae, I'm really excited to hear how Katy developed the idea behind it! In particular I loved the very British feel to the story, and if you read below you will find out where this inspiration came from.

Hidden Among Us was first formally discussed with my editor in 2009, but for many years prior to that I’d been percolating the idea for a book in which the everyday world is not all it seems; I wanted to make readers suspect that magic really might take place, and that those old myths and legends we grew up with are far more than just stories, but actually powerful influences on real people. My greatest teachers in this respect were authors whose books I drank in with bottomless appetite as a child: Alan Garner, Robert Westall and Diana Wynne-Jones to name only a few. One of my most favourite books as a child was Pat O’Shea’s The Hounds of the Morrigan – I read about Pidge and his sister and their terrifying close encounter with the Otherworld so many times that the book is in tatters now. Of course, Alan Garner’s The Owl Service is another masterpiece that explores not only the power of an ancient myth – the old Welsh tale of Blodeuwedd – but also the destructive effects of jealousy, bitterness and revenge. All of these books shaped my imagination as I grew up: ideas for books can brew in an author’s subconscious mind for decades before finally taking shape. Sometimes, ingredients are added almost without my being aware of them, but I do distinctly remember a boy who became my husband playing me a song in the kitchen of the house we shared at university. The song was Reynardine, sung by Sandy Denny. I’d never heard Reynardine before, and I knew that one day I would have to write a story about a wild and mysterious young man encountered one night by a young girl.

I grew up reading tales of myths rooted to wild landscapes, but one of the most crucial ingredients in Hidden Among Us was the countryside I grew up in. Cambridgeshire is almost suburban by comparison to where I live now but when I was a child, the fields and lanes we explored beneath those enormous shifting skies sometimes seemed perilously close to another world. There’s a lane in our village called the Drift – often spoken of in whispers. A friend and I ran down it in complete and genuine terror one day, convinced we were being chased by a giant – and totally non-existent – black cat. Another time, we were walking home from a dark pool that I was convinced witches had been ducked in when we discovered a tree covered in deep slashes, as if it had been scratched. I clearly remember the pair of us examining gouges cut right through the bark, then looking up to see all the trees along the lane covered in similar scratches. We ran that time, too. I can’t say for sure what really happened. Maybe there was one tree that someone had vandalised with a pocket-knife, and my overactive imagination filled in the gaps, in which case I must have terrified the living daylights out of the friend I was with. My four-year-old lives in a world that is indistinguishable from his imagination, and I suspect that this merging of reality and interior stories goes on for a lot longer in some children, and in the case of those who grow up to become writers of fiction, it never really subsides one hundred per cent.

So, Hidden Among Us was conceived in the mind of a child who lived in the countryside, reading myths and legends planted in modern landscapes by master storytellers. Maybe it was that creepy dark pool in my village, but by the time we reached 2009, and I began to pin down the plot for a new novel, I knew I wanted to re-work those old stories of sunken villages lost in floods let loose by divine retribution or the need for new reservoirs. I’d been to the Highlands of Scotland and driven past a man-made loch concealing such a village, which I think must have reignited my interest, and I also began researching odd places like the mysterious Bomere Pool in Shropshire, which reportedly houses the ghost of a Roman soldier in search of his lost love. As you will see, the plot of Hidden Among Us morphed – it was certainly one of those cases where the characters took matters into their own hands. Hidden Among Us is no longer the story of a sunken village, but of a lake which becomes a gateway into another world, and I suppose I have the tale of King Arthur to thank for that!

Thank you so much Katy for sharing your inspiration and research. I feel slightly ashamed that I don't know the Welsh tale of Blodeuwedd - I must find out!

Hidden Among Us will be published on March 7th 2013 by Walker Books. For more information about Katy or her books, you can find Katy on Twitter or on her website.

Don't forget to drop by Viv's blog next Friday for the second installment in Katy Moran's blog tour.

REVIEW: BLACK SPRING

Author: Alison Croggon
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Walker
UK Release date: 3rd January 2013
Genre: Fantasy
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, BLACK SPRING reimagines the passionate story in a fantasy 19th century society sustained by wizardry and the vengeance code of vendetta.
Anna spent her childhood with Damek and her volatile foster sister Lina, daughter of the Lord of the village. Lina has magical powers, and in this brutal patriarchal society women with magical powers are put to death as babies. Lina’s father, however, refuses to kill her but when vendetta explodes in their village and Lina’s father dies, their lives are changed forever. Their new guardian Masko sends Anna away and reduces Lina to the status of a servant. Damek—mad with love for Lina—attempts to murder Masko, then vanishes for several years. Anna comes home five years later to find Lina about to marry a pleasant young farmer, and witnesses Damek’s vengeful return and its catastrophic consequences. (Goodreads)

Black Spring is a re-imagining of the classic Wuthering Heights, embellished with fantasy elements. The story includes witches, wizards, and a strange vendetta that must down through families to enrich the King's coffers.With these fantasy elements, Black Spring will appeal to a new, younger audience that may not have already read Emily Bronte's classic, as well as fans of the tale.

I was surprised that in this retelling, the key plot points stayed the same but the character names had changed. Because of this, the start felt very different to the original and I had a little trouble trying to equate the characters in this book with the original (although I do realise that each book should be read on its own merits, and not compared, it is difficult for me to do with such a well known book). Having said this, I think the new names better suited the new setting and fantasy elements, rather than the historical, British feel.

The addition of the family vendettas, wizards and curses gave a more ominous backdrop to the doomed love between Lina and Damek, as well as adding interest and action to the plot. For me, it also gave credence to Lina’s (aka Cathy’s) behaviour and went a little way to explaining her drastic change in demeanour. Yes, I understand that Damek’s leaving would have caused Lina to be deeply upset, but I also think such a strong willed young woman would have more strength of character. And of course the wild character of Lina was perfectly suited to being a potential witch.

Just as with the original, Alison Croggon has created an atmosphere of gloom and despair in the isolated village, and this gloom haunts the characters throughout. If you enjoyed the original and like fantasy, or if you want to read a dark tale of despair, then Black Spring will be perfect.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: CITY OF BONES

Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Walker Books
UK Release date: 2007
Genre: YA Paranormal

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

When it came to understanding the people around her and putting two and two together, Clary was a little naive. Which meant that she sometimes frustrated me and she ended up in a love triangle without even realising it. Despite this, Clary was a very likeable character. She was quick witted and brave and would jump into situations to save the people she cared for. I loved the witty banter and repartee between her and Jace. Yes, Jace was cocky and arrogant. Very arrogant. But there was something undeniably magnetic about him. Perhaps it was the sense of humour that went with that arrogance, that made him more playful and fun. I could totally see why girls would be instantly attracted to Jace, but I think it helped that he was flawed and vulnerable like everyone else.

What I liked about the secondary characters within the Shadowhunting group, was that they all had very dynamic relationships with each other that took time to work out and understand. Isabelle and Alec were brother and sister and like family to Jace, but like Clary it was easy to imagine Jace and Isabelle getting together romantically. As an outsider, Clary kind of came in and disturbed the balance of the group which meant that there was some hostility towards Clary particularly because they considered her to be an ignorant human. Alec was the quiet, brooding one in the group, and at first his hostility towards Clary made me very wary of him, but as I discovered his hidden feelings I came to feel sorry for him and wished he could really embrace who he was. I really do hope that he can come out and not only accept himself for who he is but also be accepted by his family and the Shadowhunters in the rest of the series.

City of Bones had quite a complex plot and history to it. There were some plot developments that were glaringly obvious but Clary just didn’t see, and a little part of me wanted to shake her and say “hurry up and catch on a bit quicker”. Despite this there were plenty of shocking twists and turns that I hadn’t expected, particularly at the end where I wanted to ask Cassandra Clare “why the hell did you do that?!”. I’m not sure if I’m completely happy with the final turn of events in the book, so I will have to reserve judgment until I read the second book and see what happens. There was quite a lot of back story behind the Shadowhunters truce with ‘demons’ which meant that at certain times, the story had to flashback to the past to catch us up on events through retellings by particular characters. At times this felt quite natural, but they were also parts when huge chucks of the past were filled in in one go, making the story a tad disjointed.

With City of Bones currently being filmed, I couldn’t help but want to read it. And I wasn’t  disappointed. It’s a fast paced, action packed urban fantasy with brilliant heroes and heroines and a wickedly clever villain. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing the film when it comes out!

Rating: 4*

SUMMER SCREAM: 4 VERY LOVELY AUTHORS

Zoe, Karen (talking about her books) & Lee

The other week I was thrilled to go to Foyle's Summer Scream event in London. Amid the chaos of the Olympics, 4 wonderful authors braved the tourists to come speak about their books.

The authors were: Zoe Marriott, Karen Mahoney, Michelle Harrison and L.A. Weatherly.

It was so refreshing and reassuring to hear authors talking about the struggles it took to get their first and current books written and published. Zoe talked about how her characters changed gender several times in the editing, and they all mentioned the frustrations and downfalls of leaving a story unfinished and uncompleted.

All four of the authors were lovely and funny and each gave a reading of their books. Michelle's reading was scary and thrilling (I loved Unrest!) and we were lucky enough to get a read from Karen Mahoney's not-yet-published book Falling to Ash. The main character, Moth, sounded spunky and so fun! Lee talked about her books becoming films, and Zoe talked about her childhood passion with a lot of zeal!

4 authors and 4 very cool books. In case you haven't picked up these books yet, here's a quick blurb...

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly
Only Willow has the power to defeat the malevolent Church of Angels, and they will stop at nothing to destroy her. Willow isn’t alone, though. She has Alex by her side – a trained Angel Killer and her one true love. But nothing can change the fact that Willow’s a half-angel, and when Alex joins forces with a group of AKs, she’s treated with mistrust and suspicion. She’s never felt more alone…until she meets Seb. He’s been searching for Willow his whole life – because Seb is a half-angel too.

Michelle and Zoe

The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney
Donna Underwood is in deep trouble.An ancient alchemical order is holding her accountable for destroying the last precious drops of the elixar of life. Never mind the fact that Donna was acting to free her friend, Navin, from the dangerous clutches of the Wood Queen at the time. But what the alchemists have in store is nothing compared to the wrath of the fey. The Wood Queen has been tricked and Donna must pay. Get ready for all hell - quite literally - to break loose...

Unrest by Rachel Harrison
Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn’t slept properly for months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Sometimes he half-wakes, paralysed, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around while his body lies asleep on the bed. His doctors say sleep paralysis and out-of-body experiences are harmless - but to Elliott they’re terrifying.
Convinced that his brush with death has attracted the spirit world, Elliott secures a job at a reputedly haunted museum, determined to discover the truth. There, he meets the enigmatic Ophelia. But, as she and Elliott grow closer, Elliott draws new attention from the dead. One night, during an out-of-body experience, Elliott returns to bed to find his body gone. Something is occupying it, something that wants to live again - and it wants Ophelia, too . . .

FrostFire by Zoe Marriott
Frost is cursed - possessed by a wolf demon that brings death everywhere she goes. Desperate to find a cure, she flees her home, only to be captured by the Ruan Hill Guard. Trapped until she can prove she is not an enemy, Frost grows increasingly close to the Guard’s charismatic leader Luca and his second in command, the tortured Arian. Torn between two very different men, Frost fears that she may not be able to protect either of them ... from herself.

REVIEW: THE SWAN KINGDOM

Author: Zoe Marriott
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: Walker Books
UK Release date: 2011
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy tale

When Alexandra’s mother is slain by an unnatural beast, shadows fall on the once-lush kingdom. Too soon the widowed king is entranced by a cunning stranger — and in one chilling moment Alexandra’s beloved brothers disappear, and she is banished to a barren land. Rich in visual detail, sparked by a formidable evil, and sweetened with familial and romantic love, here is the tale of a girl who discovers powerful healing gifts — and the courage to use them to save her ailing kingdom.

The Swan Kingdom is a retelling of one Han's Christian Anderson's fairy tales, The Wild Swans. Like a traditional fairy tale this story had magic, romance, the horrible step-mother, and a battle of good against evil. The setting really took me back in time with the wise women, herb lore, and the magical stone circle which reminded me of Glastonbury and Stone Henge. It was such a beautiful place; so when her new step-mother arrived and started wreaking havoc over the land I was incensed.

What I love about fairy tales, and this story, is the way characters aren't what they first seem. Zella, Alexandra's new step-mother, is beautiful and immediately enchants everyone in the Kingdom. But underneath you know something very evil and dark lurks. And in contrast, Alexandra is initially presented as the strange and ugly girl. But when as you read her honest and open narrative, you can't help but love her.

The writing style was very languid, poetic and descriptive. From the very first word I felt completely immersed in Alexandra's world. The rhythm of the story was slow and natural, but reading it didn't feel slow. There were plenty of high tension moments, threats of danger and undercurrents of romance. I would have liked to have known Gabriel, Alexandra's love interest, in more detail. But having said that you instantly know he is a good and kind man.

It has to be said that Alexandra was an ugly duckling; she disappointed her father, wasn't pretty and took after her mother as a wise woman. However I loved Alexandra's personality and the humorous thoughts she had to herself. She was courageous, brave and throughout the story developed into a strong young woman. Despite starting off shy and lacking in self confidence, she slowly became more able to stand up for herself and for her Kingdom.

The Swan Kingdom is a beautifully written magical fantasy fairy tale.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: SHOOTING STARS

Author: Allison Rushby
Series: No, Standalone
US Publisher: Walker
US Release date: February 2012
Genre: YA
Kindly given by the author for an honest review

Josephine Foster is only 16, but already she is following in her father's footsteps as a Los Angeles paparazzo. With her petite height and youthful looks, she is able to sneak into places most paps can't reach, making her a valuable commodity to magazine editors looking for exclusive snaps of celebs. Which is why the tenacious editor Melissa has offered Jo a lot of money to go undercover in a retreat to snap famous young celebrity Ned Harnett. But as Jo learns more about the young people at the retreat and is forced to share her own deepest secrets, can she go through with it? Will she follow her father or will she forge her own path in photography?

For me, young paparazzo ZoJo was the star of the book; she was funny, witty, blunt and always wanted to get straight to the point. I admired her determination and direct approach, which didn't come across as abrupt or pushy but was more humorous and honest. In the retreat though, everyone has to share their problems and issues, and I found it interesting that Jo needed to fake a reason for being at the retreat despite having some real issues hidden away under her bravado. I liked seeing the real Jo as she develops through the book, but I'm glad she kept her unique personality and wit.

When I first started reading I was a little sceptical because of my wariness around the paparazzi. I wasn't sure if I could ever like a pap. But Jo's own internal monologue looked at the different sides to the story, from celebrities seeking out the limelight in the early stages of their career before shunning it as they become famous. She also made a great point that the need for celeb pics is driven by the public who buy celeb magazines and not necessarily driven by the paparazzi who are doing a job, albeit a slightly unscrupulous one. Jo did win me around quite quickly showing me that not all paps are underhand and evil, and I think it was down to her witty personality and relationship with the caring pap Mannie. It is certainly a different and interesting viewpoint and lifestyle than other YA books look at, and one that is possibly misunderstand.

There were lots of questions hanging in the air and plot twists that kept me reading on; I wanted to see inside Ned's celeb lifestyle and what he was like as a real person in the retreat - what was his reason for being there? What kind of issues would he have to deal with as a superstar? I liked the fact that there were 'normal' people in the retreat, with different problems and family situations - it gave the story a lot more depth and reality to it and subtly addressed mental health, family life, privacy, and trust issues. Although the second half of the book slowed a little with Jo struggling how to deal with her moral dilemma, the end is certainly an interesting resolution to the problem.

What surprised me about the story was how driven Jo was around money. I did think it was a real fixation for her and it made her seem extremely money obsessed - yes, I worked to save my own money, but I would never dare to ask my parents for $50,000 let alone $50! The fact that she needed it to fund her studies made the money issue more understandable, and that she found a much more moral way to solve her dilemma was a big plus point.

Without giving any spoilers, I think Ned definitely deserved more credit and praise. As Jo gets to know him in the retreat we find out some juicy, interesting facts about the smouldering young star, but also how much he sacrifices for family. Selfless, handsome and with a forthright personality to match Jo's, I can see why Jo fell for him. The fact that she has to take undercover pics of him, only adds to the drama!

Rushby's debut Shooting Stars is a fab light read with some serious undertones, subtle messages about media and morals, lots of wit, and a winning main character.

Rating: 4*