Book Review: If I Die (Rachel Vincent)

Everyone else is talking about Eastlake High’s gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck, but Kaylee Cavanaugh has bigger things on her mind. Kaylee’s a banshee—her scream is a portent of death. But the next scream might hit too close to home. Kaylee’s borrowed lifeline has almost run out. Yeah—it’s a shock to her, too. So to distract herself from her own problems, Kaylee is determined to defend her school against the latest supernatural threat. That hot new teacher is really an incubus, who feeds from the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend’s delinquent ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren’t quite human either. But Kaylee’s running out of time, and those who love her will do anything to save her life. 


Welcome to the 4th day of Rachel Vincent' IF I DIE blog tour! The 5th book in the Soul Screamers Series is a fantastic, fuel-filled rush of a book - so much so that my postman probably grabbed my copy for himself! Thank yo Lucy and MIRA for sending me a second copy, and I promise if the first one ever turns up I'll be giving it away for you guys to enjoy - watch out for it!

In the meantime, check out my review:

I've always been a fan of the Soul Screamers series, but I must admit - there is always a make or break book in every series and this is it. It is, in many case, a hit or miss, love it or hate it book. It's the book that completely changes the trajectory of the series, and although we readers have probably suspected this, Rachel Vincent still manages to surprise us with the twists in If I Die.

Luckily for me, I was one of the happy one after reading the book. It all begins in a rather awry way for Kaylee, and it seems that this time, she might not come out unscathe. Her relationship with Nash hangs in the balance, a very suspicious teacher is being rather unprofessional in his extra-curricular activities, and worse of all, Kaylee may not even have the time to correct all these and get her life back on track. Indeed, it was very possible she won't even have a life at the end of it.

Every book in the series is generally fast-paced, but If I Die was particularly. Because there were so many challenges for Kaylee in the book, it was inevitable that the book breezes through some of, in my opinion, the more important explanations. There were twists that I find were not of complete surprise - regardless, it didn't take the enjoyment out of it though, which was why, overall I still enjoyed it. I did still gape at some scenes and flickered through others like there was no tomorrow! 

Kaylee was undoubtedly under a lot of pressure in the book, and her resilience shines through quite spectacularly. While there were some actions of Kaylee that I found questionable, far be it for me to call it out; after all, unless you yourself have your days numbered, who are you to judge one who does? Having said that, Kaylee's maturity and her ability to act for the greater good even when she is in peril herself, really underscores everything admirable in her - not to mention it gives us readers some really good action scenes! Funny enough, I particularly liked the bloody scenes that I would usually otherwise have ignored. Rachel really does know her action scenes!

Of course, we learn more about the netherworld and the complexity of the creatures that inhabit it. For me, one thing that stood out was that the netherworld creatures that were featured in If I Die still had a heart. At times I even felt like perhaps Kaylee should not interfere with nature, because it was after all in the nature of these demons to act in their own interest and humans are, no matter how sad, the collateral damage in this case. Much like the animals are to provide for human needs. Only a very convincing character and a heartfelt speech from one does this to me, so kudos to Rachel for getting me all pro-demon in this case!

Last but not least, Tod (insert heart sign here).

That is all - and I, as always cannot wait for Kaylee's adventure in Before I Wake!

Four Stars!

*

Book courtesy of MIRA INK.


PS - Pop into Endlessly Bookish for more If I Die tomorrow and check out the banner for the rest of the tour stops:

Heart of Stone Blog Tour: The Setting.

Hi guys! It's been a while since the last post, but the ball's rolling soon, so let me begin with The Heart of Stone Blog Tour! Today's the final day of the tour, and I'm pleased to have Melanie Welsh with me, author of the Mistress of the Storm and its sequel, Heart of Stone! Both are magical books I'm sure younger teens will enjoy!

Welcome, Melanie!

This month sees the publication of my second children’s novel, Heart of Stone, the follow-up to Mistress of the Storm. Both books are adventure-mysteries, and both feature a young girl called Verity Gallant and her friends.

For each book my editors, Bella and Hannah, were always very keen to emphasise that one of the most important things to aim for as a writer is creating a strong ‘sense of place’. In other words they wanted a world that was accurately described, so the reader found it believable and felt satisfied they could see it in their own mind.

My solution to this – in part – was to set both Mistress of the Storm and Heart of Stone in a fictional version of Ventnor, a remote town on the south coast of the Isle of Wight. Although I actually grew up in Cowes, which is on the north coast of the Island, I always had a fascination with Ventnor. It’s such a quaint town with a lot of privately owned shops but it’s also very striking: with steep tree-covered cliffs that tower over the houses. It felt like the perfect setting for an old-fashioned adventure story.

Using the south coast of the Island for Verity and Henry to sail around also meant that I stood a better chance of making my descriptions of their racing more accurate. I’m not a strong sailor at all, it’s just something I love, so knowing how the tides work and what the coast is like made me feel more confident that everything would hang together realistically.

I think if you get down to the nitty-gritty of why I chose the Isle of Wight in particular, then it’s probably also because, when I first started, I’d recently moved from London to Suffolk with my husband and was feeling very homesick. Writing the Verity stories gave me an excuse to at least be on the Island in my head.

Perhaps as a consequence Wellow is a very vivid place in my imagination, and it’s lovely when people tell me they feel like they can see the town and the coast themselves. I think possibly the ingredient that made this possible was that – to me – there’s something quite magical about the southern Island.  I took a trip back there earlier this year to make notes on the places I was writing about and it was incredibly inspiring. There are so many hidden spaces, mysterious buildings and atmospheric places – all the story elements I used to love when I was a child. I’ve tried to fit as many of them as I could into these two books. And I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

This is the last of Melanie’s blog tour posts to promote the hardback publication of Heart of Stone. If you’d like to know more about her first two books or ask her a question about writing go to www.veritygallant.co.uk

ANGEL FIRE blog tour: From Mexico, with Love

Hello there! You've probably have noticed the lack of posts and general inactivity of Girls Without a Bookshelf this summer holidays - much apologies, we did not have any wi-fi due to our recent move, but since I am back at university, thankfully wi-fi is also back!

I feel it is fitting to re-open the blog with a guest post from the author of one of my favourite books, ANGEL, and so as part of the ANGEL FIRE blog tour, I hugely welcome the talented L.A. Weatherly who is here to talk about the setting of the sequel to much beloved ANGEL!

Welcome Lee!

The Setting of Angel Fire

When I first started planning the Angel trilogy, I had no thought at all of setting the second book in Mexico – a country where, at the time, I’d never even been. The fact that Angel Fire takes place almost entirely in Mexico City is completely down to Alex. Remember that scene in Angel, where he suddenly starts speaking fluent Spanish? Well, I was as surprised as Willow; I’d had no idea that my hero was bilingual. (Sometimes characters just do things. You kind of get used to it, after a while.) Thinking it through, I decided that it made sense, when he’d grown up so close to the Mexican border. More importantly, I couldn’t see it impacting the story very much (ha!), so I just went along with it.

But then, of course, when it came time for Alex and Willow to discuss What Next, it was the most natural thing in the world for Alex to suggest going to Mexico. Because, you know – he spoke Spanish. And by then, I was so used to him as a fluent Spanish speaker that I hardly even thought twice. It wasn’t until later, when it came time to plan Angel Fire, that it suddenly hit me exactly what my hero had done. Holy cats, I had to set a book in Mexico! I’d never even been to Mexico. And Alex might have been fluent in Spanish, but I sure wasn’t.

My mental wheels spun for a while, trying desperately to think of a way out of this. (“OK, maybe they’re on their way to Mexico, but then something happens and they have to go back to the US! Yeah, that’s it!”) Finally, though, I knew that I had to resign myself to my fate: I’d promised readers a book set in Mexico, and that was that. So then came research. A lot of research. I read at least a dozen books about Mexico, and probably half a dozen more about Mexico City…because an exciting idea had started to form. Angel had taken place mostly in the wide, open spaces of America. So for contrast, why not set the sequel in Mexico City, and have a gritty, urban feel to it instead?

The more I read about the Mexican capital, the more I realised what an amazing setting I’d chosen – it’s one of the largest cities in the world; a place where Aztec ruins jostle for space beside Art Deco buildings; where the smell of spices from street-corner food vendors mingles with car fumes; where you hear the pulsing of rock music and of Aztec drums. During the writing of Angel Fire, Mexico City filled my senses: this chaotic, tilting city of concrete almost became a character in its own right.

Books and the Internet can only do so much, though; I was painfully aware that I was writing about a place I’d never been. I was determined to go and see it for myself – and a few months ago my husband and I were lucky enough to do just that. As I walked through the crowded Mexico City streets that I’d been writing about for so long, I had the most incredible sense of déjà vu; I could practically see my characters around every street corner. Especially Alex, raising an eyebrow at me and smiling. Because of course he’d known this would happen all along – back when he started speaking Spanish out of nowhere, that day in Spanish Harlem.

The Catédral Metropolitana, the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Little does Mexico City know that it’s soon to become a Church of Angels cathedral…!

The outskirts of Tepito: one of Mexico City’s roughest barrios, where one of the characters is from. Entering it is like going into a dark, rustling tunnel, with miles of plastic awnings from vendors’ stalls overhead (or so we were told – it was strongly recommended that we NOT go there!).

The Angel of Independence is one of Mexico City’s most famous statues. A huge golden angel, holding a wreath to the sky? Excellent, I can use that!

Thank you Lee!

Watch out for my review of Angel Fire coming up, and don't forget the next stop of the ANGEL FIRE blog tour at Daisy Chain Book Reviews on 11th October for the ANGEL FIRE Soundtrack!

Fury UK Blog Tour: An Extract from FURY!

Second day of the FURY Blog Tour here at Girls at Without a Bookshelf and your treat for today is an extract from FURY! Check it below -

Out of the snowy fog emerged one girl, then two more. Chase couldn’t help but let his jaw drop a bit; these chicks were amazing. The one in front, a redhead with fair skin, was smiling, while the other two—one blonde and a little curvy, the other petite with wavy, honey-colored hair and a paisley scarf around her neck—stood behind her with serious expressions on their gorgeous faces. All three of them seemed to be enveloped in some sort of white light; probably the moon, playing tricks with the snow.

Or maybe he was still drunker than he thought.

“Hey, sorry to startle you,” the redhead said, stepping toward him. “I’m Ty.  These are my cousins, Ally and Meg.

Chase stuttered, “Um, hi. Hey. I’m Chase.”

“Hi Chase,” all three girls said, practically in unison.

“Our car ran out of gas.” Ty motioned up the road a bit, where Chase thought he could just see the outline of a vehicle. “Any chance you could help us?” For a girl stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, she seemed fairly relaxed.

“Do you want me to, um, drive you to the gas station? Or something?”

“That would be great, thanks,” Ty said. “Why don’t I go with you, and Ally and Meg can wait in the car?”

Chase wasn’t one for new age crap—his mom had been to see a psychic a few times and always came back muttering voodoo bullshit, all about “affirmations” and chakra. Not to mention the fact that she’d gone to the psychic in the first place to try to communicate with Chase’s dead father, the deadbeat who’d leave them for week-long drinking binges and come back to eat their food while he “cleaned up.”

Nevertheless, for a split second, he felt like this was fate—like a sign from the universe.  Sure, the party might have been a bust—the Sasha news was pretty much the definition of a buzzkill, and he’d been in no shape to get numbers or hook up—but now he would get alone time with the hottest girl he had ever seen in his life. It was fate, clearly.

Everything was going to be okay.

“So, was there a party tonight?” Ty asked, once they were in the car. He could barely resist the urge to brush the snowflakes from her hair, to lean over and breathe in her musky, floral scent. He silently thanked the dudes at the local garage for letting him use their cleaning supplies for free in return for a couple hours on Saturday mornings. Without them, he couldn’t perform his bi-weekly car-cleansing ritual—the only thing that combated the stale smell of his mom’s Pall Malls.  As he put the car in drive, he felt like he was launching a spaceship into the night, into the snow. He and Ty would explore the dark, winding roads and stark, branch-lined fields between Minster’s street and the gas station.

“Yeah, a Christmas party type thing,” he said, mentally kicking himself for sounding so uncool. She was probably picturing people dancing around in elf costumes. He quickly added, “You know, just some high-school kids.” He was sure this girl must be in college.

“Sounds like fun. I love parties,” Ty said, smiling at him in the dark. “Don’t you wish we could go back to having parties like they did centuries ago? With dance cards and formal invitations and choreographed dances? Or masquerade balls? I’d love to go to a masked party. Wouldn’t you?”

“Totally,” he said, thankful she hadn’t been there to see him try to set up the beer pong game. “You, um, study history or something?”

“Or something,” Ty said, laughing. Her laugh was like the sound of clinking coins. Chase couldn’t think of anything else to say. He fumbled with the radio dial, trying to tune in to something sophisticated and moody.

“God, the snow is amazing,” Ty said, looking out the window. “It reminds me of that old poem—you know. Something about the snow in the air, something something, the secret of despair.”

Chase was so entranced that he could barely focus on anything outside the car; the trees blended together outside his window like a movie in fast-forward. This girl was driving him crazy. It was like she was wearing one of those pheromone perfumes.

Then she turned to him, her eyes piercing. “Did you hear all those sirens before? Any idea what that was about?”

His mouth went dry. The sirens were the last thing he wanted to talk about. “Nope. Maybe some kind of accident…Lots of people just don’t know how to drive in this weather.”

“Nothing’s ever really an accident,” Ty said, once again smiling at him. Her eyes glittered, cat-like. “Don’t you think?”

Chase didn’t really know what she meant, but he nodded anyway. One thing he was sure of: meeting Ty was no accident.

If that's not enough to entice you, I don't know what will! :) Check out the banner above for the rest of the stops for the FURY UK Blog Tour - and don't forget to visit The Crooked Shelf for tomorrow's feature post!

David Blog Tour: Mary Hoffman's Five Favourite Things to Eat in Florence!

A late blog tour post - my apologies, we do not have access to the internet at home, having just moved in - but here it is!

Today I'm very glad to have Mary Hoffman, the author of David, on the blog to share with you her favourite food - a must read if you're heading off to Florence for a holiday!

• Pizza and a cold beer at Nuti’s in Borgo San Lorenzo

The oldest pizza establishment in Florence, handily situated between the San Lorenzo

market and the cathedral square. I was last there on the 1st of April 2011 and had the artichoke pizza, as I usually do. Once when I was sitting outside, which is the best place, a hanging flower pot came crashing down between my table and the next, fortunately on to an empty chair!

• Coffee at Gilli’s in the Piazza della Repubblica

Oh, the pastries have to be seen to be believed! We went here in April too, for a celebratory “tea” (no tea actually consumed) I had a fruit tart and a spremuta of grapefruit and my companions had a millefoglie chocolate pastry with pistachio milk-shake and a very superior individual apple pie with a fruit smoothie.

•

Pumpkin flower risotto at Il Santo Bevitore

This restaurant is a find of my youngest daughter’s and she says I should stop telling people about it. Oops! We had our best dinner of the week there in April, with black Sicilian wine – yum!

• Ice-cream at Festival or Vivoli Gelateria – coffee, nocciola or giandiuja (or all 3)

Italian ice-cream is so delicious it would be a crime not to eat it or at at the very least rude. You can tell how honest I’m being about my favourite things to eat because I went here on our last day in Florence in April and had coffee and nocciola flavours.

• Pasta all’olio e aglio practically anywhere.

With lashings of fresh parsley and some chilli.

YUM. I know, I'm hungry too :) Thank you to Mary for sharing (and making us drool over) these lovely delicacies - one thing's for sure, when I get to Florence I'm definitely not missing these!

You can follow Mary for more updates about the blog tour and David at:

www.maryhoffman.co.uk
www.twitter.com/@MARYMHOFFMAN
www.facebook.com/maryhoffman.fanpage
www.bookmavenmary.blogspot.com

And don't forget to check out the final stop of the blog tour tomorrow!

Forgive My Fins Blog Tour: The Mermaids + Giveaway!

Terra Lynn Child's Forgive My Fins is one enchanting book - I fell in love with its mermaid mythology right off the bat and so, given the opportunity to ask TLC to guest post for the Forgive My Fins UK Blog Tour, I jumped at the chance! Want to read more of the Thalassinia? Check it out below:

I don’t remember exactly when my obsession with mermaids began. Maybe when I wasalittlegirl playing with Sea Wees (bath tub mermaid dolls with floating sponge lily pads) or when Ifirst saw the movie Splash. But I’ve been in love with mermaids for as long as I can remember and, yes, dreamed of becomingone. When I got the idea for Forgive My Fins I was excited to finally create my own mermaid world.

In bringing half-mermaid princess Lily to life on the page I had to develop two parts of her life. First, I thought about the underwater world. What would a mermaid kingdom look like? Where would it be located? What would everyday mermaid life entail? Second, I imagined being a mermaid living on land. What would be different? What would be the same? How would she be affected, physically and mentally, by being out of the water? These were the questions I had to answer as I wrote the book.

My first priority in building the underwater kingdom was to make it as believable as possible. A mermaid kingdom is a completely fantastical world, but I wanted mine to conceivably exist in our world. The buildings in Thalassinia are covered in anemones, seaweed, and starfish, disguising their underlying structures. They are built from coral and natural-looking rock formations. The kingdom looks like something you might actually see if you were snorkeling in the Bahamas.

Once I had the overall world designed, I layered in small details of everyday mer life. I thought about things we take for granted as normal in our world—mattresses, cars, refrigerators—and tried to imagine how those things would be different in the sea. Their beds are shaped like shells, they get around on seahorses and water-powered wavemakers, and their food stays cold enough in the chilly ocean water. Everything is slightly different because of the wet and cold and floating in the sea.

For a mermaid living on land, our ordinary human things would be very out of the ordinary. I had to imagine myself as someone from an underwater world, and was suddenly living on land. In Thalassinia sea slang is common, but on land it’s weird to call someone a son of a swordfish. There are no beverages in the ocean because they’re surrounded by water already. On land, a mermaid dries out and has to take saltwater baths to stay hydrated. Lily has to make lots of little adjustments to life above the water.

It was an amazing challenge to try to create a realistic mer world, one the reader could easily imagine actually existing beneath the Atlantic, and then to write a character who grew up in that world and is living in ours. As a writer, it’s my job to make the world of my story as real as possible, and hopefully these details of mer and mer-on-land life help make Forgive My Fins more believable.

Needless to say, I was swept away by Thalassinia and its lovely, mer

people, including Quince, of course!

Want more? Forgive My Fins was published 1st July 2011 in the UK by Templar Publishing. In the unlikely event of you not having your copy in your hands just yet, here's a little extract to tempt you!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops and enter the giveaway below to win a fabulous new copy of Forgive My Fins! Do read the rules below - and good luck!

GIVEWAY

• UK only.
• You do NOT have to be a follower to enter - everyone is welcome!
• Deadline for entries will be on 11th July 2011, 12MN BST.
• Winners will be drawn through random.org.
• Winners will be contacted via e-mail.
• Any details will be deleted after use and will never be passed on to any third party, save Templar Publishing.
• Fill out the form below!

Passion Blog Tour: Lauren Kate on Running Down a Plot!

Welcome to the penultimate day for Lauren Kate's Passion blog tour! Today here at Girls Without a Bookshelf, Lauren is going to share her other hobbies, apart from writing. Check it out -

Years ago, I went to a bookstore in Manhattan to hear Joyce Carol Oates read from her first YA novel, Freaky Green Eyes. From my view of her frail, birdlike physique, I found it hard to believe Oates when she spoke of running six miles everyday. She said running was this magical time when she plotted all her novels. At that point, I really didn’t believe her. Who could do anything while running other than count the seconds until you were going to be finished running?

I was not a runner then. But sometime in the years between leaving my hectic job at a publishing house in New York and beginning to write Fallen, I took up the sport. I found myself living on a tomato farm in Northern California. It was their first time in my life I’d lived somewhere with that much open space around me. One day, I started to run the boundaries of the tomato plots. I hated it at first. I hated it for months. I definitely did a lot of counting down the seconds until my run was up. But the seed of a dream to run a marathon someday had been planted in me, so I kept up the running.

I remember one day during the summer I wrote Fallen, I woke up worrying about Miss Sophia. Something about her character wasn’t all the way there. I got dressed for my run, laced up my shoes, went out the door into the hot California sun. I took off through the tomatoes vines. When I think of them now, I can smell their precise aroma in the morning—spicy and velvety at the same time. I ran a few miles and didn’t realize I wasn’t counting down the seconds, I was thinking about Miss Sophia. I was resolving what was wrong with her character. At one point, I stopped in the middle of the field and I knew with absolute certainty that Miss Sophia was not good, as I’d written into my first

draft. She was pure evil, one of the most evil forces in the book. I don’t know when my mind would have worked that out if I had not been running. Joyce Carol Oates had it right all along.

The plotting run became an almost daily ritual. I live in Los Angeles now—less space but still some beautiful trails—and I rely on those morning runs—with my dog, Milo, these days—to clear my mind and unlock the scene I plan to write that day. This morning, I realized something new about Cam about a mile and a half into my run. I came home ready to hit the keyboard and transcribe the scene. I still haven’t run that marathon, but I did a half-marathon last summer. Maybe I’ll save the marathon training for my next series when I have a whole new set of mysteries to work through on the trails.

Thanks Lauren! I've always wanted to run a marathon myself, but I'm too lazy to train. Whoops, lazy me :D

Are you excited about Passion? Check it www.ihavefallen.co.uk for more about the series, connect with fans at the facebook page www.Facebook.com/FallenNovels and check out the squee-worthy trailer below!




And don't forget to head over to Writing from the Tub on the last day of the Passion blog tour tomorrow!

Immortal War Blog Tour: Playlists & The Music of Vampirates!

Hello Vampirates fans! Welcome to the sixth stop at Justin Somper's Vampirates: Immortal War blog tour. I'm sure a lot of you have been enjoying the treats from this exciting blog tour so far and there's more fun to come! Today we get a glimpse at Justin's tastes in music as he reveals the music behind Vampirates!

Check it out below!

VAMPIRATES: PLAYLIST

Warning: this is a decidedly eclectic mix!

1. MC Sultan - Der Bauch (Arabesque) – I don’t usually listen to music when I’m actually writing or about to write but this track was my inspiration for the mesmeric music used to annouce Feast Night.

2. Camille O’Sullivan - Whatever Lola Wants (A Little Yearning) – “Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. And, little man, little Lola wants you!” Originally she was going to be called Lady Angelika Lockwood but I though the alliteration of Lady Lola Lockwood sounded better and then the lyrics to this song removed any further uncertainty.

3. Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West - Run This Town – This was chosen by the Nocturnal who won a competition on vampirates.co.uk to select Sidorio’s theme song. Actually, it also connects with my characterisation of the pirates. Warning: some versions of this have explicit lyrics!

4. The Eagles – Desperado (Very Best of) – “Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?... These things that are pleasing you can hurt you somehow.” Every cowboy Vampirate needs a theme tune and this is Johnny’s.

5. Carter Burwell – End Titles (Theme from Miller’s Crossing) – If Lorcan had a theme, it might just be this. It would take him right back to his Celtic routes.

6. The Wannadies – You and Me – This song makes me think of Connor and Grace. As much as circumstances tear them apart, they will always be united.

7. Jack Johnson – A Pirate Looks at Forty – I just really like this song. “Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call. I’ve wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall… you’ve seen it all.” I’d say it was a good anthem for Cheng Li if it wasn’t so mellow! Maybe for Bo Yin then.

8. Norah Jones – Chasing Pirates (The Fall) – Both this song and its accompanying video me think of Jasmine and her often challenging relationships with Jacoby and Connor.

9. Carla Bruni – You Belong to Me (Comme si de rien n’etait) – Bruni’s fragile voice and the romantic lyrics makes me think this is the kind of song Darcy might have sung aboard the Titania before its fateful crash. With its theme of exploring the world, this might also be a fitting song for Grace and Lorcan too.

10. Coldplay – Viva la Vida – This song has a strong sense of power lost and power won. It was one of those rare pieces of music that I did listen to to get me in the mood for writing. It made me think of both Sidiorio and Stukeley.

11. Sam Sparro – Black & Gold – Lots of oceanic and nocturnal lyrics here and I reckon this could be a great summary of Sid’s feelings for Lola. “If you’re not really here, then I don’t want to be either.”

12. 6 Day Riot – Reinkarnation of Take the time (The Folie a Deux LP) – I love this band and their distinctive sound. I met them at a radio show and have seen them live. This song is nostalgic yet timeless and suffused with yearning. It’s the kind of mood I’ve often tried to capture in the books. Incidentally, I wrote the group into EMPIRE OF NIGHT (they’re the ones massacred by Sid and Lola on their honeymoon!). It was my idea of a tribute!

13. Marianne Faithful - Pirate Jenny (20th Century Blues) – The Nina Simone version is on the Dirty Dolphin jukebox at Vampirates fansite www.tempesttwins.co.uk, which reminded me that this song was a definite inspiration for the books and, in particular, for Ma Kettle – the character and the tavern. Though it’s more likely it would be Sugar Pie who would sing this song than Ma! Warning: explicit lyrics in Marianne’s version!

14. Neil Diamond – Captain of a Shipwreck – A gem of a song (no pun intended!) from Neil Diamond. His voice as well as the lyrics make me think of Molucco’s awkward relationship with Connor.

15. Nina Simone – Here Comes the Sun (Soho Hotel) – a beautiful song with rather sinister implications for a number of my characters, especially in IMMORTAL WAR. If VAMPS ever does become a movie, this song might be a cool choice for the closing credits.

BONUS TRACKS

16. Jeff Buckley – Grace (Mojo Pin). A small but nonetheless heartfelt tribute to my infinitely accomplished heroine.

17. Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra – Snakecharmer (The Hours Between Night and Day) – for Scrimshaw. Picture the scene…. Molucco’s cabin. Two old comrades. A plate of honeyed dates. Sheer bliss!

18. Angus & Julia Stone – I’m Not Yours (Down the Way) – a haunting song that makes me think of the complicated relationship between Darcy and Stukeley and in particular their return encounter in IMMORTAL WAR.


You can also check out some of the songs in the playlist below, or click HERE to listen on Spotify!

Special thanks to Justin for sharing with us his very eclectic taste in music indeed! Don't forget to head off to Wondrous Reads tomorrow for the next stop in the Immortal War Blog Tour!

Vampirates: Immortal War Blog Tour!

A very exciting - and a pretty self explanatory announcement here ladies and gents, but with only two weeks to go before the much awaited release day of Justin Somper's Vampirates: Immortal War (out 9th June), a very special 11 day blog tour is headed your way!


Here is Justin talking more about Immortal War and the upcoming blog tour:






Isn't he just awesome? :) I had the pleasure of meeting Justin during the Simon and Schuster's blogger event back in February and he is such a cool, funny guy! I've got my very own signed copies of Vampirates and I'll giveaway some signed bookmarks for you during the tour as well. So don't forget to drop by here at Girls Without a Bookshelf on 11th June for Justin's post about the music playlist for Vampirates, and get to know more of Justin's music tastes!


The full schedule of the tour will be as follows -

Feel free to post the banner on your sidebars!

Monday 6th June -- Chicklish - Extract #1 

Tuesday 7th June -- My Favourite Books - An interview with Justin Somper 

Wednesday 8th June -- The Crooked Shelf - Guest Post: on Lady Lola Lockwood & The Women of Vampirates

Thursday 9th June -- Feeling Fictional - Animal Antics 

Friday 10th June -- The Bookette --Extract #2 

Saturday 11th June - Girls Without A Bookshelf - Playlists & The Music of Vampirates

Sunday 12th June - Wondrous Reads - 10 Ways to Know You're Obsessed with Vampirates 

Monday 13th June -- Daisy Chain Books - Guest Post: Ending An Era -- Killing Off Vampirates 

Tuesday 14th June -- Empire of Books -- Top ten Vampirates characters ever

Wednesday 15th June -- Book Zone For Boys -- Q&A with Justin

Thursday 16th June - I Want To Read That - WIN! Vampirates swag

Liz Kessler Blog Tour: If I had a Time Machine...

Hello folks! To celebrate the release of A Year Without Autumn, today I'm having the wonderful Liz Kessler on the blog! Ever wondered what you'll do if you were somehow in possession of a Time Machine? Who am I kidding, of course you did! I think we all have gone through that phase in our childhood, haven't we?

Check out what Liz'll do below! Welcome Liz!

My new book, A Year Without Autumn, is all about a girl who accidentally slips
forward in time. Everyone except her is a year older then they were the day
before. She has no idea how she got there – and even worse than that, she
discovers that some terrible things have happened in the year that she’s lost.

Jenni has to try to figure out a way to go back in time and change what happened
so that her life – and her best friend’s life – can get back on track without the
disaster that is fated to happen.

So this got me thinking. What if I could travel in time? What would I do? Where
would I go? What would I want to find out? And perhaps more importantly, what
wouldn’t I want to find out?

So here are the top five things I would do if I had a time machine.

1. I would go back in time to the beginning of the earth. I know that the
atmospheric conditions would probably mean I wouldn’t survive very long, so
the time machine would have to come equipped with every type of survival outfit
you would need. But how cool would that be? To see planet earth when it very
first started!!

2. I would go forward in time 500 years and see if we still exist! Some of my
favourite books at the moment are set in futuristic worlds where life is run by
societies very different from our own. I’d love to see what is really in store for
our civilisation. Will we still be around then? Will we have conquered illness and
poverty – or will cockroaches be the only things walking?

3. I would go back about thirty years, when my beloved grandmother, who we
called Mama, was alive. I would tell her that I love her, and that I’ll never forget
her. But most of all, I’d give her an enormous hug. She was always the best
hugger. Oh, OK, if I’m honest – I’d get her to make me some of her wonderful
chocolate cake too!!

4. I’d go forward maybe ten years or so, and see if my books are still on the
shelves. If they were, I’d come back and take all my friends and family out for a
slap up meal. And if they weren’t, I’d get on the phone to my publicist and tell her
we need to work harder!!

5. And finally, when I’d had all those adventures in my time machine, I think I’d
destroy it. Because, you know what? The present is really all that we’ve got – and
at this moment, I’m pretty happy with that!

*

Thanks Liz! Number five didn't quite fit with my plans, but I'm selfish like that ;) Phew, suddenly I'm glad no one has the gift (or burden?) of having such machine - because as we all know, with great power   comes great responsibility! 

Don't forget to check out Liz's blog at http://www.lizkessler.co.uk/  and the rest of the tour stops below:

Blog Tour: The Opposite of Amber (Gillian Philip) + Giveaway!

Ladies and gentlemen, today I'm proud to host Gillian Philip, author of The Opposite of Amber, for a wonderful post about great literary sisters!

What a lovely topic to write about on the blog - but before I get carried away, here's what Gillian has in store for you!

Lit's Greatest Sisters

I’ll come clean: I have no great knowledge/memory of the classics. I haven’t read nearly all the books I
should. I always remember my fabulous English teacher, Mrs Dutch, listing for our class the Must-Reads
of an ideal reading career; but I’ve barely scratched her bullet points.

So all I can do is tell you my favourite sisters from my favourite stories. There were books I should have
read at school, but didn’t, and that I later read as a jobless, television-less expat in the days before
Facebook. But there are many more I never did read, and I apologise upfront for leaving out anyone
else’s most beloved fictional sisters. It’s no more than a once-over skim from a huge great barrel of
deliciousness...

Athene and Aphrodite

All right, strictly they’re sisters-in-law. And do goddesses count? I hope so (though if they turn out not to
be fictional, I abase myself in advance). But I love the gods’ habit of competing for mortal adoration, and
I especially adore the serene indifference of Athene to Aphrodite’s obsessions. She despises romantic
love, and values wisdom, cunning, and courage. Shallow Aphrodite has the hots for stupid and brutal
Mars; Athene favours heroes of intelligence, however mortal. It’s like Dynasty with extra war, bitchery,
and nectar.

Cinderella’s Ugly Sisters

Their fate is so much less horrible in the Charles Perrault version than it is with the Brothers Grimm.
The Grimm tale makes the sisters irredeemably horrible, and they suffer accordingly – their mother
urges one to cut off her toes to fit the (golden) slipper, the other her heel; and when even that trick fails
them, they go along to the wedding party only to have their eyes pecked out by doves. Perrault, though,
makes them a little more pleasant, especially the younger one (she manages to have her stepsister’s
nickname changed from Cinder-slut to Cinderella). Cinderella isn’t quite so perfect in this version; she
earns her fairy godmother’s disapproval for her carelessness in losing one of the slippers (glass this time
– though “glass is not as a rule an accommodating material for slippers”, as Perrault dryly points out).
The two sisters do suffer a coach crash, a bruised shoulder and a sprained ankle, but in a far kinder fate
they beg Cinderella’s forgiveness, which she grants, and are subsequently married to two Lords of the
Court. Since the whole calamitous affair seems to have been their mother’s fault originally, I think this
is fair enough.

Bluebeard’s Wife and her Sister

Fatima and Anne aren’t exactly sympathetic characters at the beginning of Perrault’s fairytale. Both,
though repelled by the ugliness of the beard in question, are more than happy to take full advantage

their host’s lavish hospitality – Fatima to such an extent that she decides the beard isn’t so terribly blue
after all, and encouraged by her mother, agrees to marry the wealthy aristocrat (bringing to mind Mrs
Merton’s famous question to Debbie McGee about what most attracted her to millionaire Paul Daniels).
But when Bluebeard unaccountably provides Fatima with the key to the forbidden room and disappears
on a long journey, we might want to slap her for her insatiable curiosity, but we completely understand
it. When Bluebeard returns and promises to cut her throat for the great female sin of inquisitiveness,
it’s her quick wit and her sister’s devotion that save Fatima – as well as Bluebeard’s apparent inability
to edit a speech. He declaims at such length about the sins of woman, Anne is able to hurry her
stepbrothers’ approach, and they kill the serial murderer in the nick of time. It seems a little unjust that
Fatima’s greed sees her inherit such a fabulous estate, but at least she shares her good fortune with her
loyal sister.

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood

Who does sisters better than Jane Austen? Elinor and Marianne was even the original title for Sense &
Sensibility. The author was supposed to have based the two Dashwood sisters on herself and her sister
Cassandra, with Cassandra forming the template for sensible, cautious Elinor and herself as passionate,
impulsive, romantic Marianne. Claire Tomalin in her biography of Austen says she grew ever more
conflicted during the writing of the novel as to whether sense or sensibility should triumph – and what
a lovely thought; after all, what author hasn’t experienced such mixed feelings about their characters’
fates? And in the end both triumph, because despite the irony of the ending – sensible Elinor finding
romantic love and passionate Marianne discovering the joys of steadfast affection – everyone’s happy.
At least, we assume they are.

Elizabeth and Jane Bennet (and the rest)

Elizabeth is one of English lit’s best-loved characters for good reason: her “lively, playful disposition,
which delighted in any thing ridiculous.” But without the contrast of her quiet, reflective sister Jane, she
could so easily tip over into shrewishness and self-obsession. It’s Elizabeth’s devotion to Jane that is one
of her most attractive traits – with only the other three sisters, Kitty, Lydia and Mary, she might well
have ended up the most irritable and snappy woman on the planet (wouldn’t we all).

Susan and Lucy Pevensie

Poor Susan. A fondness for lipstick and stockings sees her exiled from Narnia forever (and losing all
three siblings to a train crash). I always liked Susan, not least because she’s given a hunting horn and a
bow rather than a bottle of medicine, which to me said something excellent about her character. Lucy
can be endearing, but she can also be a self-righteous little pain in the ass, especially in her attempted
ownership of (the sometimes equally annoying) Aslan. It’s true that Susan dismisses Narnia, in the end,
as a childhood game; but it’s too easy to imagine what could drive her to it, and I don’t think she really
believed that. I like to think that she returned to the ‘true’ Narnia in the end, a slightly cantankerous and
acerbic old lady who would occasionally put Queen Lucy in her place.

*

Thank you, Gillian! 

Interestingly, I did not expect Cinderella's sisters. But how wonderful for my favourites - the Bennet sisters - to be included!

For the rest of the tour stops ( and more of Gillian's fabulously awesome guest posts) check out the photo below!

Giveaway

Thanks to the wonderful people at Bloomsbury, I have a copy of The Opposite of Amber up for grabs! Read the rules first though -

There will be one winner.

Open to entrants with UK addresses only. International entrants may enter, provided they have a UK address to send the books to.

Please fill out the form completely - especially the required details.

You do not have to be a follower to enter.

Deadline for entries will be on 20th April, 12MN BST.

Winner(s) will be drawn by random.org

Winner(s) will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to response. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn.

Any details will be deleted after use and will not be passed on to any third party.

West of the Moon Blog Tour: Katherine Langrish' Writing Commandments!

Welcome to today's stop for Katherine Langrish' West of the Moon blog tour! Although delayed by a day, thankfully I can now share this with you aspiring writers out there. I'm sure you will enjoy Katherine's commandments and take away a great deal from it!


I welcome thee, Katherine!

Here are my Ten Commandments, my writing credo, my passionate ‘I Believe’. Others may have other ideas, but imho you will not get very far without signing up to these.

1. THOU SHALT READ
- A LOT of contemporary fiction. And I mean a LOT. Not just in the genre you want to write, either – be adventurous, or how will you know what else is out there? You wouldn’t expect to succeed as a doctor or scientist if your training was years out of date; and you won’t succeed as a children’s author or a fantasy author, or any other kind, if the last children’s book or YA fantasy novel you read was twenty years ago when you were twelve. It’s surprising how many people don’t believe this. Are they sustained by an inner conviction that the books they read years ago were the golden standard from which writing has since declined? Who knows? They are deluded.

2. THOU SHALT NOT WRITE TRACTS.
Of course there are many influential books in the world. But the story is king. I don’t care whether you want to save the the Amazon rainforest, or stop bullying, or prevent date rape, or merely get children to pick up after themselves and turn out the lights when they leave a room: if your reason for writing is to preach some message, no matter how important or wonderful it may be, your ulterior motive will show up like a tarantula on a slice of angel-food, as Philip Marlowe once said. Books are not ‘messages’. They are about people – your characters – and what happens to them. The only way to make us care about your message is to make us care deeply about your characters, and paradoxically that means you, the writer, must care for your characters even more than you care for your beloved cause. Only in this way will there be even a chance of you writing another ‘Black Beauty’ or ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’. In a modern idiom, of course.

3 THOU SHALT RESEARCH THY SUBJECT.
‘Write about what you know’ is a bit limiting. So do the research. You want to write about teenagers in a modern school… do you really know how they talk and behave, or are you relying on personal memories of school, long out of date? You want to set a book in America, but you’re not American… your two-week holiday in Maine or Miami is not going to cut it, no matter how many times you’ve watched the reruns of Friends. I don’t wish to sound like Donald Rumsfeld, but there is stuff you don’t know, that you don’t even know you don’t know. I read a fantastic book recently, a sci-fi time-travel novel set partly in Tudor England. The author had done masses of research into the period, most of which really paid off. But she was Californian, and so she put a full-grown, fruit-bearing orange tree into an English orchard, which bumped me right out of the story for a few pages. Her ‘normal’ was not my ‘normal’; but she didn’t know. I still loved the book, but it would have been better without the orange tree.

4. THOU SHALT USE NONE OTHER VERB THAN ‘SAID’ ...
... to indicate speech – at least 95% of the time. If I open a book at random and my eye falls upon ‘“No way!” he smirked,’ or ‘“That’s the wrong colour,” she opined,’ or ‘“I was too late,” he sighed,” – I generally close the book and put it back. It’s even worse when an adverb is tagged on: ‘“I love you,” he murmured thickly’. Yick! And while I’m on the subject of adverbs…

5. THOU SHALT HUNT DOWN AND ELIMINATE ADVERBS AND EXCLAMATION MARKS
I swear they multiply. Go after them. Get yourself down to – say – no more than two adverbs to a page and an exclamation mark only once every three pages. Leave it a few days, go back, and you’ll find more.

6. THOU SHALT SLAY THY DARLINGS.
This is the one we all try and wriggle out of, because it hurts so much and anyway surely it can’t apply to this beautiful piece of scene-painting, possibly the best descriptive writing you’ve ever done? And what about the chapter where you finally managed to work in that really hilarious anecdote you’ve wanted to use for ages? Well, unless the descriptive passage and the humorous anecdote are truly relevant, I’m afraid it does, and moreover…

7. THOU SHALT MURDER THINE UNNECESSARY CHARACTERS.
Your characters are your workforce, and you should be their ruthless capitalist boss. If they work, cherish them, but if they aren’t pulling their weight, get rid of them. If five characters are in a room but only three of them are talking, chances are you don’t need the silent two. Don’t burden yourself with more characters than you and the reader can easily distinguish. Don’t duplicate effort: don’t give a child two best friends unless the fact that he has two (different) friends is going to be significant. And finally, don’t waste energy on creating wonderfully crafted characters with no role and nothing to do.

8. THY CRAFT IS A JEALOUS CRAFT: THOU SHALT HAVE NO PEACE OF MIND EITHER BY NIGHT OR BY DAY UNTIL THY WORK IS DONE 
This is more of a description than a command because seriously, writing is more than work, it’s a sort of obsession. When I’m writing a book I often feel as though I’ve become a kind of computer running a continuous programme on the virtual world that is my book. I go to bed, wake up, walk the dog, drive to the supermarket, cook, wash, etc, and all the time the programme is running, turning up small bits and pieces of information I didn’t know I knew about my characters’ lives and where the plot is heading. It’s actually exhausting. Which is why…

9. THOU SHALT CUT THYSELF SOME SLACK AND TAKE TIME OFF TO THINK. 
Thinking is just as much part of creating a novel as actually setting the words down. Don’t feel pressured to start too early, and don’t feel guilty if you’re not hammering out those two thousand words a day. (Me? I sometimes don’t write more than fifty. Or I end up with fewer words at the end of the day, because I’ve been cutting and unpicking.) Often, if you get stuck, it’s a sign that you’re veering off course with the book – maybe trying to force a character to do something they wouldn’t. Give yourself time out. Go off and do something different and let your subconscious mind come up with the answers.

10. LASTLY, HAVE FAITH.
If you’re trying to be a writer (and believe me all writers are only trying to be writers; we’re all afraid that this time the flame will have departed and the deity moved on) – the odds are you’re one already. You can’t stop. Sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate it, but you can’t stop. You’re always thinking up phrases to describe things you see. Stories come to you – bits of plot and character drift into your mind and won’t go away. You get feverish if you can’t find a pen and a bit of paper to scribble it all down. All right then, keep going. Keep writing. Keep learning your craft. Get feedback. Accept criticism even if it hurts, and take praise with humility and the understanding that if you’ve done something well, you can probably still learn to do it better… and have fun!

*

There you go - take note of these and you might just get to finishing your novel! Thanks so much to Katherine for being patient with me and for being here to share this today. 

For more information about Katherine, the blog tour schedule and West of the Moon, click on the tour poster above!

Vampire Crush Blog Tour + Giveaway: Violet's Quiz!

Hello there and welcome to the sixth stop in the Vampire Crush (AM Robinson) blog tour! It's with giddy-ness that I introduce this guest post to you readers - 'round of applause to the lovely Violet, easily my favourite character in the book!

Today Violet is on hand to help you ladies to deecide if turning the gentleman courting you into your eternal beloved, or if perhaps you should decline his offer. Welcome Violet!

Why, hello. Since A. M. has been writing quite a few of these “blog entries” to date, I

thought I might let her attend to what she says is the very pressing matter of “catching

up on Glee” and handle this stop on the Vampire Crush tour. I just know we are going

to have the most wonderful time! Perhaps afterwards you will come over for tea? Or

perhaps blood, if you are a vampire like me. Or perhaps another substance, depending

on what kind of monster you happen to be. I will tell you what, if you just leave a

comment informing me of your species and preferred drink I will . . .

Oh, but silly Violet! I am getting ahead of myself! I told A. M. that I would do my best

to keep to the subject, which is, of course, finding and turning your ideal vampire mate.

Or was it telling you a bit about her book? . . . Oh drat. Well, what is an eternity if you

cannot do both? Am I right? Yes, of course I am right. Perhaps I should just start at the

beginning.

Recently I was among the number of vampires to infiltrate Sophie McGee’s place

of education, a place where I was introduced to the most wonderful of periodicals,

Seventeen magazine. I confess, without its infinite wisdom concerning current trends

(“Are You Wearing The Wrong Jeans for Your Shape?”) and proper social behavior

(“What’s Your Kissing Style?”), I would have been completely lost. You see, up until

coming to Thomas Jefferson High, I had been living in a dusty old farmhouse that my

sire Vlad insisted we inhabit while he ran about the world researching an old vampire

legend. Exclusively between you and me, I think he is one embroidered handkerchief

short of trousseau, but when he came back and said that he knew where to find “the

girl” and that it would involve a foray into the real world, I was not about to complain.

The only problem is that coming here led to the heartbreaking loss of my former beau

and most recent boyfriend, James. He claims that it is just that he realized he made

a heinous mistake, but I have seen him making eyes at his childhood friend, Sophie

And yet because she introduced me to the aforementioned periodicals, I must count

her as a dear friend. Still, I have vowed to be far more discerning when it comes to

choosing vampire suitors in the future by designing this brief quiz. I have submitted it to

Seventeen for consideration and am awaiting their response.

Should I Turn Him? Five Questions Before You Give Away Your Eternal Gift

1. You spot a magnificent boy across the room. Would he look pleasing as a vampire?
Note specifically the abs and cheekbones.

A. Yes, quite! He seems to have already adopted a dramatically black wardrobe
and penetrating stare.
B. Perhaps, with some small improvements. Eternal acne is not a cross anyone
should have to bear.
C. Well, on the bright side, it would be difficult to look worse.

2. What does your prospect choose for your first date?

A. A crypt.
B. A monster movie.
C. He does not realize you are on a date and perhaps thinks that he is
teaching you the intricacies of calculus since you appeared at his tutoring
session asking him to teach you the intricacies of calculus.

3. You and your prospect have decided to watch a motion picture that features one of
the many vampire incarnations?

A. Cheers when the vampires attack.
B. Cheers when the vampires kiss.
C. Cries and/or says he is going to the washroom and never returns.

4. In your intimate moments (holding hands, speaking, filling out your dance card,
exchanging locks of hair, etc.), what does he say?

A. “Man, the only thing that would make this better is if it could last forever, if you
get what I mean. *wink*”
B. “I just don’t understand why I have to sign this card in order to take you to the
homecoming dance.”
C. “What is in thi--is this HAIR?”

5. How does he respond to the blood test? The blood test is, of course, where you
accidentally trip and spill the vial of blood you just happen to be holding all over his
lap.

A. Smiles knowingly.
B. Laughs it off. My, you are charming!
C. Demands that you pay his dry cleaning bill and get professional help,
whatever that could mean.

Mostly As: He appears to be a perfect candidate, at least from the outside. However,
beware a boy who is too eager to become a vampire; it is possible he just wants to take
advantage of your immortality. (See my next quiz, “Is He Using You For Your Bite?”)

Mostly Bs: For all intents in purposes, this prospect appears to be a nice, normal boy
who treats your vampiric oddities like the wonderful and endearing quirks that they
are. As long as you are sure that you are in a committed relationship, I do not see any
qualms in making him your eternal boyfriend.

Mostly Cs: Let us be straight with one another; from time to time we all struggle with

the blurry line that exists between those who love you passionately and those who may
think you are insane. Trust your instincts, accept that he is not interested, and dispose
of him where no one will find the body. . . I jest of course. Dispose him from your mind
only.

There! I hope that was as helpful for you as it has been for me. Now I must run; there is
a new boy in my English class and I have every hope that he will be Mister Mostly B.

*

Now that you've been well advised on the dilemma of turning your bethrothed or not, it's time for the giveaway! Remember, it's international so don't miss out!

GRAND PRIZE:

Signed HARDCOVER copy of Vampire Crush
A pair of whale-dotted pajama pants, a la Sophie.
Bat-shaped cookie cutter
Cute vampire monster mirror
"Vampire Blood" hand gel.

TWO ALTERNATE PRIZES

Signed paperback copy of Vampire Crush
"Vampire Blood" handgel

Those who have been following the blog tour should already know about this, but to those who have just discovered this tour, A.M. Robinson will be giving away three PRIZES to three different people who follow the tour. To enter, all you have to do is:

• Visit every blog on the tour (mine is the sixth stop)
• Copy the secret code
• Follow AM Robinson on Facebook or Twitter

At the end of the tour, your final stop will be Good Choice Reading where they will have a form for you to fill out and submit everything you have collected. It is not a requirement to follow my blog, but we would really appreciate it if you did. The secret code for you is -

"You, I"

Check out the next stop, http://www.darkreaders.com/ for your next secret code! Check out the video below for the rest of the stops: