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

Book Review: Mistress of the Storm (Melanie Welsh)

The wind blew fast and clean straight into Verity's lungs. Even from the downs she could smell the salt spray - fresh and cold - and hear the crash as the Storm ploughed head-on into green and churning waves. Sea water washed over her prow and drained back in torrents of foam. Verity Hunter is just a normal, lonely little girl who has never quite fit in. But suddenly it's down to her to solve the riddle of an ancient pledge and protect her family from the evil Mistress of the Storm. What hope does she have against a witch so powerful that she can control the wind and create storms at will? Luckily, Verity does not have to face her enemy alone. As events begin to spiral out of control, she finds two loyal and steadfast friends to stand by her side. The Storm is coming. And it will change Verity's life forever.

Mistress of the Storm is the perfect read for younger teens who enjoy a hearty dose of mystery and for those who are transitioning from children's book to young adult novels. Set in the small town of Wellow, Mistress of the storm follows the events of Verity Gallant's life following the day she finds a mysterious man handing her a red book.

The book is generally presented in three parts. I found the first part to be about introductions. The book spends a good number of pages introducing characters with importance to the plot. It was disorienting with so many characters being simultaneously presented, but as the book progresses one begins to understand their role better. More questions about the mystery is added here than answers. The combined effect was for me, a little confusing, but it does get better as the book progresses. The middle part reveals the history and the more magical side to the book. The thrill increases, and the characters undergo a lot more changes and interact more with each other. The third and final part is where the action occurs. I liked it particularly because this is where everything is unraveled and all questions are answered. It has elements of folklore, magic and the general theme of good against evil, which is what really led me to believe that Mistress of the Storm is a particularly good book for younger teens. It is still rooted in the magic that kids adore in children's book, but with a more edgy, more mature side that makes it close to a young adult book.

The characters in this book is well portrayed. Verity isn't a particularly strong girl - she does not seem to stand up to bullies and keeps to herself; but her flaws gives her the best platform to mature and her strength and courage becomes clear at the end of the book. It was easy to symphatise with her and feel outraged with the antagonists. I feel it will appeal even more to childres as they relate easier to the many colourful characters. All of the important characters were given their resolutions, one I feel strongly about. It shows how the book is neatly outlined. There were little surprises in this book, none of which are big twists in themselves. I must admit there were times where I felt the narrative dragged and could just have gone straight to the point. I am also partly unsure that some of the characters are particularly important. Not that I mind them being in the book, I simply think it could have done with less. Nonetheless, characters give this book variety so they do seem to have their purpose at least.

To those who'd enjoy mystery with a hint of magic, Mistress of the Storm is the book for you!

Three Stars.


* Book received from Bookbabblers for review - thank you!