My Interview with Rose Impey

Rose Impey (the author of the Sleepover Club) agreed to answer some questions for my blog and this is what she had to say

1) Where are you from?

I was born in Northwich, in Cheshire, where my family still lives.

2) When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing about thirty years ago. I'd previously been a primary school teacher but stopped teaching to have my children, two daughters, Rachel and Charlotte.  When they went to school I'd fully expected to go back to teaching, but a happy accident with my back prevented that from happening and it was during that period I decided to have a go at writing. I was lucky enough to have my first book accepted and I've been writing ever since.

3) Did you always want to be an author?

When I was growing up it wouldn't have entered my head that it was even a possibility.  I was always a great reader but it was only as an adult, after I had children that I began to entertain the idea.

4) How long each day/week do you dedicate to writing?

I have a very regular routine: I get up early and go to the gym or swimming, come back and have breakfast and then start writing.  I write most of every day until 5 or 6pm.

5) What do you do when you’re not writing?

I love gardening, sewing, walking, dancing, cinema and theatre. Socialising is very important when you spend all day every day on your own!

6) In your spare time what do you like to read?

I read fiction, often modern American novels. I like books that make me laugh or cry!

7) And what are you reading at the moment?

Sebastian Barry On Canaans Side. The writing is so good that has made me cry!

8) When you were younger who were your favourite author?

When I was growing up we just didn't have the choice there is nowadays. Mostly we read Enid Blyton and individual books like Little Women, Heidi... My absolute favourite was Treasure Island. But I also remember reading Grimms Fairy Tales over and over again.

9) Other than the Sleepover Club are there any of your other novels that you would turn into a Movie or T.V. show if so which one and why?

I really think my novel Six Feet Deep would make a great single drama, but I'd love to see my Titchywitch stories for young readers made into a cartoon series.

10) My sister, cousin and I loved the sleepover club books when we were kids that much that we set up are own sleepover club we did challenges and had our own SOC book, membership cards and rules. Since it became really big have many other fans told you that they have started their own club?

Yes, lots and lots. I probably had more fan mail for Sleepover than anything else I've written.  One of the most common questions was: How do you know what kind of things girls do and say to each other when they're on their own? My answer was: “I have my spies. And I did! I had a few girls who shared all their secrets with me for which I am very grateful.”

11) What inspired you to write The Sleepover Club?

The idea actually was one of two or three I offered to my publishers when they were looking for a commercial series idea for girls of 9+

12) How do you come up with your story ideas?

I'm not really joking about collecting children's secrets. I do find going into school and talking to kids gives me all my best ideas.  Things they say and do often triggers off my own memories and then my imagination starts to work, but I often need the real ideas to act as a catalyst.

13) Are you working on anything new at the moment if so can you tell us anything about it?

I'm just finishing a new series for very young readers. This time it's about a little knight called Sir Lancelittle.  But later in the autumn I'm hoping to start a new novel for older readers and no, sorry, can't say anything about that until I'm really into it.

14) If you could do it over again, is there anything you would change in any of your books?

Oh, yes, lots. Probably something in every book I’ve written. You work and work a story until you start to feel you ought to stop before you completely write all the life out of it. You write until the point when you feel you can't improve a single word. But then the printed book arrives and you read it and even on the first page you think: Oh, no, why did I put that, that's rubbish, if only I could change it, but by then you can't! 

15) Out of all your books, which is your favourite character and why?

I realise now that I've written a variation on the same character in several of my books: he's a boy of about 10 or 11 who's incredibly full of himself, totally irrepressible and hugely annoying to be around... Like Baxter in The Get Rich Quick Club. I love boys like that, they really make me laugh!

16) When writing about something you don't know much about where do you get your information?

I'm a bit pathetic when it comes to research.  I'm always scared to get it wrong so in the end I don't do it a lot, I play safe and write about what I know mostly.  This is a weakness I'm afraid. When I do any research I use reference books, Internet, but I prefer to try to find people who are experts in the field. I like to do as much face-to-face research as I can. 

17) For you what is the easiest part of the book to write?

THE END! No, seriously, it varies enormously. When it goes well it all feels easy, but more often than not most of it feels hard.

18) ...And the hardest?
Getting started probably. You've got the ideas but there comes a point when you have to commit to the screen/page. Even after all this time I still get anxious before I really get into each book.  In fact, I probably get more anxious the older I get.

19) How do you choose the names for your books and characters?

Difficult question. They really do mostly come from your imagination. You always know when you've got it right because the name really fits, like a good set of clothes. The worst thing is when you get a name and can't have it because someone else has used it or similar.  That's very frustrating.

20) Have you ever gotten rid of a character or changed a character in a book before publishing and then regretted it?

No, I don't think I have. There are lots of things you regret but they're more likely to be things you left in and shouldn't have than the other way round.

21) What advice would you give to someone who "ran out of creativity" while writing?

Take a break. Whenever it happens to me it's because I'm creatively tired out. Last year I took six months off writing and came back re-charged. Sometimes as a writer you feel like a battery that's lost its charge, especially after thirty years!.

22) What do you do when you get writers block?

See above. But also I go into schools and sit and talk to kids. That always gives me ideas and, even more importantly, energy.

23) Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thanks for choosing my books and please, if there's one that you don't like, try others because I do write lots of different stuff. 

And...send me your secrets!!!!!

Thank you for your time Rose I will be enjoying the Sleepover Club books forever.

My Interview With Chris D'Lacey

After meeting Chris d'Lacey when I was doing my T.A course in 2010, I read some of his The Last Dragon Chronicles novels, my favourite is Icefire.

Angelo Rinaldi does the cover artwork for these and all of Chris d’Lacey’s books.


1) Where are you from?

Leicester, England, though I was born in Malta

2) When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing at the age of 32 as a sidestep from writing songs.  It was just a hobby that grew into a career.

3) Did you always want to be an author?

No. I wanted to be a footballer or a pop star

4) How long each day/week do you dedicate to writing?

When I'm working properly on a book, about 6 hours per day.  But it varies

5) How long does it usually take to write just one book?

About 9 months, including editing

6) Do you write your books on paper first or start straight on the computer?

I started out on paper but switched to the computer because it was easier to correct errors

7) What do you do when you’re not writing?

I work on my house.  I moved to Devon last year.  Decorating is taking up a lot of my time.

8) In your spare time what do you like to read?

I still don't read an awful lot, but if I do it's children's fiction. I like Patrick Ness, David Almond and Philip Reeve

9) And what are you reading at the moment?

'The Fault in our Stars' by John Green

10) If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?

Writing is a solitary business.  I would find it very hard to collaborate on a book, though I did it years ago with Linda Newbery.  The book was called 'From E To You' and was about two teenagers emailing one another.

11) When you were younger who were your favourite author?

I liked the Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge, all the Molesworth series by Geoffrey Willans, the Paddington Bear books by Michael Bond, Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy, and everything by Tolkien.

12) Writing wise what is your biggest accomplishment?

Being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal with 'Fly, Cherokee, Fly'.

13) What inspire’s you to write your novel Fly Cherokee fly?

It's based on the true story of me finding an injured pigeon and nursing him back to health

14) What Inspired you to write The Dragons of Wayward Crescent?

The DOWC books were simply an offshoot of the novels.  The plan at first was to write a prequel to The Fire Within, but I couldn't get a prequel to work.  Then I had what I thought was the bright idea of doing a series of little books that would collectively form a prequel to TFW.  Unfortunately, they didn't sell very well and my publisher abandoned the project after four books, which was annoying.

15) And what inspired you to write the The Last Dragon Chronicles?

I bought a dragon at a craft fair one day and thought it would be a nice idea to have a character who made dragons.  The rest is history.

16) Are you working on anything new at the moment if so can you tell us anything about it?

I'm working on two ideas, each of which would make a three book series.  One of them is heavily dragon based, the other is more domestic but with a hint of dragons.  That's as much as I can tell you right now.

17) If you could do it over again, is there anything you would change in any of your books?

The only book I would ever rewrite would be the first one I published, 'A Hole at the Pole'.  It was a young reader and my then editor didn't like the ending - so she wrote one herself, which was bland and completely out of step with my style.  I let it go because I knew no better at the time.  It would be different now!  Although the dragon novels are often criticised for being too complex, I wouldn't change a word.  I wrote them 'organically' i.e. as they came to me, and that's part of what makes them so special, I think

18) Out of all your books, which is your favourite character and why?

Oh, gosh, it's impossible to pick one.  I like nearly all of them for different reasons.  I've always thought Zanna was a great character, though Gwilanna was more fun to write.  Bergstrom always intrigued me.  Of the animals, I love Gadzooks and Gretel and Avrel the polar bear, but if you really pinned me down I'd have to choose Bonnington the cat.  He's based on a beautiful daft cat I used to have.

19) When writing about something you don't know much about where do you get your information?

Books, the TV and the Internet.  Or I just make stuff up!

20) For you what is the easiest part of the book to write?

Usually the beginning, though if a book's going well the end tends to come in a rush.  I wrote the last 10,000 words of The Fire Ascending in three days, which is very quick for me.

21) ...And the hardest?

Hardest?  There's usually a point about three quarters of the way through where you have to start resolving the main problems.  That can be tricky if the plot's a bit fluffy.

22) How do you choose the names for your books and the characters?

I don't, really.  Names just come to me as I picture the characters in my head.  It was a deliberate tease to have all the dragon names beginning with 'G'.  I knew fans would write to me endlessly about it, which they did.

23) Have you ever taken out a character or changed a character in a book before publishing and then regretted it?

No. Never. 

24) What advice would you give to someone who "ran out of creativity" while writing? And 25) What do you do when you get writers block?

Put the story away for a while and work on something else.  When you come back to it fresh, hopefully new ideas will surface.  If you haven't time for that, back up a way until you reach a point where you're sure everything is right, then take off from there in a slightly different direction.

26) Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thanks for reading the books! I hope you'll get as much enjoyment from the new stuff when it comes as you did from The Last Dragon Chronicles.  Oh, and Gadzooks says hrrr!

Thank you for your time Chris I really appreciate it, and congratulations on being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal for Fly, Cherokee, Fly

In My Mailbox June 2012

This month has been really rubbish for book buying I have only bought three books.  This is because when I had the money there was no books I wanted and when I didn't have the money there were loads of books I wanted.  Also I haven't won any on goodreads this month.

Books I bought this month:

1. Naked Heat - Richard Castle
2. Snow White and The Huntsmen - Lily Blake
3. The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: The Compelled

Hopefully July will be a lot better for book buying or winning.

In My Mailbox May 2012

This month has been really busy for books I got 27 this month. I also bought a kindle this month so I will add the books I also got for it to

Books I bought this month:

1. Catching Fire - Susanne Collins
2. Mocking Jay - Susanne Collins
3. Fifty Shades of Grey - E. L. James
4. Fifty Shades Darker - E. L. James
5. Fifty Shades Freed - E. L. James
6. Lady Macbeth's Daughter - Lisa. M. Klein
7. Wintercraft: Legacy - Jenna Burtenshaw
8. Black Dawn - Rachel Caine
9. A Kiss of Darkness - Laurell. K. Hamilton
10. Seduced My Moonlight - Laurell. K. Hamilton
11. A Stroke of Midnight - Laurell. K. Hamilton
12. A Caress of Twilight - Laurell. K. Hamilton
13. Whisper - Alyson Noel
14. Fated - Alyson Noel
15. Evil Thirst and Forever Creatures - Christopher Pike
16. The Eternal Dawn - Christopher Pike
17. Abandoned - Meg Cabot
18. Slated - Teri Terry

Books I won via goodreads giveaways:

1. In the Image of Ravenna - Irene M. Redpath
2. Freya 800AD - Jean Mead
3. Lady of Devices - Shelley Adina (Kindle)

Books I got for Kindle:

1. The Anita Blake Series - Laurell. K. Hamilton
2. The Vampire Chronicle Series - Anne Rice
3. The Chronicles of Narnia Series - C. S. Lewis
4. My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult
5. Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
6. The Pact - Jodi Picoult
7. Fallen Star - Jessica Sorensen
8. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
11. The Girl Who Played With Fire

More Deaths Than One - Brian Islip

4/5 Stars

Thomas Thornton has settled down to expatriated family life in Saudi Arabia. Wrongfully caught up in shariah law on drug-dealing charges, he discovers injustice is a bitter - and potentially fatal- pill.

I must confess this is not the sort of book I would normally read but having said that it was a good read and great first novel. A book where you can really lose yourself in and become one of the characters! Really glad I did read the intro first as I felt like I got to know the lead character and how he started off on his life's amazing if not dangerous journey! Really looking forward to reading the second novel due out very soon. Highly recommendable.


Currently Reading: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Read in 2012: 7/20

The Whipping Club - Deborah henry

2/5 Stars

Inspired by her heritage and research of the Irish Industrial School system, Henry’s auspicious debut chronicles a couple’s attempt to save their son from horrific institutions.

Marian McKeever and Ben Ellis are not typical young lovers in 1957 Dublin, Ireland; she’s Catholic and teaches at Zion School, and he’s Jewish and a budding journalist. The two plan to wed, but their families object to an interfaith marriage. And when Marian becomes pregnant, she doesn’t tell Ben. Coerced by Father Brennan (a Catholic priest who is also her uncle), Marian goes to Castleboro Mother Baby Home, an institution ruled by Sister Paulinas and Sister Agnes where “sins are purged” via abuse; i.e., pregnant girls are forced to mow the lawn by pulling grass on their hands and knees. Marian is told that her son, Adrian, will be adopted by an American family. The riveting storyline provides many surprises as it fast-forwards to 1967 where Marian and Ben are married and have a 10-year-old daughter. Marian’s painful secret emerges when she learns that her son was dumped in an abusive orphanage not far from her middle-class home and Sister Agnes is his legal guardian. Thus begins a labyrinthine journey through red tape as the couple fight to regain their firstborn child. Ultimately, 12-year-old Adrian is placed in the Surtane Industrial School for Boys, which is rife with brutality and sexual abuse at the hands of “Christian Brother Ryder.” Though unchecked church power abounds, this is not a religious stereotype or an indictment of faith. Hateful characters like Brother Ryder are balanced with compassionate ones, such as a timid nurse from the Mother Baby Home. Father Brennan deepens into a three-dimensional character who struggles to do what is right. Henry weaves multilayered themes of prejudice, corruption and redemption with an authentic voice and swift, seamless dialogue. Her prose is engaging, and light poetic touches add immediacy. For example, when Marian returned to Mother Baby Home after 11 years, she “opened the car door and stepped onto the gravel, wanting to quiet its crunch, like skeletons underneath her shoes.” Echoing the painful lessons of the Jewish Holocaust, Henry’s tale reveals what happens when good people remain silent.

A powerful saga of love and survival.

This is a disturbing book. It grabbed my attention at the beginning, but the switching from past to present became a little hard to pay attention to. The end pulled me back in though, I was thinking about the book a while after I finished it.

Currently Reading: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Read in 2012: 7/20

Legacy - Jenna Burtenshaw

5/5 Stars

Kate Winters' ancestors created the mysterious book of Wintercraft to record their dark manipulations of the veil between life and death. Now Kate's memory is lost, the book is all she has to guide her.

Rumours abound of lost souls roaming Albion's graveyard city of Fume, wreaking chaos. The veil is weakening and Dalliah Grey, Kate's travelling companion, is determined that they must both be there when it falls.

But Dalliah is not to be trusted. Surrounded by deception, Kate must break away, defy the will of her ancestors and decide her own fate, alone.

Exiled warrior Silas Dane plans to find Kate and defend Albion from advancing enemy armies seeking to profit from the confusion.

These are dangerous days and Silas knows, for Albion to survive, sacrifices will have to be made.

Wow what can I say, Wintercraft: Legacy is the best of the three book in the series and it was definitely worth the wait.

Jenna ended Blackwatch with a massive cliffhanger. I couldn't wait to get a copy and was lucky enough to get it a few days before the release date because I pre-ordered it so I didn't have to wait for months like I did last time.

When I got my copy I had some questions I was hoping were going to get answered: What will happen to Kate now Dalliah Grey has her? What does she want with her? and What happens to Silas and Edgar? and In Legacy I got the answers to my questions.

We find out just what Dalliah has install for Kate and the city of Albion and it is not good news. Dalliah wants to bring down the veil that is keeping the spirits of the ancestors of the people of Albion from being seen by the living.

Dalliah needs Kate to release the spirits from three stone wheels to bring the veil down, in the process Silas is trying to stop them. Every time Kate releases a spirit from one of the wheels the spirits in Albion become more visible.

Dalliah also wants the Continental army (Blackwatch) to take over Albion but Silas helps the city to build an army to fight against them, he convinces the wardens - who not long ago want to kill Silas for being a traitor - to do as he says and not the High Council.

While the wardens prepare for the battle Silas discovers a traitor amongst the High Council and has him taken away. Silas and Edgar go into Feldeep Prison and get the prison wardens to go and help in the battle as well as releasing the prisoners so that they can go to the City Below to gather more troops, while they wait for the Night Train to return with backup.

I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone so I am not going to say any more about the book other than the ending surprised me I was expecting someone to die just not the person who did and even though I was desperate to know what happened to Kate, Edgar and Silas I refrained from taking a peek at the last few pages.

Jenna ended Legacy on a high and I am really happy with the ending even though I would have like to know what happened to everyone at the end in more detail maybe even a little chapter about what they were up to five or ten years after the events that unfolded :D

Currently Reading: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Read in 2012: 7/20

In My Mailbox April 2012

Books I bought this month:

1. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
2. The Vampire Diaries: Stephan's Diaries: The Ripper by L. J. Smith
3. The Vampire Diaries: Stephan's Diaries: The Asylum by L. J. Smith
4. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
5. The Morganville Vampires: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
6. The Vampire Diaries - The Hunters: Moonsong by L. J. Smith
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Books I won via goodreads giveaways:

1. A Lost Argument by Therese Doucet
2. The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry
3. Once Upon a Gypsy Moon by Michael C. Hurley
4. We Bury a Landscape by Kristine Ong Muslim
5. Gentleman Companion Two by Patricia Kay
6. The Patriot Paradox by William Esmont
7. The Sunny Hours by Rosemarie Dalheim
8. More Deaths Than One by Bryan Islip

Well this is all I got this month the links are to the books on the goodreads website so you can check the book out and see if you want to read them yourself.

The Patriot Paradox by William Esmont

4/5 Stars

Ex-CIA analyst Kurt Vetter and enigmatic foreign agent Amanda Carter race across Europe in a quest to unearth the truth behind the murder of Kurt's brother. Trying desperately to stay ahead of a government that has forsaken them, they discover a conspiracy that threatens the very foundation of world stability. The clock is ticking and Kurt and Amanda must find a way to halt the plot before millions die.

At the moment I am into my crime novels (after watching some many crime solving shows) so I was glad to win this book.  

This novel is book one in the series The Reluctant Hero.  With it being a short book I wondered how much action was going to be in it and was surprised to find out that for a short novel there is so much packed in that you don’t get a break.  It is a moving novel especially while reading about the suffering Kurt is going through with his brother but the character didn’t really seem to grow.  The plot though is amazing and the action goes at just the right pace.

The ending of this novel is a little in the predictable side, but as a thriller it comes to a good end and make’s me want to read the sequel which I am waiting to see if I win on good reads if not I will defiantly have to buy it as soon as I can.

Currently Reading: Switched - Amanda Hocking
Read in 2012: 6/20

In My Mailbox Idea

I have been watching the story sirens youtube videos called In My Mailbox so I was thinking of doing a monthly post on the last day of every month with a list of books I have bought, won or been given. obviously with just coming up with this idea the April one will be late as I need to find all the book I got this month.  I think I will post my In My Mailbox (IMM) for April on Thursday, May 3rd because it's my day of college and I will have more time to find the books and because Legacy is due on the 4th so I won't want to do anything other than read that.

Currently Reading: Switched - Amanda Hocking
Read in 2012: 6/20

A Lost Argument - Therese Doucet

2/5 Stars

The summer after her freshman year at all-Mormon Brigham Young University, Marguerite Farnsworth falls in love with philosophy by way of falling in love with an atheist philosophy student. Her search for Truth (with a capital T), God, the meaning of life, and a boyfriend leads her away from religious belief, but along the way she learns there are things even atheists can have faith in.

I enjoyed how the journey unfolded, but the switching back and forth from first person to third person isn't something I like but other than that it was a good read.


Currently Reading: Switched - Amanda Hocking
Read in 2012: 6/20

The Complete Set of Morganville Vampire Books

My mum found The Morganville Vampires: Glass House book on Monday while in town and go it for my so I now have the full set yey.

Currently reading: Switched - Amanda Hocking
Read in 2012: 6/20

The Sunny Hours - Rosemarie Dalheim

3/5 Stars

Born in Hannover in 1924, Rosemarie Dalheim and her family moved to England three years later. With a flourishing business employing five people, the Dalheims were considered ‘desirable aliens’ and soon granted permanent residence. Settling in Hull, life felt safe and secure in those sunny, pre-war days. 

However, with Hitler’s rise to power and the growing tension and hostility within Europe, Rosemarie and her family suddenly fell under suspicion and scrutiny, even by former friends and colleagues. Having a German accent in England was now a very undesirable thing indeed.

Despite attempting to maintain a sense of normality and stability in those challenging times, the inevitable finally happened – war broke out and the Dalheims were interned in a camp on the Isle of Man. 

The Sunny Hours is a tale of divided loyalties, and the struggle for acceptance and belonging. With warmth and humour Rosemarie Dalheim recounts the confusion and uncertainty of a young girl, feeling both British and German, growing up in Britain during World War II.

An amazingly well written story of a German child's experience of being interned in Britain during WWII, and a glimpse of the start of Nazi Germany through the innocent eyes of a child.

Currently Reading: Switched - Amanda Hocking

Read in 2012: 5/20

We Bury a Landscape - Kristine Ong Muslim

3/5 Stars

We Bury the Landscape is an exhibition of literary art. Ekphrasis, collected. One hundred flash fictions and prose poems presented to view. From the visual to the textual, transmuting before the gallery-goer’s gaze, the shifting contours of curator Kristine Ong Muslim’s surreal panorama delineate the unconventional, the unexpected, and the unnatural. Traversing this visionary vista’s panoply of “rooms of unfinished lives,” the reader unearths and examines and reanimates—revealing the transcendent uncanniness that subsists underfoot.

When I first looked at this book I thought 'oh I probably won't read this' I'm not a fan of poetry but when I actually got round to reading it I found it wasn't poems it was actually very short stories about paintings.  I like how the author looked at many different paintings to come up with these short stories.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

Revealing Rexa - Ella Stradling

4/5 Stars

Legend tells of a great king, who used a magical charm to vanquish a terrible foe. Now the magic is lost and the ancient enemy is back.

Five years ago, Miyam was dragged away from the life she loved, as a revealer in training, to live with a father she hardly knew. When her father is murdered, her mundane world is thrown into turmoil once again.

A dark horde stands sizzling in the sunlight and travels by night, burning everything in its path. The queen lies dying and a pair of amulets, holding the souls of King Rexa and his beloved wife, must be reunited. The fate of the free world is in jeopardy and the blazing sky shall herald their coming.

This book was worth reading it kept my attention throughout.  It had everything you could want in a fantasy adventure.  Romance and intrigue, it had a fast pace and there was no dull moment.  The characters all had their own unique personalities.  The author truly captivated me with this book and the romance provided was satisfying enough to my needs that it did not need any heavy sex scenes

This novel came to an enjoyable close.  When it came to the end, it made me want to buy the next book in the series Awakening Sands because I enjoyed the book so much, and because it ends in a cliff-hanger.

Revealing Rexa, begins with the search for a lost amulet.  It must be reunited with the other that it belongs with.  The two were created for a King and Queen long ago, and after they died, their souls were bound to the amulets, along with the great powers that they held.  It was meant for the succeeding Kings and Queens to wear in order to protect the land and rule it honourably.  Unfortunately, the King’s amulet got lost and hadn’t been seen since.  The queen’s has continued to pass through the generations, allowing for some protection of the people, but now that magic alone is not enough.  There are dark forces at work that want to destroy the amulets and all of those who are living in the kingdom.

This forces the royal houses to seek help from a class of people, Revealers, who wield magic and are experienced in fighting and carrying out important missions.  Sand, one of the most powerful among this class, is tasked to aid the Queen and future King in their quest.  Along with them is Miyam, a woman with her own powers, and secrets.  Together they embark on a dangerous journey that will take them across the land into places few have travelled or even seen before.  They are the only ones who may be successful before the dark forces take over.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

Jenna Burtenshaw, Alyson Noel and Jessica Brody's 2012 book release's

OK, so I am getting a really excited about the all the new books that are going to be coming out this year by my three favourite authors Jenna Burtenshaw, Alyson Noel and Jessica Brody.

Here's a bit about them.

Jenna Burtenshaw's Wintercraft: Legacy (Released May 10th)

This is the final book in the Wintercraft series and I am excited about the new book and can't wait for my copy to arrive in May but also sad because it is the last book in the series and I will miss Kate and Silas' journey through Albion, Fume. I am glad that Jenna is writing a new series and I can't wait to hear more about it and hopefully it will help me get over not being able to see what Silas and Kate get up to after book three.

Alyson Noel's Riley Bloom: Whisper

This is also the final book in the series, it will feel really strange not being a part of Riley's journey now that this is the last book and that the Immortal series has finished. I don't know what I will do with out my fix of Immortals and the Lost/Trapped Spirits. This is a I really loved especially the Immortal's and I am really sad that it is over I never wanted it to end but I suppose that it had to end sometime and if they do make a TV/film series or the two series then it would be great.

Alyson Noel's Soul Seeker Series Fated & Echo (Releases May 22nd & November 22nd)

I am really excited about this new series of Alyson's and will be even more happy when they are released here in the UK. Hopefully this new series will help to fill the hole that the Immortals series and the Riley Bloom series will leave when I have finished reading the last book of each series although I could read them all again and again. All I no about the Soul Seekers so far is that the new series is brimming with magic, mystery, and a love story that will steal your heart away, Daire Santos who can travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. Daire's grandmother recognizes her visions for what they truly are - the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker: one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead. (taken from goodreads.com) It sounds really good and I cant wait to read it.

Jessica Brody's 52 Reason to Hate My Father (Released July 3rd)

I really enjoyed the last book I read of Jessica's so when I heard about this book I had to check online to see what it was about and it sounds really, really good and I can't wait for it to be delivered in a few months. It's about a wayward teenage girl who father decides to take action and every week for the next year, makes her take on a different low-wage job if she wants to receive her trust fund. She has to take jobs such as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee all while dealing with a college intern that her dad has assigned to keep an eye on her.

Jessica Brody's Unremembered Series (Early 2013)

This is the first series that Jessica has written and still in the process of writing and I am excited to read it for two reasons, one because I really enjoyed Jessica's novel My Life Undecided and two because I am really into reading series of books. The only thing I know about this book so far is what Jessica relieved in my interview with her last year (which you can read here) "it's about a sixteen year old girl who wakes up amongst the wreckage of a devastating plane crash with no memories and no identity. the only clue to her forgotten past is a mysterious boy who claims she was part of a science experiment" I know that this isn't going to be out until next year but I am excited about it now.

The release next to all the books are all based on the Amazon UK's release dates and could change any time.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

What Necessity Decrees - Carola Robert

2/5 Stars

'What Necessity Decrees' offers an astounding new theory of conscious evolution based on relationship. By defining the tensions of increasing relating-awareness as the catalyst for man's emerging conscious necessity, it explores the implications of relationship.

As it crystallizes the essence of texts like the ancient Greek myths, the bible and the Arthurian legends, it unlocks the code of human condition hidden in these scripts. Thereby re-interpreting the story of conscious beginnings, it describes what happens when the tensions and pain of this process are inappropriately 'resolved' by consecutive generations and how each new generation reflectes not only the challenge itself but its various outcomes in lineage.

Based on 12 psychological archetypes the book then explains how in-divi-duality (internally divided duality) moves further apart in every generation, thereby polarizing the next one. Until biblical references like 'the sacrifice' and 'redemption of sin' become understood as the signs of negatively resolved, conscious evolution, that call for the full realisation of relationship.

I found this a quick read. It is full of essay-like insights into relationships with some very interesting points.  The writing style is heavy on long words and not the easiest to understand, but Carola gets some of her good ideas across even though I found it a hard read rather than an easy one.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

Ruth - Marlene S. Lewis

3/5 Stars

From the lush Owen Stanley Ranges of Papua New Guinea to working-class inner Sydney... Ruth follows the story of its protagonist, the only daughter of John and Alice Madison, coffee plantation owners. Set in the fifties and sixties, Ruth struggles to rise above the stigma of being an unwed mother alone in a strange land. Determined not to end up on the streets, she learns to live by her wits - until circumstances take a turn for the worse. To provide a better life for her son, Stewart, she takes up work in a distant town. There, she meets Lachlan McGrath, the owner of Bryliambone station. Life on the land is good to Ruth until fate turns her world upside down. Faced with losing everything, she sets to rebuilding her husband's debt-ridden business into a thriving cotton farm.Marlene is inspired by many authors, including Patricia Shaw, Maeve Binchy and Guy de Maupassant. Ruth has elements of Lloyd Jones' Mr Pip, Ruth Park's The Harp in the South and Patricia Shaw's The Feather and the Stone. The novel will appeal to female readers interested in family relationships and cultural history.

I was happy when I won this book because I am studying this era in my History Lectures so it helped me with some of my work.

I enjoyed this book. It has a lot of twists.  The main character goes through a lot, which helps the flow of the book and helps make the bookwork.  The characters are developed nicely and also help with the stories dynamics.

Ruth is well worth a read.


Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody

5/5 Stars

My parents have been telling me for years that I make "bad decisions". But I never believed them. Because, you know, they're parents. And since when are parents ever right about anything?

But i'm slowly starting to wonder if maybe I was just born that way. Like poor judgement is in my DNA or something. Genetically predisposed to make crappy choices. When I was two years old I fell down an abandoned mine shaft and was stuck down there for fifty-two hours while rescuers worked around the clock to save me. Although my mom has always blamed herself for the incident, it was me who decided, in the seven lousy seconds it took her to zip up my sister's jacket - that it would be a good idea to chase the little green lizard right off the hiking trail and down a mine shaft.

And what have I learned since then? Thirteen years later? Well, judging from the slew of various emergency vehicles lining the street..... not a whole lot.

So it isn't until right now, at this very second - with the sirens blaring, the crowd of people gathering to try to steal a gossip - worthy peek, and the overall chaos of a good idea turned very bad - that I start to think my parents might just be onto something.

because then you're being handcuffed and lowered into a back seat of a squad car, you kind of have to start reconsidering the way you live your life.

Oh my god what a great book. This is the first book of Jessica's I have finished because I own it and not borrowed it.

I found myself mentally voting along but mainly voting on the ones Brooklyn wanted but not because that is what she would want but because they are the ones I would actually vote for.

I knew that Jessica would make it so Brooklyn got with Brian instead of Hunter in the end and at first I wanted her to be with Hunter and I know a lot of people would feel the same way as me but after the Hotel bathroom scene and they way Brooklyn was acting before then - like she was actually having fun for the first time in a long time - I wanted her to be with Brian and glad that she was at the end.

When Shayne dissed Brooklyn at the beginning and made Brooklyn take all the blame for the model home incident that was Shayne's idea I didn't think that she was a very good friend.

When Brooklyn and Shayne became friends again I found myself shouting at the book (which is something I do all the time) telling Brooklyn not to be friends with her and I'm glad that in the end Brooklyn realised that she made the wrong choice by getting involved with Shayne again and ditched her to declare her love to Brian.

I got the sense that Brooklyn and Mrs Moody actually like each other and enjoyed each other company. So when she died I felt sad for Brooklyn and was glad that she was given all the 'you choose the story' books.

From the start of the book you get the sense that Brooklyn and her sister Izzy hated each other (like most sisters do) but towards then end when Izzy came home for Thanks Giving I could tell that she was acting strange and wasn't sure why but when she ended up in hospital I was glad that they made up and that Izzy admitted that she isn't the perfect role model that her parent's made her out to be and that she to does make mistakes even though she tried to be a good role model.

Currently Reading: Everlasting - Alyson Noel

Read in 2012: 5/20

Sunburnt - M. D Keating

2/5 stars

An unemployed alcoholic writer, coping with the death of his father, is unwittingly drawn into a scandal of EPIC proportions, when his estranged childhood best friend, now a very successful offshore banker, disappears with BILLIONS of dollars that don’t belong to him … Follow our unlikely hero through a collage of rogue characters into a dangerous world of CORRUPTION, GREED, DRUGS, ARMS, and WAR

I don't know what to say about this book. I read it while I was off college with a Kidney infection and was happy because it didn't take to long to read which I like because it means I can read more books.

The book is in script format (first time I had seen one like that), which I found easy to follow as sometimes I forget who is speaking but I sometimes forgot where I was up to because there are no chapters. Nothing really happened in the book that kept me on edge I didn't feel a connection between the character, and me, which is what I need to keep me interested in the story. I don't think I will read this book again (but my cousin is borrowing it) but maybe one day if I don't have anything else to read (which is unlikely) I will probably read it again.

But this is my opinion and you might like it.


Currently Reading: My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody
Read in 2012: 4/20

Then They Came for Me - Maziar Bahari

2/5 Stars

When Maziar Bahari left London in June 2009 to cover Iran’s presidential election, he assured his pregnant fiancée, Paola, that he’d be back in just a few days, a week at most. Little did he know, as he kissed her good-bye, that he would spend the next three months in Iran’s most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions at the hands of a man he knew only by his smell: Rosewater. 

For the Bahari family, wars, coups, and revolutions are not distant concepts but intimate realities they have suffered for generations: Maziar’s father was imprisoned by the shah in the 1950s, and his sister by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s. Alone in his cell at Evin Prison, fearing the worst, Maziar draws strength from his memories of the courage of his father and sister in the face of torture, and hears their voices speaking to him across the years. He dreams of being with Paola in London, and imagines all that she and his rambunctious, resilient eighty-four-year-old mother must be doing to campaign for his release. During the worst of his encounters with Rosewater, he silently repeats the names of his loved ones, calling on their strength and love to protect him and praying he will be released in time for the birth of his first child. 

A riveting, heart-wrenching memoir, Then They Came for Me offers insight into the past fifty years of regime change in Iran, as well as the future of a country where the democratic impulses of the youth continually clash with a government that becomes more totalitarian with each passing day. An intimate and fascinating account of contemporary Iran, it is also the moving and wonderfully written story of one family’s extraordinary courage in the face of repression.

I  gave it 2 stars because I thought it was OK considering it wasn't something I would normally read but I gave it ago anyway. There isn't really anything else I can say about the book other than read it if you are genuinely interested in what the story is about I thought that it might give me more of an insight as to what went on.

Currently reading: My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody

Read in 2012: 4/20

Night Star - Alyson Noel

4/5 Stars

LOVE AND HEARTBREAK BELONG TOGETHER......

There are some secrets you're better off not knowing.  But once Ever Bloom is given a glimpse of what Damen is keeping from her, she has to find out more - Whatever the cost.

Their past together is not what she thinks - and only he remembers everything.  Until now, when a vengeful friend lets her in on his secret, and it may just push Ever into someone else's arm's......

Book five in THE IMMORTAL series.

Yet again - apart from the one thing I have wanted since book three - Alyson hasn't let me down. 

In Night Star I think Ever has started to act more like an adult.  Ever and Damen are still after the cure for the curse that Roman put on Damen in Blue Moon but Haven stands in her way.  The potion is to help her and Damen be together properly forever the only problem is the potion is on the shirt Roman was wearing the night he was killed and Haven has it and give it to Ever. 

The Novel starts with Damen and Ever training to fight Haven who is now a mad, crazy immortal out for revenge on Ever because she blames Ever for killing Roman when in fact Jude was the one who killed him.  Haven starts to make life miserable for Ever and they get into a fight at school where ever discovers that Haven is a lot stronger than she thought because of the immortal juice.

Not only has Ever got trouble with Haven in this book she has trouble with Damen who has been keeping secrets about her past lives from her.  Damen has been editing all the footage of Ever's past lives until she catches him doing it.  I hate the fact that when she find out he has lied to her it looks like things are over for them and that Jude will finally win Ever because her feelings for him show up in every one of her past lives and she begins to think that maybe Jude is her soul mate and not Damen.

Ever makes a wish on the night star for the strength to she needs to beat Haven and to help her decide who she should be with Damen or Jude.  Ever is not just fighting with Haven but she is fighting with herself because she can't decide who she should be with Damen or Jude.  

Towards the end Ever confronts Haven they have the final showdown but this is not the only thing she has on her mind, Haven burns the shirt that Ever wants and Haven get's killed.  Ever knowing it is too late tries to save the shirt.

I have noticed that in Night Star the imagery is immense I think this is because it is filled with action from the start.  Night Star was full of suspense and I was shouting at Ever on a number of occasions telling her that Damen was the one she was meant to be with for a while she didn't seem to hear me haha.

I actually liked book 5 more than book 4 and it has left me knowing that Ever and Damen will be together no matter what or who stands in there way.  I can't wait to see how Alyson brings this series to an end.  Hopefully Ever, Damen and I will have the happily ever after we so want hehe.

Dreamland - Alyson Noel

4/5 Stars

ALL I WANTED, ALL I'D EVER DREAMED OF, WAS TO BE THIRTEEN, BUT THEN I DIED.

Riley Bloom's after life is about as good as it gets, except she'll never be a teenager.  Riley desperately wants to speak to her older sister, Ever, to ask her advice.  Ever is still alive and the only way Riley can reach her is to search Dreamland - a place where ghosts can jump into dreams and talk to their loved ones.  But when she finally gets there Riley discovers that Dreamland isn't as heavenly as it sounds.  In fact, it's a total nightmare.

The third book in the witty, moving and heart-warming RILEY BLOOM series.

Dreamland is another fabulous read.  Alyson Noel is one of the best writers around these days and knows how to keep her readers get lost in the book and unable to put it down.

It's all happening in book three, and after completing a task that she was not assigned to in the last book she is told that she has to take a break from Soul Catching for a while but because Riley's 'glow' has changed she thinks she can handle harder jobs and once again Riley finds herself in trouble again but it is good to see her doing things on her own and even though she has made plenty of mistakes she is always there to help people.

Riley learns how to dream jump with a former Hollywood director Balthazar who is now the dream jump director, who puts on productions to expand the dreams of those who are still alive to help give them comfort and happiness from those who have crossed the bridge into the Hear and Now and to let them communicate with the living.  Riley wants to dream jump so that she can go into Ever's dreams to get her advice and Balthazar is there to help her do that.

Riley just learns to dream jump when Dreamland closes for the night which Riley finds strange because there is people dreaming all over the world at different times of the day, but she leaves with the other dream jumpers and when she gets outside Riley being Riley doesn't follow the rules and says that she has left something important to her inside and goes back in and later regrets it because a lingering spirit boy named Satchel a dreamweaver tricks her and turned her experience into her worst nightmare.

Riley ends up being forced into working for Satchel who creates nightmares to teach a lesson to the ones he thinks needs to be taught that lesson.  Riley eventually gets into her sisters dream but at first Riley finds it hard to talk to Ever because Ever keeps having nightmares which wake her up and Riley tries hard to help her sister but the lessons Satchel is trying to teach Riley are not easy and after a while she finally gets to talk to Ever she gets some answers as well as help Ever.

Riley couldn't get Satchel to stop dreamweaving and because she interfered in trying to get him to stop the High Council took away Riley's 'glow'.  After finding out her 'glow' was fading Riley finds out that turning thirteen isn't just about crossing Souls over its about what she learn's while she's doing it.

The book ends with Bodhi telling Riley that they are going to Italy on a Soul Catch of a stubborn ghost that has been haunting the Colosseum for a long time and he tells Riley that there going because the Council knows she wants a challenge.

I am excited to read Whisper book 4 in the series when it comes out because it is the final book and I want to know if Riley becomes a teenager or not and knowing Alyson I will have to wait till the end of the book to get my answer.

The Boy with the Koi Tattoo - Rochelle H. Ragnarok

2/5 Stars

The Boy with the Koi Tattoo is the second novel in the Boys in Love Series. It starts immediately where the last book finished and now Dai Uie is wandering the streets alone when he stumbles into Kabukicho, a well known red-light district in Tokyo and is confronted with a gang of Yakuza thugs who drag him into “The Red Building” an infamous gay brothel in 2-chrome. 

Dai soon meets Shi, the beautiful and mysterious 19 year old Adonis of the place and the two form a near unbreakable bond; trapped in an inescapable fate Dai’s new love carries the weight of a dark past and deadly ambitions. 

With the emergence of the latest drug “CHi”, a destructive motorcycle gang called the “Grim Riders” led by the wild and terrifying Miki, a jealous lover, and a brewing war between the street gangs with the Yakuza thrown into the mix makes life and love difficult to grasp.

I have only rated this as 2 stars mainly because I haven't read book one so I wasn't fully gripped to it like I like to be when reading.  It is a well researched novel giving insight into a life not many people know about or understand fully.  All in all, a good read, but if you liked the first one then it’s probably the perfect book for you. 

Currently Reading: My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody

Read in 2012: 4/20

Goodreads Giveaways

For the last week and a half I have been entering goodreads giveaways and yesterday I finally won one. I won The Boy with the Koi Tattoo by Rochelle H. Ragnarok I have no idea what its about and I don't think I will read it. It is book two and I haven't read book one.

I was lucky I won because there was 5 copies available and 431 people (including me) applied it.

Currently Reading: Night Star - Alyson Noel

Currently Reading: Dreamland - Alyson Noel

Books Read in 2012: 1/20

The Vampire Stalker - Allison Van Diepen

4/5 Stars

Amy is in love with Alexander Banks. In fact, she's obsessed with him. He's brooding and handsome. He hunt's vampires

He's perfect

The only problem is, Alexander doesn't exist. He's a character in a book.

But, what if he showed up one day? What if he were somehow real?

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a bit slow to start with but by the end of chapter two I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

The whole book kept me on edge, I didn't expect the things that happened. I expected Vigo to kill Alexander and take over the real Chicago. I also expected Vigo to kill Amy but instead he kidnapped her sister and attacked Amy's best friend.

As the book went on I could feel the connection between Amy and Alexander grow. I didn't want Alexander to leave and after their first kiss I knew that if he left I would have defiantly cried for Amy.

After the death of Vigo I was glad that Alexander was happy for his cousin James and also glad that Alexander decided to stay with Amy.

I would love Allison Van Diepen to release a sequel to 'The Vampire Stalker' because I was left with so many unanswered questions at the end like.

1) What happens to Amy and Alexander after James and Hannah left real Chicago for Other World Chicago?

2) What happens to James and Hannah when they get back to Other World Chicago?

3) Does Hannah replace Vigo in the Coven?

4) Does James manage to get piece between the vampires and the humans in Other World Chicago?

5) What happens to Leanda?

and finally

6) Does Chrissy become nice to her sister Amy?

Currently Reading: Night Star - Alyson Noel

Read in 2012: 1/20

My Book List for 2012

This is a list of the book I want to read by New Year 2012. There isn't a lot this year because I know that there are some new ones I want to read coming out and I'm not sure when there due out I'm going to add 20, then add a few more under 'extras' for encase I have read all the books on my list which is highly doubtful.

1. The Vampire Stalker - Allison Van Diepen - Read
2. Night Star - Alyson Noel - Reading
3. Dreamland - Alyson Noel - Reading
4. Everlasting - Alyson Noel (Last in series ;( )
5. My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody
6. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin (Have to read for college so will defiantly get read)
7. Karma Club - Jessica Brody
8. Whisper - Alyson Noel (Last in series)
9. Wintercraft: Legacy - Jenna Burtenshaw (Last in series)
10. Fated - Alyson Noel (Long awaited new series)
11. 52 Reasons to Hate my Father - Jessica Brody
12. Naked Heat - Richard Castle
13. Heat Rises - Richard Castle
14. The Fidelity Files - Jessica Brody
15. Love Under Cover - Jessica Brody

Extras

1. The Cockney Angel - Dilly Court
2. The Constant Heart - Dilly Court
3. Soul Seekers book 2 - Alyson Noel (if its out)
4. Unleashed - Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

The other reasons for only putting 20 down in the main list is because I will probably buy more books which I will read in-between and I am also at college and hopefully I will be in university as from September, so I don't and wont have a lot of time to read.

The Books I read in 2011

This is a list of the book are the ones I wanted to read by New Year 2011. The ones in red are the ones I have read the others are the ones I have not read.

1. Dark Flame - Alyson Noel
2. Blackwatch - Jenna Burtenshaw
3. A Breath of Fresh Air - Erica James
4. Radiance - Alyson Noel
5. Shimmer - Alyson Noel
6. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin
7. Heat Wave - Richard Castle
8. Naked Heat - Richard Castle
9. Night Star - Alyson Noel - Reading
10. Everlasting - Alyson Noel
11. My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody
12. The Cockney Angel - Dilly Court
13. Damaged - Cathy Glass
14. The Fidelity Files - Jessica Brody
15. Love Under Cover - Jessica Brody

Other books I have read this year that I didn't put on the list.

1. The Worst Witch - Jill Murphy
2. The Worst Witch Strikes again - Jill Murphy
3. A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch - Jill Murphy
4. The Worst Witch at Sea - Jill Murphy
5. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
6. Specially Sarah - Mary Hoffman