Guest Post & Giveaway: Return To The Secret Garden - Holly Webb

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Return To The Secret Garden by Holly Webb! 

When I was little The Secret Garden was one of my favorite books. I longed to be Mary, so I could discover the hidden garden as I was convinced magical things would happen if I did! Return To The Secret Garden is is the story of another little girl, this time in the 1930's and her discovery of a diary written by a girl called Mary...

Why the Secret Garden? by Holly Webb

I chose to write a sequel to The Secret Garden because it’s always been one of my favourite books. I hadn’t considered writing a sequel at all, until a conversation about five years ago with one of my editors, where we were discussing our childhood favourites. The sequel was her idea, and I wasn’t sure at all – how odd to take someone else’s characters. But I kept coming back to the idea, as I loved the original book so much. Mary’s character was what I’d really remembered, but when I came back to the book, it was Misselthwaite Manor and its gardens that drew me in. I decided that I’d set my sequel later, since I was worried by writing a direct continuation of the original, and I wanted to introduce a different child to the garden.

I chose the wartime setting as I knew that the original three children would have been young adults just at the outbreak of the First World War – I hated the thought of Colin and Dickon going from such a sheltered, beautiful place into a war, and I wanted to write about the effect that it would have had on them. I’ve always thought that to be their age was particularly cruel – it’s so hard to imagine how it would feel to go through “The War to End All Wars” and then see the world creeping back towards another one. It was then I realised that if Emmie was an evacuee, I had the perfect way to bring her to Misselthwaite.

Even then, the plot took a while to come together. I knew what I wanted to happen, but perhaps it was because I had the constraints of the original, I wasn’t sure how to make it all work. In the end, I finally worked out what would happen on a train – I love train journeys for working! It was an evening journey to Edinburgh, so it was too dark to look out of the window after a while, and I was stuck in one place for hours with my plot (and some chocolate, I think). It wasn’t by any means the final story – I always plot my books out, but I don’t then necessarily stick to what I’ve planned. It wouldn’t be as exciting if whole new characters didn’t turn up in the middle… 

About the Author

Holly Webb was one of the World Book Day authors for 2012 and has received high praise for her previous standalone fiction Looking For Bear, A Cat Called Penguin, The Chocolate Dog and A Tiger Tale. She published her 100th book, The Truffle Mouse, in August.

Holly worked for five years as a children's fiction editor before deciding that she would rather write. Holly now lives in Reading with her husband, three sons and just one cat. 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

About Return To The Secret Garden

 It's 1939 and a group of children have been evacuated to Misselthwaite Hall. Emmie is far from happy to have been separated from her cat and sent to a huge old mansion. But soon she starts discovering the secrets of the house - a boy crying at night, a diary written by a girl named Mary and a garden. A very secret garden...

Return To The Secret Garden - Holly Webb

Release date - October 1 2015

Publisher - Scholastic 

Format - Hardcover | E-book

Find - Goodreads | Amazon UK | Book Depository 

Giveaway - UK & Ireland Only

Scholastic are giving away a copy of The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett and a copy of Return to the Secret Garden by Holly Webb to one lucky blog tour follower!

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Monday 5th October

Ya Yeah Yeah

This Fleeting Dream

Tuesday 6th October

The Little Munchkin Reader

Powered by Reading

Wednesday 7th October

Serendipity Reviews

Maia and a little Moore

Thursday 8th October

Pretty Books

Tales of Yesterday

Friday 9th October

The Bookish Outsider

Big Book Little Book

Saturday 10th October

A Daydreamer’s Thoughts

Sunday 11th October

Kirstyes

YA Under My Skin

Books To Movies Giveaway!

Welcome to the Books to Movies Giveaway hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer & BookHounds! So many books are turned into movies these days so this giveaway is for one book of your choice that has been made into a movie. It can be a book that was made into a movie this year or a book that was made into a movie ten years ago, as long as it's available from the Book Depository and costs no more than $15 you can choose it. As an added bonus if you live in the UK you may choose either the book or the DVD - provided it's easily available and not more than £10!

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Don't forget to check out all the other blogs taking part at Book Hounds, thanks for entering and good luck!

The Edge Of Reason - Melinda Snodgrass

Since the dawn of consciousness, a secret war has been fought between the forces of magic and religious fanaticism, and the cause of reason and technology. On one side are the Old Ones, malign entities that feed on the suffering of mankind. On the other are the Lumina, an ancient order dedicated the liberation of the human spirit.

Police officer Richard Oort is caught in the middle of this primal battle when he rescues the mysterious Rhianna from a trio of inhuman hunters. Recruited by the leader of the Lumina an enigmatic billionaire to serve as a Paladin, Richard finds himself at the centre of the war between Light and Darkness. But he has his own darkness that threatens to overwhelm him. Is he strong enough to bear the burden?

Melinda Snodgrass might be better known to some as the writer behind Star Trek TNG as she was to me so I was intrigued to read her fantasy trilogy that starts with The Edge of Reason. Originally published in 2008 it's been published in the UK to before the publication of the final book in the trilogy.

Richard Oort is out on patrol, minding his own business, when all of a sudden he's involved in the rescue of a girl from creatures that should not exist. From then on in it's a rollercoaster of emotions for Richard as he discovers that nothing in this world (and possibly the next) is what he thought it was. The Edge of Reason is very much a Good vs. Evil story, with Richard discovering he is a null, completely devoid of magic, unlike the majority of the population who still have a little left in their genetic make-up. For the confused police officer this means he is a Paladin, able to wield a sword and lead the fight against Evil even if he's not quite sure who or what that evil may be.

Snodgrass has a vast array of characters in her story, some more well developed than others but the most complex is definitely Oort. Becoming a police officer to rebel against his well-to-do family after briefly considering a career in music  much is made of his physical appearance in that he is short (for a man) and slight of build with a delicate appearance and therefore probably the least likely hero ever! Joining our hero are a young sorceress (falling in crush with Richard after her dramatic rescue), a feisty female coroner, a homeless man who may or may not be the physical embodiment of God and a business mogul who might just be Lucifer..

It's hard to grasp who is who and what side they're on and if you try to follow it too closely you'll end up with a headache but if you're willing to suspend all belief The Edge of Reason is actually a great urban fantasy story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading. Fast paced, it throws up some interesting points about religion and who the bad guy really is. I wasn't at all sure I'd like it at first but it's one of those books that gets under your skin so you have to keep reading and I've already started on the next book in the trilogy, The Edge of Ruin.

The Edge Of Reason (Edge #1) - Melinda Snodgrass

ISBN - 9781783294602

Publisher - Titan

Release date - September 19 2014

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Many thanks to Titan for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!

Waiting On Wednesday #137 - A Criminal Magic

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

A Criminal Magic - Lee Kelly

ISBN - 9781481410335

Publisher - Saga Press

Release date - February 2 2016

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets THE PEAKY BLINDERS in Lee Kelly's new magical realism, crossover novel.

Magic is powerful, dangerous and addictive - and after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is finally illegal.

It's 1926 in Washington, DC, and while Anti-Sorcery activists have achieved the Prohibition of sorcery, the city's magic underworld is booming. Sorcerers cast illusions to aid mobsters' crime sprees. Smugglers funnel magic contraband in from overseas. Gangs have established secret performance venues where patrons can lose themselves in magic, and take a mind-bending, intoxicating elixir known as the sorcerer's shine.

Joan Kendrick, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County, Virginia accepts an offer to work for DC's most notorious crime syndicate, the Shaw Gang, when her family's home is repossessed. Alex Danfrey, a first-year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a complicated past and talents of his own, becomes tapped to go undercover and infiltrate the Shaws.

Through different paths, Joan and Alex tread deep into the violent, dangerous world of criminal magic - and when their paths cross at the Shaws' performance venue, despite their orders, and despite themselves, Joan and Alex become enchanted with one another. But when gang alliances begin to shift, the two sorcerers are forced to question their ultimate allegiances and motivations. And soon, Joan and Alex find themselves pitted against each other in a treacherous, heady game of cat-and-mouse.

A CRIMINAL MAGIC casts a spell of magic, high stakes and intrigue against the backdrop of a very different Roaring Twenties.

I added this to my wishlist in August as it sounds like something I would absolutely adore! Mention The Night Circus and Peaky Blinders in the same sentence? Sold... 

 

Top Ten Tuesday #101 - Books I Need To Pick Up Again...

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful gals cover at The Broke & The Bookish. This week's topic is -

Top Seven Books I Need To Finish

I wasn't quite sure what to do this week. I thought about doing the series that I was going to quit reading but I couldn't think of many (although I'm sure there are actually a lot). Here's what I came up with in the end, books that I've started reading but for one reason or another I've put them aside, with a bookmark in marking my progress. Some of these bookmarks are near the beginning but a few are towards the end of the book so I don't know why I can't just pick the book up and finish it. I haven't put them down because I'm not enjoying them, a couple of these are books I've loved reading. I also seem to have a major problem with book titles that start with The...

Peacemaker - Marianne de Pierres

Peacemaker - Marianne de Pierres

ISBN - 9780857664181 (US) | 9780857664174 (UK)

Publisher - Angry Robot

Release date - April 29 2014 (US) | April 17 2014 (UK)

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Virgin Jackson is the senior ranger in Birrimun Park - the world's last natural landscape, overshadowed though it is by a sprawling coastal megacity. She maintains public safety and order in the park, but her bosses have brought out a hotshot cowboy to help her catch some drug runners who are affecting tourism. She senses the company is holding something back from her, and she's not keen on working with an outsider like Nate Sixkiller.

When an imaginary animal from her troubled teenage years reappears, Virgin takes it to mean one of two things: a breakdown (hers!) or a warning. Dead bodies start piling up around her, so she decides on the latter. Something terrible is about to happen in the park and Virgin and her new partner, U.S. Marshall Nate Sixkiller, are standing in its path...

I think anyone who's a regular reader of this blog knows that I happen to be a fan of Marianne de Pierres' work. I read Nylon Angel back in 2011 and since then I've read most of her available books so I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to read Peacemaker! The one thing I love about Marianne de Pierres is that you know you are going to be amazed at some point by the way she blends her genres together effortlessly and Peacemaker is no exception. Part sci-fi, part western and part crime thriller with a dash of romance I was hooked from the first page to the last by some of the most brilliant genre blending I've read in a while!

After witnessing a murder that was supposedly impossible in Australia's National Park Virgin is assigned a US Marshal who is coming in to help solve problems the Park bosses are having with drugs & various other things. Disgusted at the thought at having to play babysitter to Nate Sixkiller Virgin goes out of her way to ditch him, except Nate has the innate ability to turn up right when she's got herself into trouble or just when her lover, Heart, makes an appearance... Heart is a stripper and together they make the odd un-couple, Virgin neither wants or needs a boyfriend and she certainly doesn't want a stranger complicating things even further. Just when it looks like things can't get any worse Virgin discovers that all may not be as it seems and Sixkiller may not be the only hiding things.

Peacemaker is one of the most original novels I've read in a long time. Apart from the completely seamless blending of genres de Pierres' characters just about leap off the page in both characterization and dialogue. Virgin is sarcastic, funny, sharp and everything else you want in a strong female character and I adore both Heart and Sixkiller as the other points of the (not) love triangle. This has only endeared me even more to Marianne's writing and trust me, both Peacemaker and Mythmaker (review coming later this week) are definitely worth looking out for!

Thanks to Angry Robot and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for a fair & unbiased review. 

Guest Post: Marianne de Pierres On Things You Can't Live Without!

A huge welcome back to Marianne de Pierres! I interviewed Marianne last year on the release of Peacemaker so am thrilled to have her write this guest post to celebrate the release of book two, Mythmaker!

My Addictions - Marianne de Pierres

        1)      TV series – drama and comedy: It’s become my great passion of late. I gobble them down at a           phenomenal rate, and love nothing better than a binge watch of an entire 6 or 7 season series over a few days. It makes for such a great viewing experience. Lately I’ve binge-watched WEEDS, GILMORE GIRLS, and a bunch of UK period drama mini-series like Sense and Sensibility and Emma, but my top watch for this year is OUTLANDER. Ronald D. Moore is da man!

2)      Basketball – the greatest sport on earth. I watch, coach, and play. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without it.

3)      Books – natch! I’m surrounded by them every day in my library/ sitting room/ office. So many good stories to read, so little time.

4)      Cake – life is all about the next great slice of (gluten free) cake. Truly.

5)      Chocolate – yes, of course, and right now I’m on a strict detox.

6)      My family – I suffer unnerving withdrawals when I can’t see or speak to them.

7)      My birds – see family problem above. I have three noisy galahs who are demand air time.

8)      The Internet -- for shame, for shame, but it is the truth. My websites and I are co-dependent.

9)      My peeps -- I mean the real ones. The friends who are genuine; those who I trust to be honest and kind. 

      10)   Writing – well I would hope so… but, the truth is, I definitely am. Can’t go more than a few days at the most without writing words. Otherwise, I get unbearably cranky. 

 Marianne de Pierres is the author of the acclaimed Parrish Plessis series, the award-winning Sentients of Orion science fiction series and the Peacemaker SF Western series. The Parrish Plessis series has been translated into eight languages and adapted into a roleplaying game. She’s also the author of a teen dark fantasy series.
Marianne is an active supporter of genre fiction and has mentored many writers. She lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband and three galahs. Marianne writes award-winning crime under the pseudonym Marianne Delacourt. Visit her websites at www.mariannedepierres.com and www.tarasharp.com.au and www.burnbright.com.au