tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28127744338782832652024-03-13T21:50:24.189+00:00YA Under My SkinYA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.comBlogger325125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-14125957185087036902022-05-23T23:30:00.001+00:002022-05-23T23:30:00.177+00:00Throw Me to the Wolves blog tour<p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i>Some evil wants to live forever. Ten years ago a witch sacrificed Britta Orchid's family and turned her into a werewolf. Selena Stone's spell failed, and she was never seen again. Until now. </i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i>Officer Aaron Labaye has discovered Selena's remains in the house where Britta's family died, and dragged Britta back to Louisiana to aid the investigation, hoping her past will break the case. </i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i>Britta has a hard time resisting the handsome rookie, especially when he shows her a new drawing by her murdered little brother: Britta in her wolf-form. As an unseen hand sets events in motion, Britta has to help Labaye dig into the murders old and new. The bloodthirsty ghost of her brother, a jealous member from her pack, and a former friend with a serious prejudice against wolves all stand to stop Britta as she fights to finally get the truth about that night ten years ago. </i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><i>But, as she looks harder than ever into her own dark past, Britta will confront more than just her own demons as she fights for peace for herself and for her family. She can't hide anymore, but must find her place in a world she's avoided – and discover what it truly means to be a wolf.</i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I’m really into werewolves at the moment, so this book came along at the perfect time! It’s a brilliant start to a new series, ticking all the genre boxes that I enjoy and offering well-drawn characters to root for.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I love a book that blends my favourite</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> genres, and THROW ME TO THE WOLVES does it brilliantly. It’s the perfect blend of crime, horror and paranormal romance, and the shifting tone kept my attention.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The voice and characterisation are really strong. The dual narrators work really well, and even the most minor characters are fleshed out and believable. I really liked the two main characters and the relationship between them.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I had a lot of fun reading this book, but also felt that it dealt with difficult subjects, like grief, empathetically. I can’t wait to see where this series goes!</span></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-58997490895393558712021-08-07T20:49:00.007+00:002021-08-08T09:02:26.297+00:00YALC workshop – From Blogger to Author<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGilZjZ4Z3Y-_p6zXFQ7zt0uimiKliiMZ8iJdgxU9EDMdz4vr6UT-Z2INN1EjlEkVxw61WhgDgpQxgN6HGHVPwDvEXXw6zdJ2YoYetLXw4g4HcxMv_L9vdKHor04B4JKiC3uvato2Nx8N/s1380/AMY+McCaw+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGilZjZ4Z3Y-_p6zXFQ7zt0uimiKliiMZ8iJdgxU9EDMdz4vr6UT-Z2INN1EjlEkVxw61WhgDgpQxgN6HGHVPwDvEXXw6zdJ2YoYetLXw4g4HcxMv_L9vdKHor04B4JKiC3uvato2Nx8N/s320/AMY+McCaw+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">YALC has always been a huge part of my blogger life and is one of the highlights of my summer, so it was amazing to be asked to participate as an author this year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This post accompanies my 'From Blogger to Author' workshop video, which you can access on YALC's YouTube account <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reqB6vUQaHI">here</a>. There are lots of other panels and workshops on there to access too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The post and video give an insight into how I became a blogger and got a book deal. I also discuss </span><span style="font-family: arial;">how being an author and blogger has helped me in both roles. Everything is based on my experiences and what has worked for me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Blogging journey </b><br /><br />In July 2015, I went to a blogger workshop at YALC about starting your own blog. I’d wanted to create one for ages but I was worried about the technical side of it and whether anyone would care what I thought about books. The workshop was run by a few bloggers, two of whom I’ve become friends with since. If you’re looking for amazing bloggers and lovely people to follow, I’ve got a lot to thank <a href="https://twitter.com/chelleytoy">Chelley Toy</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/PewterWolf">Andrew </a>(Pewter Wolf) for. Doing the workshop made me realise there are pros and cons of different blogging platforms, but it’s actually not too difficult even for a technological novice like me. I also got lots of practical tips about blogging and realised there’s a whole community of reviewers out there, and why wouldn’t what I had to say be as valid as anyone else?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><b>Blogging tips </b><br /><br />I’ve got a few quick tips if you’re thinking of starting a blog, YouTube channel or Instagram account. The first thing I did was to follow lots of people. I wanted to be part of the community, and I’ve since made lots of really good friends that way. It was also really useful to see how people manage their social media and the kind of content they put out. <br /><br /> These are lots of creators whose content I really enjoy, but these are some of my favourites: Jodie at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/VanillaMoon">Vanilla Moon</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTWKVpmhn8jauvTc8929DNw">Kasha in Wonderland</a>, Beth at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/BooksNest">Books Nest</a>, Chloe at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/BookswithChloe">Books with Chloe</a>, Gavin at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/GavinHetherington">How to Train Your Gavin</a>, Desi at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/DarlingDesi">Darling Desi</a>, Mia at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cosyreads">Cosy Reads</a>, Erin at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTXQIqB28aluZujo_UutE1A">Erin Megan</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuSKX0Lus-yA_mojKYlfYeQ">Violet Prynne</a>.<br /><br />There are a lot of resources online about how to engage with publishers and request review copies, so if you’re curious about that or other aspects of blogging there are plenty of posts that deal with different subjects. Beth at Books Nest has a fantastic section on her blog about <a href="https://booksnest.co.uk/category/blog/blogging-social-media-tips-and-advice/">Content Creation Advice</a> that will get you started.<br /><br />Another thing I’ve always done is engage with other people’s posts. The blogging community is really supportive, so if you can retweet people’s posts, comment and get talking, it’s a good way to get involved and build your own following. <br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>How blogging has helped me as an author </b><br /><br />Blogging has definitely helped me as an author, both in terms of writing and marketing my book. <br /><br />It's helped me to become a better writer because I was a reader first. I think if you want to write a great book, you have to read a lot of great books. Figuring out what I like about them and reading really well crafted sentences and plots has made me a better author. For example, I read <a href="https://forbiddenplanet.com/322293-house-of-hollow-signed-edition/">House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland</a> recently. It’s such a creepy, engrossing read that I mostly managed to switch off my writer brain and just enjoy it. There were also points when I stopped to think about why it worked so well. Why did that description particularly get under my skin? How was that plot point seeded earlier in the book? I think years of reviewing books has really helped me to hone that skill and learn from other writers.<br /><br />It’s also helped me in terms of marketing my book. When it came to promoting my book on social media or trying to get quotes from authors, I already had a lot of contacts. If you’re an author reading this and thinking that you haven’t been blogging for years, social media can still be a great resource for connecting with booksellers, librarians, bloggers and other authors. <br /><br />I’ve been involved in promoting a lot of books over the years, so I’ve been able to see what has worked well and created real buzz for a book. My publicity team were great because they listened to my ideas and helped me to shape a campaign for my book that I was really proud of. I think it’s useful as an author to keep an eye on what other people are doing and think about what could work for your book. I kept a document of ideas over quite a few months, so when it came to promoting my book it was ready to go. <br /><br />I also think being a blogger has helped me to navigate reviews and interactions with readers. I know the blogging etiquette, such as only tagging the author in a good review, so it’s helped me mostly to steer clear of bad ones. I’ve really enjoyed seeing pictures of my book on social media and chatting to people about my book, and I feel like blogging has made me more confident about putting myself out there. My husband got me a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7cXKts0iAk&t=214s">Cameo video</a> from James Marsters, who plays Spike on Buffy, and he gave some really great advice about what it feels like to be an artist and how vulnerable you make yourself when you put your work out there.<br /><br />Finally, blogging has also helped me to understand a lot about how publishing works. It can be quite a complex and baffling process, but I already knew about the different departments in publishing houses, the timelines publishers work to and a bit about book promotion, so that’s been really useful as a debut author. <br /><br /><b>Author journey </b><br /><br />My biggest piece of advice to anyone looking to improve their craft is to find a network of trusted people to critique your book. I know some people prefer to go it alone, but for me getting that feedback and having people rooting for me has been so helpful. Publishing can be a slow, stressful process and having people who understand is amazing. The first step on my journey was getting a place on a mentoring program called <a href="https://twitter.com/writementor">Write Mentor</a>. That gave me a summer to whip my book into shape with my brilliant mentor, <a href="https://twitter.com/MarisaNoelle77">Marisa Noelle</a>. I found having the support and the deadline really useful, and that was the first time my manuscript started to feel like a book. <br /><br />The next big step for me was pitching to my agent at YALC at the pitching workshop they run each year. I found it a valuable experience to see an agent’s immediate reactions to my book and get some feedback. I also got to see my agent do an amazing workshop and I thought <a href="https://twitter.com/sansawicka">Sandra </a>would be someone I’d really like to represent me. She liked my pitch, and when I started querying she offered me representation soon after that. I think having the personal connection really helped, and pitching in person is definitely something I’d recommend if you get the opportunity. Even if it doesn’t happen the first time around, keep trying. I’d pitched a couple of years before with a different project and had a completely different experience.<br /><br />After that, I went through a few rounds of edits with my agent. I found that really hard work but so useful, because it meant my manuscript was in really good shape when we went on submission. It felt great to work with someone really skilled at editing but also who was passionate about my book, so it didn’t hurt too much when I had to start making changes. It wasn’t very long before I got the offer from <a href="https://twitter.com/publishinguclan">UCLan </a>and signed the contract. I’d already met my publisher at YALC, so I got to hear about their ethos in person and see the other great books they were bringing out. <br /><br />It was then another 18 months before my book came out. That seemed like it was going to take forever, but I actually found the time really useful to get the finished book ready and work on promotion. <br /><br />Being an author has also helped how I’ve approached <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yaundermyskin">Bookstagram</a>, my blog, <a href="https://www.twitter.com/yaundermyskin">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/amymccaw">BookTube</a>. The main thing I’ve learned is that I’ve been really mindful of how I review books. I try to only read books I think I’m going to enjoy and give every review a positive slant. Just because something didn’t resonate with me doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an audience, so I try to keep that in mind when I review books. I’ve never given spoilers in my reviews, but I’m also really mindful of that since becoming an author. <br /><br />I’ve thought a lot about my brand as an author since writing my book, and I try to convey that in my social media. A lot of it comes naturally, because I write about the creepy, Gothic things I’m interested in. That’s helped me find new readers and like-minded people and shows what kind of author and person I am.<br /><br /><b>Resources</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">These are some of the tools I've used on my journey to becoming an author.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve always used huge <a href="https://www.moleskine.com/en-gb/personalize/free-personalization/sketchbook-black-9788862931960.html">Moleskine </a>notebooks to plot out my books, and then make notes about edits I want to make. I write a chapter outline on one side of the page with space for editing notes on the other. It’s really helpful for tracking plot threads and character development, and I’ve done it since writing my first story. <br /><br />I never underestimate the power of a nice pen and notebook. I like jotting down ideas in a notebook, and if I get stuck with a part of my book I try writing things out longhand too. <br /><br />Another useful thing when I’m on deadline is writing out a timeline. I figure out a daily wordcount that I need to hit and keep a record of how many words I’ve written. I find that really motivating.<br /><br />When I was trying to get an agent, I found these <a href="https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781472982834">Writers and Artists Handbooks</a> incredibly useful. There are articles to read, and contact details for agents and publishers with their interests, so it’s a fantastic resource. <br /><br />To improve my writing, I read a mixture of books about writing craft and books by authors that I really admire.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope this post has been interesting and useful. If you want to chat to me on social media or ask me any questions, I'm @yaundermyskin on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/yaundermyskin">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yaundermyskin">Instagram </a>and Amy McCaw on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/AmyMcCaw">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />I hope you enjoy the rest of your YALC at home experience!<br /></span><div style="mso-element: comment-list;"><div style="mso-element: comment;"><div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_1" language="JavaScript">
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</div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-41120012315104687142021-08-02T23:30:00.001+00:002021-08-02T23:30:00.187+00:00Beth Garrod guest post<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzbUPP03h2j1t8itURrs6hGg63x45XfpVyrBI2ktLCrWHjcGbcYUGTKPKswPJPjHOPuJpaEqsKM0KM-acTJr_cxMOg221hTmB1iJPKyhYJ7eZI1qeOg56klKHgbGn9pTY4mK7tVm45qeF/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzbUPP03h2j1t8itURrs6hGg63x45XfpVyrBI2ktLCrWHjcGbcYUGTKPKswPJPjHOPuJpaEqsKM0KM-acTJr_cxMOg221hTmB1iJPKyhYJ7eZI1qeOg56klKHgbGn9pTY4mK7tVm45qeF/" width="158" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">I'm delighted to host one of my favourite contemporary YA authors, Beth Garrod, on my blog today. Beth's YA books are hilarious, warm and uplifting, so they're perfect if you're looking for a fun read. </span></i></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;"><i><b>Sister Switch</b> is Beth's middle-grade debut, and I'm so excited to read it! It's a modern take on Freaky Friday about two sisters who accidentally swap bodies and have to learn to live as each other if they're going to get out of this mess!</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;"><i>Beth has written a fantastic playlist to get you in the mood for reading <b>Sister Switch</b> or if you happen to find yourself trapped in a sibling's body...</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Ultimate Body Swap Playlist</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you ever find yourself looking in the mirror and seeing the wrong face staring back, I suggest you immediately seek medical help. However, if you decide not to do that and opt for some music based therapy instead, then here are some body-swap bangers to help you get through this challenging time.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">*Warning* this playlist makes no musical sense, but maybe that’s *exactly* what would be needed to land you back in the right body….<br /><br /><b>Shout Out To My Ex – Little Mix</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Shout out to my ex… body that is. Because someone would be walking around it in right now and JUST IMAGINE all the damage they could be doing. In fact, maybe don’t. You’ll have enough on your plate trying to figure out how to switch back, without wondering if your body is going around telling your boss what they really think, or bamboozling your best mate by suggesting you switch movie night for the gym. <br /><br /><b>Back For Good – Take That </b><br /><br />And now we’re taking it right back – waaaay back to when the X Factor was not even a twinkle in the Barlow’s eye. But you can bawl along to this ballad whilst staring at photos of you in happier times. In the supermarket! On the sofa! Even an under the chin selfie. What you’d give to be back in the right body (even from those angles). And then you can queue up Could It Be Magic too - maybe something about stallions in the sun could sort it out?<br /><br /><b>Good 4 U – Olivia Rodrigo </b><br /><br />Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy, not me. I’m stuck in your body wondering if I’ll ever be able to wear my own pants again. <br /><br />Sure, that’s not quite the lyrics, but singing along to this at full volume makes most things feel better tbh. <br /><br /><b>Willow Smith – Whip My Hair </b><br /><br />Now, this is a bit of a Willow Smith throwback, but frankly if I was trying to invoke a mysterious magical hairdresser – just like Lily and Erin in Sister Switch – then who knows. Maybe a hair-based helicopter is exactly what’s needed to summon The Hairy Godmother? And even if not, it would be nice to at least see if a new body could unleash some previously untapped dancing potential. <br /><br /><b>That’s Not Me – Skepta </b><br /><br />Sure, Skepta was maybe not talking about swapping into his sibling’s bods (although he doesn’t have an all-round over-achieving family), but I would definitely be prone to shouting this every time I saw myself doing something I would never normally do. Drink coffee? That’s not me! Wear not-flat shoes? That’s not me! Looking like a mess? No, that’s… no that is me.<br /><br />So there you have it – some body swap bops to get you through any body-switch nightmare. Although, maybe head for a medical practitioner before reaching for a playlist…</span></p><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><i>Thanks so much for joining us, Beth! I love discovering new songs to add to my playlists. I just hope I don't need them for a body-swapping incident...</i></span><p><br /> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-70225859778840665032021-05-16T23:30:00.001+00:002021-05-16T23:30:00.243+00:00Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder blog tour<p><b style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.48px;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.48px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMbC0Ka52rjm6Np1qg91lJ2LzxmSfMfMC_uzvbRORCzn26wBp5_8bqfSvsy13G_hO3-Aqu-j-bK4N1Z8wqhk-3bok1yJS_IGbNiPe1G7QAhD9ekId7XtDFnHM2vXW9quNi_5q5gxaUYI_/s500/9781409196631.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="327" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMbC0Ka52rjm6Np1qg91lJ2LzxmSfMfMC_uzvbRORCzn26wBp5_8bqfSvsy13G_hO3-Aqu-j-bK4N1Z8wqhk-3bok1yJS_IGbNiPe1G7QAhD9ekId7XtDFnHM2vXW9quNi_5q5gxaUYI_/s320/9781409196631.jpg" /></a></b></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>They were a band of mysterious private detectives who lived beneath the streets of London in a labyrinth of twisted tunnels and ancient hallways, the entrance to which no one had ever found...<br /><br />London, 1958: <br /><br />Elaborately disguised and hidden deep beneath the city's streets lies the world of Miss Brickett's, a secret detective agency. From traversing deceptive escape rooms full of baited traps and hidden dangers, to engineering almost magical mechanical gadgets, apprentice detectives at Miss Brickett's undergo rigorous training to equip them with the skills and knowledge they will need to solve the mysteries that confound London's police force. <br /><br />But nothing can prepare 23-year-old apprentice Marion Lane for what happens after the arrest of her friend and mentor, Frank, on suspicion of murder: he tasks Marion with clearing his name and saving his life. Her investigation will place Marion and her friends in great peril as they venture into the forbidden maze of uncharted tunnels that surround Miss Brickett's. Being discovered out of bounds means immediate dismissal, but that is the least of Marion's problems when she discovered that the tunnels contain more than just secrets... </i><br /><br />I knew I'd love this book from the first moment I read about it. The cover, title and blurb all hint at a compelling mystery, and Marion Lane delivers.<br /><br />T.A. Willberg has created a richly imagined world that immediately grounded me in the time period and fantasy setting, as well as gradually revealing details and building intrigue. There were so many clever touches and inventions!</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I also loved how the characters were developed, each with interesting backstories and secrets to uncover. Marion is a brilliantly believable lead, and I'll look forward to following her through the series.<br /><br />Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is the perfect read for fans of brilliantly plotted, beautifully written historical fantasy and has a gripping mystery at its heart.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to Orion for including me on the blog tour and for the gifted copy!<br /></span><div><span face="Source Sans Pro, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #5c5c5c;"><span style="font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.48px;"><br /></span></span><span face=""Source Sans Pro", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5c5c5c; font-size: 17px; letter-spacing: 0.48px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yKXqnT5dYjLMtpMCsuLSdED0SmfVJAKJy47vQu7ubbzltUqSVDfwPL_cS-0-GkMdSVdAzWpOFNU5C0z1acXyQbVEFfJp3jcJQ55EcFQlOQmcUblpKHMZhYhHZt1i37gRu-6KIIoyuTtM/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yKXqnT5dYjLMtpMCsuLSdED0SmfVJAKJy47vQu7ubbzltUqSVDfwPL_cS-0-GkMdSVdAzWpOFNU5C0z1acXyQbVEFfJp3jcJQ55EcFQlOQmcUblpKHMZhYhHZt1i37gRu-6KIIoyuTtM/w281-h51/image.png" width="281" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEUG8z4jwffMKfdqy-ZlsnIHJHUM0DBAGKDRbp5GjWhwUYfUV5ugOYfsWCSRHTMG1oV5NnGc-sdqY6FLGoemTJdaz5k9BB2hd7le6dyfvHm8mI1v3SAFpiUWuslm7ZxAWBpobPUruoLJP/s2508/Marion+Blog+Tour+Asset.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="2508" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEUG8z4jwffMKfdqy-ZlsnIHJHUM0DBAGKDRbp5GjWhwUYfUV5ugOYfsWCSRHTMG1oV5NnGc-sdqY6FLGoemTJdaz5k9BB2hd7le6dyfvHm8mI1v3SAFpiUWuslm7ZxAWBpobPUruoLJP/w457-h229/Marion+Blog+Tour+Asset.png" width="457" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div></span></div></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-53372721254554203952021-04-28T15:00:00.003+00:002021-04-28T15:00:00.238+00:00The Nightsilver Promise review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PkNrZEEjnV5Do1-FzwEjwN7D3Yc0VQkAi0V93DwXqM1QZ3b5qKZizfyvNZ8lyJpC3D3-wGXFWHIqmLMP1SgrxEpr8B7f0akIa3gCKrl6pEg3-Ei0jKX_cZEQk4wQZ6Tx1nyI3AgWHSEB/s2048/IMG_0448.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1850" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PkNrZEEjnV5Do1-FzwEjwN7D3Yc0VQkAi0V93DwXqM1QZ3b5qKZizfyvNZ8lyJpC3D3-wGXFWHIqmLMP1SgrxEpr8B7f0akIa3gCKrl6pEg3-Ei0jKX_cZEQk4wQZ6Tx1nyI3AgWHSEB/w273-h302/IMG_0448.JPG" width="273" /></a></div><p><i style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;">In a re-imagined world, the Empire of Albion is ruled by science. Everyone’s destiny is pre-determined by a track of stars on their wrist, and 13-year-old Paisley Fitzwilliam discovers that her fate is to die before her fourteenth year. But when her mother goes missing and is presumed dead; there is nobody left to protect her Dragon Touched brother Dax. So begins a breathtaking adventure through London's Floating Boroughs, a vault guarded by Dragon Walkers, and the dark sewers of lower London.</span></i></p><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>To save her brother, Paisley must unlock an ancient secret that will not only defy her stars, but will change the course of history forever . . .</i></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I definitely judged this proof by its exceptionally beautiful cover, and I loved the contents just as much.<i> The Nightsilver Promise</i> is gorgeously written and original, with evocative worldbuilding and well-drawn characters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't always find it easy to keep the details of fantasy worlds straight in my mind, but Annaliese Avery has created a stunning backdrop to the story that immediately places you in the world but doesn't overwhelm the plot. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The premise of this book is unnerving and leaves you empathising for Paisley right from the start. The question of whether she'll survive hangs over the book and gives the events a real sense of urgency. I found the whole plot gripping, from the adventurous journey through a reimagined London to the quiet moments of family and character development. The story kept me invested and I didn't manage to predict where it was going!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I also found the characters didn't always develop how I expected, and I loved the relationship between Paisley and her brother, Dax.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I haven't read any middle-grade fantasy for a long time, but I predict this one will become a classic. I highly recommend it for anyone in need of a good adventure. Aren't we all at the moment?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNRR2p32kgpahye1b-VHJVHECZvsCqg2pibznCwsXzO_uFc62_1cajhByRavmOtQW7DslZE-0Fj46LFU6UYSrANhzxBUe0GkFYuUqQHH4tBPyZSRFyuMY9eqv-hrAGROVqssuHHBZi6Du/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNRR2p32kgpahye1b-VHJVHECZvsCqg2pibznCwsXzO_uFc62_1cajhByRavmOtQW7DslZE-0Fj46LFU6UYSrANhzxBUe0GkFYuUqQHH4tBPyZSRFyuMY9eqv-hrAGROVqssuHHBZi6Du/w259-h49/image.png" width="259" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to Scholastic for the gifted copy!</span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-51230233900715491922021-04-18T23:05:00.001+00:002021-04-18T23:05:00.231+00:00The Last Girl blog tour review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIwY9XaKnbEF5flAm5QPj-JVpAN-M91z3JvysylKhAjPqFx2H0KjCgmeuhuAaU8oUxPK7dCPVoVkSpz6cEUw1FyBzuMLG_dJLwzZur0o8n2RlsgN9zW_ZYqyBoA7_E5VXuunQC_EP18JJ/s614/Last+Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIwY9XaKnbEF5flAm5QPj-JVpAN-M91z3JvysylKhAjPqFx2H0KjCgmeuhuAaU8oUxPK7dCPVoVkSpz6cEUw1FyBzuMLG_dJLwzZur0o8n2RlsgN9zW_ZYqyBoA7_E5VXuunQC_EP18JJ/s320/Last+Girl.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><i><b> Scream meets Gossip Girl with a dash of One of Us is Lying!</b><br /><br /><span style="color: red;">When it comes to horror movies, the rules are clear:<br />– Avoid abandoned buildings, warehouses, and cabins at all times.<br />– Stay together: don’t split up, not even just to “check something out…<br />– If there’s a murderer on the loose, do NOT make out with anyone…<br /><br />New girl Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort, preferring them to the bored rich kids of her fancy New York High School. But then Rachel is recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, a mysterious student club that sets up terrifying Fear Tests; elaborate pranks inspired by urban legends and horror movies.<br /><br />But when a sinister masked figure appears, Rachel realises that her past has caught up with her. It’s time for the ultimate prank to play out…</span></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Last Girl</i> (called <i>The Mary Shelley Club</i> in the US) is one of those books that I went into with really high expectations, and yet it managed to exceed all of them. It's a tightly plotted, cinematic read that just feels so fun, dark and fresh at the same time.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">I loved how this book explores horror tropes! My finished copy came with a tropes bingo sheet, but I'd already taken great pleasure in spotting them on my first read. Goldy Moldavsky leans into them at times and subverts them in other places, so it's really fun trying to work out how things will end.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I also liked the characters and the relationships between them. It can be really hard to get this right in horror and thrillers, but this book strikes the balance really well. The characters are complex and well developed, and the relationships between them feel genuine. There's also plenty of suspense and scares.<br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Last Girl is one of my favourite reads of 2021, and is the perfect book for horror movie fans.</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">I'm delighted to be doing an event with Goldy on Thursday 22nd April 6pm to talk about <i>The Last Girl</i> and <i>Mina and the Undead</i>. It's free to register and you can do so <a href="https://www.crowdcast.io/e/goldy-moldavsky-amy">here </a>if you're interested.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJXyYX1drKrraKTc-mhW1uUD-q2XWkN-N9TKFWczG3Q9X9PZD-6gg23zff5sNsW62mB_1L-ex0kkWACX5-rr2b2HArT9Sa6w5m0J2z15SPk-zBjaqPb6mNnPfW7V0n1Vk-3FM0W47jZtt/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJXyYX1drKrraKTc-mhW1uUD-q2XWkN-N9TKFWczG3Q9X9PZD-6gg23zff5sNsW62mB_1L-ex0kkWACX5-rr2b2HArT9Sa6w5m0J2z15SPk-zBjaqPb6mNnPfW7V0n1Vk-3FM0W47jZtt/w216-h41/image.png" width="216" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to Electric Monkey and Farshore for the gifted proofs and finished copy of the book. I really appreciate being including on the blog tour! Check out the banner to follow the other stops on the tour</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dv1f0l0FMkt6ns0g9QOQ63kNIjWABq4K048rpWZcqALLivT4S9cxvJ_HoXibotb_zzYEz-fAPkSYL8gAmwWeDGZGE7Z0sUpyMj6ELDbZvEWEZV4XBIhHniNaJ5jBhccwSQro7mZPslvb/s1080/E5202_LASTGIRL_BLOG_IG+Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Dv1f0l0FMkt6ns0g9QOQ63kNIjWABq4K048rpWZcqALLivT4S9cxvJ_HoXibotb_zzYEz-fAPkSYL8gAmwWeDGZGE7Z0sUpyMj6ELDbZvEWEZV4XBIhHniNaJ5jBhccwSQro7mZPslvb/s320/E5202_LASTGIRL_BLOG_IG+Square.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-53098111201788388062021-03-26T20:24:00.001+00:002021-03-26T20:24:35.988+00:00The Embalmer blog tour<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0VR_jzo5m3LdyMhXqfYmKaYXxT_TRwlwsQB4iv0s3W0Dm0py5t5fRjc1Wmzm3jdyvCdxMlo-qyYkGXCTd1h8TBFtXvRSeL74Yi4m_6jRT7ZcOyxFpAPxnIgUb8ba09B7MHLJDLEHL2TV/s2048/IMG_7667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2043" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0VR_jzo5m3LdyMhXqfYmKaYXxT_TRwlwsQB4iv0s3W0Dm0py5t5fRjc1Wmzm3jdyvCdxMlo-qyYkGXCTd1h8TBFtXvRSeL74Yi4m_6jRT7ZcOyxFpAPxnIgUb8ba09B7MHLJDLEHL2TV/s320/IMG_7667.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>When a freshly-mummified body is discovered at the Brighton Museum of Natural History, Detective Francis Sullivan is at a loss to identify the desiccated woman. But as Egyptian burial jars of body parts with cryptic messages attached start appearing, he realises he has a serial killer on his hands. Revenge, obsession and an ancient religion form a potent mix, unleashing a wave of terror throughout the city. Caught in a race against time while battling his own demons, Francis must fight to uncover the true identity of the Embalmer before it's too late...</i></span><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Content warning</b>: rape and graphic violence/murder</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I haven't read any adult crime novels in such a long time, and <i>The Embalmer</i> has rekindled my interest. It's a tense, dark and inventive read with believable characters. I didn't realise it's the third in a series, and it's written so well that I easily picked up the story. I'm going to go back and read the others, but given the choice I'd read them in the right order.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I really liked how this book delves into the killer's viewpoint as well as following several main characters. It really enriches the narrative and is done in a way that's easy to follow instead of being confusing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The premise of this is so fresh. I love ancient Egyptian history, so I found it really interesting how this is worked into the mystery.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The pace of this book is great! There are quieter moments between characters interspersed with mounting tension, and the narrative style of shifting narrators enhanced this. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Embalmer</i> is a thrilling read, and I'm excited about picking up the other books in the series! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnodK3t2NMR8JY283T-bvWZ6fKs0p6-k9JpAmOUp0se4JWJhkmdNj3S7boUuD1c97SujFJUqI6SaOsB2I6FBWW0sAnbz313roPvqLsU1E2n5bqHOuykF5fHJRz_NzW5wsfhbSf7eN9QogG/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" height="45" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnodK3t2NMR8JY283T-bvWZ6fKs0p6-k9JpAmOUp0se4JWJhkmdNj3S7boUuD1c97SujFJUqI6SaOsB2I6FBWW0sAnbz313roPvqLsU1E2n5bqHOuykF5fHJRz_NzW5wsfhbSf7eN9QogG/w248-h45/image.png" width="248" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-40434708898860089872021-01-30T00:30:00.001+00:002021-01-30T00:30:07.501+00:00We Played with Fire blog tour<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGRcFmyTAEH_3Ja76cZqjgWPVmMcSu4qMUZCynXz37pEaXEJCCRo_BC3FHRnUAMvqnsxITsFUToTNOdhNpVR4Qdz90KfLSjqy3WL-MgRvEICSeLPBsPw4Iw4ACPE8SsQJzE70_gTAlZeb/s391/55880530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGRcFmyTAEH_3Ja76cZqjgWPVmMcSu4qMUZCynXz37pEaXEJCCRo_BC3FHRnUAMvqnsxITsFUToTNOdhNpVR4Qdz90KfLSjqy3WL-MgRvEICSeLPBsPw4Iw4ACPE8SsQJzE70_gTAlZeb/s320/55880530.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><i>Maggie has witnessed impossible things. But no one believes her, and now her family has taken her away to spend the winter upstate in a remote, freezing farmhouse.<br /><br />Bored and angry, Maggie and her younger sister Kate start to play tricks: rapping on the floorboards above their parents’ bedroom, cracking their toes under the table, and telling tales about noises in the night. Then the house starts to make sounds of its own. Neither Maggie nor Kate can explain it, but it seems as though someone – or something – is trying to speak to them . . .<br /><br />Inspired by the incredible true tale of the Fox Sisters, the girls who made their fortune in nineteenth-century America by speaking to ghosts.</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I loved the premise of <i>We Played with Fire</i>, and it delivered on everything I wanted! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This book has such a fantastically creepy atmosphere. I've wanted to learn more about the mysterious Fox sisters for a while and this book really captured their story. I also enjoyed reading the author note at the end that explained how the real events fitted in with the narrative.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The characters in <i>We Played with Fire</i> are so interesting! They've all got different layers and qualities, both likeable and not so favourable ones. I really liked how the book used them to explore gender inequality and the importance of standing up for your beliefs. I wasn't expecting that dimension to the book, and it was really satisfying!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to Andersen Press for the Netgalley approval and for including me on the blog tour. You can follow the other stops on the blog tour using this banner. Happy reading!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxyKrGtqz7fgggcP7EDTTzKLVuyvhWNCkiy9mBlD8njC8Gtu4abT5v_iGdpbLqxShwBOR30QnsAyZYHoG7JF65he8_1Rq-ekjoBGNALF_qwPfJu5meLPYUbbU5NSmbzdFkqytuAj2N1Cz/s200/yaundermyskin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxyKrGtqz7fgggcP7EDTTzKLVuyvhWNCkiy9mBlD8njC8Gtu4abT5v_iGdpbLqxShwBOR30QnsAyZYHoG7JF65he8_1Rq-ekjoBGNALF_qwPfJu5meLPYUbbU5NSmbzdFkqytuAj2N1Cz/w242-h46/yaundermyskin.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kvSf7BqyWSLO9ZcVx9o-oKpo963zCvrsi2fTqB8c0eBT05LeebJDaEKWFrjmOBJ0Io-c3c1erhvBUabjlR5fDuaxxuHALsMrKUHbw-cBxKyU7j7cwqyjv7pLC8wN-Jt68MN_EcnMS42a/s1772/We+Played+With+Fire+blogger+tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1772" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kvSf7BqyWSLO9ZcVx9o-oKpo963zCvrsi2fTqB8c0eBT05LeebJDaEKWFrjmOBJ0Io-c3c1erhvBUabjlR5fDuaxxuHALsMrKUHbw-cBxKyU7j7cwqyjv7pLC8wN-Jt68MN_EcnMS42a/w400-h200/We+Played+With+Fire+blogger+tour.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-80960769065973316972021-01-11T20:35:00.003+00:002021-01-11T20:38:21.672+00:00The Girl Who review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiB0LSrL0ev4eiL2IoF-2pTYHGHyh_5-ynuajhRVipZdwEXXB8qqoLAJcERhZd4NP23XFMwhPPKKoVYGRAjKh2gZ6BVGx0065Caxyp5vINo8Pe3p1FcnFMcswLnWCcUZe6zwiGnb_QAA_/s692/9780349003528.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiB0LSrL0ev4eiL2IoF-2pTYHGHyh_5-ynuajhRVipZdwEXXB8qqoLAJcERhZd4NP23XFMwhPPKKoVYGRAjKh2gZ6BVGx0065Caxyp5vINo8Pe3p1FcnFMcswLnWCcUZe6zwiGnb_QAA_/s320/9780349003528.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Content warning: </b>grief, trauma, witnessing violence</span></div><div><i style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i style="font-family: arial;"><b>The girl who... survived</b></i></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>The girl who... inspires<br />The girl who... has something to hide</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #45818e;">People can't bring themselves to say what happened to her. They just describe her as 'the girl who... you know...'. But nobody really knows, no one sees the real Leah.<br /></span></i><span style="color: #45818e;"><br /><i>Leah is the perfect survivor. She was seven years old when she saw her mother and sister killed by a troubled gang member. Her case hit the headlines and her bravery made her a national sweetheart: strong, courageous and forgiving.<br /><br />But Leah is hiding a secret about their deaths. And now, ten years later, all she can think of is revenge.<br /><br />When Leah's dad meets a new partner, stepsister Ellie moves in. Sensing Leah isn't quite the sweet girl she pretends to be, Ellie discovers that Leah has a plan, one she has been putting together ever since that fateful day. Now that the killer - and the only one who knows the truth - is being released from prison, time is running out for Ellie to discover how far Leah will go to silence her anger . . .</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Girl Who</i> is one of those books that I spent all day thinking about until I got chance to read it again. It's a dark, engrossing story about a new family, a girl who has survived a terrible ordeal and how that event will shape her actions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I read this book fast because I was desperate to find out what Leah was planning and whether she would go through with it. The slow reveal of information definitely kept my interest.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I also thought the multiple narratives were very effective. Each felt distinct and added valuable insights to the overall plot. The main characters in this book all have layers that I enjoyed uncovering!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This is a pacy, thrilling debut that comes out on 14th January, and I'd highly recommend it to thriller fans!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbqUQHuvwK0lM0otn0pSSTSymLd03XcmT8bMLFBaoepoKemdmXuzvde2lzWcGe8sxM2ojv0LJCb40xMIoZXh09LEGfdceqL4uaZrDJMdBbzVXXcyJTusi4qTV2W_av5-aCEJyH53B3Z1D/s200/yaundermyskin+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbqUQHuvwK0lM0otn0pSSTSymLd03XcmT8bMLFBaoepoKemdmXuzvde2lzWcGe8sxM2ojv0LJCb40xMIoZXh09LEGfdceqL4uaZrDJMdBbzVXXcyJTusi4qTV2W_av5-aCEJyH53B3Z1D/s0/yaundermyskin+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-19793921007036740142021-01-01T00:00:00.001+00:002021-01-09T21:37:14.513+00:00First Day of My Life blog tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zvehfCyLkf4XA8QGHguxjGNfRxN81PGq09AVcIWAlhzyUM0o5Rj7msZtC6nwsXX0P5Jgl5-AS_grk2b4Y0kiv4DUYLK6xNVz7rNHm1WNBSsnE71I-8PpnFQzVqOEj0-T_dIx9NezaIDQ/s2048/EoQhTW-XcAIgRfT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1827" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zvehfCyLkf4XA8QGHguxjGNfRxN81PGq09AVcIWAlhzyUM0o5Rj7msZtC6nwsXX0P5Jgl5-AS_grk2b4Y0kiv4DUYLK6xNVz7rNHm1WNBSsnE71I-8PpnFQzVqOEj0-T_dIx9NezaIDQ/s320/EoQhTW-XcAIgRfT.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><i style="color: #674ea7; font-family: arial;"><b>There are three sides to every story... It's GCSE results day. Frankie's best friend, Jojo, is missing. A baby has been stolen. And more than one person has been lying. Frankie's determined to find out the truth and her ex-boyfriend Ram is the only person who can help her. But they're both in for a shock... EVERYTHING is about to change.</b></i></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lisa Williamson is one of my go-to authors for contemporary YA. Her books are full of fierce friendships, believable characters and humour. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have a terrible memory for books I've read, but Lisa William's characters always stand out in my memory. They feel fully fleshed out, the dialogue is sharp and it quickly feels like you know them and their stories. I really enjoyed the friendship between Frankie and Jojo in this book. It's so authentic, with all of the good and bad that comes with it.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">The structure of <i>First Day of My Life</i> is great! Using the perspectives of the three main characters worked really well, and I loved how the story unravelled slowly as they each got to say their piece.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">I like books that have something in it that I can relate to. This book brought up so many emotions for me, and I thought the experiences in it were explored in an empathetic and balanced way. Even though I didn't agree with all of the characters' actions, I could understand them. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is a brilliantly written, uplifting book with memorable characters. I'd recommend it to all fans of YA contemporaries, and you should check out Lisa William's other books too.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkvD6FzUgP2dFreX7PWgTwvYPyBgTgK4-vMdOJCRiydext2iHAzNF2SHy_PI_2GzjEnyIQ9ubwskx9fbWvUHbDAsmJGneP8UyfRK2IoJyf_RMVvwCee4f0c2Ks79LYL6LUZOZatkPeWqI/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtkvD6FzUgP2dFreX7PWgTwvYPyBgTgK4-vMdOJCRiydext2iHAzNF2SHy_PI_2GzjEnyIQ9ubwskx9fbWvUHbDAsmJGneP8UyfRK2IoJyf_RMVvwCee4f0c2Ks79LYL6LUZOZatkPeWqI/w288-h55/image.png" width="288" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-36737974636144619412020-12-20T20:54:00.000+00:002020-12-20T20:54:00.620+00:00The Boy I Am review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMXQIhhqPNQ2GSTYQLFEA1E3RpLPw1WYBUDSnkB0LZfzOvw0dSvrnRV_f1zODEqU4RMtkNgl3K5v9nt0Q13y6Q9DRxnA9URxSr9g6SRgegQgY5zmSxWNPcpmbHrYE7iH-DDHP1n4CD20y/s1023/EobNj-ZXMAAt_Jo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="760" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMXQIhhqPNQ2GSTYQLFEA1E3RpLPw1WYBUDSnkB0LZfzOvw0dSvrnRV_f1zODEqU4RMtkNgl3K5v9nt0Q13y6Q9DRxnA9URxSr9g6SRgegQgY5zmSxWNPcpmbHrYE7iH-DDHP1n4CD20y/s320/EobNj-ZXMAAt_Jo.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: arial;"><i><p><i><b>They say we’re dangerous. But we’re not that different.</b></i></p>Jude is running out of time. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep underground in the mines awaits.<br /><br />Yet ever since the death of his best friend at the hands of the all-powerful Chancellor, Jude has been desperate to escape the path set out for him. Finding himself entangled in a plot to assassinate the Chancellor, he finally has a chance to avenge his friend and win his freedom. But at what price?<br /><br /><b>A speculative YA thriller, tackling themes of traditional gender roles and power dynamics, for fans of Malorie Blackman, Louise O’Neill and THE POWER.</b></i></span><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Content warning: </b>eating disorders, sexual aggression, trafficking, murder and surgical procedures<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Boy I Am</i> is a smart, beautifully written twist on the dystopian novel that will grab your attention and make you think.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The pace of this novel is perfectly balanced between heart-pounding action and moments of human connection. There is also enough worldbuilding to create a rich background to the plot, without overwhelming it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Jude is the heart of this book. He's such a relatable, multi-faceted protagonist and I just loved him! His reactions to the events are very believable, and I was rooting for him all the way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The idea at the centre of <i>The Boy I Am </i>is really inventive. It flips and explores gender stereotypes to make you examine the boxes people are forced into. I found myself doing a lot of reflection when I was reading, which is such a good thing!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Boy I Am</i> is not always an easy read because of the characters' experiences, but it is a necessary one. It's an engrossing book, with sweet and joyful moments amidst the gritty action. A must read for 2021! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyEaufw5cOG-KEojYiJO_gQW5UdfUT0j7bA3ThNj_d4NWcq2bURfQc6wgrfygMVcoWEOivOqu1DNxhami8_EwzDQF1JsbxJ8T3KDNreY4F8w41mn6mTtzq4a2thHGOy1u3Sws53RU-SOR/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" height="48" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyEaufw5cOG-KEojYiJO_gQW5UdfUT0j7bA3ThNj_d4NWcq2bURfQc6wgrfygMVcoWEOivOqu1DNxhami8_EwzDQF1JsbxJ8T3KDNreY4F8w41mn6mTtzq4a2thHGOy1u3Sws53RU-SOR/w250-h48/image.png" width="250" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-21192615372653815192020-12-08T10:30:00.000+00:002020-12-08T10:31:05.411+00:00The Creature Keeper review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxPljMsShmTZO2Fy8UXh4arX1SjhQcELw3pQxp_MH8a0m9dUMRuE3of5LL81QXbjMlLrdnDcKLKOFbfvHXs8aO3n_T5QwPPRygzKRP2RKFK_ButZEMmUcpOgX87Z8aUL94FPOC2AQQDIZ/s866/Creature+keeper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxPljMsShmTZO2Fy8UXh4arX1SjhQcELw3pQxp_MH8a0m9dUMRuE3of5LL81QXbjMlLrdnDcKLKOFbfvHXs8aO3n_T5QwPPRygzKRP2RKFK_ButZEMmUcpOgX87Z8aUL94FPOC2AQQDIZ/s320/Creature+keeper.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: arial;"><i>The perfect magical read for kids who love animals and care about saving the environment!<br /><br />Creepy Direspire Hall sits glowering on the moors - and if you stray too close then beware the growls and scary sounds from within... When animal lover Cora learns that Direspire's mysterious owner is looking for a new Creature Keeper, she realises this might just be the chance she's looking for to save her parents' farm.<br /><br />But Direspire Hall is a spooky place and the strange creatures who live there are nothing like Cora is expecting. As Cora settles into her new life, it soon becomes clear that Direspire has its secrets, and that somebody will do whatever it takes to keep them...</i></span><div><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've read some brilliant children's books in 2020 and this one definitely stood out! It's gorgeously written, the characters are amazing and it has a wonderful message.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Creature Keeper</i> is the perfect blend of creepy suspense and adventure. I wanted to read it slowly because the writing was so gorgeous, but I ended up racing through to unearth Direspire's secrets.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I loved how inventive this book is. The fantastical touches fit beautifully within the crumbling mansion of Direspire and the animals are described so evocatively that they felt real.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The book has the feel of a timeless modern classic, but at the same time taps into very current issues. It really made me think about how animals are treated and our role in the future of endangered species.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Just writing this review is making me want to read <i>The Creature Keeper</i> again. It's one of those books that I can't stop thinking about and I'll definitely be buying it for all the children I know!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0zvLfQXzdd8DA4MJ6UrRSkXky7UmtqF6i8tBKH-_fccs0bUwGX4rU6a0iylfc7L1-KzoBfdAV89FsHYYDFQKaUYsudUNvEYhOR8V75MNXUrRlkL9gAlZ-_wYE-GIX6G_LNeESBoBaGMZ/s200/yaundermyskin+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0zvLfQXzdd8DA4MJ6UrRSkXky7UmtqF6i8tBKH-_fccs0bUwGX4rU6a0iylfc7L1-KzoBfdAV89FsHYYDFQKaUYsudUNvEYhOR8V75MNXUrRlkL9gAlZ-_wYE-GIX6G_LNeESBoBaGMZ/s0/yaundermyskin+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /> </span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-56635990198193902822020-12-06T00:00:00.003+00:002020-12-06T00:00:10.677+00:00Independent bookshop spotlight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzbnDsBs2TWuLy_kRQDoTN4rTctrnUXpMjA-f0TMfnJCtLDITqglNjgh4MdiRyEO8WzjiS2wmGGY0mw8FBSH9lQeP8wFv-dnu0kDhufLYmLLwevMyGPktqng74GmPsUVQ79fgbAm_KiKk/s400/Broadhursts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="400" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzbnDsBs2TWuLy_kRQDoTN4rTctrnUXpMjA-f0TMfnJCtLDITqglNjgh4MdiRyEO8WzjiS2wmGGY0mw8FBSH9lQeP8wFv-dnu0kDhufLYmLLwevMyGPktqng74GmPsUVQ79fgbAm_KiKk/w358-h235/Broadhursts.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><span style="color: #76a5af;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>I'm so excited that bookshops are open again! I'm planning to visit two of my favourites next week. Today, I have Susan Brownrigg, author of Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest, talking about Broadhursts of Southport. Another one to add to my list! Thank you for the lovely post, Susan.</i><br /></span><br />We are so fortunate in the north west to have a number of brilliant independent bookshops and choosing just one as my favourite was very hard! In the end I've chosen one of the region's oldest bookshops - Broadhursts of Southport.<br /><br />Broadhursts is a real seaside treat, based in a mid-nineteenth century listed building on Market Street, the shop has a fabulous glass canopy to keep you dry while you admire the double-fronted window displays that will surely lure you inside.<br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Established in 1920, Broadhursts has a magical atmosphere! There are four floors to explore - the ground floor is the new bookshop with adult fiction and non-fiction, then upstairs you will find an extensive children's department (my favourite), eight second-hand book rooms and two rare book rooms. I especially love the narrow staircases and fireplaces that make you feel like you're exploring a private library - only all the books are for sale!<br /><br />You can spend hours browsing - or if you're in a hurry they also offer 'click and collect' service, particularly useful in 2020!<br /><br />The staff are lovely and extremely knowledgable, and will always try to help. I especially like that they will wrap any purchases in brown paper for you - and if you visit you are sure to have a few!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ckbroadhurst.co.uk/">http://www.ckbroadhurst.co.uk/</a><br />@BroadhurstBooks</span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-46163819009650293762020-12-05T15:43:00.000+00:002020-12-05T15:43:23.106+00:00Last One to Die review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL8AqSyrOrLMTr5YT75WJdqoXIAzuRn_8rp2Qmpi2NkV0LNbDAhvFjRf2wIKG9BAaxJQQq0UfTyrRBMMQbHCHbvIYaSmpZp_4n4aMj-n0Ug2HOeBKSvAcLWgLOat2PeDfustlcwrVguBz/s1024/Last+one+to+die.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXL8AqSyrOrLMTr5YT75WJdqoXIAzuRn_8rp2Qmpi2NkV0LNbDAhvFjRf2wIKG9BAaxJQQq0UfTyrRBMMQbHCHbvIYaSmpZp_4n4aMj-n0Ug2HOeBKSvAcLWgLOat2PeDfustlcwrVguBz/s320/Last+one+to+die.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><i><p>Young, brunette women are being attacked in London.</p>16-year-old, Irish-born Niamh has just arrived for a summer of freedom, and quickly discovers that the girls being attacked look frighteningly similar to her.<br /><br />But Niamh is determined not to let her fear destroy her Summer. But can her new friends be trusted?<br /><br />Will she be able to stay ahead of the attacker?<br /><br />Or will she be next?</i></span><p></p><h4 style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: red;">Packed with voice-driven whodunit storytelling, and a retro slasher-movie feel reminiscent of cult classics <em>Scream</em> and <em>Urban Legend</em>, this dark, pacy, and irresistibly-creepy debut really has something for everybody!</span></h4><div><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you ever read a book that ticks off absolutely everything you want? I knew when I read the blurb of <i>Last One to Die</i> that I would love it, and it more than lived up to the hype!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been my quest since the 90s to find books that read like Point Horror. <i>Last One to Die</i> does exactly that but with a fresh and modern voice. I'm quite hard to scare and it got me on more than one occasion! The horror is balanced out with world building, characterisation and lighter moments.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The plot of the book is gripping and well-paced. I loved how it wove in local mythology and history. I was constantly guessing and changing my mind about how it was all going to end!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Last One to Die</i> is</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> a fast-paced, fun read with genuinely scary scenes and a cinematic feel. I'd highly recommend it to fans of horror movies and the Cassidy Blake books by Victoria Schwab.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd7Z1y_71bzgw-RDU5y3Qx6KBZetJZgsNqed_WcbZksCDn1wyd0qPRH6ZKP8aM5uJqqpHazm2aOpNU6xHnqwtxJo6D3WpnZiFdxGvHb8JcpSaT1YzCSle06YRpIt-ppH7JlDOHvrIq7Qr/s200/yaundermyskin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd7Z1y_71bzgw-RDU5y3Qx6KBZetJZgsNqed_WcbZksCDn1wyd0qPRH6ZKP8aM5uJqqpHazm2aOpNU6xHnqwtxJo6D3WpnZiFdxGvHb8JcpSaT1YzCSle06YRpIt-ppH7JlDOHvrIq7Qr/s0/yaundermyskin.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-32144791183743454672020-11-30T16:15:00.002+00:002020-11-30T16:15:58.254+00:00Malice in Underland review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTqVaYQFS2fuMJYMbxQKbd9nb6LUDV2wohuwwqOxy6oE1DMu3H1-XEkTEibrPmEJmMdTJtbFFEoDMgJrd_YH2O3KaPXifup04slVxRc5LcitMeGwZWYLE_4VXszcA7qmgejvUpCo5NnVJ/s2048/Malice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTqVaYQFS2fuMJYMbxQKbd9nb6LUDV2wohuwwqOxy6oE1DMu3H1-XEkTEibrPmEJmMdTJtbFFEoDMgJrd_YH2O3KaPXifup04slVxRc5LcitMeGwZWYLE_4VXszcA7qmgejvUpCo5NnVJ/s320/Malice.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /><span style="color: #e06666;">Meet Malice Morbid Malign. She’s from Underland, land of sorcery, spooks and skulduggery. But, she and her family live in Topside and mischief is their business . . . And the business of mischief is a very serious matter!<br /><br />From Malignant House, Ma and Pa run the Malign Haunting Agency, tormenting Topside families and their homes. After all, it is their responsibility to maintain respectable levels of ghastly amongst the Topsiders. And as Underland representatives, the Malign’s hate books, they hate bathing, and they especially HATE helping.<br /><br />The problem is, Malice is the exact opposite of her unpleasant, smelly, mischievous family. And when grandad ghosts mysteriously start disappearing, including her own beloved grandad, Malice has no choice but to help rescue him.<br /><br />Malice partners up with her Uncle Vexatious, Private Investigator of Underland and outcast of the Malign family. Can they solve the case of the missing grandad-ghosts? And will Malice still be a Malign at the end of it?!</span></i></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I've found it hard to keep on top of my blog for so many reasons this year, but </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Malice in Underland </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">was too good not to review! It's right up there with my favourite spooky middle-grade reads and is a perfect next read for fangs of Isadora Moon and Amelia Fang. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The creepy Underland setting is gorgeously described and the illustrations by Hannah Peck really complement the tone of the book. I also loved how the characters were brought to life. Malice is a wonderfully relatable protagonist and even the most minor characters are well drawn.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The mystery of the missing grandad-ghosts is gripping and I didn't predict how it would all be resolved! The relationship between Malice and her family also adds another level to the conflict.</span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><i>Malice in Underland</i> is one of my favourite MG reads of the year, and I'll definitely look out for more spooky reads from Jenny Bayliss.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Thank you to Scholastic for the gifted copy!</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w6DTFEH1ADSLwep5vQQc1ZrYxcTpJl91rUEtrwpiKE8WaLkAFF4rOYQwvGVgYUJSZ_mYqOeoN-QzSrZ4UoARcfxOXKmEpNiLK1bndus5Nv39s8cD2cIF-7hLd5SiEMV1Qkqybk9oQgpa/s200/yaundermyskin+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w6DTFEH1ADSLwep5vQQc1ZrYxcTpJl91rUEtrwpiKE8WaLkAFF4rOYQwvGVgYUJSZ_mYqOeoN-QzSrZ4UoARcfxOXKmEpNiLK1bndus5Nv39s8cD2cIF-7hLd5SiEMV1Qkqybk9oQgpa/s0/yaundermyskin+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div></span><br /></span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-46878504178091691512020-11-15T20:32:00.001+00:002020-11-19T09:14:25.991+00:00Independent Bookshop Spotlight<span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: arial;">It's been so lovely to share people's favourite independent bookshops! I've found so many new shops to visit when lockdown is over. Next up, author Bex Hogan shares one of her favourites: Topping and Company.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGwse-w2JwnWMipUUHE7643jPxOtxztIMte-tamr_BKM_Gcsiuh8A-DKrZwsg7U1GyNTpPmveTUjCMFQ0RtXGRZ6jZMJPGMldj5GllcPNqaz7ShFbfjr-P0B9Lsl02sbCqVAbpnxAQuQK/s275/Topping.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGwse-w2JwnWMipUUHE7643jPxOtxztIMte-tamr_BKM_Gcsiuh8A-DKrZwsg7U1GyNTpPmveTUjCMFQ0RtXGRZ6jZMJPGMldj5GllcPNqaz7ShFbfjr-P0B9Lsl02sbCqVAbpnxAQuQK/w214-h322/Topping.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />If there’s one thing I like talking about, it’s bookshops. I’ll be honest, I’ve never met a bookshop I didn’t love. Each one has an atmosphere that is all at once similar and unique, as if books themselves create the aura but the colour is altered by the specific selection. I think this is why independent bookshops seem especially magical – they embody the people who run them and reflect a small part of their soul. <br /><br />The bookshop I specifically want to shout about today is the glorious Topping and Company in Ely. I only discovered this wonderous new place last year, but fell instantly in love. The shop front isn’t very big and you’d be forgiven for thinking only a small selection lay beyond. But you’d be mistaken. It’s huge. The building is deep and tall, so not only can you keep walking further into the shop, but you can also climb the two staircases to the higher levels </span><span style="font-family: arial;">–</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> the top one has a beautiful view of the cathedral. They carry an incredible selection right across genres, but obviously my favourite sections are the YA and the fantasy ones, both of which stock an impressive combination of mainstream and more unusual titles. And the best thing about this bookshop? The tall shelves have actual proper ladders, which is the stuff of bookish dreams! <br /><br />They’re closed to browsing at the moment, but you can order from them via their <a href="https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/">website</a>, email or phone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: arial;">This place sounds so gorgeous: a cathedral view, an amazing YA section and ladders on shelves? I'm sold! Thanks so much for sharing, Bex!</span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-35412895348138289932020-11-09T20:35:00.001+00:002020-11-09T20:35:22.480+00:00Independent bookshop spotlight<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="color: #76a5af;"><i>Next up on the independent bookshop feature, music and film journalist Nick Dunn (@laidbackinsong on Twitter) explains why Troutmark Books in Cardiff is worth a visit. I love Cardiff so I'll definitely be stopping by Troutmark!</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXiVgoNtMsUzaLw0p7oUNAXKULs2gXjjC9LXQeSslbrZsgfYFS0U8iE3nGpIE_fQaIrHiYriZ9pXKD8ZQ06gEUekaEeDFdF11rnJkptRA0zG0GFZ529dHIGq-TCucbwjYG2R0DGn2nxAg/s310/tmarkpic1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXiVgoNtMsUzaLw0p7oUNAXKULs2gXjjC9LXQeSslbrZsgfYFS0U8iE3nGpIE_fQaIrHiYriZ9pXKD8ZQ06gEUekaEeDFdF11rnJkptRA0zG0GFZ529dHIGq-TCucbwjYG2R0DGn2nxAg/s0/tmarkpic1.png" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As far back as I can
remember, reading has provided a safe haven. I can remember sitting down by the
book-box at nursery, a little island in the stormy sea of childhood chaos
around me, and picking out books at random. So it is with bookshops. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s certainly true of <b>Troutmark</b>, a second-hand
bookshop here in Cardiff. Located in the Castle Arcade, it’s a quit oasis in
what is normally a bustling city centre. Situated across three floors, its
shelves tower over customers. As you progress from the front door, it feels as
if it has been grown organically from nooks and crannies. Books fill every
shelf: some are even stacked on top of smaller shelving units on the floor. Above
all else, it’s <i>quiet</i>. Even with other customers, the shelves seem to
absorb all sound, and with no easy view of the daylight outside the arcade, it’s
quite easy to pass several blissful hours in an interesting tome. It’s an ideal
bookshop, in other words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpagAZB2pV9iJQzg1CkUPe9B9LvrKIVXj8jPGOMGPldy_Hj9Q7jeltzj2k4BWnkZaOR201eOWg4xjU7ZNgp4p2EDiTKK3WdHigTPzbEYIXeFTTmW2GCABTyMVS-FrbBc1UQ9n6oqUz6MSf/s310/tmarkpic3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpagAZB2pV9iJQzg1CkUPe9B9LvrKIVXj8jPGOMGPldy_Hj9Q7jeltzj2k4BWnkZaOR201eOWg4xjU7ZNgp4p2EDiTKK3WdHigTPzbEYIXeFTTmW2GCABTyMVS-FrbBc1UQ9n6oqUz6MSf/s0/tmarkpic3.jpg" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The ground floor is for general and children’s literature, as well as
some poetry, but most excitingly, there are historical (and if you’re lucky,
first!) editions of books like <i>Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack</i> or those by
writers like <b>Charles Dickens</b> or <b>Dylan Thomas</b>. These are situated
behind the counter, giving them a faintly exciting air of elusiveness.
Downstairs, in the windowless basement are most of the non-fiction books on
various subjects, while up the suitably creaky stairs are sections reserved for
music, sport, comics, and my personal favourites: the sci-fi/fantasy shelves.
My own collection of <b>Terry Pratchett</b> books has been largely filled from
those donated to Troutmark – buying clean and brand-new copies of <i>Discworld</i>
books seems somehow wrong. But it was also here that I discovered the <i>Broken
Earth </i>trilogy by <b>N. K. Jemisin</b> and the <i>Kill Shakespeare</i>
comics by <b>Anthony Del Col</b> and <b>Conor McCreery</b> hidden away in the
stacks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The staff are also incredibly friendly, happy to discuss your purchases or,
as once happened to me, lock you in momentarily if you happen to be quietly
engrossed in your reading when they want to make a cup of tea.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly, the Covid-19 lockdown has reduced the opening hours and number of
customers allowed in at a given time. You can help support them when the Arcade
reopens by visiting responsibly, wearing a mask on the premises, and using hand
sanitiser. If you’ve powered through your reading list during lockdown,
consider selling those books you can bear to part with to Troutmark. Their
contact details are listed below.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iB0ZHPn6y4k95CpwO7_bkw7O0Uu2gRONPCgqpbHX-Gz7XBQ8aMqhRTakC0mwz9_Ppv1ur4fDaLpuhuq6yfib5t5yJvF_G9uiC0z5ZTtWCfMqvCHj3OJGfXo6v8ShjBsdz-d2MzurUB7V/s200/tmarkpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="200" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iB0ZHPn6y4k95CpwO7_bkw7O0Uu2gRONPCgqpbHX-Gz7XBQ8aMqhRTakC0mwz9_Ppv1ur4fDaLpuhuq6yfib5t5yJvF_G9uiC0z5ZTtWCfMqvCHj3OJGfXo6v8ShjBsdz-d2MzurUB7V/w247-h193/tmarkpic2.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Address</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">39-43 Castle Arcade</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Cardiff</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CF10 1BW</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Email</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">troutmarkbooks@gmail.com</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Phone</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">029 2038 2814</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"><br /></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-78165271369084848892020-11-06T11:33:00.003+00:002020-11-06T11:37:31.788+00:00Independent bookshop spotlight<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: arial;">During lockdown, I'm running a series of posts from guest writers to highlight their favourite independent bookshops. First up is poet and author Dom Conlon (@dom_conlon on Twitter) with a post about Ebb & Flo Bookshop in Chorley. It sounds absolutely lovely! I'm adding it to my list of places to visit after lockdown.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h2></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ebb & Flo</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">A bookshop is a safe, sacred place, as embedded in childhood as a garden hidden-hole or grandma’s kitchen. For me, it was Hatchard’s in Manchester. Now long gone but once a collection of book stacks and iron staircases in a slender building on King Street, it’s the sense-memory I reach for whenever I visit a new town. Lucky for me, then, that my home town Chorley contains such a place in Ebb & Flo—a wonky terrace hug of a shop which displays its love in a cavalcade of colour riding out to greet you.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br />Ebb & Flo packs a lot into a small space. There are nooks in its crannies and no resting place for the eyes until you settle upon the one (or more) books which you didn’t even know you were looking for. Diane, the owner, is both everywhere and nowhere—popping into view when you were just about to ask a question and then fading away when the first few pages of a book take you by the hand.<br /><br />In these times when mental health can feel secondary to physical health, Ebb & Flo is a balm to both. In the wedge of time between lockdowns it was a breath of fresh air, safe to even the most cautious among us—a lamppost marking the way between worlds.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.ebbandflobookshop.co.uk/">https://www.ebbandflobookshop.co.uk/</a></span><div><br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: arial;">Thanks so much for sharing, Dom! Ebb and Flo have an online shop or you can email orders to info@ebbandflobookshop.co.uk.</span></div><div><span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #76a5af; font-family: arial;">If you would like to write a post about your favourite bookshop, let me know on Twitter @yaundermyskin</span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-50953854026330710422020-11-01T00:00:00.001+00:002020-11-01T00:00:12.168+00:00Forest of Ghost and Bones blog tour<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RNu1hNBHjUJUwJKQ_Kxee8v9T6wQDKjaKvpQsPSLR-n4-gZxqCMuUi_tGY5XQnDXElRSrSeYo2CfZU8vWenv8yVjB8BkURMOcHBvm7ECsBAE8S8wUWY4ZIOzasOeC5EHP_bv4UeFfuJF/s2048/IMG_5787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1679" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RNu1hNBHjUJUwJKQ_Kxee8v9T6wQDKjaKvpQsPSLR-n4-gZxqCMuUi_tGY5XQnDXElRSrSeYo2CfZU8vWenv8yVjB8BkURMOcHBvm7ECsBAE8S8wUWY4ZIOzasOeC5EHP_bv4UeFfuJF/w328-h400/IMG_5787.JPG" width="328" /></a></div><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: arial;"><i><br />This gorgeously evocative standalone fantasy from Lisa Lueddecke is inspired by the Hungarian myths of her childhood. Enter a world with a haunted castle, a dark and dangerous forest and poisoned rain, with two fiery protagonists to root for - a book perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Laini Taylor.<br /><br />You are the girl who can walk in the rain, and I am the boy who knows the way.<br /><br />The Eve of Saints approaches and the poison rain which shrouds Castle Marcosza strains at its boundaries. When Beata's brother is taken by the rain, Beata and her friend Benedek must make a perilous journey of discovery to uncover the root of her secret - why she is the only person who can walk through the rain unscathed. But Beata is soon caught up in a game of cat-and-mouse with mysterious Liljana, a girl with hidden powers of her own. And with magic outlawed in Marcosza, can the pair find a way to work together to harness their forbidden ability and unleash its full potential? Or will they find themselves seduced by power and all that it offers...</i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />This ticks off everything I want from a book, with the foundation in myths, dark and dangerous world and magic. Scholastic kindly gifted a copy and I can't wait to read it!</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For today's tour stop, Lisa Lueddecke talks about how a location can provide inspiration. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Haunted New England</b></div><br />I don’t think I realized until relatively recently how much a certain location can inspire your writing. I spent about a year, right up until a few weeks ago, living on the edge of Salem, Massachusetts, and something about living there really gave me the writing bug. It wasn’t always easy, having a baby and all, but I have pages full of notes and little snippets of ideas and names for a hundred stories, all dreamed up on long walks around haunted places in New England. <br /><br />At least for me, New England has a definite feel to it that I find hard to describe, even as a writer. <i>The Forest of Ghosts and Bones </i>has a number of spooky scenes that sometimes involve graves or the dead, and I’ve found no shortage of inspiration living where I live. Old graveyards and cemeteries, some of the stones so old they can hardly be read anymore… Forests so dense and old it feels like stepping through a doorway to a primeval time… Houses with crooked floors and secrets you wish they could tell… <br /><br />If I’ve learned anything about being a writer, it’s that inspiration can strike at any time, in any place. So for me and the sorts of stories I like to tell, stories with snippets of history and folklore and poems and legends, it’s important to surround myself with the things I find inspiring. It turns out that almost anywhere in historic, creaky, haunted New England is just my brand of inspiration. I can’t wait to see what other stories are waiting to meet me amongst the trees and gravestones.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6;"><i>Thanks so much Lisa for sharing how New England has inspired your writing! It's one of my favourite places that I've visited and definitely provides lots of material for stories.</i></span><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxjv1O1uS9RDSYufAozTAgg6MUTykqXfB8TFcUF3PqykiBi00zhyphenhyphenuyH0MeXzsjF4noLU4vbpCzIcWt3LNWYpKZP-Cs3J9P8sR7MNKzVX17K7lonlpnBU3HLq4kEZd01YRzxhwLQrYGbpA/s2048/Salem+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxjv1O1uS9RDSYufAozTAgg6MUTykqXfB8TFcUF3PqykiBi00zhyphenhyphenuyH0MeXzsjF4noLU4vbpCzIcWt3LNWYpKZP-Cs3J9P8sR7MNKzVX17K7lonlpnBU3HLq4kEZd01YRzxhwLQrYGbpA/w169-h225/Salem+photo.jpg" width="169" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1bnBw3g8BKIxG-gW4KwSSxE4T3jOTHUUokjWDNFrdHfydVPz-8N1hn5U8BM2AflVuMD4Q2V2nEvVo8b0c3Zkq-7QuVvpouGdkVngWJfbAzjYEdH67Rxc6Iz3FEsXzRd2EGqYVY7AA-h9/w263-h224/25082011792.jpg" width="263" /> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Photos taken on my 2011 holiday in New England</span></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ENnptQWiV2IHpbPYdAZ_-GauolQBf9HIp7sxU92fI21mJbd3GpzmNBoWH69m8KQXlpWMPT9NWeuuHlPALvTjht5o_npxlxETKh86k-cMXwGBSou7SLsREpthpZK0pF_YNbaVN_jlgQ5w/s1600/Ghosts+and+Bones+Blog+Tour+Graphic++%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ENnptQWiV2IHpbPYdAZ_-GauolQBf9HIp7sxU92fI21mJbd3GpzmNBoWH69m8KQXlpWMPT9NWeuuHlPALvTjht5o_npxlxETKh86k-cMXwGBSou7SLsREpthpZK0pF_YNbaVN_jlgQ5w/w400-h225/Ghosts+and+Bones+Blog+Tour+Graphic++%25281%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-51298447023479197502020-10-22T23:00:00.001+00:002020-10-22T23:00:05.265+00:00Morgan Charmley Blog Tour<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OgXrAc1ITO3o-7uLSYFXGfXBLPiRdIAQZ-TPCHaVAvjOoF8Co0UdKq7LQrJqnow1S1kBOwAlnqp8DyRLDXXcDAuStuWJW-l_utMu4p7uIdTU8lZeSTItaJG19-hGP7MFh4HpsOCkQUEd/s2048/MCSpells+and+Secrets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OgXrAc1ITO3o-7uLSYFXGfXBLPiRdIAQZ-TPCHaVAvjOoF8Co0UdKq7LQrJqnow1S1kBOwAlnqp8DyRLDXXcDAuStuWJW-l_utMu4p7uIdTU8lZeSTItaJG19-hGP7MFh4HpsOCkQUEd/s320/MCSpells+and+Secrets.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><i><b>I'm a huge fan of the Morgan Charmley books, and I loved the new instalment! They're such fun teen reads that are perfect for fans of the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch. For the Morgan Charmley: Spells and Secrets blog tour, Katy Birchall is sharing her favourite witches from popular culture. </b></i></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST</span></b></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)</div></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="348" src="https://giphy.com/embed/UjYw9fdCEPwU8" width="480"></iframe></div><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/comedy-retro-musical-UjYw9fdCEPwU8">via GIPHY</a></p>As far as costumes go, your traditional witch-look would entail a long black dress, black pointed hat, broomstick in hand and, should you go all out (which you should), the classic green skin. And just who, may you ask, made this exquisitely daring ensemble a staple of the Halloween wardrobe? The Wicked Witch of the West, that’s who. <br /><br />A culturally archetypal witch, the moment the Wicked Witch of the West appeared in <i>The Wizard of Oz</i>, she became an instant icon of movie history. With a name that says it all, she is an unashamedly cruel, oppressive and tyrannical leader, having conquered the Winkies and enslaved them. She spends the film hunting down the innocent, wide-eyed Dorothy so that she can nab those magical ruby slippers and conquer all of Oz once and for all. <br /><br />Look, you have to give it to her, she’s not afraid to be who she is. <br /><br />She doesn’t go around pretending to be anything but evil, fully embracing all the best bits of being a villain, what with her appearing and disappearing in a plume of mysterious, red smoke; that fiendish, surprisingly-hard-to-nail cackle she revels in as she calls Dorothy, “my pretty”; and, of course, her casual army of winged monkeys ready to do her bidding. <br /><br />And any chance of redemption or earning our sympathy is completely scuppered when she threatens Dorothy’s adorable little dog, Toto. <br /><br />The fact of the matter is, she’s a witch we love to hate, and were it not for her all-consuming greed and unabashed ambition, I’m not sure, quite frankly, this classic film would be quite so classic. That magnificent cackle is a scene-stealer, what can I say? <br /><br />Her influence on both cinema and fictional witches today is undeniable, and no list of all-time great movie villains would be complete without her. The Wicked Witch of the West is truly as wicked as they come. <br /><br />And we wouldn’t have her any other way.</span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><i><b>Thanks so much for sharing one of your favourite witches Sophie! If I had to choose a favourite witch, I'd have to go with Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She's smart, hilarious and goes through such an interesting character arc.</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><i><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="337" src="https://giphy.com/embed/MagubuxVFLgiI" width="480"></iframe></b></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><i><b><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/magic-willow-rosenberg-MagubuxVFLgiI">via GIPHY</a></b></i></span></p><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><i><b> Check out the banner for the other Morgan Charmley tour stops!</b></i></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMTY7f-Y5ZCcRjF1MUL4UwRkzsSibBy8yEJ_gbDNNPLIs9l2-qP642LWPQIFdBjbneQdGjb7PGbzJn-iyEt95M7eAPF3aXS5rbNTz48XVcY46SC9yNPZQXdMxb60RQiSYK9kSEHNTXpW1/s1024/morgan_03_tour.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMTY7f-Y5ZCcRjF1MUL4UwRkzsSibBy8yEJ_gbDNNPLIs9l2-qP642LWPQIFdBjbneQdGjb7PGbzJn-iyEt95M7eAPF3aXS5rbNTz48XVcY46SC9yNPZQXdMxb60RQiSYK9kSEHNTXpW1/w375-h187/morgan_03_tour.png" width="375" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-66719995777612990412020-10-07T20:04:00.000+00:002020-10-07T20:04:05.928+00:00BBC Short Story Award and Young Writers' Award winners<p><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimf5S6yskHgrazhKWvqOyaW-yvdhpKiAYaBx8iAtVh-ZSAOAfoq839K5_r55iops21O17MC4-xIb01wKFuY1LtbJ7R48G7pt5iesfvgt91qD7fKDZ4Ji2HFRISBUAK4fM2MUM_noo5oKYh/s790/NSSA_Stacked_2020.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="790" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimf5S6yskHgrazhKWvqOyaW-yvdhpKiAYaBx8iAtVh-ZSAOAfoq839K5_r55iops21O17MC4-xIb01wKFuY1LtbJ7R48G7pt5iesfvgt91qD7fKDZ4Ji2HFRISBUAK4fM2MUM_noo5oKYh/s320/NSSA_Stacked_2020.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><i>Due to the current covid situation, this will be the first time in three years that I've not attended the BBC National Short Story Award as an ambassador. Still, I'm delighted to announce the winner of the adult and Young Writers' Awards! There are details below of where you can find the stories online. As usual, they're incredible reads. Congratulations to the shortlistees and winners!</i></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoCommentText" style="text-align: center;"><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 26.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SARAH HALL <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoCommentText" style="text-align: center;"><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">BECOMES
FIRST WRITER TO WIN <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoCommentText" style="text-align: center;"><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 22.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">BBC
NATIONAL SHORT STORY AWARD TWICE <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVWiEnqJ6a8wRbKsFNb33rSNTfB5JLAB366M28V8mCNc5EowAwHS4_sUa4dbbskwqrMmjHcKwZFpfns3GkSXG-fJzw8IzBF_M0zsPd564mTUY1FCPlFz6GYrA6kTnYfb7IFMUAD0PLsvY/s1100/Sarah+Hall+3+%25C2%25A9+Richard+Thwaites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVWiEnqJ6a8wRbKsFNb33rSNTfB5JLAB366M28V8mCNc5EowAwHS4_sUa4dbbskwqrMmjHcKwZFpfns3GkSXG-fJzw8IzBF_M0zsPd564mTUY1FCPlFz6GYrA6kTnYfb7IFMUAD0PLsvY/s320/Sarah+Hall+3+%25C2%25A9+Richard+Thwaites.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoCommentText" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nssa"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">www.bbc.co.uk/nssa</span></b></a><span class="hyperlinkchar"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> </span></b></span><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">#BBCNSSA #ShortStories</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoCommentText"><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Four-time nominated </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sarah
Hall</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">has won the
fifteenth </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">BBC National Short Story Award with
Cambridge University </span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(NSSA) for the second time
with ‘</span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Grotesques</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">’, a ‘timeless
and unsettling story’ set against a backdrop of privilege and inequality in a
university town. Exploring themes of powerlessness and privilege, dysfunctional
mother-daughter relationships, covert control, identity and scapegoating, the
judges praised Hall for her ‘extraordinary’, ‘layered’ and ‘masterful’ writing
and cited her second time win as ‘recognition of her standing as the country’s
foremost writer of short stories’.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoCommentText"><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The first double win in the Award’s history, the
news was announced live on </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">BBC Front Row</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> on </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday
6 October</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by 2020 Chair of Judges Jonathan Freedland in a
special programme celebrating 15 years of the Award. ‘</span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Grotesques’</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is available to listen to on </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">BBC
Sounds</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and appears in Hall’s latest collection <i>Sudden Traveller</i>,
published by Faber in 2019. Its titular story was also shortlisted for the
Award in 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoCommentText"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sarah Hall, winner of the 2020 BBC
National Short Story Award with Cambridge University, said:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoCommentText"><span class="normalchar"><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m stunned to have won. No one expects to repeat a
shortlisting, let alone be honoured with an award like this twice. It’s an
incredible privilege and reward. And with this prize comes a tremendous amount
of support for the form itself - from tenacious, passionate advocates at the
BBC and Cambridge University, to expert judges, and the writers who continue to
innovate, experiment and create astonishing, vital, questioning worlds within
stories. We can see from this year’s shortlist the diversity and range
showcased. In the hands of these writers, over only a few pages, so much is
possible and words become utterly potent. It’s hard to turn a good story, it
requires the compression and alchemy of so many aspects, ideas, details,
experiences and observations. I truly love the form, its disproportionate
power, disquiet and refractive metrics, its ability to stir the reader or listener, </span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">even, at best, to overturn our secure notions of who
we are and what we believe. There are days when we are lost, when not much
makes sense and answers to the vexing human question seem impossible. On those
days nothing is as companionable as a short story. That goes for writing them
too.”.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoCommentText"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Hall beat stiff competition from an extremely strong
shortlist that included established and new voices, comprised of: 26 year old
British-Ghanaian writer and photographer </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Caleb Azumah Nelson</b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> whose
eagerly anticipated debut novel </span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Open Water</i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> is released in 2021; James
Tait Black Prize winner </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Eley Williams</b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">; poet and newcomer </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Jack Houston</b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
and EU Prize for Literature for Ireland 2019 winner </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Jan Carson</b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Alongside
the BBC NSSA, BBC Front Row also announced the sixth annual </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">BBC Young
Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University</b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">, an award created
to inspire and encourage the next generation of short story writers. Open to 13–18
year olds at the time of entry, it is a cross-network collaboration between BBC
Radio 4 and BBC Radio 1. The award was won by </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Lottie Mills, 19, </b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">from
Stevenage, Hertfordshire for </span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">‘The Changeling’</i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">. Lottie was previously
shortlisted for the BBC YWA in 2018. Her story is also available on </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">BBC
Sounds.</b></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-29331445055468617972020-10-01T14:58:00.005+00:002020-10-01T14:58:57.144+00:00Books Polished guest post<p><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: arial;">On this special publication date of A Snowfall of Silver, I'm thrilled to host a guest post from Demet. She shares some insights about the process of creating her amazing nail art, but you'll have to head over to her Instagram </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Books_polished</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: arial;"> to see the finished result! Thanks so much, Demet. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-Ufh7xR3g8ORhAn8tgY2d8PUx5mgXb4gXRWdUuP8Euu0E4YwWFbCm2hTxHWy7Zd75bggFNyuoKYs-E-lJyWomd3IMQ9OB17D_00pk0TZJCHjf44x7tapa8Z6Cdnp6Z2GbtN8jEdA076E/s320/0F9EF5D3-9AA4-4856-8E9F-6C0737E1A7FF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-Ufh7xR3g8ORhAn8tgY2d8PUx5mgXb4gXRWdUuP8Euu0E4YwWFbCm2hTxHWy7Zd75bggFNyuoKYs-E-lJyWomd3IMQ9OB17D_00pk0TZJCHjf44x7tapa8Z6Cdnp6Z2GbtN8jEdA076E/s0/0F9EF5D3-9AA4-4856-8E9F-6C0737E1A7FF.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Hello everyone!</span></span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
My name is Demet and I am the human behind the Instagram account
Books_Polished, where I post nail art inspired by book cover. </span></span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you have been here for a while, you might have heard of me before.</span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart">
Two years ago for the publication of Laura Woods <i>A Sky Painted Gold</i>, Amy
graciously allowed me to write a guest posts for her blog showing the behind
the scenes of my nail design. </span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart">
With the publication of the sequel A Snowfall of Silver happening this week we
have been talking about repeating the experience.<br />
</span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart">So here I am! Showing you even more nails </span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart">😊</span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> <br />
<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2047" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-O2kDq8CVUOV_sDnT1hNRM5uznlunYz7l1wX5T-5GSVyfBLap2QHmMqu9a5nIiOMgRQ7q1sN9Tt4nx0aVvzzhFRs42khKy2iiWbvgj4eJePYaiXwPhVC-6eDu3YQqsawcxT95fgQyOgmN/w228-h228/001.jpg" width="228" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
Before I start anything, I usually spent a good amount of time prepping my nails. This includes taking off any old polish from my last design, pushing back
cuticles, cutting hang nails and filing down my nails. Due to the fact that I am currently living a much calmer life than usual
(thanks Corona??), my nails have been getting quite long. And I have learned over years that there is a point where my nails will just
break if they are getting too long, so I rather file them regularly to try and
avoid that </span></span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart">😉</span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></span></span><p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWkIU3juAFi0X-TND7M1iLmkzxQQ2AGP3YIabQoFlG4HjXGN5Gs828qg4dVIZUNNNYaX3yFn863GTRFXk6K7KaUIyzh_KMTDHFp6-5462spAwSK1cBmFj-lTn9C4GoqAqQ46ePI_LjCr3/s2048/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWkIU3juAFi0X-TND7M1iLmkzxQQ2AGP3YIabQoFlG4HjXGN5Gs828qg4dVIZUNNNYaX3yFn863GTRFXk6K7KaUIyzh_KMTDHFp6-5462spAwSK1cBmFj-lTn9C4GoqAqQ46ePI_LjCr3/s320/002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;">A big part of starting a new design is finding a good base colour. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Blue is one of my favourite colours which is why I own a few too many blue
polishes that are all slightly different. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Finding a colour for this manicure was also a bit more complicated, because I
sadly wasn’t able to receive a review copy, which means I did not have a chance
to see the actual book in person, but had to rely on pictures I could find
online… </span><span style="font-family: arial;">For this step I like to take out all polishes I think could work and paint a
small square on a silicone baking mat. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">That way I can see how the colour changes when it dries and it also allows me
to judge it’s opacity.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIY9svFBf61sPAnMNhxM8axSW-6kaXTYx022Dl0tPMTgOh_mfo2r3CGo14ANOl8BO8QXUjXt2gTYpM7cyCxCitrXSOcG6TJyTidPelLinBPQH_oIMT8ZEbHXL_YWsiJZBQpyKHD1x8iKc/s2048/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIY9svFBf61sPAnMNhxM8axSW-6kaXTYx022Dl0tPMTgOh_mfo2r3CGo14ANOl8BO8QXUjXt2gTYpM7cyCxCitrXSOcG6TJyTidPelLinBPQH_oIMT8ZEbHXL_YWsiJZBQpyKHD1x8iKc/w302-h302/003.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><br /></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
As a nail artist I don’t actually own that many nail polishes, compared to
other people.<br />
And I especially don’t buy many new ones these days. Many of the polishes in the second picture are up to 7 years old. One is
already 11. </span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having a good nail polish thinner at hand is a must to keep your polishes
working. Whenever I come across a polish that does not have a good consistency anymore,
I drop a few drops in them to revive them again. A bottle like this costs about 6 GBP and lasts me about a year and has saved me
much more money over the years. </span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
(Side note: this is not an ad, but simply the bottle I currently own, because
it was cheap and had good reviews online. You can easily use other brands, but
do not use nail polish remover! As it will slowly destroy your polish rather
than revive it.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBbF0PqNvjhGtpONp6ZexvM5ZhGQCb6a1rM7x_MnKQQ5fo_VSDxq0fZ3azANcJ6AAfEP3WiyZru7IPapomoNx2l8-TxXSqtTkUbcsmdyx1-NMefTZ9fmabBJfbrKrT37usx9XPHhG076d/s2048/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBbF0PqNvjhGtpONp6ZexvM5ZhGQCb6a1rM7x_MnKQQ5fo_VSDxq0fZ3azANcJ6AAfEP3WiyZru7IPapomoNx2l8-TxXSqtTkUbcsmdyx1-NMefTZ9fmabBJfbrKrT37usx9XPHhG076d/s320/004.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">These are the polishes I ended up choosing:</span><p></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
p2 Color Victim: 191 gigantic<br />
Barry M: Liquid Chrome – Rain on me<br />
Seche Vite: Fast drying top coat<br />
Not pictures: essence: extreme last base coat<br />
(Again, not an ad, just what I own.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDyuWrb7AzouvFAKVoOKT-_5KoWcCBM6m12F1weWbQdei4aozwysmc3srWXI2-lYyOCLdq23qtsJILGd2nq7a6Bntur1qzcQKKdbdEO7ooc0QjEOPsJGLpA7gkfcuB90vxOeBZyQPqw6K/s2048/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2047" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDyuWrb7AzouvFAKVoOKT-_5KoWcCBM6m12F1weWbQdei4aozwysmc3srWXI2-lYyOCLdq23qtsJILGd2nq7a6Bntur1qzcQKKdbdEO7ooc0QjEOPsJGLpA7gkfcuB90vxOeBZyQPqw6K/s320/005.jpg" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
First up:<br />
2 layers of the blue to get to full opacity<br />
+<br />
1 layer fast drying top coat<br />
The top coat helps smooth everything out, makes sure the base is completely dry
before I paint over it and gives it an extra layer of protection, in case I
don’t like what I paint on top it and have to remove it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm3-CpX4khd10EJQ4C9Le7GOJc4CJS9u_Ns887agYCVL0mYsv7JbmWWSMP31EiIR11eOH2uG2V1D23dCIWDo-I3tb3Sf5JWlJEzs7d9toxXTE0DIhvnmVNAr-jbw9z3nNJa9bfm8I0OfZ/s2048/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2047" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHm3-CpX4khd10EJQ4C9Le7GOJc4CJS9u_Ns887agYCVL0mYsv7JbmWWSMP31EiIR11eOH2uG2V1D23dCIWDo-I3tb3Sf5JWlJEzs7d9toxXTE0DIhvnmVNAr-jbw9z3nNJa9bfm8I0OfZ/s320/006.jpg" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
As much as a plan and try to be logic up to this step. When it comes to actually painting a design, I more or less wing it? I try to pick an element that seems the least amount intimidating and start
there. In this case it was the head of the girl.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUHc3adTN_u5zlld8jmKqX8BbepiQXKyQFZzjYLbdo5M-RiyNIiTzRl63EEJAzkL7LDYNdczC1YGIx10QV62_qJqxHlnSwdGMdwT6qo2uV3hHu-tLzM6cN7FdbAnfpKUT9IYr6jFPi6Bo/s2048/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUHc3adTN_u5zlld8jmKqX8BbepiQXKyQFZzjYLbdo5M-RiyNIiTzRl63EEJAzkL7LDYNdczC1YGIx10QV62_qJqxHlnSwdGMdwT6qo2uV3hHu-tLzM6cN7FdbAnfpKUT9IYr6jFPi6Bo/s320/007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
And then I go from there an roughly sketch in the other elements. I knew already I would be going back and forth with the details, so this step
was more about getting the different lements where there were supposed to be.</span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Spoiler: I did not quite manage that. I realized that the head of the girl was too big in comparison to her body and
especially to the boy's head, which on the cover of the book is much bigger than
the girl's head.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtaYx1SiRb0cvFI46rX3eCBN6J2_EIl1B1yumCouimXeJRTU-3tmQMzGpnUbmqi398b5Wx0X-eNVeUBECfvSG2KGkfTwt-nmxOcZb_35t4-r-Jf5UNAOW2zw5R-VVmPTsS2a9Q0gkhiao/s2048/008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtaYx1SiRb0cvFI46rX3eCBN6J2_EIl1B1yumCouimXeJRTU-3tmQMzGpnUbmqi398b5Wx0X-eNVeUBECfvSG2KGkfTwt-nmxOcZb_35t4-r-Jf5UNAOW2zw5R-VVmPTsS2a9Q0gkhiao/s320/008.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
So I do what I always do. I dig out the 100% acetone and my brush and remove what I think doesn’t match. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZfTXjL6m3l6gCECxHWOc_ybMzB40BZ4pFOKLSqhztZXtcD5vcrvM1x8X35uJ2wyIz9TRDqD9-DYs59TpNzHfFH-812N3ciW0b_dbRWDT-IllfCtTtvObdrTToP7f_ZL7i0H1GVia4QFO/s2048/009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZfTXjL6m3l6gCECxHWOc_ybMzB40BZ4pFOKLSqhztZXtcD5vcrvM1x8X35uJ2wyIz9TRDqD9-DYs59TpNzHfFH-812N3ciW0b_dbRWDT-IllfCtTtvObdrTToP7f_ZL7i0H1GVia4QFO/s320/009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
In this case that means I took away her head, but I also went in and slimmed
down some of the lines, for example on his head. With different polishes I might have just gone in with the blue again to cover
the silver where I didn’t like it, but the blue was a bit too sheer and I
didn’t want the layers to get too thin. So going in with acetone and different size brushes was the better plan of
action.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-5KvwAYu3dz_9V1EX5ppshtplpWbU94LwiW_NbFbSP_ku7LQx64FFKkzBg8Jfc7mKYB-AsLaQIWC2w6n-lhDsz-ree2F8XDvzyDv8MTWp2-xaEibwuTPMOsdi91wJ8MG2LMLAMeJwdOG/s1911/010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1911" data-original-width="1911" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-5KvwAYu3dz_9V1EX5ppshtplpWbU94LwiW_NbFbSP_ku7LQx64FFKkzBg8Jfc7mKYB-AsLaQIWC2w6n-lhDsz-ree2F8XDvzyDv8MTWp2-xaEibwuTPMOsdi91wJ8MG2LMLAMeJwdOG/s320/010.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">But you have to be very careful in those cases, as you only want to take off
the top silver layer and not destroy the blue layers below. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">As you can see in this picture if you look at the top left corner, I did not
quite manage that all the time. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">But I just went back in with a bit of the blue to cover it up. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">And the top coat I use is very good in evening out layers like this, so the end
result still looks smooth. </span><p></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
You can also tell in this picture that I went back in at the dress as well and
took away some of the excess silver, as well as adding a bit more of the blue
to make the lines more refined. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9bFHM9gKRSY1bKrrcNFYrVjr-VJjAKnmQSNdrHkWWDOWKKJVg5gPYsxtyEAtcSB-UkBUr9EvENEcNxePiMvAF-HYgC-sLX02imytZkkybiIdRJBLN5r0aIFj351O22XX1QBjRgIqkIdI/s1710/011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1710" data-original-width="1710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9bFHM9gKRSY1bKrrcNFYrVjr-VJjAKnmQSNdrHkWWDOWKKJVg5gPYsxtyEAtcSB-UkBUr9EvENEcNxePiMvAF-HYgC-sLX02imytZkkybiIdRJBLN5r0aIFj351O22XX1QBjRgIqkIdI/s320/011.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Added a new head! Looking back I am still not quite happy with it, but there is a finite number
of times I can go in with acetone to take parts off. So if I didn’t want to start completely new, I had to make it work. So I just hope it’s one of those things that’s only annoying to me, because I
have been staring at the cover design for too long. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6yzQaNzVkkYjfpw0Mqbd32fkv5fJ_B67ea0GiVqKAR82ZiGADnKMCmOEZrDOyRGJD1D7B9QzGBLQgL6ejunEJT9vdPMDCqG2G3Dk3HBcJS1TqAOIgV_SlfqOOgQ-JK1w2OuX5ARI6zjk/s1927/012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1927" data-original-width="1926" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6yzQaNzVkkYjfpw0Mqbd32fkv5fJ_B67ea0GiVqKAR82ZiGADnKMCmOEZrDOyRGJD1D7B9QzGBLQgL6ejunEJT9vdPMDCqG2G3Dk3HBcJS1TqAOIgV_SlfqOOgQ-JK1w2OuX5ARI6zjk/s320/012.jpg" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
On to other nails! There are after all 5 of them and we have so far only covered one. To be fair the design on this nail and the ring finger took me probably about
5-10min, after I had spent about an hour just on the middle finger. This is in part because I decided to not stick to the design too strictly and
just imitate the idea of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsnUBRhiH8rB2mIb7k_DpViixJos7FLwcwCRgjyTLjRkzziVbVzr5siRet7kuAwzPRjMLuE1VZI8A_O8HQBuvAyGcAPnsV54aRhtjFipSDfIx92D3zs_NG7GXYMTl8NnLflVxyr7i-RQD/s1980/013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="1980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsnUBRhiH8rB2mIb7k_DpViixJos7FLwcwCRgjyTLjRkzziVbVzr5siRet7kuAwzPRjMLuE1VZI8A_O8HQBuvAyGcAPnsV54aRhtjFipSDfIx92D3zs_NG7GXYMTl8NnLflVxyr7i-RQD/s320/013.jpg" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
I even took a few creatively liberties by simplifying the small round baubles
that are all over the over and just transforming them into dots. But I just thought that trying to imitate the more intricate design on the
scale I am working would be a lost cause. (At least while painting with nail polish! I know a few nail artists that paint
with acrylic paint and therefore adhere to entirely different rules.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttWpXmfuZxr5qH_NvjZT6NAxZb94HkQ-WKte3WQkZNTefTexFWdtiev3pt8IS04urwZRfty8OyfrubxIs9UBg8RwuGky5QVWXm8ePE1bYSpL5js5RNDyi-YZmjgl1gKNt0WTuJjKt1-3i/s1961/014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="1961" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttWpXmfuZxr5qH_NvjZT6NAxZb94HkQ-WKte3WQkZNTefTexFWdtiev3pt8IS04urwZRfty8OyfrubxIs9UBg8RwuGky5QVWXm8ePE1bYSpL5js5RNDyi-YZmjgl1gKNt0WTuJjKt1-3i/s320/014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Went back to the middle finger and added a part of the umbrella, because I felt
like the top was too empty and then I ran into a creative block trying to
decide what to do with the empty two fingers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDXu6o3fVEDBh2VqjgKcmg8SG3_6NlZz2_pE4_MtFAyxa5icSr6mb4kjW21yuDv_VpKpHkbeYkeZeCJ2aa2VcMgHOqT2yZyrzWKA2OZKQoWitnE4Jgi_qWGo_N30UW5zKjiThLNqCaGnr/s2048/015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDXu6o3fVEDBh2VqjgKcmg8SG3_6NlZz2_pE4_MtFAyxa5icSr6mb4kjW21yuDv_VpKpHkbeYkeZeCJ2aa2VcMgHOqT2yZyrzWKA2OZKQoWitnE4Jgi_qWGo_N30UW5zKjiThLNqCaGnr/s320/015.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whenever I don’t know how to proceed, I kill some time by cleaning up. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I remove any nail polish that got on my skin and add top coat to any nails that
are completely finished. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I also add some cuticle oil around any finished nails, as acetone is very
drying to your skin. </span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
(Note: ONLY add it to nails when you are done with them. The oil layer between
nail polish layers would make then peel very fast and unsatisfactory)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwFaK0UeSqhCeWuPyf8wWpCBH1VP4HOh81X1p4fjNhHkvcOI7rq70spQod9ouTVxB_rUW8kA7TjDQiyZ3Tv10qp-F2GLGeKrR6MDarjdPgOGHmoM0om91Avk0oC5bWgm_ucPJNG2pM1HU/s1648/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1648" data-original-width="1063" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwFaK0UeSqhCeWuPyf8wWpCBH1VP4HOh81X1p4fjNhHkvcOI7rq70spQod9ouTVxB_rUW8kA7TjDQiyZ3Tv10qp-F2GLGeKrR6MDarjdPgOGHmoM0om91Avk0oC5bWgm_ucPJNG2pM1HU/s320/16.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcecBmmgubN5x5A1lHbgfrwuVYrKE8AS0xpXFobD4LOBlULlKF8onlL_pd3A-KGy2tl8-ZO7eYk1NyIBDDlKCfdC-sKYn25VmApdBj6XdKfUx-sGlDIWn0Ph1EH9WekLc4egiTm4DzP5st/s1080/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcecBmmgubN5x5A1lHbgfrwuVYrKE8AS0xpXFobD4LOBlULlKF8onlL_pd3A-KGy2tl8-ZO7eYk1NyIBDDlKCfdC-sKYn25VmApdBj6XdKfUx-sGlDIWn0Ph1EH9WekLc4egiTm4DzP5st/w279-h279/17.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><p class="Standard"><br /></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
Another thing I like to do these days, when I don’t know how to proceed is ask
the internet.<br />
Sometimes I listen to what the internet tells me and sometimes I make up my
mind and do whatever I want. </span></span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart">😉</span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> <br />
</span></span></span></p><p class="Standard"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As I was holding back all behind the scenes pictures for this blog post, I had
to be rather vague, but the answer was still very helpful!<br />
<br />
To see the end result, check out my Instagram: Books_polished<br /></span></span></span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="Standard"><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart" style="font-family: arial;">And if you have any questions about books or nail art, I am always more than
happy to chat </span><span class="Absatz-Standardschriftart" style="font-family: arial;">😊</span></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-17997394189410391682020-09-25T19:33:00.001+00:002020-09-25T19:33:12.482+00:00A Snowfall of Silver review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofNstDhmqJGHGEgwRu78q_TLrFcXtUb3WZ3uZRGuxJ8QHzkjhTcNNuBLXkNqwEm_QDf2PXka0ngmMExPWBV_FvLASga4B0FcRqpIPZi1c-OrGlGg3hM9akitrqP3AkXLbtg0LY0GCHF0B/s902/0F9EF5D3-9AA4-4856-8E9F-6C0737E1A7FF.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="902" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofNstDhmqJGHGEgwRu78q_TLrFcXtUb3WZ3uZRGuxJ8QHzkjhTcNNuBLXkNqwEm_QDf2PXka0ngmMExPWBV_FvLASga4B0FcRqpIPZi1c-OrGlGg3hM9akitrqP3AkXLbtg0LY0GCHF0B/s320/0F9EF5D3-9AA4-4856-8E9F-6C0737E1A7FF.JPG" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to Scholastic for the gifted copy!</span></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><i style="color: #6fa8dc;">A snow-dusted love story. In the Autumn of 1931, eighteen-year-old Freya Trevelyan runs away from her home in Cornwall to follow her dream of becoming an actress. When she is invited to join a theatrical company about to head out on tour, Freya thinks the path to success is clear, and, amidst all the glamour and bustle of stage life, she finds - for the first time - a place to belong. But can reality ever live up to her expectations? What if her life - and falling in love - turn out to be nothing like she planned? An enchanting coming of age romance about following your dreams - even when they aren't quite what you expected.</i></span><div><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Laura Wood is one of my favourite authors and<i> A Snowfall of Silver </i>is an absolutely gorgeous romance set against a backdrop of wintry weather and the theatre.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I thought I couldn't love characters as much as the ones in <i>A Sky Painted Gold</i>. Not only do a few of my faves turn up (hello, Robert), but I also really enjoyed meeting the characters in <i>A Snowfall of Silver</i>. Freya is so much fun! Her dramatic nature and craving to follow her dreams are irresistible and entertaining. There's also a likeable cast of secondary characters and I definitely took a shine to Kit. Laura Wood creates the best book boys!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The setting of this book is so evocative of winter, with cosy snowed-in scenes and invigorating wintry walks. The descriptions are deliciously sensory and the food scenes made me very, very hungry. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This is one of those books that is full of so much happiness, as well as dealing with thought-provoking subjects. The combination of the theatrical setting and a girl chasing her dreams make this an uplifting read.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>A Snowfall of Silver </i>is a beautifully written historical romance that is a perfect read for snuggling up on a wintry evening (or any time). I can already see myself rereading this every year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQPMzrNFDt4BexmVTyccGxazH9QOm8C5YN1jZY7nUDVwKPo4znTbtDQDiKRJXw6O70ZUD6AhkUvzT9_1crww1K_MR6kXTsW5LQyM2_cygwnM6tzDVZB707Ar1Rl04xo8ki-ylUp-5omnu/s200/yaundermyskin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="38" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQPMzrNFDt4BexmVTyccGxazH9QOm8C5YN1jZY7nUDVwKPo4znTbtDQDiKRJXw6O70ZUD6AhkUvzT9_1crww1K_MR6kXTsW5LQyM2_cygwnM6tzDVZB707Ar1Rl04xo8ki-ylUp-5omnu/s0/yaundermyskin.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CdZJlQwpXhwidPV0YZLLQkqV5cP4eVfh6QUWQ2PQS87ojZvVxKWBcl7MvhgLATKeWr2wlCLvrG5GGzhpe68GJtgpAzViIgoINA9H8c8FWXnNVHMAThVMhWAfFOx1a8LBvavk6MhKkxDK/s200/5star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="40" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CdZJlQwpXhwidPV0YZLLQkqV5cP4eVfh6QUWQ2PQS87ojZvVxKWBcl7MvhgLATKeWr2wlCLvrG5GGzhpe68GJtgpAzViIgoINA9H8c8FWXnNVHMAThVMhWAfFOx1a8LBvavk6MhKkxDK/s0/5star.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you liked the sound of this, try Laura Wood's other books or <i>Theatrical</i> by Maggie Harcourt.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-793277484840324582020-09-20T20:21:00.000+00:002020-09-20T20:21:27.626+00:00BBC Young Writers' Award 2020 shortlist<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been an ambassador for the Young Writers' Award for three years and once again there is an incredible shortlist, with varied themes including care homes, disability and immigration. I'm delighted to announce the shortlist. Congratulations everyone!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OW22-4yQzqbr_CR6yjLpSSFeNjF1MIdAgaj2ZQ8YTi92ms9KDWJagTfeyE-PuwxU9hSjZy6C9mNhnYK4tnY4BJ09btkP3mdN8APeh1ZcNB6fkktMKixZMhFu4w8bFsrvN2Bzdc98VGqL/s960/Twitter+-+YWA+Shortlist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OW22-4yQzqbr_CR6yjLpSSFeNjF1MIdAgaj2ZQ8YTi92ms9KDWJagTfeyE-PuwxU9hSjZy6C9mNhnYK4tnY4BJ09btkP3mdN8APeh1ZcNB6fkktMKixZMhFu4w8bFsrvN2Bzdc98VGqL/w390-h219/Twitter+-+YWA+Shortlist.png" width="390" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The
2020 BBC Young Writers’ Award shortlist is:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">‘Winds that Travel Across’ by </span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;"><b>Maleeha
Faruki</b></span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">, 18, from Leicester</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">‘Three Pomegranate Seeds’ by </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Mei
Kawagoe</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">, 15, from Leicestershire <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">‘Bingo Tuesdays’ by </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Ben
Marshall</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">, 18, from Otford, Kent<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">‘The Changeling’ by </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Lottie
Mills</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">, 18, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">‘The Battle of Trafalgar Square’ by </span></span><span class="normalchar"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Naomi
Thomas</span></b></span><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">, 17, from Sheffield <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">About the 2020 short stories:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; punctuation-wrap: simple; text-autospace: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>‘Winds that Travel Across’</i></b></span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b>
by Maleeha Faruki:</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;">Over the course of a car journey, a father shares his memories of
childhood, joys and hardships in India and the reasons he came to Britain. From
frozen mountain peaks, to bustling bazaars and kitchens thick with the scent of
lamb broth, this ‘effortless’ story was inspired by </span></span>‘people’s
views on immigrants during Brexit’,<span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> a desire to reflect the stories
that define us and the importance and humanity in individual experience. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>‘Three Pomegranate Seeds’</i></b></span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b>
by Mei Kawagoe:</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a highly imaginative and ‘fiercely evocative’ feminist retelling of a classic
myth, Mei, whose writing has been performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The
Other Place, gives voice and agency to the kidnapped Persephone in this ‘visceral’
and rebellious story. Poetic and dream-like, it exposes societal constraints
and the lessons girls are taught during childhood: to play small, be nice and
not ask for more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>‘Bingo Tuesdays’</i></b></span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b> by Ben Marshall:</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A ‘beautifully observed’ and ‘bittersweet’ story about family, loss and
memory, <i>Bingo Tuesdays</i> was inspired by Ben’s personal experience of visiting
care homes and the view that ‘sometimes care homes are where we discard the
elderly’. Tender, emotionally mature and with a vividly realised sense of place,
this story of a young man visiting his grandmother for their weekly bingo
sessions was also inspired by memories of bingo sessions at Butlins, family
experiences of Alzheimer’s and his grandparents love for each other. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>‘The Changeling’</i></b></span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b> by Lottie Mills:</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="normalchar"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Previously shortlisted in 2018, Lottie Mills #OwnVoices story was inspired
by frustration with ‘how difference, especially disability, is represented in
fiction’. Reclaiming the myth of the ‘changeling’ and transforming it from
something used to persecute and exclude into something magical, she explores
disability via the fantastic in this ‘heartbreakingly well-written’ and
‘genuine triumph’ of a fable about a young girl’s extraordinary coming of age.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>‘The Battle of Trafalgar Square’</i></b></span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial;"><b>
by Naomi Thomas:</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Described by judges as a ‘a punch in the face of a story, in
the best possible way,’ an ordinary commute on a crowded tube train is transformed
into a surreal and darkly, comic experience when a woman has an unexpected and
shocking accident. Written as practice for Naomi’s English Language GCSE, the
story exposes both the good and bad in human nature via a short story that highlights
the power of the form to ‘give us a complete literary experience in and of
itself’. An avid short story writer, Naomi was Highly Commended in the Young
Northern Writers’ Awards 2020. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="text-align: center;">The
shortlisted stories can be read and listened to online at: </b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ywa" style="text-align: center;">www.bbc.co.uk/ywa</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Key Dates:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">From 6pm Sunday 20<sup>th</sup>
September: </b><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">The five shortlisted stories and interviews with the writers are
available to listen to via the </span><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08lw2hh" style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="color: black;">Short Works podcast</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;"> on the BBC Sounds app and the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ywa" style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">BBC Radio 1 website</a></span></li><li><b style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">Tuesday 6 October:</b><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">The winners of the BBC Young Writers’ Award and the 15<sup>th</sup>
BBC National Short Story Award will be announced in a special short story
edition of </span><span class="normalchar" style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">BBC Radio 4’s Front Row from 7.15pm.</span></li><li><b style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">4</b><strong style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="background: white;">–</span></strong><b style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">6pm Sunday 11<sup>th</sup>
October: </b><span style="font-family: arial; text-indent: -18pt;">The winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award will be interviewed on Radio
1’s Life Hacks.</span></li></ul><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2812774433878283265.post-29020136815819019542020-09-18T11:00:00.001+00:002020-09-18T11:00:09.560+00:00Lindsay Cummings title announcement and extract<p><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: arial;"><i>I got a very exciting email from Harper Collins about an exciting new book by Lindsay Cummings, and now I get to share the gorgeous cover, title and an extract!</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: arial;"><i> </i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PEv0v1S_TmE3UjNQGVF3kHtE8JMgWfQk_7pMb5xaQyB2V0JmC8qFFcE8K4o8-3PmLQKqkTSBHUSYpaUZFpkBR-_JoTlX70tx69JckFWdLwOZ0VF1R1YsjZbGlenbfSI7hlJgGjEIMH8y/s767/177948-FC50+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: arial;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PEv0v1S_TmE3UjNQGVF3kHtE8JMgWfQk_7pMb5xaQyB2V0JmC8qFFcE8K4o8-3PmLQKqkTSBHUSYpaUZFpkBR-_JoTlX70tx69JckFWdLwOZ0VF1R1YsjZbGlenbfSI7hlJgGjEIMH8y/s320/177948-FC50+%25281%2529.JPG" /></i></span></a></div><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: arial;"><i>Just look at those colours! The blurb and extract are below. I'm really excited about this one! Thank you to Harper Collins for asking me to help spread the word.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Her destiny was death. The shadows brought
her back.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wrongly accused of her brother’s murder,
Sonara’s destiny was to die, sentenced to execution by her own mother. Punished
and left for dead, the shadows have cursed her with a second life as a
Shadowblood, cast out and hunted by society for her demon-like powers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now known as the Devil of the Deadlands, Sonara
survives as a thief on the edge of society, fighting for survival on a quest to
uncover what really happened to her brother and whether he is even dead at all…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Blood
Metal Bone</i></b><b> is the
astounding new novel from <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Lindsay
Cummings. This is the perfect adrenaline-packed read for fans of Leigh
Bardugo’s <i>Six of Crows</i>, <i>The Mandalorian</i> and Sarah J Maas’ Throne
of Glass series.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">To
celebrate the announcement of <i>Blood Metal
Bone, </i>the astounding new novel from <i>New
York Times </i>bestselling author Lindsay Cummings, HQ Stories have decided to
share an exclusive extract with us! Read on for more…</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara found him at the ocean’s
edge.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The
suns were just setting, a double green flash as they sank out of view beyond
the farthest stretch of sea.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Seated
on the sand, toes not far from the lapping waves, was Soahm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> A
mere speck in the distance, she hadn’t seen him in weeks, not since the battle.
Not since he’d returned home, wounded from a skirmish in the neighboring
Deadlands, his leg torn open and bloodied as he lay in the back of a soldier’s
cart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> “Slow,
beast,” Sonara murmured to Duran now, leaning back a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The
steed dropped to a calm walk, responding to the motion of her body. She’d
trained him to respond only to the pressure of her legs, to the click of her
tongue, to the shifting of her weight or a gentle murmur of a practiced
command.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The
trainers had called her a fool, at the beginning. But now the bastard girl of
Soreia had become the beast’s master. And perhaps one of the finest riders the
Kingdom had to offer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> “Go
on,” Sonara murmured as she stopped Duran and slid down from his back. “Eat
your fill.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> His
nostrils flared as he trotted off towards the dunes, fresh pale seagrass waving
atop it. Soahm’s mare was already there, happy as could be. The wind blew,
carrying her scent down the hillside, and Sonara swore she could feel a bit of
peace wash over her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Her footsteps were drowned
out by the crashing sea as she approached her brother. The prince was busy
sketching, the back of his left hand turned dark from smudges of charcoal. She
rarely saw him without those telltale smudges. The moon was out in full
tonight, a beautiful blue that cast a cool glow across the beach.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“What are you doing
all the way out here, Soahm?” Sonara asked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">They were nearly an
hour’s ride from the castle, on the fringes of the freelands where herds of
wild steeds still roamed. He often came out here, to think. To enjoy the
silence, without their mother barking commands, or filling his list with
countless princely duties.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara wouldn’t know a
life like that. And in that, at least, she was grateful for her separation from
the ones she could have called family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Sonara.” Soahm sighed
her name in greeting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She could sense the
sadness in him, as deep as the ocean floor. He tossed a lilac shell into the
sea. “I can’t lead this kingdom the way she wants me to.” He glared at his
injured leg, splayed before him in a splint. Beside him, a discarded crutch
that had become his constant companion. “I’m broken, Sonara.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Broken?” Her dark
eyes widened. “You’re injured, Soahm. That’s a far cry from broken. You’ll
heal.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“There’s a chance I
won’t.” Soahm looked at her fully, and his blue eyes, so unlike hers, were
rimmed with red. “The healers say it’s possible that I’ll never fully recover.
The people want a <i>warrior</i>, Sonara.
Like our mother. They want to know that their future king will rule with sword
and shield, will not balk or falter in the face of his enemies. I cannot give
them that.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Perhaps you never
could,” Sonara said with a shrug.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those blue eyes
widened ever more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She held up a hand and
offered him a gentle smile. “You’re not like that, Soahm. Before the injury,
after it . . . it’s never been <i>you.</i>
If they want a king like that, they can move north to the Deadlands, and bow at
Jira’s feet. Or worse, to the White Wastes, and praise the ice queen.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Soahm frowned, his
brow furrowing. “You think me weak?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The opposite,” Sonara
said. “I think you’re strong. But in a different way. Perhaps a better way . .
.” She considered for a moment, as a distant pod of sea wyverns splashed their
tails above the waves. “Yima rides with heavy heels. The steeds respond, but
they don’t respect her.” Sonara reached out, and scooped up a handful of sand,
letting it fall through her fingertips. The grains danced away on the wind.
“The people want someone they can respect, and it isn’t always earned with a
warrior’s sword. Give them a reason to follow you. Give them a leader they can
be proud of. Bend a knee to their level, and show them you understand their
struggles, their worries and fears, that you care about filling their bellies
and giving their children a safe place to learn and play and sleep.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“But how can I do
that?” Soahm asked. “How can I do that like <i>this</i>?<i>
</i>The Great War ended when Jira rose to power, but skirmishes still rise.
There is still unrest on the borderlands.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara grabbed her
brother’s hand and squeezed it, forcing him to pay attention. To look at her <i>clearly</i>, with her muddied blue hair, her dark eyes, her differences
that marked her as a bastard. The lowest of the low. “<i>See</i> <i>them</i>, Soahm. <i>All </i>of them, not just the wealthy and
the nobles. See them <i>all</i>, the way you
have always seen me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">He squeezed her hand
back, then let it go. They sat together for a time, watching the stars wink
down from the sky. Behind them, Duran had crossed to the hills, his face buried
in the seagrass as he filled his ever-hungering belly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Let’s walk,” Soahm
said. His voice was a bit lighter, the heaviness replaced by what Sonara felt
was, perhaps, hope.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She reached out a hand
to help him stand. He took it gratefully, a prince that was never too proud,
and together, they walked, their cloaks dancing behind them in the wind. In the
distant sky, a star was falling, a trail of glitter in its wake.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I’ve spent more time
sketching,” Soahm said. “Mother doesn’t know, of course. She’d slay me herself
if she thought I was wasting my time sketching when I could be studying.” He
reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out his leather-bound journal. On the
front, a stamped insignia of a rearing steed. He flipped through the pages
until he landed on a sketch of a warrioress, seated atop Duran.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“It’s me,” Sonara
said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She smiled.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The She-Devil,” Soahm
said with a wink. “Keep it<i>.</i>”<i>
</i>He passed her the journal. “I
have plenty. Try your hand at a sketch, Little Sister. It’s kept me busy during
my recovery.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara laughed, for
she’d never been able to sit still enough to sketch, but she tucked the journal
into her cloak anyways, to humor him. She was about to suggest they turn back,
her body growing tired, when the star in the distance caught her eye again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stars didn’t fall
quite like that, cutting through the night like a beacon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Do you . . .” Sonara
pointed. “Do you see it?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Soahm followed her
gaze through the sky, the light reflecting upon the black sea. It drew ever
closer, the brightness intensifying until she saw that it was not a star.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rather, it was a <i>shape</i>,<i> </i>a blazing trail of
fire beyond it. A shape that looked like the head of an arrow, slicing through
the sky; metallic. Not of this world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The wind kicked up,
gusting towards her as a rumble sounded from the object, shooting across the
sky like a war drum.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara’s blood felt
cold, her heartbeat rising to her throat. <i>Danger.
</i>She felt it, a sickness spreading through her gut. Behind her, Duran and
the mare cried out, then galloped over the hills, out of sight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Run,” Sonara
whispered. She gripped Soahm’s hand, her nails digging into his skin as fear
overcame her. “Soahm, <i>run</i>!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She turned, tugging
him along with her. The beach was a wide expanse of sand spreading into the
dunes beyond. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to bury themselves in the shadows,
except . . . <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span lang="EN-US">The
cave on the edge of the Devil’s Dunes. </span></i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">A burial ground for
the dead, a sacred space that was not to be disturbed, and yet Sonara found
herself tugging Soahm towards the yawning black mouth of it, the safety of
darkness calling them home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Slow down!”<i>
</i>Soahm yelled. He stumbled, but Sonara tugged his hand harder, her fear a
living thing inside of her now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="_Hlk49350002"><i><span lang="EN-US">Run</span></i></a><span lang="EN-US">,</span><i><span lang="EN-US">
</span></i><span lang="EN-US">it beckoned. <i>Run, and do not slow down.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She had always been
smaller than most, lithe and used to working long hours in the stables. She
pushed herself, legs burning as she trudged through the deep sand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Behind her, the object
closed in, screaming from the sky as the winds kicked up. She looked overhead
as light flared. She saw only metal, like a great beast in the sky, a crimson
bird painted upon its belly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">At some point her
sweaty hand slipped from Soahm’s. She reached the mouth of the cave, darkness
swallowing her up, safety wrapping its arms around her as she disturbed the
domain of the dead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She turned in time to
see Soahm hit the sand. For a moment, her panic cleared at the sight of him,
his crutch discarded, his hand reaching for her.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">But fear snapped its
angry jaws, freezing Sonara in place as her entire body shook. Soahm sruggled
to his feet, then cried out in pain again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">He was crawling now,
his leg splayed at an awkward angle behind her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Sonara!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She saw his lips move,
forming her name. But she could not hear him over the screeching of the metal
beast in the sky. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She took a step
forward, her whole body so seized in fear that her legs felt leaden.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another step. <i>She could do this. She could save Soahm. </i>She
reached out her hand, leaving the shadows just as a beam of blue light erupted
from the belly of the beast. It surrounded Soahm, lifting him from the sand. He
screamed and thrashed, trying to escape, but he was powerless to the beam’s
hold, as if it were some dark, powerful magic. His arms stretched, his amulet
dangling from his tunic, shining in the beam as the beast’s great metal belly
yawned wide, pulling him inside before slamming back shut.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Soahm was gone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The floor beneath the Queen’s
dais was bathed in blood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was a cool night,
steam still rising from the rivers of crimson that had pooled between the
pearlescent green tiles. They came to a stop at the edge of the throne room, where
rows of soldiers stood guard, swords and spears in hand. Behind them, a thick
crowd stood watching the public trial.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">All had been called to
file in, to boo and jeer and stomp their feet as Queen Iridis charged <a name="_Hlk49155656">the Bastard Girl of Soreia </a>with the murder of the Crown
Prince.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“You will never shed
your filth on this Kingdom again,” Iridis said. She lifted a hand in command.
Another lash of the whip followed. The sharpened prongs tore Sonara’s skin away
in bleeding chunks, dragging through muscle down to bone. “You will spend the
rest of your days wandering the planet alone like the bastard you were born
as.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">“</span><span lang="EN-US">I
didn’t kill the prince!”<i> </i>Sonara
screamed. She hardly recognized her own voice, as if her vocal cords had been
ripped to shreds with each scream following the lash of the whip. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The crowd began to
boo, spitting as they stared at Sonara with disgust in their eyes. The skin on
her back was torn to ribbons; the blood that was half-Soahm’s pooling around
her body.<i> Gone. </i>Soahm was <i>gone. </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some, watching from
the sides, held hands to their faces, horrified as the Queen’s guard slung the
whip again. Blood and bits of flesh rained upon the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">But they hadn’t
uttered a word in her defense. Nothing to lay claim to the fact that they might
have seen the great metal beast falling from the sky, lighting up the night
like a beacon before it took Soahm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara hadn’t known <i>true</i> pain, hadn’t known agony, until
this moment. She became only the rush of hot blood running down her back, knew
only the wicked kiss of the whip as it feasted on her skin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">How many times would
her mother order her flayed? How many strokes of that whip would she endure,
before death stole her away?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was a mercy she
would have begged for, had she the strength to utter the words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She’d come to the
castle last night to <i>save </i>him. She’d
ridden from that hellish beach as fast as Duran could carry them both. She’d
burst through the gates, his hooves pounding across the cobbles like a war
drum, not caring about the citizens diving out of the way, or the soldiers
standing guard, the weapons they’d pointed as they’d commanded her to halt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nothing else mattered,
for the Crown Prince was <i>gone. </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Up, and away, into the
silent skies, as if he’d never existed at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Beneath the moon,
Sonara had pleaded with the guards to wake her mother, and by the grace of the
goddesses, the Queen had come, wrapped in robes, her face gaunt as she listened
to Sonara sob the truth of Soahm’s taking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Iridis hadn’t believed
her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She’d placed the blame
of Soahm’s disappearance upon <i>Sonara, </i>refusing
to believe her tall tale of a great metal beast soaring down from the night
skies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, Sonara lay dying,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“He was my firstborn.
The heir to the Soreian throne,”<i> </i>the
Queen said. She stood atop the dais, her voice ringing out across the throne
room, sickeningly calm. “You killed him. For that, you will die.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The whip came down
again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“Bastard!”
</span></i><span lang="EN-US">the
crowd shouted.<i> “The Bastard girl of
Soreia!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another lash.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“You have no name,” the
Queen said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Skin, torn away from
Sonara’s muscles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“You have no kingdom.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Muscles, torn away
from her bones.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then the sentence
came.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Tonight,” the Queen
said, as silence swept across the throne room, “you will die.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">In her mind, Sonara
escaped to thoughts of the girl Soahm had once spoken of: the She-Devil, the
dream she should have grabbed a hold of when they’d thought it up together in
the stables. She should have run far, far away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Her other
half-siblings, the princes and princesses of Soreia, stood with their arms
crossed on the dais, the fringes of their robes flecked with her blood. They
watched, unwavering as their mother beat Sonara to the end of breathing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">They left just enough
life in her to perform <a name="_Hlk49156034">the Leaping</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">At dusk, Sonara was
placed on an open wagon and carted to the edge of the Kingdom in full view, so
that the watching crowd could gaze upon the fate of a kingdom’s traitor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">They gathered and grew
and followed to the edge of Cradle’s Cliff. It towered so high the clouds kissed
it, moistened the earth like it had been covered in a blanket of winter’s
breath. The ocean raged against the rocks below, sea-spray erupting in the air
where it was picked up by the wind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The salt air stung as
it landed on Sonara’s open back. Her vision flitted from dark to light as the
cart wheels groaned to a stop, and strong hands lifted her ruined body.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She could scarcely
hold open her eyes as the crowd chanted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">But one sound broke
above it all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">A cry. A mighty,
beastly screech that forced her eyes open.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Duran.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Her heart sank. There
he was, the beast that had become <i>hers</i>, fighting for freedom at the edge of
the cliff. Two trainers held a rope, their feet scrambling for purchase against
the moist earth as Duran reared and threw his mighty head about, trying in vain
to escape. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">They made her watch as
they bound him, man by man, ropes on his legs, ropes slung around his strong
neck. His red eyes were ablaze, sides heaving as he stood there, a captive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">He was <i>hers. </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that made him as
good as dead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span lang="EN-US">Fight</span></i><span lang="EN-US">,</span><i><span lang="EN-US"> </span></i><span lang="EN-US">Sonara wanted to tell him, as she
was lifted from the cart by strong soldier hands. She hung between two men as
they dragged her towards Duran, feet scraping the earth. <i>Oh, goddesses, just keep fighting.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">But in her presence,
at her touch, the mighty steed calmed. He allowed Sonara to be placed upon him,
those very ropes used to bind them both together as the guards slung her on his
back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She knew this death:
the Leaping.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">A death reserved for a
traitor. A coward. A deserter, tied to the back of their own steed, forced to
ride over the edge of the abyss. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The crowd cheered, as
Sonara slumped forwards on Duran. They made a path, two sides that closed in,
the nearer they got to the edge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Over the edge,” the
Queen said. “To a death that has no peace. No silence. <i>No end.</i>”<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The trainers released
the ropes, cracking the whip over Duran’s back as they commanded him forwards.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">His nostrils flared.
But he steeled himself and did not move.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Again,” the Queen
commanded. The tips of her blue braids danced in the wind, mirroring her cold
blue eyes. Soahm’s<i> </i>eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The whip cracked
again, doubly as hard. Duran screamed as his skin split open. But still, he
held his ground.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tears streamed down
Sonara’s cheeks. She had only enough strength to utter a plea. <i>“</i><i>Just me.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the Queen only
lifted her hand again, and the guards brought down the whip once more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Duran finally took a
step forward. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“Fight
against them,” </span></i><span lang="EN-US">Sonara
thought to him. With everything in her, she wished he could hear her words,
could take comfort in her presence. <i>“Don’t
let it end like this.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another step. This one
a lurch as Duran sidestepped, another lash open on his side. The motion sent
pain rocketing into Sonara’s body, the wind howling, the cold salt spray like a
knife reopening her wounds. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Direct him,” the
Queen ordered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">She marched up to
Sonara’s side, reached out and gripped her by the chin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">“For you there will be
no grave.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara spat in her face.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then she turned, her
fingers digging into Duran’s wet mane. The crowd closed in behind them, pushing
until onwards, the mighty steed stepped. He kept stepping as the crowd pressed
in, until it became a jog. Until the jog became a thundering canter, consciousness
slipping from Sonara’s grasp with every beat of his hooves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">The last thing she
saw, the last thing she heard, was Duran’s defiant cry as they made the
Leaping. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Over the cliff they
soared, tumbling headlong into the raging waters below.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonara could have
sworn, just before death stole her away, that soft hands caressed her skin.
That the sea split open around both of their bodies. That tendrils of shadowy
darkness slithered up from the depths of the sea and wove their way around her
skin, coiling against her fingertips, her legs, her throat. Sliding their way
into her mouth, choking her last breath. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then a whisper.
Delicate, but as steady as the nearby tides as she drifted, slowly, towards
dark.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not
yet, my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not
yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Afterwards came stillness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Silence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Death.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="_GoBack"></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">Want to carry on reading? </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://netgal.ly/Vbviw4"><b>Request <i>Blood Metal Bone</i> on NetGalley now</b></a></span><b style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US">!</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US">Blood
Metal Bone</span></i></b><b><span lang="EN-US"> is coming January
2021. Available to pre-order </span></b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Metal-Bone-Lindsay-Cummings/dp/0008292795/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1599827773&sr=8-1"><b>here</b></a></span></span><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">. </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></p>YA Under My Skinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16853161714159066797noreply@blogger.com0