Michelle

I reviewed the first book here: http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/7149-the-red-pyramid-by-rick-riordan/page__hl__riordan__fromsearch__1 I haven't read the others yet. You said you haven't bought them yet - have you read them?

Maureen, what's happened to Malta.. why don't you love us any more?! We gave you 5 points!

It's one of those books for kids which I think quite a few adults will like too. It's hard to describe, but it's not your average kids fairytale.. the world and the characters are rather different and interesting, there are dark undertones, some clever touches etc.

Yep, I've listened to them all on audio. I like the third book, but it seemed to be dragging a bit.. I think I miss the small group, and am not so keen on everyone doing different things.

I'm about half-way through the third book, and have taken a break. I too would have liked it a bit shorter.. still a very good series though.

Just sat in bed with a coffee and finished The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (which I wish wasn't so long to type!).. it's quite a magical book, reminding me of Alice in Wonderland, Labyrinth etc. definitely impressed with that one!

Did you mean Banquet for the Damned, or Ritual? The former is slower, but I think I preferred it. With Ritual, I enjoyed the first half, but the rest went a little further than I usually liked. I have a copy of Banquet for the Damned which I can lend out if you wish?

Thanks Claire - I have an editor lined up next. If anyone has any particular questions, let me know, and I'll see if Sam can answer.

Now for something a little different.. as we have people on here who are interested in the whole publishing process, as well as writers, I'm hoping to bring you a series of interviews from the world of publishing. First up, and bravely going first, is Sam Eades, from Headline... Q. Hi Sam – can you start by telling us your official job title, and a little about what it entails? A. So my official job title is “Publicity Manager”, and I am responsible for planning and implementing publicity campaigns for on average of 6-8 titles per month, through traditional and online channels. Ahem. Which is a fancy way of saying that the job includes: placing interviews with authors across the media (tv, radio, print, online), encouraging reviewers (traditional and online) to run reviews of the books during the run up to publication, pitching for author-written opinion pieces/features/articles/blog posts, pitching authors to literary festivals, libraries and for bookshop events and arranging all the logistics around that from travel to advertising material. I organise author tours, publication dinners, launch parties as well as our presence at big festivals such as Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Effectively, I talk about Headline’s books and authors pretty much every second of every day whether by phone/email/face to face/on social networks externally (to media, festival programmers, booksellers, librarians, buyers, authors, agents and readers) and internally (to other departments). As a department, we work closely with our colleagues in sales, marketing and editorial from reading submissions to attending pitches for new authors. I also make A LOT OF TEA. Q. How did you get into publishing, what sort of career path did you follow? A. I did an English Literature degree at the University of Durham, and spent three years reading lots of books and going to lots of parties, which proved a fantastic foundation for a career in publicity. After graduating I spent months doing a number of work experience placements at various publishers, press offices and at a literary agency. Then I was very lucky to get a publicity assistant job at Transworld Publishers, where I spent 18 months as an assistant to the Publicity Director and two Publicity Managers before being promoted to press officer. You learn so much as a publicity assistant, you get to shadow more senior colleagues on high profile campaigns and really learn the ropes before taking on campaigns of your own. I then moved to Headline, and have been here three years in September. Q. Is it something you always thought about – or were there other careers which ended up discarded? A. I read a lot of crime fiction as a child and am very nosy, so did at one point contemplate a career as a forensic scientist/pathologist/hot shot DI before swiftly realising that a weak constitution would probably prevent me from scaling the career ladder. Q. And if you could now have any job in the world.. what would you be doing? A. I very much admire the musical talent of Olly Murs, and would like a job in his entourage. Q. Back to reality.. what is the best part of your job? A. The best bit of my job is simply convincing someone to start reading an amazing book, then the writer takes over and does my job for me. That sounds cheesy right? Cheesy but true! What is great about this job is that it is so varied, and allows you to be incredibly creative. An average day for me has included taking an 80 strong Glee Choir around London, convincing an ice-sculptor to make a 3 grand ice sculpture for free, successfully pitching an author to be a writer-in-residence on East Coast Rail and baking 12 authentic Elizabethan tarts for an event at a literature festival. Safe to say this job is never boring! Also, I really love putting together overly detailed publicity schedules and spend hours chatting to our travel agents. We are on first name terms, and I am attending their annual summer party.... Q. And the worse? A. The hangovers. Joke! Q. You can often be found on twitter – how important do you think the internet is when it comes to publicity? A. Are you saying that I spend too much time on twitter and not enough time working Michelle? Joking aside, the role of a publicist is to let the potential audience for a book know that the book exists and is out, in the hope that they might buy it - and these days, this audience is online 24/7. Therefore a large part of my day is spent communicating with potential readers online through social networking sites, and pitching authors for interviews/features/blog posts etc on relevant websites and blogs. Q. A while ago, word of mouth via book blogs seemed to be very important – do you think this is still so? A. Bloggers are fantastic at getting behind a book, and convincing others to buy it, read it, and pass it on to their friends. I spend a lot more of my time monitoring what people are saying about the books and authors that I work on and it is great when a blogger bangs the drum for a book that I am working on. For example, there has been a real buzz amongst YA bloggers and authors about Tanya Byrne’s Heart-Shaped Bruise. The community has really rallied behind that book and not a day goes by when I don’t see someone recommending it online to a fellow reader. This reader to reader recommendation is really important, and shows how bloggers can generate online word-of-mouth. Q. Tell us a little about you as a reader… what do you like reading, and who are some of your favourite authors? A. I may have mentioned that I am a bit of a crime fiction buff... outside of the Headline massive, I love Jo Nesbo, Val McDermid, SJ Bolton, Tess Gerristen, PD James, Sophie Hannah, Nicci French... basically any book that has a dead body and a policeman in it. This year I seem to have read a lot of debut novels, and cannot rave enough about Tigers in Red Weather (made me want to drink gin out of jelly jars), Wonder (made me sob on public transport) and This is How It Ends (made me invest heavily in waterproof mascara). From the Headline stable, I’ve just finished The Dog Stars by Peter Heller which I absolutely loved. As someone who couldn’t finish The Road as it was a wee bit bleak, this was one of those books that made me glad to be alive. Sorry, did I mention that I have to talk about Headline books every second of every day?

Currently reading: Shadow of Night - Deb Harkness (proof) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M Valente Currently listening: Now You See Me - S J Bolton Lots of other books and audiobooks are on hold and quite a few more have found their way to my house!

The Pledge - Kimberley Derting Kimberley Derting is well known for her Body Finder series, but in her next series she brings something very different. The Pledge is a YA fantasy series, in a dystopian land controlled by female queens. There is a very strict class system, with each class having it’s own language. To look at someone in a higher class when they are using their own language can result in death. Charlaina has a special ‘gift’ which means that she can understand every language, something she obviously has to be very careful to keep hidden. In addition to this, there’s a magical element. The ruling queen has actually reigned for many hundreds of years, each time persuading a daughter to accept her soul. This has now come to an end, as there are no daughters, and male heirs mean nothing, and cannot inherit. Charlaina’s life appears normal when we first meet her, apart from her ability – she has friends, attends school, puts up with bullying and helps her parents. This all begins to change when she’s taken to an underground club by her friend, and when she overhears Max, who speaks a language she’s never heard before. From here, things soon change, and Kimberley has produced a fast paced story full of surprises. There’s a gentle romance story, but also some powerful scenes of war as things break down. For me, the star of the book is Charlaina’s young sister, Angelina, as she’s just adorable.. and the relationship between the two sisters is powerful and heart-warming. It’s suggested that she’ll play a bigger role in the second book, so I’m hoping. The story is complete in itself, but it’s also the first part in a trilogy – there’s a slightly darker feel towards the end of the book, and Kimberley has said there’s more darkness to come. The only thing I really struggled with was the combination of dystopia and magic, because they are two genres I’ve not seen together. The magical element is however necessary for the story progression, and I think it’ll seem much more natural by book two. Kimberley Derting now offers two very different series for the YA market, both of which I feel can be enjoyed by older adults too. With the genres of thriller and now fantasy covered, I wonder what she’ll bring us next! Hollow Pike - James Dawson Hollow Pike tells the story of Lis London, a teenager who moves in with her older sister to escape bullying at her old school. When she’s befriended by the popular girls at her new school, she hopes she’ll get the new start she hoped for. It soon becomes apparent however, that she’s drawn to three outsiders, and she has to make a decision between the two groups. However, when a prank ends horribly, she has to question everyone. On one level, this is a tale about fitting in, friendship, finding out who you are, and dealing with the effects of bullying. James has captured the thoughts and actions of this age group, and he’s created some rather brilliant characters, especially Kitty and Delilah. On another level is a murder mystery, which leads Lis to question who could be responsible, and who she can trust. Finally, there’s a supernatural element – the witchcraft mentioned on the cover is essential to the story, but is subtly done. The writing is very atmospheric, and the tension builds to a crescendo at the end. These various elements work so well together, it has a creepy feel without being too scary, and I would highly recommend it to fans of most YA genres – and there’s plenty to appeal to adults as well. It’s a contemporary tale which blends seamlessly with ancient tales of witchcraft, all brought together by some excellent writing. James Dawson is another author I knew nothing about until invited to a Foyles YA event. I’m glad that changed, because Hollow Pike was one of my favourite reads this year, and I look forward to whatever comes next. It has been hinted that if Hollow Pike is popular enough, we may get to hear Kitty’s story next. That’s something I’d love to read, so please go ahead and buy!

Can I butt in to say that I really liked Ender's Game. I had some criticisms along the way, but the overall effect as excellent, and I can't even remember what niggled me.

Janet, I listened to the radio version of War of the Worlds as an audiobook, and I loved it.

Hollow Pike tells the story of Lis London, a teenager who moves in with her older sister to escape bullying at her old school. When she’s befriended by the popular girls at her new school, she hopes she’ll get the new start she hoped for. It soon becomes apparent however, that she’s drawn to three outsiders, and she has to make a decision between the two groups. However, when a prank ends horribly, she has to question everyone. On one level, this is a tale about fitting in, friendship, finding out who you are, and dealing with the effects of bullying. James has captured the thoughts and actions of this age group, and he’s created some rather brilliant characters, especially Kitty and Delilah. On another level is a murder mystery, which leads Lis to question who could be responsible, and who she can trust. Finally, there’s a supernatural element – the witchcraft mentioned on the cover is essential to the story, but is subtly done. The writing is very atmospheric, and the tension builds to a crescendo at the end. These various elements work so well together, it has a creepy feel without being too scary, and I would highly recommend it to fans of most YA genres – and there’s plenty to appeal to adults as well. It’s a contemporary tale which blends seamlessly with ancient tales of witchcraft, all brought together by some excellent writing. James Dawson is another author I knew nothing about until invited to a Foyles YA event. I’m glad that changed, because Hollow Pike was one of my favourite reads this year, and I look forward to whatever comes next. It has been hinted that if Hollow Pike is popular enough, we may get to hear Kitty’s story next. That’s something I’d love to read, so please go ahead and buy! You can find out more about James on his blog, including why he’s hoping to become the first male Queen of Teen!

Thanks VF - I do find that I don't chat on the forum much any more, and this little thread of mine is very quiet, but I'm certainly busy!

I'd wait for the competition to finish first - you could end up with a signed copy!

Divergent and Insurgent are brilliant. Do you mean you only have the 1st of the Body Finder series in Brazil? I thought the 4th book was the best.

Thanks for the review - I've been seeing this on twitter, and as you've seen, it's in my wishlist. I also fancy the Iron Fey series. Sigh, too many good looking books, not enough time!

I've been busy recently with reading, reviewing, sorting competitions etc! I'm now up to 20 books read (or listened to) but I also have quite a few on hold. I'm trying desperately to prioritise review books, but I have some great books yelling at me from my recent TBR pile!

Kimberley Derting is well known for her Body Finder series, but in her next series she brings something very different. The Pledge is a YA fantasy series, in a dystopian land controlled by female queens. There is a very strict class system, with each class having it’s own language. To look at someone in a higher class when they are using their own language can result in death. Charlaina has a special ‘gift’ which means that she can understand every language, something she obviously has to be very careful to keep hidden. In addition to this, there’s a magical element. The ruling queen has actually reigned for many hundreds of years, each time persuading a daughter to accept her soul. This has now come to an end, as there are no daughters, and male heirs mean nothing, and cannot inherit. Charlaina’s life appears normal when we first meet her, apart from her ability – she has friends, attends school, puts up with bullying and helps her parents. This all begins to change when she’s taken to an underground club by her friend, and when she overhears Max, who speaks a language she’s never heard before. From here, things soon change, and Kimberley has produced a fast paced story full of surprises. There’s a gentle romance story, but also some powerful scenes of war as things break down. For me, the star of the book is Charlaina’s young sister, Angelina, as she’s just adorable.. and the relationship between the two sisters is powerful and heart-warming. It’s suggested that she’ll play a bigger role in the second book, so I’m hoping. The story is complete in itself, but it’s also the first part in a trilogy – there’s a slightly darker feel towards the end of the book, and Kimberley has said there’s more darkness to come. The only thing I really struggled with was the combination of dystopia and magic, because they are two genres I’ve not seen together. The magical element is however necessary for the story progression, and I think it’ll seem much more natural by book two. Kimberley Derting now offers two very different series for the YA market, both of which I feel can be enjoyed by older adults too. With the genres of thriller and now fantasy covered, I wonder what she’ll bring us next!

Andie, I know it's a general comment as well, but as far as the forum is concerned, we had to reach a consensus on how to divide the genres, without confusing people with too many sections. It was changed slightly, but this is just what we finally decided on.