Saturday 31 May 2014

Promotion: Alien Legends by Gill Shutt

Alien Legends
By Gill Shutt

From astonishing worlds of fantasy, aliens, and magic, the Repository of Imagination has been collecting tales since the dawn of time. Now, for the first time, selected story spheres from the Repository have been translated into human languages. Open your mind to the splendor of other worlds, to fantastic creatures so alike you humans in some ways, yet in other ways so different. Learn the cautionary tales of those whose lives played out eons before your own.

Available at Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.

Author Interview: Gill Shutt

Gill Shutt has written Alien Legends.


1. What is your name and where do you call home?
My name is Gill (short for Gillian) Shutt and Wales is where I live although I’m English by birth.

2. Do you have a pen name?
My pen is called Brian. Seriously... no, I never expect to become famous enough to need one.

3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
The book is Alien Legends. It’s a book of short stories, myths and legends from alien planets collected by The Repository of Imagination.

4. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
I’m in the process of co-editing a follow on to Alien Legends called Weird Legends. My niece, Elena Çoban, is helping with all the technical stuff like punctuation while I get to say yea or nay to the authors when they send their work in. We are both putting a story in too.

5. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing so long I can’t remember and wrote as a child. I don’t think I was inspired, I just needed to get the stories and poems out of my head.

6. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
Yes, yes I do.

7. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
Tim Taylor, my editor at Greyhart Press, found the cover for me. It’s by Dragonfly22 from Shutterstock.com

8. Which is your favourite cover of all the books you have written?
I think my favourite is still from The Legends of Light, my first book. Slava Gerj is the artist and it is so full of detail you could look at it for hours and still miss bits.

9. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?
No

10. Do you have a playlist in mind for any of your books?  
No, I tend to forget about them once I’ve written them, I’m always thinking about the next one before the edits are finished.

11. Did you listen to any particular songs whilst writing your books?
Not that I can remember, I’m too busy listening to my tinnitus.

12. Would you have different book covers for different countries?
No, I don’t see the point. If the cover fits then why change it?

13. How did you come up with the title for your book?
It was self explanatory really.

14. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
Only if there are any typos in it.

15. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
No I don’t, I made a very short one for Legends and posted it on YouTube but it never took off. Which wasn’t surprising since it only lasted about a minute. I don’t have the doohickeys on my laptop to do a decent job of a trailer, maybe one day.

16. Do you have a “Dreamcast” in mind for any of your books?
No... see the answer to question 10. I haven’t written anything that would transfer well to film or TV, in my opinion.

17. What is your opinion of ARCs?
If you mean advanced reading copies, Greyhart always prints Beta copies and we get nice people to give it a read through, point out errors and give their opinions. And we are happy to send out copies as soon as we are happy with the finished result or as long as people don’t mind getting the Beta copy which may or may not be full of typos... it will if it’s one of mine. If you mean Attack Retrieve and Capture... I have no opinion.

18. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
My kindle has a hemp cover which opens like a book, has a pocket for a notebook and a pen holder and feels like a book... if it wasn’t for that I’d have to say paperback. There’s something about holding a ‘real’ book and turning the pages that is far more satisfying than clicking a button.

19. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
No, Greyhart Press is an Indie publisher and they (Tim) publish my books for me. I wouldn’t know where to start doing it for myself and couldn’t afford an editor to get it up to scratch.

20. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
Far too many to mention but my favourites are the Ryhope Wood series of books... a combination of fantasy and Jungian archetypes or mythagos.

21. Have you ever bought a specific edition of a book because of it’s cover? (For example a UK, US or Canadian version)
No, I ALWAYS read the blurb to save disappointment.

22. What is your opinion of novellas?
I love novellas. Since I developed fibromyalgia my concentration levels are zilch and short stories and novellas are great for those days when I have no short term memory. If I read a full novel I’d have to go back the following day and reread what I’d read so far because I’d have forgotten half of it.

23. Have you ever read a book just based on it’s cover?
No

24. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
Yes, there are a lot of books on the market these days that look like rubbish just based on their artwork. If they can’t be bothered to get a decent cover then they probably haven’t bothered to get a decent editor or even thought much past the first write up.

25. What is your favourite film based on a book?
I no longer watch films... or TV for that matter. A combination of tinnitus in both ears and an inability to sit upright for long tends to ruin it. I suppose TLOTR would have to rank as the best.

26. What is your favourite book genre at the moment?
At the moment I’m reading murder mysteries, tomorrow... who knows?

27. What books have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?
Dodger’s Guide to London by Terry Pratchett... I loved Dodger and I’m a Londoner. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch because I have the other books in the series and love them. And The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman because I love all his work.

28. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
I’m reading a book by Susan Hill, a Simon Serrailler detective novel, The Risk of Darkness... in paperback

29. If you could invite any four celebrities (alive or dead) to your dinner party, who would you invite and why?
Dead: Isaac Asimov and Gerald Durrell because I loved their work as a teenager and still do. Alive: Neil Gaiman to get some tips on how to earn money out of writing and Dr Jane Goodall to find out all about her work with chimpanzees which I find fascinating.

30. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
Don’t stop, just keep on going until you get to the end then leave it and go back to it once you have forgotten what you wrote. The best advice I have been given is to put your work away and only read it through after you have forgotten half of it. That way you read what you really wrote not what you think you wrote. It’s so easy to miss things because your brain will read what it thinks is there not what you actually put on the paper.

31. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
I keep a lot of pets... 2 dogs, a cat, two mice, a rat and a snake. I make jewellery when my fingers work well enough not to scatter beads all over the house.

32. Where can your readers follow you?



Twitter: @fibrochimp



Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!

Friday 30 May 2014

Through My Letterbox! 30/05/14

Through My Letterbox is a meme that myself and my mum (from JeanzBookReadNReview) created to showcase the books that we receive and review on our sites. Our meme was inspired by In My Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren & Letterbox Love hosted by Narratively Speaking.


What came Through My Letterbox this week!

This week myself and my mum received ARCs of The Rain by Virginia Bergin and Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini for review from Macmillan! The Rain will be released on the 17th of July, and Trial By Fire will be released on the 2nd of September.

As part of the #GrishaArmy, we each received an exclusive excerpt of Ruin And Rising by Leigh Bardugo from Indigo! Ruin And Rising, the third book in The Grisha series, will be released on the 17th of June.

This week, I received E-galleys of The Jewel by Amy Ewing & Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang for review from Harpercollins via Edelweiss! Both The Jewel & Falling Into Place will be released in September.

I also received E-galleys of A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney & Winterspell by Claire Legrand for review from HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss. Again both A New Darkness & Winterspell will be released in September.

I received E-galleys of Black Knight by Christopher Pike & Summer Of Yesterday by Gaby Triana for review from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss. Black Night is the second book in the Witch World series, and will be released in December. Summer Of Yesterday will be released on the 17th of June.

I also received Unravel by Imogen Howson & Falls The Shadow by Stefanie Gaither for review from Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss. Unravel, the second book in the Linked series, will be released on the 8th of July. Falls The Shadow will be released on the 16th of September.

I received E-galleys of Extraction by Stephanie Diaz & The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst for review from St Martin's Press & Harlequin Mira via Netgalley. Extraction will be released on the 22nd of July.

Lastly, I also received Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld for review from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss. Afterworlds will be released on the 23rd of September.

What books came through your letterbox?

Thursday 29 May 2014

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

ISBN: 9780802723468
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 292

The people of Nottinghamshire know Will Scarlet as Robin Hood’s shadow, a slip of a boy who throws daggers with deadly accuracy and an accomplished thief with an unerring eye for treasure. A select few know that Will is actually Scarlet, a young woman “recruited” by Robin two years earlier as he wandered the alleys of London. But no one knows who the real Scarlet is, what she was doing in London, and how she got that scar on her cheek. That is, no one but Gisbourne, the ruthless thief-taker just hired by the sheriff to capture Robin and his band.

I received an ARC of Scarlet, A.C. Gaughen's modern take on Robin Hood, for review from Bloomsbury, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading! My favourite character was Scarlet, I liked reading about her as Will Scarlet, and as herself. At times in this book, Scarlet seems to take the place of Maid Marion in the traditional story of Robin Hood. Although I like the cover of Scarlet, I don't think that it's a perfect fit for the modern, quirky story within.

Available at Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Promotion: Burn Bright by Bethany Frenette

Burn Bright
By Bethany Frenette

Burn Bright is the second book in the Dark Star series.

Audrey Whitticomb saved her entire city.

Well, kind of. The superhero Morning Star (who just happens to be Audrey's mom) might have played a small part, and her sidekick, Leon - Audrey's sort-of boyfriend, who is gorgeous... and frustrating - maybe helped, too.

But after two peaceful months, there is a vicious new threat in Minneapolis. Her name is Susannah, and she's a Harrower, a demon hell-bent on destroying people like Morning Star, Leon, and Audrey - the Kin. Like others before her, she seeks the Remnant, a Kin girl who has the power to unleash the inhabitants of the Beneath. But to what end?

Audrey already has a ton on her plate: dealing with her best friend Tink's boy drama, helping her other best friend Gideon figure out his nightmares, and exploring the highs and lows of "dating" Leon. But when she develops a powerful new ability, Audrey seizes on the chance to fight, despite her mother's protests and Leon's pleas.

As Audrey gets closer to figuring out Susannah's motives and tracking down the Remnant, she'll uncover more than she bargained for. The terrible truth is staring Audrey in the face. But knowing the truth and accepting it are very different things.


Available at Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.

Monday 26 May 2014

Demon Hunter And Baby by Anna Elliott

ASIN: B006WXT8MK
Publisher: Wilton Press
Pages: 255

Ever since the End Times, magic has been leaking into our world. Magic and demons, shadowy beings that possess humans' bodies and destroy their souls. The Monastic Order of the Knights Templar have revealed themselves to the world as guardians and defenders of the veil between the demon world and ours. But the Templar Order is growing weaker, and the veil is starting to shred and tear. Often all that stands between humans and complete demonic possession are professional demon fighters, Hunters like Aisling McKay.

Aisling already has enough to handle between her day job, her (very unplanned) baby daughter, Willow and avoiding Kieran, Willow's father and a Templar Knight. But now a new danger is abroad in London and facing it will set Aisling on a collision course with the past she thought she'd escaped for good.

I absolutely loved reading Demon Hunter And Baby by Anna Elliott, which is set in London, in the UK! It reminded me of Jana Oliver's Demon Trappers series. The book is written from my favourite character, Aisling's perspective. I loved reading about her hunting Demons, as much as her looking after Willow. I really enjoyed reading about the Elementals within this book, and how the End Times affected both them & the Otherworld they lived in. I really like the cover of Anna Elliott's Demon Hunter And Baby, it's fun, quirky and eye catching, but also fitting for the story within. Demon Hunter And Baby was well thought out and well written, I would definitely recommend it. I can't wait to read the next book in the Aisling Mckay series.

Available at Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.

Sunday 25 May 2014

Promotion: Parasite by Mira Grant

Parasite
By Mira Grant

Parasite is the first book in the Parasitology series.

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives... and will do anything to get them.


Available at Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.

Saturday 24 May 2014

Promotion: The Memory Game by Sharon Sant

The Memory Game
By Sharon Sant

Three weeks after fifteen year old David died, he’s still hanging around and he doesn’t know why. The only person who can see and hear him is the girl he spent his schooldays bullying.

Bethany is the most hated girl at school. She hides away, alone with her secrets until, one day, the ghost of a boy killed in a hit and run starts to haunt her.

Together, they find that the end is only the beginning . . .


Available at Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.

Monday 12 May 2014

Free Four by Veronica Roth

ASIN: B00EH18398
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 43

Free Four is book 1.5 in the Divergent series.

This brief story explores the world of the Divergent series through the eyes of the mysterious but charismatic Tobias Eaton, revealing previously unknown facets of his personality, backstory and relationships.

Even though I liked reading Free Four by Veronica Roth, I was quite disappointed. Free Four was Four's perspective on one of the scenes from Divergent, but unfortunately not much new information was really revealed.

Available at Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.