News Roundup: Publisher Contests, New Book News, Chip Lit Fest & a Book Trailer

It's time for another round up of some of the bookish news I've come across recently. First up HarperCollins have created a game on Facebook to celebrate the launch of The Rising by Will Hill. Test your powers of observation by watching the video below and then heading to the Department 19 Facebook page to answer questions about it and you could win a spy training day for you and your friends!

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Philip Pullman

Did you see the article on The Guardian website confirming that Philip Pullman's next book is going to be an anthology containing his versions of 50 of his favourite Grimm's Fairy Tales? I'm looking forward to seeing his take on the classics like Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel - I love a good fairytale retelling - but I'm even more curious to discover new to me stories like Hans-My-Hedgehog and Godfather Death.  The book will be published in September by Penguin Classics and has been timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the first publication of the original Grimm's Fairy Tales.

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Have you heard about the Chipping Norton Literary Festival being held from the 20th to the 22nd of April?  It sounds like a great opportunity to meet some fabulous authors! Unfortunately I won't be there but I'd love to hear all about it from anyone that does go. Here is the press release with all the details or you can find out more at the Chip Lit Fest website:

20th – 22nd April 2012

Fifty events throughout Chipping Norton

Hear your favourite author and learn how to become one too.

For aspiring writers, Chipping Norton Literary Festival sets the tone. There are lots of events on getting started, finding your ‘voice’, keeping focused, finding your genre, as well as one-on-one meetings with established authors and other writers.

Come April, Chipping Norton will be in the news again as organisers launch the town’s first literary festival. The event will take place at venues convenient to the centre of Chipping Norton and will include speakers such as Mark Billingham, Joanna Trollope, Colin Dexter, Katie Fforde, and Sir Andrew Motion. In total about fifty literary luminaries will be participating.

For aspiring or developing writers there are a host of useful workshops and panel discussions on topics such as…

• How to break into freelance writing
• Life writing
• Writing historical fiction
• Author, agent & publishers
• Bringing your characters to life
• A rough guide to travel writing
• Writing humour
• Writing short stories
• Crime Writing Workshop
• How to Get Published – panel discussion
• Book Groups and the Novel chaired by Sue MacGregor

Events will be held at The Theatre, Jaffé & Neale Bookshop and Café, and the historic Town Hall. Chipping Norton is easily accessible via car or trains to Kingham, Charlbury, and Oxford.

The idea originated via WOW, the West Oxfordshire Writers group. Local to Chipping Norton, they meet twice a month to discuss creative writing, how to get published, and how to go about writing within various genres. Thus the Festival has a host of events which will be of interest to aspiring writers.

And in addition to being known for its array of celebrity residents and now putting itself on the map with the ChipLitFest, as it is known, Chipping Norton itself is a fine example of Georgian market town architecture and a splendid setting for taking in talks as well as the town.

Other Topics and Events include:

Fiction
Emily Barr, Elizabeth Buchan, Julie Cohen, Josceline Dimbleby, Katie Fforde, Louise Harwood, Veronica Henry, Angela Huth, Prue Leith, Jill Mansel, Sir Andrew Motion, Joanna Trollope, Fiona Walker.

Crime/Mystery
Mark Billingham, Helen Black, S.J. Bolton, Colin Dexter, Sophie Hannah, Dan Waddell

History and Biography
Carole Angier, Sally Cline, Mick Conefrey, Robert Hardman, Mark Johnson, Penny Junor, Ian Mathie, Fiona Mountain, John Julius Norwich.

Gardening
Cotswold Gardening – panel discussion with Roddy Llewellyn,
Robin Lane Fox, Andrew Lawson

Humour
Guy Browning, Jasper Fforde, Graeme Garden, John O’Farrell,
Sandra Smith.

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Jonathan Stroud

Random House Children's Books have announced that they have signed a deal to publish a new supernatural thriller by Jonathan Stroud in 2013.  The book is going to be called Lockwood & Co and will star three young operatives who work for a Psychic Detection Agency fighting an epidemic of ghosts in London.  Sounds fab doesn't it, it's just a shame we have to wait so long to get our hands on it!  Check out Jonathan Stroud's blog for more information.

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If you're a fan of I Am Number Four by Pittacus Law then you'll definitely want to head over to the Facebook fan page on Monday (the 2nd of April). To celebrate the paperback release of The Power of Six on the 12th of April Penguin Books have created a game where using your knowledge of the series could win you some fantastic prizes. The Power of Six Quest won't be up on Facebook until Monday but here is a bit more information about how it works and the prizes that will be available. Good luck to everyone who enters!

We have created a Facebook game called The Power of Six Quest - a game show that draws on your knowledge of the books to help the Loriens fight against the Mogadorians and track down one of the characters in the book, Seven.

Points are collected by speed of which contestants answer questions (there's a countdown clock for added urgency and pressure!), accuracy of answers and how many friends a player recommends to play the game. Prizes are awarded to players who collect the most points.

The amazing prizes Prizes include: 

• a holiday to Spain for Seven nights!
• an ipad
• a kindle
• special release hardbacks of The Power of Six
• advance special release hardbacks of Rise of Nine (published in August)
• DVDs of the film I am Number Four

Game play will be open to all from 2nd April 2012 at our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/IAmNumberFourBook

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OK well I think that's everything for now so I'm going to leave you with the book trailer for Gemma Malley's new novel The Killables. The book was released in the UK yesterday and sounds fabulous, I'll be reading my copy soon so keep an eye out for my review.

Publisher Spotlight: Hodder & Stoughton - September 2011 - March 2012 Releases

I thought it would be fun to start spotlighting new releases that different publishers have coming up over the next few months for us to look forward to.  I'm constantly looking for new books to add to my wish list and thought it would be a nice way of spreading the bookish love with other bloggers.  So stepping into the spotlight today we have . . .

Hodder & Stoughton have a fantastic range of YA titles over the next few months (and I'm going to mention a couple that are already available too!).  For more information check out the Hodder & Stoughton website.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor was published back in September but I had to include it in the list because I absolutely loved this book (you can read my review here).  If you haven't already picked this one up it is definitely a must read and I'm already dying to get my hands on the sequel!  You can find out more on Laini Taylor's website.

Errand requiring immediate attention.  Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it.  Karou read the message.  'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.  When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance.  On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family.  Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping.  She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

Next we have the highly anticipated third book in the Tiger Saga series - Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck.  This was released a couple of days ago on the 10th of November and I've already started reading my copy.  I loved the first two books in this series Tiger's Curse and Tiger's Quest (click on the links to read my reviews) and it feels like I have been waiting forever for this one.  If you've not started this series yet then it's one I would highly recommend for paranormal romance fans!  Check out Colleen Houck's website for more information.

With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is.  As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections - leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.

Fraught with danger, filled with magic, and packed with romance, Tiger's Voyage brings Kelsey and her two tiger princes one step closer to breaking the curse.






On the 5th of January you can look forward to the second book in Cate Tiernan's Immortal Beloved series - Darkness Falls.  I haven't started this series yet but have heard great things about the first book Immortal Beloved and will be reading my copy soon, I also have to mention how much I love the covers of these books - they're so pretty!  You can find out more at Cate Tiernan's website.

He was the thorn in my side, nightmare of my past, destroyer of my family, source of all my troubles, and the most beautiful guy I had seen in 450 years.

Are you dizzy from being flung into my world like this?  I feel the same way every morning when I open my eyes to find I'm still me, still here.

Still immortal.

Desire, death and painful secrets are revealed in this additively compulsive sequel to IMMORTAL BELOVED.








On the 2nd of February we have British author James Treadwell's debut novel Advent to look forward to.  I love stories about magic and am really looking forward to Advent, the description doesn't really give many clues to what the story will be about but gives just enough to raise my curiosity levels.  I really like the cover too!  For more information check out James Treadwell's website.

For centuries it has been locked away
Lost beneath the sea
Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight.

But now magic is rising to the world once more.

And a boy called Gavin, who thinks only that he is a city kid with parents who hate him, and knows only that he sees things no one else will believe, is boarding a train, alone, to Cornwall.

When he arrives, there is no one there to meet him.









On the 1st of March we have the release of one of my most anticipated books of 2012.  I loved Lauren Oliver's Delirium (read my review here) so have already been waiting months for the sequel Pandemonium.  I literally can not wait to get my hands on this one!  You can find out more about the series on Lauren Oliver's website.  There is no UK cover image available yet (I'll be sure to post it as soon as I can) but here is the blurb to whet your appetite:

Love, the deadliest of all deadly things.
It kills you when you have it.
And when you don't.

I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Pandemonium is a poignant, explosive, recklessly romantic and utterly heartbreaking novel. Like Delirium, the first in the compelling trilogy, it will take you to the very edge. That's all you need to know. We'll let Lena do the rest of the talking . . .

Last but not least we have Gemma Malley's new book The Killables which will be available on the 29th of March.  This is the first book in a new trilogy and Gemma is currently working on the second book, visit her website for more information.  I love dystopian stories so this one looks like just my kind of thing and has been added to my wish list.  Again there is no cover image currently available but here is the blurb:

THE KILLABLES is set in the year 2065 and follows Evie and Raffy who work for the government in a society where evil no longer exists. After a war on terror that almost destroyed the world, The City has been established, where brain surgery removes the potential for evil thought and citizens are labelled on The System according to how 'good' they are. Evie and Raffy are both System operators and discover a mistake when an academic has been labelled a K, the label given to dangerous criminals. But as they investigate further they discover that it wasn't a mistake; that The City has secrets and a dark side that the government will hide at all costs. They are horrified to discover that 'K' stands for 'Killable' - the state's mark of death. And then Evie gets another K report to change on the System. Only this time it's for Raffy...

So what do you think?  I told you Hodder & Stoughton have some exciting books for us!  Which of these is at the top of your wish list?