Anita Loughrey's blog. This is my journal about my experiences and thoughts on writing. As well as news about me and my books, it includes writing tips, book reviews, author interviews and blog tours.
For more information about me and my books see my website: www.anitaloughrey.com. Follow me on Twitter @amloughrey, Facebook @anitaloughrey.author and on Instagram @anitaloughrey
Today it is my turn on the A Swift Return book tour. My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.
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Title: A Swift Return
Written by: Fiona Barker
Illustrated by: Howard Gray
Published by: Tiny Tree
Blurb
Aria has her head in the clouds. Yusuf keeps his feet on the ground. But when they work together to save a bird who has lost her way, something magical happens. When Swift loses her way on her epic migration. Aria and Yusuf come to her rescue and are inspired to think big about looking after the sky above their city. Inspired by Fiona and Howard’s love for wildlife of all kinds, A Swift Return is the follow-up to Setsuko and the Song of the Sea. Howard’s beautiful illustrations evoke a strong sense of place, strengthened by the beautiful Arabic text distilled by Maysoon AbuBlan.
Blurb for A Swift Return
My Review
A Swift Return is a sweet and educational picture book written from the points of view of two children – Aria and Yusuf. They are both very different from each other. Yesuf is practical and good at making things. Aria is a dreamer with some great ideas. Together they help a swift who fell out of the sky due to the pollution it encounters on its migration route over the city back from the South.
Aria and Yusef become good friends. They care for the swift until it is strong enough to fly and set up cleaning their city together in small ways. For example by making flower boxes and walking to school every day. The book demonstrates how everyone can help to prevent pollution as even small changes can make a difference.
A Swift Return was published in February 2024. The Arabic text is unique and I remember back in the 1990’s desperately looking for duel text books like this for the bilingual children and refugees in my class and there were not enough of them. Hopefully, this book will be the start of a new trend. However, in some places I felt the Arabic text blended too much into the background which may make it difficult for early readers to read and they will be dependant on an adult reading it to them.
The text worked well in unison with the beautiful illustrations. They were full of movement and emotion. I enjoyed the way the illustrations provided subtext and became important to telling the story themselves.
Great book for young children who are starting to read independently, with an important environmental message we can all relate to.
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About the Author
Fiona is a middle-aged, married mum of one. She is positively potty about picturebooks; reading them and writing them. When writing, she longs for alliterative loveliness but is reluctant to rhyme. When reading, she looks for a marriage of words and artwork and loves anything that is fun to read aloud.
Fiona loves doing school author visits and speaking to adults about picture books and children’s publishing.
I would like to thank The Write Reads for inviting me to take part in this book tour. Thank you.
To find out more about Fiona Barker and her books you can follow her @Fi_BGB on twitter, @FionaWritesBooks on Facebook and Instagram and her author website is: www.fionabarker.co.uk where you can find details of forthcoming events.
You can buy copies of A Swift Return by Fiona Barker and Howard Gray from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.
Today it is my turn on the blog tour for J. A. Browne’s Earth Chronicles. I will be posting two book reviews for this tour. The first is for Hannah and the Hollow Tree and if you scroll down further you will discover my review of the sequel, Gaia’s Revenge.
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Title: Hannah and the Hollow Tree
Written by: J. A. Browne
Published by: Inkberry Press
Begin the epic coming of age fantasy and discover the nature of magic. One for every eco-warrior out there.
What if you were given a choice… to save the Mother of All Nature… or Become Her?
Awoken in the middle of the night by an alarming phone call, Hannah and her mum, Caroline rush to the bedside of Eleanor, Hannah’s estranged Grandmother. One of them has been lying to Hannah and one has been keeping a magical, but dangerous secret.
With deadly forces aligning to destroy the Mother of All Nature’s bloodline, Hannah is rushed to the safety of the Hollow Tree. But will she make it in time. And can a mysterious silverback fox keep her alive long enough to save not just the world we know… but the one we don’t…
Blurb for Hannah and the Hollow Tree by J. A. Browne
This is a heart-felt book full of emotional turmoil and complex mother-daughter relationships. I enjoyed reading about this strong matriarchal family that spans over three generations and beyond.
Hannah and the Hollow Tree opens with a prologue from Caroline’s, Hannah’s mother, point of view. Hannah is only a baby in the pram when Caroline is called to see her own mother Eleanor by Eleanor’s friend Joyce. We gain an insight into Caroline’s and Eleanor’s fraught relationship and a hint of the magical world it is their job to protect.
Chapter One then jumps to when Hannah is thirteen and is from Hannah’s point of view. We see real world through her eyes, her lack of knowledge about the mystical world and a very different mother-daughter relationship based on trust and loyalty. The rest of the book then continues to be interspersed with chapters from Hannah’s, Caroline’s, Eleanor’s and Joyce’s points of view. I occasionally found it confusing whose mother they were talking about, especially when I’d not noticed the chapter heading of whose point of view we were in.
Hannah and the Hollow Tree is packed with family angst and twists. Hannah is being pulled both ways by her mother and grandmother and the turmoil of choosing between them. In the end the choice was taken out of her hands when the survival of the whole planet becomes her responsibility.
The world building was magnificent and the story really picked up for me when we meet Alpha, the magical silver fox who becomes her guardian.
On the whole an exciting YA fantasy with an important environmental message.
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Title: Gaia’s Revenge
Written by: J. A. Browne
Published by: Inkberry Press
The epic coming of age fantasy continues. Unearth the magic of nature and fall in love with Hannah, Alpha and the Ffens as they battle to save the Mother of Nature.
“Have we weakened Gaia so much that she has become a target for annihilation? My heart suddenly feels twice its weight…For the first time ever, I hate the fact that I am human.”
Gaia, the Mother of All Nature has been poisoned. Her fevers are wreaking havoc and mass destruction across the worlds. Hannah has discovered a destiny she knew nothing about. A sacred bloodline under threat. Now, she’ll discover a world and a heritage she could never have imagined. As the heiress to Gaia and with growing power it falls to her and the Elementals, Constance, Jack and Harriet to save Gaia and all of life itself. But Hannah has a terrifying realisation: Gaia will stop at nothing to get her revenge…
Blurb for Gaia’s Revenge by J. A. Browne
This sequel to Hannah and the Hollow Tree is even more fast paced and exciting than the first instalment. So much so, it is easy to miss things. Again there is a strong cast of dynamic female characters as well as a brilliant set of mystical creatures. We learn more about Hannah’s ancestry and mission through her visions and as with Hannah and the Hollow Tree, Gaia’s Revenge is interspersed with chapters from other some of the other characters so you need to pay attention to the chapter headings.
Hannah has embraced the fact she is the bloodline of Gaia, Mother Earth, who is seriously ill and continues with her quest to save her. She has joined forces with new friends Constance, Jack and Harriet and I enjoyed the dynamics between them and the unique gifts of the Elementals.
As the title would suggest there is a strong theme of revenge as well as betrayal running throughout. There is a lot going on and the book ends with a shocking twist that turns everything on its head. In fact, the whole book is an emotional rollercoaster. One minute I was laughing out loud, the next I was angry and then I was heart-wrenchingly sad.
This is fantasy at its best with duplicitous characters and ingenious magical rules. I particularly enjoyed the links to Celtic legends and mythology and how J. A Browne has weaved her interpretations of them seamlessly into the plot.
I was lucky enough to receive a hard back copy of the book which contains bonus material at the back of The Unearthing of Eleanor A Novella. I do not know if this is in the paperback edition. I must say though the ending left me bewildered and I am not sure if Alpha my favourite character is alive or dead. I guess I will have to read Hollow’s End Part I to find out.
The prefect book for all young adults who love fantasy.
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J.A. Browne is an Amazon Bestselling children’s author born in Yorkshire in the U.K. Her environmental fantasy series, Earth Chronicles introduces you to Hannah Walsingham, a thirteen-year-old with a destiny she knows nothing about…until now.
Passionate about environmental issues, Jane began writing the climate fiction series about the death of Mother Nature and the potential that lies within children whilst studying to become a primary teacher in her home city of Leeds. Now, having graduated with an MA in Creative Writing, she followed her dreams to become a full-time author. Her love of literature began when she was little, sharing books with her grandmothers, filling her head with fairy tales and whimsical adventures.
Whilst holidaying in Norfolk, Jane was captivated by a tree struck by lightning in grounds of the home of Anne Boleyn and began scribbling down the idea of a girl whose destiny was hidden within the depths of a hollow tree…a destiny that would save worlds…
She now lives with her husband in the Calder Valley aka ‘Bronte Country’ and still teaches occasionally and enjoys reading and long walks in the countryside to get the creative juices flowing.
Sales of the Earth Chronicles funds the planting of trees.
Check out Jane’s website at www.jabrowne.com and join her “keep in touch” list to get the Secret Chapter for Hannah and the Hollow Tree. There, you can keep up to date with all the news, events or snap up an exclusive signed paperback and free bookmark.
It is my turn on the blog tour for The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor by Stephanie Parks.
Here is the blurb:
Amy has been sent to live with her aunt at Meadow Hill Manor in Belper, Derbyshire, to help her ‘recover’. Rumours abound that the house is haunted, but Amy doesn’t care. It’s just another place to live and Amy is determined not to care about anything. What would be the point?
Amy’s obsession with shutting the world out is interrupted when she hears strange noises in the house. Here she finds herself drawn to a mysterious, magical power hidden within the building. Should she ignore it, or should she face her fears and embrace this strange, new magic?
Heart-warming and unique, The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor is a moving fantasy fiction which sensitively weaves themes of grief and anxiety along with friendship and discovery to deliver a truly magical story.
Blurb for The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor by Stephanie Parks.
Stefanie Parks was born and raised in the beautiful county of Derbyshire which became the inspiration and setting for her stories. She trained as a teacher at Derby University and after working locally for five years, decided to explore the world with her husband.
Together they worked their way around a handful of countries and are currently living in Christchurch, New Zealand. Stefanie has written consistently during her travels; her stories always linking her back to her homeland.
My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.
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Title: The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor
Written by: Stephanie Parks
Published by: The Book Guild Ltd
The atmosphere and setting of The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor is set from the very first page drawing you into this spooky tale. The descriptions were beautiful.
Twelve year old Amy moves to Belper in Derbyshire on Halloween to live with her Aunt Wilhelmina (aka Weirdo Wilma) at Meadow Hall manor, a creepy gothic-looking house with gargoyles peering down from the eaves and no wi-fi. Not that Amy wants wi-fi as she is mute after a traumatic experience.
The plot had me intrigued but it took too long to answer important questions that may have helped me warm to Amy sooner. I liked the way the butterflies were used to help the story unfold adding a touch of mystical magic to this emotional story of loss and coping with grief.
On the whole it was a captivating read suitable for higher middle grade.
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To check out the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule:
I would like to thank Kelly Lacey from Love Book Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising an e-book copy for me to read. Thank you.
Today I am taking part in the Book Birthday Blitz for Eye Spy by Tessa Buckley.
Tessa Buckley was an inveterate scribbler as a child, and spent much of her time writing and illustrating stories. After spending fifteen years working for architects and interior designers. She took up writing again when her young daughter complained that she couldn’t find enough adventure stories to read.
This led, in 2014, to the publication of Eye Spy, the first in a series of detective stories for 9-12 year olds, designed to encourage reluctant readers. The second book in the series, Haunted, was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2017. She lives with her husband and a large white cat called Pippa in a town on the Thames estuary, which inspired the seaside setting for the novels. She also writes about family history, which has been her passion for many years.
Her book Eye Spy is a middle grade detective story.
Over the course of ten days, the lives of thirteen-year-old Alex Macintyre and his twin sister Donna will change forever.
When Alex and Donna set up Eye Spy Investigations and start looking for a valuable missing dog, they soon have an interesting assortment of suspects. There is the mysterious man in the fur hat; a gang of bikers who hang out at the Starship Café; and Crazy Kath, the bag lady, who may know more than she’s letting on.
But as they struggle to make sense of the evidence, the twins begin to uncover an even bigger mystery in their own family. As events spiral out of control, can Alex resolve a family crisis, save Donna from imminent danger, and return the missing dog to its rightful owner?
Blurb for Eye Spy by Tessa Buckley
I will be celebrating the Book Birthday Blitz with an author interview.
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Tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for your book Eye Spy. Why did you decide to write a spy mystery for children?
The genesis for this story came a long time ago, when my daughter, an avid reader, was ten. She told me she couldn’t find enough mystery stories to read in the library. What she seemed to be looking for was a Famous Five type story, but with modern technology. I remembered howI’d spent much of my childhood writing and illustrating stories which were heavily influenced by Enid Blyton’s books. I had always wanted to be a novelist. Now I had the incentive to prove I could do it.
Talk us through your writing process.
I usually start with a setting rather than a character. Writers are often told ‘Write what you know.’ We live in Leigh-on-Sea, a town on the Thames estuary, so I chose to set my stories in a small seaside town. My main character, Alex, just popped into my head one evening after supper, and I immediately sat down and wrote the first page of Eye Spy, where he talks about his dad, who is an eccentric inventor. The story evolved slowly from there, with much trial and error.
How do you ensure you keep children turning the pages?
I know how important this is, particularly for boys, who tend to leave books behind at about eleven, in favour of all things digital. All the books in the series are narrated in the first person by Alex, and are fast-paced and action-packed. The language is straightforward so everything is easy to understand. And hopefully the desire to solve the mysteries will also keep the reader interested.
What are the underlying themes of Eye Spy?
Money is tight in the Macintyre family, and twins Alex and Donna have few luxuries. Sadly, this is a situation many children are familiar with today, and there is also a key character who is homeless. Eye Spy also explores the way that hidden family secrets can impact on the lives of the children.
Is there a particular place you like to write?
I am lucky enough to have my own study, where I can shut myself away and write in peace and quiet, with only our large white cat, Pippa, for company.
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I’ve visited Bath, and Lyme Regis, which appear in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and Poldark country in Cornwall.
What writing advice would you give to people aspiring to write a children’s detective novel?
The writing process is a lot quicker if you can, plan as much as possible in advance. This is especially useful in a detective story if you want to plant red herrings along the way. Alas, I’ve never been a planner, so the plot of Eye Spy and many of the characters evolved as I wrote, and I didn’t know until the end who the ‘baddie’ was. However, I think it’s a more interesting story because of that.
Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about your Eye Spy and the rest of the series?
Both Haunted and Lady in Red were inspired by real buildings. Haunted features an old priory, similar to the one near where I live, which is now a museum. The artist’s home in Lady in Red, and the derelict house next to it, are based on the old Edwardian house I lived in as a child, and the deserted house next door whose garden I used to play in. I love old buildings, and they have always been an inspiration to me.
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You can purchase a copy of Eye Spy by Tessa Bukley on Troubador and Amazon
I am shining a spotlight on The Rat King: The Rats of Letniv Volume One by Emma Miles as part of her blog tour.
The Rats of Letniv is a prequel to the Fire-Walker saga and Land Beneath the Sky companion books. This young adult, fantasy was published on 31st October 2023.
Blurb
Being the son of a Coven Lord is a far and desperate cry from luxury and safety. Every day Rothfel must prove he is worth the food his father puts on the table, and avoid the notice of Lord Atise’s brutal bodyguard, Bicken. When his only friend, a lowly slave, is cruelly taken from him, Rothfel finds himself alone in the sprawling, chaotic city of Letniv.
Yearning for friendship, love, and approval, he is offered a hand from the unlikeliest of places…
But who is really worth his loyalty?
Akimas Atise, his distant, cold, and terrifying father?
Golghen, the mysterious chameleon of Letniv city; king of liars, king of thieves?
Gentle, brave Leida; slave, concubine, descendant of the free women of the north?
Or Zephyr? Ghost, murderer, and devoted follower of the King of Rats.
Rothfel is only ten, but his choices, his love, his loyalty… will change the Land Beneath the Sky.
Blurb from The Rat King by Emma Miles
A Word from the Author
I often get asked when I knew I was a writer; the answer is always. A writer is what I am, it’s in my soul. There have been times in my life when I couldn’t write, and times when my writing has been the only thing that kept me going. I think I always longed for something deeper from life, something more meaningful, and I found it in my imagination and in the music of words.
It was poetry which first caught my attention, and whilst my younger cousins called for ghost stories it was animals I first wrote of. I think I gravitated toward fantasy because of the freedom it gives, I could create my own worlds and decide my own rules. My Wind’s Children trilogy was born from an image that came to me whilst daydreaming, of a young man sitting alone below a bridge. I didn’t know who he was; it turns out neither did he, but we found out together.
I’m now working on my seventh book and love writing more than ever, it’s an addiction, an obsession, but one I now share with my wonderful writing family. My beta readers, my editor, and you, my readers, having you with me on my journey means the world to me.
I write as much as I can around work, but I also try to squeeze in a ridiculous amount of hobbies! I’m a wildlife photographer and do a little archery. I paint, sculpt with clay, withies and driftwood, preferring to be outdoors if I can. I still have a love for the theatre, having started out in life studying backstage crafts, and a great love for language. I speak a little French, Romanian and Italian, ma non molto bene!
Thanks for reading this. If you read any of my books and love them, please come say hello and tell me, you’d be surprised at how much that means to an author.
Today I am on the War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson blog tour. My stop on the tour is a book review.
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Title: War of the Wind
Written by: Victoria Williamson
Cover design by: Sadie Butterworth
Published by: Neem Tree Press
War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson was published by Neem Tree Press in September 2023. It is another well-written eco-thriller by Victoria Williamson, which leaves you thinking and highlights how technological initiatives can be misused and manipulated.
On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other — even stranger — changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island’s coast.
With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control…
Blurb from War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson
It felt very realistic that the government persuaded the islanders to accept the wind turbines with the promise of mobile phones and internet access. But when the wind turbines arrive on the island, the animals start behaving oddly: cows stop producing milk, dogs become aggressive, sheep huddle together, the seagulls no longer visit and a carpet of black bats lay dead on the rocks. Soon all the people become bad tempered and start to argue and fight. Max believes he has not been effected as he can’t hear the noise emanating from the wind farm substation.
As usual with a Victoria Williamson novel, there is a wide range of diverse fully-rounded characters who have been portrayed with empathy and understanding. Each have their own problems to overcome, such as Max, the main protagonist, who is coming to terms with becoming deaf after a boating accident; Beatrice (Beanie) Lewis who has Down Syndrome and is coping alone when her aunt becomes seriously ill; highly intelligent David who is unable to communicate until he gets his new speaking computer and Erin who was deaf from birth and harbours a lot of pent up hostility to the way people treat her.
I particularly liked Max’s character arc and how he starts off being angry at his predicament of losing his hearing to the point he rejects everyone’s offers of help seeing it as sympathy and disappointment. He blames them for his isolation as feels they are not doing enough to include him. Finally he recognises his own behaviour has been a major contribution to his isolation as he has rejected their offers of help, such as refusing to join in and not communicating his feelings to the teachers or his parents.
One thing that really niggled me was the cover as it says in the story there are three wind turbines but in the illustration there are four. I felt this should have been spotted before the book went to print.
As with most of Victoria’s books she has donated 20% of her royalties to a charity. This time it is the British Deaf Association in order to support their work campaigning for equal rights for Deaf people and empowering Deaf people to achieve access to their local public services. The BDA also did a sensitivity read to ensure the characters show a realistic representation of those living with hearing loss.
Another great book by Victoria Williamson that I would highly recommend. Suitable for KS2 and higher.
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About the Author
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK.
Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Her previous novels include The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, and Hag Storm. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com
You can buy copies of War of the Winds by Victoria Williamson from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.
To follow the rest of the tour check out the schedule below:
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and upcoming events on her website: www.strangelymagical.com and follow her on X @strangelymagic
I would like to thank The Write Reads for inviting me to take part in this ultimate tour. Thank you.
It is my stop on the epic Do Penguins Like the Cold? blog tour. So grab your life jacket and wrap up warm – it’s time to go polar!
In this entertaining and highly informative book, expert field guide Huw Lewis Jones and nature illustrator Sam Caldwell take readers on an intrepid voyage to meet the eighteen species of penguin and to witness the conservation work underway to protect these incredible birds and their native habitats.
By observing penguins first hand, readers will discover whether penguins truly like the cold, how their diving skills make up for the fact that penguins can’t fly, and how to tell what a penguin had for dinner based on the colour of its poo!
You’ll travel by ship across mighty oceans, visit remote islands and trek across icy landscapes to discover all the different types of penguin, from emperors and kings to chinstraps and rockhoppers. This book is packed with facts, fun and everything there is to know about penguins and gives readers a taste of what it’s really like to work in the wild.
Huw Lewis Jones is an expedition leader, naturalist and award-winning author of books for adults and children, including Do Bears Poop in the Woods? He teaches natural history at Falmouth University and is lucky to have met many penguins in the wild.
Sam Caldwell is an illustrator based in Glasgow, Scotland. He studied painting at the Edinburgh College of Art and is the illustrator of several books for children, including Do Bears Poop in the Woods?
My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.
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Title: Do Penguins Like the Cold?
Written by: Huw Lewis
Illustrated by: Sam Caldwell
Published by: Thames & Hudson
Do Penguins Like the Cold? by Huw Lewis and Sam Caldwell is a fascinating tour to Antarctica with tour guide Huw and expedition illustrator Sam. On our trip we can learn lots of incredible facts about penguins and where they live, how they survive and what we can do to protect them in their natural homes and habitats. This creative non-fiction picture books contains everything you want to know about penguins and more.
Some of my favourite parts was discovering where the word ‘penguin’ originated from and learning the differences between the eighteen species of penguin, what they eat and how technology can help them.
The illustrations are bold with bright backgrounds and borders that bleed to the edges of the page. There is a lot of action in the pictures to keep young readers turning the pages and encourage them to explore. Included throughout are images of Huw and Sam and their band of excited children who are accompanying them on the expedition.
This entertaining picture book would be perfect for children interested in wildlife and conservation and useful in the classroom to support a project on contrasting environments or Humans and Animals.
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You can buy copies of Do Penguins Like the Cold? by Huw Lewis and Sam Caldwfrom your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.
To follow the rest of the tour check out the schedule below:
I would like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. Thank you.
To read my other reviews of children’s books published by Thames and Hudson see:
Today I am on the The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson blog tour. My stop on the tour is a spotlight.
This short historical YA novella was published on the 1st of December 2023 by Silver Thistle Press.
Blurb
A spine-chilling winter ghost story set in the months after the Great War. Perfect for lovers of MR James and Susan Hill
The War is over, but for petty criminal Charlie his darkest days are only just beginning.
Charlie Briggs is never off-duty, even when a botched job means he’s forced to lay low in a sleepy Hampshire town for the holiday season. Always searching for his next unwitting victim, or a shiny trinket he can pilfer, he can’t believe his luck when he happens upon a rare book so valuable it will set him up for life. All he needs to do is sit tight until Boxing Day. But there’s a desperate story that bleeds beyond the pages; something far more dangerous than London’s mobsters is lurking in the shadows.
Could the book be cursed? Why is he haunted by the horrors of war? Can he put things right before he’s suffocated by his own greed?
Blurb for The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson
About the Author
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
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To read reviews of The Haunting Scent of Poppies by Victoria Williamson see Goodreads and Amazon.
You can read my reviews of a few of Victoria Williamson’s books here:
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and upcoming events on her website: www.strangelymagical.com and follow her on X (formly known as Twitter) @strangelymagic
I would like to thank The Write Reads for inviting me to take part in this ultimate tour. Thank you.
A special thank you must also go to Victoria Williamson for sending me the wonderful book package.
The Opium Incense smells absolutely lovely. Thank you.
The latest addition to the wildly popular series of bedtime stories imagines what it would be like to have a polar bear for a pet.
What would it be like to have a polar bear as a pet? It might be an unconventional choice, but it would be sure to give the best bear hugs…
Polar bears are cuddly but they’re also very strong. As marine mammals, they can swim for days at a time – that’s serious perseverance! So if Santa ever needed help delivering his presents, guess who he would call?
Join our funny female protagonist as she wonders ‘what would life be like… if I had a polar bear?’
Blurb for If I Had A Polar Bear by Gabby Downay and Alex Barrow
Gabby Dawnay is a writer and poet. She is a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine and a script-writer for children’s television.
Alex Barrow is a London-based illustrator, and the art director for and a regular contributor to OKIDO magazine.
Alex and Gabby are the duo behind children’s picture books If I had a dinosaur, A House for Mouse and A Song for Bear, all published by Thames & Hudson.
My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.
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Title: If I had a Polar Bear
Written by: Gabby Dawnay
Illustrated by: Alex Barrow
Published by: Thames & Hudson
If I Had A Polar Bear by Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow is a heart-warming picture book about love and imagination. A young girl dreams of owning a polar bear and all the things they could do together. As well as being a lovely story it is full of interesting facts about polar bears.
I enjoyed the way the illustrations are part of the text. This worked perfectly on the pdf I was sent but not so well in the e-book as my e-reader did not format the pages properly. This meant the illustrations were all out of place so the text unfortunately did not make sense.
Written in rhyming couplets this book was easy to read aloud. The illustrations of the polar bear as a faint pencil outline gives the desired effect of the polar bear being imaginary. but also highlights how a polar bear’s fur is translucent not white. I particularly liked the addition of double-page spreads with no text. The pastel colours add to the magical feel of the story.
A highly entertaining read. A great book for reading at bedtime and for encouraging young children to use their imagination.
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To follow the rest of the tour please see the schedule below:
You can buy copies of If I Had A Polar Bear by Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow from your local bookshop, or online at uk.bookshop.org which supports local, independent bookshops.
I would like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. Thank you.
To read my other reviews of children’s books published by Thames and Hudson see:
Today I am joining the blog tour for the Nameless Queen by Marie Sinadjan, which is a prequel to The Prophecies of Ragnarök trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.
Blurb:
All things end, and all must die. But death is not always the end.
When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.
Nameless Queen by Marie Sinadjan
Author Bio:
Marie Sinadjan is a Filipino fantasy author, singer-songwriter, and musical theatre actress. She is the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarökseries, and her short stories have appeared in anthologies, magazines, and literary journals. She mainly writes fantasy of the mythology, fairytales, and folklore variety.
When not crunching numbers for her full-time job or spending time with her family, she’s traveling, drinking coffee, reading and reviewing books, dreaming up more worlds, writing more songs, or serenading vegetables. She currently lives in the United Kingdom with her husband.
My stop on the blog tour takes the form of an author interview.
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Hi Marie,
Welcome to my blog. I am really pleased to have been invited to take part in your blog tour for your latest book in The Prophecies of Ragnarök series, Nameless Queen.
Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to use Norse mythology for your novella Nameless Queen.
Hi Anita, thank you so much having me today! I’m Marie, a Filipino fantasy author currently living in the United Kingdom. I’m an avid reader of YA and SFF, and a big supporter of indie books. I also love music, coffee, traveling, and collecting bunny plushies.
I like reading and writing about mythology and folklore in general, but I ended up with a Norse mythology series simply because it was the common ground my co-author Meri Benson and I found when we decided to collaborate on a novel. I have a whole post about it and our co-authoring process on my blog, if anyone’s interested: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: How I Published A Novel Trilogy By Co-Authoring
My interest in Norse mythology actually sprung from the videogame Valkyrie Profile. It’s a roleplaying game that follows a Valkyrie named Lenneth as she travels through Midgard, collecting the souls of slain heroes so they might serve Odin as Einherjar. I really liked the thought of the Norse gods not being immortal, and that, like regular people, they feared meeting their doom at Ragnarök, which is the prophesied end of all nine realms.
The Norse pantheon also has some really hilarious stories, like the construction of Asgard’s wall — which ends with Loki getting pregnant and giving birth to an eight-legged horse. They’re such a delightfully weird bunch, and I love it.
Did you have to do a lot of research for this series and if so what was the most unusual research?
I did, yeah. And it’s research in the form of “this is what the myths say,” “this is what history says,” and “this is what other books/films/TV shows have already done before.” The series is set in the modern world where the gods are real after all, but you really shouldn’t believe everything you read/hear because Loki probably just made those stories up. That approach gave us some leeway to use our creative license, but we also wanted to try things other fiction works have not done before, and that involved lots of reading and listening and watching.
If I hadn’t already been watching the MCU films, I’d have said putting myself through a franchise that massive would be the most unusual form of research. But I would have to say it’s researching on other mythologies and folklore that we wanted to incorporate into the series. Sure, a lot of the choices we made stemmed from personal preference (and inside jokes), but I still wanted them to make some sense.
Which of the characters in Nameless Queen do you relate to the most and why?
I love Hel. I’ve been so excited to write this story because she’s one of my favourite characters in the series. She has a tight-knit family, like I do, and she’s particularly close with her younger brother, which I am. She’s also married to her best friend, which, aside from (childhood/best) friends to lovers being one of my favourite romance tropes, I’m likewise married to my best friend. I just wish I’m as clever and as resilient as she is!
What part of Nameless Queen was the most fun to write?
Adding in minor characters that I named after friends and supporters! I didn’t even plan any of it. I just ran into one character that I absolutely had to name because it’s relevant to the story… and then I realized I could do that, just name them after people I know and I’m grateful for. It then became a game of trying to fit in as many of them as I could, haha!
What other myths, legends and folktales do you find yourself drawn to?
As a Filipino, I enjoy the variety of myths, legends, and folktales from back home. I’ve written and published several short stories about them, with some full-length novels in the works, including a Prophecies of Ragnarökspinoff. Because, yeah, I took the opportunity to introduce Filipino mythology and folklore in our series. Silje, the trilogy’s female protagonist, is half-Filipino, and in book 2, Monster Ridge, some of the characters spend time in the Philippines and get tangled with the local deities.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Lots of white coffee, though that applies to every day of my life regardless if I’m writing or not, haha! I do like making playlists when I start a new story. I don’t have one for Nameless Queen specifically since we already have a bunch of playlists for the different books in our series, and even one for her and [SPOILER]. But she has her own song, titled Helfire. You can listen to it and read the lyrics on Spotify: Helfire by Marie Sinadjan and watch on YouTube.
Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?
A tie between my husband and mother. They both support me in anything and everything I try to do, and for that, I will always be grateful. My husband even does chores for me so I can work on my writing deliverables instead, watches the things I want to watch and puts up with my random excursions “for research purposes,” and he doesn’t mind when I disappear into my own world every now and then and completely ignore him, haha. And my mother, all the way in the Philippines, has read everything I’ve ever written and published. She’s even a big fan of the series and posts about me and my writing on her social media.
Is there anything else you would like to tell readers about your books?
If you like the Percy Jackson series, Norse mythology, and the Thor films, our series might be for you. We have some unusual spins on the myths, pantheon crossovers, humour, adventure, family drama, romance, and lots of characters to love. Despite the dark themes, the books are not graphic, so they can be read by young adults and adults alike. We’ve also done our best to be inclusive and diverse.
The Ragnaröktrilogy might have come to an end but we’ve got prequels and spinoffs waiting to be written, so there should be something in the series for everyone!
What are your social media links where can people find out about you and your books?
I’m @marienettist on all the major platforms, though I’m most active on Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook. People can also check my Linktree, which I regularly update with new links: https://linktr.ee/mariesinadjan.
Where is the best place for people to buy your book?
Plus we’re part of the Winter Wonderland indie sale this weekend, which means the other books in the Prophecies of Ragnarökseries are available digitally at discounted prices:
Much To Do About Writing 