Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

The Faded Bookmark's recommended read for May is Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon.

Tamsin Jupp reviews it here...

Never judge a book by it's cover, or in this case the blurb on the back. 

Moving from a sunny American state to a mist-shrouded school?  Finding your soul mate who is also hiding a secret?  Sound familiar?  Our bookshops have been swamped with supernatural / vampire romances, so what's so different about this one?  With trepidation I started to read...and didn't stop until I'd finished the whole book, cover to cover.

The book starts off with Renée a sixteen-year-old girl, enjoying her birthday at the beach with her best friend.  On the way home something draws her into the woods where she finds the dead bodies of her parents, coins strewn around their bodies and gauze stuffed into their mouths.  They died of heart attacks at exactly the same time.

We follow her as she meets her mysterious, rich grandfather, is moved to an elite boarding school (Gottifried) and has to make new friends.  Then we find out a boy died last spring in the school woods, also of a heart attack, his tie stuffed in his mouth.  Something is lurking in the shadows and there are rumours of the Gottifried Curse.  Renée also has a strange ability to find dead things; dead birds, dead deer and bodies.  She meets Dante, so "intelligent, elusive and devastatingly gorgeous, most people can't decide whether they love, hate or fear him."

Yvonne Woon litters her story with clues so that just as you think you are finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together, another piece pops up.

This book has depth and layers, artfully woven together. She's taken a simple concept by Aristotle and expanded on it, ".. a single soul dwelling in two bodies." Throw in some transcendentalist concepts (your soul rising beyond your body), along with some Latin, and suddenly the book is more then just a Twilight wannabe. 

"How do you describe the briefest sensation?...The immeasurable grief we feel when faced with death?   We can't even begin to communicate these complex emotions to each other.  But Latin can illuminate sensations you never realised you had."  Actually Woon, does all this and more in plain, accessible English.

There was only one minor point that slightly detracted for me, would a sixteen-year-old really wear the clothes her mother wore at sixteen?  

Dead Beautiful has pace, romance and is skilfully written.  A worthy début novel by Yvonne Woon.  She's a writer to watch.

Dead Beautiful is published by Usborne on 1st May 2011. You can read the first chapter online at: http://www.deadbeautiful.co.uk/

Paris Diary

I just got back from a flying vist to Paris. I was there for business and pleasure, although I have to say that the business part of the trip was also a total pleasure.

First up I ran a writing workshop called Plotting Your Way to Writing Success. It's one I run quite regularly and it focuses on the business of writing rather than the actual writing itself.

The aim of the workshop is to help writers overcome any obstacles they may have when it comes to writing - and these can be internal, such as lack of confidence, and external, such as lack of time. Then, once we've tackled these, we move on to set writing goals and action plans.

It may sound odd talking about an art form in such business terms but for those writers who want to earn a living from their writing I think it is essential to treat it as a business.

The writers I met in Paris were a lovely group who meet regularly to critique each other's work. Writing can be such a solitary pastime there's a lot of benefit to be had from joining or forming some kind of writing group.

After the workshop I hotfooted it over to Erzsi Deak's apartment near the Louvre. Erzsi is my literary agent and founder of the Hen & Ink Literary Studio in Paris.



With Erzsi Deak, my literary agent and Hen & Ink Founder

Erzsi was throwing a party to celebrate the birth of Hen & Ink and so hen-themed gifts - and puns - were in abundance.

It was a great opportunity to meet some of the other writers in her 'coop'. Here we are at the end of the night after one too many 'cock'tails, and about five hundred too many hen puns!

The Hen & Ink Coop



The following day I went to one of my favourite places in Paris, Pere Lachaise cemetery.

Here is an example of some of the stunning sculptures on display...

Sculpture at Pere Lachaise

The cemetery goes on for miles and is like a beautiful walled city. It had such an effect upon me the first time I went I actually set a scene there in my next YA novel, Finding Cherokee Brown. The thing I love most about it is the way you never know what you might find around the next corner or down the next lane. Here's someone I found this time round...



Lady in Yellow

 Isn't she beautiful?

Back next week with more book news, interviews and reviews. Until then I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Paris Workshop

This morning at the Faded Bookmark I am practically frothing into my cappuccino with excitement.

Tomorrow I will be running my first ever writing workshop IN PARIS!!!

I have been running writing groups and workshops in London for the past six years but this is my first 'international' workshop.

I'm particularly excited because I recently got my first French book deal - for Dear Dylan - so hopefully it will be the first of several Parisian writing events.

I don't know if I even have any French visitors to the Faded Bookmark but just in case, the workshop is called Plotting Your Way to Writing Success and is all about how to achieve your writing goals and market your work. It is taking place at The Big Round Table, Le Pain Quotidien, 2 rue des Petits Carreaux, 75002 Paris.

I shall be reporting back with photos later in the week, until then...

Au revoir!

Diary of a Novel-Writing Tortoise

When I was little I loved the story of The Hare and The Tortoise.

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, the basic plot line is that a hare and a tortoise have a race. The hare is so fast and so sure he will win that he arrogantly stops off for a nap half way through. When he wakes he discovers to his horror that the slowly plodding tortoise has won the race while he slept.

It struck me this week that being a writer is in many ways like being that tortoise.

The job of writing a novel is very much a plod, plod, plodding affair. You spend months researching and planning and building characters, then more months writing and writing and writing, only to spend even more months deleting and editing and rewriting.

It requires the patience and perseverance of a saint - or a tortoise!

I spent most of last year writing a novel for young adults called Finding Cherokee Brown. It was a particularly 'plodding' experience because I was working full time for a children's fiction development company at the time and only free to write late at night. Sometimes it felt as if I would never get it finished, but every night I would sit down at my computer and write something, even if it was only a page.

And slowly but surely the pages began to add up. The good thing about plodding is that you do eventually get to the finish line, with a fully formed manuscript to show for it.

And, after a while, you start to reap the rewards.

Earlier this year I got a UK book deal for Finding Cherokee Brown (it is being published by Egmont in 2012) and this week a US publisher asked if they could see it.

I don't need to tell you how relieved I am that I carried on writing no matter how tired I was or how inviting my bed looked, or how tempting the plotlines of EastEnders were. Just like the tortoise, I had no guarantee that I would 'win' at the end of it, but some kind of inner faith kept me going.

So to anyone reading this who wants to write a book but despairs that they will ever get it finished - you will. As long as you keep plod, plod, plodding along, keeping your eyes on the publishing prize.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto: Review

This week guest reviewer Lulu Meade reviews the novel Halo by Alexandra Adornetto.

Halo tells the story of three angels sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone, especially herself...Is love a great enough power against evil?

Bethany has never been down to earth and has no experience what so ever with humans. She was chosen for this mission because she was known to spend hours and hours studying humans. In heaven her job was to help the little children who had died and guide them up to heaven. So it was just as well that Bethany had Gabriel and Ivy to help her with this new alien world and body. Their mission was far from easy, so they needed a role in the community from which to easily influence the people of Venus Cove. So Ivy throws herself in to volunteer work with the church and charities, knitting items for the elderly or the poor and making badges to raise money for charity. Gabriel becomes Venus Coves new music teacher, he runs the choir and teaches the students many new hymns. Bethany has perhaps the hardest role. She has to become a student at Venus Cove High, in an attempt to influence the students there to keep the good of others in their thoughts. As you can imagine she faces many difficulties and distractions like boys, friends and parties.

As Bethany finds herself getting deeper and deeper into the teenage world she meets a boy called Xavier and feels that the only word to describe her feelings for him is love. Now to say that Gabriel and Ivy do not approve would be an understatement but Bethany simply cannot keep away.Not long after Bethany and Xavier start going out a mysterious new boy from England called Jake Thorn arrives on the scene. Bethany feels herself drawn to him, but not in the way she was drawn to Xavier but in a dark, dangerous way. It is clear he has a dangerous secret but will they ever find out what it is…

Overall I think that this book is truly enchanting, it’s hard to put it down and you can read it time and again without getting bored.

More about our reviewer, Lulu...

Who is your favourite literary character?

My favourite literary character is Scarlet March from Sister’s Red because Scarlet is constantly determined to put her family before herself and she also does everything within her power to save the world from Fenris.

Who is your favourite author?

My favourite author is Alexandra Adornetto because she shows us that you can write a book at any age (she was only 14 when she wrote Halo) and I really enjoyed it.

Which book do you wish you had written?

I wish I could have written the Harry Potter books because they really connect with the reader. The author creates a whole new universe where you  get to know the characters really well and you become totally engrossed so that you just can’t put the book down.

If you would like to be a guest reviewer (of YA fiction) on The Faded Bookmark please email me:

siobhancurham[AT]yahoo[DOT]co[DOT]uk

Author Stephanie Lennox Guest Blog

This week I'm delighted to welcome author Stephanie Lennox to The Faded Bookmark.

Stephanie has written over 160 stories, plays and poems so far throughout her time as a writer. As well as winning the National GetConnected competition in 2009, she also won the Vfifty Award this year for her debut novel I Don't Remember You. Stephanie is also an editor for the teenage girl’s E-zine, Mookychick, and a corporate sponsor of NCLR.

Her guest blog is crammed full of useful tips and advice - I hope you find it as informative as I did!

After writing my first novel, I'd do anything to turn back the hands of time and tell that hopeful, optimistic young lady from my past these five small tips. I'd like to share them for the enjoyment of all of you here at The Faded Bookmark, and personally thank Siobhan for inviting me to guest blog!

Tip 1 - Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

Nothing's worse than writing a story and getting halfway through before you realise that you have no idea where the story is going. That is the number one cause of writer's block. Do anything in your power to avoid this! Make sure every line, every word and every chapter has been thought through from beginning to end. When you wake up each morning and have a clear view of what you're going to work on, every day is easier.

TRY THIS: Creating three boxes on a piece of paper (Beginning, Middle, End) and summarising your story in a paragraph or less.

Tip 2 - Communicate

This may sound a funny thing to do, considering that writing consists of sitting alone in front of a computer...but I really believe that it is one of the most important points. You need society to remind you who you are writing for. Read other books, they will help you to evolve as a writer and find your voice, as well as finding out what you like and dislike. Try and find a writing group where other people can help you stage by stage with helpful critiques. Communicate with your target audience, find out what they are really like. Absorb all media you can, really, because everything will help in the end.

TRY THIS: Make sure you're world-savvy. By this I mean, focus on the world around you, your current affairs, don't be an idiot and write a horror on Valentine's Day.

Tip 3 - Write What YOU Want

So, you're half way through writing your science fiction comedy with a pair of transvestite robots. Your best friend has just finished reading it, she looks at you worriedly for a fraction of a second, and then that's it. Total confidence lost. My advice to you is, forget about that. Opinions aren't facts, and if one person can't see your genius for what it is, don't worry about them. You can't please everyone all the time, but if you aim to please yourself, you won't be disappointed at the end.

TRY THIS: There's always an exception to the rule. Ignore one blind critiquer...but if 100 people have said the same thing, you might want to think about a rewrite.

Tip 4 - Write From Experience

Sometimes you might think about the things that have happened in your life, and written them off as boring and uninteresting. (unintentional pun, yay!) But don't! Everything in your life is writing material. If you're writing a horror, remember a time when you were afraid. It might not be of the same thing as your character, but you can focus on the emotions of the particular moment. Remember the five senses at all times. Writing a romance? We all know how falling in love feels, don't we? Or first heartbreak? Oh, don't get me started...

TRY THIS: Having pictures of items from people that inspire you is a great way to motivate yourself, cure writer's block, and conjure up memories.

Tip 5 - Never, Ever, Ever, Ever Give Up

There will be times when you just want to give up. A year ago I remember, having just finished publishing my book, sitting there waiting for the millions of pounds to start rolling in. Someone once told me that a book is like your baby; You have huge dreams for it, of university and riches, yet as it grows you realise that it's a lazy bum who wants to doss around the house eating donuts. You have to be pro-active. No matter what stage your book is at, you can't ever give up on it and expect it to go places on it's own. The only thing you can really do is hope that it never becomes a chore, you always have the passion for it and would start the process all over again if you had to. Good luck to all of you writers out there, I wish you all the best!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Lennox

TRY THIS: A book is never truly completed, only abandoned.

For more information about Stephanie please visit her website - http://www.stephanielennox.com/

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick: Review

Today, I welcome my first guest reviewer to The Faded Bookmark.

Tamsin Jupp is mother to three young girls, nicknamed The Three Graces and she has been a prolific reader and writer since she was small.  This is the year that Tamsin is going to make her writing more of a priority, whether it be to finish the children's book she has been mulling over for a year or to actually take a chance with a picture book she wrote for her middle child.  So you'll find her either nose in a book, scribbling notes, or out in the woods stomping in the mud letting her imagination run riot.

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

The first chapter introduces us to Sig, a fifteen year old boy who is sitting in an isolated cabin, somewhere in the frozen Arctic Circle, with a corpse on the table.  It's his father, who had fallen through the ice that morning on his way home.  He'd been crossing a melting lake, at a point he had told his son never to cross at.  As Sig struggles to come to terms with this and puzzle his fathers rash actions, it looks like he has been abandoned by his step-mother and sister.  When you think things can't get worse, a psychotic, gun-toting man turns up demanding the gold owed to him by his dead father.

The story revolves around Sig, a boy who has felt a misfit most of his life, who has been treading water, waiting for something he just can't put his finger on.  Now he is stuck alone with an adult who has no moral compass and has spent the last ten years with the sole purpose of tracking down the family, getting his share of gold and making someone pay.  Sig, has no idea where the gold is, so faces certain death, unless he can get to the store cupboard where his father's ancient revolver is hidden, to even the odds.  Can he remember the lessons his father taught him about the gun?  If he does manage to arm himself, will he be true to his mother and choose the bible's peaceful path (she herself was raped and murdered in another part of this lawless, frozen land), or to his father and his scientific, logical mind?  Kill or be killed?  Or is there a third option?

Yet this is not a bleak book, there is always a sense of hope, the hint of possibility just round the corner.  The reader is swept along, carried by Sedgwick's beautiful use of imagery and language.  He builds on the suspense and fear, fuelling your desire to get to the conclusion.   "The words hung in the air, drifted around the room.  They seemed to paint themselves on the walls in letters two feet high.  They seemed to be painted in blood."

I loved this book and can't wait to read more by this author!

To read more from Tamsin please visit her blog My Dandelion Girl.

If you would like to be a guest reviewer (of YA fiction) on The Faded Bookmark then please email me at:

siobhancurham [AT]yahoo[DOT]co[DOT]uk