Chatting to Joelle Charbonneau!

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

I’m so excited to announce the very first author interview on The Stacked Shelf. The amazing and lovely Joelle Charbonneau, author of the fantastic THE TESTING series (links to my reviews of the first two books here and here), has kindly agreed to chat about writing, her inspirations and some exciting future projects! Read on to find out more…

I hope you all enjoy reading this and gaining an insight into the workings of a writer as much as I did, and thanks again to Joelle for agreeing to take part!

Tell us a bit about your background – how did you come to be a writer?

I went to college and to graduate school for music and theater and for the next several years performed in operas, musicals, children’s theater and lots of other crazy acting and singing kinds of things. It wasn’t until about 8 years after college that I started writing. I was the only person in my dressing room for the show I was doing that didn’t make the next show and I suddenly had an opening idea for a book in my head. And for some crazy reason I decided to write that book. It was a bad book, but I decided that I loved the challenge of telling a story and kept going.

What inspires you?

EVERYTHING! Honestly, I am inspired by great stories, by music, by my voice students, by my son’s laughter and by the kindness of the people I have met throughout my life. The world is filled with inspiring things and I find something new to be amazed by each and every day.

Your ‘The Testing’ trilogy is set in a dystopian future, where do your ideas come from?

The idea for THE TESTING series came out of my work with my voice students. I work one on one with teenagers on their singing. Many of those teens decide they want to go to college for singing or acting and then I work with them on their college auditions. The process is stressful and the stress can often overwhelm them. One year, I found myself wondering how the process could become more stressful. I wanted to know under what circumstances the world would turn the process of getting into college into something that could mean life or death. And the Testing was born!

Cia is a great character – she’s strong, smart and balanced. How did she develop throughout the trilogy? Is she based on anyone you know?

One of my students at the time I came up with the idea for The Testing is 5’2″ and has dark hair. So, I guess Cia’s outward appearance is probably based on her. But Cia’s starting point for her journey is really based on all of my students. They are all optimistic about the world and their future. Most of them come from good families. I wanted Cia to represent them. I also wanted her personal character growth to reflect what I see in my students as they go off to college and learn that the world is more complex and harder than they originally thought. They become more balanced and more confident. They also experience a lot of painful growing moments and come out the other side a little less happy, but a whole lot wiser.

What is the hardest thing about writing?

The middle! The middle of every book is really tough. The beginning of books are always interesting and engaging and the idea is fresh and new. The end of books are exciting because you’ve scaled the mountain. There is no better feeling than THE END. But the middle is where your doubts and unhappiness creep in. The middle (no matter how fast a writer writes) is always long and scary and filled with uncertainty.

What book/s are you reading at present?

I am reading Jason Reynold’s WHEN I WAS THE GREATEST. It’s awesome.

If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is still quite possibly my favorite book and the one that taught me to believe that anything is possible!

As a writer, what’s the one thing you can’t live without?

Diet Pepsi…honest! I need my Diet Pepsi.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on proofing my next book which is a young adult thriller called NEED, which involves an elite social networking site that allows anonymous users to say what they need and offered them a chance to get it. I’m also writing a brand new stand alone YA thriller that has the working title of MASKED. I’m closing in on the middle section. Wish me luck!

Book Giveaway – Celebrating 100 posts on The Stacked Shelf!

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

After almost two years of blogging, this is my 100th post on The Stacked Shelf. I just wanted to say take the opportunity to say thanks to everyone who’s been reading, commenting and supporting this blog since it first started! To celebrate, I’ve picked two books from two of my favourite posts to give away.

Firstly, I’m so excited to be able to give away a copy of Graeme Simsion’s ‘The Rosie Effect’. The follow up to ‘The Rosie Project’, this book was released at the end of September and is a really great sequel! It’s hilarious and heartwarming and if it’s not on your TBR list, it should be!

Secondly, I’ve chosen a book from a slightly older post, but it’s one that I found really interesting to read. ‘Amity and Sorrow’ by Peggy Riley tackles some fairly controversial issues, looking at the effect that being raised in a polygamous religious cult has on children, and how they react when their carefully constructed world breaks down.

If you’d like to read either of these books, please enter the competition by following the instructions below!

What you need to do…

You’ll need to follow The Stacked Shelf either through WordPress or via email (if you don’t do so already!).

Then enter your details in the form below, letting me know which book out of the two you would most like to read, as well as recommending the best book you’ve read recently!

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Winners will be picked entirely at random, and rest assured that email addresses won’t be stored and will only ever be used as a way of contacting winners for this giveaway.

You have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 12th November 2014 to enter. It’s UK entries only I’m afraid, but if you’re elsewhere in the world, thanks so much for reading and keep your eyes peeled for future competitions.

The rules… (yes sorry, there are rules):

1. UK entries only
2. Entries will be checked against the entry methods specified above. Only entries that meet all requirements will be entered into the prize draw.
3. Winners will be notified by email
4. The winners have 2 weeks to respond with the address that they would like the prize sent to.
5. The prize will be sent out within 7 days of receipt of address.
6. Closing date: 12th November 2014, 11.59pm
Entry into the competition will be deemed as accepting of these T&Cs

James Patterson offers grants to independent booksellers

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

At a time when independent book shops are struggling to stay afloat, it’s fantastic to see authors showing their support for stores.

James Patterson, best-selling author of the Alex Cross and Women’s Murder Club novels, recently pledged to hand out grants totalling £250,000 to independent booksellers in the UK – and the first round of these grants have just been awarded.

This amazing opportunity was open to any store with a dedicated children’s book section and an idea for innovative ways to encourage children to read more. 73 independent British bookshops from all across the country have received funding so far, with another round of awards to come. The money will be spent on a whole range of new initiatives designed to encourage children to engage with books, including new displays and spaces, reading and activity areas and even mobile book vans to go out into rural areas.

Patterson has made no secret of his support for independent bookstores in the past – and has actively spoken out about the damaging effect that Amazon is having on the industry. While the retailer has the ability to undercut booksellers on price, bookshops offer a space to discover new books and to inspire a passion for reading that’s hard to replicate online.

He’s also done tons of work to promote children’s reading, including starting the ReadKiddoRead website, which is aimed at parents and full of top tips to get kids reading, helpful articles and book recommendations.

While the grants may not be enough to turn the tide around, this very public statement by one of literature’s most prolific and successful writers should help to draw some much needed attention to the issue in the mainstream press. Anything that helps to get children interested in books gets a thumbs up from me!

If you want to see the full list of bookshops that have received funding, they’re all listed in this article. If you spot one that’s near you, why not go along and show your support!

Top 5 books on my TBR list

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

Yesterday was Super Thursday, when the book world traditionally launches all of the heavyweight titles that it expects to top the Christmas bestseller lists. To mark the day, I thought I’d put together a list of the top five books currently on my ‘to-be-read’ list. I’m always looking for more ideas, so if you’ve read anything good recently – let me know!

Written in the Blood – Stephen Lloyd Jones
I’ve been lucky enough to have been sent a review copy of the follow up to ‘The String Diaries’, which I really enjoyed, and it’s sitting currently top of the to-be-read pile to be started this weekend!

City of Mirrors – Justin Cronin
The final iinstallmentin Justin Cronin’s epic fantasy trilogy, which started with ‘The Passage’, comes out on 22 October 2014. I loved the first two and I’m literally counting down the days until this is published!

The Good Children – Roopa Farooki
Following four brothers and sisters all the way from 1940’s Punjab through to present day, this is billed as unique family saga offering some great insights into the idea of family, tradition, immigration and prejudices. I’ve seen some great reviews of this and can’t wait to read it.

Almost English – Charlotte Medelson
I really wanted to read this when it came out last year and was longlisted for the Man Booker prize. I came across a copy at the second hand bookshop the other day and snapped it up.

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel
This is on my TBR list just in the hope that I’ll finally get around to reading it! It’s been sitting on my bookshelf for far too long. I’ve started it before, but abandoned it for no good reason a few chapters in. After all the hype, I feel like it has to be worth the effort of persevering.

Going interactive

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

In a world that is increasingly technology focussed, it’s no surprise that publishers are exploring new ways to become more interactive and to engage with readers. Dedicated websites supporting specific books and authors have long been used as a way of communicating with an audience online, but new innovations are springing up all the time.

‘Dead Man’s Time’ by Peter James is one such book. It includes an interesting new interactive feature that allows readers to use Blippar to access an interactive world straught from their smartphone app. Readers can then explore real locations where scenes of the book are set, following the characters’ progress as they read.

This is definitely one way of bringing books into the technological world, but will it gain authors any more readers? At the moment, this is more of an added bonus for people that have already bought the book than a necessity for winning over potential fans. I’d also be interested to see how many people use the feature. Are we meant to be using it to enrich the reading experience as we go along – pausing in the middle of a chapter to check out this virtual world? Or is it intended more as a novelty for fans to explore after we’ve finished – like J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore?

Ultimately, I think that including features like this will become increasingly common, as more and more people come to expect them, but in my opinion, it will probably be a while before this starts to have any real effect on sales.

Getting to the bottom of fan fiction

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

In general, I’m not a reader of fan fiction. But I am a fan of Hugh Howey, and when I saw that he was encouraging writers to set their own stories within the universes that he creates, I thought I would take the plunge and give it a go.

Howey famously became a household name after self-publishing his ‘Silo’ series and signing a unique print only deal with a publisher. Since then, he’s given his permission for indie authors and fans to write stories based in his fictional worlds, and encouraged them to sell their work on Amazon for a profit.

I recently read ‘Dunes of Danvar’, a piece of fan fiction written by indie fantasy author Michael Bunker, which is set against the backdrop of Howie’s ‘Sand’. It’s a short, three part story that introduces new characters to the mix, although it follows roughly the same timeline established by Howie.

The characters are well developed in a relatively short space of time, and because the world is already established, Bunker doesn’t have to dedicate too much time to building up the back story – he can jump right into the action. It’s this fast pace that keeps ‘Dunes of Danvar’ feeling fresh and exciting. He mixes the familiar with the new in a way that feels entirely natural and it really does help to make the fictional universe feel more real. Continue reading →

Calling all Game of Thrones fans!

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

Fans of Game of Thrones have been given the chance to be immortalised in fiction after author George R. R. Martin auctioned off new characters in his next novel for charity.

Readers were given the opportunity to have a character named after them – who will then killed off in a typically brutal manner! – in the next book in The Song of Ice and Fire series. One male character and one female character were available and both were snapped up within hours at a whopping £20,000 each. The winners, one of which is Facebook employee Dave Glodblatt, can also choose their status in the world of Westeros – from a lord, lady or maester to a knight or a common peasant.

People are still able to donate money in exchange for a whole range of other prizes in the online auction, which is raising funds for The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and a food depot that helps to feed tens of thousands of people across North New Mexico. Prizes include opportunities to meet the author and Game of Thrones memorabilia, from t-shirts, maps and board games to signed scripts and George R. R. Martin’s own hat.

The auction has just four days to go – so if you fancy parting with your money for a good cause, and getting some signed goodies in return, go to…

https://www.prizeo.com/prizes/georgerrmartin/a-wolf-sanctuary-tour-and-helicopter-ride

If you’re on a budget, even a small donation will enter you into a prize draw to win a trip to Santa Fe and share a helicopter ride to the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary with George R.R. Martin himself.

So far, the campaign has raised over $450,000.

People waiting for the next instalment in The Song of Ice and Fire still have a long way to go – George R. R. Martin is still working on a draft of The Winds of Winter. If you just can’t wait, he has published several chapter extracts from the unfinished book to keep fans happy. They’ve all been complied here…

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/03/how-much-winds-of-winter-is-out

Enjoy!

Ebooks versus print

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

Continuing the debate about ebooks and their place in the market, Hodder Children’s announced last week that it will be launching a new e-only sci fi classics list. The list is launching with five out-of-print books, and aims to release up to 21 titles by September – see their Hodder Silver Twitter account for more info.

But is this a trend that’s set to continue? One of the major criticisms levelled at ebooks and the ebook market is that they limit the possibilities of new discoveries, making it hard to find new recommendations in the way that you would in a traditional bookshop.

It’s telling that the first e-only list is aimed at children and young adults, a generation that is likely to be far more engaged online with blogs and social media sites than ever before. The number of sites aimed at the sci fi and fantasy genre is huge, and each one is teeming with recommendations and opinions on the latest releases. It’s only natural that this audience would gravitate towards ebooks, where a quick click of the mouse is all it takes to deliver a book to the screen in front of you in a matter of minutes.

It’s a tentative start – as these are all novels that have previously appeared in print – and I think that we can see this growing more and more over time as people, but I can’t see paper books disappearing forever.

It’s also interesting to see that Sand, the latest novel from Hugh Howey, has actually been released as an ebook by publisher Cornerstone months before it will appear in print. Readers will still be able to pick up a hard copy, but it’s getting people used to having an ebook format be something that they look forward to.

Music, books and lyrics

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Emma @ The Stacked Shelf

Browsing Twitter earlier today, I stumbled across a recent promo campaign from a top UK band that’s using classic ghost stories to get people excited about their new music.

Coldplay are going all out to promote their upcoming album, the aptly named ‘Ghost Stories’, and their new songs are being unveiled in a way that should excite all the readers out there! Chris Martin’s handwritten lyric sheets for each song on the album are being hidden within the pages of books in libraries all over the globe. One lucky lyric hunter will also find two tickets and a free trip to London to see Coldplay perform at the Royal Albert Hall.

So far, five envelopes have been found – in copies of ‘Hounds of the Baskervilles’ in Barcelona, ‘Mister B. Gone’ in Helsinki, ‘Ghost Stories’ in Singapore, ‘A Christmas Carol’ in Mexico City and, most recently, in Dartford Library, Kent. If you fancy combining a trip to your local library with the chance of seeing the band perform live, keep checking the Coldplay twitter feed for clues to the next book.

Even if you don’t find anything, it’s a great way to get people visiting public libraries, especially at a time when so many of them are facing closure from lack of funding.