I'm not usually a fan of angel books but I kept hearing from blogger and Goodreads friends of mine that I should give the Rephaim series by Paula Weston a try, and they were right. This series, if the first book serves as a basis, is the exception rather than the rule. I found myself totally entertained for the entirety and it has that uniquely Aussie feel to it. So when Weston's US/Canadian publisher, Tundra Books, asked if we might participate in the blog tour for Shadows, I had no hesitation in saying yes. I mean, take a look at these reviews by some of my buddies: Nomes from Inkcrush, Mandee from Vegan YA Nerds, Trinity from Trin in the Wind, and Keertana from Ivy Book Bindings. (there are many, many more!) I am very happy that the lovely author agreed to answer some questions for me today on the blog. After listening to a few podcasts on which she was a guest, reading tons of Google links about her, and, of course, reading the book, I had tons of questions. It was pretty hard to narrow them down so I didn't--and she answered them all! I hope you all will enjoy her answers as much as I did. And go get the book! Here are the links to Amazon, B & N, and Book Depository.

1.       I listened to a podcast interview in which you talked a bit about the changes that were made for the UK version of Shadows. Has anything changed for the US/Canada edition? Was it mostly (or only) word choice changes or has anything plot-related changed?

First up – thanks for having me. :-)

Tundra Books has taken a very light approach with the US/Canadian edition, with all changes being minor and relating to individual words. There are some basic changes, like ‘carpark’ becoming ‘parking lot’ and ‘takeaway’ becoming ‘takeout’, and then others where the Australian terms would have had no meaning to those unfamiliar with them – ‘loo’ (washroom), ‘jumper’ (sweater) and ‘doona’ (blanket). And, of course, ‘stubbies’ have become ‘shorts’. Stubbies are a brand of shorts that are quite iconic for working class guys in Australia (or, in the case of the Butler brothers, farmers of illegal crops).

Happily, nothing has changed relating to characters, plot, structure etc.

2.       One aspect of Shadows I particularly enjoyed was the balance of supernatural and human characters. So often, the human characters in paranormal stories can come off as helpless or totally one-dimensional but some of my favorite moments involved Maggie, the Butler Brothers, or other fully human characters. Do you have as much fun writing those characters as you do those with more fantastical abilities?

Absolutely. The Butler brothers are among my favourite characters to write, particularly Mick as he says exactly what he’s thinking, without finesse. I don’t share his attitudes, but I like the idea of having meat-head guys like the Butlers getting caught up in this epic battle involving demons, angels and half-angels. I enjoy writing Maggie too. It took me a little while to flesh out her character because I definitely wanted her to be more than a one-dimensional best friend. The light bulb moment for me came when my editor challenged me to think more about why Maggie and Gaby had become friends. Once I worked that out, their relationship became more organic and real, and is now one of my favourites in the series.

3.       Without getting too spoilery, memory loss plays a part in the plot of Shadows. While I’ve read in other interviews that you knew the overall story arcs for the series, when you worked on Shadows, did you know everything that had happened during that “missing time”? (e.g. Did you have an outline of prior events that took place before the novel?)

Mostly. :-) From the start, I’ve known what happened between Gaby and Rafa, and what Gaby and Jude did that left everyone thinking they were dead. I’m still refining the detail as I work my way through the series and the critical moments take more solid shape (particularly the events leading up to them). The more time I spend with the characters, the better I understand them, which helps flesh out the detail in a way that feels ‘real’. I don’t think it’s giving too much away to say readers will know the details of those critical past events by the end of the series – with a few other reveals along the way as well.

4.       Think there’s any chance we might ever get to see those two plays and five manuscripts you finished before Shadows?

Hmm, not sure about the plays, and three of those earlier manuscripts will definitely never see the light of day. But I still think the fantasy series I was working on before Shadows has some promise, so I’d like to return to it some time in the future. (One of the rejections I received was on the basis it was YA, so I guess it’s a YA fantasy series – which I’m comfortable with.) I’ve learned so much as a writer since working with a professional editor and I’d like to apply that knowledge to the series – but not just yet. I have too many other ideas to explore first.

5.       I have to be honest, I don’t usually like angel books. Shadows is one of the only exceptions I’ve found and I read it because so many bloggers and Goodreads friends of mine recommended it to me. What do you think of the role social media sites play in book publicity these days? Do you think word-of-mouth recommendations like the ones I received have affected you as an author?

Great question! For a genre-writer (especially a genre YA writer), social media and word-of-mouth is invaluable. In Australia, it can be tough to get genre YA novels reviewed in mainstream media, so bloggers, social media and word-of-mouth has been really important. This probably sounds naïve, but I had no idea how many angel books were out there when I wrote Shadows, and had no clue of the love/hate relationship readers have with them. So the very kind word-of-mouth provided by book bloggers and on Goodreads has been a huge bonus. You’re right, it’s enticed readers to give my series a go – not just in Australia, but in other parts of the world. Of course Shadows is not for everyone, I get that, but it’s nice not to be dismissed straight out of hand for being ‘another angel story’. And I have a lot of wonderful bloggers to thank for that.

6.       You’ve said that you feel Shadows is more urban fantasy than paranormal romance and that you agree with idea that UF might be described as a story in which the romance could easily be removed and the story wouldn’t fall apart. (or the story wouldn’t lose its biggest element) Do you read much in the UF genre? Do you have any recommendations?

Tags for books are such tricky things, and they can’t help but shape reader expectations. I tend to describe the Rephaim series as urban fantasy over paranormal romance because, while the relationship between Gaby and Rafa is a core part of the story, theirs is not a sweet, epic romance. I worry that readers looking for a more traditional romance (as the paranormal romance tag might suggest) will be disappointed/frustrated when it doesn’t deliver. But if they like an antagonistic relationship and are interested in the broader world building within the story, then the Rephaim series could still work for them.

But to answer your question, I do enjoy urban fantasy. I’ve recently discovered Marjorie Liu’s Hunter Kiss series, which is wonderfully complex with intricate world building and a well-rounded female narrative character. Other favourites are Deadtown by Nancy Holzner and Hounded by Kevin Hearne (both first novels in their respective adult series). In the YA sphere, I’d recommend a witty and clever Australian novel called The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks, and Julie Kagawa’s Blood of Eden urban fantasy/dystopian series (starting with The Immortal Rules).

As for other recommendations that could (very) loosely be tagged urban fantasy: Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Boys series. (Okay, so this is just an excuse to talk about two series I particularly love.)

7.       What’s next after you finish the Rephaim series? Any stories itching to be written?

As a matter of fact, I’ve had an idea percolating away for a few months now, again starting with two characters and an interesting situation. It’s YA, has an urban fantasy twist, but is nothing to do with angels. I’ve written some preliminary notes, but won’t be developing the idea until I’ve submitted a draft of Book 4 of the Rephaim series.

8.       You’ve managed to do something extremely notable with the two main characters in Shadows—you wrote a female character who is very capable and a male love interest who treats her as an equal. (I wish this wasn’t notable in YA world) Who are your favorite couples in literature? (Yes, I realize that Rafa and Gaby aren’t technically a couple but let’s be real here, everyone who reads the book is rooting for them.)

Thank you. That’s a huge compliment.

This question turned out to be deceptively tricky! I love so many books and characters, but when I thought about favourite couples it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. So, after mulling it over, I realise that two of my all-time favourite couples are in Melina Marchetta’s Lumatere Chronicles: Finnikin and Evangeline and Froi and Quintana. In both relationships, the people involved have to see beyond each other’s flaws and address their own. Love and trust is hard-earned – on both sides – which makes it all the more sweet and rewarding when they finally sort themselves out. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice rank up there too. I’m actually really interested to hear other people’s thoughts on this one.

9.       Even though the first book in the Rephaim series is only just being released in the US/Canada, the second has already been released in Australia. Now that you’ve spent so much time with your characters, do you have any actors/actresses in mind when you write, in terms of either looks or personality?

Not when I’m writing them, but I do occasionally see an actor in a particular role and think they’re the right ‘type’ for one of my characters. For example, in Friends with Benefits, there’s that moment when Mila Kunis’ character runs into the doctor she’s just spent the night with when he’s trying to sneak away. To me, the send off she gives him is vintage Gaby (and her look is very close to how I imagine Gaby – except Gaby would be a bit taller). Fellow Aussie author Vikki Wakefield told me she pictures Taylor Kitsch when she thinks of Jude, which totally works for me. :-) As for Rafa, I really haven’t seen anyone that captures the image I have of him in my head. But of course that’s the beauty of characters on the page – we can imagine them in ways that work for each of us.

10.  What are your favorite types of scenes to write? The action ones? The witty dialogue?

I love writing dialogue. I learn so much more about my characters when they’re interacting. The witty stuff is fun (glad you found it witty!), but so are the arguments – especially between Gaby and Rafa. I also enjoy a good action scene, especially one that gets my heart racing when I’m writing it (like the cage scene at the Sanctuary). And those moments when Gaby and Rafa are doing things other than arguing…they’re fun too. :-)

Paula, thank you so much for visiting today and for thoughtfully answering all of my questions. I hope readers in the US and Canada will enjoy the Rephaim series as much as those in Australia have. And if you are a reader, check out Shadows to see if you'll like it as much as me! If you liked this interview and/or you love the series or are intrigued enough to find out more, you should check out the rest of the stops on Weston's US/Canada blog tour.

Have you read Shadows or any more of the books in the Rephaim series? What did you think? What'd you think of Paula's answers to my questions?

It's no secret that Phoebe has been one of our, The Readventurers', closest reading, blogging, reviewing and science fiction-loving friends for a long, long time. This is why we are thrilled that her debut novel, a futuristic, outer space thriller Starglass, is finally going to meet its readers. Today Phoebe is answering our questions about her novel, her writing process and a few other (random) things.

Welcome, Phoebe!

1. We’ve always appreciated your commentary on the complicated balance between honesty, reviewing, and being a writer. How does it feel to read your first reviews? Have any of your views changed? And what do you think about a catchy line "Jews in Space" that we've seen people use to describe Starglass?

It's been fascinating! While I don't agree with all the reviews (though honestly, who agrees with every perspective of any work of art?), I have found them, generally, to be insightful, hilarious, and incisive. My readers are just SO smart--it's what's kept me reading my reviews.

As for "Jews in Space"? Hilarious. I've long been a Mel Brooks fan, and my own Jewish mother made a "Jews in Space" crack LONG ago. Of course, the Asherah isn't shaped like a star of David; it's important that new readers don't take it too literally. But I'm glad to contribute to cultural diversity in YA sci-fi, and if the promise of Jews in Space gets people reading? Sounds good to me!

2. Can you tell us a little bit about the concept of a Bashert?  Where does the word originate, and does the meaning differ from what we think of as a soul mate?

"Bashert" is a Yiddish word that means "destiny." The idea is that God selected your spouse for you before you were ever born, someone who will complement you perfectly in every way. Since your spouse is considered selected for you by God, any husband or wife is considered a bashert--whether the relationship is ultimately successful or not. I find that aspect of the concept fascinating, and was eager to explore it in a setting where one's matrimonial choices are severely limited.

The traditional view is perhaps both more overtly religious than our own concept of a soul mate and more marriage-focused. Of course, belief in soul mates depends on some sort of belief in a soul, doesn't it? They're very similar concepts, and if readers understand them as equivalent terms, I don't particularly think they're missing much.

3. We love that you showed how easy it was aboard the ship for the people to become complacent to their basic rights and liberties disappearing in favor of the greater "good."  Do you draw any parallels between the society aboard the ship and the world we live in now?

I think to a certain degree any society depends upon consensus between citizens that a certain degree of compromise in liberty is necessary for us to get along. Not every society is as strict as that of the Asherah, but there exist contemporary societies on Earth where one's choice of spouse or vocation is limited due to factors beyond an individual's control. What distinguishes one society from another is where we draw those lines. Life on the Asherah must, by definition, be more controlled than it would be in many real societies but it doesn't mean that the choices the Council makes are necessarily right for all its citizens. Instead, those choices arise out of a motley quilt of quasi-religious values, necessity, the ruling party's desire for power, and a need to avoid chaos. Which is, I believe, how many real societies are structured. Ours, too, for better or for worse.

4. Is it weird that the character we found ourselves relating to the most was Terra's best friend Rachel?

Not at all! I love Rachel, and think she's a fascinating girl. In many ways, she's more sympathetic than Terra. And I've certainly had that reaction to characters before. When I read Uglies, for example, I LOVED Shay, but was not really all that into Tally.

Terra's been through a unique and uniquely traumatizing experience, and so I understand if it's a bit odd for some readers to get inside her head. It was certainly a difficult place for me to be, sometimes. But I also think that stories about girls like Terra--who have been through trauma and abuse--remain worth telling. For one thing, empathy is important. Terra might be difficult and sometimes unlikeable, but I hope she remains understandable. For another, I truly believe that kids who have grown up in the shadow of alcoholism and grief desperately need narratives about heroism and healing. They deserve to see heroes like them, too.

5. During the editing process, was there anything you cut out that you were sad to see go? Outtakes?

This might sound silly, but at various points in its gestation, Starglass opened with a glossary. We decided to get rid of it (as most of the Yiddish and Hebrew used can be divined by context clues), but I've seen a few readers stumble over these phrases and sometimes, I wish I'd kept it. 

Otherwise, the novel mostly grew--over 25,000 words during the editing process. Nothing was removed that wasn't replaced with something better.

6. Once the Starglass duology is complete and the second book is published in 2014, will you continue writing YA science fiction or you are ready to explore other genres (maybe even adult fiction, though we know you’ve said probably no to that particular question in other interviews?) Are you working on any projects right now?

I can't imagine writing something that wasn't speculative--whether science fiction or fantasy. I'm such a sucker for magic and aliens and dragons and unicorns and especially space unicorns.

Perhaps one day I'll write an adult novel, but my mind just doesn't bend that way, naturally. I find narratives about childhood and adolescence much more interesting. My current itch is to write and publish some middle grade. Twelve is such a fascinating age.

7. Have you ever thought about how we are all essentially hurtling through space on a very large-scale mostly closed system?  We are all trapped here, with our limited resources and space, and we have to survive with each other and what we have.  Did we just blow your mind?  No?

WHOA.

Thank you, Phoebe!

Starglass will be available on July 23, 2013
Don't forget to visit all the other stops on the Starglass blog tour!

[Amazon|Barnes & Noble]

Meanwhile, enjoy the book's fantastic trailer or win a signed copy

If you'd like to learn more about Phoebe or her work, you can visit her website at www.phoebenorth.com or find her on Twitter @phoebenorth. 

Ever since the FTC  announced their disclosure regulations, I have been cracking myself up by thinking about how I could approach 100% disclosure for every book I read and review positively. (since everything on the internet is true and I read a few posts saying the FTC doesn't care if you disclose for negative reviews) So before I say anything positive about Queen & Commander, you should know that, among other things, I met the author from a Craiglist post I made about starting a book club a few years ago, I ate some frozen yogurt with her a few weeks ago, she got me into White Collar, she gave me an e-copy of the book to read and maybe review, and we have had multiple conversations about Teen Wolf fanfiction. Oh, and I'm pretty sure she is on the other side of the lake in Seattle making a list of ways to murder me since I promised to post a review and this interview weeks ago and my inability to write anything prevented me from doing it. But I'm doing it now! *shakes fist to the sky* So here's the deal: Today, I will post the interview I did with Janine and include two giveaways--one that she is running with the other winners of the Ippy Award for sci-fi/fantasy/horror ebooks (for a KINDLE! and also their books and other book-related ish) and one for a paperback of the book (US only) and 3 e-copies (Int'l).  Tomorrow, come hell or high water, I will post a review of this book. For now, I will post the blurb and tell you that I really enjoyed it (like 3.5-4/5), I read it in one sitting, and that it involves space and adventure.

Queen & Commander (Hive Queen Saga, #1)
Author: Janine A. Southard
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 3/8/13
Source: Provided by Author
[Goodreads | Amazon]

Blurb (GR): On a world where high school test scores determine your future, six students rebel. They’ll outrun society as fast as their questionably obtained spaceship will take them.

Rhiannon doesn’t technically cheat the Test. She’s smarter than the computers that administer it, and she uses that to her advantage. She emerges from Test Day with the most prestigious future career possible: Hive Queen.

Gwyn & Victor are madly in love, but their Test results will tear them apart. Good thing Rhiannon is Gwyn’s best friend. Rhiannon can fix this. Queens can do anything.

Gavin is the wild card. Raised off-planet, he can’t wait to leave again... and he’s heard of an empty ship in orbit. The Ceridwen’s Cauldron.

Both Luciano and Alan fit in the system. They don’t need to leave. Only their devotion to Rhiannon spurs them to join the Cauldron’s crew.

Spaceships. Blackmail. Anywhere but here.

Interview with the Author:

1. How long have you been writing? Did you always know you wanted to write as a career? 

I’ve been writing forever.  I started a million novels on my parents’ computers in grade school. I wrote short stories in the back of my essay bluebooks during exams.

In high school, I tried selling my stories and didn’t get very far. That was when I decided to be an editor instead. My very first editorial internship, I learned two things:

1) I’m pretty awesome as an editor

2) Some fairly mediocre stuff gets published (and, in fact, should get published)

Once I started aiming for mediocre, writing seemed much less daunting. And, with the practice, I got a heck of a lot better. (I’d like to think I’m good or even great now. Not mediocre anymore.)

Anyway, I still wasn’t writing as a career, until a few years ago. Well, I was writing marketing copy and company newsletters, but not narrative fiction. I only went full-time on that when three things happened:

1) My unemployment benefits ended (hey it’s a recession), so I could decide whether it was worth hunting for any job in my field or whether I should spend time writing.

2) I got married, and my spouse’s paycheck was good enough that I could have the starving artist’s career without having to endure the starving part (which, let me tell you, makes for a much lower barrier of entry).

3) I got paid for creative writing, and that validated my skills. I’ve been contracting for videogames and selling short stories in niche markets.

2. What inspired you to integrate Wales and Welsh language into Queen & Commander? Do you have any connections with that area? 

It started when I named the spaceship, the Ceridwen’s Cauldron. (Great symbolism for coming of age and learning about the world.) Then there’s what I wanted to change the name of the spaceship to: the Manawyddan’s Mousetrap. (Symbolism for when you have to stop turning the other cheek, but in a peaceful way.) Eventually, the ship name will change. I thought it’d happen in Queen & Commander, but now it’s looking like it’ll be in book 3.

Anyway, I had this background in Medieval Romance Literature of the Otherworld from my university days. So I was hip to how I wanted to name my ship. But that didn’t necessarily have to tie in to the whole world yet. It could’ve been a company policy. Or my main character could’ve had a thing for The Mabinogion.

But then the coincidences started piling up. I did my research for my FTL (“faster than light”) drive, and the scientist whose work I wanted to use was Miguel Alcubierre. (Wikipedia on his theories here.) And it turned out that he’d done his graduate work at the University of Wales, Cardiff. (I keep thinking he was an Aberystwyth man, and I keep being wrong.)

Once that happened, I knew I had to Welsh-ify my details. And it was perfect! What other society would be so separatist as to try to keep their own colonial planet culturally pure... and then make up details to include? (I love the current Welsh culture champions who backfill their own versions of druidry, etc., and work hard to make sure that people understand the essential Welshness of their constructs. They care. They’re sincere. And it’s a beautiful thing.)

So they were the perfect group to perform an experiment in standardized testing and societal restructuring and make it stick.

As far as a personal connection to Wales, umm. Well. My UK copyeditor is Welsh (much to my relief) and I went there on vacation once. But I’m learning a bit of the language now and very much enjoy all the research I get to do for this series.

3. Do you have the entire story arc/s planned out for the series or are you innovating as you write? 

I have the important parts of the next two Hive Queen books planned out already. The details, though, I’m filling in before drafting each book. (For example, I first thought book two was going to be a frontier planet sheep-stealing thing. It isn’t. It’s on the space station where book one ends. But the important story arc bits—not telling: spoilers!—are the same from my original concept to the finished version.)

4. What's your usual writing atmosphere and schedule like? Do you have a routine? 

I tend to do my actual draft writing in cafes. I find it near-impossible to write at home with all the distractions. So my routine is something like: buy a spicy mocha, read my notes while drinking said mocha, get through at least one scene before buying something else.

When I’m not working a full-time contract, I’ll meet up with other local writers 2-3 times per week, as well, which creates an atmosphere of enforced creativity.

When I’m plotting or editing, I can be anywhere. And I tend to do my promo work (like this interview) and my administrative stuff (e.g., accounting spreadsheets, ebook programming) at home... where I don’t feel guilty about taking a break for a bit.

5. I was very interested in the idea of hives and finding out as a teenager that you may live a life of service and devotion to another, though I can see parallels to the organization of earlier times, particularly monarchical societies with knights, ladies in waiting, etc. Where did this idea come from? 

Initially it came from the way I observed guys in college all circle around one girl as the center of their social circle. Then I married that observation to historical courtier circles (especially the intrigue around Queen Elizabeth I*) and (I admit) a teenage love of the anime/manga Fushigi Yuugi** which was about teenage girls as the focal points of 7-person groups.

* Queen Elizabeth I in fiction – Ink and Steel by Elizabeth Bear
** Fushigi Yuugi by Yuu Watase – note that I’ve never read this in English translation

6. What kinds of stories and books do you like to read? Any particular reason why you went with science fiction for your debut novel? 

I love space opera. (For those unfamiliar with the term “space opera” tends to refer to stories in the far future with spaceships and space colonies, but where the emphasis is on interpersonal relationships and epic worldbuilding rather than science itself.) Largely, this is for the inherent optimism.

I mean, the story itself might be about something really depressing. Say, unending war (The Forever War by Joe Haldeman) or unethical cloning (Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold). But in order to get to the really depressing subject matter, humanity had to continue and progress. Western society as we know it had to improve and make its way out among the stars! The depressing subject is just a setback on a long upward trend.

So, it was kind of obvious that I’d write something in the space opera genre to start. It’s my own kind of optimism: I’m going to be successful. Heck, this is the first book in a series! If that’s not optimism, what is?

7. As someone who has created what I consider to be a very professional self-published book, what has been your favorite part of that process thus far? Are there any aspects of self-publishing you do not particularly enjoy? 

My favorite part, hands down, is the editorial control. I mean, here I have a YA novel with multiple POVs on a spaceship. A literary agent or publishing house right now would tell you that “ensemble isn’t in right now” and “spaceships are so passé” and “shouldn’t there be a romance in a YA novel?”.

And they’d be right, as far as sales to the largest market go, I’m sure. But everything is cyclic. And, darn it, I wanted to write (and would love to read) some non-romance ensemble YA!

As for what I don’t like, there are two things that spring to mind:

1) Details – I’m not a detail person. But I make my own ebooks (HTML and CSS) and layout my own print editions and track all my expenses for tax purposes.

2) Uncertainty – In the end, I don’t have that editorial validation. No one said, “Oh! I love your manuscript and I’m picking it up for my young adult line of [major publishing house].” When I make a giant change, there’s no one to say, “You’ve gone too far with that Welsh stuff.” It’s nerve-wracking.

8. If you could hand sell your book to a YA sci fi reader in a few sentences, what would be your pitch? 

It’s a young adult space opera story with an ensemble cast. If you used to read the tie-in Star Trek novels about junior ensigns, this will totally be your thing. Also, there’s a whole bunch of really dark undertones that you can think to pieces... or ignore in favor of the action adventure part. Plus: teenagers being smart even though they have no life experience. You’ll love it.

9. What are some of your favorite young adult books? Is there a story you wish you would've written or a writer whose work your particularly admire? 

My favorite young adult books tend to live on the younger side of young adult. I’m a huge fan of pretty much anything by Gordon Korman. (Most recently of his, I’ve read Son of the Mob which reminds me a lot of Son of Interflux --oh, also by Korman! And the middle grade Schooled.) I also love Alanna by Tamora Pierce , Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater, Whip It by Shauna Cross , and Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst.

10. What's next for you? How much work do you have left on the series? Any other story ideas buzzing around your brain? 

Queen & Commander has two planned sequels with their major plot arcs all worked out. There may or may not be books four and beyond, but I haven’t started thinking about those yet. I HAVE started planning out a few alternate-universe novellas in the Hive Queen universe. (For instance, the  alternate version of book three—in the world where Rhiannon Tested as a Perceiver instead of a Queen—is a murder mystery.)

I’m also reworking a novella which I refer to “The Menaechmus Twins in space with shapeshifting cats,” which is a comedy-romance of mistaken identities in a far future where humanity is not alone in the universe.

And probably next year I’ll either finish or scrap a contemporary YA/MG novel, Kimiko’s Metal Life, about a teenager who joins a heavy metal bar band (mostly of 40-60 year old men who ride Harley Davidson motorcycles on the weekend) to use her classical music skills in a fun way. There are thrift store costumes, unhappy bartenders who look the other way at her nonexistent ID, and heartwarming moments when her mom becomes her biggest fan.

Thanks for answering my questions, Janine!

GIVEAWAYS:

Janine has teamed up with the other Ippy Award winners in her category to run a fantastic giveaway for  Kindle Paperwhite, tons of books and ebooks, and other book-related prizes. There's a free entry but you can gain extra entries by adding all three award-winners to your Goodreads shelves, buying a copy (they are $4.95 or less and one is currently free!), following on Facebook and Twitter, etc. For more details on the books, the prizes, and the giveaway, please visit this site.  The other giveaway is being run by me. I will buy a paperback copy of the book for one lucky reader in US/Canada (maybe I'll even get it personalized!) Three international (or US) readers will win an e-copy of the book. Good luck!


BOTH GIVEAWAYS HAVE ENDED. THE WINNERS FOR OURS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY EMAIL. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOUR OF YOU!

Today, we are very excited to be part of the blog tour for Australian YA author Jaclyn Moriarty's exciting upcoming release, A Corner of White. I've been a huge fan of Moriarty's work since I read Finding Cassie Crazy (called The Year of Secret Assignments in the US) and Feeling Sorry for Celia after friends on Goodreads recommended them. She has a fabulous sense of humor and her writing is happy-making for me, even when she tackles bigger issues. A Corner of White is a departure from her Ashbury/Brookfield series. Instead of contemporary, this beginning to a new series represents fantasy, a bit of magic, and all sorts of fun. It was our Australian blogging buddy Nomes' favorite release of 2012 which, to me, means that all of us have to read it. (Yes, even those of you who have no clue who Nomes is!) It will be released in the USA from Scholastic on April 1st. 

Here's a bit about the book: 

A tale of two worlds, told in brilliant color.

Readers have loved bestselling author Jaclyn Moriarty since The Year of Secret Assignments. Now she gives them A Corner of White, the first in a suspenseful, funny, genre-busting trilogy that brings her fantastic characters, laugh-out-loud descriptions, and brilliant plotting to a fantasy setting.

Madeleine and her mother have run away from their former life and settled in a rainy corner of Cambridge, England (in our world).

In another world, in the Kingdom of Cello, Elliot is in search of his father, who disappeared on the night his uncle Jon was found dead. The talk in the town is that Elliot's dad may have killed Jon and run away with the physics teacher. But Elliot refuses to believe it. And he is determined to find both his dad and the truth.

As Madeleine and Elliot move closer to unraveling their mysteries, they begin to exchange messages across worlds — through an accidental gap that hasn't appeared in centuries. On both sides of the gap, even greater mysteries are unfolding — with more than one life at stake.



The Colors of Madeleine Tour celebrates the colorful aspect of the book, with two stops representing each of several colors. (see the rest of the stops at the bottom of this post) As one of the "Oblige Me With Oranges" (mmm, oranges) stops today, the prize pack we are giving away will be orange colored items, along with a copy of the book! Jaclyn Moriarty is introducing characters along the tour and doing a few interviews. Today, she's here to tell us a little bit about the main character's friend, Jack. Take it away...

Jack Cagnetti  

Jack Cagnetti is fifteen years old.  He lives with his grandfather in Cambridge, England.  He and his best friend Belle recently met Madeleine Tully—a newcomer to Cambridge who wears colourful clothes—and now the three of them are homeschooled together. 

Jack believes in the stars and in his own former lives.  When he has to do an assignment on the poet Lord Byron, he decides that he himself was once Lord Byron.  He wants a girl to reach up and run her hands through his hair.  The girl he has in mind is Madeleine Tully. 

                                        __________________________________________________
 
One of my favourite things about writing is the research.  For this book I read a lot about Isaac Newton, colours, and Lord Byron.  Here is something I discovered about Byron: 

Well, he spent some years living in a big house in Italy.  At this time he had 10 horses, 8 dogs, 3 monkeys, 5 cats, an eagle, a crow, a falcon, peacocks, guinea hens and an Egyptian crane.  All of these animals (except the horses) were allowed to wander freely through the house.  

Each day, Byron got up at two o’clock in the afternoon.  He had breakfast and chatted with friends until six.  From six until eight he galloped through the pine forest (on a horse I think, not his feet).  He came home, ate dinner and chatted with his friends again until 6 o’clock in the morning, when he fell asleep.

            I am sharing this because the whole thing is my dream holiday.  I love the idea of staying up all night talking with friends in a house in the woods!  I really like talking all night.  I also love the idea of sleeping until 2 in the afternoon!  And having breakfast!  I am so keen on breakfast.  And riding a horse through a pine forest! (Setting aside my allergy to horses, which I did, between the ages of 14 and 17, when I owned a horse and could very rarely breathe.)  I suppose the dream holiday might get a bit crowded, noisy etc, what with the monkeys and cats fighting over the bathroom, and the falcon swooping at the bagels, and the peacock upsetting the coffee mugs with its tail flourishes, and the Egyptian crane sulking in the corner, but mostly I think the animals would be a hoot!  And they’d be sure to start the conversation up again, if ever there was a lull.     

Thanks for visiting, Jaclyn, and introducing us all to Jack!

As part of the tour, there are two stops for each color so if you have a favorite color, check the links below the giveaway to see where you could win a copy of the book with a prize pack in that color. Here, our color is ORANGE, which is such a fun color. The giveaway will run for a week from today (3/28) and is US ONLY. The prizes have been provided by and will be sent to one winner by the publisher and/or tour organizer. Good luck and happy reading!

Read reviews of A Corner of White from some of our blogging buddies:
Inkcrush
Vegan YA Nerds
Steph Su Reads

Visit the other stops on the Colors of Madeleine Tour for more chances to win!:

Monday, March 18th: Jaclyn is stopping by Ex Libris Kate and Hobbitsies is featuring “Require-These Reds” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!

Wednesday, March 20th: Jaclyn is stopping by My Friend Amy’s Blog and Presenting Lenore is “Yearning For Yellows” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!

Friday, March 22nd: Novel Novice is interviewing Jaclyn Moriarty and Forever Young Adult is “Begging for Blues” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!

Tuesday, March 26th: Jaclyn is stopping by The Book Cellar and Mundie Moms is featuring “Gotta-Have Greens” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!

Thursday, March 28th: Jaclyn is stopping by The Readventurer and Alexa Loves Books is featuring “Oblige Me With Oranges” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!

Monday, April 1st: Jaclyn is stopping by Angie-ville and Gone With The Words is featuring “Wish-List Whites” on The Colors of Madeleine Tour!

Wednesday, April 3rd: Jaclyn is stopping by The Book Smugglers and Perpetual Page Turner is “Pining for Purples” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!

Friday, April 5th: Pure Imagination Blog is interviewing Jaclyn Moriarty and Emily’s Reading Room is “Greedy for Grays” on The Colors of Madeleine tour!

We are happy to be be part of the blog tour this week in celebration of Karen Healey's newly released YA sci fi novel, When We Wake. (Little, Brown BFYR, released 3/5/13) As part of the tour, we conducted an interview with one of the characters in the book, Joph, about environmental issues. You see, in When We Wake, Tegan goes to a protest rally with her friends and then the next thing she remembers is waking up...one hundred years later. So many aspects of the world are different for her and Karen Healey has created a version of Earth's future that rings eerily possible.  Joph is one of Tegan's new friends from after she wakes up in the future and we're excited to see what she'll have to say. Welcome, Joph!

Through your actions in the book, it is clear that you care a lot about people in need. Other than protesting, how can young people make a difference? Do you believe that one person can have an impact?

Yes. At the very least, they can make an impact on themselves, and in choosing to live with care for others, they make an impact on them. Groups of people dedicated to change don’t just come about – they originate with individuals who want to make an impact.

And youth makes little difference – young people have less power, but we have more energy, and often more passion. Young people can speak, they can listen, they can give what time or money or goods they have spare. We can be forces of change for the better.

In your current world, there are many commonplace practices in place to adapt to the environmental conditions—humanure composting, roof gardens, timed showers, water rations, fossil fuel taxes, underwater buildings, and gray water systems, for example. While some of these things are around now (2013), none of them are widely used. (save perhaps fuel taxes) What kinds of environmentally savvy inventions or processes do you think will be the first to garner widespread use?

Roof gardens, I’d hope. I like gardens. They’re pretty, and they give you shade, and they feed you, and they soak up carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the atmosphere. I mean, we can only have roof gardens because we use humanure for fertilizer and water rationing to make sure there’s water for them. It’s all connected. That’s how everything works.

The people in Australia in your time are very pro-vegetarian and put off by those who eat meat. Do you think we have a moral or ethical obligation to alter the way we eat to preserve some aspect/s of the environment?

Oh, the meat thing. Well, I don’t know, does it taste nice? I don’t really miss something I’ve never had. And a vegetarian life is much better for the environment – raising food animals takes a lot of water and energy in comparison. I think it’s wrong to say how other people should eat, though. Maybe you should think about it? And decide what’s best for you?

Tegan is in a particularly interesting position, having experienced the world in two different centuries, but I’m sure you’ve learned a lot about Earth’s history in school. (plus, your being a genius helps!) What surprises you most about our past environmental choices? Are there any historical environmental disasters or events that you find particularly appalling or interesting?

Bethi’s much more your history girl, but let’s see, what can I remember? Oh, flying. We did this project on commercial flight, and how much fuel it took, and how much carbon it emitted. The numbers were shocking, and Bethi was really angry. She walked around for a week saying, “Couldn’t they sail? They had electricity! Why didn’t more people use electric cars and just drive to where they wanted to go?”

I didn’t want to tell her that lots of the electricity came from burning coal anyway, because she was already so upset. So I pretended that I’d taken some color and forgotten to do that part of the project and instead she got angry because she thought I was getting high too often.

It’s sometimes hard to do the right thing by Bethi, but she makes life interesting.

The Iroquois Native Americans originated the “seventh generation sustainability concept,” which basically means that when making important decisions we should analyze the impact that decision will have seven generations, or 140 years, from now. Yet it is very hard to get people to care about issues that are more abstract. What do you believe about the way we should handle our inherited Earth? Are you optimistic about our current trajectory?

The Iroquois are some smart people. Looking seven generations ahead would have done us a lot of good – seven generations ago. Now, no, I’m not optimistic.

I try to be. I hope there will be a solution. I work to help.

But I’m not sure if our species has seven generations left.

My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy.

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies--and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity--even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?


And the trailer:

Pretty well done, eh? Healey will also be chatting with fellow writer Malinda Lo about the book on the  Live at the Lounge author video chat on March 23rd. It's going to be a great sci-fi/YA fest! As part of the Wake Up blog tour, the publisher has provided a copy of the book for one random reader at each stop. The giveaway is US ONLY and will run until 3/17.  Be sure to visit all the other stops on Karen's blog tour to hear from more characters and increase your chances of winning a copy!

3/4 - Novel Novice interviews Bethari about media/communications
3/5 - The Book Smugglers interviews Abdi about immigration
3/6 - 365 Days of Reading interviews Dr. Marie about scientific/medical research
3/7 - Forever Young Adult interviews Tegan about music
3/8 - The Readventurer (you're already here!), interviews Joph about the environment

Stay tuned this week for our (well, my (Flann)) 4-star review of When We Wake. In the meantime, check out these reviews from some of our blogging buddies:

A Reader of Fictions
Alluring Reads
Vegan YA Nerds
Book Smugglers

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Since probably no one is reading this paragraph, I will take this time to say that I was just perusing Karen Healey's FAQs on her site and this former child chess champion was giddy to find out that her favorite musical is Chess. I'm going to kick my Friday off right by prancing around the house singing Nobody's Side.

It's not often that we receive a request from a publisher that makes me downright giddy, but yesterday when Flannery forwarded me this message:

"Frances Hardinge has been called one of the best kept secrets in childrens/YA literature but as a huge fan of hers (and also working on her books) I don’t want her to be a secret, I want to help as many people as I can discover her."

I kind of got more than a bit excited.  My response to this message went something like this:

A) You had me at Frances Hardinge.
B) WHERE DO I SIGN UP??

Only...you know...I did try to at least appear slightly more professional than that.  I've made no secret during my time here at The Readventurer that I am a huge Frances Hardinge fan.  Remember when I:

• Challenged both Noelle from Young Adult Anonymous and Maja from The Nocturnal Library to read one of her books...within a two month period?  (I didn't even realize I had done that until today.)
• Lugged one of Frances Hardinge's books on a four hour bus ride to New York so I could hand deliver it to my friend Heidi and insist that she read it?
• Used A Face Like Glass as one of the main reasons I still have hope for YA fantasy?
• Wished I could sample the cheeses of Caverna?
• Gushed all over the place for my reviews of A Face Like Glass and The Lost Conspiracy?
• Listed A Face Like Glass as one of my favorite reads of 2012?
• Checked out the short story anthology Under My Hat just so I could read her story (okay, and Margo Lanagan's) and then return it to the library?

That last one may or may not be a more recent occurrence that I've been keeping under my hat (tee hee) until now.

So today I will quite happily participate in spreading the word about the excellent works of Frances Hardinge.  Since you've already heard a lot about me and my opinions, I thought I'd share some thoughts from my favorite reviewers about this fantastic author:

"I hardly know where to start when it comes to Hardinge's spectacular novel. For one, let me assure  you  that it blew me away and, despite being a Middle Grade Fantasy novel, I found that it was every bit as thought-provoking and intelligent as YA and Adult reads, if not better because of its subtleties, cleverness, and surprising plot twists."
--Keertana at Ivy Book Bindings, writing about A Face Like Glass

"I am overcome with Imperious Feelings demanding that I find the Right Words to write this review. Fly By Night is Absurdly Brilliant. This is not an overstatement."
--Ana at The Book Smugglers, writing about Fly By Night.

"The Lost Conspiracy isn’t just a darn good story, it’s a story that can open your mind and change the way you approach life.  It will ask you to question the meaning of stories, acknowledge the importance of understanding one another, understanding yourself, and knowing what you need from life.  It is a story of stories in which we get to wonder how much of what is made up just might be true, and how much is really just conspiracy.  The Lost Conspiracy exists so that when you pass the point where the stories end, you will know you can go on."
--Heidi at Bunbury in the Stacks, writing about The Lost Conspiracy

"A writer who asks a lot from the reader is a writer who believes the reader can deliver.  That’s a writer with a lot of respect for her audience. It’s a risk for an author to demand so much, and I want Hardinge to be rewarded for it. That’s because it’s a risk for a reader, too.  A reader has to have faith in an author to invest so much in a story, and I think Hardinge pays back on that investment, a hundred times over.

Reading The Lost Conspiracy is like climbing the mountain and turning around to see the world laid out at your feet.  Only, in this case, the mountain is a volcano."
--Megan Whalen Turner, writing about The Lost Conspiracy

Today marks the release date for the paperback edition of A Face Like Glass, and the publisher has very kindly offered up a copy for us to give away.  Open internationally!

P.S. - I also happened to notice that the U.S. hardcover editions of The Lost Conspiracy and Well Witched are only $6.80 today over at Amazon!

Today, we're very happy to welcome Phoebe North, author of the upcoming young adult science fiction book, Starglass, to the blog. The novel, her debut work, is being published by Simon & Schuster and will be released on July 23rd of this year.  We're very excited to check it out for several reasons but most of all because Phoebe knows what's what in science fiction. Until recently, she was one half of Intergalactic Academy, a blog that was devoted to reviewing YA science fiction. She also contributes to YA Highway and Strange Horizons, and runs her own website. Plus, if we're in the cone of silence here, the three of us have been conversing with Phoebe about science fiction books on Goodreads for years. We asked her to write a guest post for us and she delivered by contributing another addition to our Book vs. Movie archives. She's comparing Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein's popular military sci-fi book to its 1997 cinematic remake.  How will they stack up? 

I should preface this edition of Book vs. Movie with the disclaimer that I am not a fan of the novel Starship Troopers. I'm not even entirely sure I much like Robert Heinlein. I read Troopers for the first time last year, when my husband bought me a copy for our anniversary. Days later, I called out to him as I sat in the tub reading.

"Why did you want me to read this?" I asked, as I fought the urge to submerge the old paperback in grimy, soapy water. "It's terrible."

"I didn't think you'd like it," he replied. "I thought you might find it interesting."

To me, Starship Troopers's loathsome qualities are innumerable. Firstly, it's essentially a plotless bildungsroman, which would be fine if protagonist Johnny Rico were the least bit interesting. Instead, he's meant to be a sort of everyman Ur-soldier in this futuristic world where only military members are full citizens with voting rights.

(Defenders of Heinlein might object here that Heinlein said that citizens could complete civil service to gain voting rights, but that's not supported by the text.)

Characters in this military utopia--almost all men--act more like mouthpieces than actual characters. And they're mouthpieces for exceedingly conservative and now-outdated modes of thought. Dubois, Rico's military history instructor, lectures his students on the cause of juvenile delinquency: it's because no one spanks their kids anymore. 

After a long lecture scene--during which Dubois sneers at a "shrill" female student--Rico joins the military infantry despite his father's objections. His global military society is currently engaged in a war with extraterrestrial bugs. Sounds promising enough, but the next several dozen pages are spent in a lengthy, nostalgia-tinged reminiscence on basic training. The science fictional elements are thin; Heinlein infodumps on powered armor exoskeletons exactly once, but this is recounted with all the thrilling passion of an episode of Antiques Roadshow (though that might be underselling the suspense of Antiques Roadshow). Eventually, Rico's mother is killed, and Rico realizes that we really should be pre-emptively slaughtering our enemies. He fights the Bugs, of which we learn little about biology or society. The "narrative" (as it were) concludes with Rico as an officer and his father serving under him--having learned the foolishness of trying to deny his son his citizenship. (i.e. manhood)

So that's the novel. As a progressive ("shrill"?) peacenik feminist, I found little to like within its pages. The character of Rico was flat; the others were more like set pieces or author avatars, meant to allow Heinlein to posture at will. In truth, it felt like a particularly humorless military propaganda piece more than a novel, and the characters and world were so bland and underdeveloped that, in retrospect, I have no idea why this book has entered the SF canon.

Which brings us to the film. I once heard the 1997 film adaptation referred to as a "travesty" during a conference panel on military science fiction. If the original novel were one close to my heart, I could understand such an emotional reaction. It is certainly different from the novel--satirical, rather than earnest; aggressively campy, rather than infused with machismo.  Supposedly, the film adaptation began its life as an unrelated work; the novel, which director Paul Verhoevan claims to have never finished, was only optioned well into production.

While I agree with Verhoevan's declaration that Starship Troopers is both boring and depressing, I'm not sure I entirely buy this story. Because in certain ways, the film Starship Troopers is stunningly true to the book--particularly in terms of extrapolating how a society built on Heinlein's principles might appear to outsiders.

Starship Troopers (the film) is filled with hammy acting and ridiculous posturing. But I wouldn't quite call it a parody of Heinlein's work. It's most easily understood as an in-universe propaganda film. In fact, propaganda shorts are spliced into the larger narrative (which, as in the book, sees Johnny Rico go through training, lose his mother, and then go to war) to clue you in to the broader conceit. These propaganda shorts are hilarious:

What the story loses in exosuits (not present here), it gains in a winking self-awareness and a sense of humor. Heinlein's novel treats every aspect of his overly conservative, militaristic society with crushing gravity. While the characters in Verhoevan's film likewise view their situation earnestly, we (as viewers and outsiders) are allowed to view some aspects of this society as absurd.  And it is absurd--a world in which a military history professor would assert that  veterans "took control  and imposed a stability that has lasted for generations since" after "social scientists brought our world to the brink of chaos."

Those evil social scientists!

The film's also got a more meaningful and fully-fledged romantic subplot with a beginning, middle, and end. In Heinlein's novel, Carmen remains a cipher--representative of Rico's unattainable desires for sex and female companionship but never a character in her own right. Here, Carmen actually does stuff rather than acting representative of those mysterious and wily females.

The film also has Neil Patrick Harris.

So score one for Hollywood. Verhoevan's Starship Troopers takes a narrative framework that is slow, dull, pedantic, and propagandistic and turns it into an entertaining--if campy--satire of military propaganda itself. I must admit that there were several moments while reading Heinlein's work where his positions on military violence and citizenship were so outragous that I wondered if he could possibly be serious. Verhoevan seems to have decided that it really doesn't matter if he was. The most sensible framework for this story was, to him, and to me, one which points out the essential absurdity of it.

But what do I know? In the world of Starship Troopers, I wouldn't even be allowed to vote.

Thanks for the comparison, Phoebe! I (Flannery) have to give props to any person who can use a word in a blog post that I have to look up. (bildungsroman, for those who are wondering)  I tried to listen to Starship Troopers once on audiobook and I only made it through one disc before I gave up.  

Cliff McNish is the author of The Silver Sequence and The Doomspell Trilogy, as well as several horror novels, including Breathe: A Ghost Story and Savannah Grey. McNish lives in England. Visit him at www.cliffmcnish.com, or on twitter and facebook. 

I am most happy to make recommendations on great books for teenage guys; it's a topic I speak about in schools fairly regularly. I also tag books on my LibraryThing site with 'books for boys' if I think a title will work well for young male readers.

Some particular favourites follow:

Fighting Ruben Wolfe: Markus Zusak. Markus is best known, of course, for his amazing novel, The Book Thief. While I love that, and highly recommend it, I feel that perhaps teens might like to taste a smaller portion of his work, before tackling The Book Thief. Fighting Ruben Wolfe was Markus' second book. It's quirky and funny and tough and honest - all the best things - and all done in the unique style that has made Markus famous. And it's about brothers and boxing. What's not to like?

Nobody's Boy: Dianne Bates. I'll put my cards on the table and say that this was written by my wife, Di. However, I'm recommending it chiefly because it's a book that I think would have great appeal to teens, especially boys. It's a verse novel, which makes it very accessible for reluctant readers. It tells the story of a boy who is shuffled around from one foster family to another. All he wants is to live with his dad, but for a long time that just isn't possible. Touching and poignant and ultimately uplifting.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian: Sherman Alexie. Funny and warm, vibrant characters, and a gutsy story. This is a winner and I think teenage boys will eat it up, exactly the same as I did.

Into That Forest: Louis Nowra. Highly original and a page-turner, it's about two girls who find themselves stranded in a forest. Eventually they are 'adopted' by a family of Tasmania Tigers, a breed of wild dogs which are now extinct. Even though the main characters are girls, I'm sure the straight-forward narrative, action-packed scenes  and rich language, will make it a favourite with boys. Louis Nowra is one of Australia's leading novelists and playwrights. This is his first venture into young adult books. It's an awesome debut.

The Dead I Know: Scot Gardner. This book won Australia's coveted Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award in 2012. Scot has written many terrific books, but in my opinion, this is his best. It's about Aaron Rowe, who goes to work for a funeral director. Aaron's a sleepwalker, and has other problems to cope with, but in John Barton, the funeral director, he finds a caring man who befriends him. Some of the scenes may be a little grisly and tough to take at times, but they are handled honestly and with great compassion. A brave and memorable book by one of Australia's best writers.

Daredevils: Bill Condon. I thought I'd sneak one of my own in when no one was looking. This is about a boy who knows he's going to die, so he makes a list of things he wants to do while he still can. Daredevils came out before the Bucket List and it's a lot different. For one thing, it hasn't got Morgan Freeman in it. It's got humour and sadness, and there's even a little sprinkling of sex.
 

Deadly Unna: Phillip Gwynne. This won the Australian CBCA Book of the Year in 1999. It's about friendship between a white boy, known as Blacky, and an Aboriginal boy, Dumby Red. They play in the local football team and live in a remote country town where racism thrives. It's funny at times and sad, which makes it all very real.

The Road: Cormac McCarthy. This is for adults and may be too tough for teens to attempt, but it's worth a mention as it is such a brilliant , mesmerising book. There aren't a lot of jokes, because it's set after an apocalyptic event, which is always a downer. But the writing is incredible. I felt so much for this father and son battling to stay alive in a world gone mad. I think it's a classic.

Holes: Louis Sachar. This is brilliant story-telling. Easy to read and gripping.

The Old Man and the Sea: Ernest Hemingway. For teens who feel daunted by huge tomes, I suggest this.The Old Man and the Sea is in the middle ground between short novel and long short story. Hemingway didn't give himself much to work with here. It's about an old man alone on a boat. But Hem turns on all his best writing and it becomes an epic struggle as the old man fights a huge and beautiful fish. When Hemingway wrote well, no one could touch him.

Our very heartfelt thanks go out to each of these authors for taking the time to share their recommendations. What do you all think? Anything new to add to your to-read pile? 

Yesterday we were delighted to have Andrea K. Höst here for our Year of the Classics feature to speak a little bit about Classic Mysteries, and more specifically, the works of the very prolific mystery author Agatha Christie.  Today she's back for part two of her post, where she looks outside of Ms. Christie's overflowing shelves.  Take it away, Andrea!

Welcome to part 2 of the Classic Mystery Primer, where we look at some authors who aren't Agatha Christie. 

Dorothy L. Sayers

Sayers published over a dozen mystery novels and short story collections featuring Wimsey.  In the mystery genre, these edge toward the literary, exploring Wimsey's complex development toward a whole being while unravelling knotty problems and on occasion agonising over the consequences of catching a killer.  Wimsey's personality is a big draw in these books, as is his complicated romance with Harriet Vane, a mystery author.

Criticism of Sayers sometimes claims that she committed the crime of falling in love with her detective, and that the later books suffer because of this.  Certainly she cheerfully quotes everything under the sun and expects her readers to get the references, and there is an excessive amount of singing in French in the 'marriage volume', Busman's Honeymoon, but on the whole these are all intriguing mystery novels with strong characters.

Who is the detective?:  Lord Peter Wimsey, the second child of an English Duke, combines strong intellect and athletic ability with a vaguely foolish appearance which he uses to his advantage.  Service as both a line officer and an intelligence operative during World War I left him shell-shocked and traumatised by the death of men under his command.  With his former sergeant and now impeccable valet (and supportive friend), Mervyn Bunter, he balances fragile nerves with an interest in solving mysteries.

Where it starts: The first Wimsey is Whose Body?, the story of a body in a bath.

Highlight: Murder Must Advertise sees Wimsey under cover in an advertising agency.  
  

Ngaio Marsh

Ngaio (pronounced Nye-oh) Marsh, a native of New Zealand, was a painter, and also deeply involved in theatre, and all three of these elements appear repeatedly in her 32 detective novels.  They're also notable for deaths which make you wince and shudder, as the victims perish variously from drinking acid, a shot of insect spray, falling in boiling mud, and grotesquely being stabbed in the eye with a skewer.

Marsh is by far my favourite classic crime writer.  Alleyn is a highly sympathetic detective, his eventual marriage to Agatha Troy is a beautifully drawn romance, the crimes are knotty and original, and the victims and suspects vividly drawn.  Marsh had a gift for portraying the awkwardness and secret shame of family business people don't want to share, the petty feuds of life, and also the grand passions.  The books involving the theatre are interesting both on a mystery level and as a glimpse behind the curtain - particularly if you also have an interest in Shakespeare.

Who is the detective?: Roderick Alleyn, a detective at Scotland Yard.  Known variously as the gentleman detective and "Handsome Alleyn" by the press, he is a reserved, charming, and almost ascetic man.  While he is the second son of a baronet, he chose to work his way up through the police force from constable, and is extremely well-regarded by his colleagues both for his ability and his unswerving courtesy.

Where it starts: The first novel is A Man Lay Dead, revolving around a detective game played at a country house.  This first book focuses more on a gossip reporter, Nigel Bathgate, and the second novel, Enter a Murderer, is stronger.

Highlights: These books are frequent re-reads for me, but the two which stand out most both involve 'little New Zealanders' who go to England and get caught up in murder.

First, A Surfeit of Lampreys (US title: Death of a Peer): The Lampreys are spendthrift aristocrats, always going from boom to bust, staying out of debtor's prison through a combination of luck and charm.  They are very funny, and very sweet, and you want to hit them at times for their madness and lack of sense.  They do not handle murder well.

Next, Opening Night (US title Night at the Vulcan), where a young would-be actress down to her last few pennies in London and becomes tangled with the murder backstage during the opening night of a new play.  Also highly recommended is Artists in Crime, since this is the introduction of Troy.

Margery Allingham

Allingham's early mysteries run more to high adventure than intricate puzzles, with plenty of disguises, master criminals and gun fights.  These later mature into more sleuth-like affairs, along with the notable The Tiger in the Smoke, which is more a character study of a killer than it is a traditional detective novel.

Who is the detective?: Campion is an outright parody of Lord Peter Wimsey – another son of a Duke hiding a sharp brain behind a vacuous expression.  Campion, however, turns fatuity up to 11 – at least for the early books – though this is toned down in later books to mere deceptive blankness.  Where Wimsey had the impeccable Bunter, Campion has Magersfontein Lugg, an enormous, lugubrious former cat burglar, grown too large for his profession.  Campion and Lugg form a rudely affectionate odd couple double act.

Eight of the Campion books were adapted as a TV series in the late 80's, starring Peter Davison as Campion, and there is a certain madcap skin-of-his-teeth air to Campion's early adventures which would fit well as an incarnation of the Doctor.

Where it starts: The first book is The Crime at Black Dudley (where Campion is not the focus of the story, but part of it) – a moderately silly adventure/thriller.  If your tastes don't run to international master criminals, try Police at the Funeral.

Highlight: Sweet Danger, although more an adventure novel than a mystery, introduces Amanda Fitton, who goes on to be an aircraft engineer and figure an important part of Campion's life.   

Josephine Tey

Tey's eight mysteries run the gamut from thoughtful police procedurals to hilarious and picture-perfect-painful schoolgirl portraits (evidently drawn from her time as a phys ed teacher).

Who is the detective?: Alan Grant, a Scotland Yard inspector with an interest in theatre and fishing.  Grant's is a quiet intelligence – he's not a creature full of idiosyncrasies, flashy patter or wise homilies – and solves his mysteries through methodical police work and dogged logic.

Where it starts: The Man in the Queue, where a stabbing is unseen by a crowd of hundreds.

Highlights: The Daughter of Time is by far Tey's most famous work, and more than likely one of the most off-putting for the casual browser.  A police detective, confined to a hospital bed, starts researching Richard III and the murder of the two princes in the tower to give himself something to do.  The book starts with a paragraph entirely devoted to the study of the ceiling in his hospital room, and a writer would be hard-put to begin a book less propitiously and yet The Daughter of Time is compelling and brilliant.  It is a study not merely of Richard III, but of the way history is formed, accepted, and becomes true.

Another highlight is Miss Pym Disposes, which is not a Grant novel, but set in the same world.  Miss Pym is a delightful creature, an 'accidental' lecturing psychologist who is drawn into a world of schoolgirls and then a murder.  There is a brilliant morning scene in this book, where Miss Pym is an unseen listener as the girls are shouting to each other as they get ready in the morning, which is sheer brilliance of characterisation. 

Georgette Heyer

Heyer is, of course, famous for her Regency romances, but also produced twelve mystery novels set contemporary to the time of writing, for a period putting out one Regency and one mystery each year.  The Regencies sold approximately ten times as many copies as the mysteries, but the mysteries retain many of Heyer's strengths – characterisation, conversation, convincing romances – if also some of Heyer's issues – it's so rare to encounter interesting, intelligent non-aristocrats in Heyer's books, and her Jewish characters are painful stereotypes.

Who are the detectives?: Along with several stand-alone mysteries, Heyer's primary series features Superintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant Hemingway of Scotland Yard make an amiable pair.  Hannasyde the steady-headed senior, and Hemingway the young up-and-comer, are vehicles of investigation – we get to know them a little over the series of books, but the primary focus is definitely on the murder suspects of each title.

Where it starts: Footsteps in the Dark is the first of Heyer's mysteries (and is almost a gothic, with ghostly monks being a large plot point of the story), while Death in the Stocks is the first to feature Hannasyde and Hemingway.

Highlights: My stand-out favourite of this series is A Blunt Instrument which (as Heyer sometimes did with her Regencies) takes a handful of stock stereotypes of the genre and promptly stands them on their heads.  It has some large weaknesses, but they are entirely made up for by Neville, who is hilarious.  It also has, hands down, one of the best proposals of any book I've ever read.  Another favourite is Behold, Here's Poison, which features the acid-tongued Randall.

Rex Stout

If, by now, you've had it up to your ears with English country mysteries, take a hop across the Atlantic to New York and the near-noir of Rex Stout.

Who are the detectives?: Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are two halves of a working whole.  Wolfe: corpulent, lazy, a laser-sharp brain wallowing in self-indulgence.  Goodwin: young, snappy, man-about-town who admires Wolfe just as much as he sasses him.  Wolfe cannot function without Archie, and Archie acknowledges the sheer fun – along with frustration – he gets out of working for Wolfe.  Particularly tweaking the nose of the police and then dancing rings around them.  And, most entertaining spectacle of all, Wolfe obliged to leave his comfortable brownstone and venture out in one of those dangerous and perilous conveyances, the automobile.

These are books full of snappy patter, twists, and personality.  Wolfe is a monster of ego, spendthrift gourmand, orchid obsessive, unbelievably selfish, sexist eight times out of ten, and yet remarkably admirable.  He is not only intelligent, he has his moral code and he sticks to it rigidly.  Archie is the charmer, a ladies' man (with a dose of his own sexism), whose conversation sparks and zings, quick to react and on-the-go.  

Stout's work is a good example of stories where the characters have faults – such as Wolfe's hatred of women – but the text does not support his prejudices.  The occasional foolish female might stumble into view, but she's outnumbered by strong-minded, independent, more appealing fellows.  Characters such as PI Dol Bonner and the inimitable Lily Rowan both earn Wolfe's grudging respect through the course of the novels.

Where they start: The first Wolfe book is Fer-de-Lance, though since Stout effectively 'froze his characters in time', there are few books you could not pick up and have a typical Wolfe experience.

"You're a practical woman, Maria Maffei.  Moreover, possibly, a woman of honor.  You are right, there is something in me that can help you; it is genius; but you have not furnished the stimulant to arouse it…" ---Fer-de-lance

Highlight: Some Buried Caesar is the introduction of Lily Rowan and full of all the potential absurdity born of Wolfe not only pried out of his house, but most uncomfortably escaping from potentially-murderous bulls. 

These are only six of the many contemporaries of Christie, some of the most enduring of her genre.  One of the reasons I like reading these stories so much is that each holds not only a carefully constructed mystery to unravel, but is its own little TARDIS, taking me back to the attitudes, the concerns, the clothes and manners of a foreign past.

Usually I end up glad not to live there, but they're a fascinating place to visit. 

Many thanks to Andrea K.  Höst for obviously putting quite a lot of thought and effort into these posts!  I'm excited to try out some of these series.  Mysteries can feel formulaic to me after a while, but I have a feeling that some of these classics would rekindle my interest.  What do you guys think?  Do you have any beloved classic mysteries that you'd like to share with us?


Please look out for Andrea K. Höst and her books around the web - she can be found at her blog and on twitter and goodreads.

Every author should be a reader. I (Flannery) recently went to an author event during which an author admitted that she was never really a reader. (Name withheld to protect the hopefully embarrassed) I now know that I will probably never read that author's books -- perhaps that's a bit harsh, but it is also a reality. Quite the opposite is true of my interactions with Andrea K Höst. I've been friends with Höst on Goodreads for over a year. She engages on the site primarily as a reader and I've come to really enjoy her taste in books and her recommendations. Her personality and conversation, as well as a 5-star review from a friend of mine, made me very curious about her work and I really enjoyed the first one I read, Stray which is the first in a sci-fi series.  She writes mostly fantasy and science fiction stories but her upcoming release, entitled And All the Stars, will be her first foray into the post-apoc genre and I am so excited to see where the story goes. I loved a recommendations post  Höst published on her blog, Autumn Write, so I asked whether she'd write something for The Readventurer. Today and tomorrow, Andrea will be here talking about her knowledge of mysteries for our Year of the Classics feature. Today, she'll do an overview of Agatha Christie's work and tomorrow, on to some other recommended mystery books!

Where do you start with classic Whodunnits? You've been pointed at Agatha Christie, picked up a title at random, liked it, and want more. This brief (*cough*) primer may give you some ideas on where to head next.

First stop, more Agatha Christie!

Christie published over 70 detective novels and short story collections (along with a few plays). My personal preference with Golden Age mysteries is to start at the beginning and read chronologically, but with 70 novels you might want to pick and choose. Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot are the best known of her detectives, but she used at least half a dozen others who might pique a new reader's interest.

Poirot: Symmetry and Logic

Who is the detective?:  Poirot was Christie's first detective, and there's a clear comparison between the stories of the little Belgian and his literary predecessor Sherlock Holmes. Although Poirot disdains some of Holmes' evidence-gathering methods (throwing oneself about on the ground in search of cigarette ash is most definitely not Poirot's style), many familiar notes will sound as Poirot's keen observation and logical deduction sees him untangle what to his Watson-equivalent, the good-hearted but mildly comedic Hastings, is a Gordian Knot of mystery.

And just like Conan Doyle, Christie had soon had it up to her eye teeth with her most famous creation, describing him as a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep". Christie's later Poirot novels often shift the focus away from him to secondary characters. Despite the author's growing dislike for him, she maintains his character, his unflagging sense of justice. I've always found Poirot, with his love of symmetry and his painfully tight patent leather shoes, to be rather endearing.

Where to start: With Christie's very first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which is a classic English country murder. Another option is The Labours of Hercules, a collection of short stories in which Poirot is challenging himself with particular cases before retirement.

What to skip: A very influential novel, but I'm not a fan of this sort of twist ending: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Miss Marple: Fluffy But Deadly

Who is the detective?: Miss Jane Marple, an elderly resident of St Mary's Mead, devoted to her garden, and the observation of human nature. Christie created Miss Marple because, during a stage adaptation of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the narrator's spinster sister was replaced by a young girl character, and so Miss Marple became a deliberate attempt to give a voice to one of the least-heard members of society: elderly women.

If ever there was a mystery series dying to be written, it's Jane Marple's early life. Along with possessing keen intelligence, young Jane attended art courses which apparently involved the study of human cadavers, and she (claims to have) won awards for marksmanship, fencing and equestrianism. Where are the Steampunk Jane Marple novels?

In the early Marple books, Miss Marple is considered nosy and is disliked, but in later volumes evolves into a respected (and feared) community member. Her time in the small village of St Mary's Mead has given her ample opportunity to study a microcosm of human life, with all its sins and foibles, and for a sweet and fluffy looking creature she has an absolutely cynical view of the worst aspects of human nature. Miss Marple books often are resolved using a parallel village incident. Miss Marple has seen it all before.

Where to start: The first Marple novel is Murder at the Vicarage and is a solid  'everyone has a motive' story. Another good starting place is The Thirteen Problems, a collection of short stories, or the wonderful juxtaposition of fluffy spinster and jaded millionaire in A Caribbean Mystery.

What to skip: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side. One of my main reasons for disliking a book is if it leaves me depressed, and this is definitely one of those.

Tommy and Tuppence: Time Goes By Adventurers

Who is the detective?: Tommy and Tuppence start out as Bright Young Things who, out of work in post-WWI London, decide to hire themselves out as young adventurers, and get themselves mixed up in blackmail, plots and spy games. The stories are firmly in the thriller category, not mystery, and follow the pair through the next war and beyond. 

Where to start: The first in this series of four novels and one short story collection is The Secret Adversary.

What to skip: The T&T books are a very distinct set of books. If you liked T&T in the first book, and enjoy the idea of watching two characters mature and change over time, then read on in order. The later books especially are not Christie's strongest, but you do have to give Tuppence points for refusing to be left out when the War Office is only interested in recruiting her husband.

Ariadne Oliver: The Author as Character

Who is the detective?: Ariadne Oliver appears periodically in the Poirot mysteries, with one or two later outings of her own. This is Christie going meta – disorganised, apple-loving mystery writer Ariadne Oliver is a clear parody of herself, down to loathing her idiosyncratic detective and wishing she dared kill him off. Oliver makes a much better foil for Poirot than Hastings, and is so often the viewpoint character that her books can be considered a distinct sub-category.

Where to start: Ariadne Oliver first appears in a short story (to be found in the collection Parker Pyne Investigates). Her full introduction is in Cards on the Table, a mystery involving around a collection of detecting experts and a collection of suspects. My favourite of her appearances is probably in Dead Man's Folly, where she is a guest at a garden party, and has been asked to write the clues in a scavenger hunt.

What to skip: The Pale Horse, which focuses primarily on a one-off character, Mark
Easterbrook, and involves witches. 

Notable Shorts

For something different, try a couple of the short story collections: 

The Mysterious Mr Quin (and two later stories): A mysterious figure who intrigues and impresses social doyen Mr Satterthwaite. These stories combine touches of the supernatural (Quin) and often issues of romance. Rather fun.

Parker Pyne Investigates: Pyne considers himself a 'detective of the heart', and features in a series of mystery short stories which bring about romantic resolutions.

Really Thrillers

Although best known for her classic mysteries, Christie also turned out quite a few books which would be better classed as thrillers, over-flowing with espionage, master criminals, secret societies and, well, unlikely and overblown plots. Some notable books:

And Then There Were None: Racist poetry and all. It would only take a touch of supernatural to turn this particular book into a forerunner for Halloween and Friday the 13th, as ten people trapped on an island are picked off one by one. 

Death Comes as the End: Completely different to any other Christie, this novel is set in Ancient Egypt, about a family dealing with the introduction of a new concubine. It's based on translations of real letters of a man to his family, and while I don't often re-read this, I'm always fascinated when I do. It actually reminds me a little of Andre Norton!

The Man in the Brown Suit: Take one young orphan, longing for adventure. Add an accidental death, a strangled young woman and a mysterious man in a brown suit and you end up in a spanking and romantic tale that ends on an island in Africa. One of my favourites of Christie's adventure tales.


So, we've scratched the surface. Part 2 of the Primer will cover some of the classic detectives not written by Agatha Christie!    

True confession: Sometimes Andrea makes me feel like I am not well-read at all. She seems to have read everything, especially in the fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi genres. Congratulations on being a badass, Andrea.  Join her here tomorrow for non-Christie mysteries!

Have you read any Christie? Do you agree/disagree with any of her assessments?