It’s a real delight to introduce Meg Caddy, an up-and-coming Australian writer whom I mentored back when she was a high school student. Meg was already a passionate and dedicated writer then, with a remarkable work ethic for someone of her age. It wasn’t only her talent that impressed me, but her willingness to listen to critique and to re-draft over and over in an effort to improve her work. [...]
I recently had the pleasure of reading Alison Goodman’s new novel, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club, a heady and highly original blend of Regency romance and dark fantasy. I think this novel, and the sequels to come, is going to appeal to a very wide readership, as it combines meticulous research with great pacing and strong characterisation. And of course, there’s the uncanny element, which sometimes verges on [...]
We're getting close to the release date for Tower of Thorns (Blackthorn & Grim book 2) and I'm excited to share the news that the audiobook edition from audible.com is now in production! Like Dreamer's Pool, Tower of Thorns has three characters who share the narration chapter by chapter. For the audiobook edition we have, again, Natalie Gold reading Blackthorn's chapters and Nick Sullivan reading Grim's chapters - in this [...]
This must be forest month – as well as getting on with writing my own book, which has a tree-loving protagonist, I’ve read two wonderful novels in which forest is not only a vital part of the setting, but an integral part of the story. Both the authors understand the power of folklore and the blurred margins between mythology and history. I’ll start with Uprooted by Naomi Novik, author of [...]
