BOOK REVIEW | 'What A Way To Go' by Julia Forster (*****)

Hello readers, and happy Monday! Today I am delighted to be able to share with you another book review - this time a 5* review of the wonderful What A Way To Go by Julia Forster. I am currently on holiday in Cornwall and therefore to have lots of time to get through my towering TBR pile. I received What A Way To Go way back in February and it sat on my university room bookshelf for so many months but I just never got around to reading it. So I packed it in my suitcase this summer, determined to read it and finally tick it off my TBR list! 

I was kindly sent What A Way To Go by Ruth Killick publicity (on behalf of Atlantic Books) in exchange for an honest review :)

What A Way To Go follows twelve-year-old Harper Richardson as she comes to terms with her parents' divorce, the impending selling of her house, and a crush on the boy from the Lone Ranger's single parent's club. As a kid stuck in the middle of a very adult world, Harper has a lot of questions - and the sharp feeling of responsibility when it comes to fixing other people's lives, and keeping everyone happy. But sometimes in life there are things that happen that are beyond your control, and Harper has a hard time accepting this.

Sound intriguing? Check out the blurb here...

1988. 12-year-old Harper Richardson's parents are divorced. Her mum got custody of her, the Mini, and five hundred tins of baked beans. Her dad got a mouldering cottage in a Midlands backwater village and default membership of the Lone Rangers single parents' club. Harper got questionable dress sense, a zest for life, two gerbils, and her Chambers dictionary, and the responsibility of fixing her parents' broken hearts. Set against a backdrop of high hairdos and higher interest rates, pop music and puberty, divorce and death, What a Way to Go is a warm, wise and witty tale of one girl tackling the business of growing up while those around her try not to fall apart.

As you can probably tell from the 5*s, I absolutely adored What A Way To Go. It was such a comforting read, with a fantastic narrator, that really made me think about the importance of family and the various shapes and sizes family can come in. Although Harper's parents are divorced, and are not on the best of terms with each other, Harper has a happy life at home with her Mum and Kit, then has weekends with her Dad that are spent attending Lone Ranger's single parents club events, and listening to her Dad reminisce about the war. I felt like this is a book that could have been written in such a dispiriting and depressing way, but the way Forster wrote it - the book couldn't have been more warm and delightful. 

One of the highlights of the novel was undoubtedly the narration by Harper. It was wonderfully warm and witty, and astonishingly true to life. Forster perfectly captures what it feels like to be on the cusp of adolence; the feeling of having the whole world at your feet, yet the painful reluctance of never wanting to grow up. At times Harper's assessment of what was going on around her was hilarious, and at other times heartbreaking. By the end of the novel I found myself caring desperately about her, and wanting everything to work out for the best. You can easily mark the greatness of an author by how much you care about the characters they created, and I cared deeply about all of the characters in What A Way To Go.

While we're on the topic of characters, I thought the characterisation in What A Way To Go was flawless. I loved the character of Harper's mum and found her dialogue to be fresh, funny and thoroughly unique. She is written in such a complex way and I loved how you learned so much more about her through her relationship with Harper. I also enjoyed the fact that Harper's parents were so completely different, which was really interesting to read about, to see how differently Harper acted with both of them. Kit was also a standout character - and I loved reading about how his relationship with Harper developed and how he became much more of a father figure to her. Harper's friend Cassie was adorable and their conversations were so realistically written - the only fault I can point out is that I wished there had been more chapters that focused on Harper's friendship with Cassie so we could learn more about her life.

I adored the setting of the novel in a small English town in the 1980s, and although I definitely wasn't alive then, I definitely enjoyed the little nuances of nostalgia that decorated the story. Although this was a comforting read, there were also dark and important themes running throughout, such as politics, mental health, and economic hardship. From this novel one definitely got a clear understanding of what it was like to live through Thatcher's Britain, and how the problem social immobility felt today was also a thing of the past. As well as thoroughly enjoying this book, I also learned a lot, and the innocent, funny, fresh voice of Harper Richardson allowed me to reflect on these topics long after I had turned the last page. 

So overall, I think it is pretty evident that I loved What A Way To Go! It is definitely one of those books that are under-hyped, and if you haven't got it in your life then I would thoroughly recommend that you pick it up - I guarantee that you be disappointed!

Buy What A Way To Go here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Way-Go-Julia-Forster/dp/1782397523/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471622070&sr=8-1&keywords=what+a+way+to+go+julia+forster

Check out Julia Forster here: http://www.julia-forster.com/

Until next time :)

BOOK REVIEW | 'My Husband's Wife' by Amanda Prowse (***.5)

Hello readers, and happy Friday! Today I have another book review for you, of Amanda Prowse's brand new novel, My Husband's Wife, published last month by Head of Zeus. It is a perfect summer read to get lost in whilst lounging on the beach and best of all... it's set in Cornwall!

I was sent My Husband's Wife by the author in exchange for an honest review :)

My Husband's Wife is a contemporary adult novel following wife and mother of two Rosie Tipcott as she goes through the toughest period of her life so far. Content and happy with  her peaceful and ordinary life in Cornwall with her husband and Phil and two adorable little girls Naomi and Leona, Rosie thinks life cannot get any better. But then Phil drops a bombshell. He has met someone else, and he's moving out. Just when things cannot get any worse, tragedy strikes, and Rosie is forced to evaluate everything. How do you build your life back together when it seems unfixable?

Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...

Once a week, Rosie Tipcott counts her blessings.

She goes to sit on her favourite bench on the north Devon cliffs, and thanks her lucky stars for her wonderful husband, her mischievous young daughters, and her neat little house by the sea. She vows to dedicate every waking hour to making her family happy.

But then her husband unexpectedly leaves her for another woman and takes the children. Now she must ask the question: what is left in her life? Can Rosie find the strength to rebuild herself? More importantly, does she even want to?

I thought that one of the greatest strengths of My Husband's Wife was its honest, unflinching portrayal of family life. Browse effectively and sensitively showcased family life at its most joyful, its most mundane, and at its most fragile. The cast of characters were all realistic portrayals that most readers could relate to, and I thought they were all really well developed. I enjoyed reading about the interaction between characters, particularly between Rosie and her brother-in-law, her mother-in-law and her father-in-law. I also thought Rosie's father was a really interesting and well-developed character, and I enjoyed figuring him out. Although I didn't enjoy reading about the imaginary exchanges between Rosie and her mother (too cringe-worthy for me, unfortunately), I enjoyed the whole backstory to Rosie's childhood, and about her parents. I felt this added a much-needed depth to Rosie's emotional and psychological position as a mother, and explained her reaction to a lot of the things that happened to her in the story.

Another strong point of the novel for me, and probably one of my favourite parts of the novel was the dialogue of the children, and particularly their interaction with the adults in the story. I thought everything they said was really authentic and it was very enjoyable and heartwarming to read. I loved the character development of the girls and their reaction to the events that were happening around them. I felt like they were very much at the centre of the action, without being aware of it, and it's always interesting to see the reaction of children to sometimes very adult events that are occurring in their world.

Whilst the relationship between Rosie and her children was very complex, I felt that the relationship with Rosie and Phil could have been made to be much more complicated and realistic. I didn't really get a sense of the tension and underlying strain on the relationship until everything came to blows. I think there could have been a bigger build up to the actual falling-apart of the relationship, which would have created a bigger emotional impact for me. I wanted to care more about the relationship, but I couldn't. I deeply cared about Rosie, however I couldn't stand Phil. I thought he was selfish and insensitive, and really couldn't care less about his children and his ex-wife and the consequences of his actions. I thought the ending of the book was perfect and I was really pleased about the way everything came together. 

One of my favourite parts of the whole book was undoubtedly the scene between Gerri and Rosie. I found myself turning the pages like a madman and I thought Gerri was such a great character - I love a subtle evil side to characters, and this really worked. The tension in this scene was definitely an example of the powerful, emotional punch Prowse packs into her writing, and how sharply her deep care of her characters shines through.

Overall, I enjoyed My Husband's Wife and it is definitely a book you can get lost in this summer. If you haven't checked out Amanda Prowse before, I would highly recommend that you do so!

Buy My Husband's Wife here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Husbands-Wife-Greater-Courage/dp/1784977764

Check out Amanda Prowse here: http://amandaprowse.org

Until next time :) 

BOOK REVIEW | 'You Know Me Well' by Nina LaCour and David Levithan (****)

Hello readers, and happy Tuesday! Today I am very excited to share with you another 4* book review with you, this time of Nina LaCour and David Levithan's You Know Me Well - a beautiful novel about friendship, adventure and self-discovery. As soon as I saw this proof advertised on the My Kinda Book instagram I knew it was something I'd have to request - a couple of summers ago I read Nick and Norah's Ultimate Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn and it was one of my favourite books of the summer. Safe to say I was not at all disappointed with You Know Me Well - it was the perfect summer read and it is exactly the kind of book you can curl up on the sofa with and demolish in a couple of hours.

I was sent You Know Me Well by My Kinda Book on behalf of Macmillan in exchange for an honest review :)

You Know Me Well is a touching, realistic story about friendship, first love and the glitter and unprecedented joy of the San Fransisco Pride. It is the story of Mark and Kate and their unexpected encounter in a crowded bar on San Fransisco's first night of Pride. And before you think this is just any old love story, Mark is hopelessly in love with his best friend Ryan and Kate is pining after Violet, a girl she has heard lots about but has never met. It is the summer before college, and there is an electric feeling in the air. It is the summer for Kate and Mark to truly find themselves, what makes them happy, and above all else, what it means to be a good friend when love has the habit of getting in the way.

Sound intriguing? Check out the blurb here...

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is, until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other—and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour and David Levithan, You Know Me Well is a story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

I was immediately drawn in from the beginning of the very first page with the writing style. It was so wonderfully authentic and confiding, and it made me automatically believe in Mark and his story. With dual-narrative books, both authors need to ensure they craft out authentic voices, and LaCour and Levithan did this seamlessly. I could feel the aching of Mark's unrequited love, Kate's confusion about her loyalties between her best friend and a girl she's never met, and both of their identity crises that heighten and grow more complex throughout the novel. The narrative not only made the book an effortless and enjoyable read, but drove the story forward and made me want to crazily read on and find out what happens next. As is characteristic of Levithan, the story was fantastically paced and carefully crafted in terms of plot. 

I adored the premise of the story. I have never read a book set in amidst the glittery chaos of Pride, and it was a fantastic setting in which to place a handful of characters who are unsure of their place in it yet. I myself have never been to a Pride event before, but this book definitely made me want to. LaCour and Levithan so flawlessly created an atmosphere that was joyful, inclusive and vibrant through their writing, and it was great to read about. I have read a few LGBT books but never one set in Pride, and I felt this made the story so much more striking, and showcased blatantly and without reserve the community's inclusivity and acceptance of people from all cultures, religions and backgrounds. 

I thought the characters were very complex and well-developed, especially Ryan, who I spent almost the entirety of the book trying to figure out. At times I felt frustrated at him and the way he kept Mark guessing at his true feelings, however I think what Levithan was trying to say was that feelings aren't black and white, and they can't be described as such for the sake of a neatly wrapped-up story. I did feel like the friendship aspect of You Know Me Well was sometimes a bit simplistic and a bit insta-friendship, but it definitely didn't ruin the story for me. Throughout the book, I found myself caring deeply for the characters and hoping that everything would work out. I think that is the mark of a great story and a great writer, and LaCour and Levithan seamlessly came together to deliver just that - a truly great story.

If you haven't read You Know Me Well yet, or any of Levithan's or LaCour's books, I would highly encourage you to do so!

Buy You Know Me Well here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Know-Well-David-Levithan/dp/1250103320

Check out David Levithan here: http://davidlevithan.com

Check out Nina LaCour here: http://ninalacour.com/blog

Until next time :) 

SUMMER AT MOUNT HOPE | 5 minutes with Rosalie Ham

Hello readers, and happy Monday! Today, I am excited to share with you another '5 minutes with...' post - I haven't done one of these in a while, and I am excited to get started! 

Today I am thrilled to welcome Rosalie Ham, author of Summer At Mount Hope, to my blog. I was contacted by the lovely Drew at Serpent's Tail contacted me about a month ago asking if I would be interested in reviewing Rosalie's second novel, Summer At Mount Hope, a gripping story about love, friendship and one woman’s journey to take control of her own destiny. Safe to say I was sold!

Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...

Phoeba Crupp lives with her squabbling parents and younger sister Lilith on a small farm in rural Australia. Her father is an eccentric ex-accountant who moved his family from the city in order to establish a vineyard, a decision her mother bitterly – and loudly – resents. But Phoeba has loved it here since the day they arrived and she met Hadley and Henrietta Pearson, a brother and sister from a neighbouring farm who instantly became her closest friends. At their mother’s urging, Lilith throws herself into trying to find a husband but Phoeba resists, until circumstances beyond her control push her towards the world of men and money.

As Phoeba wakes up to the realities of the adult world, she comes to realise the friendship of those near to her may count for more than she could ever have imagined. Told with Rosalie Ham’s trademark wit and wisdom, the second novel by the bestselling author of The Dressmaker is an irresistible story of a young woman finding a way to take control of her own destiny.

I can't wait to read Summer At Mount Hope, however in the meantime while I power on through my towering TBR pile, I thought I would invite Rosalie Ham on my blog to chat all about Summer At Mount Hope, the interesting setting of the novel, and in what way it is a feminist novel.

             Where did the inspiration come from to write Summer at Mount Hope?

My grandfather was a wool classer in the pioneering years of sheep production and travelled to many isolated properties. I transcribed the letters he wrote to my grandmother between 1893 & 1923. I gleaned that my grandmother was an independent girl who rode horses, entered show jumping competitions, tended the animals and helped on the farm, bred and raised sheep and had a full and lively life with her five siblings attending ploughing matches, dances and tractor pulls. 

One letter revealed my Grandfather proposed marriage; ‘Now see here girl, I haven’t got over the knock back.’ Well, why would a happy and independent girl marry someone who was away a lot, whose ambition was to buy a sheep property four days travel from her family and home? Why risk death by childbirth and give up everything that made life fabulous for those reasons? But social pressures were great at the time, and though my grandmother was obviously an asset around the farm, she was dispensable. I realized that in some ways, especially to do with the choice between career or family, not much has changed for women since 1894.

                   Tell us a bit more about Phoeba. Are you similar in any way?

Phoeba and I are not fussed about hierarchy or class. We both came to understand that we are responsible for our own happiness, that we must make the best of what we’re dealt. Neither of us cares to have our freedom restricted, and we believe that our word is our honour. Sadly, we believe that the joyful heights of passionate love, or lust, are too soon replaced by the golden reassurances of loyalty and friendship. I think Phoeba’s stronger and more sensible than I am, and she works hard, so she’s much fitter than me and probably has lovely biceps from kneading bread.

The setting of Summer at Mount Hope is unusual, interesting and in some ways, pretty isolated. Where did you get the inspiration from to set Summer at Mount Hope on a small rural farm?

As a kid I spent a lot of time at the family farm, which was a few miles from the town, so I know the bliss of isolation with the comfort of ‘civilization’ just beyond the horizon. The landscape at Mount Hope is a metaphor, a rugged place en route to the lush, rich place that Overton is. The outcrop is a place where itinerants can pause, a hiding place for lust and tragedy, refuge and wonder. And it is also a vineyard amid sheep grazing land and a place of nature that shaped Phoeba’s spirit and attitudes.  Sitting above the property, her home, she could see the world as it passed. There is such a place – The You Yangs are granite peaks that rise dramatically from the volcanic plains between Melbourne and Geelong. They’re not very tall, only 340 metres high, but they dominate the landscape, and are visible on the landscape for fifty miles or so. And the You Yangs are poised between the past and the future, modern and ancient, like Phoeba.

Summer at Mount Hope is all about a young woman in difficult circumstances finding her voice. In what ways could it be considered a feminist novel?

For many women in rural areas, there is a schism in the popular notion of feminism. Like Phoeba, my siblings and I did our share on the family farm. My sister and brothers could figure out how to open most gates, and we all drove the truck as soon as out feet reached the pedals. We herded sheep on horseback, did our share at harvest and shearing and helped out with sheep slaughters, lamb marking, wood chopping and burr cutting. We were expected to pull our weight and we did. And like Phoeba, if I’d really wanted to, and if circumstances allowed, I could have spent my life there on the farm, working. These days, women are partners in farming life. 

To survive in rural life a partnership is necessary and men know this just as they have always known that women will work alongside them capably within their individual skill set. That’s the way it works. Urban dwellers see Summer at Mount Hope more of a feminist novel, but to rural readers, it’s just the way it is. It was the need for Mount Hope farm to survive, what everyone had worked for, that conspired against Phoeba in the end. If she was a boy, I doubt Phoeba would have been happy or able to stay given the economy and the circumstances in 1894, and in leaving, she made a life and prospered and returned triumphant.

Summarise Summer at Mount Hope in three words.

Triumph of ordinary.

 Thank you so much, Rosalie, for being on my blog! Make sure you guys keep an eye out for a review of Summer At Mount Hope coming soon <3

Buy Summer At Mount Hope here!

Check out Rosalie Ham here: http://rosalieham.com/summer-at-mount-hope/


Until next time :) 

BLOG TOUR | The Summer That Melted Everything | 5* BOOK REVIEW

Hello readers, and happy Saturday! Today I am very excited to be on blog tour again, to spotlight a FANTASTIC new novel that is set to be on my list for my favourite books of 2016. The Summer That Melted Everything a contemporary magical realism novel set in the darkest depths of Ohio, following the events in Breathed, a small town slumped under a suffocating heatwave and the appearance of a small, scruffy, thirteen-year-old boy who claims he is the devil. The events that follow take several dark turns and the question of how to differentiate between good and evil take centre stage, as humankind is presented at its most malevolent.

I was kindly sent The Summer That Melted Everything by the wonderful Sophie at Scribe Publishing in exchange for an honest review :) Scribe always send me such special books, and I knew going into this one as much as I have adored the other novels Scribe have sent me!

Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...

Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.

Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town.

When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperatures as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestles with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.

I adored this book. It is everything and more I could have wished for from a summer novel. I lost myself in the characters and the story and I spent the majority of my time reading it with baited breath. This was not only due to the achingly beautiful language, but also because of the perfectly developed plot and the characters that stayed with me long after finishing the very last page.

McDaniel evidently has what it takes to be a prizewinning author, and The Summer That Melted Everything is without doubt the standard of a prizewinning book. I don't think I've read a book by a young author before that is so refined, haunting and eloquent in its description of a town hurtling uncontrollably into madness. The descriptions of the town itself, along with its inhabitants, were so in-depth and detailed that I felt I was there, looking in on the action. The writing was equistite, and just made the book as a whole that much more enjoyable, and a story one could lose oneself in.

The characters were complex, vivid, and most importantly: realistic. McDaniel captured the very essence of small-town life so perfectly and the characters were all so well thought-out and they all played their part in putting forth the tragedy that ignorance and prejudice can have on a community. I thought it was so clever how McDaniel worked the moral messages found in classics such as To Kill A Mockingbird into fresh characters and new scenarios, with the addition of religious and cult aspects that made the story that much darker.

I loved the narration of Fielding in his childhood and in the present moment of his old age. When I read the chapters of an older, demoralised and mentally unstable Fielding, I couldn't wait to find out what happened to make him so broken. These parts of the novel left me waiting for the catastrophe, for the trigger to be pulled. McDaniel's writing maintains the inevitable to still be considered a tragedy. These chapters drove the story forward and it meant the novel had that edge of mystery that is so important for a great book.

I also loved the character of Sal and adored his friendship with Fielding. The ending of the story quite literally broke me and, although I could see it coming, it still shocked me just the same. I knew the story would end in the ultimate sacrifice, and McDaniel handled the inevitable in a way that was heartbreaking, yet believable in the way events panned out. Autopsy was very much like Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird but I thought his character was a lot more complex and I enjoyed finding out more about his character as the story went on.

The Summer That Melted Everything is a novel that shows that there are devils at every corner, and those that don't at first appear to be devilish can turn out to be the most evil of them all. McDaniel begs the question through her writing how far we can be pushed as humans, even to do the most terrible and unthinkable of things. It is a story that shows how dangerous and deadly ignorance can be, and how far our brains can be moulded to fit the feelings of fear and hate. For me, the most powerful line of the book was undoubtedly - 

The devil - well, he turned out to be the only Angel between us.

Overall, I think it is pretty evident that I adored The Summer That Melted Everything - and I can't wait to see what McDaniels produces next. It is evident that she is a literary heavyweight and I am sure that she will be a huge name in years to come.

Make sure you guys check out the rest of the posts on the blog tour!

Buy The Summer That Melted Everything here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-That-Melted-Everything/dp/1504725425

Check out Tiffany McDaniel here: http://www.tiffanymcdaniel.com

Until next time :) 

THE BATTLE OF THE UNDEAD | Q&A with author Nicky Peacock

Hello readers, and happy Thursday! Today on my blog I have a Q&A for you, with the  author of The Battle of the Undead series, Nicky Peacock! Nicky is the author of two YA book series with the publishers Evernight Teen (based in Canada), and of over 30 short stories published in anthologies by publishers all over the world, the most recent of which was included in Little Brown Book's Mammoth Book Of Jack The Ripper Stories. 
Released in April this year by Evernight Teen, Lost in Wonderland is the first book in The Twisted and the Brave series, a dark thriller with a classic children's literature twist and a dash of the supernatural. 

Sound intriguing? Read the blurb here...

Monsters, serial killers, and imaginary friends—being a Wonderlander can be murder...

Once upon a time, Kayla was lost. Then she found Wonderland, but not the one you know. Run by ex-government agents and funded by an eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire, this Wonderland is the name of a collective of highly trained vigilantes who hunt serial killers. Now Kayla, aka Mouse, works tirelessly alongside her fellow Wonderlanders, Rabbit and Cheshire, baiting dangerous murderers. But even her extensive training hasn’t prepared her for the return of her older brother…

Shilo has spent most of his life in an insane asylum, convinced his mother was abducted by a sinister Alaskan monster who lures the lost away to feast upon their flesh. And now he’s certain that his sister is in the same monster’s crosshairs. But if Shilo is going to save what’s left of his family, he’ll have to convince his sister that maybe, just maybe, we’re all a little mad.

Today I am lucky enough to have Nicky on my blog to talk all things fantastical, as well as her writing process, the joy of writing groups and her top tips for aspiring writers!

Hi Nicky! So, tell us a bit more about ‘Lost in Wonderland’. What was your inspiration behind it?

 Last year was Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland’s 150th Anniversary. I’d always loved the book and had seen several takes on it through the years. As an author, I really wanted to put my own spin on it and honour the book, not just as re-telling but as something different. Lost in Wonderland follows the main themes of the original book like, growing up and being lost and transplants them into more of a contemporary thriller setting. As I’m a bit of a horror addict, I had to have a supernatural edge in there too and I loaded the book with quotes from the original book and parallel scenes.

Kayla and Shilo are the two protagonists in ‘Lost in Wonderland’. Tell us a bit more about them. What are they like?

 They are brother, and sister. Shiloh is the eldest; he’s been in an asylum for most of his life and has a very child-like view of the world. He wants to re-connect with his sister but struggles with living in the real world, fortunately, his imaginary friend; Mr. Custard is there to help.

Mouse is Shiloh’s little sister, she has spent most of her life living in an underground vigilante group known as ‘Wonderland’. She hunts and baits serial killers with her foster family and has become detached and cold.

What is your writing process like?

LOL, a little haphazard! I tend to plot out the bones of a story then flesh them in as I go.I have a habit of writing scenes out of order – I tend to like to write the ones I’m most passionate about first, those pivotal scenes that are drenched in emotion or action or both. I then have to copy and paste everything together at the end like some kind of arts and crafts project. By the time I’m finished I do breathe a heavy sigh of relief, have a 

cup of tea, then have to get on with the next one!

 Do you have any writing advice or tips you would give to aspiring writers?

Start small. There’s a massive market of anthology publishers out there looking for good work. By cutting your teeth at this level you learn about writing, working with publishers and editors, contracts and promoting your work. You won’t earn much money from doing this but think of it as kind of an apprenticeship scheme. When you’ve spent some time in this market, you’ll have a solid CV of published stories and experience so when you pitch your novel, you’ll look much more attractive to a publisher or agent. 

Also, join a local writers’ group. I’ve run one in my hometown for nearly 6 years and it’s been instrumental in both the development of my writing and my skills as a writer. It can be a long lonely road to go alone, so finding other like-minded individuals who will motivate and encourage you is priceless.

Sum up ‘Lost in Wonderland’ in three words!

A must read! Lol, no, how about: Violently twisted classic.

Thank you so much, Nicky, for being on my blog!

Check out Lost in Wonderland here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01E9NX1W2/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738

Check out Nicky Peacock here: http://nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com

Until next time :)