Project Remix Awards Ceremony

Hello, readers! Today's post will be another feature on the amazing Project Remix, and I want to talk about the awards ceremony I was invited to attend two weeks ago, at the British Library. It was a gorgeous venue and it was a great place for everyone to come together to celebrate the winners and the shortlistees. 

As per usual, there was lots of cake and refreshments! I think I am just subconsciously drawn to events with cake... haha. But seriously, everything was so beautifully set out and everyone there was buzzing with excitement. There was definitely a tense but absolutely electric atmosphere, with lots of young people eager to find out whether or not they had been successful. As well as the winners and shortlistees, there were representatives from Penguin Random House, Book Trust and Movellas, students from two London secondary schools and professionals from the creative industries. We were welcomed by Yvonne Biggins from Movellas who introduced Project Remix and the different categories for the winners. Yvonne also spoke about the importance of fanfiction, not only on Movellas but for fostering the creativity of young people and getting them writing. It was stressed that fanfiction is what started the creative process for coming up with Project Remix, and that it was central to the general idea behind it. 

Then we heard from Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman (who everyone was delighted about seeing!) who gave an inspiring talk about how she first got into writing. She explained the pivotal importance of putting as much focus on the arts in schools as much as maths and the sciences. Malorie spoke about how childhood is the time of our greatest creativity, but that often adults become 'straightjacketed' by fear and lack of confidence- children are almost always proud of what they create and want to show it off to everybody. She wanted the competition to encourage young people to continue to express themselves creatively, but also to show the importance of the arts and creative subjects. However, as much as the competition was about showcasing talented young people's creativity, the competition also aimed to show teenagers that there are routes into the arts industries, and it isn't impossible to do careers in the future that you actually enjoy.

Next came the announcement of the winners! Everyone was incredibly supportive of each other and excited for each winner. The highlight for me was being able to listen/watch/see all of the entries by the amazing winners and runner ups- they were all incredible and I couldn't see myself creating anything like it any time soon! The winners all spoke openly about their inspiration and why they chose the particular novel to base their creation on. You could see the passion and enjoyment they had experienced while creating their work radiating from them... to use an extremely overrated metaphor. But you see my point. It was just lovely to spend a whole afternoon with people passionate about creativity, dedicated to teenagers who were the best examples for it. 

The only thing possibly more exciting than finding out the winners was finding out about the prizes the winners were going to receive! I must say, I was extremely jealous of all of them. As well as a goody bag of books, including a copy of Malorie Blackman's new YA anthology Love Hurts, the prizes were...


Creative writing: An editorial feedback session with Random House editor, Natalie Doherty.

Comic strip: A behind-the-scenes visit to The Phoenix comic, including meeting the team at Phoenix HQ in Oxford, finding out about how a comic is made, and getting some career advice from the Phoenix’s comic creators

Cover design: A portfolio session with Random House senior fiction book designer Laura Bird.

Book trailer: A feedback session with BBC director Jermain Julien.

Music: A behind the scenes day at a music studio shadowing Brendon Harding, studio manager and resident engineer at Red Bull Studios, London.

To top it all off, I was very lucky to meet Malorie Blackman and Laura Dockrill from Radio One, and I even got my battered old copy of Noughts and Crosses signed! A definite highlight for me! I also interviewed the winners for a big post coming up on Huffington Post, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Read all the entries below:

Running From Shadows by Grace Haddon: http://www.movellas.com/story/201503101450358316

The Fault in Our Stars Music (ProcrastinatorJ) by Jacob Simpson: http://www.movellas.com/story/201502041659216751-the-fault-in-our-stars-music-entry-project-remix-competition

Wonder (Meganissleeping) by Megan Long: http://www.movellas.com/story/201503081859513467-wonder

'Fangirl' Comic Strip (Picachunicorn) by Georgia Oliver: http://www.movellas.com/story/201501092153031715-fangirl-comic-strip-project-remix

Fangirl (C.H. Potter) by Christina Louise Hitchmough: http://www.movellas.com/story/201501101903575007-fangirl-project-remix


Check out all of these links below to find out more about Project Remix, Movellas and Children's Laureate! 

www.movellas.com

http://www.movellas.com/projectremix

http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk

http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/news-and-blog/news/99/

Until next time :)

'Orkney Twilight' by Clare Carson (****)

*WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!*

Happy Bank Holiday, readers! Today I have a book review for you, of Clare Carson's wonderful Orkney Twilight! I finished this yesterday and could not wait to write a review; I can honestly say I haven't read a book like this ever, and it was such a fresh read for me. As I said in my last post, I normally don't review adult books here on Delightful Book Reviews, however I loved it so much and was very interested in the backstory to this book, so I wanted to feature it! I was also lucky enough to be able to interview Clare Carson all about Orkney Twilight and the thrilling history behind the novel, which you can find here.
I was kindly sent Orkney Twilight by FmCM Associates in exchange for an honest review! Intrigued? If so, here's the blurb...

Jim says he's an undercover policeman.

His daughter Sam thinks he's a liar.

On holiday in Orkney, beneath an endless midsummer sky, Sam spies on Jim as he runs secretive errands across the island. What did he take from the old watchtower on the edge of a cliff? Why is he so interested in Norse mythology? And why does Sam have the eerie feeling that she too is being watched? When Sam finally discovers the truth, it will draw her into a dangerous world of darkness and deception...
An original and haunting thriller about fathers, daughters and the ghosts of the past.

Orkney Twilight is the kind of book that pulls you in from the start, and doesn't let you go until the very last page. Carson's language is clear and honest, slightly cynical and coldly empty where feeling is concerned; the build up of emotion not really setting in until the middle of the novel. You can really tell that the protagonist is a teenager, even though the story is told through a chilling and somewhat ambiguous third person narrative. Sam as a character is not immediately likeable, but I gradually warmed towards her as I realised how complex the tale that she set out to tell was. Tom was a welcome escape from the seriousness of Sam and the drunkenness and harsh temper of Jim; I liked him immediately and considered him a clever device to give some insight into the otherwise complex and mysterious story.

As for the plot itself, I found myself not only being swept away by the mystery and the excitement of the thriller twists, but also learning a lot as Carson delved into the rich history of the 1970s. Carson always kept you guessing, never giving you enough time to think, never leaving you space in your brain to make your own conclusions. You are not a passive reader of Orkney Twilight, but an active participant of the story. You are not watching Sam discover the truth about Jim and his ominous history, but helping her along the way. 

My favourite part of Orkney Twilight was most definitely the character of Jim. I loved him from the first introduction of him and I loved him until his demise. But even then, the astonishing presence of Jim didn't fade away. Carson was able to keep the spirit of Jim alive, even when the physical character of him no longer existed. He was a delicious character, the type most readers can only dream about, where you continually ask yourself whether it is actually possible to ever understand him.

I had to include this extract of the book, as it brought me very close to tears. Here it is:

She felt a tear welling, forced it back and then smiled as she remembered Jim. And she thought then that what she really missed was the double-edged reassurance of his presence, the sense of danger letting you know you were alive, the lack of certainty, the doubts about what was real, what was cover, the feeling that he was more reliable, more trustworthy than the people who played it straight. Because in her heart she knew that truth was little more than fool's gold and there were no solid facts in this world, only stories and cover-ups, and if you scraped the surface all you would find were more strange tales and sleights of hand and anyone who thought differently was living in a land of make-believe.

I think that sums up pretty well Orkney Twilight, and why I loved it so much. I would highly recommend that if you're up for an utterly thrilling read, that you check this book out!

Check out Clare Carson here: http://headofzeus.com/books/Orkney%20Twilight


Buy Orkney Twilight here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orkney-Twilight-Clare-Carson-x/dp/1784080942

Interview with 'Orkney Twilight' author Clare Carson

Happy Thursday, readers! Today I have a very exciting author interview for you, the writer of an awesome thriller called Orkney Twilight. I don't usually cover adult books on Delightful Book Reviews, but after reading the press release I was intrigued and really wanted to see what it was about! I am halfway through and I must say I am totally hooked. The story behind Orkney Twilight is utterly fascinating... the author's father was an undercover policeman himself and in the novel she explores what it's really like to be so close to someone, yet not really know anything about them at all. I was fortunate enough to be able to speak to Clare Carson all about writing unsettling narratives, creating the hugely diverse mix of characters within the novel, and what it was really like to have a Dad who also doubles as an undercover cop...

How did you find inspiration to write Orkney Twilight?
The inspiration came from two main sources. When I was a kid, my dad worked as an undercover cop. I thought of him as a master storyteller. The second source was our regular childhood holidays in Orkney – I was intrigued by the cairns and stone circles littering the island, the sense of ancient mysteries. The two fused in my mind as a story about individual and collective mythmaking.

The presentation of Jim in the novel is very ambiguous. How did you want the reader to feel about him as a character? 
Ambiguous. The thrillers I love – the ones that raise unsettling moral questions - have ambiguous characters at their core. I don’t think Jim is any more ambiguous than Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Having said that, Jim has a peculiar charisma, and some people who have read the book do adore him.

How far is Sam based on yourself in your teenage years?
Sam is nothing like me. She shares some of my teenage experiences, but she is a completely different character. One of my sources for Sam was Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Maybe I should have called the book  Sam’s Adventures in Undercoverland.

In Orkney Twilight, the reader travels along with Sam to discover the truth about Jim, which results in an unsettling narrative with many twists and turns. How did you achieve this effect?
My primary device for unsettling the narrative was using Sam’s perspective to tell the story. The book is written in the third person, but everything is seen through her eyes. I understood Sam, in many ways, as a neo-noir protagonist in the Big Lebowski mould. She is an insider-outsider who doesn’t know exactly what is going on, sometimes doesn’t want to find out and isn’t always capable of revealing what she thinks and feels. She sees many important events but doesn’t necessarily interpret them correctly. 

Tom seems to be portrayed as the one who is never afraid to ask questions. How integral is he to the progression of the story?

Tom is central. When the object of the story is as ambiguous as Jim, and the protagonist is as blurry-eyed and conflicted as Sam, you need a more focused character to keep the plot moving along the straight and narrow. Sam tries to sideline him. But then she would, wouldn’t she?

Sum up Orkney Twilight in three words.

Who to believe?

Thank you for being interviewed, Clare!

 Check out Clare Carson here: http://headofzeus.com/books/Orkney%20Twilight

Buy Orkney Twilight here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orkney-Twilight-Clare-Carson-x/dp/1784080942

Until next time :)

Project Remix

Hello, readers! As you might know, I have been writing for a very long time, but did not show a single person my work until I was thirteen or fourteen. My Dad knew I was an introvert about my writing, but he also knew that I wanted nothing more than to become a writer one day. However, being an introvert about my work and wanting to publish aren't easily cohesive, so he suggested that I join a teen writing website called movellas.com. Since then, loads of amazing things have happened to me, and a great number of them are due to Movellas! With their amazing community, invaluable support and great competitions I gradually emerged out of my shell and became proud of my writing for the first time ever. Throughout all the years I was active on the site I entered many of the competitions (I was only successful in a few of them!) and this boosted my confidence hugely, and reminded me that it might someday be possible to pursue my dream of becoming a writer.


A couple of weeks ago, I received a very exciting email regarding one of these competitions. However, it was unlike anything I had ever come across before on the site. This competition was one of the most exciting competitions for young people that I have ever heard about before. The email was regarding an invitation to the awards ceremony of a competition called Project Remix, a competition to find the UK’s best young writers and creatives. The competition encouraged young people aged 13-19 years to take inspiration from their favourite writers to make their own creative work in response to their books and stories. The possibilities for entries were enormous: Write a fanfic, design an alternative cover, reboot a story for their own spin-off comic strip, or even write a piece of original music inspired by a writer's work.

Even more exciting; the Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman herself chose her favourite entries in each category. There were hundreds of entries, all from the categories of:

. Creative writing: write your own piece of fiction inspired by your chosen book, story or poem. Word limit: up to 2,000 words.

. Comic strip: create your own comic strip inspired by your chosen book, story or poem. Limit: up to three A4 pages.

. Cover design: design or illustrate your own alternative cover for your chosen book.

. Book trailer: produce a book trailer – a short piece of film, like a film trailer – for your chosen book, story or poem. Limit: up to 2 minutes.

. Music: write and perform a song or a piece of original music inspired by your chosen book, story or poem. Limit: up to 3 minutes.

The Movellas Team and Malorie Blackman were astounded with the incredible quality and diversity of all the entries, and I think this shows how talented teenagers are, and how much they can achieve when they really put their minds to it. 

As soon as I heard about this competition and the awards ceremony I knew that it was something I wanted to follow up and spread the word about; anything that includes inspiring teenagers to get creative is something I will be interested in! I couldn't wait to meet the young people whose entries had blown away the Children's Laureate and speak to them about their creative endeavours. When I joined Movellas back in 2012 the site was mainly focused on creative writing, with a sparse number of book trailers and book cover design. It was amazing to see how the site had evolved, and how competitions like these were reaching out to a greater number of young people, appealing to all different kinds of interests.

A few posts will popping up over the next couple of weeks with interviews with the winners and an outline of the event- keep your eyes peeled!

Check out Movellas and Project Remix here:

www.movellas.com

http://www.movellas.com/projectremix

http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk

http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/news-and-blog/news/99/

Until next time :)

World Book Night Flagship Event!

Happy Saturday, readers! Today I have a very exciting post for you... As promised, a run-down of the World Book Night Flagship event at the Shaw Theatre in London. Over the past couple of weeks I have been lucky enough to be involved in WBN and publishing posts such as author interviews and my own reading journey. Hence, I was really looking forward to attending the Flagship event, as many authors that inspire me were attending, and it was set to be a fantastic celebration of what World Book Night aspires to do.

The Shaw Theatre is a beautiful, modern venue with a lovely foyer area and an even lovelier theatre. It was fantastic to see so many people there; all of whom I knew loved books as much as I do. I saw many people from different publishing companies, PR agencies, charities and booksellers. Waterstones was even there selling all of the books from the shortlist, and there were plenty of people buying the wonderful books that we would be hearing about later that night. 

In the theatre, we were welcomed by Sue Wilkinson MBE, the Chief Executive of the Reading Agency, who gave an inspiring talk about everything that the Reading Agency does to encourage people to start reading, the importance of World Book Night and the integral value of books in themselves. The excitement in the venue grew as we were given a run down of the authors we would be hearing about that night, and the reading journeys we would discover as the evening went on. 

David Almond was the first author on stage, and it was not only a thoroughly enjoyable and inspirational talk, but the passion he felt for books, reading and writing came across so powerfully. I am a huge fan of David Almond's novel A Song for Ella Grey and it was so wonderful to hear about him explain what an honour it is for him to write for young people. There were only a handful of young people in the audience (including me) and the  way he addressed criticisms he hears every day for example young people don't read anymore, teenagers don't enjoy books, they don't care about literature was very emotional; I hear things like that said too, and it made such an impact to hear them addressed by one of my favourite authors. David Almond also spoke about his own reading journey and the part imagination has played in both his reading and writing throughout the years. He made some incredibly interesting points about how reading and writing can be merged to be seen as one entity; how imagination has not only affected his writing but his reading also. The continued importance and unfortunate dismissal of libraries was also discussed, and there were several murmurs of approval from the audience as we all concurrently agreed that libraries are an invaluable part of all of our reading lives. David Almond called libraries one of the most important human institutions, and writing a product of humanity's desire to 'create something beautiful'. It was a wonderful start to the evening, and demonstrated not only the importance of World Book Night but of authors like David Almond who care so passionately about what he does.

We heard many other fabulous authors talk about their individual reading journeys and read out sections from their own work. In my opinion, there's nothing quite like listening to books you have read and loved being read out loud by the person who wrote the words. It is also wonderful watching the passion as they read out the story they prepared so intricately months, years before. It's kind of like going to see your kid at their first ever ballet show or school play. You're like woah, I made that. Books are people's babies, and the readers share and invest in the experience as much as the author does. Sarah Winman's first chapter of When God Was a Rabbit and Irvine Welsh's reading held me utterly engrossed and I believed every word they said when they told us that they wouldn't have written their work without the books they had read. It was also amazing to hear

Elizabeth Fremantle read a section of The Queen's Gambit and talk about the 'superpowers' of reading. I thoroughly agreed when she pointed out that people who read are the most attractive people, and the people who are best to fall in love with ;)

One of the highlights of the event was definitely hearing Akala perform his epic poem; he is a totally awesome guy and a huge inspiration for young people everywhere. The fuse of poetry and rap was a beautiful combination and it was definitely something I had never heard of before. Lynda La Plante had us all in stitches recounting the moment when she thought a ghost knocking at her door when it was in fact an audiobook of Wuthering Heights; the moment when Heathcliff is yelling Cathy's name across the moors. Blaine Harden's story about how at college Conrad's Heart of Darkness changed his mindset about nearly everything, and opened up a world where words meant something. But most of all, it was just a bloody good read, and I think that sometimes that's all it takes for someone to start reading. It's not always about deep meaningful discussions or a moment of sudden inspiration, but the times when a book simply speaks to you. 

And lastly, Annabel Pitcher's impromptu poem of her reading journey, from Flat Stanley to Emily Brontë and Harry Potter was absolutely incredible, and put into words so perfectly not only the point to World Book Night, but the books and authors that make it such an incredible, inspiring and potentially for many people, who don't read, a life changing event.

I'd just like to thank you all for sticking with me the past couple of weeks, SO MANY of you have checked out my WBN posts and I am so grateful for all the people who have shared it and spread the word! THANK YOU xxx

I am attending a very exciting event on Monday... So I will keep you posted on that!

Check out all the WBN links below:

http://www.worldbooknight.org

http://readingagency.org.uk

http://www.delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/a-world-book-night-special-interview.html

http://www.delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/a-world-book-night-special-rachel.html

http://www.delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/world-book-night-special-my-reading.html

http://www.delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/world-book-night-2015.html

Until next time :)

 Hehe sneaky little add-on on the end here.... A STREETCAT NAMED BOB <3 

A World Book Night Special: Interview with Elizabeth Fremantle

Happy Wednesday, readers! Today (the day before World Book Night) I have a special interview for you, with the amazing Elizabeth Fremantle! Elizabeth is the author of many wonderful historical novels including 'Queen's Gambit', which is one of the titles for World Book Night, and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak with her all about World Book Night, the 'transformative qualities of literature' and even her own reading journey...

How are you involved in World Book Night?

I’m going to be at the WBN event at the Shaw Theatre in London, talking about why reading is a superpower.
I was a book-giver on the first WBN in 2011, when I was a struggling writer in search of a book deal, so to have Queen’s Gambit amongst so many brilliant titles, and to be part of the WBN flagship event is very special indeed on a personal level. 

 Why do you think projects like this are important?

Anything that reminds people of the transformative qualities of literature and encourages people to discover the pleasures of a good book has got to be a good thing.
 
What is your own 'reading journey'?

The first novels that truly captured my imagination as a small child were Frances Hodgeson-Burnett’s The Little Princess and The Secret Garden. 
I graduated onto Laura Ingalls-Wilder’s autobiographical tales of life in a pioneer family, which I read countless times, never tiring of them. 
It was Jean Plaidy who whet my appetite for historical fiction, aged about twelve. 
If I’m sad I always turn to PG Wodehouse, because he makes me laugh out loud; I’m a fan of Patricia Highsmith, F Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, Stephan Zweig, to name only a few. 
Of contemporary authors I read everything Sarah Waters writes, I love Rose Tremain, Hilary Mantel and there are many more, far too many to name here. 

What is your personal favourite in the World Book Night titles? (not including your own, of course!)


It’s hard to choose between so many wonderful books but I’m going to say Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. She’s a wonderful writer and it’s an utterly beguiling novel.

Do you think the Government should play a part in getting people reading? If so, what could they do?

I used to volunteer in my local primary school, helping children who struggled with reading, working with them one-on-one. What always made me sad was the level to which volunteers were relied upon, making the help they needed inconsistent. When work made it difficult for me to continue with it, it was devastating to think that the children I’d been working with might no longer continue to get the help they needed. 
Some children, for whatever reason, have parents who are unable to read with them at home. So I suppose I’d like to see increased funding to help those children and their parents.

What got you reading? 

I was always a natural bookworm, reading was a refuge for me and so I needed no encouragement. I still tend to read at least a book a week, and never go anywhere without a book in my bag. 


Thank you, Elizabeth, for being interviewed on my blog! 

Tomorrow I will be attending the World Book Night flagship event at the Shaw Theatre in London, and I look forward to seeing Elizabeth and many other exciting names there. Also, look forward to a write up of that event!

Check out Elizabeth Fremantle here: http://www.elizabethfremantle.com

Check out World Book Night here: http://www.worldbooknight.org

You can still buy tickets for the Flagship event here: http://bit.ly/1HV5O4y

Until next time :)

A World Book Night Special: Rachel Joyce's 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' (*****)

Happy Sunday, readers! Today I have another World Book Night special for you, this time a review of one of the featured titles on the World Book Night list 2015. Following World Book Night 2014, national charity The Reading Agency which runs the programme, conducted a survey of World Book Night volunteers who had the chance to suggest the title they would most like to give away as part of the programme. Rachel Joyce’s bestselling The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry has been selected from the volunteers’ picks to be a title for 2015, in recognition of the inspiring work of the World Book Night volunteers who champion reading for pleasure through social action in their communities.

Intrigued? Here is the blurb...

When Harold Fry nips out one morning to post a letter, leaving his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else’s life.

I read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry last week and thoroughly enjoyed it- I was struck by the protagonist, Harold Fry, and the strength and determination he showed throughout the book. He is such an inspirational and unique character, and throughout the book you really feel as if you get to know him; his strengths, his failures, his wishes, his downfalls. The special thing about Harold is that he is not perfect, he is utterly human. As you read you learn that he is not on the 'pilgrimage' for any other reason but to fix the mistakes of his past and to rediscover his sense of self. Rachel Joyce writes beautifully and does not reveal everything in the first chapter, but scatters in the truth sparingly, so the reader is discovering things about Harold and his life as Harold reflects on his past mistakes, and sets about trying to fix them.

The whole book is one big adventure. It pulls the reader in and doesn't let them go until the very last page. It is a roller coaster of emotions, and although it is a highly emotional read, you feel satisfied and happy at the end. Throughout the book you can't keep but wonder how you would manage on such a journey, and how far you would go to save someone else, and yourself, before it is too late. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, more than anything, is a story about love, how one manages it, and everything that gets in the way. It questions how much one can sacrifice for love, and the difficulty of sometimes expressing it.

Overall, I loved the journey that this book brought me on. However young, or old, you are, wherever you live or whatever you do, this book speaks to you. It appeals to the most objective element of our humanity, and renders you speechless when it is over. 

Check out Rachel Joyce here: http://www.rachel-joyce.co.uk

Check out World Book Night here: http://www.worldbooknight.org

Buy The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Unlikely-Pilgrimage-Harold-Fry/dp/0552778095

Until next time :)