Karen McCombie - Little Bird Flies - Book Review (Nosy Crow) Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Bridie lives on the remote Scottish island of Torrnish, the youngest of three sisters. Although she loves her island, with its wild seas and big skies, she guiltily nurses a secret dream of flight - to America and the freedom of the New World. But her family are struggling under the spiteful oppression of the new Laird, and it seems that even some of the Laird's own household are desperate to leave. When the Laird's full cruelty becomes apparent, there's no more time for daydreams as Bridie needs to help the people she loves to escape to safety.

There are so many books to read and so little time to read them. However, it's time for the fluttering wings of Karen McCombie's latest book, Little Bird Flies, to find its way into the hands of many readers. It will soar and swoop to gracefully land in bookshops and beyond from the 10th January 2019. The book will be published by Nosy Crow Books and will be the first novel in a new series that will capture the hearts and minds of the reader in an evocative and charming way. The story takes you on a family journey that harks back to Victorian times in 1861. The setting is both brilliant and captivating; an idyllic Scottish Island where the inhabitants are living a life in total oblivion beyond their own shores.

The main character Birdie is a very endearing character. Through her eyes, you view the natural rugged beauty of the landscape which makes you feel and understand the total isolation of the residents from the mainland, the world and beyond. The story washes over the reader in a carefree and dreamlike state. Looking at the blue sky on a warm summer's day, the story draws you into the plight of the characters and the hard life they have living on the Island. However, things change again as the result of a sudden death that darkens both the story and the hearts of the characters.

I loved the story and the theme. However, I did feel that in some places the chapters came to an abrupt end. As a result, they felt slightly disjointed when the next chapter started although this did not spoil or disrupt the main content or flow of the story.

The story tackles themes of persecution, emigration and human cruelty which makes the story thought-provoking and particularly topical. I was instantly transported to the Scottish Island. In fact, I felt like I was back on Iona running around, exploring the nature and letting the human mind take flight. This story really resonated with me and fuelled my immense enjoyment. It's a lovely slice of Scotland exploring the beauty of the landscape whilst watching the story unfold in devastating fashion. 

The author has written many other books, most of which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. However, with this book, the author is connected deeply to the story which makes it a real pleasure to read. It's a family, period-drama adventure that makes your heart yearn for a better outcome. Full of fantastic characters and an amazing story, both of which will ease you into 2019. A further book is due to be published on 4th July 2019 called Little Bird Lands. 

School Wars Blog Tour - St Grizzle's vs Beaky Malone + Karen McCombie and Becka Moor

St Grizzle's School For Girls, Goats and Random Boys Blog Tour

I am delighted to welcome you to the penultimate Stripes School Wars Blog Tour. As part of Team Grizzle, I have a tempting post from the illustrator, Becka Moor about producing the final character illustrtaions for the book.

To find out more about the illustrator and the author look at their website and follow them on #StGrizzles. You can join in with the rest of the #SchoolWars blog tour for more fantastic guest posts.

How you developed your character illustrations

I was first given some character descriptions from Karen, the author. I did a few sample doodles of a couple of the characters and tweaked them until they were just right and everyone was happy with them. I then drew a whole cast line up of the main characters next to each other to see how they might work together. St Grizzles is a really fun concept and story so I just tried my best to make the characters as exciting and interesting as possible.

 

Becka has very kindly sent a range of bookcover concepts in the lead up to the final draft and edition that was published.

Many thanks to Becka Moor for sending the above illustrations and information about her work for this book. 

Becka Moor is an Illustrator & Storyteller from Manchester. 

She studied Illustration for Children's Publishing at Glyndwr university, graduating in 2012. She has since gone on to work on a lot of really fun projects including her first fiction book, Violet and the Pearl of the Orient (Harriet Whitehorn, Simon & Schuster) which was shortlisted for the Waterstones book awards in 2015.

Other projects include The Royal Babysitters (Clementine Beauvais, Bloomsbury) which was shortisted in 2014 for the first Sainsburys book awards, The Wigglesbottom Primary series (Pamela Butchart, Nosy Crow) and her first UK picture book as illustrator, The Three Ninja Pigs (David Bedford, Simon & Schuster.)

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Interview with Karen McCombie - The Whispers of Wilderwood Hall (Scholastic Press)

I'm really pleased to be sharing with you the following interview with Karen McCombie. Her latest novel, The Whispers of Wilderwood Hall, was published by Scholastic in June 2016. It's a magical story with an up lifting feeling and a real sense of hope. I hope that this interview piques your interest and encourages you to purchase a copy to read.

The Whispers of Wilderwood Hall is your latest book, what is it about?
Ellis's mum Sadie is a hair & make-up artist, whose jobs normally consist of powdering the sweaty foreheads of actors in ads for car insurance and toilet rolls! Then one day Sadie works on a music video, and after a whirlwind romance with the singer in the band, thirteen-year-old Ellis finds herself with a rock star for a step-dad and a deserted, dilapidated mansion in the Highlands of Scotland for a home. Already struggling with bouts of anxiety, the Whole New Life thing leaves Ellis reeling, till one day she hears whispers in the walls... and finds herself slipping back in time to the busy, bustling 1912 heyday of Wilderwood Hall. Thanks to the one person who can see Ellis - Flora the fourteen-year-old housemaid - life takes a turn for the better. But will the past be the sanctuary Ellis hopes for, or is danger lurking in its warm, gas-lit corners?

You have written over 70 books what are the major themes of your work?
I've just done a head-count and 'The Whispers of Wilderwood Hall' is actually my 84th published book! (I'm writing no. 87 at the moment...) As for themes, family and friendship is at the heart of everything, whether I'm writing with my funny hat on, or leaning more towards history and mystery. 

Have you ever used contemporary events or stories “ripped from the headlines” in your work?

There's very much a story "ripped from the headlines' in 'The Whispers of Wilderwood Hall',  though it concerns a historical event that made big news. It weaves itself into the twist at the end, so I can't tell you what it is, even if you threaten me with a Chinese burn...

Do you use your own experiences?

All the time. Or I nick 'em from my friends and family. I recycle everyone's experiences and stories - ha! The profession of Ellis's mum Sadie is a straight steal from my friend and neighbour Emily, though last time I looked, she was still living four doors up, and hadn't married anyone famous and moved to the Highlands! As for Wilderwood Hall, it's based on an old, deserted mansion house I stumbled upon years and years ago with a film student friend who was scouting for locations. The house we snuck into was derelict and vandalised, but eerily beautiful. It's always stayed with me, and it's mutated into Wilderwood...

While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?

For the time I'm writing a novel I'm ALWAYS the main character, seeing the world through their eyes, feeling all the angst, embarrassment, nervousness and joy that they do. If I make myself cry at some point in the story, I know I'm doing it right.

If you were running the 100 yard dash with a new writer. What writing, publishing wisdom would you bestow upon him/her before you reached the 100 yards?

I'm a rubbish runner, but you will regularly find me stomping over the parklands of Alexandra Palace in North London, which is practically my back garden! So I'd invite a new writer for a meander in the greenery, with its great views over London, and I'd tell that every writer would give them different advice! Mine would be to plan, plan, plan out your story, so you don't get lost and lose heart half-way through. Though other authors would say the opposite, telling you to just write, and see where a story and character takes you. (NB The idea of doing that gives me the heebie-jeebies. *Eek!*) 

What are your current projects?

Deep breath... I've just finished writing something young and funny and school-related for Stripes, something historical and VERY close to my heart for Nosy Crow, and am in the middle of a dual-aspect novel for Scholastic. After that, I'll have a bit of a break. Er, no I won't! I've got the follow-ups to the Stripes and Nosy Crow books to write, plus a quick-read book for inclusive publishers Barrington Stoke.   

How important are stories to you? What do you like to read?

Stories are everything to me, whether that's in a book, a film or a conversation with a friend. Stories are all around, they make you think, understand and share. Stories make us better at being human. As for what I like to read...? I'm not so keen on fantasy and crime; I find the extraordinary stories of ordinary people much more fascinating.

If you found a time travel machine where would you go and what would you do?

Can I be whisked to The Great Exhibition, please? I'd like to marvel at the glinting Crystal Palace and all the wonders of the world and science inside it. Though I've heard they didn't built enough WCs for the visiting throngs of Victorian visitors, so that could be a problem. In other words, I'd better not have too many drinks in the tea-room.

Last question, what five things would you take on a desert Island and why? 

Five boxes; one full of my TBR pile of books (obvz), one with squashy cushions to recline on (mmm...), one full of packets of crisps (nom), and one full of kittens (#allthecute). Oh, and the last one could contain my daughter Milly, as she's excellent company.   

Best-selling author Karen McCombie has had more than 80 books published, and her latest novel is 'The Whispers Of Wilderwood Hall' (out June 2016, Scholastic).
The quirky humour and endearing characters in her novels have been inspired by her previous career as a journalist on teenage girls' magazines, her collection of childhood diaries AND a bad habit of listening in to conversations on buses when school is coming out...
Her hobbies include scribbling random observations in notebooks, brushing cat hair from the keyboard of her laptop and posting nonsense on Instagram.

Author Website: http://www.karenmccombie.com
Twitter: @KarenMcCombie 
Instagram:  http://Instagram.com/karenmccombie