Lindsay Littleson - Author Interview (Q&A) - The Rewilders - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books #29

Today it's a pleasure to welcome Scottish author Lindsay Littleson to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. This interview is very much overdue so it's time to catch up with the author's recent book THE REWILDERS; a thrilling adventure story. The book was a finalist in our recent book cover wars which was very exciting. We hope you enjoy our interview by finding out more about Lindsay's books and her writing career. You can support the author by reading one of her fantastic fantasy adventures. You can buy HERE. 

1. The Rewilders is your latest book to be published by Cranachan Books (March 2022). How would you summarise the story in a new synopsis to grab the readers' attention? 

The Rewilders takes readers on an exciting adventure to the stunning Highlands. Esme and Callum are on a quest to rewild a young lynx, but their journey is fraught with danger; including a raging river, angry farmers and a pack of menacing wolves. 

2. Esme is one of the main characters in the book, how do you make your characters believable and stand out from the plot?

For me, creating believable characters is the most important part of writing a novel, because even if the plot’s adventure-packed, if readers don’t care what happens to the characters it’s impossible to create suspense and tension. Readers need to know what makes a character tick, and why they behave as they do, but that understanding should develop and deepen as the story progresses and we find out more about them. 

From bad-tempered Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden to bossy, dramatic Bertha in The Titanic Detective Agency, flawed characters are always more interesting. Lewis in Guardians of the Wild Unicorns can be grumpy and intolerant, but he is courageous, and he is a loyal friend.  Perfection’s dull, and isn’t remotely believable!

Although Esme in The Rewilders might not be immediately likeable, there are reasons behind her behaviour, and hopefully readers will understand, or even relate to, different aspects: her feelings of anxiety when her mother leaves, her fear of stepping out of her comfort zone, perhaps even the fact that she is best friends with a bully because she’s afraid of the consequences of stepping away from the friendship. 

 

At school, Esme has been siding with her friend Isobel, even when she knows very well that Isobel’s behaviour is frequently unkind. During the journey across the moors to rewild the lynx,  Esme has the time and space to consider the effect bullying has on others and she realises she has to make changes and find the courage to become the person she wants to be. 

3. Did the Highland landscape inspire any part of the story? 

The Highland moors and Scotland’s ancient temperate rainforests are both the setting of and the inspiration behind The Rewilders. The Highlands are glorious, but the terrible truth is that over the years, the landscape has been damaged and degraded and is now in desperate need of repair and regeneration. The message in the Rewilders is primarily about the urgent need to protect and repair our precious wild environments, as much for our own sake as nature’s. 

Only fragments of internationally important Scotland’s temperate rainforests remain, and discovering about them inspired this description in The Rewilders. 

With its craggy rocks and gushing waterfalls, this place felt other-worldly—like a fantasy film set—a magical forest of wood elves and unicorns. But it wasn’t magical, it was real; a living reminder of Scotland’s past. Weak autumn sunlight slanted through the mainly deciduous trees, a mixture of birch, ash, hazel and a few ancient, gnarled oaks. Their bark was crusted with rust-orange lichen, their leaves turning scarlet and gold. Spongy moss carpeted the soggy ground and furred the tree branches. 

4. Do you think being a Scottish author that local heritage is important to portray in children's stories? 

Obviously, Scottish authors should feel free to write the stories they are passionate about, and I don’t feel restricted to writing stories set in Scotland, as The Titanic Detective Agency proves! But I do believe it’s important that children are aware of their local history. I spent many years as a teacher in the Paisley area, and the main reason for writing my Victorian novel, A Pattern of Secrets was to give local children information about their town’s incredible textile heritage, within an adventure story about 12-year-old Jim who escapes from the Abbey Poorhouse and has to attempt to save his little brother from the same fate, by retrieving a lost family heirloom.

While The Rewilders is set in Scotland and focuses on the topical issue of rewilding large predators, such as lynx and wolves, to the Highlands,  the novel’s main message is a global one. It’s vital that we all do our part in protecting and restoring our planet’s natural environments and in caring for our precious, vulnerable wildlife. 

5. What kind of books did you enjoy reading as a child? 

The Borrowers series was a revelation. The novels have a gloomy, melancholy air, very different from the upbeat adventure stories of Enid Blyton, all of which I’d already devoured, and I loved Arrietty’s courage and desire for adventure. The Hobbit, Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and the Narnia books were all fantasy favourites too. But I also enjoyed character-driven stories about children to whom I could relate in some way, like Kate Ruggles in The Family From One End Street, surrounded by siblings and desperate for a place to read in peace. 

6. You have a number of successful books that have been published, at what point do you decide to commit to writing a story to the very end or choose to abandon it?

When I first began writing I produced quite a few stories that should have been abandoned at an earlier stage and which eventually ended up in a drawer. Gradually, I realised the way I worked needed to change. More planning at the initial stages was essential, to try and reduce wasted time. So now, when an idea first emerges, I doodle my characters and annotate the drawings; describing each character’s physical appearance and personality traits, both negative and positive. Then I might draw a map of the setting or create a family tree. If I’m feeling really keen to tell this story and in love with my characters, then I’ll begin writing rough chapter outlines and hopefully from those, I’ll be able to produce a workable first draft. But obviously there are no guarantees!

7. What feelings do you have when you walk into a place filled with books? 

Libraries always make me feel nostalgic. I remember so clearly visiting our local library with my mum every week. She would have a little wheeled trolley with her, because she’d borrow so many heavy hardbacks, one from each section of the library, that we couldn’t carry them home. I’d skip into the children’s section, fingers crossed that there would be something new, something I hadn’t yet read. 

When I enter a second-hand bookshop, I breathe in the slightly musty smell, and feel a thrill of anticipation and a buzz of excitement, because I’m on a treasure hunt. My latest treasure is a battered copy of Selfridge’s Household Encyclopaedia from 1929, which earnestly explains that appendicitis is caused by swallowing fruit pips or toothbrush bristles and has some excellent advice on the etiquette around visiting cards.

8. What question would you have loved for me to have asked you and why? 

I would have loved you to ask me what I am working on at the moment, because my brain is currently buzzing with ideas for A Spy’s Guide to Europe, the teaching resource I’m creating to accompany my new MS, Euro Spies. The novel is about three school children on a whirlwind trip around Europe, who are catapulted into a world of art, espionage and terrible danger. Euro Spies features fiendish clues, all hidden on famous European landmarks, and lots of hard-to-crack codes. The novel was an absolute joy to write and it’s coming out in April 2023. 

Website:http://www.lindsaylittleson.co.uk/books/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/ljlittleson

Danny Weston - Author Interview (Q&A) - A Hunter's Moon - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books #28

 

We all love a Danny Weston book, especially me! Therefore, it was great to catch up with the man himself as part of our next author interview. His latest book, A Hunter's Moon, has been published by UCLan Publishing. It is another masterclass in storytelling that will leave your spine tingling and your fantasy imagination in overdrive! You can check out our book review HERE to find out more. We hope you enjoy this interview and can be tempted into walking the "darkside" of fiction.  It's time to enter at your peril; good luck and we hope to see you again. 

1. You are a man of mystery so please tell us about your latest mystery and why we should read it?

My latest book is called A Hunter’s Moon. It’s a folk-horror tale inspired by the Scottish legend of the Cù Sìth - the supernatural wolflike creature said to haunt the forest of Tay, the servant of the mysterious Walkers in the Woods. Since moving to Scotland several years ago, I have been taking a lot of inspiration from Scottish folklore and this legend is one that I hadn’t previously heard about, but I instantly felt compelled to write about it. People should read this book if they like a dark mystery with a supernatural twist. It was conceived and written during the lockdown and, it was only after I finished, I realised it could be seen as an allegory about COVID 19.

2. You have a fantastic way of writing really scary but believable stories. Do some elements in your books have a certain amount of truth to them? If so, could you share what these are?

Firstly, thank you for the compliment. I would say that all my books have truths in them, but they are cunningly disguised as fiction. What I mean is that no matter how fantastic the premise of a story, the characters and the world in which they live must be rendered in an entirely believable way. Once a reader is convinced about the people in the story, they’ll start to care about them. And then they’ll be willing to suspend their disbelief when the story ventures into the realms of the fantastic.

3. What scares Danny Weston in fiction and in life?

It’s great fun to be scared by fiction. I’ve loved reading horror stories since my teens and the beauty of this kind of horror is that it's caged within the book. I love a good short story. Roald Dahl used to specialise in them before he started writing for younger readers. And I love the short stories of Ray Bradbury and H.H. Munro (Saki). A reader knows that what’s happening on the page cannot really hurt them. 

Real life is a lot scarier - and what scares me are the big subjects like global warming, the rise of the far right, poverty, famine and the possibility of war - all totally out of my control. The best thing about being a writer is that I can have autonomy over the worlds I create. I can impose a kind of order on it all.

4. I hear you and Philip Caveney are good pals; who do you think would win in a written dual and why?

The two of us used to say terrible things about each other, but lately we’ve been on surprisingly good terms. I think we’ve both come to accept that we owe each other a great deal and I’m finally ready to admit that without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Also, I’m not sure how you’d do a written duel. Fountain pens at dawn?

5. Which book are you most proud of writing and is there anything you’d change about it looking back?

Inevitably, the book I’m most proud of is my very first, The Sins of Rachel Ellis. It was published way back in 1977. I know I’ve written better books, but this was the one that started the ball rolling. I had been trying since my teens to get a book published and there were two serious attempts before this one. (Looking back, I can see that I wasn’t ready.) Rachel Ellis was my last gasp, do-or-die attempt to crack the nut and thankfully, I got there. I was twenty-six years old and it felt like I’d just climbed Mount Everest.

6. What kind of childhood did Danny Weston have? What kind of books did he enjoy reading that influenced his stories when he got older?

I had a peripatetic childhood, which is a posh way of saying I moved around a lot. My dad was in the Royal Air Force so every two years, we upped sticks and went to another air base (most of them in Lincolnshire). So I had one of those old-fashioned childhoods where you wander about the countryside, damming streams, climbing trees and generally getting up to mischief. Then my parents got posted to Singapore and I ended up in a horrible boarding school in Peterborough. It’s interesting to note how many of my books feature a boy who has been separated from his parents. Just saying.

7. I hear your drawing skills are very good; could you draw one of your favourite characters from your book?

I trained as a graphic designer a very long time ago, but I’m rusty these days and usually prefer to leave that kind of stuff to the professionals. I did however come across a sketch I did a few years back, when I was in the early stages of writing Mr Sparks and decided to try and capture the look of the central character. He’s a two hundred year old ventriloquist dummy and may just be the single most evil character I’ve ever created. The finished cover (by James Fraser) is a thousand times better.

8. Is there a particular question that you would not have liked me to ask? If so, what is it and why? 

I hate it when I’m visiting a school and a pupil asks me that question. ‘Please sir, how much do you earn?’ I hate it for two reasons. One, because money and writing are two entirely different things and two, because it’s always embarrassing when you start crying in public. You can buy the book HERE.  

Author Interview with Joan Haig - Tiger Skin Rug - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

                                                           

Welcome to the amazing interview with debut author Joan Haig. Her book, Tiger Skin Rug, was published in January by (Pokey Hat Children's Books) Cranachan Publishing. It takes readers on a magical journey from a Scottish village to an Indian mountain and from the back streets of London to the palaces and sewers of Mumbai. The story brilliantly explores the power of legends whilst also focusing on themes such as families, friendship and forgiveness. 

The following interview considers the origins and the inspirations behind this incredible story. You'll also get an opportunity to find out more about the author's life. It is hoped that this will encourage you to read and purchase this wonderful book. If you would like to support an Independent Publisher and Debut Author then please follow this LINK

We hope you enjoy!

Fly into the night. What adventure can we expect when we start to read Tiger Skin Rug?

A wild one! The children – brothers Lal and Dilip and their new friend Jenny – set out to help keep an old promise. Their adventure features the London underground, Coventry backstreets and Mumbai rooftops. There’s also a riddle, a street fight, and a villain… and a magical tiger.

The book has a cultural feeling with settings in England, Scotland, and India. How did you make these different places work together to make the plot feel grounded and realistic?

The children visit the sites they do for reasons specific to the plot, but also because I wrote about places and cultures I know. I moved to Scotland from a warm climate when I was a young girl. Lal’s first impressions of the country (and of Coventry and London) are not dissimilar to my own. Similarly, I needed Lal to see things about India that he might not have noticed when he’d lived there – I drew on memories, letters and diaries from living in India as a teenager. In some ways, the different settings work together to show that you can find the familiar in unfamiliar places.

Is there a message in the book you would like readers to connect with?

Most of all, I would like readers to enjoy the adventure. If by the end they’ve gained a connection to one of the characters, paused to reflect on the tiger’s narrative, or are moved by the way the story resolves, I’d be tickled pink. I don’t expect all readers will connect with the same message, though; in my debut-author dreamworld, readers return and see something new each time.

What/who inspired you to write this book?

My Auntie Lilian, the best storyteller in all the lands. She was always going to write about a mysterious tiger skin rug. Her story was stolen by dementia before she told it to anyone. In 2015 after a diagnosis of thyroid cancer, I retreated to Moniack Mhor for a creative writing course; I wanted to write something for my children, who inspire me every day. Auntie Lilian’s story (or its kernel) was stolen again – this time, by me.

What ingredients do you think makes a great book for children but will also be loved by adults?

Ooh, tricky Q. I don’t know if there are any set ingredients, but the right kind of humour is great if you have it to hand. There’s the humour that works on two different levels, but for me the best kind provokes genuine laughter on the same level for everyone. Another ingredient is relatability – in a good book, readers will relate to characters as they do to real-life people, and that isn’t always determined by age. Characters needn't even be the same species. (I’m thinking here of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, or my other five-star rodent read, The World According to Humphrey.) And, of course, sometimes the magic ingredient is... magic (1 tbsp or thereabouts, sprinkled lightly).

Do you think reading for pleasure helps you become the author you are?

I can only speak for myself, but yes. Reading for pleasure has made me the person I am. My childhood in Zambia included packages from Scotland of ‘Storyteller’ audio cassette tapes with read-along magazines; I boarded a flight to India after reading Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy as a teenager; Graham Greene and a posse of poets let me cry on their shoulders throughout university; and a friend who knows me well brought Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle to my hospital bedside. I like to read new books, and widely, but I think it’s been helpful to me as a writer to examine what it is that has made those old favourites stick.

We love the book cover for Tiger Skin Rug. Do you think the book cover plays an important part? 

Very much so – it makes the book stand out before anyone’s even opened it, and it looks awesome on the tables of well-known bookshops 😉 It won the 2019 #BookCoverWars against some seriously tough competition. What makes this contest extra special is that it is open to all. My small Scottish publisher got to compete with its top-notch cover work against some giants in the world of children’s literature. Small publishers are usually priced out of contests; we’re hugely grateful for the inclusivity of the #BookCoverWars. (P.S. The tiger's eyes shine!)

You are taking part in the WriteMentor summer program. Would you like to tell us a little more about that? 

Yes, please! It’s a fabulous scheme set up to support new and aspiring writers. Successful applicants are buddied with a published or agented author who works with them on their manuscript for a YA or children’s novel. The window for applications is 15-17 April. To learn more about my mentoring preferences and promises, please take a look at my website: www.joanhaigbooks.com. Let’s shine this summer with #WriteMentor!

What role do you think books can have in helping adults and children through this current situation and beyond?

Such a positive one. Books give us comfort, reassurance, prompts for tricky topics, and opportunities to look at our situation in different ways and walk in other people’s shoes. You can travel and connect across spaces and cultures in books – EVEN during lockdown! Books are portals to other worlds: we need to make sure everyone can access them, and we need to keep them open. Always.

What are you working on at the moment? 

A children’s illustrated nonfiction book with author Joan Lennon for Templar/Bonnier (out in 2021). I can’t wait! I’m also chiselling away at my children’s fiction. At the moment it’s a giant writer’s block – but inside there’s an adventure story about island cats, a storm and a secret (shh!). 

Robert J. Harris - Artie Conan Doyle and the Scarlet Phantom - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Here we are, the sleuths are back again with the third brilliant book in The Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries. The Scarlet Phantom is the work of Scottish writer, Robert J. Harris, and features the young amateur detectives of Artie Conan Doyle (Boy Detective) and Edward Hamilton (Stalwart Companion). The book has already been published (October) by Floris Books (a small independent children's publisher in Edinburgh).  

It's time to investigate the criminal mind with another unusual and thrilling mystery to ponder over. I really love this series; it's one of my personal favorites as it reminds me of the books I used to read when I was a young person. It has the same DNA profile as the books I read and loved at that time such as The Hardy Boy Stories which were full of vivid action and great moments. It also has great settings and characters similar to The Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators books. Around every corner, there's suspense and deadly peril. These books made me an avid reader as they expanded my imagination and created a great appetite for new and exciting books. 

Wandering around the back streets of Edinburgh, August 1873, and something is afoot once again. A mystery is sweeping across the murky Scottish streets leaving the public fearing for their lives. Priceless jewels are being stolen by an invisible thief who walks through walls and disappears at will. All of which is bafflingly the local police force. However, the Scarlett Phantom is just about to pull off the biggest robbery in history. Can the greatest detective (not Sherlock Holmes) solve the puzzle before he or she gets away? Or will a strange paranormal investigator, who claims he can capture this phantom burglar, get there before them? You'll have to read the book to find out. 

In this story, we are introduced to a new female character, Peril Abernetly (Girl Scientist), to aid the detective team in finding out the answers to this fiendish plot. This character adds another interesting dimension to the story. She introduces a scientific approach to the inner-thought processes and dynamics of the sleuthing trio. In contrast, there is also Edward who is always hungry and has food about his person but is not always hungry for adventure. He especially fears danger and has to be persuaded by his best friend (Artie Doyle) to follow him in his thirst for solving inexplicable crimes.  

Like all the other books in this series, there is a fantastic plot full of imagination, which has been executed particularly well. It has twists and turns which leave many possibles alternatives to develop and explore. There are many quirky details included which provide a great reading experience. The time and gothic setting have a wide and fantastic appeal. Historically, it makes the story very interesting and atmospheric.

This is another fantastic book aimed at the younger reader. It will feed their imagination and set them off on an amazing fantasy adventure. As the story comes to a climatic and turbulent end, it will leave them feeling content. It's a book that is definitely worth tracking down. You never know, it may even inspire new avid readers to be born. So are you ready to solve the clues and follow in the footsteps of the characters? If so, then you definitely need to read this book.

Robert J. Harris - Artie Conan Doyle and the Vanishing Dragon - UK Blog Tour (Kelpies)

Welcome to day two of the UK blog tour for Robert J. Harris and his brilliant new mystery 'Artie and the Vanishing Dragon'. This is an opportunity to celebrate the unveiling of a brand new book in the Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries. Published by Kelpies, The Vanishing Dragon will fly into bookshops on the 22nd March 2018. 

This is a week-long mission to entertain and entice you to pick up these brilliant books and read them. So sit back and relax as we're going back to the scene of the crime to investigate where and how it all began. Have your magnifying glasses at the ready throughout the week to follow the author's footsteps each day. Please see the blog tour list in the top right-hand corner of the blog.  Happy Reading. 

THE YOUNG DETECTIVES - NEW MYSTERIES FOR THE YOUNG GENERATION

I was about eight years old when I read my first detective story. It was The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat by Enid Blyton, featuring a group of young investigators called The Five Find-Outers. Though they never achieved the same level of success as Blyton’s other quintet (The Famous Five), nevertheless the Find-Outers had a long run of cases from 1943 to 1961.

Young detectives have long been a part of the mystery genre, including such stars as The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. My own favourite series is The Three Investigators, who began their career in 1964 with The Secret of Terror Castle. Their stories were introduced by famous film director Alfred Hitchcock, who played a role in that first case. I personally think the best of these is The Stuttering Parrot, which is both very clever and entertaining.

One of the most significant features of these mysteries for younger readers is that they are not centred on the sort of gruesome murders that dominate adult crime fiction. A good thing too, I say.

While I think of the tales I tell as primarily adventure stories, these adventures always include an element of mystery. With The Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries I have shifted towards detective stories (though they are still exciting adventures). As with all my books, my main rule is that a good book for younger readers should be one that adult readers (like me!) will also enjoy. By the same principle the mysteries in these novels are to be just as good, just as baffling, as any you would find in the great crime classics.

Part of the fun is trying to guess not only who committed the crime but why. In Artie’s first adventure, The Gravediggers Club, he needs to discover not only who has been digging up dead bodies, but also why they’re doing it.

The clues are another vital element to a good mystery. The clues, far from shedding any light, should make things even more baffling. The clues Artie comes across give him a headache more than anything else - that is until he finally understands what they mean.

It’s also hugely fun for the writer and reader if the crime itself appears to be utterly impossible. My favourite mystery writer John Dickson Carr is the acknowledged master of such puzzles as ‘How was a man able to jump into a swimming pool surrounded by witnesses and completely disappear?’

In The Vanishing Dragon Artie is faced with a similarly impossible crime; a gigantic mechanical dragon is stolen from a warehouse when the only exits and entrances are a door securely fastened with multiple locks and a window far too small for the dragon to fit through.

The crucial point in any mystery story is when the truth is revealed. If this is done well, the reader will see all the pieces of the mystery falling into place like a magical jigsaw puzzle fitting itself together. My aim is that as they behold the completed picture readers will cry out in delight, “Of course! Now I see!”

That’s what I enjoy in a good mystery.

Philip Caveney - The Slithers - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Book Review (Fledgling Press)

After the death of his mother and the end of his father s high-powered career, Zach and his Dad have come to the north of Scotland to live rent-free in Grandfather Alistair s cliff-top cottage. Dad asks Zach to clean out the old garden pond, a rotting nightmare where not even a tadpole can survive. But when he drains the pond, he unearths something unexpected a trapdoor leading down into darkness... He ventures down there and discovers something amazing a glowing egg-shaped stone. Once brought back to the surface, Zach s run of bad luck seems to change entirely. Suddenly, he can't seem to stop winning and even Dad s career is unexpectedly back on track. But good luck can't last forever... The stone belongs to a race of ancient creatures that dwell deep beneath the ground - and they want it back. Pretty soon, unspeakable things begin to claw their way to the surface in search of the stone and for Zach and his new friend, Pepper, there's one all-important question. Can they stay alive until morning?

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books will be ten years young this year. When I started blogging many years ago, Philip Caveney was the standout author for me in 2008. I absolutely loved all of his books, especially the Sebastian Darke series which particularly made me laugh. Every book since, I have absolutely loved and enjoyed with equal measure. So Danny Weston, watch your self. 

On a recent trip to Edinburgh, I tracked down a copy of his recent book "The Slithers" which is published by an independent Edinburgh publisher called Fledgling Press. This is the sixth, fully-fledged book, by this publisher excluding e-books. It certainly has one of the most memorable book covers which has been fantastically illustrated by Kylie Tesdale. The big red glowing eye helps you find it very easily on the bookshelves which is just what you want in a world full of books.

Beyond the book cover, you'll find a fantastic story waiting to be unleashed by the reader. The story starts with Zach and his Dad's background history. It's a sad one, but for some people in this world, it might be a shared reality. The connection between the main characters, Zach and Pepper, is brilliantly written - it really helps to explain both of the characters past. The further you dip into the fantasy sweety jar the more the story unwraps itself. The chocolate coating soon dissolves into a genuine scary nightmare for both the characters and readers alike. 

Everyone should be able to relate to one or more of the characters in this book. There will be a character in this book with similar traits to yourself that you will be able to relate to, regardless of age. The fantastic mix of personalities brings out conflicting interests between the characters which will keep readers hooked. These include the feelings and inner personal workings of Grandad Alistair or Jerry, Beefy or even the funny misfortunes of Cheryl.

Set in Scotland, the landscape is a big feature of the story. It is bleak and desolate which heightens the Gothic horror element of the story really well. Philip uses his surroundings, local tradition, Norse mythology, and a big dollop of reality to carve out his stories. It leaves little ripples of fantasy magic inside your fantasy brain. This book becomes a horror montage, at times, but it also provided an element of pleasure to read. It has a pacey plotline, no-nonsense character dialogue and just the right amount of ingredients to eat with your haggis on a Sunday afternoon.

This has to be one of my favourite books by Philip Caveney. If I had read it last year, then it would have slithered into my top ten reads of the year. I loved every page of this book. It was very atmospheric, which gave it a great classical B movie feel. I loved the depiction of Scottish coastal village-life with a strange past and a great mind-blowing secret. I also loved the scenes that centered around the arcade and, subsequently, Tazer (the arcade owner), who has a delightful and very engaging end. This is a brilliant book, an effortless read and one that I would urgently recommend that you track down.

Spellchasers: The Witch's Guide to Magical Combat Blog Tour with Lari Don 2017 - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

It's fantastic to be hosting the wonderful Lari Don on Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. This is an opportunity to celebrate the release of the final thrilling installment of the spellbinding Spellchasers trilogy. The Witches Guide To Magical Combat was released on the 17th August 2017 and was published by Floris Books! It's been a fantastic trilogy and one that I would definitely recommend that you read. This is the penultimate stop on the blog tour where Lari Don talks about the writing process and what she has learned from writing a trilogy. This is a brilliant insight for readers and writers alike. 

For the last couple of years, I’ve had to change where I write. In order to get any peace and quiet round growing teenagers, I now do most of my writing in the garden shed, surrounded by rusting paint pots and lurking spiders... 

And over the last couple of years, I’ve also changed my writing process, in order to cope with the new experience of writing a trilogy. 
I’ve just finished writing the Spellchasers trilogy, and I have loved spending so much time with the same magic and characters. But it’s also been the biggest challenge of my writing life! 



Here are a few things I’ve learned about writing a trilogy: 

A trilogy is not three stories. It’s four stories. One story across all three novels, and a distinct story in each novel. That’s a lot of stories to juggle all at the same time. 

Keep hold of your central question. The first Spellchasers book begins with a girl, who has been cursed to turn into a hare when she hears a dog bark or growl, going to a curse-lifting workshop. So the big question of the whole trilogy is: will Molly lift her curse? How the curse affects her, how she tries to lift it, and who tries to stop her lifting it, those questions change in each of the three books, but ‘will she lift the curse?’ remains the central question. My job was to keep the central question fresh and new in each book, and to allow the subplots to enhance it, not obscure it. 

Make a decision about cliffhangers. I love cliffhangers at the end of chapters, but I find cliffhangers at the end of books really frustrating. I don’t want to frustrate my readers, so I made sure I didn’t end any of the Spellchasers books on a cliffhanger. I resolved a significant plot at the end of each individual book, and didn’t end on a ... 

Look for titles that play happily together. My editor and I didn’t agree on the titles of the individual Spellchasers novels until I was nearly finished writing the first draft of the third book. ‘The Beginner’s Guide to Curses’ was a line from the first book, and suggested a structure for the two titles, then we had to work out what character or aspect of a character to highlight in the other titles. The second title The Shapeshifter’s Guide to Running Away was suggested as a joke by my kids. (Even if they do drive me to the shed, they are still useful!) The final title The Witch’s Guide to Magical Combat gave me the perfect way into the big battle at the end of the last book.

Your baddies aren’t just there to growl, they’re part of the evolving story too. Even though I introduced new (darker, scarier, more powerful) baddies in each book, I wanted them to have connections to each other. I wanted each new baddie to be reacting to the defeat of the previous baddie, and to be picking up their dastardly plot and moving it ahead in a new way. So my Spellchasers team always had to deal with the consequences of their previous adventures... 

Accept you might need to change your writing process. I’m not a planner. I don’t want to know the end of a book, or even the middle when I start to write. I like to find out what happens next by writing it. I like to meet my characters by seeing how they cope with obstacles. I don’t use storyboards or mind maps or outlines. I just jump into the story and see what happens. That has worked fine for the last six novels. It worked fine for the first Spellchasers novel too, but by the end of the second novel, I started to have my doubts about it as a process for writing a trilogy. I realised that if I just wandered into the third book with a fistful of subplots, an increasing cast of characters, and a vague desire to see what happened next, I would end up with a book that was twice as long as the first two books put together. I abandoned my usual process (a terrifying thing to do!) and actually sat down and worked out what was going to happen. Though I made sure I left a few questions unanswered, so I had some discoveries to make as I wrote. And Molly’s final decision was a surprise to both of us! 

So, that’s what I’ve learned from writing my first trilogy. But everyone has to find their own writing process. Perhaps each of us needs a new writing process for each new story? Whatever I write next, I’ll be finding out ‘what happens next’ in my shed, looking nervously above my head for spiders... 

About the Author

Lari Don is a full-time children’s writer and storyteller. She grew up in the North East of Scotland and now lives in Edinburgh. She writes in her garden shed, helped by purring cats and hindered by lurking spiders. Lari has written more than 20 books, including adventure novels, picture books and retellings of traditional tales.

She can be found on Twitter @LariDonWriter or at www.laridon.co.uk 
The Spellchasers trilogy is available and out now.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: The Beginner's Guide to Curses: Spellchasers 1 By Lari Don (Kelpies)

Molly Drummond is cursed: whenever a dog barks, she turns into a hare -- which can make life quite dangerous...So she does the sensible thing and attends a curse-lifting workshop, run by a local witch. She tumbles into a world of magical beings, all desperate to reverse their curses. But will the power that feeds on the curses prevent them from returning to their normal lives? By the author of the bestselling Fabled Beasts Chronicles series, this is the dramatic first instalment in the brand new, long-awaited Spellchasers trilogy.

This is the start of a new spirited adventure series which has been born out of Lari Don's great love of storytelling. There will be three books, all connected to make one giant Scottish ride of magical fantasy, that you will not want to miss. The follow up books will be: The Shapeshifter's Guide to Running Away (Book 2) which will be scheduled to be published in spring 2017 and The Witch's Guide to Magical Combat (Book 3) which will hopefully be published in the autumn of 2017.

In the first book you will learn a valuable lesson not to annoy your neighbours as you are likely to get cursed in the process. Unfortunately this curse is not the easiest of things to lift and so, like Molly, you might need to undertake a CURSE-LIFTING WORKSHOP. There's no need to panic though, as in chapter 2 you take a visit to Skene Main's shop where you can enrol in one. On slight draw back is that you have to be between the ages of 11 and 21 years old. Nevertheless the course has guaranteed results and they also sell great organic vegetables! The potatoes are to die for, but you have to dig them up yourself. 

You will hurtle into a brilliantly created world of Scottish myth folklore and fantastic wild outdoors. This is a captivating adventure for the young at heart which will enchant the socks off any magical beings through its mystery, dark danger, humour and riddles. The book includes some really great character friendships, regardless of their backgrounds, and will make you feel warm at heart. The story is a fast paced, family read which will leave you breathless as you chase headlong into danger through a race against time. You will encounter some deadly pecking crows, sleeping trapped wyrms and nettle knickers, do I need to say more....?!

The further you venture into this book the more you get caught up with the characters as they discover a deadly secret which turns them all against each other. The suspense and the tension hits the reader in the face and brings about a different side to the characters which turns out to be rather unpleasant.....

I really loved the eclectic mix of characters which included: a tree spirit, a kelpie, a shapeshifter and a mysterious frog found just at the start of the story. It really gets your fantasy taste buds going. It's a vivid fairytale-like story set in Speyside, which is the place where the author grew up and famous for its wee tipple of whisky. Just like the drink, it creates a distinctive blend of flavours, a dash of wild imagination, a natural splash of Scottish landscape and some immersive climatic action all distilled in a magical dark folklore twist.  This is a great start to a series with so much more set to come...

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Philip Caveney - One for Sorrow - Book Review

Tom is back for his third time travelling adventure; this time he hurtles back to Edinburgh in 1881. Just reading a copy of Treasure Island on his kindle serves as a catalyst to a crazy adventure that no one could foresee, even the reader. Tom meets Robert Louis Stevenson, a sickly young author, who has just published the story in a children's magazine called Young Folks in a series of weekly instalments between 1881 and 1882. 

Philip Caveney has cleverly weaved both fact and fiction into this plot and made it very interesting and engaging. The ongoing encounters between Tom, Robert Louis Stevenson and his family were really absorbing and very well written/researched, in my opinion. I felt like I was meeting the characters in real life, standing in their shoes, it was so realistic and a key part of the book. It is one of my favourite books in the series. 

Can Tom persuade Robert to try and publish the book as a novel or will one of the world's greatest adventures be lost forever? 

The story depicts a great insight into one of the greatest children's' writers of the 19th century. It asks questions of the reader and shows the real-life outcome of the publishing world. Decisions that are made in this novel shine out in a multi-layered dimensional way, which pumps your brain with the many possibilities that could and may unfold. This is a definite read for the thinking mind and reader.   

The author has related back to the events and major characters from previous books, like Tom's deadly adversary, The Plague Doctor. He still plays a major part as an utterly menacing, unpredictable and scary character who will continue to shake the living daylights out of you. 

For the first time reader to this series, I really feel that you will need to read the first two book in the series otherwise you will miss a lot of the backstory and, as a result, may have a slight problem connecting with the plot. Especially as the narrative is very lean and keen, which is good in my opinion. 

This is another accomplished story told with imagination and flair. It's a rollercoaster of a time travelling ride that will have you reading into the future in no time. This is a recommended series from Mr Ripley..... 

Published by Fledgling Press (28 May 2015)