Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's & Young Adult Book Picks US - June 2020 - Post Two

Nicky Drayden - The Hero of Numbani (Overwatch #1) - Published by Scholastic Inc. (June 2, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1338575972 - Paperback - Age: 12+

This action-packed novel features the fan-favorite characters Efi, Orisa, Doomfist, and Lúcio in an all-new, original story straight from the minds of the Overwatch game team and critically acclaimed author Nicky Drayden!
In the technologically advanced African city of Numbani, in the not-so-distant future, humans live in harmony with humanoid robots known as omnics. But when a terrorist tries to shatter that unity, a hero named Efi Oladele rises! 

Efi has been making robots since she was little -- machines to better her community and improve people's lives. But after she witnesses Doomfist's catastrophic attack on the city's OR15 security bots, Efi feels the call to build something greater: a true guardian of Numbani.

While Doomfist sows discord between humans and omnics, Efi engineers an intelligent and compassionate robot, Orisa, named after the powerful spirits who guide her people. Orisa has a lot to learn before she's ready to defeat Doomfist, but Efi has some learning to do, too, especially when it comes to building -- and being -- a hero. With Doomfist rallying his forces, and the military powerless to stop him, can Efi mold Orisa into the hero of Numbani before it's too late?

Jenny Elder Moke - Hood - Published by Disney-Hyperion (June 9, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1368047456 - Hardback - Age: 12+ 
You have the blood of kings and rebels within you, love. Let it rise to meet the call.

Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, King John's ruthless right hand. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the one person who can help: Isabelle's father, Robin Hood. 

As Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf's clutches and find the father she's never known, she is thrust into a world of thieves and mercenaries, handsome young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men in a final battle against the Wolf, will Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear?

Svetlana Chmakova - The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods - Published by JY (June 16, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1975311223 - Paperback Age: 7+

• In the Night Realm, vampires, shifters, weirns, and other night things passing for human prowl the streets... but they still have to go to school! Ailis and Na'ya are pretty average students (NOT losers), but when a shadow starts looming and a classmate gets all weird, they are the first to notice. It gets personal, though, when Na'ya's little brother D'esh disappears-It's time to confront the secrets of the forbidden mansion in the Silent Woods!
  
  
  Join the acclaimed author of Awkward, Svetlana Chmakova, for an outing into her favorite fantastical world full of magic and adventure!
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Zoraida Córdova - The Way to Rio Luna -  Published by Scholastic Inc. (June 2, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1338239546 - Hardback - Age: 8+

  Eleven-year-old Danny Monteverde believes in magic. He knows that pixie dust is real, that wardrobes act as portals, and that rabbit holes lead to Wonderland. Most of all, he believes that his older sister, Pili, is waiting for him somewhere in Rio Luna, the enchanted land in their favorite book of fairy tales. 
  
  Danny doesn't care what the adults say. He knows that Pili isn't another teen runaway. When the siblings were placed in separate foster homes, she promised that she'd come back for him, and they'd build a new life together in Rio Luna.
  
  Yet as the years pass, Danny's faith begins to dim. But just when he thinks it might be time to put foolish fairy tales behind him, he finds a mysterious book in the library. It's a collection of stories that contain hints about how to reach another world. A map to Rio Luna . . . and to Pili. 
  
  As his adventure takes him from New York to Ecuador to Brazil, Danny learns that meeting your favorite characters isn't always a dream come true. But nothing will stop him from finding his sister . . . even if it means standing up to the greatest threat the magical realm has ever known.

Julia Golding - The Tigers in the Tower - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Julia Golding is a multi-award-winning writer. She writes under three different pen names for both adults and young adults; all with a spark of magic for different tastes. Two of my favourite series are Cat Royal and the Campanions which are fantastic and definitely worth checking out if you have not already read them.

Her most recent book, The Tigers in the Tower, is a standalone novel that will be published by a smaller publishing company (Lion Hudson) in Oxford. The book will be published in paperback on the 18th of September, 2020. Therefore, I am really excited to be able to tell you about this book early doors. 

It was fantastic to fly back into a world with an adventure that captured the imagination. The current world slowly merged into the captivating world of the main character Sahira. Her family is travelling to England to deliver two majestic Indian tigers. However, tragedy strikes and Sahira's loving parents die on the sea voyage. Arriving alone in London, she finds herself in a much different world from the country she has just left behind. Placed in an orphanage - a soulless environment full of heartache and danger - the adventure starts to take form. With newfound friendships, her past and future all start to roll into one. Can Sahira carry out her father's last request? What will happen to the beautiful Tigers? These are the questions on every reader's lips which are answered brilliantly in this book.

This story has a fantastically thrilling plot full of magical colour, tastes and the smells of India. It shimmers in the bright fabric of the mind's eye like a silky light dancing on the Indian forest. It connects the reader to nature and the natural beauty of India. All of which is in stark contrast to the drab and dangerous times of Georgian London! 

Set around the start of the first police force (founded by Robert Peel), the book is based on the history around this time. Thus providing an authentic feel as well an opportunity to introduce more famous people of that wonderful time. It certainly produces a fabulously engaging story that warms the heart of the reader. The riot of animals - both strange and mischievous - are all written in great detail and provide a whirling dervish of action and adventure. You will feel the ups and downs with heartfelt emotion as the book deals sensitively with themes of grief, friendship, and protecting our natural environment. All of which are important themes, especially at the moment.


There is everything to love about this book and nothing to dislike. Therefore, the only thing to do now is to put this on your future booklist and join the wild adventure to find out what happens to the Tigers and whether Sahira will ever find a place she can call home.

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's & Young Adult Book Picks US - June 2020 - Post One

Alex Aster - Curse of the Night Witch (Emblem Island) - Published by Sourcebooks Young Readers (June 9, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1492697206 - Hardback - Age: 7+

A fast-paced series starter, perfect for fans of Aru Shah and the End of Time and filled with adventure, mythology, and an unforgettable trio of friends.

On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it.

Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year's Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power.

The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin...the symbol of a curse that has shortened his lifeline, giving him only a week before an untimely death. There is only one way to break the curse, and it requires a trip to the notorious Night Witch.

With only his village's terrifying, ancient stories as a guide, and his two friends Engle and Melda by his side, Tor must travel across unpredictable Emblem Island, filled with wicked creatures he only knows through myths, in a race against his dwindling lifeline.

"Debut author Aster takes inspiration from Colombian folklore to craft a rousing series opener that's both fast-paced and thrilling. As her protagonists face off against a host of horrors, they learn the value of friendship and explore the possibility of changing one's fate in a world where destiny is predetermined.

Erin Bowman - The Girl and the Witch's Garden - Published by Simon & Schuster Books (June 23, 2020)  - ISBN-13: 978-1534461581 - Hardback - Age: 8+

The Secret Garden meets Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in this rich, charming middle-grade adventure about a girl determined to infiltrate her grandmother’s enchanted garden with the help of some magically gifted friends.
Mallory Estate is the last place twelve-year-old Piper Peavey wants to spend her summer vacation. The grounds are always cold, the garden out back is dead, a mysterious group of children call the property home, and there’s a rumor that Melena M. Mallory—the owner of the estate and Piper’s wealthy grandmother—is a witch.

But when Piper’s father falls ill, Mallory Estate is exactly where she finds herself.

The grand house and its garden hold many secrets—some of which may even save her father—and Piper will need to believe in herself, her new friends, and magic if she wants to unlock them before it’s too late.

J . C. Lucas - Sword of Light (The Four Keys) - Published by J.C. Lucas - Author (June 15, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1735076409 - Paperback - Age: 8+

"You must find the four Keys to keep our worlds from burning..."Andie didn't expect to be orphaned, and she doesn't want to leave the only house she ever lived in. No parents, no Nan, no one but Anne, a weird woman who carries on conversations with old books and empty purses.

When Anne drops her off at her new home in a small town in The Middle of Nowhere, Texas, Andie is at a loss. Her new guardian, Celeste, claims to have been a lifelong friend of her nan, and is one eccentric figure among many others who live in the small town, all of whom seem to know something that Andie doesn't...

One evening, when the woods behind Celeste's house spirit her away, Andie discovers a secret so incredible she can scarcely believe it: she's half-Fae, half-Witch, and it's her destiny to find the four Keys that will save the Tuatha De Danann from annihilation. 

Worlds collide when two of her new friends from school, the sweet, helpful Teagan and the rude bad boy Hunter, join her on her journey to reach the mysterious place known only as Finias. There; they'll find the first Key: the Sword of Light.

As they flee the wicked Fomorians and do battle with the Witch Freya, Andie and the boys forge new alliances and make some more adversaries. Will Andie and her friends rise to the challenge, or is the magical realm as good as gone already?

A . J. Hartley - Cathedrals of Glass: Valkrys Wakes - Published by To the Stars (June 23, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1943272365 - Hardback - Age: 11+ ( Foreword by Tom DeLonge )

Teenagers fight for survival on an icy planet in this dystopian science fiction thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Steeplejack.

Second in the Cathedrals of Glass series.

The struggle is far from over for the deviant passengers of the Phetteron…

Since their ship crash-landed on frozen Valkrys, life for Sola and her companions has been harsh. The deserted, unknown planet has awakened troublesome psychic powers within them. Meanwhile, a malevolent parasite used their minds to turn them against one another. Then what they thought was a rescue team was actually a group of soldiers sent to eradicate them.

Months later, those who survived seem to have settled into a quiet routine. Instead of the protein bars and nutra drinks they once consumed back home, they now eat what small birds and furry animals they can catch. They’ve also traded server towers and chat rooms for the cobalt blue crystal underground caves and ancient cities that block out their psychic powers and allow them to disconnect from each other.

Sola, however, tires of this life and is desperate to leave this world behind. She believes the ancient crystal ruins hold the solution. What she discovers may help everyone escape Valkrys—if they can still trust each other. Otherwise, the icy planet may be their final resting place…

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's & Young Adult Book Picks US - Post Two - April 2020

Welcome readers... Here are our children's book picks for April 2020 which have all been published this month in the US.  If you don't live in the US you could probably get them shipped. So take a look and support the authors below in these difficult times. Happy reading - I hope there is a sparkle of magic on this list to add to your reading pile, wherever you are. Stay safe and happy reading.

Sandra Fernandez Rhoads - Mortal Sight (The Colliding Line) - Enclave Publishing (April 14, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1621841203 - Hardback - Age:| 13+
When Worlds Collide, Shadow Wrestles Light
Seventeen-year-old Cera Marlowe wants a normal life; one where she and her mom can stop skipping town every time a disturbing vision strikes. But when a girl she knows is murdered by a monster she can't explain, Cera's world turns upside down.

Suddenly thrown into an ancient supernatural battle, Cera discovers she's not alone in her gifting and vows to use her visions to save lives. But why does John Milton's poem Paradise Lost keep interrupting her thoughts?

In a race against time and a war against unearthly creatures, will decoding messages embedded in the works of classic literature be enough to stop the bloodshed and protect those she loves? 

Christian McKay Heidicker  - Thieves of Weirdwood - Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (April 7, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1250302885 - Hardback - Age: 8+

For fans of Brandon Mull and Rick Riordan comes William Shivering and Newbery Honor winner Christian McKay Heidicker's Thieves of Weirdwood, a brand-new illustrated fantasy series about two kid thieves who are plunged into a battle between the Real and Imaginary worlds! 

Twelve-year-old thieves Arthur and Wally are determined to steal their way up the ranks of the notorious Black Feathers gang. With loan sharks chasing after Arthur’s father and Wally’s brother’s hospital bill due, they’re in need of serious cash. Fast.

When Arthur spots some wealthy strangers exiting a seemingly deserted mansion, he smells an opportunity for a big score. Little do the boys realize, they’ve stumbled upon Weirdwood Manor, the headquarters of a magical order who protect the Balance between the Real and Imaginary worlds. When Kingsport is besieged by nightmarish creatures, it’s up to a pair of thieves to save their city. 

Filled with giant tentacle monsters and heroes literally ripped from the pages of adventure stories, this imagination-bending series is perfect for fans of Keeper of the Lost Cities, Aru Shah, and Nevermoor.

                                
               Cover design by Nicole Hower, Cover art by Jana Heidersdorf
Juliana Brandt: When you look at the cover, I hope you notice all the pieces I’d hoped it would include: the sisters, the wolf, the ocean waves, the lighthouse, and the night sky. But included too are pieces I never would have considered: the ocean foam, the bright beam from the lighthouse, the incredible font with the water swirling through, the snow on the edges of the cape setting, the magic that seems to live inside the wolf’s fur. All of these parts add up to create an atmosphere that speaks directly to the book I wrote. Full Post HERE

Juliana Brandt - The Wolf of Cape Fen - Published by Sourcebooks Young Readers (April 7, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1728209616 - Hardback - Age: 7+

Beyond the Bright, Sea meets Echo in this story of a young girl who must break a magical bargain before an enchanted wolf steals her sister away.

First Frost has touched Cape Fen, and that means Baron Dire has returned. For as long as anyone can remember, Baron Dire has haunted the town come winter, striking magical bargains and demanding unjust payment in return. The Serling sisters know better than to bargain, lest they find themselves hunted by the Baron's companion, the Wolf.

And then the Wolf attacks Eliza's sister Winnie. They manage to escape, but they know the Wolf will be back. Because Winnie would never bargain, so that must mean that someone has struck a deal with Winnie as the price.

Eliza refuses to lose her sister and embarks on a journey to save her. If Eliza can learn the truth, she might be able to protect her sister, but the truth behind the bargain could put her own life in danger. 

Stephenie  Wilson Peterson - Grace's Ghosts - Published by Immortal Works LLC (April 28, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1734386622 - Paperback - Age|: 9+

• 
  

Twelve-year-old Grace and her feline best friend, Midnight, have a secret: Midnight is a ghost. But then again, so are the rest of Graces' friends. Since she's the only person in hundreds of years with the ability to see them, the many ghosts of Tansy have flocked to Grace since birth. She doesn't mind. She prefers the company of the dead to that of the cliquey kids at school. 

Grace is happy with her strange life, until one day, the ghosts tell her about the secret her town has hidden for centuries. There's a reason there are more ghosts than living people in Tansy. Three-hundred years ago, a lonely witch cast a spell that mistakenly trapped the soul of every person to ever set foot in the tiny town. So when the spirits beg her to find a way to break the curse, Grace is eager to help.

As she searches for answers, Grace makes discoveries about the secret her family hid for generations and a world of magic hidden in her own backyard. Grace soon realizes that if she succeeds in breaking the curse, she'll lose Midnight and all of her ghost friends, but if she fails, everyone living in Tansy will face the same fate. Can Grace break the curse before it's too late?

Check out Grace’s Ghosts on Goodreads! 

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books: Children's & Young Adult Book Picks US - April 2020

Welcome readers... Here are our children's book picks for April 2020 which have all been published this month in the US.  If you don't live in the US you could probably get them shipped. All you need is some time, imagination and a little bit of money. So take a look and support the authors below in these difficult times. Happy reading - I hope there is a sparkle of magic on this list to add to your reading pile, wherever you are. Stay safe and happy reading - armchair adventures are out there for us all. 

Sally Gardner (Author), Nick Maland (Illustrator) - Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Blue Moon - Published by Penguin Workshop (April 7, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-0593095164 - Hardback - Age: 7+

Award-winning author Sally Gardner delivers a whimsical tale about the daughter of a mermaid and an ice cream maker, a mysterious talking tiger, and a challenge as big as the moon.

From a magical world of well-dressed animals, talking toads, and bossy princesses comes a timeless story about Mr. Tiger and his troupe of acrobats, and Betsy K. Glory, the daughter of a mermaid and an ice cream maker. Together they must figure out how to turn the moon blue, appease a grumpy giant, and make the best-tasting and rarest ice cream in the world--Gongalong Berry Ice Cream. Told with beautiful one-color illustrations throughout, this modern fairy tale teaches us that happiness is sometimes big enough to solve even the toughest problems.

Sarah S Reida - All Sales Final - Published by Warrior Press (April 3, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1734817010 - ISBN-13: 978-1734817010 - Paperback - Age: 9+ 

What price would you pay for everything you've ever wanted? 11-year-old Anna has always wanted to be extraordinary, but she feels as ordinary as her sleepy Midwestern town of Longford. Then a secondhand shop opens in Longford – a shop full of magic that only Anna can see. When the shop’s owner, Ruth, offers Anna a job not just anyone can perform, Anna feels that her dream is finally coming true. Proudly, she spreads the news of the shop, charming others into visiting and helping match each person to the perfect item. Then Anna sees what Ruth's bargains take away from her customers. Ruth's magic is darker than she let on, and so is the life she's offered, Anna. Even worse, if Anna doesn't stop Ruth, Longford will be doomed. But what chance does one ordinary girl have against someone like Ruth?

Jordan Thompson - What Lurks Below - Published by Monster Ivy Publishing (April 7, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1948095549 - Hardback - Age:?

At Colony, no one knows where the children came from. No one talks about how they were babies when they were ripped from their parents to be raised in the Tin Can.

No one knows, that is, except Amelia. At thirteen, Amelia remembers a mother who loved her. She remembers fresh peaches and ice cream--not the calorically rationed food that tastes like stagnant swamp water and chemicals.

Desperate to hold on to her memories, Amelia shares her past with her younger brother, Alex. She teaches him about the reality of The Garden and its power to provide safety and love. 

Soon, Alex learns that life at Colony is more dangerous than he thought. He spies an enormous, black ... something ... lurking in the water, while no one seems to notice it at all.

Fear of the creature has Alex thrashing his sheets in bed. His marks drop, and Council insists on Amelia telling them what is wrong. Amelia tries to keep up appearances, but Council refuses to believe her and locks her up.

If Amelia isn't willing to forgo the love she felt and the life she had back Then, Council will throw her in the water to meet whatever it is that lurks below the Tin Can.

For fans of The Giver, this dystopian-charged fantasy will show readers the valiance of holding on to one's beliefs and the value of true sibling love.

Jenn Reese - A Game of Fox & Squirrels - Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (April 14, 2020) - ISBN-13: 978-1250243010 - Hardback - Age: 9+

After an incident shatters their family, eleven-year-old Samantha and her older sister Caitlin are sent to live in rural Oregon with an aunt they've never met. Sam wants nothing more than to go back to the way things were… before she spoke up about their father's anger.

When Aunt Vicky gives Sam a mysterious card game called "A Game of Fox & Squirrels," Sam falls in love with the animal characters, especially the charming trickster fox, Ashander. Then one-day Ashander shows up in Sam’s room and offers her an adventure and a promise: find the Golden Acorn, and Sam can have anything she desires. 

But the fox is hiding rules that Sam isn't prepared for, and her new home feels more tempting than she'd ever expected. As Sam is swept up in the dangerous quest, the line between magic and reality grows thin. If she makes the wrong move, she'll lose far more than just a game.

Perfect for fans of Barbara O'Connor, Lauren Wolk, and Ali Benjamin, A Game of Fox and Squirrels is a stunning, heartbreaking novel about a girl who finds the light in the darkness... and ultimately discovers the true meaning of home.

Interview with Author Damien Love - Monstrous Devices (Q&A) - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books would like to welcome Glasgow-based writer, Damien Love. Damien has recently published his brilliant debut book, MONSTROUS DEVICES, which is due to be published by OneWorld Publications on the 19th March 2020.  It's a wild and wonderfully weird children's adventure. The imaginative and spooky story (featuring amazing killer robots) is highly recommended for all ages and is a real page-turner. I think this might be a book that some of you may not have come across. Therefore, it's a fantastic pleasure for us to introduce both the author and the book to you and pique your interest. We hope you enjoy the interview. 

To entice potential readers to read Monstrous Devices, how would you summarise the story?

DL: Monstrous Devices is a full-on, old-school adventure story, full of mayhem and magic and…sinister stuff. It’s about a 12-year-old boy called Alex, who gets swept up into a very weird mystery after his grandfather (a somewhat elusive old gentleman) sends him a shabby old tin clockwork robot in the mail as a gift. Alex collects old toys like this, and so at first, he reckons it’s just another scratched-up antique to add to his collection. But strange things start to happen, and he quickly begins to suspect that this one is different…and possibly also deadly. Because it turns out that there are other people who are desperate to get their hands on it, too, and are prepared to go to any lengths. So, soon, Alex and his grandfather are on the run, being hunted across Europe in the snow by a strange gang, all of them trying to unlock the secret of the old toy. 

There have been some connections made to Indiana Jones and Alex Rider fans enjoying the story. Do you feel these types of adventure books or films have influenced Monstrous Devices in any way?

DL: Most definitely. Alex Rider’s author, the great Anthony Horowitz was, very graciously, one of the very first people to read Monstrous Devices, before it was published, and he gave it a hugely kind quote for the cover, for which I can never thank him enough. (I should add: I don’t know him! He was just exceptionally generous.) I think that’s where the Alex Rider comparisons have come from, and I’m very glad if people think that. Although, the Alex in my book is quite a different kind of character to Alex Rider. Something like Indiana Jones was a slightly more conscious influence, the style of it – action and thrills and fun were among the things I tried to keep at the front of my mind while I was writing Monstrous Devices. And, maybe even more than that, the older films that Indiana Jones draws on itself, all those kind of cliff-hanger adventure movie serials from the 1930s and 1940s, and old detective thrillers. Hopefully, the book jumbles some of that style and pace and atmosphere up, along with some other things, into something else.

I understand (from what I have read) that you have the ability to talk to cats. What have the cats told you about the protagonist(s) in this book?

DL: Yeah. My ability to talk to cats is proving to be something of a one-way street. I can talk to them, sure enough – but I’m not sure if they understand me. But, to answer your question, I just asked them (there are two cats here right now) about the characters in the book. And as far as I can tell, one of the cats says, “Feed me.” And the other one says, “I’m asleep. I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you. Look, there’s just no point in your keeping talking to me. I’m a-sleep.” So, make of that what you will.

You've also written the sequel (The Shadow Arts). Do you have any idea when this might be published in the UK?

DL: Well, the plan was for The Shadow Arts to come out in the UK in February 2021. However, as you know, the current crisis with the coronavirus lockdown is having a huge impact on everyone’s plans, including publishers’ release schedules. Hopefully, the book will still come out around that date, but I guess, like everyone else, we’ll have to wait and see where we are and how the land lies. But I hope it will be early next year.

Do you think that the book cover plays an important part in the book-buying process? Who produced the front cover illustration for your book?

I think the cover is hugely important, especially for a book like this, and for a first-time novelist like me: my name doesn’t mean anything to anyone, no one is looking for it, so the cover is the thing that will catch the eye. And I think that the cover of Monstrous Devices really works a particular kind of magic – it draws people in, it makes them ask questions, and, even before you start reading, it begins to weave a hint of a strange, glowing, slightly ominous night time mood, and gives a sense of place. I count myself really lucky that my book is inside this cover. The artwork is by a brilliant young illustrator called Sam LeDoyen. 

You can see more of his stuff here:

https://cargocollective.com/ledoyenillustration and you can follow his adventures on twitter at @abelgraymusic

What did you edit out of this book and why?

DL: Let’s see… there’s not a lot left on the cutting room floor, actually, that I can remember right now. Although, without giving anything away, there was a little scene I cut out late in the book: in Prague, where Alex and his grandfather run into members of a British stag party in the streets late at night. I try to always have a sense of reality and fantasy colliding in the story, and the reality is that Prague has become a bit of a stag-party destination in recent years, so this was kind of reflecting that. I quite liked the moment, but I finally took the scene out, really just to keep the pace up in that particular section.

As the TV critic for Scotland's The Sunday Herald, what are your favourite TV programmes and do you think they inspire you to write?

DL: Yes, I was the TV critic there for years. My own favourites, in no particular order, include, let’s see: The Sopranos, The Avengers (the 1960s TV show, not the Marvel Comics stuff), the original Twilight Zone, The Prisoner, Callan, Mad Men, Children Of The Stones, Deadwood, Danger Man, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with Alec Guinness, The Phil Silvers Show, Spiral, the Alan Partridge saga, the 1960s Batman, and…eh…I could go on here for quite a while. And yes, for sure: while I might not necessarily draw on all of these in Monstrous Devices, I think that good writing is inspirational wherever you come across it, whether it’s in a book, in a play, on TV, in a movie or in a song lyric. And, on a more technical level, I did kind of try to write Monstrous Devices with a bit of a “camera-eye” watching the action in many places.

Do you have any strange writing habits that you would be happy to share with us?

DL: I wrote Monstrous Devices while I was working other jobs, sort of in-between other things, and so it just started to happen that a lot of it would come together while I was sitting on trains – I’d sit thinking over the plot, sometimes even working problems out on the backs of tickets or whatever scraps of paper came to hand. Then writing it up properly when I got home. But then, after a while, I got to a stage where, if I found myself stuck over something…I kind of felt that I had to get on a train to get my brain working on it. Like: I actually wouldn’t be able to figure anything out unless I was on a train, moving. So…that got a bit strange for a while.

What genre of books do you particularly like to read?

DL: I like all kinds of writing, but my favourite writers, the ones I keep coming back to, include Patricia Highsmith and Raymond Chandler, Shirley Jackson and MR James, so I do like to read thrillers, noir-like stuff (Chandler and Highsmith) and also stories tinged by the strange and supernatural, but which are still also grounded in a very solid sense of reality (Jackson and James). Hopefully, in a way, I’ve made a stab at combining elements of all this, along with some other stuff, in Monstrous Devices.