Gemma Fowler - City of Rust - (Q&A Interview) - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books #33

 

Here we have a winning combination; a great book cover, and a fantastic story. This was one of the most original stories of 2021 (published by Chicken House books) and we loved it. It was really great to be able to ask some questions about the book as well as find out more about the author behind it. If you are ready for Astronaut wee and Cornish pasties predicting the future then you must read this enjoyable interview with Gemma Fowler. In the meantime, enjoy and we'll see you back for the next interview very soon. You can buy HERE. 

1. City of Rust is a very intriguing title. How would you best describe the book to potential new readers? 

City of Rust is a nail-biting sci-fi mystery adventure, set in a city built entirely out of junk called Boxville. There’s drone racing, bio robotic animals, Sphereships, mechanical bounty hunters, and terrifying junker clans ruling the skies. Phew! 

2. What would you like readers to understand from this book; is there an important message behind the story you would like readers to pick up on?

Apart from having a load of fun reading it, I’d love readers to understand that the book is inspired by the rubbish problem we have on Earth. I really struggle with the fact we have (nearly) driverless cars now, but still struggle to recycle our waste. It’s nuts!

3. I love the book cover for City of Rust. What do you think and how does it illustrate the story inside? 

Oh I love the cover! It’s by Karl James Mountford, who’s a bit of a legend anyway, but I think he really knocked it out of the park with this one! 

A lot of people think the book has a steampunk vibe after looking at the cover (I think it’s the rusty colours). It does have a few steampunky traits, but it’s really not that kind of world at all. Blade Runner meets Wall E meets Star Wars! 

4. Are there any movies you think might have influenced the book and would we pick up on any of these references through the story?

STAR WARS. STAR WARS. STAR WARS. 

5. When did you get the first idea for this book and has the journey taken you to any unexpected places? 

I read an article about the space debris problem (there are 180 million pieces of space waste in orbit around the Earth right now and counting), did a big groan about the state of humanity, and then an image of a space junkyard popped into my head that was too cool to ignore! 

6. Have you had any personal conversations with the characters in the book?

I wouldn’t say I have conversations with them, they sort of talk at me and I write it down. It doesn’t feel like it comes from me at all. Which sounds crazy but it’s just the way it works! 

Now the book is written it’s like having a group of friends that you miss hanging out with, I find myself thinking ‘Atti would love this’ or ‘If Railey were here she’d have fixed that already’, things like that.

7. Can you tell us about any writing projects you are working on at the moment? 

City of Rust has been selected for the Summer Reading Challenge this year, which has a Gadgeteers theme, so I’m working on updating my website with some bits and bobs to go with that over the summer.

I’m currently working on a new book that features a Cornish pasty that can predict the future. That’s all I will say for now! Ha.

8. What question were you hoping to be asked and why? 

Ok. I’m a weird fact machine (I bore people with my facts on a daily basis), so here are some Gross but True facts I learned whilst researching City of Rust- 

• There are hundreds of weebergs, made of frozen astronaut wee flying above our heads in orbit right now. Gross!

•  Gecko’s will drop, and then eat, their own tails if there isn’t enough food around (don’t worry, Atti doesn’t do this in the book). Ew!

• The reason the residents of Boxville live on sugary snacks and drinks (Floss and Pop), is that sugar, in its purest form, doesn’t grow bacteria, and can still be eaten years and sometimes decades, after its best before date. Blugh.

***BOOK COVER REVEAL*** Alastair Chisholm - Orion Lost (Book Proof Giveaway Competition) - Nosy Crow Books

Mr. Ripleys Enchanted Books is proud and delighted to be spreading the word about a new up and coming book that you will not want to miss. Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm will be published on the 9th January 2020 by Nosy Crow Books. The first thing to consider is the fantastic book cover illustrated by Dan Mumford. You have to agree, it certainly captures the reader's attention with its fantastic use of colour and imagery. The book will appeal to many readers but especially fans of Mortal Engines and Star Wars.

How about the chance to read it first?  We are doing a little Twitter
#OrionLost giveaway for three advanced book proof copies. All you need to do is jump on my twitter feed @Enchantedbooks and look for the tweet involving the giveaway (should be at the top) and re-tweet it. Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to people in the UK. However, here is an introduction about the book to get you as excited as we are. 

The transport ship Orion is four months out of Earth when catastrophe strikes – leaving the ship and everyone on board stranded in deep space. 

Suddenly it’s up to thirteen-year-old Beth and her friends to navigate through treacherous and uncharted territory to reach safety. But a heavily-damaged ship, space pirates, a mysterious alien species, and an artificial intelligence that Beth doesn’t know if she can trust means that getting home has never been so difficult…

Hugely gripping, with incredible twists and a fast-paced, action-packed story, this is an unputdownable science fiction adventure.

ALIENS CREATURE COSTUME & MATT DAMON’S THE MARTIAN SPACESUIT TO BE AUCTIONED IN LONDON UK

ALIENS CREATURE COSTUME & 

MATT DAMON’S THE MARTIAN SPACESUIT TO BE

 AUCTIONED IN THE UK

Sci-fi props & costumes to go under the hammer in upcoming London auction on Tuesday 26^th September 2017

• The Alien Creature Costume from James Cameron’s sci-fi classic Aliens and Matt Damon’s spacesuit from Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-nominated film The Martian are estimated to sell between £20,000 – 30,000 each 
• Incredible sci-fi props and costumes from will be sold as part of Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, featuring a collection of film memorabilia worth over £2-3 million 
• A preview exhibition featuring over 300 auction lots will take place between 7^th – 26^th  September 2017 at the BFI IMAX in Waterloo, London
  

Stephen Lane, Prop Store CEO, commented on the upcoming auction – “The Alien creature from Aliens is one of cinema’s most well-recognised sci-fi creatures and we’re thrilled to be featuring this incredible costume in our upcoming auction alongside props and costumes from sci-fi films old and new, including Star Wars, Star Trek and The Martian. These fantastic lots will be sold together with 600 props and costumes from over 230 films at Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction on 26^th September at London’s BFI IMAX proudly presented by ODEON.”

The Prop Store Live Auction will feature lots from sci-fi classics including:

• Dr. Peter Venkman's (Bill Murray) Jumpsuit from Ghostbusters (1984). Estimate £6k – 8k 
• C-3PO Special Effects Head from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Estimate £60k – 80k 
• USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D "Pyro" Model Miniature from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Estimate £20k – 30k

The auction will be live-streamed online for fans to track the bidding on auction day. A free preview exhibition will be open to the public in the run up to the auction showcasing over 300 lots from the upcoming auction. Movie fans and collectors alike will be able to see these incredible pieces of movie history up-close.

Registration and bidding is now open. Bids can be placed online at www.propstore.com/liveauction, over the phone or in person.  

The free exhibition is open to the public at the BFI IMAX, Waterloo, London, England SE1 8XR from 10:00am to 9:30pm, 7^th– 26^th September 2017. Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, in partnership with the BFI IMAX proudly presented by ODEON, will also take place at the BFI IMAX Waterloo on Tuesday 26^th September 2017 from 12:00pm.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Children's Book Picks US Published October 2016 - Post One

E. K. Johnstone - Star Wars Ahsoka - Published by  Disney Lucasfilm Press (October 11, 2016)

Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars, and before she re-appeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance .

Shaun Tan - The Singing Bones - Published by Arthur A. Levine Books (October 11, 2016)  

Wicked stepmothers, traitorous brothers, cunning foxes, lonely princesses: There is no mistaking the world of the Brothers Grimm and the beloved fairy tales that have captured generations of readers. Now internationally acclaimed artist Shaun Tan shows us the beautiful, terrifying, amusing, and downright peculiar heart of these tales as never before seen.

With a foreword by Neil Gaiman and an introduction by renowned fairy-tale expert Jack Zipes, this stunning gallery of sculptural works will thrill and delight art lovers and fairy-tale aficionados alike.

Diana Wagman - Extraordinary October - Published by Ig Publishing (October 18, 2016)  

October is an ordinary girl. From her plain looks to her average grades, there seems to be nothing special about her. Then, three days before her eighteenth birthday, she develops a strange itch that won't go away, and her life is turned upside down. Suddenly, she can hear dogs talk, make crows fly, and two new and very handsome boys at school are vying for her affections. After she starts "transplanting" herself through solid rock, October learns that she is not ordinary at all, but the daughter of a troll princess and a fairy prince, and a pawn in a deadly war between the trolls and the fairies. Now October will have to use all of her growing powers to save her family, and stop a mysterious evil that threatens to destroy the fairy world.

Anna-Marie McLemore - When the Moon was Ours: A Novel - Published by A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin's Griffin (October 4, 2016)

Anna-Marie McLemore’s debut novel The Weight of Feathers was greeted with rave reviews, a YALSA Morris Award nomination, and spots on multiple “Best YA Novels” lists. Now, McLemore delivers a second stunning and utterly romantic novel, again tinged with magic.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up. 

Atmospheric, dynamic, and packed with gorgeous prose, When the Moon was Ours is another winner from this talented author.

**TIE FIGHTER PILOT HELMET FROM STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE TO BE AUCTIONED IN THE UK** (Press Release)

**TIE FIGHTER PILOT HELMET FROM STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE TO BE AUCTIONED IN THE UK** 

ORIGINAL HELMET ONE OF OVER 500 ORIGINAL ITEMS IN UPCOMING AUCTION

• The helmet is one of only a handful made for the original Star Wars trilogy, and is estimated to sell for £50k - £70k at auction
• The total collection of Film & TV memorabilia on the block worth in excess of £1.5 million 
• A free to enter preview exhibition will be open to the public ahead of the Prop Store auction at London’s BFI IMAX, proudly presented by ODEON, from 14 -27 September where you can see the artwork and a host of other lots available

Prop Store – An incredibly rare Imperial TIE fighter pilot helmet from Star Wars: A New Hope, and subsequently used in the hit sequel Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, is to be made available at public auction in the United Kingdom.

Based on concept designs by costume designer John Mollo,the helmet combined components from the iconic Imperial Stormtroopers and heroic X-Wing pilot helmets to create a truly unique design that has gone down as one of the most popular in the history of the famed franchise. The helmet is one of over 100 pieces used in the production of the Star Wars films that will be hotly contested in Prop Store’s 27 September Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, held at London’s BFI IMAX proudly presented by ODEON.

While there are numerous known examples of the Imperial Stormtrooper helmets from the original series, only a handful of TIE fighter pilot helmets a known to remain in existence today, with even fewer in private hands outside of the Lucasfilm archives in Nicasio, California’s Skywalker Ranch. Compared to the Stormtrooper helmets, only a small number of TIE fighter pilot helmets were made, making them incredibly rare and of great interest to collectors and fans alike.

• ABS plastic construction
• Grey vacuum-formed eye lens
• Imperial ‘Cog’ decals on the forehead
• Foam internal liner
• Protective rubber neck trim

Made for Star Wars: A New Hope, two of the helmets were repurposed for use by AT-AT pilots in The Empire Strikes Back, leaving the remaining helmets to be used by fleeing Imperial pilots in Return of the Jedi. The Prop Store is proud to offer one of the rarest helmets from the Star Wars franchise, a piece perfect for any die-hard Star Wars fan’s collection.

The helmet is estimated to sell for between £50k and £70k. Additional pieces from the Star Wars franchise, including Rebel vests from Star Wars: A New Hope (£4k-6k), a model miniature X-Wing from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (£60k-80k estimate) and an original ILM motion control camera used in the production of the entire original trilogy (£30k-50k estimate) make up over 500 lots from the world of film and television, all going under the hammer on 27 September 2016 from 12PM.

The auction will be live-streamed online for fans to track the bidding on auction day. A free preview exhibition will be open to the public in the run up to the auction, open from Wednesday 14 September at the BFI IMAX and showcasing over 300 lots from the upcoming auction. Star Wars fans will have an opportunity to see the iconic helmet and many other treasures in the exhibition.

Registration and bidding is now open. Bids can be placed online at www.propstore.com/liveauction over the phone or in person. 
The free exhibition open to the public at the BFI IMAX, Waterloo, London, England SE1 8XR from 10:00am to 9:30pm, 14 - 27September 2016. Prop Store’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, in partnership with the BFI IMAX proudly presented by ODEON, will take place at the BFI IMAX Waterloo (1 Charlie Chaplin Walk, London SE1 8XR) on Tuesday 27 September from 12:00pm.

Three New "Star Wars" Books - The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy.

Star Wars: A New Hope the Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy (Star Wars, Episode IV) Hardcover – 22 Sep 2015 by Alexandra Bracken, (Author) Iain McCaig (Illustrator) 

We have a trio of new books inspired by the original Star Wars trilogy is heading for publication by Disney Lucasfilm Press (22 Sept. 2015) The three new books will feature a familiar storyline, but from a brand new perspectives. Each of the novels will tell the same story told in the original Star Wars movie trilogy.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back So You Want to Be a Jedi? Hardcover – 22 Sep 2015 by Adam Gidwitz (Author), Iain McCaig (Illustrator)

Fans will experience the original trilogy in an entirely different way, with Star Wars: A New Hope — The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — So You Want to Be a Jedi by Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark & Grimm series), and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi — Beware the Power of the Dark Side!by Tom Angleberger (the Origami Yoda series). 

Sound fantastic, what do you think?

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Beware the Power of the Dark Side! Hardcover – 22 Sep 2015 by Tom Angleberger (Author), Iain McCaig (Author, Illustrator)

But these are more than just mere retellings from this top authors; these are fresh interpretations — true to the films but filtered through each author’s vision. In each novel, the authors get inside the characters’ heads, tell us about the scenes between the scenes, and even teach us how to be a Jedi, what more could you want. Great for all Star Wars fans.... 

Book cover images taken from: http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-adaptation-covers-revealed-presenting-the-new-original-trilogy