Daniel Whelan - Children's Author of The Box of Demons - Mr Ripley's Festive Edition Q&A

This is the second festive interview with many more fantastic ones to come. This one comes care of Daniel Whelan, who some of you might know from Harry Potter or maybe not :). He is the author of one of my personal favourite books The Box of Demons. It's a fantastic fantasy-fuelled story full of great humour that all young kids will really enjoy. The book cover above displays Chris Riddell's talent and who also features in the below Q&A. 

Thank you, Daniel, for taking part in the festive interview and welcome to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. 

The Box of Demons is fantastic book, what comes next?

Thank you! I’m not sure what’ll be out next. I’ve got two books on the go, one a bit more YA than The Box of Demons and one very firmly in Middle Grade. The YA-ish one is nearest to completion, but I keep cheating on it with the MG which has been a bit more fun to write. I’d hope to have one out in 2019, but that isn’t really down to me.

If your next book was illustrated, and you could choose any illustrator, who would it be and why?

If it were down to me, I’d pick Chris Riddell every time because he made the characters in The Box of Demons look better than I imagined them, and now it's quite hard when thinking of new ones not to wonder what Chris would make of them. Unfortunately for me Chris is very busy, so I can’t imagine I’d be lucky enough to work with him again.

I tend to favour quite cartoony or comicky illustrations. I love Sarah McIntyre’s stuff. There’s an author called Tatum Flynn who is also an artist, I’d love to work with her one day. And Marc Simonetti, who does the French covers for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, he’s great.

I’ve been a part of the Save Hari campaign to save Haringey’s Children’s Librarians - I live in Wales now, but as I’m Patron of Reading at North Harringay Primary School it’s part of my job to protect access to books for those kids - and all our artwork for that was done by Emer Stamp, who I think is marvellous. 

Which book monsters/authors would you have at a literary New Year dinner party and why? (or actor maybe?)

This Christmas belongs to one monster and one monster alone: Mr. Underbed. Hopefully he’d bring his creator Chris Riddell along with him, because Chris is such fantastic company. 

Actor-wise, Morven Christie would have to be first on the guest list. She’s one of my best friends, and one of the few people I trust with early drafts of things. We don’t see each other nearly enough: she’s in Scotland, I’m in Wales, so we have an entire country between us! I’d also have Charlie Hotson, Stephen Wight and his wife Chloe, and Sophie Angelson and her husband, the director James Kemp.

Finally - and I hope this isn’t stretching the question too much - I’d like to have Charles Dickens’s Mr. Fezziwig along. That guy knows how to party. If he could come in his Mr. Fozzywig aspect from The Muppets Christmas Carol, that’d be super.

What book would you recommend to readers to get them into the winter/festive spirit?

Terry Pratchett is a big influence on me, so I’d say check out Wintersmith, the third book in his Tiffany Aching sequence. He wrote a Christmas-ish Discworld too, The Hogfather, but I’m less keen on that one.

Everyone loves books as gifts which book would you like to receive this Christmas?

I’ve asked Father Christmas for Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, a couple of Thames and Hudson’s books on myth, and The Ultimate Visual History of Labyrinth, one of my all-time favourite films. We shall see if I have been nice enough this year!

What's the meaning of Christmas for you and your characters?

For me, it’s about warmth against the cold. Christmas falls just after the shortest and therefore darkest day of the year, and I think the collective brightness and joy of it lets us pull each other out of the gloom. Humans have always needed a Winter festival. Before Christianity, we celebrated the Winter Solstice; the Ancient Romans had Saturnalia. It’s rooted deep within us.

For my characters, I think Kartofel would be grumpy and cynical about Christmas while secretly loving it; the excessive food consumption would be right up Djinn’s street: and Orff would complain about the cold and what the darkness does to the Seasonal Affected Disorder he doesn’t really have. 

What's your favourite thing about Christmas?

Mince Pies. They are so firmly attached to my Christmas experience I think I would throw up if I had to eat one between January and November. I moved back to Wales at the beginning of this year, so 2017 will be my first Christmas in over a decade without my favourite mince pies of all time: the Mince Pie Selection Box from Dunn’s of Crouch End, London.

Do you think the book cover has an important role in potential readers buying your book?

I can only speak from experience, and my experience is there are quite a lot of people who wouldn’t have looked twice at The Box of Demons if it didn’t have a Chris Riddell cover. I can only hope they have enjoyed the inside as much as the outside. A good cover is vital.

What is the strangest question you have been asked as an author?

I am often asked if I know Ron Weasley. When I was an actor, I once got a call from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire production office about playing one of the older Weasley brothers. They asked a few questions, and I never heard from them again. (It became clear why when the film came out: the character in question was cut). I put this story on my website to illustrate how spectacularly unsuccessful my acting career was, and somehow it keeps being filtered into me having some sort of association with Rupert Grint. (I don’t).

I once did an in-store signing where the poster they put up to advertise my appearance said ‘he could have been Ron Weasley!’, which I thought was an interesting, if inaccurate, selling point.

What has inspired you the most to write?

That’s a tough one. I really don’t know. It just sort of happens. I liked a lot of fantasy-type things when I was younger, which I suppose helps. I went to a Catholic school, and Catholicism is essentially all stories so there was that too. And I’ve always liked to write, and read. 

Whenever I’m asked the classic author question "where do you get your ideas from?", I always say the swimming pool. There’s something about doing those repetitive laps that allows me to think of new stuff, make new connections to things I’m working on. So let’s say ‘swimming’.

Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books: Derek Landy - Demon Road - Book Review

I've taken that path down the Demon Road.... 

Do you dare? 

The reader will hurtle along on a five star horror experience across the supernatural highways and the black roads of America with this book. It all kicks off when Amber Lamont's parents tried to kill her. Yep, the first page begins with them wanting to eat her. Derek Landy grabs you and slowly pulls you by the scruff of your literary neck down the path of the deepest and darkest parts of hell. He never lets the tempo fall; it's a gratuitous adult young horror shocker that will punch you in the fantasy gut. 

You will plunge across the brooding dark landscape of America on an epic road-trip that will captivate you. The imaginative story is filled with the baddest things imaginable: killer cars straight out of a Stephen King novel, vampires that have a sense of humour and undead serial killers that will haunt you to the bone. Then there is the ruthless family of DEMONS that have made a deal with the Shining Demon and so much more. You really need to read this jam packed book running over 500 pages long. 

Everything this plot has to offer is very bold in comparison to the Skulduggery Pleasant series. I feel that this book has actually taken the author out of his comfy writer's pants as everything needed to be worked out from scratch. In doing so, this book has put the writer back on the horror fantasy map. It's full of wit, action and, best of all, dagger sharp dialogue that oozes from the pores of the main characters.

The story is told from the perspective of Amber who is sixteen years old, smart and spirited. She’s just a normal American teenager until the lies are torn away and the demons reveal themselves in more ways than one. Amber is forced to go on the run, hurtling from one threat to another as she reveals a tapestry of terror woven into the very fabric of her life. Her only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be… can they be trusted?

Milo is very mysterious and brings a big dollop of back story with him, which I really loved. Glen is very amusing and brought a light-hearted side to the story. He is very likeable and yet, at the same time, both annoying and very reckless. He made me smile on a number of occasions with his advances towards Amber - they were very laughable. I'm still grinning thinking about some of the moments in the story. This is a side of the story that teenagers will connect to as it brought a sense of realism to a crazy mixed up world.

The idea is very bullish in my opinion. The action scenes are written exquisitely; full of inventive imagination that is sadly missed in a lot of older reads. The only gripe that I have is that it felt a little predictable in places for me but, nevertheless, it's only a small gripe. 

My favourite part of the book was meeting Dacre Shanks who sounds more like a toilet seat then a serial killer. He is so creepy and delicious to read about. The atmosphere surrounding the dolls house and the shrunken people was really eery and chilling. It will hook you like a prize fighter on the ropes.

This is definitely an amazing start to a trilogy. It is a fresh new world for the author to play with. The backyard has been set and the expectations on the next book have rocketed with this opener. This is easily one of my favourite action horror YA reads this year; fantastic stuff Mr Landy, I look forward to much more.....

  

Daniela Sacerdoti: The Sarah Midnight Trilogy + Spirit Extract - Published by Black & White Publishing

Seventeen year‐old Sarah Midnight has never had a normal life. To the outside world, she is a typical teenager but, inside, Sarah and her family hold an unimaginable secret. Her parents are demon hunters, part of a web of Secret Families who have sworn to protect the world. But when they mysteriously die, Sarah realizes that this fight is bigger than she ever anticipated.

Unprepared for the task ahead, she now finds herself thrust into a world of incredible danger, full of things she never even knew existed: including her enigmatic long‐ lost cousin who, out of the blue, turns up on her doorstep when she most needs him. He claims to be there to help and protect her, but how will she know who to trust in this new perilous life of hers? And how is she supposed to stay alive long enough to follow her parents’ quest when they have left her totally clueless?

Sarah has to learn, and learn fast – the demons are all around her and death waits for no one.

Spirit – Extract Reveal

Sarah blinked over and over. There was a strange taste in her mouth – soil, she realized, and brought her arm to her mouth, cleaning her lips. The darkening sky came into focus, and then so did Sean’s face. Sean. He was there. He was alive. 

“Was it a vision?” he asked, helping her sit up. She saw that the others were standing in a circle around her, facing out, watching for danger. She nodded. 

“Yes. It just came over me…”

“Can you tell me what you saw?”

“All of us were standing on a beach somewhere. On the waterline. Three waves came, and with each wave more of us were gone. Until everyone was dead. Except me.”

Sean frowned. He couldn’t say what he thought that if that was going to be the end result – they’d all die and Sarah survived – he was too relieved that Sarah would be alive to entirely mourn the loss of his own life, and the others’.

He held her hands and helped her stand. “Can you walk?”

“Yes. I’m okay,” she said. But she wasn’t. 

In the dream everyone had died except for her. Another sign that she had to be kept alive. Why? What did they want from her? And who were  “they”? Nicholas? The King of Shadows? Both? Something else?

Elodie stepped beside Sarah and Sean. “In the book Harry gave me,” she began, “one of the tales talked about two children on a quest to free their parents’ souls from a witch. In order to free them, the children had to face three waves of evil. I read that book twice, but there were so many other stories… I can’t remember exactly what the waves were. And then there was this spirit who held a mirror to the children’s faces and made them see horrible things.”

Sarah gazed at her. Those black, black eyes, in place of Elodie’s warm chocolate ones, unnerved her. “What happened to the children?”

“They died. Their souls turned into flowers. Bluebells.”

“Great,” said Niall. “It’s a good sign, for sure.”

As soon as the others were out of earshot, Sarah took Sean’s arm.  “Sean. In the dream, only I survived. They have a plan for me. That’s why I’m not dead yet.”

Sean felt cold. He wished he could dismiss Sarah’s fears, but he couldn’t. “Do you think Nicholas is betraying us? That he still wants you as his wife?”

“I don’t know. But I want you to promise something.”

“What is it?”

“If this is still what he’s planning… don’t let him drag my soul away. Kill me before he can take me.”

Sean took hold of her wrist, gently. “I won’t let him take you,” he whispered in her ear. When he looked up once more, his eyes met Elodie’s. She turned around and was looking at Sarah with those new, obsidian eyes. Looking straight at her with an expression neither of them could decipher. 

They walked on for another while, the freezing air cutting their skin. All of a sudden dazzling light flooded their eyes – there were no more trees. They stepped into a clearing, the white, frozen sky hanging heavy over them, high grass swaying in the wind. A circle of grey stones – double Sarah’s height – rose from the grass, and three enormous boulders stood in the middle. They were roughly sculpted to resemble crouching figures. Two were beasts, one that looked like a monkey, one a kind of lizard, and another was an etched human being with a small body and an enormous face. They were like statues in a long-abandoned temple, moss half covering them, the elements having rounded their corners and smoothed the carvings. 

Sarah looked around her. She knew that place. It was her place of dreams, the one she’d gone to in nearly every vision since her parents had been killed. She remembered the first time she’d been there, how she’d been trapped under those stones, and then crawled out to stand under the twilight sky, the wind on her face, every colour heightened, vivid, the way it was in the Shadow World. She recalled the demon attack, and then Nicholas, the pale, black-haired boy she used to call Leaf because he gifted her autumn leaves, saving her life.

Everything was meant to bring me here, Sarah realised suddenly. Since it all started, this was ultimately where she was supposed to be – in the Shadow World. She stared into the white sky, the lilac light of dusk spreading from the west, and then around her at the swaying grass, the visions that had taken place there going through her mind one by one. 

“Sean…” she called. Sean came to stand beside her, gazing at her profile as she kept looking around her, astonished and still somehow accepting, as if some part of her had always known. “This is my place of dreams,” she whispered.

“The place you see in your visions? Are you sure?”

Sarah nodded. “I am sure.”

At that moment, a deafening noise exploded in their ears, and blue light swallowed them. Lightening had struck right in the clearing, and then another, and another, hitting the three boulders and disappearing into the ground. 

“The King of Shadows is here,” Sarah said, and everyone stood still.

“Is that right, Nicholas? Is this the place?” asked Sean.

Nicholas nodded and remained silent, his chin slightly raised as if listening for something. At that moment a long, deep, growling filled the air, and it wasn’t thunder – it came from the ground beneath them. The earth shook, the boulders trembled as they all lost their footing and fell in the long grass.

Nicholas called to his father. She’s here. I brought her to you.

Dreams – RRP £7.99 – ISBN 9781845023706 – Paperback ‐ 2012 

Tide – RRP £7.99 ‐ ISBN 9781845025397 – Paperback – 2013 

Spirit – RRP £7.99 – ISBN 9781845025403– Paperback ‐ 2014

New Edition Book Cover Reveal - Darren Shan - Lord Loss and Demon Thief (Demonata Series)

Missed the demonata the first time round?

check out our new look editions of this classic horror series a hellsh nightmare for only the bravest of readers...

                           

LORD LOSS by Darren Shan - New edition. Release date: July 4th 2013.

When Grubbs Grady first encounters Lord Loss and his evil minions, he learns three things: • the world is vicious, • magic is possible,

• demons are real.

He thinks that he will never again witness such a terrible night of death and darkness.

...He is wrong.

                        

DEMON Thief by Darren Shan - New edition. Release date: July 4th 2013.

When Kernel Fleck's brother is stolen by demons, he must enter their universe in search of him. It is a place of magic, chaos and incredible danger. Kernel has three aims: • learn to use magic, • find his brother, • stay alive.

But a heartless demon awaits him, and death has been foretold...

Andrew Newbound - Demon Strike - Book Review

Book Review
My attention was first drawn to this book from a 'new publications release list,' which was sent to me by the publisher. The synopsis was particularly intriguing and certainly enticed my curiosity, and so I was particularly pleased when I managed to get my hands unexpectedly on a copy last week.  

From the very start, I found myself galloping through the pages. Even when I could not see the type, due to night setting in when I was a recent passenger in a car, I still wanted to read on. The first thing that you find as a reader, is how well the story unfolds with ease. The particularly strong characters in the book make way for an entertaing read, with some feisty girl hero action against some nasty creatures, and a multi-layered plot which keeps you on your toes. 

The story unfolds as the Demons from the Dark Dimension pour through a portal to reek havoc on earth. Unfortunately the chaos then follows the two children - twelve-year old Ghost- Busters, in the way of Alannah Malarra and her sidekick Wortley. They find themselves in a whole lot of trouble when they entangle with the A.N.G.E.L,  an acronym for Attack-ready Network of Global Evanescent Law-enforcers whose job is to protect everybody from any Demon attack.

The children encounter some of the best monsters you're ever going to bump into in this book -  as well as a Winged Angel, who has a passion for breaking all the rules and treading a tight rope of sudden death. The book flows with great wit and some of the best character banter that I have read for a long time.

I enjoyed the many analogies that the author referred to throughout the book, they're absolutely brilliant and had me chuckling to myself. 

The book is aimed at a 9-12 year old audience but will have everyone wanting more,,just like me. We now have a start, to a fresh new series of books, with a great voice for the future. More adventures please but just wait until I clean the ectoplasm off my keyboard and straighten my wings in the cupboard ready for the next adventure!

Book Published By Chicken House - March 13 2010 

William Hussey - Witchfinder:Dawn of the Demontide - Book Review

Book Review

The smell of the Demontide is upon us (the reader), the anticipation is strong as the writer drags us down to a living hell. The swirl of poisonous frogs and green mist encompass the reader and then toss them back down with a horrifying thud. Witches, Demons and blood sacrifices are themes that are accounted for in this book, which is disturbing and certainly keeps everyone on edge. 

We may have a new master of 'Dark Fiction' for 2010 - the book spooks all our living senses and sets us on a tale of terror but with a fantastic plot intertwined throughout. The book has a slow start but gains momentum as the mysteries of Hobarron and its character's are delved into. I love the feel of this book including the ending.

This series of books will go down well with the evil and darker happenings of other great children's book writers, this will be the genre for 2010 as lots of interesting books are to be published next year. So much more to come, I think.


Book Published by Oxford University Press - March 2010


Book Synopsis
The first in a terrifying trilogy, read on if you dare: Jake could now see the demon fully. Its body was a mass of steely sinew, its arms roped with muscle. Six fingers sprouted from its hands, each ending in lethal talons. The thing did not possess a nose; instead a large hole, bubbling with green mucus, occupied the middle of its face. Mr Pinch's tongue flickered between his teeth and slurped across his fat lips. He was hungry. When a violent storm rages around the little village of Hobarron's Hollow, a young boy is sacrificed 'for the greater good'. His blood is used to seal a mystical doorway and prevent an apocalyptic disaster known only as the Demontide. Twenty-five years later, another boy, Jake Harker, is about to be drawn into the nightmare of the Demontide. Witches and their demon familiars stalk his every move, and his dreams are plagued by visions of a 17th Century figure known only as the Witchfinder. When his father is abducted, Jake must face the terrible secrets kept by those closest to him and a shocking truth that will change his life forever . . .