One More Page

As regular readers will know, I’m a huge fan of Quirk books (read my review of the brilliant Geekerella to see what I mean!) and I’m very excited to share with you that Quirk books have an action-packed set of events to entertain you this Bank Holiday weekend!

 MCM ComicCon

First of all, why don’t you stop off at MCM ComicCon London? One minute, get your photo taken with Archie from Riverdale or The Hulk, the next, head to Author Corner and listen to awesome women in publishing talk about comics, amazing women in history, and twisted fairytales.

http://www.mcmcomiccon.com/london/attractions/author-corner/

 

Waterstones Piccadily

Then, head to the book heaven that is Waterstones Piccadilly on Monday, 29^th May for an evening of book chat and wine, plus the chance to grab swag and win awesome prizes.

*Quirk Books will not accept responsibility for overstimulated minds and having too much fun in one go.

At the end of April I attended the #OrionBlogFest. I felt very lucky to be among the bloggers and booksellers in attendance and it was brilliant to hear first-hand from the teams at Orion, Gollancz and W&N about the exciting new fantasy and sci-fi books that are coming out in the next six months. The teams’ enthusiasm for their authors and books was impressive and infectious and as a result my wish list has grown massively!

The event started with fab Stranger Things themed food and cakes – look at the cakes!!Then it was into one minute pitches for upcoming releases. These were so much fun and the addition of a timer and buzzer kept everyone on their toes.

Here are my hot picks from those pitched:

The House of Shattered Wings series by Aliette de Bodard (out now)

The second book in this magical urban fantasy series The House of Binding Thorns has just been released and both books sound excellent!

Paris in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black, thick with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital. House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls. Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation; or the architects of its last, irreversible fall . . .

The Switch by Justina Robson (18th May) 

Science, magic and politics come together in the pursuit of a perfect ‘model’ society. I can’t wait to read this one!

In Harmony, only model citizens are welcome.

A perfect society must be maintained. The defective must be eradicated. For orphans like Nico and Twostar, this means a life that’s brutal, regulated and short.

But Nico and Twostar are survivors, and when they’re offered a way out of the slums, they take it.

Unfortunately, no one told Nico the deal included being sentenced to death for the murder of one of Harmony’s most notorious gang leaders.

Or that to gain his freedom, first he must lose his mind.

The Falcolner trilogy by Elizabeth May

I can’t believe this was the first I’d heard of this series – it sounds right up my street! The final book, The Fallen Kingdon will be out in June so I grabbed a copy of book one (pictured) and I’m looking forward to starting it soon.

Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events – right up until a faery killed her mother.

Now it’s the 1844 winter season and Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of parties, tea and balls. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, she sheds her aristocratic facade every night to go hunting. She’s determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city’s many dark alleyways.

But the balance between high society and her private war is a delicate one, and as the fae infiltrate the ballroom and Aileana’s father returns home, she has decisions to make. How much is she willing to lose – and just how far will Aileana go for revenge?

Crosstalk by Connie Willis (10 August 2017)

Described as Sliding Doors meets Rainbow Rowell, this one went straight onto my wish list!

Briddey is about to get exactly what she thinks she wants . . .

Briddey is a high-powered exec in the mobile phone industry, overseeing new products from concept (‘anything to beat the new apple phone’) to delivery. And she works with her wonderful partner, Trent. They’ve been together for six magical weeks, in a whirlwind of flowers, dinners, laughter and now comes the icing on the cake: not a weekend away or a proposal but something even better. An EDD. A procedure which will let them sense each other’s feelings. Trent doesn’t just want to tell her how much he loves her – he wants her to feel it.

Everything is perfect.

The trouble is, Briddey can’t breathe a word of it to anyone (difficult, when the whole office is guessing) until she’s had two minutes to call her family. And they’re hounding her about the latest family drama, but when they find out about the EDD – which they will – they’ll drop everything to interrogate her. And it might just be easier to have the procedure now and explain later.

The race is on: not just for new, cutting-edge technology, but also for a shred of privacy in a public world and – for Briddey – a chance for love at the heart of it all.

Three other books to look out for coming later in the year are: Sweet Dreams are Made of this by Tricia Sullivan, a book about Dreamhacking – the ability to enter someone’s dreams and influence them, which is out in September;  Mirror Mirror by Clara Delevinge  and The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli (proof pictured), both out in October. I’m so excited for Autumn reading already!

We then got to hear from three authors about their exciting new releases;  Joanne M Harris, Dan Vyletta and Ed McDonald made up a fabulous panel and it was so interesting to hear them speak about their books and their writing.

Following a book grab, pizza and signing break we were treated to a skype interview with  Kristen Ciccarelli whose gorgeous proof (above) was one of the highlights of the evening for me and was exclusively revealed to us at the event.

As a child, Asha’s mother told her ancient, forbidden stories to drive away her nightmares – and the telling of them killed her. And when Asha repeated those stories, they summoned an ancient dragon which almost destroyed her city, and left Asha horribly scarred. Ever since, she has protected her city and people (and tried to make amends) by dragon-slaying. And now she may have a way to both atone for the deaths she caused and to escape an arranged marriage: her father will free her, in exchange for the head of Kovu, the ancient dragon. And the only obstacle in her path is a defiant slave-boy . .

The night ended with a bookish quiz and I went home one very happy blogger. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Stevie and the team at Orion for putting on such a fab event. Look out for more details of #GollanczFest coming soon and do share which books you’re looking forward to in the comments below!

I’m a big fan of both Foyles and crafts so I was excited to see that Foyles Charing Cross Road will be hosting a Christmas Craft Fair next week.

Entry to the event is FREE and there will be 30 stalls selling all sorts of wonderful items. The first ten guests to find the Foyles stall on launch night will receive a goodie bag.

There’s also have a free prize draw to win a hamper which contains items provided by a number of the exhibitors.

You can find the full details below and on the Foyles website at: http://www.foyles.co.uk/Public/Events/Detail.aspx?eventId=3095  Happy Christmas Shopping!

The brilliant Rooftop Book Club has a fantastic Holiday Reads on the Roof event taking place on 19th July featuring Sheila O’Flanagan, Sarah Vaughan and Tracy Rees. The views from the rooftop at Carmelite House are just stunning  – the perfect location to watch the sun set whilst hearing from your favourite authors.

Books will be on sale and you will have the opportunity to get copies signed. All attendees will go home with a fab goody bag too! You can buy tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rooftop-book-club-presents-holiday-reads-on-the-roof-tickets- I hope to see some of you there!

 

Publisher HarperCollins has teamed up with the BFI (British Film Institute) to host a virtual romance festival called #BFILoveFest taking place over the weekend of 20-22 November.

The festival is part of BFI Love, the major UK-wide celebration of LOVE on the big and small screen. #BFILoveFest will explore the links between romantic film and literature around 3 themes:-

• The Power of Love
• Fools for Love
• Fatal Attractions

#BFILoveFest is completely FREE and takes place on social media, so no need to leave the comfort of your home. You will need to register here to be sent the full program.

I’ve already signed up and I hope many of One More Page’s readers and romance fans will join me to discuss the greatest fictional lovers, how love has been represented over the last 50 years, the enduring appeal of the love story and much more!

The team behind the festival is also on the look out for romance authors, bloggers and reviewers to take part in the festival – register to find out more and follow  on Twitter or like RomanceFestival on Facebook: 

Publisher HarperCollins and the British Film Institute have  announced an exciting collaboration – a Virtual Sci-Fi festival on 15^th & 16^th November.

The festival takes place as part of the BFI’s major three month celebration of Sci-Fi,Days of Fear and Wonder presented together with O2, which takes place at BFI Southbank and venues across the UK until December. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sci-fi-days-fear-wonder

The aim of the BFIVoyager Sci-Fi festival is to explore the link between science fiction literature and film. The festival will offer a program of events on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and other platforms.

The festival program is based around three themes:

Tomorrow’s World – from post-apocalyptic wastelands to megacities to far-flung dystopia

Altered States – the science fiction of ‘inner space’ mad scientists, mutants, man-machines and mind-bending trips

Contact! – time to explore life from all corners of the universe and across multiple dimensions.

The festival will focus on story-telling and the impact of literature on film and television. Anticipate some friendly rivalry between book versus film as well as conversations such as how science fiction may have changed our future, what’s so appealing about a dystopian world and some of science fictions biggest names discussing their opinions on what comes next.

Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins UK, said, ‘I am thrilled that HarperCollins is collaborating with the British Film Institute on the BFIVoyager virtual sci-fi festival. It is very exciting to be working with such a prestigious organisation.

Heather Stewart, Creative Director of the BFI said: “‘Sci-Fi is all about big ideas – it all begins with the writers, and it’s notable that there are many great women writers working in this genre. We’re pleased to work with HarperCollins to bring the worlds of literature and film into perfect collision in November, opening up the very best of this spectacular genre to online audiences everywhere.”

The festival is free to ‘attend and attendees will also be sent two free HarperVoyager ebooks at the end of the festival!

Register now at: http://bit.ly/BFIVoyager

The Festival of Romantic Fiction is taking place this weekend in Leighton Buzzard! There are lots of fabulous events happening, full details of which can be found on the Festival website.

I really wish I could go to the festival – not least because I’m nominated for the Romance Blogger of the Year Award (squeeee!!) but it’s  my son’s 6th birthday party on Saturday so I can’t miss that but I will be there in spirit and wish all of the wonderful nominees the very best of luck.

Highlights of the festival include:

Friday 12th September:

7.30pm until 9pm Girls Night In with romantic fiction authors Rowan Coleman, Jane Lovering, Mandy Baggot and Jill Steeples. Leighton Buzzard Library.  Tickets: £3.50 available from Leighton Buzzard Library or Theatre Box Office.

Saturday 13th September:

10am to 3pm Book Fair. Leighton Buzzard High Street
Unique one off book fair with chance to meet the authors and get signed books. 17 stalls

2.30pm to 3.30pm Afternoon Tea with Fiona Harper, Tracy Bloom, Liz Fenwick and Carmel Harrington. With special guest Katie Fforde. Leighton Buzzard Theatre. Tickets: £3.50 available from Theatre Box Office.

4pm to 5.30pm pm Traditional Afternoon Tea The Green House, Market Square, Leighton Buzzard
with special author guests Christina Courtenay, Jan Jones, Sue Moorcroft, Terri Nixon, Laura Purcell and Talli Roland.  Tickets: £9 to include tea/coffee and cake, available online.

8pm to 10.30pm Romance Reader Awards 2014 LIVE. Leighton Buzzard Theatre
Including presentation of the Reader Awards for best romantic books of the year. With special guests from The Leanne Hughes Theatre School. Tickets £15 include canape reception and are available from Theatre Box Office.

The full awards shortlist is:

Best Romantic Read (Sponsored by Headline Eternal)

Two Weddings and a Baby by Scarlett Bailey (Ebury)

The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman (Ebury)

The Cornish Stranger by Liz Fenwick (Orion)

After The Honeymoon by Janey Fraser (Arrow)

The Unpredictable Consequences of Love by Jill Mansell (Headline Review)

One Hundred Proposals by Holly Martin (Carina)

The Wedding Proposal by Sue Moorcroft (Choc Lit)

The Proposal by Tasmina Perry (Headline Review)

One Step Closer to You by Alice Peterson (Quercus)

 

Best Historical Read

The Downstairs Maid by Rosie Clarke (Ebury)

Monsoon Mists by Christina Courtenay (Choc Lit)

The Maid of Milan by Beverley Eikili (Choc Lit)

The Dress Thief by Natalie Meg Evans (Quercus)

Crosscurrents by Jane Jackson (Accent Press)

Home For Christmas by Lizzie Lane (Ebury)

A Rose in Flanders Fields by Terri Nixon (Carina)

Queen of Bedlam by Laura Purcell (Myrmidon)

 

Best Short Romance

Don’t Tell Penny by Anna Bell (Quercus)

Taming Her Italian Boss by Fiona Harper (Mills and Boon Cherish)

A Western Heart by Liz Harris (Choc Lit Lite)

Just You by Jane Lark (Harper Impulse)

The Right Side of Mr Wrong by Jane Linfoot (Harper Impulse)

Grand Designs by Linda Mitchelmore (Choc Lit Lite)

The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin (Carina)

 

Best E-Book

The Second Time I Saw You by Pippa Croft (Penguin)

The Wedding Cake Tree by Melanie Hudson (Choc Lit)

Summer at Castle Stone by Lynn-Marie Hulsmann (Harper Impulse)

Dear Lizzie by Annie Lyons (Carina)

The Guestbook by Holly Martin (Carina)

Room For Love by Sophie Pembroke (Carina)

The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas (Headline)

Doubting Abbey by Samantha Tonge (Carina)

 

Best Author Published

Mary Bennet by Kate Allan

Sweet Occasions by Linn B Halton

Drumbeats by Julia Ibbotson

Fairlights by Jan Jones

Christmas Yves by Nicola May

A Change of Heart by Adrienne Vaughan

 

New Talent Award Shortlist

An Infamous Seduction by Glenda Cooper

Country Strife by Debbie Fuller-White

Fancy Cakes and Skinny Lattes by Melanie Griffiths

For One Last Time by Louise Hall

The Gossamer Trail by Brenda Hawkey

Who Does He Think He Is? by Emily Kerr

Hats Off To Love by Susan Jones

Meeting Halfway by Mairibeth MacMillan

The Perfect Blend by Catherine Meadows

True Colours by Caroline Rayner

Maggie’s Child by Glynis Smy

Industry Awards Shortlists

The Festival of Romantic Fiction also recognises innovation from within the industry and presents an award to blogger of the year.

 Innovation in Romantic Fiction – Publisher

Accent Amour – new commercial imprint from independent publisher Accent Press investing in backlists as well as new authors

Carina UK – celebrating it’s first birthday in 2014, Carina digitally publishes over 75 authors from around the world and has been exceptionally successful in the ebook charts

Mills and Boon – launching a brand new reader-centred website including an interactive story world The Chatsfield that blends fiction and reality

Simon and Schuster – continuing development of their Books in the City website, a popular hub for readers to connect with authors

 Innovation in Romantic Fiction – Author

Jenny Barden – for championing the whole genre with innovation in events for the Historical Novels Society and Romantic Novelists Association

Rowan Coleman – after writing Dearest Rose, Rowan was inspired to raise money for women suffering from domestic abuse by writing Woman Walks into a Bar and donating the royalties to Refuge

Nadine Dorries – for shining light on the romantic saga by topping the bestseller charts with her debut novel The Four Streets

BelindaJones – for connecting with readers with an engaging theme across her website and social media including the Belinda Jones Travel Club on Facebook and Va-va-vacation.com website

Holly Martin – for her debut novel The Guestbook which uniquely tells the story through guest comments left in a leather-bound guestbook

Romance Blogger of the Year

ChickLitClub.com 

Reviewedthebook.co.uk 

Onemorepage.co.uk 

 

 

 

I was very excited to see that Rainbow Rowell has announced that she will visit the UK on a book tour in July. Rainbow will visit Scotland, England and Wales during a five-day promotional tour.

The trip will include an appearance at YALC the first YA Lit Con at London Film and Comic Con, curated by Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman. The full details of all of the events can be found below:

 

Thursday 10th July – 6.30pm
Ticketed author talk and book signing
Waterstones
153-157 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow
G2 3EW
T:
Tickets are available from the shop at £3/£2 Waterstones Cardholders

Friday 11th July – 6:30pm
Ticketed author talk and book signing
Waterstones
12 College Lane
Liverpool
L1 3DL
T.
Tickets are available from the shop at £3/£2 Waterstones Cardholders

Saturday 12th July – from 12noon
Author panel event and book signing
YA Lit Con at London Film & Comic Con
Earls Court 2,
Earls Court Exhibition Centre,
Warwick Road,
London
SW5 9TA
For tickets and further information visit: http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/

Sunday 13th July – 2pm
Book signing
Waterstones
2a The Hayes
Cardiff
CF10 1WB
T:
This signing will not be ticketed. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Monday 14th July – 6:30pm
Ticketed author talk and book signing
Waterstones
203/206 Piccadilly
London
W1J 9HD
Tickets available from: Waterstones.com/tickets £5/£3 Waterstones Cardholders (includes
refreshments)

After a dreary day of meetings in Bristol on Tuesday, I hopped back on the train to London to head to the beautiful Grosvenor House hotel for the latest of their Literati events.

And what a fabulous evening it was! Star of the show Santa Montefiore instantly found a place high on my ‘lovely authors I have met’ list by sitting down and chatting to me and fellow blogger Cat like she’d know us for years and sharing my love for the musical Wicked!

As we sipped glasses of delicious bubbles, Santa took the floor with a thoroughly entertaining talk on her books and writing covering everything from her writing room (which sounds heavenly) and the music she listens to while she writes; her love of ruined castles, the ups and downs of working alongside her historian and author husband to taking revenge by making an ex a character in a book and  juggling a writing career with being a mum.

Santa’s enthusiasm and joy for her writing really came across as she spoke and I can’t wait to read my copy of her latest novel Secrets of the Lighthouse which is released in paperback at the end of the month. We were also treated to a sneak peek at her forthcoming book, The Beekeeper’s Daughter which is out in July and sounds like another excellent read.

The event ended with a signing and more catching up with bloggers! A brilliant evening and I’d like to say a big thank you to Simon and Schuster for inviting me along!

Secrets of the Lighthouse is released in paperback on 24th April

The Beekeeper’s Daughter is released in hardback and ebook formats on 17th July

Find out more about Santa Montifiore and her writing at: http://www.santamontefiore.co.uk

The inaugural Hove Book Festival, founded and curated by bestselling author, Dorothy Koomson will run from Thursday 3rd April to Saturday 5th April 2014. Created to celebrate great storytelling for all ages, the launch line-up includes authors Lynne Truss, Alexandra Heminsley, Bethan Roberts, Araminta Hall, Simon Toyne and Eleanor Moran and a range of events including ‘Write by the Sea’; ‘The Big Book Quiz’ hosted by BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey presenter, Sarah Gorrell, appearances from ‘Stripy Horse’ and a series of ‘How to…’ writing sessions.

Talking about the Festival, Dorothy Koomson says:

“I wanted to celebrate and share my love of reading, books and really good story-telling so thought it’d be a great idea to start a festival near my home. We’re very fortunate with the line-up for the Festival – we have brilliant authors and experts on board, so I’m really excited to get the opportunity to buy their books and have them signed for me. Setting up Hove Book Festival has been a labour of love and I’m looking forward to hearing what all of the authors and experts have to say.”

Events will take place at Hove Library and The Hove Centre, Hove Town Hall, with support for The National Literacy Trust, the charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK. WHSmith and British Bookshops, Hove are confirmed as the official Festival booksellers.

Thursday 3^rd April at 7pm, Hove Library

Write By The Sea With Simon Toyne, Bethan Roberts & Dorothy Koomson

Three best-selling authors talk about how they got published, how they come up with ideas for their books and what it’s like to be a writer who lives near the sea.

Friday 4 April at 7.30pm, Hove Library

The Big Book Quiz With Lynn Truss, Tom Bale, Joanna Rees, Mark Barrowcliffe and Alexandra Heminsley

5 well-known, local authors will head up 5 teams to find out who knows the most about books. BBC Sussex & Surrey radio host Sarah Gorrell will be asking the questions and interviewing the authors.

Saturday 5 April at 10.30am, The Hove Centre/Hove Town Hall

Stripy Horse Comes To The Seaside

Award-winning children’s authors Karen Wall and Jim Helmore bring their most famous creation, the lovable Stripy Horse to the seaside. They’ll be reading from their first story Who Are You Stripy Horse? and involving the children in discussions about the book. (For 3-5 year-olds)

Saturday 5 April from 1pm, The Hove Centre, Hove Town Hall

How To Write A Bestselling Fiction Series With Elly Griffiths 1pm

Elly Griffiths, the bestselling author of a series of crime books currently in development with the BBC, shares her secrets on how she puts together her complex, linked series of stories.

How To Get Published With Jo Dickinson 2:30pm

The Publishing Director of adult fiction at Simon & Schuster (one of the world’s biggest publishing companies) explains what she looks for when deciding to sign up an author and their book

How To Find Your Writing Voice With Lizzie Enfield & Araminta Hall 4pm

These experienced authors and writing coaches will explain the importance of finding your own ‘voice’ when writing and how you can put that story bubbling away inside down on paper in your own unique way.

How To Write For TV With Eleanor Moran 5:30pm

Not only is Eleanor Moran a bestselling author, she’s also a TV drama producer who’ll be revealing how you can put together a story for the small screen.

For tickets and further information please visit www.hovebookfestival.co.uk or follow  on Twitter