Review: The Door That Led to Where by Sally Gardner

Publication Date: January 1^st 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 288 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

When the present offers no hope for the future, the answers may lie in the past AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much. Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his friends quickly find that their own lives have much more value. They've gone from sad youth statistics to young men with purpose - and at the heart of everything lies a crime that only they can solve. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past, before it unravels them?

This one was a quick and enjoyable read that thoroughly sucked me in, but never really developed into anything more than surface enjoyment. Sometimes that’s a good thing to have a story that you can just whip through in one sitting and be taken away for a little while. Sometimes that can be incredibly frustrating and leave you feeling cheated. Luckily I was in the former camp when I sat down to read this one.

It takes a little while to find its feet and really get going, but once it does it trundles along at a decent pace, not offering too much of a challenge in terms of plot or having to think whilst reading, but instead offers a simple story that relies heavily on the intrigue and magic infused within to carry the readers interest. A door that leads to the past, I loved how little time AJ spends having long desperate crisis about how this could be possible and just embraces it whole heartedly. AJ is an interesting protagonist, and I loved watching his story unfurl. The most interesting aspect for me was this idea of these three boys who hadn’t amounted to much in our world making something of themselves through the door. It was such a fascinating idea and I wish we could have seen a little more of its development. However the relationships between the three boys is left a little underplayed. We’re supposed to see that their the closest of friends, but it never really comes across. In fact the relationships throughout a little under developed which was a shame.

The writing is good, and I loved the historical details that are littered throughout. They really help to bring the past to life and to make AJs journeys through the door even more realistic and interesting. However the novel never really lifts from good into fantastic, which is a huge shame, and I felt like the writing let the concept down in several places.

All in all this was an interesting read that was thoroughly enjoyable to sit down with for a couple of hours. I was frustrated that it glossed over some of the parts that interested me the most, but on the whole it was a great stand alone read.

Review: Monsters by Emerald Fennell

Publication Date: September 3^rd 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 288 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

A blackly comic tale about two children you would never want to meet. 
Set in the Cornish town of Fowey, all is not as idyllic as the beautiful seaside town might seem. The body of a young woman is discovered in the nets of a fishing boat. It is established that the woman was murdered. Most are shocked and horrified. But there is somebody who is not - a twelve-year-old girl. She is delighted; she loves murders. Soon she is questioning the inhabitants of the town in her own personal investigation. But it is a bit boring on her own. Then Miles Giffard, a similarly odd twelve-year-old boy, arrives in Fowey with his mother, and they start investigating together. Oh, and also playing games that re-enact the murders. Just for fun, you understand... 
A book about two twelve-year-olds that is definitely not for kids.

The blurb intrigued me, but sadly it seemed to vastly over-estimate the comedy in this book. It wasn’t a dark comic tale, it was just dark. And twisted. And quite frankly horrific in places.

I am obviously not the intended audience, but with characters that have no redeeming qualities and aren’t even remotely likeable I’m struggling to work out who the intended audience might be. It’s most definitely not a story for children, but the voice (despite intended to be a thirteen year old girl) comes across as that of an eight year old, so it’s not quite the right fit for adults either.

As I said the characters have no redeeming qualities. They’re dark and twisted and horrible. The subject matter tackled is at times utterly horrific. Trigger warnings for rape, sexual abuse, paedophilia, emotionally and physically abusive relationships and death. All things that are good to see tackled in fiction, but not in this throwaway fashion. The handling of the subject material was what I objected to most and I ended up feeling physically ill at several points in the book.

Why did I keep reading you ask? Well a) it was a short book, b) I had some vague hope of a good ending (spoiler alert, it’s not satisfying in the slightest) and c) it was kind of like watching a car accident, or when you accidentally start watching a horror movie and you can’t turn it off.

The writing is good though, which is a strange contrast to the subject matter. So if nothing else, it is definitely well written, it just really was not the book for me. It’s not one I would recommend, and I had to scrub my brain clean with another book before even attempting to sleep after finishing this one.

Review: All of the Above by James Dawson

Publication Date: September 3^rd 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 304 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

When sixteen-year-old Toria Bland arrives at her new school she needs to work out who her friends are in a crazy whirl of worry, exam pressure and anxiety over fitting in. Things start looking up when Toria meets the funny and foul-mouthed Polly, who's the coolest girl that Toria has ever seen. Polly and the rest of the 'alternative' kids take Toria under their wing. And that's when she meets the irresistible Nico Mancini, lead singer of a local band - and it's instalove at first sight! Toria likes Nico, Nico likes Toria, but then there's Polly ... love and friendship have a funny way of going round in circles. 

This is my first foray into James Dawson’s fiction books, having only previously read ‘This Book is Gay’ and I have heard nothing but good things about his writing. So I was eager to try out his latest book and did really enjoy it, but unfortunately not quite as much as I’d hoped it.

It was a good, engrossing and quick read that tackled a whole variety of subjects and issues – all fantastic things, and I stormed through it in one sitting. It really tackles everything: eating disorders, sexuality (including asexuality, hurrah!), death, growing up and all the changes that comes with that. It is stuffed with everything, which can be a little over whelming at points, but it is SO GOOD to see books tackling all of these things.

I frequently found myself laughing out loud, it is packed with humour sprinkled liberally amongst the more poignant moments and felt like an incredibly real book. These characters and their problems felt real, they felt like actual people to me and I found myself caring about them, crying and laughing and rooting for them to work everything out.

However there are problems. This is going to sound really silly, but very early on Toria complains that she can’t get out of bed because she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Now as someone who has this I am always eager to see it represented more in fiction. But this wasn’t representation, it was a throwaway comment that really frustrated and in some ways even upset me. It felt like a slap in the face. You wouldn’t say that you had any other number of health problems to get out of doing stuff, so why CFS? It adds to the all too prevalent image that CFS is a joke, something that isn’t real, that any person who is tired has it. Which for those of us that do have it, is basically a slap in the face. Unfortunately this happens within the first quarter of the novel, and so whilst I had gotten off to a great start with it after this comment I never really re-found the same love for the book that I had had up until that point.

My second problem was how some of the issues tackled really felt shoe horned in, the way Toria talks about them makes it feel as though the book is screaming LOOK I AM TACKLING ALL OF THESE THINGS. Now that could be that I just wasn’t getting along with Toria and that was colouring my perception, but the way some things were handled just wasn’t working for me. I appreciate that in real life all of these things come up, sometimes all at once, sometimes in pieces, and I loved that this book was attempting to encompass all the things, but the writing style meant that it did across as slightly preachy and full of itself for being so avant-garde and tackling all the taboos at once.

And my third and final issue is cheating. Again, it happens, and this book was aiming to offer a view point on teenage life and all the struggles that can come with that. So in a way, yay for inclusion! But on the other side, I struggled with how the cheating was handled. But that is just a personal preference.

So all in all a really mixed read for me. It was a good book, a very good book, don’t be fooled by my gripes, and one that I would definitely recommend. It’s also made me very curious to go and read James Dawson’s other books, because his writing is smart and funny and filled with diverse and interesting characters – all very good things.
Personal preferences meant that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped to, but it was still a very engaging and good read.

Review: As Black as Ebony by Salla Simukka

Publication Date: August 4^th 2015
Publisher: SkyScape/Amazon Publishing (Published in the UK by Hot Key Books)
Length: 151 pages

Huge thanks to Netgalley and SkyScape/Amazon Publishing for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

After a harrowing summer in Prague, Lumikki Andersson is back in Finland at her prestigious art school, concentrating on graduation. She lands the lead role in the school’s modern-day adaptation of “Snow White” and finds herself facing a new distraction—Sampsa, the boy playing the role of the huntsman, who has an undeniable allure that makes Lumikki conflicted about what, and who, she wants.
As Lumikki starts falling into something more than just her role on stage, a shadow is cast over the production when she begins receiving creepily obsessive love notes. Lumikki can’t ignore the increasingly hostile tone of her admirer’s messages, and when the stalker threatens mass violence at the play’s premiere, Lumikki knows she must discover who is behind the menace and stop the person at all costs.
With a foe who has a heart as black as ebony, does Lumikki have any hope of saving those she loves?

It’s a well-known fact that I absolutely loved the first book in this trilogy ‘As Red As Blood’. It was terrifying, engrossing, tense and brilliantly paced – the sort of book that you had to read in one nail biting sitting or risk losing your mind. Then I stormed straight through the second book, and whilst it didn’t pull me in in quite the same way as the first, it was filled with Simukka’s trade mark brevity and twisting plot threads and was still a fantastic read. So I was curious as to how the third book in the trilogy would finish Lumikki’s story off, and whether it would lean more towards the brilliance of the first book or continue in the same vein as the second.

Actually it ended up being somewhere in the middle. It had all of the terror and tension of the first book, but it felt a little too short, as though the climax happened far too soon, just as everything was building up nicely.

However, there was a lot that really worked well in this finale. The translation was much smoother for this book. All three books are set in Finland and the original language is Finnish, so the translation into English has been a little shaky at times in the first two books. There are still a couple of odd moments, but on the whole the overall feeling is a much smoother and more dynamic narrative that feels closer to how the original was written.

Simukka’s writing style is refreshing to read. She has a way with words, and a sparseness to her prose which cut the book down to the absolute minimum of fuss – like Lumikki herself. It draws you into the story and delivers emotional blows and reveals hidden depths that wouldn’t have been possible with a more verbose and flowery narrative. It’s sparse, and it works beautifully.

This book was also a lot more focussed, which definitely helped to hone the narrative. Whilst the first and second book had several interlocking narratives, with same narrators known to the reader and others hidden until the end, this book simply offered Lumikki’s and her unknown stalker. It meant that the story was a lot less confusing and we’re less distracted by being confused about different narrators who we’re unsure about.

My biggest problem was the length. All three books have been very short, but this is by far the shortest and as a result you get a wonderful build up but then a very sudden climax. ‘Hey look, here’s the stalker, and now they’ve been defeated, everyone go home.’ It just felt very abrupt, I wanted more. There had been such a deliciously terrifying build up, it just felt too sudden and out of the blue that it all came together and was resolved so quickly.

However despite that draw back, the book is still a fantastic read and a very satisfying conclusion to the series. You could easily read ‘As Red as Blood’ as a standalone book, but I have loved coming back to Lumikki over the course of the following two books and slowly unpacking her story and watching her piece herself and her life together. If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller, these are the books for you. Or if you fancy trying a YA book that breaks the trends and is set in Finland and translated into English then I recommend this even more. It was so refreshing to read something so wildly different from the usual YA fare, and this offered a more than satisfying conclusion.

Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston

Publication Date: July 2^nd 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 304 pages

Huge thanks to Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Struggling to deal with her brother's death and a past she refuses to confront, Stevie knows she has problems. But she's still furious about the fact that she's been packed off to a health clinic, in the middle of nowhere, where mobile phones are banned and communication with the outside world is strictly by permission only. The regimented and obtrusive nature of the clinic and its staff is torture to the deeply private, obstinate Stevie - and don't even get her started on the other 'inmates'. All she wants is to be left alone...
But as Stevie is about to find out, life is full of surprises. And she will prove herself stronger than she knows - even when her past finally catches her up in the most shocking and brutal way possible.

This is an incredibly tough book to read, and also a very triggering book if you’ve ever suffered from or are currently suffering from an eating disorder. However it was also a really important book to read, so despite how hard and triggering I was finding it, I persevered because Stevie and her story was something that needed to be heard.

Stevie is not a likeable person. She’s hard and aggressive and not meant to be likeable, but despite all that you feel for her. In some cases you’ll be able to understand, to empathise with the things she’s doing and the ways she is feeling. She is not meant to be a cuddly person you instantly get on with, she is meant to be someone who has had terrible things happen and is suffering and lashing out in the only way that she knows how. Her arc and growth is tremendous, you can watch the shifts start to happen as she begins to talk to people, to refer to them by name, to understand what has happened, to let go of the guilt and to start to want to get better.

It’s definitely a story driven by character, there isn’t much in the way of plot, and for some people that will be frustrating, but for me it worked really well. I may not have liked Stevie a lot of the time, but I was definitely invested and engaged. I wanted to learn more, to see how she would respond in these situations, to see her perception of herself and the world begin to change.

The girls surrounding Stevie are just as fascinating. We don’t learn a huge amount about them, because Stevie herself is not interested or doesn’t feel like she can ask or talk, but what glimpses we do get help to paint a vivid picture of life with an eating disorder and the struggle to recovery.

I absolutely loved Stevie’s relationship with Shrink/Anna. I loved that it was a portrayal of a psychologist that was actually good and helpful, rather than making her out to be unfeeling or horrid, or any of the other usual portrayals in YA fiction. It was a breath of fresh air to see such a human person in this position and I loved this book for daring to allow Anna to be human.

The one thing that I was frustrated about is that whilst it is touched upon briefly, the majority of the focus is left on people who develop an eating disorder due to traumatic circumstances or events. Only one of the girls has an eating disorder for no discernible reason, and whilst it was really good that it is brought up and touched upon that it is almost worse in some ways to not be able to label and understand why you have this problem and how you’re not sure how to get better from it, I could have done with more time being spent on that issue. We see a lot from the other girls who have had trauma that has resulted in the disorder, but not really enough from the flip side.

“But we are a group of girls so overwhelmed by our mere existence that it’s almost paralyzing, the idea of dealing with the ‘big picture’ issues. It’s the reason we got this way to begin with. The reason a single caloric unit takes on such importance, the reason the pound becomes our currency of worth. These are things we can manage.”

This is a hard book, but an important one. One that casts an unflinching gaze on eating disorders – the hierarchy, the rituals, the warped sense of self. It is a book that needs to be read, needs to have more people understanding, and one that offers a mirror for those who have suffered, or are suffering from an eating disorder. One that shows that you are not alone. That you do not need to let it consume you. That there is hope.

Review: Lorali by Laura Dockrill

Publication Date: July 2^nd 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 337 pages

Huge thanks to Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Colourful, raw, brave, rich and fantastical - this mermaid tale is not for the faint-hearted.
Looking after a naked girl he found washed up under Hastings pier isn't exactly how Rory had imagined spending his sixteenth birthday. But more surprising than finding her in the first place is discovering where she has come from.
Lorali is running not just from the sea, not just from her position as princess, but her entire destiny. Lorali has rejected life as a mermaid, and become human.
But along with Lorali's arrival, and the freak weather suddenly battering the coast, more strange visitors begin appearing in Rory's bemused Sussex town. With beautifully coiffed hair, sharp-collared shirts and a pirate ship shaped like a Tudor house, the Abelgare boys are a mystery all of their own. What are they really up to? Can Rory protect Lorali? And who from? And where does she really belong, anyway?

I’m not usually a fan of mermaid books, so I was dubious picking this one up, but knowing that Laura had written it made me curious regardless of the content. I’ve loved Laura’s books in the past –the prose is so incredible and vibrant – and I think that Lorali may actually be my favourite novel of hers yet.

This book is like nothing I’ve read, it’s strange and alien and beautiful and dark. It’s a stunning novel told from three viewpoints – Lorali herself, Rory the human boy who finds her and the sea. Yes that’s right, one of the points of view is from the sea herself and it is stunningly done.

I got lost in this book, completely swept away and couldn’t put it down once I’d started reading. I fell in love with the little seaside town and it reminded me of Thisby from The Scorpio Races in places. It was vivid and wild and filled with unexpected magic.

I fell in love with the characters. With Lorali’s short staccato sentences as she finds words and learns to use them. With Rory’s all too human voice, his slang his kindness and disbelief. And with the sea whispering from all the other corners of the world created – from Opal finally finding a place for herself, to the Abelgare pirates who were some of the most incredible mixture of cut throat and lost boys I’ve ever seen depicted, to Iris and Flynn and their quiet warmth and support.

The story slipped inside me, changing constantly as soon as I thought I had it pegged for a particular story type. It is a glorious mixture of everything, thrown in together to create a truly incredible book. I loved the strangeness and the wildness, I loved the characters and the humour and darkness.

This is an extraordinary book and I am so glad I put my preconceptions of mermaid books aside to pick it up.

Review: This Book is Gay by James Dawson

Publication Date: September 4^th 2014
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 271 pages

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Former PSHCE teacher and acclaimed YA author James Dawson gives an uncensored look at what it's like to grow up as LGBT. Including testimonials from people 'across the spectrum', this inclusive book explores everything anyone who ever dared to wonder wants to know - from sex to politics, how to pull, stereotypes, how to come-out and more. Spike Gerrell's hilarious illustrations combined with funny and factual text make this a must-have read.

This is an incredibly important book for everyone not just those whose sexuality is covered in the book.

James tackles a breadth of subjects and topics within sexuality so that no matter who you are and how well informed you may already be, you will learn something from this book. It acts like a sort of guidebook for those thinking about their sexuality, coming to terms with their sexuality, and those who may already be out and secure with it. The breadth of topics covered is staggering: common definitions and labels, stereotypes, biological theories, coming out dating, homophobia, sex, marriage, children, religious opposition, transphobia and HIV/AIDS. For such a slim volume it does a huge amount.

He gives clear, honest and open advice on all of these topics as well as pulling stories and thoughts from survey’s he has conducted with people from around the world and the result is a patchwork of support and advice that shows anyone reading this book that you are not alone. It gives snapshots into so many lives and it’s wonderful to see so many different views collected into one book, providing a thought provoking and engaging read.

Sex-Ed is woefully lacking in so many parts of the world, and almost non-existent for anyone whose sexuality doesn’t fall into the straight category. It leaves so many people isolated, confused and ignorant about things that should be taught as freely as straight sex-ed is taught, and this book is a fantastic step in the right direction to right this imbalance.

The only reason that this book doesn’t have a full five stars from me is because there are quite a few topics glossed over – for example I didn’t feel that there was nearly enough page space devoted to Trans, and I think the idea of being asexual was mentioned once? For a book that was supposed to be inclusive I felt that it leaned very heavily on Gay/Lesbian and didn’t look very far outside that circle. That’s fair enough if the book was just going to focus on that, but to act as though the book was all inclusive and then to only focus heavily on being gay or lesbian felt a bit frustrating.

It also felt as though the aimed for age of the reader was a bit all over the place. This is an important book, one that needs to be read by pretty much everyone regardless of their gender or sexuality or age, and there were some points that felt like they were aimed for much younger readers and then others where it shifted abruptly to more adult language. It didn’t quite strike the right balance for me as a book aimed at a wide group of people. It was an admirable attempt at a very tough job, but it didn’t quite hit all the right points for me.

This is a hugely important book, for those needing help, advice and reassurance for the things they are going through. For people who are curious. For people who are willing and open to being educated. The world has been so homophobic for so long that it is a relief to see books like this appearing on shelves. Funny, informative and engaging, this is one that I will be getting everyone I know to sit down and read.

Review: Liberty's Fire by Lydia Syson

Publication Date: May 7^th 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Length: 348 pages

Huge thanks to Hot Key Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Paris, 1871. Four young people will rewrite their destinies. Paris is in revolt. After months of siege at the hands of the Prussians, a wind of change is blowing through the city, bringing with it murmurs of a new revolution. Alone and poverty-stricken, sixteen-year-old Zephyrine is quickly lured in by the ideals of the city's radical new government, and she finds herself swept away by its promises of freedom, hope, equality and rights for women. But she is about to fall in love for a second time, following a fateful encounter with a young violinist. Anatole's passion for his music is soon swiftly matched only by his passion for this fierce and magnificent girl. He comes to believe in Zephyrine's new politics - but his friends are not so sure. Opera-singer Marie and photographer Jules have desires of their own, and the harsh reality of life under the Commune is not quite as enticing for them as it seems to be for Anatole and Zephyrine. And when the violent reality of revolution comes crashing down at all their feet, can they face the danger together - or will they be forced to choose where their hearts really lie?

Ever since I moved to France I have been reading more books set in France. It’s such a wonderful step away from the usual UK and US YA fiction we see so much of, and I’ve been loving seeing so much more of the culture and history I’ve been thrust into. The history is something that particularly fascinates me as my knowledge of French History is woefully inadequate and I’m working hard to try and rectify it. So over the last few weeks I have slipped into 1910 (‘The Confectioner’s Wife’ by Laura Madeleine) and 1814 (‘A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin’) so I had a little idea of what might be happening in 1871 but it was incredible to step into ‘Liberty’s Fire’ and have Lydia Syson bring this fascinating period to roaring life.

Syson offers four distinct views into the events of the novel from four very different backgrounds. Jules the American photographer who has no lack of money and has been able to survive the events with very little issue. Anatole his friend, a boy from the country recently moved to Paris who plays violin for the theatre. Zephyrine, whose Grandmother passes away at the start and is at the lowest rung of the ladder – destitute and desperate for the equality the commune can provide her with she throws herself into it without a backward glance, taking Anatole with her. And Marie, an opera singer in the same company as Anatole. Her brother is in the French army and she doesn’t understand or embrace the idea of the commune, in fact she appears downright terrified of it for the most part. Each of these characters with their entangled stories and relationships offer insights into every aspect of the revolution and the commune created in Paris. You see it from both sides, those for and against. Those with money and a way to live and those with nothing who are desperate for some equality. I loved seeing how each of them reacted to the events that unfold, and how they each scramble to try and survive.

The events of this period are absolutely devastating, and Syson has captured that feeling of jubilation followed by horror and devastation perfectly. It is brutal and horrific at points, painted with such vividness with Syson’s beautiful prose. I felt as if I were living it myself, shown these tangled threads of stories and following each character through their struggles. It was heartbreaking but also uplifting and Syson perfectly combines her research and historical pin points so that you come away knowing more about these three months – a period of history I was sadly ignorant of before. But it isn’t just a history lesson, she weaves a compelling tale of love and friendship and survival with a wonderful cast of characters.

I only had two issues with the story. The first being the pacing. Whilst I loved all the details and the measured pace so that we really got to know the characters and their relationships with one another, the pacing did become a little slow at points, almost to the point where I wondered if there would actually be a climax. It didn’t feel so much like a slow build to a pinnacle of tension where everything exploded, it felt more like a meandering build which worked in some places and frustrated me in others. However when events finally come to a head it is action packed, tense and utterly gripping and enthralling. I could not put the book down until I had learned what had happened to each of the characters.

My second problem was with the relationship. I wasn’t sold on the relationship between Anatole and Zephryine. It was very sudden and I didn’t connect with it in the same way as I did with the relationship between Anatole and Jules. As a result I became more invested in their side moments than the majority of the scenes that occurred between Anatole and Zephryine.

However these were only minor quibbles in a truly extraordinary book. Syson brings this pivotal moment of French history into glorious life and explores it from four unique view-points and I loved these characters and their stories as much as I loved finding out more about the history of France. Syson sets up a vivid peek into this world and then builds into a staggering conclusion with a truly incredible tale.

Author Q & A with Katherine Marsh

Continuing in the spirit of celebration for today’s blogiversary, I am now lucky enough to be joined by the lovely Katherine Marsh, author of  ‘The Night Tourist’ and ‘The Twilight Prisoner’ who has just released her latest novel ‘Jepp, Who Defied the Stars’ – a hauntingly beautiful tale with an extraordinary hero at its heart.

“For those readers who haven’t yet discovered Jepp, who defied the Stars, how would you describe the book to them and tempt them to pick up a copy?”

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars is the story of a teenager at the end of the 16th century who leaves his small town home to become a court dwarf, rebels against the world he finds there, and ends up a captive of a revolutionary and eccentric astronomer. It’s a tale about fate and free will, specifically the question of whether our parents, circumstances and misfortunes define us, or whether we can shape our own destinies. The characters are based on real historical figures, including the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and the dwarf who served him. I think anyone who's ever felt like an outsider or underestimated by the world will enjoy this book--as well as anyone looking for a page-turning historical adventure. 

“Can you tell us a bit about your process – how the ideas come to you, and how you develop them?” 

My background is as a journalist and one of the hints I used to share with reporters was to pay special attention to moments that bother you. The same is true for fiction. I think great books come out of questions, confusion, things that rattle and plague you. In the case of Jepp, I knew I wanted to write a novel about fate and free will because of my own conflicting feelings on this subject. When I was growing up my mother was a very serious astrologer and, to this day, I find comfort in the idea of predetermination. But, at the same time, I am constantly both exhilarated and terrified by a gut feeling that life is uncertain and unknowable.

When I decided I wanted to write about this topic, I began to read about the history of astrology and became fascinated by the time in which astronomers were also astrologers but a new sense of science and free will were emerging. This led me to the astronomer/ astrologer Tycho Brahe. He was such an eccentric character--with a futuristic castle with running water, a collection of automata or moving statues and even a beer-drinking pet moose--that I immediately wanted to write about him. When I read that a dwarf named Jepp sat at his feet I thought of the wonderful portraits of court dwarfs by the 17th century Spanish artist Diego Velazquez and the story of a teenage court dwarf trying to control his own destiny came into focus.

“What was the most exciting part for you?” 

The most exciting part for me was putting Jepp into tough situations and watching him work his way through them. Once you establish a strong character and voice for that character, they begin to take you on a journey. I also loved shaping the language in Jepp, trying to make the prose as distinctive, memorable, and beautiful as I could.

“And what was the most challenging?” 

The most challenging part of the process is honestly putting Jepp out into the marketplace. We live in a time in which books are expected to be reducible to Hollywood-style sound bites and in which familiarity is considered a virtue. I did not write Jepp with those kind of commercial considerations in mind. Rather, the book is an act of faith that there are plenty of readers out there who value complexity, originality and ambition.

“What has been your favourite part of the writing and publishing process?”

On a good day, the writing part of the process is my favorite. On a bad day, I take solace in having written although when I look at my published books, I'm always afraid I won't be able to do it again.

"What are the most important attributes to helping you stay sane as a writer?"

I don't think anyone who aspires to become a writer should place a high value on sanity. Doubt, failure and madness can be just as instructive.

“Has writing always been something you wanted to do? And how did you make the jump from wanting to write and writing for yourself to becoming a full time writer?”

I've wanted to write pretty much as long as I can remember. It's the way I process the world. I started my career as a narrative journalist, which is a wonderful way to learn how to observe the world and structure a story. But ultimately, I wanted the freedom to create worlds, as opposed to just describing the one around me. In my late 20s, I wrote one children's book that ended up in a drawer but it gave me the confidence to attempt another. This second one found an agent and eventually a publisher. It's called The Night Tourist and was published in translation in ten countries and won a big US mystery writing award. I wish I could say that it's been easy since then but I still struggle with doubt and the fear that I'm not really a "writer." So I hope no one else let's that stop them.

“Do you have a specific routine or writing process, and does anything in particular stimulate your writing?”

I work for about 4-6 hours a day, starting at 8am, when my mind is fresh. Some days I write nothing at all, other days several pages. There are occasional moments of inspiration interspersed with lots of revision made to look like inspiration. I am always stimulated to write by reading other books, especially ones that give me a new sense of what is possible.

“Do you have some favourite books or authors that have inspired you?” 

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is one of my all-time favorites. I love how expansive the story is, integrating religious history, Soviet oppression, philosophy, magic realism, romance. I like books that defy genre and that appeal to our interlinked sense of mortality and wonder.

“What are you working on at the moment?”

A story based on a Russian fairy tale.

If you’d like to find out more about Katherine, you can follow her on twitter @MarshKatherine

You can also follow the lovely UK publishers of Jepp, Hot Key Books here!

You can also find her facebook page here, and don’t forget to check her website for more information and news!