Crowvus Book Blog

 Today, I'm very excited to share my thoughts on Dylan Madeley 's book, The Last Gift-Knight . Dylan sent me a copy of his book after reaching out to ask for a review and I'm really glad he did. Keep reading to find out what I thought to The Last Gift-Knight , and decide whether this will be your next great read... But first, let's meet the book! Two lives, the legacies of grand stories, are at the forefront of this tale. Frustrated with living in the shadow of a long-dead hero, Derek flees to infamous ruins and begs his ancestors for a sign. The next day, he is summoned to serve as the personal guard of his family's greatest enemy. The ensuing journey leads him through storied places, the depths of loneliness, and a growing dread over what awaits at his destination. A reserved and bookish princess unexpectedly finds herself on the throne yet under suspicion. Chandra hardly has time to prepare or to grieve before facing her duties. Aided by a trustworthy few, she mu...

   Today, I'm delighted to welcome RJ Verity  to the #HistFicThursdays blog as part her  Coffee Pot Book Club 's book tour. Today, meet her brand new book Poole of Honour , and discover your next great read! Read on to enjoy an excerpt from this fabulous book! First of all, let's meet the book... London, 1965. The city is swinging, the world is shifting, and Daniel Poole is a rising criminal barrister with everything to prove – to the courts, to his father, to his wife and to himself. But Daniel is carrying a secret that could shatter the life he has so carefully built. As society begins to question the rules it once held sacred, he is forced to decide what he stands for — and what he is willing to risk in order to belong. Set against a backdrop of cultural upheaval and political change, Poole of Honour is a tense, character-driven historical novel exploring ambition, identity, and the cost of silence, as the next generation of the Poole family confronts a world on ...

Imagine a world not governed by time. When twelve-year-old twins Jake and Abi stumble upon the mysterious Merchiston Hall, they think they’ve found somewhere to work, somewhere to sleep, and, if they’re lucky, a place to stay safe. Instead, they discover a world unlike anything they’ve ever known. A house with no clock. Unicorns roaming the grounds. And a bridge across the river that nobody wants them to cross. For the first time since their mother’s death, Jake and Abi begin to feel happy. They begin to feel at home. But there is an underlying threat of a stolen power - the ability to control all the time in the world.  There is no more excitement in Crowvus HQ than there is on Release Day of a new book! And today, we are doubly excited, because this is not only a new book but a new Crowvus author, Elizabeth McKay. All the Time in the World  is a wonderful, suspenseful, and exciting adventure. Abi and Jake, the books protagonists, are relatable and easy to engage with, while ...

Christmas is a big deal at Crowvus HQ. Those of you who have followed our progress for a while will know that we love Christmas and do it in a big way. With only 100 days to go, it is never too soon to start thinking about preparations for the big day, especially since the delivery services are a nightmare at that time of the year, and there is no guarantee that things will not be held up in the post. So here we go, on a shameless advertising push, but one which is sure to make your bookish family and friends thrilled with their gift! Books make a brilliant present. Why? Because they offer the gift of adventure, of imagination, and of escapism from the crazy madness of the world today. And you don't have to only read a book once. In fact, after reading a book with a twist in it, it can be twice as enjoyable rereading it to see all the clues along the way. Or perhaps it's the language you love, and you could dive into those plush phrases time and time again. Whatever makes a boo...

 I'm not the Crowvus writer who publishes horror. I've appreciated the brilliant books by Judith Crow, but I know it's not something I can write. The supernatural is different. People will - quite rightly - tell you that horror can encompass the supernatural, but the supernatural is not only confined to that genre. The supernatural, by definition, have their roots in the natural. In the case of ghosts, they were once alive, now having transcended from the natural (i.e. worldly) existence, into the supernatural on an unknown plain. The best ghost stories (my opinion only!) are the ones which unite the natural and the supernatural, looking at the shadows and imprints left on the natural world by those now occupying the supernatural one. In essence, when I read through the submissions for the Crowvus Christmas Ghost Story Competition , I'm looking for the human aspect of the story. I love the idea of ghosts trapped in time, I love the idea of ghosts trying to commune with ...

 Today is our final Fun and Games  blog post, but don't worry! We have three sheets for you this time! We've created these three colouring-in sheets, and each one has an extra drawing challenge, so you can have twice as much creative fun! We would love to see your finished pictures, so remember to share them with us via email , Facebook , or BSky ! Let the colouring begin!

 The events of the past week have brought home to me just how important the personal aspect and view of history are. One of the key questions I have both asked other authors and been asked myself, is whether there was a specific character they identify with. For my own part, I've always answered that there is a little bit of me in all my characters. And it's true. I have never based a character totally on myself because I have never belonged to a point in time except my own, I can't know how I would react! Now, I am less than a decade from my own lifespan encompassing the general 50-year gap for an historical fiction setting - a scary thought! Suddenly, my own early adventures are starting to sound like something from a historical novel. A few weeks ago, Crowvus published Child at the Pantry Door  and, at the end of the month, we will be publishing the next issue of our journal Hooded: Memoirs . The personal aspect to both of these books is a crucial resource to historical ...

 Today, we have another fun activity lined up for you. We're now only a week away from the launch of our new book, All the Time in the World , and we're so excited! In this crossword, all the answers relevant to the book, but we've given you some unrelated clues as you won't know how they fit into the story until next week. Once you've solved the clues, all you have to do is try and fit them into the grid. Enjoy!

 This was not exactly the blog that we planned to write. We were going to share a post about our Ghost Story Competition  (which this still is), but it has suddenly become very pertinent and personal. On Saturday, only a day after sharing our Puplishing  blog, we lost our founding publisher, Orlando. We are all utterly devastated, and Crowvus HQ has become very quiet. It is truly strange not to see him at the bottom of the stairs, or not to have him sitting at my feet while I write this. It is the little, everyday, routine  things where his death is most acutely felt. Nine years ago, in our first ever Ghost Story Competition , we received a story entitled Black Dog . I admit, I had preconceived ideas about this one, based on its title, thinking about baying hounds and the Black Shuck. Nothing was further from the truth. A. J. Black's beautiful story was a journey of grief, a coming to terms with a loss of more than life, but of a companion. I remember reading it and ...

 It is not long at all until our new Middle Grade book All the Time in the World  is released! We know you are as excited as we are about this book, so we've created a few activity sheets which we will be sharing right here on the blog throughout this week. Our first activity is a character wordsearch . We've hidden the names of some of the book's key characters in the grid for you to try and find. If you manage that, see if you can locate some of the extra words we've tucked in. If you're not sure what those words might be, we suggest you have a read through the blurb here . Once you've finished, you can decorate the border with your own artwork. We'd love to see your finished wordsearch, so please feel free to share a picture of it with us. You can do this via email , Facebook , or BSky . We can't wait to see them!

 One of the great joys about being an independent publisher is that you can make up your own rules for the office. Naturally, a principal rule is: "dogs must be present at all times". So today, we thought we would introduce you to the Crowvus puppies. These three canines have transformed our industry from publishing to puplishing , and the results have all been positive. Meet Orlando Orlando has been with Crowvus since the beginning, making him the founding puplisher. During his long and illustrious career, he has featured in a handful of books, been a poster boy for a Sprocker charity, and sat in on more meetings than we can remember having! Orlando is in his retirement now, which tends to feature long naps and 24hr cuddles. Meet Jess Jess joined the Crowvus team in 2022. She's very much an only girl and has perfected the timely swing from princess to tomboy and back again. Whilst she tries to be helpful, she is a very jealous Jess, and fills most of her Crowvus time dem...

 I - along with my fellow members of Crowvus - are very excited about our new release on 16th September. We fell in love with this story for a number of different reasons, and one of the key ones for me was the role of history. Of course, when you have a story about the governing and governance of time, there is going to be some element of the past, but the way in which Elizabeth McKay so casually and seamlessly interweaves the past with the present is both clever and effective. Finding our own place in time is not always easy, and neither is finding a place in our current time for the past. Discussing an historical fiction book recently over the weekend's breakfast, we were led into the confusing cycle of how fine the line is between pioneering characters and utterly unbelievable ones. The conversation actually began because of a discussion into our family tree and a look at how the role of registry offices allowed for a step away from the power of the church. In our increasingly ...

 ...Meet All the Time in the World ! Our next release is the gripping Middle Grade adventure All the Time in the World by Elizabeth McKay. This book is released on 16th September, but you can pre-order your copy here . This book is perfect for readers aged 9-13, but it can be enjoyed by children of all ages and adults too! Imagine a world not governed by time. When twelve-year-old twins Jake and Abi stumble upon the mysterious Merchiston Hall, they think they’ve found somewhere to work, somewhere to sleep, and, if they’re lucky, a place to stay safe. Instead, they discover a world unlike anything they’ve ever known. A house with no clock. Unicorns roaming the grounds. And a bridge across the river that nobody wants them to cross. For the first time since their mother’s death, Jake and Abi begin to feel happy. They begin to feel at home. But there is an underlying threat of a stolen power - the ability to control all the time in the world. Now let's meet the author... Elizabeth stil...

 Welcome, Readers! During the next few weeks, you can expect to find a blog post popping up every Monday to Friday. This is because September is full of brilliant bookish adventures, be that as a reader or as a writer, and we are so excited to be sharing them with you. We're dedicating September to new stories, old classics, timeless adventures, and promising tales. Here are the things you can look forward to: 16th September - the launch of All the Time in the World  by Elizabeth McKay. This is the story of Jake and Abi, a brother and sister who stumble into a realm where time is not measured in the usual way, but where there are those who seek to control it for their own ends. 30th September - our tenth Crowvus Ghost Story Competition . Have you got a spooky story to share? Can you write a haunting tale in 4,000 words or less? This year is a big one so, in addition to publication, we're including a small monetary prize for all the shortlisted stories. For all the Ts&Cs, h...