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Showing posts with the label Book Launch

"Did you see it?" - Ghost Story Last Call

Will your story be in our tenth anthology? ... Four words which created a legendary story ... -~-~- Picture this: a mother and her four children walking through the streets of Edinburgh as the night begins to close in. They are looking for a room for the night, but each house is full. The stone buildings seem to grow darker as the streetlamps throw out as much shadow as light. Finally, one of the proprietors offers a positive response and the family hurry inside, into a cramped room with metal bunkbeds, but nonetheless comfy mattresses. Frightened at these new surroundings, concerned that she has brought her children into an unsafe surrounding, the mother puts the children to bed and tries to persuade herself to sleep. The room inside is darker than the putrid orange glow of the sporadic streetlights in the world beyond the curtains which are masking the window, and she once more checks the lock on the door before climbing into her own bed. Then it happens. Knock-knock-knock. Willing h...

It's Release Day! Middle Grade Adventure: "All the Time in the World" by Elizabeth McKay

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 ...

New Release "Sir Louis Curlewy" by Susan Crow... the ups and downs of publishing a book

Today (on #MGMonday) was supposed to be a blog about creating worlds for fantasy stories, but that will have to wait, because I have some amazing news to share! Happy Release Day to our latest book, Sir Louis Curlewy by Susan Crow! Happy Birthday, Sir Louis Curlewy! (Balloons and Curlews don't actually mix that well!) This wonderfully informative book contains heap-loads of facts about this vulnerable bird, but all told in engaging rhyme. I've been sharing information about this book for a few months now, starting with the cover reveal, then the book teaser and now I'm finally able to share with you the book itself. Thank you to all those who pre-ordered the ebook. It should have made its way onto your e-reader by now (if it hasn't, get in touch!) If you were waiting for the paperback, it is now available to buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Louis-Curlewy-non-fiction-endangered/dp/1913182517 Blurb This captivating book combines storytelling with fun facts a...

#IndieApril Craggy Blog: My Inspiration

When I’m asked who my favourite author is, I also tend to consider who my favourite writers have been at various stages of my life. When I was very young, Roald Dahl could not be beaten. Like many children, I found his sense of mischief combined with superlative storytelling and Quentin Blake’s glorious illustrations irresistible. In my angsty teenage years, I must have re-read JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye  about 20 times, dreaming of leaving boarding school and running off to the States with just a rucksack on my back (which I actually did for a year when I was 17. I wasn’t quite as rebellious as Holden Caulfield though. It was all above board.) But the writer who has stood the test of time with me most, and was taken from us far too soon, is Iain Banks. I love the twisty intrigue of Complicity , in which my hometown of Langholm has an early cameo. I adore the assault on the hypocrisies of organised religion that lie at the heart of Whit . In my teens, I was traumatised in a c...

#IndieApril Craggy Blog: Plotting Craggy's Path

There’s nothing like a global pandemic to make you appreciate the life you had before. Without the freedom to roam around Scotland, my debut book would never have happened. And I’m grateful to this day that it was done and dusted before Covid struck. The fact I’ve been unable to travel the country again to launch Craggy the Coo Wants a Place to Call Home is a trifling inconvenience in the great scheme of what we’ve all endured over the past 13 months or so. I’ve been asked how I picked the places that Craggy travels to in the course of his journey. If I’m honest, they really picked themselves, based on where I happened to be or personally chose to visit in the 18 months or so it took me to put the book together. So let’s start at the start. The first picture I ever took of Craggy on location was in the village of Rockcliffe, Dumfries and Galloway in January 2018. That stretch of the Solway coastline brings back magical memories from my childhood when, to quote one of my favourite autho...

Taking Wing Book Tour Photo Diary

Wow! What a week it has been! We're now settled back home in Caithness, but last week we were dashing from one school to the next to conduct workshops. Each of the schools had something amazing to offer and I loved every second of it. That is, once I'd plucked up the courage to actually get out of the car! The nerves didn't settle down until we were driving back north. Even then, niggling feelings of doubt were clawing at me. "What if they don't like my book?" "Oh no, I should have done this differently." Rather than nattering about the multitude of events, I have compiled a photo diary of our time on the Taking Wing Book Tour. Of course, there are very few pictures of the school events because, well, it's a school! One school shared their photos publicly some one of these is included... The trip started off well, leaving Mum with a copy of Taking Wing. Here's Mum - supportive as ever! Here we are - arrived at the Guest Hou...

Fantastic Fantasy Feasts Book Launch

Maybe outlaws have driven you from your home, or maybe the wyverns have destroyed everything you know.​ Whatever the reason, you are alone in the wilderness and you need to eat. You need this recipe book before those hungry vultures seize their chance.​ A tongue in cheek tale of fantasy cuisine. This book was written as a Christmas present for my brother and 3 of my sisters. We used to have super fun times playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and I knew the old handbook back to front. My favourite section was the Bestiary and I'd include the weird and wonderful creatures in my story of the time. I also loved creating characters. There's something quite thrilling about the role of a dice, and really, really hoping that you get a good enough WS (Weapon skill) to become a warrior. I wanted to be an elf when I was little (I think the phase came after wanting to be a mammoth) so it was a good opportunity for me to fulfil this life dream. (The mammoth would be a...

Cover and Trailer Reveal

I've not been able to publish many posts so far this year, but I can't think of a better way to start this blog up again. The next couple of months are going to be an exciting time for Crowvus. We have the John o' Groats Book Festival coming up, and 2 books launching in April! Yes, 2! It's like London buses...nothing for a while and then 2 come along at once! Today, we have the very thrilling job of revealing the cover and trailer for Beneath Blacks Clouds and White - the 2nd novel by Virginia Crow. Although written as a prequel to Day's Dying Glory, this poignant historical fiction novel can be read without any knowledge of the characters of the 1st book. Despite adoring his family and enjoying frequenting gaming tables, Captain Josiah Tenterchilt’s true love is the British Army and he is committed to his duty. As such, he does not hesitate to answer the army’s call when King Louis XVI of France is executed. ​ Accompanied by his wife to Flanders, Josiah f...

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Looking back always makes me feel a bit nostalgic and there are points in this year that I could relive time and time again. Highlights for me were being there at the launch of Virginia's historical fiction novel Day's Dying Glory in April and then the Perthshire holiday straight after. That was a super relaxing time that will remain in my most treasured memories for years. Here are some pictures of the holiday: Virginia at her book launch for "Day's Dying Glory" Just down the road from where we stayed in Perthshire You may have recognised the ruined house as the one we used in the Ghost Story Competition video . That was another highlight of 2017 - our first competition encouraged about 100 entries and all the stories I read from the longlist were absolutely superb. It was a tricky business creating the shortlist but we got there in the end. I have also reviewed some very good books, and read some super books that I will post throughout...

Inspirational Perthshire

Virginia Crow (author of Day's Dying Glory) at Innerpeffray Library I’m not sure what it was about my last holiday that made it so special. Whether it was because it was intertwined with the Day’s Dying Glory book launch event at Innerpeffray Library, or because I needed a rest from all my responsibilities, or that it was just an amazing place to stay…I really loved last week’s holiday! The cottage was The Old Post Office on Dunalistair Estate and we had booked it from Saturday to Saturday. The road to the cottage was bumpy and bendy which, being a non-driver, I didn’t mind a bit. In fact, it seemed to add to the whole experience. Once at the cottage, I realised what an astonishing view we would have for the next 7 days. The cottage looked out across an open field, over Dunalistair Water and to Schiehallion beyond. On clear days, you could see the whole mountain which stood quite close to the cottage. Once every day, however, the mountain top would be covered by mi...

"Day's Dying Glory" Book Launch

11th April 2017 The Ropewalk Barton upon Humber North Lincolnshire Rows of "Day's Dying Glory" from the initial print run. Many thanks to Caroline Watson for the photo. The first of anything is always a daunting experience. The first book launch for a story that has been years in the making, and embodying a little segment of our souls into each page, is a terrifying experience. We’ve been planning the launch of Day’s Dying Glory  by Virginia Crow for several months now so, when the time came to make it over to The Ropewalk in Barton-on-Humber on the 11 th April, we weren’t really sure what to say. The tension disappeared, however, when we arrived at The Ropery Hall and people started arriving. My sister, Judith, had surprised us by travelling down that day – all the way from the north of Scotland – to be with us on this momentous occasion. As more and more people arrived, some of whom I knew from when we lived in Lincolnshire, the atmosphere g...