Crowvus Book Blog

Tomorrow (15th August), The Stealth of Caledon is released in paperback. I’m meeting this with mixed feelings – excitement and apprehension. I suppose there is nothing unusual about this, but it marks a very significant step for me, and I’m nervous about taking it. The step is that this is the first historical fiction book I’ve published since The Year We Lived … That was more than four years ago, and I’m not sure I can remember now how to do it all! The Caledon  trailer watch it with sound and you won't be disappointed! But there is something else about my Caledon series which makes it particularly difficult: it’s historical fantasy. To me, historical fantasy is about the best genre there could be. I love the past and I love speculative fiction. But it’s so difficult to find readers who can connect with your own version of the past. In a moment of ambitious optimism, I agreed to publish one Caledon book every August (there are six in total), but the first book is the one of my bo...

The Curator of our @WeeklyScribe account this week has been the fabulous Oisín Breen , who is celebrating the release of his newest book of poetry,  Lilies on the Deathbed of Étaín and Other Poems . He gave us this fantastic interview about his new book; his relationship with poetry; and words of wisdom for poets at the start of their journey. Read on, poetry-lovers... Please introduce yourself and your book. Thank you. Well, in purely declarative terms, I’m an Irishman, the sound, meaning, history and myth of my country is in the bones, so when it comes to the poetic, I am precisely the opposite of what in my own brain I call the ‘English’ style, though to be fair it stretches over the oceans, too, namely a cool, crisp, reserved, dry, acerbic, minimalist approach to writing. I’m no minimalist whatsoever. Lord, I don’t even believe in it. A poem or a story without a journey, without arc (I mean if you think of the theorist Todorov and minimal narratives, how can you not think of w...

We at Crowvus are delighted to bring our newest story to the market! Honour's Rest is a young adult magical realism, filled with danger and adventure, with a good dollop of self-sacrifice on the side. We were lucky enough to persuade the main character of the book, Pendragon Devon, to come and answer some of our questions. Perhaps, after you've read the book yourself, you have a question for him too. Feel free to write your questions in the comments below. Here's a bit of background on the Rite, for those who are unsure: The Rite is definitely not  magic (but really, it is, just don't tell Napier we said that). There are 2 ways of channelling the Rite, each having their own pros and cons, and it's not so clear-cut as to be good vs bad. But that's enough from us...let's hand over to Pendragon. What is a Rendelf, and why is the job so important? Because there are two different forms of the Rite, I think the Rendelf was set up to make sure peace was kept betwee...

When people say they’re doing something “on the hoof”, it generally implies they’re making it up as they go along. When it came to writing my first book, I did so on the hoof in more ways than one. The photos that feature in Craggy the Coo Wants a Place to Call Home  were snapped all over Scotland, from the top of mountains to the surface of Loch Ness. But the words that accompany the pictures were largely concocted near my hometown of Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway. I’m relatively notorious in these parts for embarking on epic walks of 20-30 miles around the surrounding hills. And while most people would carry their phone to chart their route or maybe listen to music, I used mine to put words to my pictures. Having all the photos of Craggy’s travels on my iPhone meant I could weave a clear narrative together based on where he happened to be, and what could be seen in each image. So I would set off on a long walk armed with all I needed to create the verses and his direction of ...

Craggy the Coo was given to me as a Christmas present by my mum way back in 2017. She knitted him from scratch, using her own artistry to produce the woolly mammal who – almost three and a half years later – is about to be unleashed to a brand new audience. I can’t really remember how Craggy’s evolution began. But I remember thinking from the moment I held him in my hands that I ought to repay my mum’s creativity and generosity in kind. The wee coo whose adventures are documented in my first ever book took his first steps out of my hometown of Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway in early January 2018, and he’s never looked back. I’ve packed him in the coo-themed case (well, wash bag if I’m honest) that keeps him safe on each trip I’ve taken around Scotland. And he got to experience some of my favourite parts of the country, in order that I could share those places with a generation of young readers. The idea of travelling widely, armed with a healthy dose of curiosity but a sense that some...

This is my penultimate (one of my favourite words!) blog as #AuthorOfTheWeek, but I hope you've enjoyed my tips about inspiration and writing. Today, I'm making an offering to the reading community, and giving you a small sample of four novels which are up-and-coming from me over the next couple of years. At the moment, two of them are still nameless and, although the other two already have covers, I'm sworn to secrecy about them! Allow me to introduce you to them! The third book in the Tenterchilt family saga Beginning on the field of Waterloo, this third instalment (although it was actually the fourth one I wrote!) follows the Tenterchilt sisters in a period of peace. But peace is a luxury which is denied to the family, partly owing to ghosts of the past, partly owing to the cruelties of outside forces. Among These Dark Satanic Mills This is a totally new style of writing for me -set in the here and now, which is way out of my usual comfort zone! This boo...

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the book tour for this really enjoyable book "Mrs Murray's Home" by Emily-Jane Hills Orford! Mrs Murray's Home Blurb Home is where the heart is, or so they say. It’s also been said that a home is a person’s castle. But home is also with family and friends. Mrs. Murray longs for home, the family home, a castle an ocean away. The Brownies also crave for home, the same castle Mrs. Murray considers home. And Granny? Mary’s Granny hasn’t been home since she was Mary’s age. It’s time to visit the homeland, Scotland. Mary’s excited to tag along with Granny, Mrs. Murray and the Brownies. And then there’s the witch. The one they thought they’d killed. And the treasure. The one they had found. And it all ties together, for better or for worse. Join the adventure in book 3 of the popular “Piccadilly Street Series”. Review I loved most of the characters, in particular Brunny. He seemed human (although, of course,...

Crowvus has published a new book this week: "Child of the Earth" by Susan Crow. This book is nature writing at its best, that beautiful mix between poetry and prose. To celebrate the launch, Susan is writing a series of blog posts, and creating some videos, to help others wanting to follow in the narrative non-fiction footsteps. Collating Information for Narrative Non-Fiction When I started this book, I wanted to include a number of pieces I had written in the past. I rummaged through old briefcases, folders and box files. I tried to find stories and accounts which I'd sent online. It took me a while and, at the end of it, I had a motley mix of might-be-useful  stuff. Then I had to sort it all out. I realised I couldn't do that until I had the structure of the book well in place. Another nature book. How do I make this one different? It seemed the easiest option was to use the calendar from January through to December. But it had been done many times ...

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...

For more than a decade, Derek Philpott and his son, Dave, have been writing to pop stars from the 1960s to the 90s to take issue with the lyrics of some of their best-known songs. But then, to their great surprise, the pop stars started writing back... Dear Mr Pop Star  contains 100 of Derek and Dave's greatest hits, including correspondence with Katrina and the Waves, Tears for Fears, Squeeze, The Housemartins, Suzi Quatro, Devo, Deep Purple, Nik Kershaw, T Pau, Human League, Eurythmics, Wang Chung, EMF, Mott the Hoople, Heaven 17, Jesus Jones, Johnny Hates Jazz, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, Chesney Hawkes and many, many more. When I agreed to review this book and be part of the blog tour for the launch, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. This book's subject and way of writing is most unusual...but it works! What a great hobby to write to celebrities, and greater still that some of them would reply, often matching the cheek and wit that was init...