Publishing News: Cassandra Clare & The Bane Chronicles

From Booktrade:

Ahead of the highly anticipated major movie release of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Walker Books has acquired the innovative digital The Bane Chronicles story cycle from Cassandra Clare in which she co-authors with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson a sequence of ten short stories.

The Bane Chronicles feature Magnus Bane, a flamboyant immortal warlock who appears in The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series which Walker Books has published with great success since 2007. In the forthcoming film, Magnus Bane will be played by Godfrey Gao, a Taiwanese actor enormously popular throughout Asia. Launching this April, one digital story will be published every month (priced £1.99) with the complete collection available as a book during 2014.

Post movie release, Walker Books will extend the publishing programme further with the release of The Shadowhunter's Codex, the essential background handbook to the Shadowhunters' world, by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis in November 2013. 

Here the UK trailer for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones:

Blog Tour: Kate Harrison

Orion have launched their Indigo imprint of YA titles and one of the first ones is Soul Beach by Kate Harrison. I have been drooling over this one since I first heard about it and it's as good as I'd hoped.

As part of the Soul Beach tour, Kate Harrison has written a guest post on crime fiction - a topic dear to my heart.

First, here's the blurb for the first book in the Soul Beach trilogy, parts 2 and three are scheduled for July 2012 and 2013 respectively.


Synopsis:
When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love ...But why is Soul Beach only inhabited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next? The first book in an intriguing and compelling trilogy centred around the mystery of Megan Forster's death.




Secondly, here's the trailer:



and third, there is an extract (and more) on the Soul Beach website.

SMOKE AND MIRRORS…

The moody beachfront cover of Soul Beach suggests dark plots and extreme danger.

But when I was writing my first thriller, my influences were a little less scary than the image suggests. Without realising it at the time, I was following in the footsteps of Enid Blyton. Or the giant paw prints of Scooby Doo...

Because in Soul Beach, the young aren’t just the victims – they fight back.

Children – young girls in particular – appear all the time in crime fiction, meeting more than their fair share of grisly ends. It’s easy to see why they’re tempting for a novelist: an attack on innocence is shocking and suggests genuine evil. And in this generation, more than ever before, children are protected and monitored, constantly made aware of stranger danger. When adult protection fails, it’s everyone’s worst nightmare.

In contrast, the ranks of the investigators are dominated by detectives wrinklier than a Sharpei dog. That’s why when I had the idea for Soul Beach, I wanted my teenage heroine to take action, rather than be a passive victim. And I’ve realised I can trace that desire back to my own childhood reading and viewing.

When I was growing up in the seventies and eighties, it felt different: we really could disappear for hours without our parents panicking. And that was the case in books, too. Enid Blyton’s rather stuffy heroes spent their free time uncovering derring-do as Secret Sevens or Famous Fives. Scooby and his teen chums specialised in uncovering supernatural goings on that always turned out to be smoke and mirrors. I was never a big Nancy Drew fan, but she was a player, too. Back then, kids got their hands dirty.

In Soul Beach, my own hands are far from clean when it comes to killing off the young. Everyone on my paradise shore is young, beautiful – and dead. But my earthbound heroine, 16-year-old Alice, takes control of their fates and her own.

Making this happen wasn’t easy. Most teenagers complain about the restrictions placed upon them– and I knew that Alice’s parents, devastated by the murder of her elder sister, would be so anxious that they wouldn’t let her out of their sight. So how could I give her an active role in solving Meggie’s murder? Plenty of authors kill off awkward parents, or send them abroad, but that seemed too easy to me.

My solution tapped into another thing parents often fear – the internet. Alice seems safe in her bedroom – but with every click, she’s putting herself in danger. The online world draws her in, and it’s unclear if anyone is controlling her. Yet the internet also offers her answers, as she investigates why people end up on the Beach and why her sister lost her life.

Thriller or investigative elements in YA books seem to be on the increase.... and with that, there’s less passivity in our heroes and heroines. From the sleuthing efforts of Christopher in Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, to Todd’s determination to find out what lies beyond Prentisstown in Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy, the young are determined to find out the reality beyond the world adults try to show them.

OK, it’s a darker world than Blyton’s. But as Alice faces her fears to find out who killed her sister, I think Scooby’s tail would be wagging furiously in support.

Many thanks to Kate and Indigo for arranging this.

You can read about all Indigo's titles on their website.

Trailer Thursday - Momentum

I've enjoyed Saci Lloyd's The Carbon Diaries 2015 and 2017 so I'm looking forward to Momentum which has just been published by Hodder Children's Books.

Synopsis:
London, the near future. Energy wars are flaring across the globe - oil prices have gone crazy, regular power cuts are a daily occurrence. The cruel Kossak soldiers prowl the streets, keeping the Outsiders - the poor, the disenfranchised - in check. Hunter is a Citizen: one of the privileged of society, but with his passion for free running and his rebel friend Leo he cannot help but be fascinated by the Outsiders. So when he meets Outsider Uma, he is quickly drawn into their world - and into an electrifying and dangerous race to protect everything they hold dear.

Watch the trailer below:

Trailer Thursday - Twilight, True Love and You

I mentioned a few months ago Twilight, True Love and You: Seven Secret Steps to Finding Your Edward or Jacob by Louise Deacon which is now available (a bit early) on amazon, and I've just been told about a couple of related trailers. I particularly like the one of the author's daughter unwrapping her copy:



and here's the official trailer:

Trailer Tuesday - Scorpia Rising

Anthony Horowitz's final Alex Rider book will be published on 31 March in the UK by Walker. The first two of three teaser trailers have been released:

Trailer Thursday - Halo

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto is published today in the UK by ATOM.

Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone?especially herself...Is love a great enough power against evil?






Watch the trailer below:

Trailer Thursday - Siren

Siren by Tricia Rayburn is published on 20 January by Faber Children's Books (UK).

Something deadly waits beneath the waves off Winter Harbour, and this summer, no one's safe. Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of the dark. And heights. And the ocean. And pretty much everything else. Fortunately, Vanessa's fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to comfort her. That is until Justine jumps off a cliff near their family's holiday home in Winter Harbour, her lifeless body washing ashore the next day. Everyone assumes that the tragedy is an accidental result of Justine's adventurous ways. Everyone, that is, except Vanessa. Vanessa returns to Winter Harbour alone, looking for answers from Caleb Carmichael, Justine's summer love who was with her when she jumped. But when Vanessa learns that Caleb has been missing since Justine's death, she joins forces with Caleb's older brother, Simon, to try to find him. Soon, it's not just Vanessa who is afraid. Panic sweeps through Winter Harbour as more bodies wash ashore, all male, each victim found grinning from ear to ear. And as the death toll mounts, Vanessa realises that to save Caleb and solve the mystery of her sister's death, she has to confront a secret she's kept for years - one that could end her summer romance with Simon and even life as she knows it. This is an utterly gripping paranormal romance for Twilight fans sick of copy-cat vampire novels but in love with paranormal romance.

Watch the trailer below:

Trailer Thursday - Elixir

Elixir by Hilary Duff was published on 16 October, by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (UK).

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, Clea has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But following Clea's father's disappearance while on a humanitarian mission, Clea's photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man - a man she has never seen before. When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and begin to discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together the pair find themselves in a race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their futures...

Watch the trailer below:

Trailer Thursday II - Merlin Series 3

Merlin returns with its third series, on BBC One at 7.25pm on 11 September. Here's a preview:

Trailer Thursday - Tell Me a Secret

I few days ago I mentioned that the audiobook of Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala is being made available free as a serialised podcast. So far 6 chapters have been released, and I'm hooked. (Find out how to subscribe to it here.)

This trailer was released a couple of days ago:

Trailer Thursday - Scarlett Dedd

Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett is published on 2 September, by Headline (UK).

You're dead Scarlett...Previously a poor taste jibe from school frenemies, now a statement of fact. Scarlett is absolutely mortified (in more ways than one) to discover that she's accidentally killed herself while trying to get out of a school trip. Even worse, she's taken her entire family with her. Life as a ghost is pretty dull - if only some of her friends were dead too...


Headline have kindly sent me the code for the following trailer, produced by the author herself:

Trailer Thursday - Boy vs Girl

Boy vs Girl by Na'ima B Robert is published today in the UK by Frances Lincoln Children's Books. I've just added it to my July releases listing.

Farhana swallowed and reached for the hijab. But then she saw with absolute clarity the weird looks from the other girls at school, and the smirks from the guys. Did she dare? And then there was Malik... What should she do about him? Faraz was thinking about Skrooz and the lads. Soon he would finally have the respect of the other kids at school. But at what price? He heard Skrooz's voice, sharp as a switchblade: "This thing is powerful, blud. But you have to earn it, see? Just a few more errands for me..." They're twins, born 6 minutes apart. Both are in turmoil and both have life-changing choices to make, against the peaceful backdrop of Ramadan. Do Farhana and Faraz have enough courage to do the right thing? And can they help each other - or will one of them draw the other towards catastrophe?

Watch the trailer below:

Trailer Thursday - Ghostgirl: Lovesick

Tonya Hurley's third Ghostgirl book, Lovesick, will be published in the UK on 8 July and in the US on 12 July.

Before she can rest in peace, Charlotte Usher must return to the tragic site of her death: high school. Once there, her assignment is to help a designated teen solve a personal problem in time for the all-important prom. But no one explained what happens if you fall in love with your class project. Charlotte would die (again) for love but facing the all-too-familiar feeling of invisibility may be too much for her to swallow.

Watch the trailer, below:

The accompanying song is written by Tonya Hurley and sung by Polly Scattergood.

Trailer Thursday - Killer Strangelets

Killer Strangelets is the first in the ARCTIC 6 trilogy by C T Furlong and came out on 1 June from independent publisher Inside Pocket.

The first of three ARCTIC 6 adventures for teenage readers. This adrenaline packed thriller follows the exploits of the fifteen year old Iago, his cousins, Cam, Tara and Renny, and his younger sister, Aretha. Joined by their friend, the bewitching Charlie, they embark on a mission to save Iago's father who has been accidentally kidnapped - by perhaps the maddest of all possible mad scientists.

'How can I, Iago Johnson, a) know anything about the fate of the universe and, b) be in any kind of position to change it..? I am not a superhero, I'm not a genius. I'm not even very good at science... `

Forced to take action, the A.R.C.T.I.C. 6 embark on their first mission!

The intended kidnap victim: not Iago's father but his uncle, Jonas, a scientist involved with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project at CERN - the European Centre for Nuclear Research in Switzerland, where he has been testing Big-Bang theory.

An Old Nemesis: Katherina Kreng has used the LHC to create matter-annihilating particles - the Killer Strangelets - which could gobble up the planet!

The Solution: an emergency shutdown device hidden somewhere inside the long LHC tunnel, deep beneath the Swiss mountains.

The Problem: Only Jonas knows where it is, and he can't get to it!

Watch the trailer, below:

Trailer Thursday - Fat Vampire

Continuing a run of vampire posts this week, here's the unusual trailer for Adam Rex's Fat Vampire which is out on the 27 July in the US from HarperTeen.


Doug Lee is undead quite by accident—attacked by a desperate vampire, he finds himself cursed with being fat and fifteen forever. When he has no luck finding some goth chick with a vampire fetish, he resorts to sucking the blood of cows under cover of the night. But it's just not the same.

Then he meets the new Indian exchange student and falls for her—hard. Yeah, he wants to bite her, but he also wants to prove himself to her. But like the laws of life, love, and high school, the laws of vampire existence are complicated—it's not as easy as studying Dracula. Especially when the star of Vampire Hunters is hot on your trail in an attempt to boost ratings. . . .

Searing, hilarious, and always unexpected, Fat Vampire is a satirical tour de force from one of the most original writers of fiction today.

Watch the trailer, below:

Trailer Thursday (on Friday) - Monsters of Men

The third part of Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy, Monsters of Men, has just been published in the UK by Walker Books.

The electrifying finale to the multiple award-winning trilogy, Chaos Walking. "War," says the Mayor. "At last." Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge... The electrifying finale to the award-winning Chaos Walking trilogy, Monsters of Men is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war.

Watch the trailer, below:

Trailer Thursday - The Reckoning

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong was published last week.

The nail-biting climax to Kelley Armstrong's bestselling Darkest Powers trilogy Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, Chloe happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are now running for their lives from the evil corporation that created them. As if that's not enough, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf...Definitely not normal.

Trailer Thursday - Death Cloud

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane, the first in a new series of authorised young Sherlock Holmes adventures will be published on 4 June by Macmillan Children's Books.


The year is 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. His life is that of a perfectly ordinary army officer's son: boarding school, good manners, a classical education - the backbone of the British Empire. But all that is about to change. With his father suddenly posted to India, and his mother mysteriously 'unwell', Sherlock is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle and aunt in their vast house in Hampshire. So begins a summer that leads Sherlock to uncover his first murder, a kidnap, corruption and a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent ..."The Death Cloud" is the first in a series of novels in which the iconic detective is reimagined as a brilliant, troubled and engaging teenager - creating unputdownable detective adventures that remain true to the spirit of the original books.

Watch the trailer below:

Trailer Thursday - Wintercraft

This got a lot of publicity on twitter the other day but in case you missed it, here's the trailer for Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw, due to published by Headline on 13 May.

Ten years ago Kate Winters' parents were taken by the High Council's wardens to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane -- the High Council's most feared man -- recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft -- a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft.

Watch the trailer below:

Trailer Thursday - The Dead-Tossed Waves

I'm really looking forward to Carrie Ryan's The Dead-Tossed Waves which returns to the world created in The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The UK publication date is 8 April.

Carrie Ryan's sensational new novel reveals more of the secrets of the world after the return of the Unconsecrated and introduces a new heroine who must tangle with her mother's secrets. Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known and, and all she needs for happiness. But life after the Return is never safe and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back. Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but, like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling. One night beyond the Barrier ...One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery ...One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry knows only one thing: if she has any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.

Watch the trailer below: