Blog – Page 68 – Lyndsey Hall

Beautiful Books 2017

It’s October, and that means NaNoWriMo is almost upon us! It also means Beautiful People, the monthly meme hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In, becomes Beautiful Books, where we talk about our current projects or what we’re planning to write during November.

What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

COCKLE SHELLS & SILVER BELLS is a YA contemporary fantasy inspired by The Secret Garden, with supernatural themes, LGBTQIA+ characters and a remote seaside setting on the North Yorkshire coast. It’s a combination of a few ideas I had scribbled in my notebook, some for a YA contemporary about a girl who moves to a quiet seaside town and falls for the girl who works at the local ice cream parlour, and some for a modern Bloody Mary story. I started piecing it together about six months ago when I thought I was finished with my other MS, THE FAIR QUEEN, and was outlining for Camp Nano in July.

Describe what your novel is about!

My MC is an orphan who, on turning 18, inherits her family estate on the North Yorkshire coast. There, she comes across the charming but mysterious housekeeper and groundskeeper, a petite, mermaid-haired firecracker called Dillon, a sassy cat with a bizarre habit of turning up at opportune moments, and a friendly ghost with the key to her family’s secrets.

What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!

I’m hoping to combine the atmospheric moodiness of classic novels by the Bronte sisters, like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, and whimsical fantasy elements of books by Maggie Stiefvater. I was initially hoping to venture into YA contemporary, but my fantasy heart wouldn’t allow it, so I had to throw in a few magical bits and bobs!

Introduce us to each of your characters!

Marie ‘Em’ Haigh – Em is 18 and an orphan, she grew up in Provence, France until the age of 10 when her parents were killed in a car accident and she moved to North Yorkshire to live with her great uncle Archie on his farm. She’s pretty isolated and self-reliant, having been home schooled on the farm. She writes gender bent Pride and Prejudice fan fiction on Tumblr and her friends are all either online or fictional. Until she meets Dillon…

Dillon Thackeray – Dillon is a petite, curvaceous lesbian with pastel coloured mermaid hair and an array of neon running gear. She works at the ice cream parlour during the holidays, and goes to university a couple of hours away during term time. She’s a confident and outspoken girl with big dreams and an even bigger heart.

Clemence – Em names Clemence ironically (it means mild and merciful). This cat couldn’t be any saltier, but ultimately she helps Em find some pretty crucial information and leads her to various important items throughout the story. She’s sort of like Em’s spirit guide, but with added sass. Plus I just really like the name Clemence, like Clemence Poesy.

Billy and Maggie Partridge – the Haigh family’s resident housekeeper and groundskeeper. They come with the house, but there might be something more to them…

Ghost boy – I haven’t decided on a name for my spook yet, but he represents Colin, the boy with vitamin D deficiency in The Secret Garden. I haven’t fully outlined his role in the story, but I’m thinking something along the lines of a twin brother to Em’s father who died in childhood and was never spoken of again because it was too painful for the family… Any suggestions on this front would be gratefully received!

How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)

I’m a proud plotter, so I have a document full of notes, character bios, summaries of the chapters/acts etc. I do quite a bit of research before I start drafting, I choose names that mean something, either by googling baby name meanings until I find what I’m looking for, or naming characters after famous/fictional people who they share something in common with. Then, especially for Nano so I can keep track of where I am up to, I create a spreadsheet with thirty or more scenes or important events that I need for the story. I find that outlining quite rigorously helps me to keep writing even when I don’t feel motivated, and if I want to skip ahead to a juicier scene when I’m not in the mood, I can come back to where I was later.

Also, lots of tea or coffee and snacks, and breaks to walk the dogs and give me a chance to think through plot holes! Getting some fresh air and walking in nature does wonders for writer’s block.

What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

All the spooky scenes where the ghost is messing with Em, before she actually discovers him. I’m hoping to give it a real Woman in Black vibe up until the point she meets the ghost and realises he’s just a young boy with no intention of hurting her, and he didn’t mean to scare her, he’s just been alone for so long. You’re really going to feel for this ghost, guys!

List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

A beautiful, imposing manor house on a cliff’s edge, overlooking the North Sea.

A cutesy, vintage ice cream parlour full of cold treats and warm hearts.

A secret beach filled with cockle shells that feels like the edge of the world, but is actually where Em’s life really starts…

What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?

Em is looking for two pretty conflicting things at the beginning of the book. She wants independence and to stand on her own two feet, she feels like she’s got a lot to prove after her parents’ deaths when she was just a little girl. She wants to make them, and her uncle Archie, proud. But she also wants to learn as much as she can about her family and feel closer to them, hence why she decides to move into Haigh Manor, leaving the farm. Unfortunately, most of her family are dead, and Archie is a pretty reticent old man with secrets of his own (he’s Em’s grandmother’s brother). Plus, Em’s social skills aren’t exactly up to scratch, she struggles with social anxiety and moving from one remote house to another does nothing to change that.

How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

She opens up a lot, thanks to Dillon, and learns to accept her quirks for what they are. She finds a new passion, makes some great friends, and discovers more about her family history than she could ever have imagined. At the end, she’s a more mature, confident and content person. Plus she might fall in love…

What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

The overall theme is hopefully going to be self-acceptance, Em is going to go through a pretty huge journey of self-discovery and growth that should give readers the feeling that she’s found herself in some ways. There’ll still be a way to go before she’s completely happy and comfortable in her own skin, but by the end of the book it should be clear that she’s headed in the right direction.

That was so much fun! I hadn’t thought this much about CS&SB in months, and digging deep into the story and my characters has really given me a boost for Nano next month. I’m looking forward to reading more about all your WIPs, let me know in the comments if you’re taking part in Nano, and add me as a buddy, my username is lyndleloo!

Lyndsey

Ten of my favourite autumnal reads

Good day fellow readers and writers! It’s Tuesday and we all know what that means, another edition of Top Ten Tuesdays by The Broke and the Bookish. If you’re new here and you’ve never heard of TTT, pop along to the lovely ladies’ blog and educate yourself, son!

It’s a brilliant weekly meme where we all choose ten books/characters/etc. on a particular theme. This week, as the nights draw in and the weather turns decidedly chilly (here in the UK, at least), the theme is Autumn.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Look at that cover! It screams Autumn to me, like bonfires and caramels and toffee apples. This is a sci-fi dystopian about sixteen year old Ruby, who survives a deadly illness that kills most American children, and the survivors discover they’ve been left with strange new abilities. It sounds like the perfect dark read for the longer nights and cooler days.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Who doesn’t love a gentle evening stroll once the stars come out? Even if death is following in the shadows… They Both Die at the End is a contemporary about two boys, Mateo and Rufus, who find out they are going to die on the same day, so they decide to spend it together and make it a last day worth living.

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Autumn brings with it some of the most beautiful sunsets, and as they’re so early we’re much more likely to be able to enjoy them! Plus, this girl’s dress is either on fire or full of magic, so there’s that. Walk on Earth a Stranger is the first in the Gold Seer trilogy, which follows Lee Westfall, a girl who can sense gold in the environment – nuggets in riverbeds, veins of it running through the earth (handy in Gold-Rush era America). Her ability has kept her family alive through many a harsh winter, but it might just put them in the gravest danger if someone finds out…

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

This cover is pretty abstract, but the combination of colours strikes me as autumnal. This is a sort of modern fairy tale about a family of miracle workers who live on a ranch in Colorado, the Sorias. The miracles they perform consist of exposing the deepest, darkest secrets of their clients so that they can overcome them, but unfortunately the Sorias are not permitted to help them do so. If they do, they will be punished. Maggie’s speciality is strange and magical settings, characters with flaws and layers, and fantastical elements unlike any you’ve ever read about.

A Shiver of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke

I’ve thrown a few wintery book covers into the mix, so fingers crossed there isn’t a Winter themed Top Ten Tuesday in a few months or I might struggle to find ten books without duplicating! A Shiver of Snow and Sky is set on a remote island called Skane, the description gives me a very Scandinavian vibe. The sky lights up with colours that indicate different messages – green means all is well, blue a snow storm is coming, and red is a warning. Doesn’t that sound like the Aurora Borealis? Perfect reading material for frosty nights under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate.

Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi

Look at that gloriously wintery cover! This is a companion novel to Furthermore, so check that one out too, but both can be read as standalones. Laylee spends her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. Her own mother passed away, leaving her alone with her father who is driven mad with grief. Laylee’s own sadness and loneliness are causing her hands to stiffen and turn silver, like her hair, until a pair of strangers turn up in the village and she rediscovers colour, magic and the healing power of friendship.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

There’s nothing like a walk through nature in the Autumn months, kicking piles of russet leaves and collecting shiny conkers. The Darkest Part of the Forest sounds right up my street – a strange town where humans and fae live side-by-side, a glass coffin deep in the woods containing the body of a horned fae-boy, who has slept for eternity. Until now. It sounds very Steifvater, I must say, which I obviously love.

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Karen Millwood Hargrave

I think this is the only Middle Grade book on this list, but I can’t resist a good fantasy, and this one centres on a cartographer’s daughter on an island filled with monsters. And just look at that gorgeous orange cover! Girl of Ink and Stars has won several awards for children’s literature, so I’ve definitely got to give it a chance, even if I tend to lean towards more mature reads.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Another contemporary! I know what you’re thinking, it’s unlike me to include more than one contemporary novel in any list, but I’m trying to expand my horizons, alright? Let me try. And that evening sky is just beautiful. So, Ari and Dante are two teens who meet at the pool and gradually realise they have more in common than they first thought. They’re both loners, but one is a rebel and one is a geek (or so I understand from the blurb). Their friendship comes to change both their lives beyond recognition.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

This cover might look slightly more summery than the others, but the story sounds very wintery indeed. Set in the Russian wilderness, where winter lasts for most of the year and snow drifts are taller than houses, Vasilisa loves to sit round the fire with her siblings and listen to her nurse telling them fairy tales. When her mother dies and her new step-mother forbids them from performing the rituals that protect the household from the bad luck and misfortune threatened by their stories, Vasilisa must expose her long hidden ability to protect her loved ones.

These are all books I’m yet to read, but I can’t wait to get to them all, I’m sure I won’t manage by the time Spring rolls around, but a few wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. Would it? We’ll see!

Which books are you looking forward to reading this A/W? Pop your TTT links in the comments so I can check out your lists!

Lyndsey

Review: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

It’s been a couple of months since I read Nevernight now, but I just downloaded the audiobook of Godsgrave and I’m so excited to dive back into this world!

I’d never read any of Jay Kristoff’s books before Nevernight, but I’ve heard good things about the Illuminae series, and Nevernight sounded right up my street. Luckily, it absolutely was! I haven’t read a new fantasy series this good in ages.

TL;DR At just eight years old, Mia Corvere watched her father die. Since then she has trained with her mentor in preparation for applying to enter the Red Church, a group of skilled assassins who live under a mountain. Her long term plan is revenge against the men who killed her dad. Her short term plan is surviving her training.

I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but it definitely wasn’t what I got. The Red Church is basically Hogwarts for teen murderers, and I am here for it. Mia is a wonderfully conflicted mini murderess, whose pet is an undead sort of shadow cat called Mister Kindly. He’s a sarcastic bundle of not-fur. Have you run out to buy this book yet? Just go, you won’t regret it.

“’Never Flinch.’ A cold whisper in her ear. ‘Never fear. And never, ever forget.'”

The classes Mia takes sound utterly fascinating and also deadly, subjects like poisons, weapons training and the art of seduction (because every professional killer needs a few good chat up lines and a come-hither smile). The teachers are mysterious and ruthless, it’s a wonder any of the kids survive their first semester, let alone graduate to become fully-fledged assassins.

“You’ll be a rumor. A whisper. The thought that wakes the bastards of this world sweating in the nevernight. The last thing you will ever be, girl, is someone’s hero.”

Unfortunately, only two of the class can become Blades (super lethal assassin types) after graduation, the rest must stay under the mountain and basically become their servants. Is it any wonder someone is killing off Mia’s class mates one by one? But is it just a ploy to win one of the two coveted Blade positions, or is something bigger going on in the Red Church?

Kristoff’s world-building is crazy amazing in this series, which just adds to the other-worldliness and mystery of the plot and characters. Three suns rise and set over Godsgrave, the city built amongst the bones of a long-dead god, meaning it’s almost never night (hence the title). One of those suns is red, casting a bloody glow over everything every now and then. Kristoff actually got an astrophysicist friend to design a trinary solar system for him, so the whole concept is very accurate and well imagined. A day is called a turn, because the planet still turns even if the sun doesn’t set (I imagine it’s supposed to be at least somewhat similar to Earth, so a day is roughly 24 hours). I just loved the little details the author included, they really make the story feel fully formed.

“The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.”

There’s a lot of Italian influence in the novel, which you might have guessed from Mia’s name. I wonder whether the strong themes of religion inspired the choice? Either way, it helps to anchor the stranger elements of the world and story in something/somewhere we can all imagine, even if you haven’t visited Italy or the Vatican.

You might have guessed by now, but this is a very graphic series, both violently and sexually. The characters are around sixteen, but this is definitely not YA. In the world of the story, children don’t seem to get much of a childhood, and they are much older and wiser than their years as a result of the environment they’re raised in, so 16 is more like 18, or even older, in the novel.

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us.”

I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like about Nevernight, it was gripping and twisty and stabby and I loved every minute of it. The ending was a surprise, and I’m desperate to get stuck into Godsgrave to see if everything we’re told at the end of book one is true, fingers crossed some of it was just a ruse (no spoilers!).

I’m giving Nevernight five stars because it’s probably my favourite book I’ve read so far this year, I honestly couldn’t get enough of it and must have listened to it every chance I got. I was devastated when it finished and I had to wait three months for the sequel to come out! Definitely read this if you like super dark fantasy with rich world building and plenty of stabbing and sexy times. If you’re not so cool with the graphic elements or swearing, maybe steer clear. But you’ll be missing out 😉

Lyndsey

I am a member of the Book Depository affiliate program, so if you click through and buy any of the books mentioned in this blog I might make a little commission, but I am not paid to review books and all reviews are my own opinions!