Ides of March Book Giveaway

 

 

Romance, trails of fragrance, a sense of history and a special setting, supernatural chills and sparkling twists on well-loved tales - if you love all this and more, here's a chance to win all of these fantastic books in the Ides of March promotion. I'm delighted to be taking part, and special thanks go to Alma Katsu, bestselling author of The Reckoning, for putting it all together.

 

Sixteen authors have teamed up to offer the following sixteen great books: 

 

 

THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES by M.J. Rose

A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra--and lost for 2,000 years by bestselling novelist M.J. Rose

 

THE FIREBIRD (ARC) by Susanna Kearsley
A twin-stranded story that blends modern romance with 18th-century Jacobite intrigue, traveling from Scotland to Russia, from the NY Times bestselling author of The Winter Sea

 

THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS by Katherine Howe

The House of Velvet and Glass weaves together meticulous period detail, intoxicating romance, and a final shocking twist in a breathtaking novel that will thrill readers

from the author of bestseller The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

 

THE MAPMAKER'S WAR by Ronlyn Domingue
A mesmerizing, utterly original adventure about love and loss and the redemptive power of the human spirit--releases March 5th!

 

THE LANTERN by Deborah Lawrenson

Bestselling modern gothic novel of love, secrets, and murder—set against the lush backdrop of Provence

GLAMOUR IN GLASS by Mary Robinette Kowal
Glamour in Glass follows the lives of the main characters from Shades of Milk and Honey, a loving tribute to the works of Jane Austen in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence

THE TWELFTH ENCHANTMENT by David Liss
In Regency England, at the dawn of the industrial era, magic and technology clash and the fate of the nation rests in the hands of a penniless young woman

 

COLD MAGIC by Kate Elliott
An epic adventure fantasy with a decidedly steampunk edge where magic - and the power of the Cold Mages - hold sway

DRACULA IN LOVE by Karen Essex
"If you read only one more vampire novel, let it be this one!" -C.W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen & The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

 

RED, WHITE AND BLOOD by Chris Farnsworth

High-octane supernatural thriller, a sequel to The President's Vampire

 

THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL (ARC) by Carolyn Turgeon

The Fairest of Them All is an inventive, magical fairy-tale mash-up about Rapunzel growing up to be Snow White's stepmother, out in August 2013 from the author of Godmother and Mermaid

 

THIEFTAKER by DB Jackson
Combining elements of traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery and historical fiction, Thieftaker will appeal to readers who enjoy intelligent fantasy and history with an attitude

DEVIL'S GATE by FJ Lennon
Devil’s Gate is exhilarating urban fantasy, with first class writing and characters that are unforgettable beyond the last page

THE CROOKED BRANCH by Jeanine Cummins
“Wonderfully written, with strong, compelling characters, it is a deeply satisfying combination of sweeping historical saga and modern family drama, a gentle reminder of the ever-reaching influence of family”—Booklist

A NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS by Marie Brennan
The story of Isabella, Lady Trent, the world's preeminent dragon naturalist, and her thrilling expedition to Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever

THE RECKONING by Alma Katsu

In the tradition of early Anne Rice, a gorgeously written sequel to The Taker that takes readers on a harrowing, passion-fueled chase that transcends the boundaries of time

 

 

The contest runs from March 1 - 15 and winner(s) will be notified within 48 hours. We'll give away one set of books per 500 entries. Please note that this contest is open to residents of the US, Canada and the UK only and by entering, you agree to be added to the authors' mailing lists (don't worry; you can always unsubscribe from any mailing list at any time).

 To enter, please follow this link for the Ides of March Book Giveaway - and good luck!

The Next Big Thing revisited

 

A quick update: The Next Big Thing is still going (you can read my contribution here) and I'm delighted to have been tagged again by Yvonne Osborne who blogs at The Organic Writer from the Great Lakes of the USA.

 

As well as writing a novel, Yvonne is a poet with a nice line in dry wit - and she loves lighthouses, which resonates with me. You can explore her world, her observations and inspirations, and read all about her Next Big Thing by clicking the link. 

At the writing desk

 

Perfect timing. As I sit resolutely at the desk this week, I am delighted to be able to direct you over to Cornflower Books, where I have been in discussion about the process: At the writing desk with...Deborah Lawrenson.

 

If you love book blogs and haven't yet discovered Cornflower, you are in for a treat. She always has an sumptuous array of books under discussion, new and old, as well as a home, craft and cookery blog illustrated with gorgeous photography. There's a great series of posts about Books and Cakes, in which she bakes to accompany her reading - very clever and inspiring. See for yourself! 

 

PS. In the interview, Cornflower asked for my advice to aspiring writers. "Never give up. Don't eat that cake," I offered. Clearly this is aspirational only. A real life interpretation is: "Don't eat that cake. Oops. Too late."  

Pantomime time!

 

Ooh, missus. Now this may be hard to explain to anyone who has never seen a British pantomime: The Ugly Sisters in Cinderella, played by two beefy men. For us locals, there's an added frisson in knowing that Trevor, in the polka dots, is our village postmaster and Steve in the fetching stripes and feathers is a builder and undertaker.

 

The months of rehearsals are over and they are finally live on stage this February half-term, as light flurries of snow fall outside. They're getting rave reviews, as is the panto itself, with its geeky, camp Prince Charming, mournful French chef Les Miserables and a murder mystery to solve along with the riddle of the shoe. As ever, Rob the Panto King has excelled himself with gorgeous original music along with the wit and wonder of the words.

 

And if I haven't been able to concentrate properly on book writing - blame them! 

In full flow

At long last, I printed out a first rough draft of the new book yesterday. This marks the point when it really starts to feel as if I'm getting there. When I got back to work in the second week of January, the words felt like the water from the mountain source above: coming out all right but freezing up on arrival.

The only way through is to keep going, even on the days when you really don't feel very creative or inspired. On days like that, I reckon that if I can smooth over some of what I've already written and come up with a few good new phrases, then I've done what I can. The good thing about having written books before is that you know that this is par for the course, and you don't give up.

Now there are more than 90,000 words to play with but these are, to bend Eric Morecambe's immortal line, "All the right words, not necessarily in the right order..." When I say it's a rough draft, that's exactly what it is - a right old mess in places. Now is the time for a cool head as I edit ruthlessly to see what remains. But it's getting warmer and the chunks of ice are gone.

The Sea Garden

As part of the work-in-progress I am taking great pleasure in "designing" a garden above the sea on the French island of Porquerolles. And as I have barely lifted my eyes from the manuscript these past two weeks - let alone written anything new for the blog - I thought I would share the mood board of this imaginary garden as I put it together this morning.

The setting is among rocks and Mediterranean pines and scrub, where paths wind down to the sea - or end in precipitous cliffs, or calanques.

 

The grounds surround an old estate house, grand but decaying, with a honey stucco facade and a pillared terrace at the rear which overlooks the gardens.

The garden needs restoration: old pictures show cypress walks and formal garden rooms but in the present they are overgrown and gloomy. The art of the designer will be to recapture the mood of the original while bringing back light and health to the planting.

Key to one part of the garden is a topiary arch that looks out over the sea, holding a clue to its meaning in the view it frames.

 

 

An old bassin, a raised pond edged with stone, lies before the arch. It has been neglected and so tall are the yew hedges all around that the water it holds is a glassy black, not nearly as inviting as this one...



 

...more like this in atmosphere...



 

I'd like a tunnel of purple bougainvillea, too...

 

 

..and some datura - or devil's trumpet - that dangerous exotic with poison lurking under its intoxicating night fragrance and its hallucinogenic properties.





 

The garden will have dark corners and surprises - so that when you emerge from the garden it feels like a release into the lightness and colour of the island.



 

What do you think - would this be somewhere you'd like to explore further?

The Perfume Studio

So are the mysterious perfumes associated with spiritual experiences real, or a biochemical reaction in the brain (as Vanessa asked, very pertinently, in the comments after the Benoîte Rencurel story)? I have no idea; both explanations seem equally interesting. My own experiences have occurred in two separate places, in two different countries, with a couple of years in between. There again, I am over-imaginative, so might well have made what I wanted of what had in reality a very ordinary explanation that I simply did not find.

On a more tangible perfume note, here's a starter kit to have a go at blending your own scent from The Perfume Studio, a small company in East Sussex. Each box contains six basic fragrance notes already blended, an atomiser and instructions, and you can chose from three moods: Fresh, Floral and Floriental. No question that I went for the Floriental, pictured here! 

Great fun at a very reasonable £29.95 - though there are more complex and expensive versions available, as well as lessons in bespoke blending. You can click through to The Perfume Studio and let your imagination go.