“Youth does not require reasons for living, it only needs pretexts.”

Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Vamp Fiction

If you are into Vamp Fiction here is a author resurected for you.
L.J. Smith is author of many series featuring our favourite fanged and spellbinding friends that have been around for many years, but are enjoying a revival of the undead kind!
The Vampire Diaries has also taken to your TV screen on GO!99


Listed are a few of her titles with blurbs fro LJ's website.

The most haunting love triangle of all. Two vampire brothers, one good and one evil, are in love with the same beautiful girl. Stefan meets Elena, and falls for her instantly. But he swears never to approach her because of his dark secret. On the other hand, Elena has sworn to make Stefan hers or die.

Damon is haunting Elena’s footsteps; coaxing and coercing her by turns. Stefan desperately tries to protect her from his brother. And Elena is having her blood drawn by two separate vampires. Meanwhile Caroline plots to expose Elena in front of the entire town. Can things get worse? They do, when Elena drives too fast over an unsafe bridge and drowns.
It’s happened. Elena wakens as a vampire. She belongs to Damon, now, and to his world. The town mourns her as dead while she haunts the Old Wood by night. But by the time she remembers that Stefan is her true love, a new and powerful enemy appears. This is the last battle; and the only way Elena can win it is to sacrifice herself.
As a psychic, Bonnie has dreams of Elena in the Other World. But the dreams quickly turn frightening. There is a terrible new enemy stalking Fell’s Church, killing young girls. Elena’s friends call for Stefan and get both him and Damon—but whose side is Damon on? The ending is the most surprising yet for Elena!

The Vampire Diaries: The Return : Nightfall --On Order
A pair of kitsune--fox spirits--from the other side of the world possess Damon and force him to commit abominations. Meanwhile, Stefan apparently abandons Elena and her friends on a quest to find the one place where the curse of his vampirism can be lifted from him. Definitely for mature audiences.

Shadow Souls--out 2009? A penitent Damon, along with Elena, and Matt follow Stefan into the darkest dimension in an attempt to set him free from the prison he has found instead of salvation. Bonnie and Meredith join Elena as all three are forced to enter as slaves, the chained and leashed property of a vampire--Damon.

Midnight--out 2010. The surviving group of Fell's Church friends return to find their town in a shambles. Meredith makes a horrifying discovery in her research and Bonnie has an out of body experience which might explain all the mayhem that is going on. Matt faces down Caroline, while, Elena must face the most important question of her life: who does she really belong with? Stefan or Damon?

from vamp's to witches

The Secret Circle, Volume I: The Initiation -- On Order
Shy, sixteen-year-old Cassie falls in love with the mysterious Adam before moving to New Salem, thinking she’ll never see him again. But as it turns out, Adam is there, too, at a high school where a strange elite rule. Beautiful fair-haired Diana, whom Cassie learns to love as a sister; voluptuous dark Faye, who wants to turn Cassie into her puppet. The greatest surprise: Cassie, like the other elite boys and girls, is a witch! And then Cassie discovers that Adam is actually the boyfriend of gentle Diana, now her best friend and the leader of the coven!

The Secret Circle, Volume II: The Captive -- On Order
Adam and Cassie have sworn not to love each other for the sake of their beloved leader Diana. But Faye has caught them in their one embrace. Now she uses it to blackmail Cassie, forcing Cassie to lie to Diana and to dig up the strange crystal skull that gives them all such dangerous visions. Meanwhile, students are being murdered, and the witches are under suspicion. And Faye wants from Cassie the ultimate betrayal: her vote for Faye as coven leader.

The Secret Circle, Volume III: The Power -- On Order
Faye rules the Circle, while Diana reels from Cassie’s apparent treachery. Cassie and Adam are drawn more strongly together than ever. A new principal appears who seems to know all the Circle’s secrets and is dedicated to persecuting them. Cassie, no longer the shy girl she was only a few months ago, takes charge in solving the murders, the mystery of the crystal skull, and the true meaning of the Secret Circle. Her reward is her dream come true.

Bring all the spooks together in Night World.

Night World: Secret Vampire - Hits the shelves in December
The Night World isn’t a place. It’s the world of vampires, witches, and shapeshifters who live in the human world—by their own rules. And the first two rules of the Night World are simple: 1) Never tell any human about its existence, and 2) Never fall in love with a human.
Spunky, sassy Poppy has always been in the best of health. Until today, when she discovers that she has a rare disease, and only weeks to live. James, her best friend, and the coolest boy at school, is confronted with a frightening decision. He can make Poppy a vampire like him, or he can let her die. But telling Poppy about the Night World is almost as dangerous as letting her die of a human disease, for he’s broken both of the Night World’s rules, and fallen in love with her.

Night World: Daughters of Darkness -- Hits the shelves in December
Mary-Lynnette, seventeen, loves to watch the stars from her Oregon backyard. Then one day, she thinks she’s witnessed a murder through her telescope. She’s wrong: it’s only three vampire sisters burying their mysteriously-killed aunt. Mary-Lynnette, by the laws of the Night World, must become kin to the sisters or be sentenced to death: a sentence that seems to be sealed when their brother Ash appears. Gorgeous, lazy Ash has never dreamed that he could fall in love with a human, but it seems that Mary-Lynnette doesn’t want him on any terms because of his lurid vampire past.

Night World: Spellbinder -- Hits the shelves in December
Thea and Blaise are cousins, and witches, and as different as day and night. They even belong to different witch covens, Circle Twilight, for the not-so-wicked-witches and Circle Midnight for the real hellions. In fact, Granny Harman, the Witch Leader, often compares them to Hellewise and Maya, the sisters who were the mother of all witches and the very first vampire, respectively. But when Thea breaks the laws of the Night World and falls in love with Eric, an ordinary human boy, she has unexpectedly to rely on the whims of Blaise or both she and Eric are doomed. This is the book in which Circle Daybreak debuts.

Night World: Dark Angel -- Hits the shelves in December
Childlike, innocent Gillian Harman is trying to save a baby she hears crying in the woods when, to her own surprise, she dies! Even more surprising is her guide in the afterlife, Gary Fargeon, an “angel” with a great body and a gorgeous face. Returned to life, Gillian listens to her dark angel in all things . . . and soon finds herself anything but childlike and innocent. But things are not what they seem, and even angels can make mistakes. Soon Gillian is on a quest to find out just what deed Gary committed to strand him in the afterlife; and to find out the secret of where she belongs in a world she never knew existed: the Night World.


Night World: The Chosen -- Hits the shelves in December
Rashel Jordan lost her mother to a golden-eyed vampire at the age of five—and just barely saved herself by her wits. She’s grown up to the age of seventeen as a vampire hunter—the best. But when a group of hunters captures Quinn and decides to torture him, Rashel feels something in her soul twist. Left alone with Quinn, she goes along with her mad impulse and allows him to escape. But Quinn, a vampire with one of the darkest reputations in the Night World warns her not to expect him to return the favor. Nevertheless, when Rashel gets herself chosen for a bloodfeast and finds that Quinn is in charge of gathering girls for the dark ceremony! Enemies—and soulmates—what will happen during their final fight?

Night World: Soulmate -- Hits the shelves in December
Sixteen-year-old Hannah goes to a psychologist to understand the meaning of her the notes she keeps finding—in her own handwriting. “Dead before 17,” “He’s coming,” “Watch out.” Only under hypnosis is their cryptic meaning revealed. Hannah is actually an Old Soul, a girl who has been reincarnated many times and can remember her past lives. And in every one of them, the fair-haired stranger appears—and Hannah loves him—and Hannah dies at age16. Meanwhile, the leader of all the vampires of Circle Daybreak, all those who have human soulmates, Lord Thierry, is searching. He’s looking for her—the girl he loved and accidentally killed thousands of year ago. Who will find Hannah first—her vampire soulmate, or Maya, the first of all the vampires who has murdered Hannah a thousand times to keep her from Thierry. And who will Hannah believe when they do find her?

Night World: Huntress -- Hits the shelves in December
Jez, with flaming red hair and silvery blue eyes, is the epitome of the wild teenage vampire, riding her motorcycle and chasing skinheads through the woods. She and Morgead regularly challenge each other for leadership of the gang, and Jez believes—naturally enough—that the handsome, dark-haired vampire hates her. But suddenly the world changes for Jez. She discovers that she has no right to the Night World, because one of her parents was human. Now Jez has turned into a vampire huntress, and one with a special job: find one of the four Wild Powers who can fight off the Apocalypse, the end of the world. To do so, though, she must challenge her dearest enemy once again for the leadership—knowing that she has only half-vampire Powers.

Night World: Black Dawn -- Hits the shelves in December
Maggie is the picture of an ordinary human teenager. Yet when her brother’s lovely girlfriend reports that he has been killed in a mountaineering accident, she knows it is a lie. The chase leads her to discover an entire community of human slaves ruled by vampires in the hollow of a Washington mountain. There also, she finds Delos, the second of the Wild Powers, the vampire ruler of this kingdom where she is a slave—and her soulmate. Her modern clothes cause the other slaves to hail her as a messiah come to bring them freedom. Can even level-headed Maggie deal with her arrogant soulmate and an entire kingdom to be freed?

Night World: Witchlight -- Hits the shelves in December
Keller is a seventeen-year-old shapeshifter, a panther, who goes by her last name only. She’s an operative for Circle Daybreak and her mission is simple: find the third Wild Power who can fend off the Apocalypse. Keller does find Iliana, and much more, as well: a dragon in the shape of a human, and her own liege lord Galen. So, she learns: dragons walk the Earth again, even if in disguise. And Iliana is as far from a serious Wild Power as Keller can imagine. A love triangle quickly develops between the handsome princely Galen, the exquisite but bubble-minded Iliana, and Keller—who counts herself out with her favorite saying, “I’m just a grunt.” Life has surprises in store for the cynical, embittered Keller, and her opinions of both Galen and Iliana are in for a radical change.
MTV Story on LJ

Thursday, November 5, 2009

2009 Inky Awards

VOTE NOW!

And don't forget to enter the Creative Reading Prize...

Voting closes on November 20

There is no other award in Australia that relfects what teenagers want to read. The Inkys are international awards for teenage literature, voted for online by the readers of insideadog.com.au. There are three awards: the Golden Inky for an Australian book, the Silver Inky for an international book, and the Creative Reading Prize, won by a young person for a creative response to a book they love, in any format they choose.

The 2009 Inkys Longlist
(click the title for a review)
Broken Glass by Adrian Stirling
Something happened when I was fifteen, something that made me invisible to everyone in Broken Glass.

Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell
I believe in Chloe and chocolate.
I believe the best part is always before.
I believe that most girls are shifty and most guys are dumb.

Exposure by Mal Peet
The boy with all the dreadlocks had two line of business: cars and the patio trade.

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson
Ollie was in aisle five of Galaxy Art Supply stocking oil paints when Clio Ford emerged from the manager’s office.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Everyone thinks it was because of the snow.

Into White Silence by Anthony Eaton
The SS Loongana steamed slowly up the Derwent River towards it’s berth at Salamanca Warf...

Jarvis 24 by David Metzenthen
I tend to worry, I know I do, but only because I think there is lots of things to worry about.

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne La Fleur
It was fun at first, playing house. I made all my own meals. Crackers and cheese, three times a day.

My Candlelight Novel by Joanne Horniman
I am a reading girl, with a pale face, and glasses.

Paper Towns by John Green
The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle.

Screw Loose by Chris Wheat
Chelsea Dean opened the front door to her parents' substantial riverside residence and was assulted by booming reception-centre music.

Skim by Mariko & Jillian Tamaki
I had a dreamI put my hands inside my chest and held my heart

Ten Mile River by Paul Griffin
Ray was bigger but José was boss. They were fourteen and fifteen, on their own and on the run.

The 10pm Question by Kate de Goldi
Tuesday the fourteenth of February began badly for Frankie Parsons.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I was born with water on the brain. Okay, so that’s not exactly true.

The Beginners Guide to Living by Lia Hills
She looks good for a corpse.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.

Two Pearls of Wisdom by Alison Goodman
I let the tips of both by swords dig into the sandy arena floor. It was the wrong move, but the dragging pain in my gut was pulling me into a crouch.

Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah
It’s six-thirty in the morning. I stumble out of bed and splash cold water in my flushed face.

Worldshaker by Richard Harland
A sound brought Col out of a deep sleep. Something was happening out in the corridor.

Friday, July 3, 2009

A Rose for the Anzac Boys

A Rose for the Anzac Boys by Jackie French is a CBC Shortlisted title for the Older Readers category. It is a heart wrenching novel on the ‘War to end all Wars‘, we follow Midge Macpherson on her journey in search of her 'missing' twin brother Tim, and her determination to do her bit for the cause.

Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Midges' experiences as an ambulance driver are horrific, she is thrust into carnage and terror scenes I could never have imagined. But there is also courage, love and friendship - this book brought a tear to my eye many times.

I highly recommend this book and I thank Jackie French for sharing this story with us. It is a must read for every Australian and holds the true spirit of ANZAC between it's covers.

Jackie French wrote on her Blog a response to the many letters and requests for a sequel:

"I don't think I'll write a sequel to ‘A Rose for the Anzac Boys’ but I have always known what happened to them afterwards.

Midge spent the first few days at the farm crying, finally letting go of all she had seen – which helped her relationship with her mother-in-law to be, who fussed over her so protectively that she didn’t mind as Midge slowly took over managemnt of the farm and their lives. .

Midge and Harry built the new house up on the hill. The farm became one of the most prosperous in the region. Midge had three daughters, and then one son – he enlisted in World War Two but developed appendicitis so never went overseas. She and her Harry lived a long and happy life together, surrounded by many grandchildren. She died at 89, asleep on the verandah looking out at her farm and her family.

Ethel never married, but grew closer to her brother, finally recognising his courage too – how he had supported her and the canteen, organising supplies, refusing to fight for a cause he didn't believe in. Ethel was offered to be made a Dame of the British Empire for her work organising food supplies in World War Two. She refused, and with her brother's support, entered Parliament. She died relatively young, at 62, still fighting for her causes.

Anne and her Gavin worked in Mesopotamia till the late ‘30s, when political tensions made it too dangerous to work there. Anne's daughters were born in 1937 and 1939.

Anne's scars faded with time, and her consciousness of them faded too. Gavin worked in Intelligence in World War Two; Anne ran the local billeting for refugees.

After the war Gavin was offered a professorship at the University of Queensland. Anne finally took her degree, and eventually became a part-time tutor. Although not wealthy by the standards of the aristocracy, Anne's family money meant they lived comfortably and generously, in a large house on the Brisbane River near the university, filled with students, discussion and laughter.

The three girls met only once more altogether, at the christening of Anne's first daughter, but kept in touch with love and letters throughout their lives.
When Anne moved to Australia one of Midge's granddaughters lived with them while she studied in Brisbane."


Other historical novels by the author:
The Goat Who Sailed the World

Pharaoh

They Came On Viking Ships

Hitler's Daughter

A War for Gentlemen

Tom Appleby Convict Boy

Macbeth and Son

Walking the Boundaries


Further Reading:
Australian War Memorial Kids HQ in Flanders Fields

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Meet UK author: JOS CARLYLE

Jos will give a fighting staff demonstration and talk about the Hayley Hicks Series at the Ashfield Library on Monday 13 July at 10am, there are still places available RSVP By 6 July on 9716 1810
On Jos' website you can read the opening chapters of book one on this website. I’d love to know what you think, so please write in and tell me. You can find out more about the characters by taking a look at their character cards.
Extract from Jos' website:
So this is me: Jos Carlyle, creator of Hayley Hicks. Admittedly it’s a nice photo, which is one of the perks of a website being your own. But I suspect I don’t always look so wholesome as I was once told (by a gentleman far too honest for his own good, in my opinion) that I look like a miserable ogre when I’m concentrating and that my hair is continuously disorganized. I think he could have been a little less blunt.
Unfortunately I tend to concentrate rather a lot. Not because I want to (I’m much better at daydreaming), but because Hayley and her cohort demand it of me. Ah yes, they’re a fascinating and complex, yet effortlessly compelling bunch! But who exactly are they? And what am I actually talking about?

Hayley Hicks is the main character in the series of fantasy books that I’m currently writing for older children and adults. By series I mean six books: THE LIGHTYEARS (books one to three) and THE DARKYEARS (books four to six). So far Book One is finished, Book Two is started, and Books Three, Four, Five and Six are all planned out…

Monday, September 8, 2008

Spring has Sprung - and I hope you can keep up!

Ok, this is a big season, take a big breathe and then read on!

Winner: The Peasant Prince Competition
Luke R, 4 years old from Summer Hill for his review of Ziba came on a boat by Liz Lofthouse, illustrated by Rob Ingpen "When I look at the paintings it makes me feel I'm on the boat and even in the waves, hanging on to the edge of the boat. The waves are splashing me, too. When I see Ziba and her family eating, I feel like Im eating with them. It is sad and scary to see them run from bad guys and guns. I hope they come to Australia on that boat.

Teddy Tales Picnic - Thursday 18 September 2008
Ashfield Library and Summer Hill Community Centre invite you to bring your bear for a Teddy Tales Picnic on Thursday, 18 September 2008 at Darrell Jackson Gardens (next to Summer Hill Community Centre, 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill).
Bring a picnic lunch to share with your teddy. Stories and fun begin at 1.30-2.30pm followed by a bear hunt at 2.30pm.
Please RSVP by Tuesday 16 September 2008 on 02 9716 1810. Down load Flyer.

October School Holiday Fun
Get crafty and creative this school holidays, let your imagination run riot, and visit your library!

Page to Stage Workshop
Join Monkey Baa in looking at how you can adapt a story for the stage, and have fun with improvisation, movement and drama games. For teens between 8-11 years Bookings essential, limited places.
1pm Friday 03 October Graham Yarroll Room above the Haberfield Library.

“Millie Jack and the Dance” Drama Play Workshop
Join Monkey Baa and be delighted with this magical exploration of drama through games, storytelling and fairytales. Ages 5-7 years. Booking essential with limited places.
10am Friday 03 October Graham Yarroll Room above the Haberfield Library.

Creative Beading Workshop
Come design and make your own unique jewellery to reflect your unique personality. Booking essential with limited places. Strictly for ages 12+
3pm Friday 10th Oct Graham Yarroll Room above the Haberfield Library
3pm Wednesday 08 Oct Ashfield Library

Imaginitis Pyjama Storytime
When everyone catches ‘imaginitis’, who knows where these tall tales will take you! Wear your Pyjamas; bring your favourite Teddy and friends for supper, stories and songs. Children of all ages welcome. No Bookings Required.
6pm Tuesday 07 October Ashfield Library

Twisted Tales Storytime
Why do they always pick on the poor wolf? Has anyone seen that naughty Goldilocks? And what is that smell! Come for stories, songs and morning tea. 0-8 year olds. No Bookings Required.
11am Wednesday 01 October Haberfield Library
11am Thursday 02 October Ashfield Library
11am Wednesday 08 October Haberfield Library
11am Thursday 09 October Ashfield Library

Chinese Storytime
Come for stories, poems, craft and fun for 0-8 year olds. No Bookings Required
11am Friday 03 October Ashfield Library

Kids Author Talk: DEBORAH ABELA
Date: Friday 28th November, 2008
Time: 10am arrival, talk 10.15am till 11am
Venue: Ashfield Council Chambers

Author of the fantastically popular “Max Remy Super Spy” Series and “Jasper Zammit Soccer Legend” is coming along to share some of her stories and adventures with us. Ideal for kids in grades 4 to 7.
Living Languages Carnival
Ashfield Carnival of Cultures is coming up on Sunday 12 October 2008
The Carnival will be back to Ashfield Park. This family and community celebration attracts up to 20,000 visitors from Ashfield, the Inner West and beyond. So join us again to celebrate "Living Languages".

I told you to take a deep breathe. There is so much coming up in the next few weeks I think I will need a holiday, O' that's right these are the school holidays.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Is there a book you want?

Requests taken!!!
Don't forget, if there happens to be a book (or CD or DVd or Sound recording) you want, and we dont have it yet, let me know! The library does take requests, and if we cant buy it, we will borrow it for you... yes libraries borrow from libraries (we are all connected in library-land).

So if you have been hanging for Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Book 3 Brisinger or can't wait for that librarian to get around to picking up Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn, or Melina Marchetta's new On the Jellicoe Road, send in a request to my email (or on paper in the library) and don't forget your name and library card number or I can't set it aside for you.

Melina is our next Kids Authors @ Ashfield author talk. So if you want to come along and meet her, you can and it's free.

Check out an interview with Melina on Insideadog