The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name by Reece Carter

Book Summary

If my hair looks like bright green seaweed, it's because that's exactly what it is. My eyes, a pair of abalone shells, polished blue by sand. Teeth, two rows of pebbles. And my skin is made of wax.

Corpse never asked to be a kid ghost. She doesn't remember anything from her life - all she knows is her home on the rock-that-doesn't-exist, her friend Simon the spider, and the vile Witches whose magic she steals.

So, when she discovers that there's a powerful treasure which could give her all the answers to what she's lost - her memories, her family, her name - Corpse sets off to find it. On her journey across the stormy sea, she must battle magic, sea monsters and a cruel figure from her past. But the Witches want the treasure too. And they'll do anything to get it first.

Corpse is a ghost, but she is very different from all the other ghosts that have come and go from the rock-that-doesn't-exist. Somehow she is strong enough that she has made herself a body from wax, shells and seaweed... and from magic that she learnt from the evil witches who probably killed her, along with countless other children. 

When an old man ghost appears on the rock, telling her that she has to leave and find the treasure that the witches have been looking for, she resolves to forget all about it. She really doesn't realise quite how special she is! Eventually though, despite all her fear and doubt, she embarks on a journey to leave the rock-that-doesn't-exist and rescue the treasure in a bid to thwart the witches' plans.

The book ends with a few questions left unanswered but it feels like it could be set up for a sequel. I would definitely be interested to find out what happens next.

Author Bio

Reece Carter is a high-profile Australian nutritionist who has written two non-fiction books for adults, appeared on many of Australian's major television networks, and written for magazines like GQ. He grew up in rural Western Australia and now lives in Sydney. He has always wanted to write for children and The Girl, the Ghost and the Lost Name is his first novel, perfect for fans of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman. Find him on Twitter and Instagram.

Of course for this book you have to make a Corpse Reviver cocktail. These cocktails were actually created to wake the dead, particularly those who had been drinking way too much the day before! There are quite a few versions around but this one seems to be the most commonly made. I found this recipe on Liquor.com. 

Rinse the inside of your cocktail glass with a little absinthe and discard the excess. In a shaker with ice, mix 20ml each of gin, Lillet blanc, orange liqueur and lemon juice. Strain into the absinthe-washed glass.

 War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson

For this blog tour I have an exciting guest post from Victoria herself all about being an author. It sounds pretty wonderful, despite all the hard work! Her new book was just released yesterday so is now available to order in eBook and paperback. More details about the book later but first of all let's hear from Victoria!

I’ve wanted to be an author since I was at least five years old. My early attempts at books were mostly in picture form with a few (badly-spelled!) words underneath, but I kept practising over the years, and finally achieved my dream with my debut novel bring published in 2018. War of the Wind will be my fourth published novel, and over the last four years I’ve discovered that even though writing can be very hard work, there are lots of great things about being an author. Here are some of my favourites:

1. Authors get to research all sorts of interesting things.

So far I’ve had the opportunities to research refugee issues, what it might be like to have ADHD, Robert Burns and Scottish folklore, British Sign Language and Deaf culture, and how wind turbines work. For future novels in the pipeline, I’ve researched everything from the linen industry in the 1700s and the plague in Scotland in the 1600s, to food banks and genetic modification of crops in the present day. I’m very glad we have the internet now – it wasn’t around when I was attempting my first stories at five years old, and it makes research an awful lot easier!

2. Authors get to visit the places they write about.

As part of our research, it’s always useful for an author to actually go to see a real place if that’s where our story is set. I’ve had lots of fun visiting places around Glasgow from my childhood for my debut novel, and enjoyed visiting Alloway again to see the Brig o’ Doon and the old cottage where my novel about Robert Burns is set. For War of the Wind, I’ve been visiting wind farm to get a feel for just how spooky turbines can be on a stormy day, although as you can see from this picture, they look harmless enough when the sun is shining!

3. Authors get to use their own life experience in their stories.

Authors often base their characters on a combination of people they know, or have known in the past. Many of their locations come from real places they’re familiar with, and often some the experiences their characters have are experiences that the authors themselves had had. For example, I base the children with additional support needs in my books on a combination of some of the many children I’ve taught over my teaching career. Grandparents often feature in my stories, and they are also a combination of many of the happy memories I have of my own grandparents.

4. Get to go on school visits and meet lots of children.

One of my absolute favourite things about being an author is visiting schools to run author talks and creative writing classes, and to hear all about young people’s own imaginative story ideas and writing experience. It’s lovely to hear how enthusiastic they are about reading and writing, and know that there’s a good chance that I’ll meet some of the future stars of the literary world on these visits!

5. Authors get to meet lots of inspirational people and make friends with lots of other lovely authors.

Writers are a very friendly bunch, and they’re a great source of support for each other. Writing can be a bit of a lonely career – stuck on a computer all day for many months put a book together sentence by sentence – by it doesn’t have to be. There are lots of writing groups to get involved in, and lots of literary events to go to throughout the year. So if you’re interested in becoming an author yourself, then why not start by joining a writing club or going along to a literary event in your local area? You’re bound to meet lots of people who will give you lots of encouragement on your writing journey. Here’s one of my favourite moments so far – getting to meet author Malorie Blackman at the Empathy Day event in Waterstones Piccadilly on my 40th birthday!

Book Summary

On a remote Scottish island, fourteen-year-old Max’s life changes forever when he loses his hearing in a boating accident. Struggling to make sense of his new life and finding it hard to adapt in school, he begins to notice other - even stranger – changes taking place when a new wind farm appears off the island’s coast.

With the help of three school friends with additional support needs, Max discovers that a sinister scientist, Doctor Ashwood, is using wind turbines to experiment on the islanders. They must find a way to shut down the government’s secret test before it spins out of control…

Author Information

A lifelong storyteller and daydreamer, Victoria Williamson is a children's author and teacher who grew up in Kirkintilloch, north Glasgow, surrounded by hills on the edge of a forest estate where many of her early ghost stories and fantasy tales were born amid the magical trees and spooky old ruined buildings. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, Williamson set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching math’s and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria is a qualified primary school teacher with a degree in Mandarin Chinese from Yunnan University and a Master’s degree in Special Needs in Education. She is passionate about creating inclusive worlds in her novels where all children can see a reflection of themselves in a heroic role. Her previous novels, The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, and The Boy with the Butterfly Mind (Floris Books) were based on her experiences of teaching children with diverse backgrounds and have been shortlisted for a number of awards.  Find her online at her website or on Twitter.

Vampires vs Werewolves

I'm kind of mad at myself for taking so long to review these books which were both full of nostalgia and so much fun to read. I've been leaning towards middle grade a lot more lately but these have reminded me how much fun kick-ass YA heroines can be! So pick your favourite monster, grab a cocktail and settle in for a wild ride.

Mina and the Slayers by Amy McCaw

Book Summary

Three months after Fang Fest, Mina’s settling into her new life.

Despite the teething problems in her relationship with Jared, she has her sister back, new friends and a part-time job to die for.

Over Halloween, Mina and the gang have planned a spooky week of Gothic restaurants, horror movies, ghostly tours, creepy carnivals and a costume ball.

But the fun doesn’t last. Mina is on work experience with Detective Cafferty while the police are investigating a savage masked killer and a rise in suspicious ‘animal attacks’.

During her own investigations, Mina discovers a mysterious group of slayers, who are battling to control the rogue vampires.

The threats circle closer as Mina spends her days with the police and nights with the slayers.

Will she and her friends survive Halloween without being staked, stabbed or bitten?

This is Mina's second adventure, and now she's getting mixed up not only with vampires, but also with the police and the newly discovered slayers. Add to that her newly-turned vampire boyfriend and there is more than enough to keep her busy! I love that Mina didn't just immediately become an amazing professional vampire slayer right away, and some of her attempts were pretty funny.

I never would have guessed who the killer was and there is a perfect ending to make you crave book 3, without an annoying cliffhanger.

Big Bad Me by Aislinn O'Loughlin

Book Summary

‘I’ve got two claws, Katie. Two giant, evil, freaking Freddy Krueger monster things. I am not calm.’

Evie Wilder is living a very normal life. Except for the fact that her mum has gone missing, she’s just found out she’s a werewolf, she and her sister have to go into hiding from supernatural beings, and there’s not a single

helpful vampire slayer to be found.

With the help of Kevin, the dorky-hot teenage manager of the guesthouse where Evie and Kate go to lie low, Evie begins to learn to harness her wolfish abilities. But there’s something a bit odd about Kevin that Evie can’t quite put her finger on.

Meanwhile, reports of animal attacks are increasing, local teenagers have started to go missing, and Evie is about to find herself at the centre of a supernatural showdown.

A fantastic start to the book, the prologue gets you hooked in right away! There's lots of mystery running all the way through the book to keep you intrigued. The alternating points of view of Evie and her older sister Kate were great, I really enjoyed getting both sides of the story. I also liked the way the characters kind of talk back at the reader, as if we're there with them.

The poppy seed thing is a hilarious twist. I had never heard such a thing before, but just after this I read a book with something similar for fairies and salt. I won't spoil the fun here but look out for it!

To make a Blue Monster cocktail, fill a short glass with ice and pour over 30ml of vodka and a 30ml of rum. Add a drizzle of Blue Curacao, then top up with 30ml each of lemonade and lemon/lime soda (I had to improvise with lemon juice and tonic). Mmmmm I will definitely be making this one again!

The Whisperling by Hayley Hoskins

Book Summary

When you're dead, you're dead.

When you're gone, you're gone.

Unless, of course, you're not.

And that's where I come in.

The year is 1897, and Peggy Devona can speak with ghosts.

She hides her gift from those afraid of a girl with such powers, terrified of the secrets the dead could reveal through her. But when her best friend is accused of murdering her rich mistress, Peggy knows only she - a hisperling - can save her.

Peggy escapes to her uncle's psychic emporium in the city, seeking out new ghosts to help her solve Sally's case.

Yet time is running out, and each step towards uncovering the truth also brings Sally one step closer to the gallows. . .

I immediately liked Peggy, she's so young to have such a burden on her, fear of anyone finding out her secret, and trying to look out for the other children, and then on top of it all, the need to save Sally.

Peggy's despicable (or is he really?) uncle keeps trying to get her to work with him as a psychic but she's been hiding her secret so long and she knows it would be dangerous to let people know that she is a Whisperling who can talk to ghosts. However, from one moment to the next Peggy suddenly has to leave her cosy village home and move to Bristol, the big city, where she can't avoid the emporium any longer.

There are some really heart-breaking moments and Peggy meets some surprisingly strong women, taking control in any way they can, despite the times and the setting.

I hope this will turn out to be a series, I really enjoyed the adventure and the characters.

Author Bio

Long listed for the Bath Children's Novel award, Hayley Hoskins writes in the space between family and work, with much support from her writing group.

Mum to a teenage boy, she spends a disproportionate amount of time hoping that her son's life is far less complicated than those of the characters in her books, and trying to ensure he becomes a 'good egg'.

Originally from the Forest of Dean, Hayley lives with her family and hairy breezeblock of a dog in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Find her on Twitter

Make a Green Ghost cocktail to calm your nerves after all that spookiness. 40ml gin, 10ml Green Chartreuse, 10ml lime juice and a dash of sugar syrup. Shake everything with ice and strain into your cocktail glass.