Danny Weston Author Interview
A Hunter's Moon

For the last day of the blog tour, I have been lucky enough to get an interview with the author of A Hunter's Moon, Danny Weston, and he had some very interesting answers! But first, here are some details about the book! It was released just over a week ago so once I've piqued your interest I'm sure you'll want to go out there and get your own copy!

Book summary

The forest belongs to the walkers … Enter at your peril.

A fearsome beast lurks deep in the Forest of Tay. Under cover of darkness it emerges to feed on the local farmer’s sheep—and sometimes the farmers themselves.

Fraser McCloud believes it’s a wolf but some whisper that it’s the Cù Sìth, a creature summoned by the mysterious ‘Walkers in the Woods.’

Callum is Fraser’s young apprentice. He’s understandably apprehensive when Fraser insists that he must help hunt down and kill the beast.

In the local village, Callum meets Mhairi, the innkeeper’s daughter, who knows more about the Walkers than she really should.

As time passes, the killings become ever more audacious - and Callum realises he has every reason to be afraid.

Interview

The cover of A Hunter's Moon is very cool and menacing. As an author, do you get a chance to be involved much in the cover designs for your books?

I have quite a bit of say, which is good. I trained as a graphic designer back in the day, so I like to think I have ‘a good eye.’ 

Usually, the artist prepares a series of rough sketches and I indicate which idea I like the most. The artist takes that idea and works up several versions of the same theme. This time I took against the colour the Cu Sith was originally rendered in and it was changed for the final image, which I think looks splendid. 

People always say you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but of course, we all do. So, getting the right look is very important.

My heart broke for Callum at the start of the book, how did you come up with this character? Is there any of yourself in him?

Authors like to say that there’s a bit of them in every character they write, which sounds suspiciously like multiple personality disorder! 

Callum is typical of my young heroes. He’s been treated badly in life and he blows through the various creepy encounters in this book like a hapless leaf on the wind… so perhaps he is like me! I think creating empathy in characters is so important. If readers about the the characters they’ll want to see if things work out them in the end.

How did you get interested in mythology? Have you always liked horror and scary books?

I've been interested in mythology since I first started reading. While still at school I loved reading all those brilliant Greek myths - and around the same time, at the cinema, I watched those exciting Ray Harryhausen movies featuring Jason and Sinbad and so forth. 

Thrilling stuff! 

Then, a little later on, I discovered the ghost stories of Saki (H H Munro) and M R James - and I read countless volumes of the Pan Books of Horror Stories. I noticed the books were edited by somebody called Herbert Van Thal, so I stuck one of my early stories into an envelope, addressed it to HERBERT VAN THAL, LONDON and confidently posted it off. Strangely, I didn't hear back from him...

Since moving to Edinburgh a few years ago, I've discovered that Scotland has its own collection of folktales and mythologies and I've been exploring them with glee. What I particularly liked about the Cu Sith is that it's a relatively little-known creature and I spotted an opportunity to reintroduce it to a whole new readership. 

I was also struck by the creepiness of The Washer at the Ford and as soon as I read about her, I wanted to put her in the story too!

What made you decide to make the move into writing for younger readers? Which do you find more challenging, adult or children's?

I wrote my first children’s book for my daughter. She was ten and wanted to read something I’d written but nothing was appropriate! So I wrote Sebastian Darke - Prince of Fools for her. It went on to become a series of books that sold all over the world. So I thought I’d better write a few more books for the same audience...

And in answer to your question, I see little difference in writing for adults and for younger readers. There are just some subjects you steer clear of when writing for the latter. 

Otherwise, all the rules are pretty much the same.

Finally (and most importantly) what is your favourite cocktail?

My favourite cocktail is The Amber Symphony. 

1. Take one good quality lager.

2. Pour it into a pint glass. 

3. Drink. 

(I’m not really a cocktail sort of guy, but, if pushed, I guess I’d settle for a really cold margarita!)

 Lies Like Wildfire - Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Book Summary

In Gap Mountain, California, everyone knows about fire season. And no one is more vigilant than 18-year-old Hannah Warner, the sheriff’s daughter and aspiring FBI agent. That is until this summer. When Hannah and her best friends accidentally spark an enormous and deadly wildfire, their instinct is to lie to the police and the fire investigators.

But as the blaze roars through their rural town and towards Yosemite National Park, Hannah’s friends begin to crack and she finds herself going to extreme lengths to protect their secret. Because sometimes good people do bad things. And if there’s one thing people hate, it’s liars.

The book starts on a very mysterious note and then goes back 5 weeks. The five friends, the Monsters as they call themselves, inadvertently start a forest fire on a day out at Gap Lake and this very quickly spirals out of control. They know how much trouble they will be in if anyone finds out it was them so once they make sure the fire department know about it, they decide to pretend they were never there.

Throughout the book we are waiting to find out if the truth about the fire will come out, but I think the real mystery is what has happened to Violet. It seems that even though Hannah doesn’t know what happened to one of her 4 best friends, she clearly does have some suspicions!

The book definitely kept me guessing throughout, I had no idea what the outcome would be even when the main character expressed her feelings and speculations. It was quite a page turner and I read it all in 2 days. Hannah is a very interesting main character. She’s fiercely protective of her friends and I really do feel she does what she does to protect them as much as herself. She also has a huge crush on Drummer which doesn't help matters at all, particularly her objectivity.

I read this in Greece where the news was full of wild fires, both there and in so many other countries at that time. Add to that everyone having to wear masks due to the smoke, and all the talk of 'new normal' so it felt a bit too close to home for me!

The cocktail I’ve made for this book is the Flaming Dr Pepper, but it can be made as a shot, short, or long cocktail. I wasn’t able to get a good photo of the flaming cocktail so I’ve pictured it below as a long drink over ice. Despite having no Dr Pepper, it really does taste like an alcoholic version! To make my version, get a tall glass with lots of ice, add 1 shot of amaretto and then fill the glass with half coke and half beer. This does give quite a frothy drink so pour the beer gently if you don’t like too many bubbles.

 

The Twelfth Ring - Sam Clarke
Spotlight Tour

 

I'm so pleased to have the opportunity to highlight one of the great books which are competing in the BBNYA 2021. If you haven’t yet heard about this competition, scroll down to the end of this post for more details.

 

Book Summary

Fifteen-year-old Noah Larsson is shipped off to the Bahamas to spend time with a man he barely knows: his father Magnus. To his surprise, supposedly penniless Magnus runs an archaeological consultancy from an incredible yacht equipped with military-grade security. Desperate to connect with his father, Noah asks to be included in the consultancy’s next assignment.

He joins Magnus’s unlikely associates - fellow archaeologist Miguel, his haughty teenage daughter Isabelle, ex-Special Forces agent Ariel and young university-drop-out Viggo – in their search for a mysterious medieval ring. But someone else is after it. Someone who will stop at nothing to get his hands on it.

As Noah risks his life to delve into the ring’s mystery, he finally comes face-to-face with the truth about his father. And it’s a revelation that will change his life forever.

 

 

Author Bio

Sam Clarke wanted to be a pirate, but her literacy skills were too advanced and she had to settle for writing instead. She is addicted to rock music, coffee and Japanese manga. Her gardening skills are abysmal and she is rumoured to have killed a potted cactus. She currently lives in London next to a very noisy bar. This is her first book.

 

 This year, the Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

 The Raven Heir - Stephanie Burgis

Book Summary

Triplets. One of them is heir to the throne. But which one?

Cordelia and her triplets Rosalind and Giles have lived safely in the castle at the centre of the forest all their lives, protected by the spells their mother has woven. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is when she turns into a dragonfly or a blackbird and can fly beyond the great stone walls. But then one day the outside world comes to them. Two rival dukes and their soldiers have come for the triplets - because whoever is the eldest is the heir to the throne. 

But their mother knows that since the Raven Crown was broken, no one has been able to rule the kingdom of Corvenne and live, and she will not give up any of her children to that death sentence. When she refuses to reveal which child is the eldest, she is taken prisoner, and Cordelia and her brother and sister find themselves on the run in a dangerous new world. And as they set out across Corvenne to rescue their mother, Cordelia begins to see that there is a deep magic at work, driving her towards a destiny that could tear her family apart, take away her freedom forever or, just maybe, heal a kingdom devastated by a war that has raged for generations.

Cordelia can change into any animal she wants, she can be as huge as a bear and as small as a worm. But this still doesn't give her the freedom she longs for. When she gives in to this craving she accidentally sets off a chain of reactions, separating her from half her family. She is fiercely protective and all her instincts are driving her to rescue them but she realises that the whole land is at stake, not just her family and she has to make some difficult decisions.

From the start of the book you are thrown straight into the action and it doesn't let up for a minute. I loved that despite all their magic and the way they were brought up with this huge destiny, they are still normal siblings, bickering over the slightest thing while at the same time trying to protect each other from the bad guys.

The book is full of mystery and secrets, I really couldn't guess what was going to happen. There is a wonderfully fulfilling ending but I am still extremely happy to hear that there is a book 2 on the way.

To make a Raven cocktail, shake 1 shot each of rum, vodka and blue curacao with ice. Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice, then gently pour a shot of Chambord over the top of a spoon so it doesn't mix with the other ingredients. This will give a lovely layered appearance to the drink.

 Fireborn - Aisling Fowler 

Book Summary

Ember is full of monsters.

Twelve gave up her name and identity to train in the art of hunting them--so she says. The truth is much more deadly: she trains to take revenge on those who took her family from her.

But when Twelve's new home is attacked, she'll find herself on an unexpected journey, where her hidden past is inescapably intertwined with her destiny--and the very fate of her world.

Twelve always feels out of place and a bit of a misfit, even amongst the huntlings. Mostly orphans like her, all of them have given up their families, names and clans to pledge their lives to the Hunting Lodge. The hunters have to take a pledge forsaking everything in their former lives, so that they can be completely impartial and neutral, ensuring that all the clans will trust them.

From the start I really sympathised with Twelve, though I did start to wonder how much of her lonely situation was her own doing! She is clearly a very strong and independent character, but her one weakness is trusting and working with others. Widge the squirrel has to be the best character though, he's so cute and clever, extremely helpful time and time again.

Despite telling herself that she has a plan of her own and doesn't care about anyone else, when a girl is kidnapped, Twelve realises she can't just wait around for the elders to decide to do something. It's up to her to mount the rescue. 

With her squirrel and some very unexpected companions, Twelve battles more and more terrifying creatures, Ygrex, cliffcrawlers, goblins. But the villains turn out to be even worse than the monsters.

This book had me glued to the page and I finished it in 2 days. I was immersed in the world and gripped by the adventure. Gratifyingly, it has such a satisfying ending, fulfilling and not rushed at all.

Mix yourself a Hunter's Verdict cocktail but be warned this is a strong one! 2 shots rum, 3/4 shot Amaro, 1/4 shot ginger liqueur, dash orange bitters, dash Angostura bitters. Stir well with ice and strain into a short ice-filled glass.