Buying books

Does Christmas panic you?  Don’t let it.  Times is tough and anyone who expects the whole perfect full-on malarkey this year is living in cloud cuckoo land. As regards presents, when in doubt, buy a book.  Because I’m all heart (no, really, you should see my heart chakra glow – I don’t need no Christmas lights!) I’m offering you a list of books for absolutely anyone. Now, of course, in an ideal world you would go to your local bookstore to buy them and if you can possibly support this endangered breed, then please do so.

For the sake of speed, however, I'm linking to Amazon. Not because I like Amazon for, to be honest, I'm not so wild. But, hey, needs must.  If you can find them elsewhere, then fantastic. By the way, just how bloody STUPID is it that a gift voucher for Amazon can’t be used across the various sites? My lovely brother has just given me one but I’m going to have to order from the States and get stuff shipped over here. *eyeroll*.

Anyhow, without further ado, my guide to books that might solve a few present crises. Some are cheap as chips – look hard and you’ll even find some freebies!  I confess freely I haven’t read them all…quite a few on this list are on my own to-read list.  Oh, and yes there is Total Rank Nepotism going on here – these are all written by people I know… some out there in the mainstream, some resolutely indie...

For armchair boozers: Great British Pubs by Adrian Tierney-Jones (yes, he's my husband but hey, it's a really good book. Well, the Financial Times thinks so and who am I to argue with such a bastion of the system?) 

For smart romantics: Marriage and Other Games by Veronica Henry (Ronnie lives not too far from here and is just damn nice as well as one seriously smart writer. Don't fall into the trap of thinking her books are 'just' chicklit...no sirree. 

For intelligent Goths and supernatural SF addicts:  The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood. I don't really *do* sci-fi but I make an exception for Jon cos he's just a truly fabulous writer with a wicked imagination. And now he's written about vampires - what's not to like?

For imaginative teens who dream of having superpowers: Invisible Justice by Kim Jewell.  My son, James (13), loves Kim's writing and he's not the only one. If you're buying a Kindle for teens this Christmas, load up her books.

For those who dream of a summer of love: The Villa Girls by Nicky Pellegrino. One of my oldest friends (no, she's not that old; just that we've known one another for way too long). Nicky's books are always a feast for the senses. She makes me feel warm just thinking about them. 

For bloodthirsty crime lovers: Burn Baby Burn by Jake Barton. Okay, I don't really read crime but those who know say Jake's books are the real deal.  And by the look of his sales he's obviously doing something right. 

For sensitive souls: Daisychains of Silence by Catherine MacLeod.  One I'm looking forward to reading. I loved the chapters I read of this on Authonomy and have no doubt that the rest of the book delivers...  

For deep thinkers: Quintessence by Andrew Meek.  Andrew always makes me think - he is a lover of science but has, to my mind, the soul of a mystic. Another one I'm looking forward to reading.

For old dope-heads with a sense of humour: The Beauregarde Affair by Brian Talgo. Another book I loved on Authonomy by a smart funny guy. 

For spiritual James Joyce lovers: SymphonicBridges by Marek Stefanowicz.  Well, you already know I love this book. Sure it ain't to all tastes but if you love language, are interested in New Age thinking and have a penchant for Joyce and Syd Barrett, well...

For mystical mavens: Away with the Fairies and Strangers & Pilgrims by Vivienne Tuffnell.  Vivienne is another author I can't wait to read - I adore her blog so am pretty sure her fiction will be just as good.  

For lovers of dark Japanese homoeroticism: Shinobi by Sessha Batto.  Well, you've all got a few of those tucked away in the family, haven't you?  Sessha certainly has pinpointed (so to speak) her market.  Lovely warm woman with a deeply dark imagination. 

For donnish Inspector Morse types: The Company of Fellows by Dan Holloway.  Crime again but highly literary this time from the delightful Indie writer/performer, Dan.  

For bipolar princesses: My Kind of Crazy by Janine Crowley Haynes.  Just one of the best books I've read on the whole 'mental health' thingy.  Janine is a stunning writer and a warm, brave and all-round lovely human being.   

For sceptical would-be mediums: A Sceptical Medium by Lorraine Holloway-White.  I'll be honest, I have never been to a medium or spiritualist church. Yes, I talk to dead people but they're family and friends, for pity's sake - not any old strangers! But for those who wonder, take a look at her books. 

For those who loved the romantic bits in Star Wars, Avatar etc:  The Iron Admiral by Greta van der Rol.  Like I say, I don't really *do* sci-fi but I love Greta's writing and she don't half tell a yarn.

For starstruck young girls: Olivia's First Term by Lyn Gardner: Guardian theatre critic Lyn also has daughters so she really knows her stuff.  Perfect for young girls into ballet, acting and circus skills.

For anyone who loves fishing, cooking or Exmoor: Fishing for Life edited by Ceri Keene. I've yacked on about this before - the cookbook produced by a local friend in aid of a breast cancer charity.

Oh gawd, I've missed tons out, I just know... But that should keep you going for a bit, eh? 

Eco-literature for teens? Can books help save the planet?

I wrote my teen novel, Walker, several years ago.  

It’s the story of a boy who dies and who comes back to life as a shaman, a walker between worlds. 

It’s aimed at the mid-grade/YA market (hard to be precise as reading tastes vary so much but I’d say if someone likes Percy Jackson, Michelle Paver, Rick Riordan etc., they should like this.)

Walker had an agent and did the rounds of publishing houses.  It also made it through to the shortlist of The Wow! Factor competition run by Waterstone's and Faber.  Yet, despite all this it never quite found a home.  It got onto the editor’s desk at Authonomy and the feedback I received from the editor at HarperCollins made me rethink the book quite radically. So I rewrote it. Rewrote it twice, actually.  Well, gazillions of times really, but ended up with two main versions – a ‘boy’ version and a ‘girl’ version.  Which appealed to me for all sorts of shamanic reasons.   

Cow Castle - built by pixies

So. Why Walker? 

Firstly Walker is set on Exmoor and really this place is one of my constant muses.  Can a place be a muse? I think so. There are just so many legends here; so much history and prehistory, magic and mythology.  Nature is so darn...elemental. Its mood shifts round every corner - whether on the wild bleak moorland, in the deeply forested combes, the swift running rivers, the crashing waves against cliff or sultry slap against shore. I wanted to try to capture/encase/enchant in words some of its tricksy, tempestuous, rugged charm (yeah, I like my muses like that). *smile*

Secondly Walker is about shamanism. 

I love shamanism. 

I wanna talk about it more, in more detail, later as it’s part of the Labyrinth. But, for now, for starters, think of a practice where you can journey into other worlds, other realms – where you can find spirit guides and animals; where you can go for healing, for self-knowledge, for wisdom, for inspiration, for education. It’s not always a gentle process. Spirits often play rough, pulling you apart before putting you back together. It’s a journey of self-awareness and also a journey of connection – with other people, animals, places, times. Above all, shamanism is about the Earth – and this brings me onto the third point…

Cos thirdly, Walker is about the Earth. It's got an underlying environmental plea for sanity running through it. It’s not a worthy book; it doesn’t ram points down your throat but it does have the life blood of the planet running through its pages.  

This is eco-lit…just as much as any fist-thumping non-fiction tome on climate change.

Fourthly, finally (fine ally), Walker is a yarn. I wanted to write the kind of book I loved as a child; the kind that lures you in and makes you turn page after page, reading by torchlight under the covers. The kind written by people like Alan Garner, Susan Cooper, Rosemary Sutcliff.  When I met one of my total heroes, Alan Garner, a couple of years ago, I told him that his book The Weirdstone of Brisingamen was my lodestone, my template for Walker. ‘Oh dear,’ he said. ‘Is that really a good idea?’ J Jeez, I love that guy. You've never read Alan Garner? For shame on you! 

Anyhow, there you have it. Walker is my paean to Exmoor, my homage to storytelling, my head-bowing to shamanism and my earnest hope that we can learn to love our world and respect it before we pull it to pieces.  

Did I succeed? I dunno. You tell me. One of these days I may get my act together and self-publish, in a lovely edition made from paper harvested from sustainable forestry of course.  In the meanwhile, if you happen to be an editor or publisher who likes the idea of this then...get in touch.  

You can read more about shamanism and the world of Walker on its own blog – here…

You can read the first few chapters here…

Oh, oh and, is this part of the Labyrinth?  Of course it is.