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Darkside Nighttrap by Tom Becker Sorry there was no new blog entry yesterday I've had my head stuck in the new Darkside book by author Tom Becker who is from Ormskirk. I've been planning on doing the occasional children's book review on here hopefully with a tie-in interview. Scholastic have very kindly sent me a couple of books to read and fingers crossed I should be able to have a chat with the authors soon about how they got their break and about their writing. Nighttrap is the third in the popular Darkside series which follows Jonathan Stirling as he discovers a dangerous and strangely Victorian world hidden away under modern day London. The first book won the Waterstone's Childrens Book Prize and he has since completed Lifeblood and now Nighttrap in a planned series of five. In Nightrap, Jonathan's neighbour Mrs Elwood has been kidnapped and the teenager must steal the mysterious Crimson Stone in order to save her. Helping him are werewolf Carnegie, Raquella maid to Vendetta the Vampire and a criminal circus troupe. I have read the first Darkside book some time ago but I don't think you need to be familiar with the characters to enjoy this sequel. There is a little bit of back-story explained but not too much that it gets in the way. Nighttrap is a fast, easy read and quite scary in places - as you'd guess from the title and creepy glow-in the-dark cover. Tom Becker has been compared to Darren Shan but I think Nighttrap is actually better than Cirque du Freak. I like that there's a mixture of male and female characters and best of all the females are feisty and don't have to be rescued to often (except for poor Mrs Elwood!) The scenes are brilliantly original and wonderfully descriptive, especially the auction which had me in stitches and Carnegie (my favourite) is a fantastic character - a bit Sam Spade meets Hellboy. Tom is a big comic book fan, especially Alan Moore, and I think it really shows. In fact the book is so vividly written that it feels more like a graphic novel and I'd love to see it turned into one. I think it would also make for a great film - I loved the gondolas, mansion break-in and big finale. The only slight criticism would be that I guessed who the baddie was - but I'm afraid that's from reading too many Agatha Christie's as a youngster - but even I didn't see the final twist coming! Tom Becker Apparently Tom has always wanted to be a writer and sickenly Darkside was published when he was just 25 and too make fellow wannabe writer's even greener with envy it took him just three months to complete. He explains: "Darkside was the result of a childhood spent reading fantasy novels, a love of 1940s and '50s American detective films, and a fascination with the seamier side of Victorian history. Exactly how that all came together, I couldn't say - one morning, it was just all there in my head." I recommend Nighttrap for older children and comic book fans - just don't read it alone after dark! I have one copy of Darkside Nighttrap by Tom Becker to give away. To be in with a chance of winning it just tell me the name of Bram Stoker's book about a vampire. Email your answer along with your contact details, (subject line Darkside) to [email protected] by 5pm Friday June 12th 2008. Goodluck. * Darkside Nighttrap is out to buy in paperback by Scholastic on June 2 priced £6.99. Learn more about Darkside at www.welcometodarkside.co.uk

Darkside Nighttrap by Tom Becker Sorry there was no new blog entry yesterday I've had my head stuck in the new Darkside book by author Tom Becker who is from Ormskirk. I've been planning on doing the occasional children's book review on here hopefully with a tie-in interview. Scholastic have very kindly sent me a couple of books to read and fingers crossed I should be able to have a chat with the authors soon about how they got their break and about their writing. Nighttrap is the third in the popular Darkside series which follows Jonathan Stirling as he discovers a dangerous and strangely Victorian world hidden away under modern day London. The first book won the Waterstone's Childrens Book Prize and he has since completed Lifeblood and now Nighttrap in a planned series of five. In Nightrap, Jonathan's neighbour Mrs Elwood has been kidnapped and the teenager must steal the mysterious Crimson Stone in order to save her. Helping him are werewolf Carnegie, Raquella maid to Vendetta the Vampire and a criminal circus troupe. I have read the first Darkside book some time ago but I don't think you need to be familiar with the characters to enjoy this sequel. There is a little bit of back story explained but not too much that it gets in the way. Nighttrap is a fast, easy read and quite scary in places - as you'd guess from the title and creepy glow-in the-dark cover. Tom Becker has been compared to Darren Shan but I think Nighttrap is actually better than Cirque du Freak. I like that there's a mixture of male and female characters and best of all the females are feisty and don't have to be rescued to often (except for poor Mrs Elwood!) The scenes are brilliantly original and wonderfuly descriptive, especially the auction which had me in stitches and Carnegie (my favourite) is a fantastic character - a bit Sam Spade meets Hellboy. Tom is a big comic book fan, especially Alan Moore, and I think it really shows. In fact the book is so vividly written that it feels more like a graphic novel and I'd love to see it turned into one. I think it would also make for a great film - I loved the gondollas, mansion break-in and big finale. The only slight criticism would be that I guessed who the baddie was - but I'm afraid that's from reading too many Agatha Christie's as a youngster - but even I didn't see the final twist coming! Tom Becker Apparantly Tom has always wanted to be a writer and sickenly Darkside was published when he was just 25 and too make fellow wannabe writer's even greener with envy it took him just three months to complete. He explains: "Darkside was the result of a childhood spent reading fantasy novels, a love of 1940s and '50s American detective films, and a fascination with the seamier side of Victorian history. Exactly how that all came together, I couldn't say - one morning, it was just all there in my head." I highly recommend Nighttrap, just don't read it alone after dark! I have one copy of Darkside Nighttrap by Tom Becker to give away. To be in with a chance of winning it just tell me the name of Bram Stoker's book about a vampire. Email your answer along with your contact details, (subject line Darkside) to [email protected] by 5pm Friday June 12th 2008. Goodluck. * Darkside Nighttrap is out to buy in paperback by Scholastic on June 2 priced £6.99. Learn more about Darkside at www.welcometodarkside.co.uk

I've been tagged by fabulous writer and librarian Wendie Old of Wendie's Wanderings for this meme. My problem is, I tend to spill my guts about everything here, so what don't you already know? Hmm...let's see.

1. I hate certain words. As a writer I'm passionate about them, and while I mostly love words, there are a few I loathe, too. "Tummy," for instance. I don't know why, but the word makes me shudder. So does "nubbin." My daughter Maddie thinks this is hysterical and has taken to sliding by me and just whispering "tummy" in my ear to watch my reaction. Gross.

2. I never ate a salad in my life until I went to Wildacres Writing Workshop in about 2000. I've never been a healthy eater, and I hate vegetables. (Oops...I seem to hate a lot of things!) But they had a fantastic salad bar, along with all sorts of wonderful other foods. In addition to a great program and an absolutely gorgeous setting (Blue Ridge Mountains), I got a health benefit--started a love affair with salad.

3. I have such fair skin that, growing up in Florida, people used to ask me all the time if I was just visiting from up north. I hate heat, so unless I was at the beach or pool, I was inside or at least in shade. It's also so fair that all my veins show through. Sometimes I feel like a walking anatomy lesson.

4. My stomach growls. Loudly. Weirdly. Constantly. It gurgles, hums, roars...you name it. It's a standing joke in my family. It does this whether I'm hungry or have just eaten. Sitting in classes is sometimes torture, because half the time my mind is occupied by talking to my stomach: Don't growl, be quiet, please don't embarrass me.

5. I'm quite sure I should be using this meme for something more productive...throwing in clever marketing things about me. Instead, I see that I've made myself just sound rather like a freak. So, what the heck. I'll throw in that as a child, I could burp the alphabet. I don't know if I still can. Maybe I should practice and save the trick to scare off some guy who seems to be trouble who wants to date one of my daughters.

I'm guessing that none of the above are going to inspire a publishing company to want to send me on a tour or anything! But really, I'm generally presentable and most of the time people don't know anything about all these. 

Now that you know more than you ever wanted to know about me...I tag Pamela Ross!