As part of the blog tour, I am so happy to share three exciting things! A Q&A with author Carolyn Ward, an activity pack from Hachette and my review!
What, in your opinion, makes a good story?
A mouth-watering beginning, a juicy middle and a tasty ending. Like a great meal!
I like to be surprised, and moved. There is so much amazing children’s writing out there at the moment, my TBR pile is gigantic!
Do you have a specific place to write, or can you write anywhere? If you get stuck or have writer’s block, what do you do to find inspiration?
I write at my messy desk. With a mug of peppermint tea. And on my phone’s notes app when I’m out or about or awake at 3am after a nightmare I want to remember! I use notebooks for fine detail, character stuff and maps and so on.
If I get stuck I eat chocolate, sketch things out a lot, and love Pinterest as a planning tool, as I’m quite visual.
Is there a character in the book you relate to most? If so, why? Were any of the characters the hardest to write?
I adore Bella, of course. A lot of her inner thoughts at school echo mine, being kind of worried about things, chewing things over and so on. The one who talks in my head a lot is Skylar – little madam!
The hardest one to write was Alice, the ghost. My agent and my editor gave me amazing feedback about her. They asked such powerful questions that I had to stop and really think about Alice’s motivation. In the end I wrote a flash fiction piece about how she died, and that cemented her story for me. Poor old Alice.
What do you hope readers take away from Bella Bright and the Ghost Game?
I hope that they see how friendships can evolve, and that things always get better.
One of my sisters read it recently, and cried at the end! I love that she was so invested in Bella’s happiness.
Horror is such an interesting and exciting genre for escapism, and thrill! I hope readers are entertained.
Do you have any advice for young readers who would like to be authors or creatives themselves, one day?
Everyone can write – just grab some paper and a pen and brainstorm some ideas. What would be the most exciting book you would want to read? Start there, and keep going!
Flash fiction and poetry can be great places to start. The internet opens up a world of opportunity to read others’ work and enter competitions, often for free. Check out Paragraph Planet and Creative Ink – great sites for inspiration.
Activity Pack from Hachette
My Review
A thoroughly spooky and enjoyable read with plenty of action, threats and haunted house fun.
Bella and her mum have moved to Castleton to bring an old rectory back to life for the owner. Bella’s mum restores old properties and Bella helps. They know quite a lot about houses and the intricate steps needed to redecorate them.
The house is Darkling Manor and Bella can hear the feint tinkle of a piano, a whisper of a voice. Feeling uncertain over these, she sticks close to her Mum.
Bella is nervous on her first day of school as she switches school with each project they do. She longs to make a proper friend and to settle in one place for longer than a project.
She meets Lex, Regan and Skylar and somehow the three find themselves invited to a Halloween sleepover at Darkling Manor. The evening takes some unexpected and cruel paths. The ghost of a girl named Alice makes herself known to the group and they find themselves in a game of deadly hide and seek. Alice has stolen three of the girls and placed them in different parts of the house. If Bella can’t find them before the night is over, then they are kept by Alice forever.
Working with the clues, her knowledge of the house and clever skills, Bella begins to play. At times, creepy, this book is unputdownable and so enjoyable. I loved the history, the characters who must find a way to work together and the peril offered by the house.
A brilliantly spooky story!
My Shelves Are Full 