Ghosting Home?

Be afraid, be very afraid - the Hispaniola is coming up the river! Claudia Myatt's wonderful imaingative response to one ofthe incidents in Ghosting Home. Publication scheduled for July 2nd 2012  ISBN 9781899262069

Season's Greetings from YouGov & FutureBook

Season's Greetings by Claudia MyattClaudia Myatt might call this Season's Greetings and that is what the flags say. But I call it The Woman Who Didn't Get a Kindle for Christmas.

See my sackfuls of seasonal statistics at the Authors Electric blogspot

not quite normal service

sorry everyone - I've broken my leg and Francis has had his second spine operation. Loads of lovely friends and family helping (eg Archie decorating the plaster) but Golden Duck's high professional standards might slip a bit over next few weeks. many apols if so.

Debbie's Idea - Mothers Lost and Found

Debbie's Idea: I only knew of this book-site as a Good Idea - a place where readers could get advice on the crucial question "where to start reading x ...?"  I had contributed some suggestions where to start reading Margery Allingham (though I'm not sure I came down very firmly at any particular point). Mentally I registered it as having a sense of a personality behind it and a real love of books. Then, recently, I remebered it and I sent little Salty paddling across the Atlantic to see if there was a safe haven in New York. This led to some correspondence with Ellen Pall, the founder of the site, and I learned a little about Debbie Sankey, the book lover who had had the Idea. Belatedly I have read Ellen's account of her first meeting with Debbie and the poignant, unsuspected link that bound them together. Ellen is a writer and her article Mothers Lost and Found is one that I will treasure.

LoveReading4Kids

It's been impossible not to panic about the likely reception for A Ravelled Flag - the middle movement of the Strong Winds trilogy - a bit longer, structurally more complex, less charming perhaps, certainly darker. I wonder whether Louise Weir, founder and director of Love Reading, realises quite what her generous comments on this second volume have meant to me? (Or indeed, Seona Ford, Chairman of the Essex Book Festival, who wrote a personal letter saying how much she had enjoyed this sequel.)

The Lovereading comment:

The story of 14 year old Donny and his new found friends that began in The Salt-Stained Book continues in this gripping sequel.  Donny's long lost great Aunt has arrived from China on a boat and rescued him and his mother from the care system. Her gorgeous boat Strong Winds (a Chinese junk) becomes their home but it's not long before Donny and his friends and family are caught up in yet more dark, intense and suspense-filled action and adventure that is cleverly interspersed with Chinese tales from great aunt Ellen's life and a good dose of wit as well. It's a great read.  Volume three Ghosting Home will be published in Summer 2012.

And more than that, Louise called the SSB "a very special book"   Phew!