Sonny and Me - Ross Sayers Book Launch

Today was the perfect day for my wee Cranachan totebag. I was meeting the girls for food then we headed to Waterstones for the book launch "Sonny and Me" by Ross Sayers, out to buy now, treebook and ebook format - Amazon link!




Blurb for the book

FOURTH YEAR. TWO PALS. ONE MURDER.WELCOME TO BATTLEFIELD HIGH...‘Whoever said yer school days are the best days ae yer life was at the absolute wind up. I hink maist adults dinnae mind whit it was really like. Wait til yeese hear whit Sonny and me got detention for...’Daughter and Sonny are two best friends just trying to get through fourth year at high school. But when their favourite teacher leaves unexpectedly, and no one will say why, the boys decide to start their own investigation. As they dig deeper into the staff at Battlefield High, they discover a dark secret which one person will kill to protect...Will they uncover the truth without being expelled? Can their friendship survive when personal secrets are revealed? And will they manage to skive off double English?"A unique blend of crime and comedy with an inclusive cast of characters, SONNY AND ME is brilliant: intriguing, heart-warming, and very funny." Sophie Cameron




The place was packed, every seat taken and folk standing.




Ross was interviewed by fellow author Caroline Logan whose book is coming out, by Cranachan, in October this year "The Stone of Destiny".




Ross read the first chapter of the book and we all laughed, I love Scottish humour/banter so I will be bumping the book up my TBRM.


His mum made wee biscuits with the book cover on it, I love this and just think it is such a lovely wee touch!








You can find Ross on Twitter and Facebook

Kimberley Chambers and Anna Smith book event at Waterstones

Last night we headed to Waterstones to see crime authors Kimberley Chambers and Anna Smith. The event was chaired by book blogger legend Sharon from Chapter in my Life, if you haven't checked her blog out, do so she is a cracker!



Chambers new book is The Sting and has stunning purple print page ridges (limited edition), I LOVE purple and you all know how much I love Chambers books so I cannot wait to get mine (on route, ordered December)! The Hit was Anna's Book on display but her newest book (due out this year) is Fight Back book 2 in the Kerry Casey series.



This is the second time I have seen these ladies together and they are great onstage together, both very different but it works and flows so well. With Sharon chairing the event it was just a natural flow, good chat, bantz, laughter and stories.



Chambers talked about the new book and the prequel to The Butler series which we are all gagging for and how this book is a bit different from her others but still with the heart of what she does best.



We got onto the subject of books making it to tv/movies and Anna admitted this is a dream for her. Chambers would rather be actively involved, have her say on how it is done, who would play the characters as only she knows exactly what they would look like. Smith wasn't as bothered about the control aspects of direction and choices but would love hers to be transformed onto the screen. Both discussed how long the actual process can be and had much praise for Martina Cole's adaptations, character choices and direction she had. I do love Cole but haven't seen any of her stuff on the screen, I aim to change this asap and apparently Tom Hardy is in one of them!



Both ladies signed books after the event finished, the hour went by in a flash, I could have listened all night and everyone echo'd those sentiments, the ladies are naturals!



Some of us nipped round to the pub nearby, had a wee drink and gab before we all headed off home. I cannot go on enough about how nice it is to meet very successful people who are just lovely and down to earth. Chambers is going to Harrogate this year. I have yet to go here, many of my fellow bloggers LOVE it and always have amazing stories, maybe this could be the year I make it. After going to Edinburgh book fest last year for the first time I find the idea less terrifying (now I know what a festival entails) and always good to know authors you enjoy reading will be attending. Smith's new book comes out this year too so once I have details for that I will tweet and hopefully get to go, shifts permitting.

You can follow the ladies (in a non stalker/creepy way lol) on Twitter:

Chambers
Smith
Anna Smith's Facebook author page
Kimberley Chambers Facebook author page

Book Launch - Smile by Roddy Doyle

Hosted in the fabulous Waterstones, Sauchieshall street in Glasgow City Centre.






So tonight I went to see the fabulous Roddy Doyle. Famous for so many works but for me The Woman Who Walked into Doors, I read this as a teenager. The movie (it was a book first), The Van - which I learned last night is part of a trilogy in a book series, guess who has ordered that!






The man himself is a legend, I have always had a fondness for any accent but the irish accent I could listen to all day. If you haven't heard him speak or about his new book, I put a wee quick video up on my Instagram (Always_Reading) so you can have a wee listen.







Smile is the newest book, this is the Blurb from Amazon.


Smile has all the features for which Roddy Doyle has become famous: the razor-sharp dialogue, the humour, the superb evocation of childhood – but this is a novel unlike any he has written before. When you finish the last page you will have been challenged to re-evaluate everything you think you remember so clearly.

Just moved in to a new apartment, alone for the first time in years, Victor Forde goes every evening to Donnelly’s pub for a pint, a slow one.

One evening his drink is interrupted. A man in shorts and pink shirt brings over his pint and sits down. He seems to know Victor’s name and to remember him from school. Says his name is Fitzpatrick.

Victor dislikes him on sight, dislikes too the memories that Fitzpatrick stirs up of five years being taught by the Christian Brothers.

He prompts other memories too – of Rachel, his beautiful wife who became a celebrity, and of Victor’s own small claim to fame, as the man who says the unsayable on the radio.

But it’s the memories of school, and of one particular Brother, that he cannot control and which eventually threaten to destroy his sanity.





He read a passage from the new book and whilst it has been years since I read Doyle, it made me want to buy all the old books again and even the ones I have read. I bought the hardback edition of the new book and whilst I am drowning in review books (and the hundreds I keep buying), I need to bump this up the review list!







Smile is out to buy from all good bookstores now, in Hardback edition. If you have already read it or a fan please let me know which books are your favourite.

Jodi Picoult Book Launch Small Great Things

You can read my review for Small Great Things here, I was very lucky to get an ARC copy from Netgalley.



Last night me & my beautiful friends and friends eldest daughter went along to the Kelvin Grove Art gallery & museum for the book tour Small Great Things. How stunning is the inside of the gallery! Tickets were £20 which I know some people think is quite steep for a book event however this included a signed hardback copy of the new book and Picoult is a fabulous speaker. Not only that the poor lamb had laryngitis and kept going like a trooper!





You can read the review for the book as above however I just want to reiterate that this is a book that will stay with you, racism, injustice and it will make you question yourself too. Last night someone asked her how she felt about the timing of the book what with everything that is happening in America just now. Her answer gave me goosebumps, she said this book is 200 years in coming, it addresses issues that even now are often skirted around. 2016 and racism is still an ugly but very real issue, more so or certainly more in the public eye with Trumps election, Jodie answered with class and honestly she is just such a classy woman with such a great attitude.







The book cover is not like the one posted on Goodreads and linked on my review, it is beautiful and I know I am not normally one to comment much on covers. The front Is black and white striped with a mild texture to it, the writing is a gold/orange shimer as is the spine cover. I was planning on giving the book away as a competition prize but I may just hold on to it, see the pictures below and Princess Trixie is of course in the picture too!.







If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Picoult speak and back and fro over going, seriously guys go. It is a great night, really worth it and we all enjoyed it. You come away with a great book and thinking a little bit differently!

Talk of The Toun by Helen MacKinven Blog Tour

Having to post this a wee bit early due to the fact I am working tomorrow, my slot for the blog, and won't be home til after 8pm. So here goes, also, I have my ARC copy, now signed, to give away as part of the tour, I will list this once I get home from work. That will be the 6th of November after 8pm UK time so make sure you stop by to enter.





Tell me a bit about you?

I’m 47 years old and so I was 17 in 1985, just like the main characters Angela and Lorraine. My childhood was spent in Bonnybridge, famous for UFO sightings and I went to high school in Falkirk so the setting for Talk of the Toun was easy to recreate from my own personal experiences. After watching one too many episodes of Escape to the Country, three years ago I moved to a three hundred year old cottage in a small rural village in North Lanarkshire to live with my husband. I have two grown-up sons but I have filled my empty nest with eleven chickens, two dogs and two pygmy goats.



For the last ten years I’ve enjoyed writing flash fiction, short stories and I’ve completed three novels. My debut novel, Talk of the Toun, is the first of my novels to be published. In 2011, I took a career break to go to Stirling University to do an MLitt in Creative Writing but I’m now back on the road with my day job which involves travelling all over Scotland to deliver maths training for teachers so I have to fit my writing into days off and school holidays. Why did you choose Scotland and that time period for your book?

I wanted to write the type of book I love to read and my favourite writers, such as Janice Galloway, Anne Donovan and Jackie Kay, have set their books in Scotland and given a ‘voice’ to working class characters and this inspired my own writing. The advice often given is, “write what you know” so being a teenager in the 80s in central Scotland meant I could write a credible story.



There are a fair few characters, how did Senga come about, is she based on anyone you know?

The story is entirely fictional – nothing that dramatic happened to me growing up! But I did have a very close relationship with my gran and spent a lot of time with her in the same way Angela gravitates to her gran for support and guidance. My own gran died nine years ago and I still miss her dearly, she was funny without realising it, kind-hearted, a bit vain like Senga and had a white poodle too. But she wasn’t a pet psychic or an extrovert like Senga although she did give me plenty of inspiration and ideas for humorous scenarios. The book’s dedication is, “In memory of my gran, Ella, who taught me the meaning of unconditional love” and I know she’d be proud of me achieving my dream of being a published novelist.

Does it surprise you that Senga seems to be the favourite character? Who is your favourite character in the book and why?

Not really as she’s mine too! As my own relationship with my gran was full of love and laughs it meant I could create a character very loosely based on fact so I think that’s why the character connects with readers. I hoped folk would warm to her and I’m chuffed she’s your favourite too. I would love to see a book about Senga and I am sure I am not alone, is it something you would consider? I had never thought of doing another book with any of the characters but who knows, maybe if I get more interest in Senga I’ll consider writing more adventures for her and Bimbo.



You have captured the mid-80s amazingly, I found myself transported back to many memories I had long forgot. Was this something you meant to do?

Yes, I wanted the setting and time period to feel real so I needed to incorporate cultural references such as fashion, TV programmes, pop songs, food, household décor and gadgets from the era that would trigger the sense of the 80s. I’m blessed (or sometimes it feels more like a curse!)with a really good memory so lots of the details came back to me but the internet was invaluable to check my facts as there’s nothing worse than reading a book and seeing errors littering the page.



What research did you do to capture such an accurate portrayal of the people and times you write about?

There are a lot of websites with themes such as, ‘I love the 80s’ so I spent time reminding myself of things like clothes and makeup that were popular. I also signed up to the Pinterest website which is a great source of inspiration with thousands of boards full of images from the 80s. I set up my own boards for the book, one with images specific to Talk of the Toun and one for general 80s images if readers are interested to see the visuals related to the story. https://uk.pinterest.com/helenmackinven/



What is next for Helen MacKinven?

I’ve been busy with the pre-publication build-up for Talk of the Toun and my day job so I haven’t managed to do much writing on my next project. But I’ve made notes after a bit of research and written a few thousand words on a new novel. This book (if I finish it!) is set in Airdrie after the referendum result but with a local historical event related to the Leningrad Siege weaved into the narrative. Where can readers find you, ie twitter, facebook, website? I blog regularly at helenmackinven.co.uk and can be found on Facebook and on Twitter @HelenMacKinven



You can find my review for Talk Of The Toun here http://www.alwaysreading.net/2015/10/talk-of-toun-by-helen-mackinven_12.html Talk of the toun is now available to buy, kindle £4.99 or a paperback copy at £9.99







I also managed to get to the book launch for this last night, in case you missed it you can see the post and pictures here

Book Launch - Follow me by Victoria Gemmell

I accidentally stumbled along to this launch, I had booked tickets for another launch and was explaining to my friend the place looked set up for an event. A lady on the stairs said it is my book launch, feel free to come and join us which I thought was lovely. Turns out, I had actually been speaking to this author with another book lover on Instagram and hadn't recognised her or remembered the event I had commented on.







This was another book launch that was really busy for a debut. Victoria had clearly went to a lot of effort, little bottles of coke for people to take away with a wee tag, badge and straw. Cupcakes with personalised pictures of the books front cover (I absolutely love wee personal touches like this). She supplied wine, soft drinks and water which is always well appreciated by people who come out to these events. Something as little as water available is greatly appreciated, when authors go that bit further and bring their family and friends, it just makes the evening really special, well I think so anyway.







The author did a few small readings from the book, this is the first time I have experienced this, normally the author reads a chunk from one part of the book however it is always good to catch snippets and see different styles. I haven't read this book but I would be interested in hearing how it plays out.



I would certainly go to another event with this author and will keep an eye out for her book and wish her all the luck in the future.

Book Launch & Giveaway - The Exit by Helen Fitzgerald

Well this is a tad later than I had planned, the launch was on the 12th of February at Waterstones Argyll Street.

However, as often is the way, time slipped past and at least now I have had time to do my review and can launch this as the March competition. If you haven't heard Helen Fitzgerald speak or made it to one of her launches, your missing out guys. This was the second I have been to, she brought some of her family with her and her sister, whose name escapes me, made the beautiful bite sized cakes (I'm always about the food!). I am so so fussy but you couldn't say no as they are so good and it just adds a lovely personal touch.

Fitzgerald is hilarious, down to earth, mingles with us mere mortals :P and invited everyone out for a few drinks after the launch. Her family and husband are just such a nice crowd and on top of all that, she provided wine (both red and white), soft drinks and water which may not sound like a lot guys but I have been to a fair few book events and launches were you don't have water available to buy.

You can read my review here http://www.alwaysreading.net/2015/02/review-exit-by-helen-fitzgerald.html

It was a great night and yours truly got a brand new copy of this wee book and got it signed so now have one copy to give away. I have been keeping book giveaways to the UK, just because costs are going up and I am skint however I will open this one up to everyone. As per, fill in the rafflecopter at the bottom of this post, the more entries you fill in the more chances you have.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author event & signing with Stuart MacBride

Well tonight I went with my friends to see Stuart MacBride, one has never been to a signing before so was in for a treat. We have seen Stuart before, he is always funny, has some "fruity" language and fabulous tales to share. He warned that this book has a lot less swearing and bad language in it due to so many emails and complaints from people. I find this sad, you will always have complaints from people and I fear, the bad language is only the start, next they will be calling for getting rid of Steel because she is a lesbian. Far too much censorship these days and the characters we have come to know and love are for their potty mouths and short comings. That said I do understand where he is coming from but I sincerely hope the next book returns the characters to their usual expressions.



A new author, well to me anyway, introduced him, Russel D McLean another Scottish author whom I had not heard of before. He was also funny and I will need to, at some point look him up. Or maybe I will get one of his books via a publisher for the review pile. Either way I definitely will need to check him out, the picture below is him and both he and Stuart are on twitter if you wish to follow them.c





As a result of tonights fabulous hilarity and reading I have bought the 45% hangover, Shatter the bones (I accidentally bought the one after this) and the new one which was the tour for tonight, The missing and the dead. So even though the event was free, I think the authors do well to do these as I hadn't heard of the 45% hangover, which is a novella of Steel and Logan.



The publishers had given Stuart the advertising poster on a big pole to put up and he was damn well going to do it, although it was a tad tricky :P





I can't recommend you going to see this man enough if the opportunity comes your way. His genre is crime, set in Scotland. It is dark, bloody and really takes you through the events in vivid description. It is a great series (I have read to book 6 or 7 I think) if you like gritty crime and don't have an issue with some swearing you will love these books.