Love Notes from Vinegar House Blog Tour - Author Q & A

Hey guys! Today, I have a lovely Q&A with Karen Tayleur, author of Love Notes from Vinegar House! If you've read my review, then you'll remember how much I enjoyed reading the book! I love how haunting, chilling and gorgeously written this book was. Isn't the cover quite creepy but gorgeous too? I think it reflects the story well! I would also like to thank Jennifer from Walker Books Australia for putting this blog tour together! Anyway, onto the Q&A...

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What inspired you to write Love Notes from Vinegar House?

I love a good gothic novel, so I set myself the task to write one. The combination of a love interest, mystery and things that go bump in the night is a lot of fun.

Have you ever experienced anything strange like Freya, Rumer and the mysterious love notes in the book?

As a teenager I had a recurring dream about an event that took place in a time when the women wore long skirted outfits, their hair dressed elaborately - hard to pinpoint when this was. I do remember the location - the ballroom where the event took place. It had several marble fireplaces and I was not part of the festivities but sat on the mantlepiece of one of the fireplaces watching the intricate dance steps and the chatter.

I told my best friend about the dream - we loved to scare ourselves with the idea of ghosts and things that could not be explained.

Much later, at my engagement party, my friend took me aside and pointed out the marble fireplaces.

The layout of the ballroom was the same.

It was the home of my future husband - he lived in a huge old homestead.

Pretty interesting...

What is the scariest book you've ever read and the scariest movie you've ever watched?

The Shining.

I think it was the combination of horror and not knowing the line between reality and what was happening in the protagonist's mind.

A black and white movie when I was a kid about a man who had an illness which caused him to fall into a deep coma and appear dead. He spent his life convinced he would be buried alive. There was a haunting tune that was whistled in the fog. Very spooky...

If you had the choice of living in a hotel known to be 'haunted' or vinegar house, which one would you choose and why?

I love Vinegar House. It's comfortable and a bit tatty and it has history. And it has Mrs Skelton who can always guarantee an overcooked lemon tart or roast, or Luke Hart casually working up a sweat outside in the garden. Of course, you can't leave your room in the middle of the night...

What do you think of the cover of Love Notes from Vinegar House?

I love it - aren't those designers clever? It really evokes the spooky midnight mystery of Vinegar House which is at its scariest in the wee hours of the morning. Covers are very hard to get right. I hope my readers like it.

Quick questions:

Chocolate or chips?

Chocolate, unless I'm angry and then I'll have chips.

Ghosts or Vampires?

Ghosts, more romantic and not as messy.

Indoors or outdoors?

Indoors, unless I'm camping strangely enough...

 

Add the book:

Goodreads 

 

Where to buy? 

Fishpond

Find Karen Tayleur at:

Website |   Facebook

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Oh I absolutely love Karen's answers! And Karen's experience with her dream was interesting. I haven't actually heard of The Shining but I did a little Google search and found out that it was written by Stephen King! It sounds really scary. The cover of Love Notes from Vinegar House is gorgeous. I love how Karen preferred ghosts over vampires and chocolates. I LOVE CHOCOLATES TOO! Thank you Karen for taking her time to answer the questions and Jennifer from Walker Books Australia for putting this blog tour together!  

Blog Interview: M.J Hearle on Winter's Light

Hey guys! I'm back with another interview with M.J Hearle, author of Winter's Shadow and the upcoming sequel, Winter's Light. I interviewed M.J earlier this year about Winter's Shadow and now, I interviewed M.J about Winter's Light, the sequel! You can read my review of Winter's Shadow here and Winter's Light here! I'd also like to thank Charlotte from Pan Macmillan for giving me the opportunity to interview M.J again!

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      1. Please describe Winter's Light in one sentence.

A young woman undertakes a perilous journey to save the soul of the man she loves.

2. When you wrote Winter's Shadow, did you knew what was going to happen in Winter's Light?

The clever answer would be ‘Yes. The entire story was planned out from the beginning.’ Most readers like to know they’re in safe hands with an author. Unfortunately, the honest answer is ‘No.’ The chance of getting one book published was so slim I didn’t dare entertain the possibility of writing a sequel. Of course, when my publisher asked if I had any ideas for the further adventures of Winter and Co I waffled on with great confidence about having a J.K Rowling style overarching plan for a multi-book series. In truth, I had only the vaguest of story notions. Some scattered scenes and a few interesting character beats I could throw in. For the most part, I discovered the story while I was writing it, which made for a terrifying and exhilarating experience. A little like writing on a crumbling cliff top. Only blind faith in my characters kept me from tumbling over the edge.

 
3. Which new characters in Winter's Light did you enjoy writing about most?

Sam was an intriguing character. When I introduced him in Winter’s Shadow I had a feeling he had a larger part to play in Winter’s story and it turns out I was right. He’s a major character in the sequel. Magdalene (Caleb’s sister) was also a lot of fun to write. Villainous characters usually are.

4. Which was your favourite scene in the book?

That’s a tricky question to answer without going into spoiler territory so I’ll be purposefully vague. Probably, the scene in the cemetery is my favourite. It was fun ramping up the tension and playing around with the various Bane magical paraphernalia I’d introduced. It’s probably the most intensely scary scene in the book and the one I could actually imagine enjoying as a reader – a perspective I rarely have while I’m writing. Most of the time I’m too hunkered down in the trenches for that level of awareness.

5. What do you think of Winter's Light cover?

It’s beautiful. I think it’s a bold design choice to deviate from the colour scheme of Winter’s Shadow but the end result works completely. I love Winter’s posture against the forbidding starkness of the woods.

6. Are you currently working on the third book in the series?

At the moment I’m finishing a short story about Claudette (Blake’s sister in Winter’s Shadow) which will be a digital only download for e-readers. She’s a character that seems to have gripped many readers imagination so I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore more of her backstory. Once I finish Claudette’s tale it’s straight on to the third book. The scope of what I have in mind is a little intimidating. If I pull off only half of it than I say – without an ounce of hyperbole – this will probably be the most epic paranormal novel of all time.

Quick Questions:

1. Books or movies? I love them both but ultimately it always comes back to books.

2. Cats or dogs? Dogs. No argument.

3. Paris or Sydney? Tricky. Paris is the romantic answer but having been there a couple of times, I think I prefer Sydney. Less dog poo on the pavement and we make better coffee. It’s as simple as that. 

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Hehe, considering how there were so many cats in Winter's Shadow and Winter's Light, it's very interesting that M.J loves dogs more than cats. And ooo, M.J prefers Sydney because of coffee! Coffee addicts unite! Also, I didn't know M.J is writing a short story of Claudette. Absolutely can't wait to read it! It'll be a great story to read before the third book comes out next year. Thank you so much for the time to answer my Q&A, M.J!

Add the book:

Goodreads 

 

Where to buy? 

Fishpond

Find M.J Hearle at:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Blog Interview: Amy Plum

Hello guys! I'm back with an interview! Today, I'm honoured to have Amy Plum, the author of the Revenant series, the first book being Die For Me here in the blog! Here are answers to the 5 questions I asked for the interview!

 1. Since Die For Me is set in Paris, can you please tell us the best things to do when we visit Paris (places to visit, things to do, things to eat)?

My favorite thing to do when I'm in Paris is sitting in a café with a book, reading at the same time as I people-watch and daydream. If it's morning I have a café crème (coffee with steamed milk) and a croissant. For lunch, I usually get a salad (if you like anchovies, which I do, a salade Niçoise is divine) or a croque-madame, which is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top. For dinner, one of my favorite French dishes is magret de canard (sliced duck breast) with figs and grapes and sea salt.

Besides going to cafés, I enjoy hanging out in museums. The biggies are Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre and the Museum of Modern Art at the Georges Pompidou Center. But there are a lot of smaller museums that I love: the Picasso Museum, the Musée Jacquemart-André (a 19th century hôtel particulier) and the Musée Carnavalet (the museum of the history of Paris).

And one of my favorite Parisian tourist attractions is La Sainte Chapelle, a tiny gothic church with the most amazing stained glass windows you've ever seen. (Teaser alert: It makes an appearance in UNTIL I DIE.)

2. If Die For Me were to be a movie, which actors or actresses would you pick for Kate and Vincent?

That is a really hard question, because no one quite matches my mental images of my characters. But I would really want French actors to play the French characters. People have mentioned Gaspard Ulliel or Francois Goeske for Vincent and perhaps Pierre Boulanger for Jules. I am sure there are unknowns out there who would be perfect!

As for Kate, there are a few pictures of Emma Roberts that remind me of her. And someone just sent me a photo of Amber Heard as a brunette (in one of her non-sultry poses). It was a very good match for Kate.

3. Which part of the book did you enjoy writing most?

The fight scene with Lucien. I could see the whole thing in my head, and it was so exciting that I could barely contain myself while I tried to get it down on the page. Then, when I went back and read what I wrote, it gave me goosebumps.

4. Do you have any other projects planned besides finishing the Revenant series?

Yes, I have two YA novels that I have started on which may someday see the light of day. Both include romance and a bit of magic and paranormal powers, but neither take place in Paris.

5. Any tips for aspiring authors?

Write. That's the only way you can get better. Write a lot. And once you have something you feel is worth showing, give it to a wide range of readers, not just people your age. I take Stephen King's advice on criticism. If you get the same feedback from several people, take it to heart! (King's book “On Writing” is a must-read for aspiring authors!)

Thank you so much to Amy for her time for the interview! Are you excited for Until I Die? :)

Blog Interview: Cath Crowley

Hello again everyone! Today, I have Cath Crowley, author of Graffiti Moon stopping by as well! Before I get on to the answers of the interview questions, can I just gush about how much I LOVE GRAFFITI MOON? It was my first Aussie read too and wow, this book really hooked me and definitely deserves all the awards it has won! You can also check out my review here! Anyway, let's get on with the interview!

1. Graffiti Moon is now very popular not only in Australia, but in many different countries! We do know it's set in Melbourne! Can you please name the best things you love from Melbourne that made you decide to set the book in this city?

The novel is mostly set in Footscray, with bits of Fitzroy and Northcote thrown in. It’s a landscape that’s industrial but transformed after dark by the lights. I love that transformation.

View from Footscray Arts Centre

Other things I love about Melbourne…

I like the landscape of the West, which might seem a bit strange. But the packing crates on the dock look like a Jeffrey Smart painting. I love these palm trees. This shot is taken from The Footscray Arts Centre. At night the city looks like I’ve described it in Graffiti Moon, neon blue and rising.

 

I like how Melbourne looks at night.

Melbourne at Night

I love the galleries

The National Gallery of Victoria, Tolarno Galleries, Sophie Gannon, The Abbotsford Convent (where you can see glassblowing), fortyfivedownstairs are just some of a few.

I like walking through the laneways, like Degraves Street. And I really like the shops in the subway under Flinders Street Station.

Degraves Street

Closer to home, I like that I can see a film in an art deco cinema at The Sun Theatre. And I like that next door there’s the Sun Bookshop where they always know who wrote the book I’m after and where to find it. Sometimes I don’t even know the book I’m after and they still find it for me.

In the first draft of the book I had Ed and Lucy eating at different places around Melbourne – Pellegrini’s and HuTong Dumpling Bar. The food in Melbourne is amazing.

Honestly, I don’t know even half the places there are to go in Melbourne. That’s what I like about it too. There are lots of cool things that are hidden. I like looking for them. 

2. What is your favourite part of the book which you really enjoyed to write?

I love building characters. It’s fun looking into the corners of them and finding out how they think. I like choosing the language and rhythm of their voices. And I love writing dialogue. Lucy and Ed’s dialogue was a lot of fun to write. Getting them to bounce off each other took a while but it was worth it. 

3. What inspired you to write Graffiti Moon?

Graffiti Moon is a story about a group of teenagers who are outsiders. They spend one night together, out in the city, and it changes things for them. They don’t work out who they are – that would be hard in one night – but they work out that it’s okay to be different.

Shadow and Lucy, the main characters, connect through art. So the conversations they have are inspired by the artists I love - Mark Rothko, Sam Leach, Rosemary Laing, Jeffrey Smart, Pablo Picasso, Johannes Vermeer, Michael Zavros, Rosalie Gascoigne, Bethany Wheeler, Ghostpatrol and Miso. I wanted to write about two people who speak through images as well as words.

Poet is my favourite character. He mostly comes from my imagination, but he’s partly inspired by all the teenagers I’ve worked with who say they can’t write and then they produce these amazing lines.

The inspiration for Shadow and Lucy’s love story was the painting The Lovers by Magritte; it’s of two people kissing through sheets. I thought that first dates might be easier if people couldn’t see each other.

4. Can you please tell us about your future titles or projects?

I’m working on a book called The Howling Boy. It’s told from the perspectives of Audrey and Crow, both seventeen. It’s a mystery and a love story.

5. Do you read YA books as well during spare time? Can you name some your recent reads?

I do read a lot of YA – I’ll give you my favourite authors rather than reads because anything by them is great.

Fiona Wood, Simmone Howell, Gabrielle Wang and Gabrielle Williams, John Green, Leanne Hall, Kirsty Eager, Melina Marchetta, Laurie Halse Anderson, Kelly Link, Tim Pegler, Markus Zusak, Meg Rosoff. 

6. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

Read. Study great writers. Write every day to find your own style. Be curious about the world. Write about thing things that matter to you.

 

Thank you so much to Cath for the time and the beautiful pictures! Melbourne is one of the best cities to visit when you're in Australia! Are you interested to go to Melbourne now? ;)