Who in their right mind organises their own blog tour?!

Organising a cover reveal that ended up going viral was one thing, but organising a nine day promotional tour for the release of THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE, has been something else!

Seriously. WHAT.WAS.I.THINKING?

There have been interviews to think up witty answers for, and blog posts that have to be different from every other blog post I have ever written, and coordination of dates and times and again, I repeat...

WHAT.WAS.I.THINKING?

That's it. I'm giving up publishing. I'm going to become a lion tamer. It's gotta be easier than this!

The blog tour for THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE starts on the 22 May. Wish me luck.

*dies*

Look what someone made me!!!!

Boromir + plus my trilogy = ZOMGAWESOMESAUCE!

Best meme EVER!

Deaths in literature - WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS!

I've got to admit, I do like a bit of death in the books I read. A writer has to make me care. So, in no particular order, here are some of the most affecting deaths for me, as a reader.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

1. Dobby in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now I wasn't a fan of Dobby or the House-Elves storyline. I found them all to be annoying as Hell. But jeez, of all the deaths in J.K. Rowling's final Potter book, it was the death of Dobby that made me cry the hardest. It was beautifully written, with Dobby saving Harry and his friends from certain torture and death, and the suspense was such that you actually thought them all safe, until Harry saw the spreading blood over Dobby's chest. Absolutely gut-wrenching.

2. Helen in Jane Eyre. This was the first book I ever read where a character died. It's a big jump from the childhood playground of Enid Blyton, to the Gothic masterpiece by Charlotte Bronte, and the fact it was a child who died was truly shocking to me. I think this was the first book to ever make me cry.

3. Finnick in Mockingjay. This one affected me even more than the death of Prim, because it didn't just upset me, it made me so bloody angry. His death is horrific, but you don't even see it, the reader is just left assuming what has happened. It's so sudden, and so pointless, and in many ways, it perfectly encapsulates just how futile and pointless war is.

4. Lee Scoresby in The Subtle Knife. Holy fecking hell, this death absolutely broke me. He is such a peripheral character, and yet he's true and honest and thoroughly decent, and the relationship with his daemon is beautiful, and to see them dying together is something that makes me sob when it comes.

5. Henry deTamble in The Time Traveler's Wife. You know his death is inevitable, but when it comes... Needless to say I locked myself in the bathroom after I read this.

6. Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities. A really noble, heroic death, but I didn't think the "heroine" was worth it, which left a desperate sense of injustice with me.

7. Rudy in The Book Thief. OMFG Markus Zusak!!! Could you have not at least have had him kiss Liesel before he died?! This book needs hugging after reading.

8. And I'm going to finish with Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The best character in literature EVER deserved a great death scene and he got one. No questions were left unanswered and it was a deeply satisfying, albeit desperately tragic, end to a wonderful story arc.

What are your favourite deaths?

Special Kindle offer to celebrate book 3!

With the final book in THE RETURN TO CAMELOT trilogy released in just 22 days (ZOMG!!), I am happy to announce that books one and two, SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR and THE FIRE OF MERLIN, are now on special offer for Kindle users.

In the US and linked territories, both ebooks can be downloaded here for $2.99 each.

In the UK, both ebooks can be downloaded here for £2.50 each.

The books are currently sitting pretty at numbers 4 and 5 from 572 YA books on this list over at Goodreads, and you can check out some fantabulous reviews on the same site.

(They will also make your ereader look very pretty because the covers have been universally applauded. God, I know some talented people!)

This offer will run until the first week of June.

At what point can you say you've gone viral?!

I received my Facebook page stats this morning, which noted that my cover reveal post for THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE has been viewed nearly 2,000 times since Friday.

Add to that the views it got from those Bloggers who helped out and their potention reach, plus Twitter, plus Goodreads, plus the shares on Facebook and other social media, and I reckon this little cover has been seen by in excess of 15,000 people in just a few days!

So please excuse me whilst I jibber incoherently in a corner!

A to Z Reflections

Firstly, can I thank everyone who took part in my cover reveal yesterday for THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE. All three covers look so beautiful when lined up, and to see that across the web was a special moment for me. THANK YOU.

Now, onto my reflections post for the A to Z Challenge. It was my first year of doing it, and the sole reason I had never taken part before was one of timing. I struggle to post twice a week, so the thought of doing it everyday was overwhelming.

However, I wanted to open the blog up to more readers, because while I am very active on Twitter and Goodreads, I do neglect new followers on Blogger.

Here are my musings on the whole experience:

POSITIVE

1 Having a theme made it a lot easier to think of topics. My theme was Harry Potter, something I am passionate about! This made the entire challenge quite joyous as I got to relive the whole series once more.

2. Prewriting posts. I saw so many people fall out of the challenge, and I think I would have done too had I not written my posts before the challenge started. I kept them very short, and so I was able to write three or four in one sitting.

3. Finding new blogs, and having new bloggers find me. Because my blog is dedicated 100% to writing, it was lovely finding blogs that were about other things, such as movies, art, and even jewellery making. It opened my eyes to a whole new audience.

NEGATIVE

1. CAPTCHA! Seriously, it is the bane of people's lives. Don't use it - please. Blogger has a pretty good spam filter, and if that isn't working, turn off anonymous comments. PLEASE.

2. Posts that were too long. I am really pleased that many bloggers followed the suggestion by the organisers to limit the word count, but there were some that were thousands of words long. I'm so sorry, but I just didn't have the time to read.

3. People logging in with a Google+ account. It isn't user friendly, and there were many times I wanted to follow someone and just got lost in the misdirection as I tried to navigate my way through a Google+ account.

Overall I loved the challenge. I will definitely take part next year.

And my trilogy is complete! Cover reveal for THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE

This is such a bittersweet moment for me. Utter joy that a trilogy I first envisaged three years ago is nearing full publication...and utter sadness that I am about to say goodbye to characters that have been part of my life for so long.

THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE is the final book in THE RETURN TO CAMELOT trilogy. The ebook will be available from the 31 May 2013, and I hope it is as well received as its older siblings!

So, here is the blurb!

THE RETURN TO CAMELOT trilogy concludes in THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE.

Natasha Roth and her older brother, Arthur, have removed the magical darkness that had fallen over the land of Logres.

But all actions have consequences.

Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, is now a sworn enemy. Natasha realises that the only way the land of Logres will truly be at peace is if the sorceress is removed forever. So with her beloved Sir Bedivere, the feisty Guinevere, and a trusty brethren of knights, Natasha plots to free Logres from the malevolence of Nimue once and for all.

Yet Arthur also has problems. Now a father to Mila, he starts to witness a terrifying change over his girlfriend, Samantha, as she struggles to contain the awakened powers of Morgana.

With dark magic coming at them from all sides, Natasha and Arthur decide to make use of the Falls of Merlin: a mystical landscape of waterfalls that connects 21st century England with the mystical world they fell into. A place that does not exist in the future.

And by the end, they will know why.

As Natasha finally discovers the truth about her past link to Logres a tragedy will strike at her very heart. Can Arthur get his young family back to the 21st century and still continue to be the king that Logres demands he be? What is the secret that Sir Gareth has been hiding all this time?

And who is the true owner of Excalibur?


Look at how pretty my covers are when all lined up together.

There will be a week of interviews on Blogger with writers, authors and my own designer in the seven days before release, and I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who is helping unleash my baby on the world.

Now here are some links:

My Amazon.com author page is here.

My Amazon.co.uk author page is here.

My Goodreads page is here.

My Facebook author page is here. Come and say hi!

I DID IT!! I WROTE A FRICKING TRILOGY, GUYS!!

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: Z

I DID IT! I MADE IT TO THE END OF MY FIRST EVER A TO Z BLOGGER CHALLENGE!

So, Z is for Ze End!

Groan...I know...I'm sorry! I am channelling my inner Fleur here, but I wanted to round off my first ever A to Z Challenge with a definitive ending.

I've had an absolute blast doing this challenge. All of my posts were written in advance which meant I gave myself time to really delve into the Potter world again. I've gained new followers, and found plenty of wonderful new blogs to read myself.

Thank you to the organisers for their encouragement and helpful hints.

So here's to 2014...and my theme will be...ha, you'll just have to wait and see!

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: Y

Y is for Yule Ball.

The Yule Ball was something special. It takes place on Christmas Day during Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts. It's when the reader first gets a glimpse of something going on between Ron and Hermione, and when the boys realise that Hogwarts has...GIRLS!

The book was funny, but the film totally nailed it. The sight of Ron learning to dance with McGonagall is hilarious. In fact, Fred and George totally steal every scene they are in in this movie.

And it is so pretty. And deadly! How did they not all end up with hypothermia? Winter + Scotland + Ice Palace + party dresses should = death!

I guess that's the power of magic!

I've been nominated alongside Markus Zusak...yeah, I laughed as well!

My gorgeous little firstborn novel is nearly one year old, and the stunning cover art by Design For Writers continues to impress.

So much so, that I find myself in the surreal position of being nominated alongside amazing authors such as Markus Zusak, in a poll to find the Best Aussie YA Cover.

Whilst I am English, I do live and work in Australia, and I have dual citizenship. So, I am taking this nomination with two grabby hands!

Seriously, looking at the others who have been nominated, this is a huge honour for a little indie like me, but it does show that if you invest in the professional cover, your work will be noticed alongside the big guns.

Votes are love of course, and whilst I don't expect to win in a million years, it would be nice to get a couple of nods!

The link is here.

And check out the other beauties in both categories, because there is a Best International YA Cover vote as well.

My Goodreads to-read list just got longer. Congratulations to all the nominees.

AND THANK YOU!

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: X

X is for Xenophilius Lovegood.

What would you be prepared to do for your family? Xenophilius is Luna's father, and in The Deathly Hallows, he appears to turn traitor in order to hand Harry over to the Death Eaters.

But it transpires that the Death Eaters have his daughter, and to get her back, he has to give them Harry.

So would you have done it? Put personal matters before the greater good? I defy anyone to say they wouldn't, and its little plot threads like this, that make J.K. Rowling's fantastical world very believable, because at its core, it's about heart more than magic.

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: W

W is for Weasley.

Was there ever a more fabulous family in fiction than the Weasley family?

Arthur and Molly, pure-blood wizards who were poor as mice, and yet built their world around family and acceptance for muggles.

Bill and Charlie, the older brothers who we didn't get to see until The Goblet of Fire, and yet fell in love with anyway.

Fred and George, the twins who made us laugh, and provided one of the funniest scenes in the entire series when they escaped from Umbridge, and then broke our hearts in The Deathly Hallows when they were separated forever.

Ron, my favourite of the trio. Forget the scared wimp that the producers gave us for six films. Book Ron was brave and loyal. He had his flaws, but he was what every best friend should be.

And Ginny, the only female. The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. I didn't like how her character arc ended in The Deathly Hallows, but in Order of the Phoenix, she totally came into her own.

J.K. Rowling's characterisation in the Potterverse was her strength. To create such a massive family, and yet make the reader feel as if we knew them as our own, was a wonderful achievement. I guess it was just to much to ask for the entire family to come through the war unscathed.

ETA: OMG, I forgot Percy!! Oh well, I never liked him anyway :P

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: V

V is for Voldemort.

Question: are you pronouncing it correctly?

The mort at the end is the French pronunciation, mort as in death, which means you do not pronounce the T.

I'm too conditioned now to change my ways, and I say the name Vol-de-mort, heavy on the T! In fact, I would bet J.K. Rowling is the only person in the world who pronounces it Vol-de-mor.

Poor Voldie - no nose, bad teeth, and everyone gets his name wrong. No wonder he turned out like he did!

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: U

U is for Unicorns.

In the Potterverse, unicorns are pure creatures. Their blood is silver and can be used to prolong life, but that person would lead a cursed life.

I like to believe that most myths have their foundations in a truth. (In fact, I have one of my Camelot knights say that very line in SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR when discussing unicorns!)

So my question today is quite simple. Do you believe that unicorns ever really existed? Are they a myth based on a long-lost fact? I like to think they are.

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: T

T is for time-turner.

Time travel is notoriously difficult to write. I know, because my published trilogy, and the series I am currently writing, are based around the concept.

But J.K. Rowling made it look effortless in The Prisoner of Azkaban.

The third novel in the Potter series is my absolute favourite. It is perfection. And those last few chapters - from the Shrieking Shack to the escape of Sirius - are spellbinding.

I often wondered whether the time-turner would make a reappearance, but I am very glad it didn't. To use it twice would have been contrived, especially in The Deathly Hallows which is filled with deus ex machina.

But heck, there are times when I could do with one.

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: S

S is for the greatest character of all time...Severus Snape.

An alternative header for this post would be "How I inspired J.K. Rowling!"

Yep, you read that correctly. I am laying claim to have inspired the greatest living author while writing the greatest ever character!

Let me take you back to May 2006. At the time, I was volunteering on a website called The Leaky Cauldron, a website that J.K. Rowling publicly stated was one of her favourites. My first ever published article, which appeared on that fan site, was an essay titled "Boil Him in Shampoo!' You can find that essay here, but I will paraphrase because basically I had decided by then that Severus Snape was thoroughly evil and he deserved a soapy punishment of pain!

Forward to July 2007 and the release of The Deathly Hallows. Imagine my reaction when I read the following line in said novel:

Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, but the fact remains he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to.

YES, Ladies and gentleman. I will publicly state it here and now that the world's greatest living author actually read my essay and used it as inspiration for one of the biggest selling books of all time!

So what is a writer to do? Do I sue for billions? Do I demand joint authorship rights? No. I am a forgiving kinda girl, and I have one simple request of Ms Rowling.

WRITE ME A MARAUDERS PREQUEL!!

And we'll call it quits. Deal?

Want two free ebooks for Kindle?

I've hit a ton of milestones in the last few days:

• 50,000 hits on this blog
• 400 followers (and rising) on this blog
• 500 followers on twitter
• 1,300 followers on Goodreads

So, to say thank you, I am giving away a free copy of SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR and THE FIRE OF MERLIN to one reader.

All you have to do is tweet your interest with the hashtag #SearchingForArthur

Probably best to add @donnahosie as well, just so I can see it to add you to the draw.

Er, and that's it. Easy peasy. Please note, the two ebooks are only available for Kindle apps. But they are both free, as in they cost nothing, zilch, rien! 

And THANK YOU!

ETA: Many thanks to all who went on twitter. The books will be going to Wendy Morrell @quillfeather. I'll DM you, Wendy - and thank you all again!

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: R

R is for Rowling.

At the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling uttered the following words:

Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

You will have to excuse this rather sentimental post, but Harry Potter changed my life. During the course of the releases, I volunteered on a Harry Potter website called The Leaky Cauldron. The people I met during this time remain some of my closest friends. The entire phenomena encouraged me to become the writer I always wanted to be.

Without J.K. Rowling, I would never have become the author I always dreamed of becoming.

So, Hogwarts is my home in so many ways. And I will be eternally grateful to this amazing woman who shared her imagination with the world, and inspired people of all ages to pick up a book, or a pen.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

This is me...

This is me...holding the paperback proof of SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR...

This is me...ten minutes after I burst into tears and scared the dog with my squeeeing as I unwrapped the paperback proof of SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR...

I've known since last year this moment would happen, and I've actually had the paperback proof for over a month, but there was the A to Z Challenge and friends' cover reveals and planning for my own book three cover reveal...

But now I can shout loud and proud, because this book is effing bloody beautiful!

SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR will be released on the 30 September 2013 in paperback form for the first time.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...

A to Z (Harry Potter) Challenge: Q

Q is for Quirrell.

What a twist! Who thought the bad guy in The Philosopher's Stone would be the stuttering, simpering Professor Quirrell? I admit that even now, when I re-read the Potter series, I still expect to see Snape standing in front of the mirror.

And then for Quirrell to remove the turban to reveal a second face on the back of his head!! This is the stuff of nightmares.

J.K. Rowling's masterpiece may have started off as a middle grade series, but the denouement to book one should have given the reader an indication of what was to come. This was not Narnia type magic. This was nasty.

And it would get nastier!