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Showing posts with label Rachael Craw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rachael Craw. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

A Writers Festival and a Book Launch

~ Perth Writers Festival 2015 ~

It's that time of the year again! This past weekend, the Perth Writers Festival returned to the grounds of The University of Western Australia, featuring both local and international authors, for three days of literary goodness. While other commitments stopped me from attending the majority of events, I did manage to stop by for the appropriately named panel, YA Is Where It's At. 

Chaired by the wonderful Amanda 'AJ' Betts, the session was full of laughs and chatter as Rachael Craw, Dave Hackett and Sean Williams discussed their latest books and what it is about YA that makes us love it so.


L-R: Rachael Craw, Dave Hackett, Sean Williams and Amanda Betts


Dave Hackett reading a hilarious excerpt
from his new book, The Summer of Kicks


Catching up with Rachael Craw after the event

    



~ A Small Madness Book Launch ~

On Monday night, I attended the book launch of Dianne Touchell's second book, A Small Madness.






Rose didn't tell anyone about it. She wondered if it showed. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned this way and then that way. She stood as close to the mirror as she could, leaning over the bathroom basin, looking into her own eyes until they disappeared behind the fog of her breath. Looking for something. Some evidence that she was different now. Something had shifted inside her, a gear being ratcheted over a clunky cog, gaining torque, starting her up. But it didn't show. How could all of these feelings not show? She was a woman now but it didn't show and she couldn't tell anyone.

If you've read Dianne's debut, Creepy and Maud, you'll know that A Small Madness is bound to be an incredible read. I'm looking forward to cracking open the spine of my newly signed copy and if the blurb hasn't intrigued you then I suggest you check out the wonderful review by Danielle over at Alpha Reader.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Spark Blog Tour: Interview with Rachael Craw

Rachael Craw's debut novel Spark is a compelling and suspenseful book with a likeable, determined heroine, swoon-worthy guys and a mega twist at the end. A decades-old genetic experiment has randomly selected seventeen-year old Evie to be a Shield, tasked with protecting her Spark from a Stray, hell-bent on killing his target. Unfortunately for Evie, her Spark is her best friend Kitty, and the Stray could be anyone.

You can check out my review here but in the meantime, here is your chance to get to know Rachael after I asked her a few left-of-centre questions.

I was the kind of kid who… checked to see if her wardrobe would let her into Narnia. Regular maybe-this-time checks!

My mother always told me… to take my jacket off when I’m inside or I won’t appreciate it when I go out into the cold.

The biggest lesson I learnt at school was… bullies must be confronted. Silence in the face of injustice perpetuates injustice.

My first big crush was… John Taylor from Duran Duran (I’m that old)

I earnt my first pay cheque… selling Liquorice All-Sorts door to door for a Rhythmic Gymnastics fundraising committee. Weirdly, I never did Rhythmic Gymnastics but it made me stacks of cash. I would buy a new record (vinyl album) at the end of each week with my earnings. I was so rich at 13. In retrospect, I cannot believe my parents let me do something so incredibly dangerous! I could have been stuffed into any lunatic’s basement and diced into little bits.

I really hate it when… people are cruel.
 
I’m very good at… singing

The hardest thing I’ve ever done… is write a book and get it published.

I’m frightened of… giving up.

When I’m in the shower I sing… gloriously. (I told you)

My road to publication was… 5.5 years of dreaming, praying, working hard, hoping, learning to receive criticism, applying what I learnt, getting to know my own voice, experimentation, risk, leaps of faith, revision, listening, believing, digging deep, surviving earthquakes, pressing in, taking advice, being thankful, having my eyes opened, counting my blessings, wearing my heart on my sleeve, joy, tears and more prayers…

The last book I read was… Cloud Riders by my Twitter buddy, Nick Cook. A high octane, high altitude, steampunk adventure story about airships that travel dimensions through twisters!

I would love to meet… Peter Jackson (he signed my t-shirt at the Lord of the Rings Return of the King World Premier in Wellington, NZ but that doesn’t count. I want to sit down and have a cuppa and chat).

When I get the munchies I eat… Nelson’s own ‘Proper Crisps’ Best potato chips in the whole world.

I’m currently working on… Book 2 of the trilogy, Stray.

I hope I never… forget what really matters in life: family, friends, faith, hope & love

Life is… discovery.

Spark is published 1st July 2014 by Walker Books.

Read my review.
Find Spark on Goodreads
Rachael's website
Rachael on Twitter


Spark by Rachael Craw

Title: Spark
Author: Rachael Craw

Release Date: 1st July 2014

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Evie doesn’t have a choice.

One day she’s an ordinary seventeen year old, grieving for her mother. The next, she’s a Shield, the result of a decades-old experiment gone wrong, bound by DNA to defend her best friend from an unknown killer.

The threat could come at home, at school, anywhere. All Evie knows is that it will be a fight to the death.

And then there’s Jamie. Irresistible. Off-limits

In A Nutshell:
Spark is a compelling and suspenseful debut with a likeable, determined heroine, swoon-worthy guys and a mega twist at the end.

My Review:
I really enjoyed Spark. In fact, I found it so compelling that I stayed up until 2am to finish it. I really shouldn’t start books just before bed...

Evie’s had a tough six months and after the death of her mother, she moves from Pennsylvania to live with her aunt and braces herself for her new high school. Unfortunately she won’t be at the same school as her childhood friend Kitty who has moved back to New Hampshire from London to attend the prestigious Gainsborough Collegiate. However, both girls’ futures become uncertain when Evie discovers she is a Shield, a protector of those who are targeted by Strays (DNA-controlled killers), and is destined to protect Kitty at all costs.

Shields and Strays are the result of a secret synthetic gene experiment originally developed two generations ago that went wrong, and are now passed down randomly through the genetic line. For Evie, all aspects of her life change and she has to learn to adjust to the fact she has a pre-determined future and will never be a ‘normal’ teenager. With her body evolving in response to the mutated gene, she experiences enhanced speed and strength and battles with the consequences of being separated from Kitty, who she has ‘sparked’ with.

I found it a bit confusing when Evie’s situation was explained to her, trying to keep track and wrap my head around the acronyms and reasons for the mutation. However you experience the confusion as Evie does and it becomes clearer as she learns more. While it is a relief that Evie now understands why she has been experiencing strange dreams, hallucinations, heart palpitations and dizziness, as well as the odd feelings towards her friend, it doesn’t make them any easier to deal with. Being an outsider is never easy, but for Evie, fitting into Kitty’s upper-class life will be even harder, especially when her protective instincts kick into overdrive with Kitty’s social life. And if things weren’t difficult enough, the reappearance of Kitty’s brother Jamie complicates Evie’s life once again.

As many of you know, contemporary novels are my thing, favouring them over sci-fi/fantasy/supernatural. However, Spark’s sci-fi element didn’t bother me as the characters live in the real world and are battling the same everyday dramas of teen life: fitting in, not embarrassing themselves, having a crush, etc. These problems just get mixed in with a few more complications, like a killer stalker on the loose.

Spark is a compelling and suspenseful debut with a likeable, determined heroine, swoon-worthy guys and a mega twist at the end.

And how awesome is that cover?!


Spark on Goodreads
Rachael's Website
Rachael on Twitter
Rachael on Facebook


Tuesday, June 24 Diva Booknerd 
Wednesday, June 25 The Tales Compendium 
Thursday, June 26 Kids' Book Review & Happy Indulgence 
Friday, June 27 Fictional Thoughts 
Sunday, June 29 Striking Keys & Thoughts by J 

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