Carina Axelsson's Blog, page 10

Excerpt of Stolen with Style is up now!

 

Hi everyone,

 

Some of you have written to me, asking about when you can read an excerpt from  Stolen with Style…well, I’m super excited to let you know that today the answer is finally NOW!!! YIPEE and WOWZA!!!

 

So head on over to my UK publisher’s Stolen with Style page, and once you’re there, be sure to click on the Free Chapter tab just above the cover. Alternatively, you can stay on my website and go to my Model Under Cover page. There you’ll find the Stolen with Style, Read the first chapter here button. Clicking on it will also take you to my publisher’s page.

 

I’m thrilled you’ll all finally have a chance to get a good sneak peek at this exciting new mystery!

 

Stolen with Style will be available at booksellers across the UK on September 1st, and is now ready for pre-order at most online booksellers (you can link up to some of them from my Model Under Cover page). So strap on your high heels and whip out your magnifying glass – it’s time to jet off to fabulous and glamorous New York City for Axelle’s next big fashion mystery!

 

And don’t forget to let me know what you think…I love getting your feedback!

 

Carina x

 

Video Interview with the Mile Long Bookshelf…

 

Hi Everyone,

 

A short time ago, The Mile Long Bookshelf, a sassy, sparkly, and really cute book blog, asked me if I’d like to do an interview with them – on video!

 

Well, I’d never done a video interview before so how could I resist! Besides, Amber, the blog’s sixteen year old founder, sent me a list of questions that were too much fun to pass up answering. So if you’d like to find out more about what it’s like to do research for a book – or my take on it, anyway! – or what some of my top writing tips are, along with how my years in fashion inspired the Model Under Cover series, then check out the video interview. And if you enjoy it, please Like it. This is Amber’s first ever try at a video interview and I think she did such a fab job of it that she should do more. So encourage her with a Like!

 

Amber has also written a very frank review of Model Under Cover: A Crime of Fashion which you can see on her website. And, for those of you who, like me, love YA and NA fiction, then you’ll really enjoy perusing the Mile Long Bookshelf.  There are lots of good reviews, and Amber’s knowledge, and love, of books really shines through! And you’ll also find interesting blog posts on life as a book blogger (like how to get started, why there are more girl bloggers than boy bloggers, etc.).

 

Besides, how could you not love a website that states it is “proudly powered by a herd of magical unicorns”? Honestly, how can you not want to check that out? (Go to the bottom of Amber’s home page to read it!)

 

You can also find The Mile Long Bookshelf on Facebook and Instagram.

 

I hope you like the video. Let me know what you think…

 

Carina x

 

PS: Yes, I was asked the Desert Island Question!  ;-))

Free MUC Download on iBooks!

 

Hi everyone,

 

Here’s a fab news flash: iBooks has selected Model Under Cover: A Crime of Fashion for its ‘First in a Series’ promotion! This means that from now until August 26th you can download your very own copy of A Crime of Fashion for FREE!!!

 

So get to it! And if any of you happen to have any BFFs, little sisters, favourite aunts, etc. who still haven’t read the book, well, now’s the chance! No excuses!  ;-))

 

And let me know how you like it!

 

Happy reading!

 

Carina x

The Countdown Begins…

 

Happy Monday everyone!

 

With the countdown beginning (only 3 weeks!!!) until the September 1st UK publication date of Model Under Cover: Stolen with Style, I’ve got NYC on my mind!

 

So if, like me, you’re in the mood to start the week off with a taste of the Big Apple, but can’t jet off just yet, head on over to the blog post I did for Girls Heart Books to read about a few of my fave NYC destinations…

 

Only three weeks!!! Do I sound excited yet?

 

Carina x

 

PS: Yes, that’s yours truly on the Empire State Building, while on a Big Apple research trip for MUC!

 

Book Lovers Day!

 

Hi everyone,

 

It’s Book Lovers Day so I have to celebrate!!! I’m doing it by curling up with a good book and a nice cup of tea. How about you?

 

And in case you’re looking for some inspiration to point you towards your next book, here are a few old books that I love to bits and keep rereading, along with a few new ones that I love too!

 

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegasar.

Who should read this? Anyone who is curious about life in glamorous New York City, and wants drama, romance, and gossip galore to go along with it.

What’s it about? Follow the school lives, love lives, rivalries and friendships of a group of privelidged New York City teens.  This series makes you feel like a total New York City insider. Last winter, when I visited a school in the UK and spoke with a group of girls I was surprised to learn that while the girls all adored Gossip Girl, they had no idea that it had originally started as a book series before becoming a hit TV series. And as fab as the TV series may be – the book series is even better! So get reading!

 

And BTW, these books are all super suitable for MUC readers! Just so you know  ;-))

 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Who should read it? Anyone with even an ounce of romance in their heart and mind.

What’s it about? Love, jealousy, family, boyfriends, betrayal, loyalty, desperation, not to mention every other emotion you’ll ever feel. But be prepared: Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of the novel, and Mr. Darcy, her love interest, will be forever seared into your consciousness after reading this book! Elizabeth – or Lizzy, as she is often called by her family and friends – was one of the first sassy girls to make a life-long impression on me (Pippi Longstocking being the very first). Witty, strong, and fiercely intelligent, Lizzy is fearless! and Mr. Darcy ain’t bad either.

 

Half Bad by Sally Green.

Who should read this? Anyone who wants a novel that they can’t put down.

What’s it about? This book is the first in a trilogy, and it is amazing! It’s about witches – but I’m not talking Harry Potter. It’s harsh and fierce, and totally draws you into a world of black and white witches (and fains – non-witch people). The only draw back to reading this book is that you have to wait until 2015 for the next one. ARGH!!!

 

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Who should read it? Craving a classic English mystery? Then this one, considered by many the first of the detective fiction genre, will do the trick.

What’s it about? A tense and suspenseful case that revolves around an abduction, mistaken identity, and madness.  Plus how can you not want to read about a mysterious woman in white?

 

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Who should read it? The perfect summer read.

What’s it about? This is an absolutely enchanting story about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her Bohemian family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her diary entries perfectly capture not only the eccentricities of her family, but the upheaval that enters their lives when a rich American family becomes their neighbours, and Cassandra falls in love for the first time. So totally and completely charming!

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Who should read it? Anyone looking for the ultimate sassy girl.

What’s it about? Jane Eyre, orphaned and plain, becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, home of Edward Rochester in this mysterious thriller that touches on sexuality and feminism in a way I’d never read before – or since. This is one of my all time faves. The combination of Jane – fierce and proud, intelligent and strong – and Rochester, my first literary crush is one that still ignites my fervour every time I read it. Plus, Jane is a heroine’s heroine. If she doesn’t inspire you to be true to yourself, no one will!

 

So there you go…now crack open book and celebrate!

 

Happy Book Lovers Day!

 

Carina x

 

Why did I choose Paris?

 

Hi everyone,

 

In this short but sweet interview I did for the fab book blog Long and Short Reviews, I not only answer why I chose Paris for the fist MUC book, but also other questions about the background of the Model Under Cover books. Questions such as what inspired me to write the series, writing about fashion, and when and how did I start writing MUC are answered in this short post.

 

And while you’re on the Long and Short Reviews website, take a look around; they review all sorts of lovely books, including oodles of romance!

 

Happy reading!

Carina x

Fab Review and Comp!

 

Hi everyone,

 

If you don’t know the website The Young Folks than head on over now!

 

This fab website reviews all kinds of entertainment for young people. And this is the best part: it’s run by young people!

 

Furthermore, at this very moment they are hosting a giveaway of a copy of the US edition of Model Under Cover: A Crime of Fashion (US title is Model Undercover: Paris.)

 

And, by the way, huge thanks The Young Folks for the fab review of Model Undercover: Paris!

 

You have until August 5th to enter the competition. Good luck!

 

Carina x

 

Today Is Paperback Book Day!

Time to get cosy!

 

Hi everyone,

 

Today is Paperback Book Day! So get comfy – and for me that means a cup of tea, my fave Converse, and a few dogs by my side – grab that paperback you’ve been meaning to start, sit down, and read away! After all, how many other days are this easy to celebrate?

 

And in case you’re curious, we apparently owe this celebration to Penguin books (yes, their books have those cute penguins on their spines). The man who started Penguin, Allen Lane, wanted to be able to read good quality, popular fiction in an easy to carry format. And while paperbacks were in existence…what was published at that time wasn’t especially well written or respectable, so Allen Lane decided to do something about it, and he established Penguin Books. Penguin’s first paperback books were published on this day in 1935. So there you go: thanks to Allen Lane and his brill idea, I’m enjoying a cup of tea and a lovely paperback today!

 

Happy reading!

 

Carina x

 

PS: Even my dogs like books!

 

Puppy love combined with book love! How cute is this?

I Heart Josephine Tey…

 

Hi everyone,

 

One of my all time favourite mystery writers, Joesphine Tey, (whose real name was, in fact, Elizabeth Mackintosh) was born on this day in 1896, in Inverness, Scotland…so if you’re unfamiliar with her work, then I’d say today’s the perfect day to start off a JT reading spree!

 

Despite the fact that I’ve been a huge fan of the so-called “Golden Age of  Detective Fiction” (that era during the 1920s and 1930s when so many wonderful, classic, whodunit detective novels were written) since I was a teen, I only started reading Josephine Tey a few years ago after being told about her by a girlfriend. How could I not have known about her for so long??? Anyway, better late than never because she’s fab!

 

So who should read Josephine Tey? Anyone who loves a classic English whodunit. And her Inspector Grant mysteries are perfect for readers who love a cool, but sensitive, tall, classically educated detective with a quietly nonconformist vibe.

 

So which one should you start with? Well, it was recommended to me that I start with either The Franchise Affair or Bret Farrar, and I would give the same advice. Besides being riveting, both are also quintessential Josephine Tey at her best: tense, well-written, and ever so slightly disturbing.

 

The Franchise Affair is about a mother and daughter who are accused of kidnapping and beating a local sixteen year old girl. The tension is taut in this engrossing story of lies and deception. I was literally sweating along with the brilliant small-town attorney who takes on this case. You will not be able to put it down!

 

Brat Farrar would also be a good one to start with. I don’t want to include any spoilers, so I’ll simply describe this as a story of secrets and lies. It’s about the Ashbys, a family with an estate in southern England. One day a stranger walks into their lives, claiming to be the legitimate heir to their estate. You won’t be able to put this one down!

 

While I’m at it, for those of you who love history, Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time is another good one. While in the hospital recuperating from a broken leg, Inspector Grant finds himself becoming obsessed with bringing truth and justice to the hunchback king, Richard III. Did this villainous character really kill his nephews, the two princes in the Tower, in order to secure the crown for himself? Or was history unfairly rewritten by the Tudors?

 

Here’s the Josephine Tey I’m going to start reading next: A Shilling For Candles.

 

 

Happy reading!

 

Carina x

Stolen With Style on Pinterest…

 

Hi everyone,

 

Feel like visiting the Big Apple? Then check out my new Stolen With Style Pinterest board. From hamburgers to high heels, and the Empire State Building to Central Park, it’s all there…and no jet lag!

 

Carina x