Robin Stevens's Blog, page 51

December Events and Updates!

It’s been an exciting week for me! Cream Buns and Crime has been sent to copyedit (which means that it’s almost done), and we’ve also finalised an absolutely gorgeous cover for it.

Cream Buns and Crime is a companion to my Murder Most Unladylike series. It will have the two short stories currently only available as ebooks, as well as two NEW stories and loads of brilliant extra content, including tips on how to be a detective, recipes for delicious bunbreaks and stories about famous historical mysteries. More on the cover, and Cream Buns, later – it’s out on April 6th, but you can pre-order it now!

Over the past two weeks I held my last events of 2016, in Blackwell’s Oxford and Village Books, Dulwich. These are two of my very favourite and most supportive bookstores, so of course I had a wonderful time at both. I loved meeting all of the people who came – and was especially impressed by the fans who travelled from Watford and Somerset to my Oxford event, and from Nottingham to my Dulwich event. That’s incredible dedication – thank you!

A very excited author outside Blackwell’s!

With brilliant fan Ruby, who drew me her favourite characters from Mistletoe and Murder!

Rosie and Madeline at Village Books, Dulwich, with their amazing Christmas mystery titles!

Mistletoe and Murder at Dulwich Books!

I have had an amazing time touring Mistletoe and Murder – you are honestly the best, cleverest and most fun fans I could wish for, and I am so grateful for the love you’ve shown me and my books.

I’m sad it’s all over – but also excited, because this means that I can now go on my Christmas holidays! I’m baking mince pies and wrapping presents (badly. I’m terrible at wrapping presents) and putting up way too much tinsel. I’ll be back after the holidays with lots more exciting news – and of course I’ll be starting events again in the spring, so please don’t worry if you haven’t had a chance to meet me yet – but for now, goodbye and have a lovely Christmas!

Mistletoe and Murder – Sunday Express Review

Mistletoe and Murder has been included in the Sunday Express‘s round-up of the best children’s books of 2016!

Sarah Kingsford says ‘Young detective fiction fans will love Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong’s latest Murder Most Unladylike case … Classic Christmas Crime.’

It’s a wonderful review and I’m so delighted. Thank you, Sunday Express!

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Mistletoe and Murder in the FT!

I have two important pieces of news today.

Our Christmas tree is up!
Mistletoe and Murder was reviewed in the Financial Times!

It’s another lovely mention that calls the book an ‘Enjoyable golden age mystery with a modern twist.’

Hooray for the Detective Society – Daisy and Hazel seem to be ending the year on a high!

 

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Video – December updates and recommendations!

Merry Christmas, Detective Society! Do you want to know what I’m up to and what I’ve been reading? Then watch my very first Detective Society video to find out …

Mistletoe and Murder on the Late Late Toy Show!

Last night the Late Late Toy Show 2016 aired. If you are Irish, this will make perfect sense to you. If you are not, you may need an explanation.

The Late Late Toy Show is … well, sort of inexplicable, and also totally wonderful. It’s two joyful hours of children going wild on stage talking about the presents they most want this Christmas, plus singing, dancing and TOYS EVERYWHERE.

A lot of books were mentioned in this year’s show (including Peter Pan, The Jungle Book and Harry Potter – I’m still not over that little boy getting a first edition of Philosopher’s Stone!), but there was also a specific book section, and one of the reviewers, Kate, chose Mistletoe and Murder as her top book to review!

Kate being fantastic on the Late Late with Mistletoe and Murder! (and a wig – don’t ask)

She did an absolutely brilliant job, too – she even refused to give away any of the book’s secrets when Ryan asked her!

This is such an enormous honour that I am STILL not over it this morning, and probably will never be. It’s a huge part of Christmas in Ireland, and I am so proud to have been part of this year’s edition. I’m also really pleased that I could help make Kate’s Christmas a bit more exciting. I wrote her a letter as part of the segment, and we’re going for a bunbreak next time I’m in Dublin!

If you’d like to watch this year’s show, the link is here – I think you should watch it all, because it’s brilliant, but the books section starts at 1 hour 14 minutes.

And if you’re looking for more book recommendations this Christmas, check out the #BookElves16 tag on Twitter. It’s full of great mentions of lots of perfect stocking fillers!

Mistletoe and Murder – Christmas in November!

It’s finally happened. Today is December 1st, and so we are OFFICIALLY celebrating advent. Tis the season for Mistletoe and Murder, and today is the day you can finally start it, if you were holding off until December!

To get you into the festive spirit (I don’t need encouraging – I have THREE advent calendars and have been wearing my Christmas jumpers for two months now), I’m sharing some of my favourite Christmassy pictures from all of the Mistletoe and Murder events I’ve held this November.

Cambridge Waterstones – 5th November

With detective Sophie, who SERIOUSLY got into the Christmas spirit. We match!

A whole herd of Santas at my Cambridge event!

Newcastle Waterstones – 12th November

With my Instagram followers Jonny and Lucy

And with a whole CLASS of pupils and their teacher from RGS!

Sevenoaks Bookshop – 25th November

Possibly the silliest I have ever looked at an event.

And possibly the BEST bunbreak I’ve ever had at an event. Arsenic cupcakes!

Cambridge Festival – 27th November

I found another robin in the signing queue!

And of course I had to have bunbreak in Fitzbillies afterwards with my helper elf!

As you can see, I had an amazing time at each one – and if you came along, I hope you enjoyed yourselves too. If you missed meeting me, you still have a few more chances in 2016 – check out my remaining events here. And if I’m not going to be near you this year, please do not despair. I’m already planning 2017, and I know that I’ll be getting out and about a lot!

Mistletoe and Murder – the Audiobook!

I’m hard at work on the second draft of The Guggenheim Mystery (more on that soon, I promise!), but yesterday I got to take a break for the most exciting reason.

Some of you have been asking about a Mistletoe and Murder audiobook, and I can now confirm that it is definitely happening. It’ll be released on the 14th of December (in time for Christmas!), and this week it’s being recorded in a special studio in Puffin Towers – and I got to go along to listen in!

The book is being read by an actor who I absolutely love, Katie Leung (Potter fans will recognise her as Cho Chang!). Katie read Jolly Foul Play beautifully, so I’m delighted to have her back for Mistletoe and Murder. When I went in yesterday she was reading the moment the murderer is revealed, and it was just as exciting as I’d imagined when I was writing it. Needless to say, Katie is a wonderful person as well as an excellent actor, and I’m so pleased to have her reading Hazel’s words.

Below is a picture of me and Katie in the (super glam) editing studio. As you can see, I was very happy to be there!

Mistletoe and Murder is a Metro Top Book for Young Minds!

Mistletoe and Murder began the week on a high – it was featured as one of the Metro‘s Top Books for Young Minds.

From Imogen Russell Williams’ review: ‘Deftly touching on contemporary prejudice, Stevens sets her readers a superb puzzle in this splendidly seasonal detective story.’

Thank you Imogen – and hooray for the Detective Society!

 

 

Mistletoe and Murder is one of the Telegraph’s Top 50 Books of 2016!

It seems like someone at the Telegraph must be a Mistletoe and Murder fan!

On Saturday I was astonished to see that Mistletoe and Murder was in the Telegraph‘s Top 50 – not of children’s books, but of all books released this year. It was one of five (along with Beetle Boy by MG Leonard, I’ll Wait, Mr Panda by Steven Lenton, The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange and The Power of Dark by Robin Jarvis). I never get tired of saying that a good children’s book is just a good book, without an upper age limit, and I’m delighted that the Telegraph support that idea.

The review is lovely: ‘Schoolgirl high-jinks abound in this whodunit for children, set in Thirties Cambridge. There’s a whiff of Agatha Christie as chums Daisy and Hazel must hunt down a killer.’

But even MORE lovely was the surprise I got when we bought the paper: Mistletoe and Murder‘s cover was featured on the FRONT page!

My book in the news! Telegraph, 26th November 2016

And finally, I got to see Mistletoe and Murder one more time as part of a lovely interview with blogger and Detective Society member Mango Bubbles. He’s snuck it in as part of the towering book pile he’s been photographed with (as well as Mystery and Mayhem – thank you Mango!). If you haven’t heard of Mango or his website, go check it out – he’s doing a brilliant thing, and he’s always looking for new young reviewers. I know lots of my Detective Society members would love to join in!

Mistletoe and Murder is a Times children’s book of the year!

It’s been an exciting weekend for Mistletoe and Murder! On Saturday, it was chosen as one of The Times‘s children’s books of the year. I’m absolutely delighted to see it featured next to the lovely Reeves & McIntyre and Piers Torday, as well as so many other great authors – it’s a real honour, and I couldn’t be prouder!

(Thanks to Alex O’Connell at The Times for featuring it, and to my mother for running out and buying two copies so that she could take this picture!)