Robin Stevens's Blog, page 52

Mistletoe and Murder – Introducing George!

There is just ONE DAY LEFT until Mistletoe and Murder is released in the UK and Ireland. Christmas is nearly here!

In Mistletoe and Murder, Daisy and Hazel have to outwit not only the murderer, but another Detective Society, the Junior Pinkertons. You’ve already met Alexander in First Class Murder, and heard about him in Jolly Foul Play – and now he’s BACK and in the centre of the action, along with his best friend George.

George is a character I’m particularly excited about introducing you to. He’s super smart and great at noticing things, he’s brave and not afraid of speaking his mind, and he’s the first English character Hazel meets who isn’t white. George’s father, Mangaldas Mukherjee, came to Cambridge from India as a student in the 1890s and decided to stay in England. George and his older brother Harold were born in London, so they’re much more English than his friend Alexander is (Alexander was born in America, and his grandmother is a Russian refugee).

There’s been a lot of stuff in the news lately about immigration, and almost all of it is saying that a) immigration is bad and b) immigration is a new thing. I’ve always known that a) was wrong (I am an immigrant, and the child of an immigrant, and I’m pretty sure I’m a good thing), but what I realise more and more as I do research is how incorrect b) is. I’ve put Hazel and George and Alexander in my books not just because I want to, but because people like them were there, in 1935. It’s all true (apart from the murders).

Below is a picture that I found (via Twitter) of Cambridge students in the 1890s. There are two Indian students among them, and in my head, one of them is George’s dad. Isn’t it cool? It proves to me (along with the picture of two Chinese schoolgirls in the English countryside from the 1920s that I’ll show you all one day) that English history is very interesting, and very diverse – and that’s the England I want to write about.

Have a Spooky Halloween with Hazel and Daisy!

Yes, Mistletoe and Murder is out on Thursday … but there’s another very exciting day coming up soon. Halloween!

The Detective Society love Halloween, of course – my latest ebook short story, The Case of the Deepdean Vampire, is all about things that go bump in the night. You can read an extract at the Puffin website here!

And Puffin are here to help you celebrate Halloween the Detective Society way too!

I know lots of you will be holding Halloween parties next week. If you’re looking for a theme, may I recommend this excellent murder mystery party pack, created by Puffin for all Murder Most Unladylike fans?! All you need to do is print it out (and supply your friends with pens and a pair of glasses). BUT, for four lucky fans …

Puffin have given me four very special detective packs, complete with magnifying glasses and badges, to send out to four people who want to hold a murder mystery party this Halloween! And all you have to do to win them is tell me in the comments below, or on my Instagram post, what spooks you out the most at Halloween. I’m opening this competition NOW to British and Irish fans (previous winners of other competitions are not eligible to enter – but if you’ve entered before and not won, PLEASE enter again. You might get lucky this time!), and I will close it on Saturday 22nd at midnight.

Good luck! And, even if you don’t win, please check out these awesome ways to have a Deepdean Halloween below!

Would you like to know how to dress like Daisy and Hazel this October 31st? Puffin have tips up on their website – there’s even a Deepdean badge to print out!

And if you think you might get hungry during your Halloween party, why not try this spiffing recipe for Daisy’s favourite bunbreak, Squashed Fly Biscuits?

Good luck, and I hope you have a spooooky Halloween!

Mistletoe and Murder at Cheltenham Festival!

The Mistletoe and Murder tour has officially begun!

Yesterday I spoke at Cheltenham Festival to a really wonderful audience. I love Cheltenham because it’s where Daisy and Hazel came from – as I explained in my talk, ‘Deepdean’ is really my own school, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, and my characters were built from my memories of the real friendships I made there. I was introduced by two girls from College, who both did a fantastic job of public speaking. I think they were less nervous than I was!

I read from the book for the first time, and explained where my ideas for it had come from. The Festival had been allowed to sell Mistletoe and Murder early, so there was a fantastic signing queue after the event. I loved talking to every one of you, and would like to thank each person who waited to meet me!

My beautiful table of books in the festival tent!

Special highlights included seeing Rebecca, who I met for the first time two years ago at one of my first ever events for Murder Most Unladylike when she gave me a beautiful book cover and wrote me a story about Daisy and Hazel in Egypt. She’s still a fan, and I love knowing that readers are sticking with the series. I also very much enjoyed meeting Lauren, who brought along a special guest – Doris the pug!

Thank you to Cheltenham Festivals for inviting me, Cheltenham Ladies’ College for sponsoring my event and Waterstones Cheltenham for organising such a lovely signing.

Posing for a picture with Lauren and Doris!

There’s now less than a week to go until the book’s official release date. Mistletoe and Murder will arrive in all good British and Irish bookstores on October 20th. It may be in some stores a little earlier, though, so I’d advise constant vigilance. Please report any sightings to me immediately!

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German news, cover reveals and competitions!

Yesterday I announced good news for French fans of Daisy and Hazel – and today it’s the turn of German fans.

I’ve already shared pictures of the German edition of Murder Most Unladylike (Mord ist nicht für junge Damen). Its publishers, Knesebeck Verlag, are fantastic supporters of Hazel and Daisy – they originally took the first two titles in the series, but now I’m delighted to announce that they have decided to buy books 3 and 4 as well!

The translation of Book 2 is already in the works, scheduled to publish early 2017 – and I think its title might be my favourite EVER. Arsenic for Tea becomes … Teestunde Mit Todesfall, which translates back into English as Teatime with Fatality.

Brilliant and gorgeous, right?!

And now … it’s competition time! I have just been sent a lovely set of Mord ist nicht für junge Damens, and they need good and loving German-speaking homes. If you would like your own signed copy of Mord ist nicht für junge Damen, and you are German-speaking (preferably living in Germany!), then please comment below with your answer to the question who is your favourite detective?

This competition opens NOW and closes at midnight (London time) on Thursday 20th October.

Good luck! This edition is gorgeous – definitely a worthy prize for any crime lover!

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Arsenic for Tea will be published in French!

Good news for all French Murder Most Unladylike (aka Un Coupable Presque Parfait) fans!

The translation was published at the end of August, and I’m very pleased indeed to say that my French publishers, Flammarion Jeunesse, have now decided to buy Arsenic for Tea!

No word yet on what it will be called in French, but it will be out in 2017 and I’m sure it will be gorgeous. In the meantime, eagle-eyed readers have been spotting Un Coupable Presque Parfait in bookshops (the blue stands out in any country!) – let me know if you see it too!

In good company with superstar Clementine Beauvais’s books!

Mistletoe and Murder: it’s competition time!

Hello, Detective Society members!

Today, as promised, I have a very exciting competition for you. Mistletoe and Murder, Daisy and Hazel’s fifth adventure, is out in the UK and Ireland in just NINE DAYS. You can pre-order it on Amazon or Waterstones, or from your local independent bookshop through Hive.

But, if you just can’t wait for the 20th, you might be in luck. I have THREE beautifully red copies sitting on my desk in need of loving homes, and all you have to do to win them is tell me in a comment what your perfect Christmas present would be.

The prizes! (Illustration by Alex Paterson not included)

This competition opens NOW and closes at midnight on Sunday 16th October. It is open to UK and Irish residents only, and final decisions on winners will be mine. I will sign and personalise each copy before I send it out, to make things even more extra-special! Please don’t give your last name or address publicly – I’ll contact the winners via email to get details when I need them.

Good luck, detectives! Christmas is almost here …

Countdown to Christmas!

I’m back!

I had an incredible time in Hong Kong, researching Book 6 – I’ve got lots of exciting ideas in my notebook, and LOTS of gorgeous pictures to share with you soon (I’m not going to share the ideas, though …)

But this month is all about Cambridge, and Christmas. Today is the 10th of October, which means there are just TEN DAYS to go until Christmas for Daisy and Hazel. My fifth book, Mistletoe and Murder, is out in the UK and Ireland on Thursday 20th October, and it’s all about Daisy and Hazel’s Christmas holiday. They’re off to Cambridge to visit Daisy’s brother Bertie and their friend Alexander. But when they get there, they discover that there’s a dangerous mystery at Bertie’s college, Maudlin – a mystery that Alexander and his best friend George are already investigating …

Mistletoe and Murder is bright red and FILLED with Christmas cheer (and murder), and you can pre-order it NOW from Amazon, Waterstones and many other fine bookish establishments.

Want to meet me and hear about the new book? I’m going to be at Cheltenham Festival this Sunday (where the book is already available for festival goers!), and over the next few months I have a full programme of public events. Come see me at Waterstones Trafalgar Square, London on the 30th October, and Waterstones Cambridge on the 5th November (call the store on 01223 351688 for details). And if you can’t make those, please keep checking my calendar, where I’ll be adding more events soon!

If you’d like a special signed copy of Mistletoe and Murder, keep watching this site – I’ll be announcing a competition to win one in the next few days!

I’m very glad to be back, and very excited to celebrate a Murder Most Unladylike Christmas with all of you!

Hong Kong and Book 6

A lot of you have been asking whether there will be more adventures for Hazel and Daisy after Mistletoe and Murder (their first ever Christmas mystery) hits shelves on 20th October. And the good news is: yes! I am going to write at least TWO more books about the Detective Society.

I’m still deciding on a setting for Book 7, but Book 6 is sorted: it’s going to be set in Hong Kong, and will feature Hazel’s family. If Arsenic for Tea was Daisy’s book, this is Hazel’s – its plot is an idea that I’ve had in my head for a long time, and I can’t wait to write.

I’ve been to Hong Kong . . . once, when I was eight. But that really isn’t enough to write my book. There’s a lot that I want to get right, and a lot that I know I could get very wrong. And Hazel deserves the best! So I’m about to go on my most exciting research trip to date, to Hong Kong! I’ll be doing lots of exploring and talking and taking pictures, and I’m so excited already.

I’ll be back in October, for the launch of Mistletoe and Murder – so if you’ve sent me a letter or an email, I’ll respond to it then. Check out my calendar for the list of where I’ll be (more dates in November and December will be added when I’m back).

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And if you’re wondering what I’ll be releasing when, here’s a handy list of my upcoming books in the UK and Ireland!

20 October 2016: Mistletoe and Murder is released.

April 2017: The anthology Cream Buns and Crime is released.

August 2017: The Guggenheim Mystery is released.

November 2017: Murder Most Unladylike Book 6 is released.

2018: Murder Most Unladylike Book 7 is released.

Happy birthday Deepdean Vampire!

There’s still just over a month to go until Mistletoe and Murder is released in the UK and Ireland – but if you just can’t wait to read more about Hazel and Daisy, the wait is over. My ebook short story, The Case of the Deepdean Vampire, is available to download from today!

Like The Case of the Blue Violet, this story is narrated by Daisy Wells and set at Deepdean School, just after the end of Jolly Foul Play (though I promise I do not spoil who the murderer is!). It’s not a murder – but strange things are most definitely afoot. As Daisy explains …

Of all the mysteries that Hazel and I have investigated, the Case of the Deepdean Vampire was one of the strangest. It was not a murder, which was a pity – but I did solve it very cleverly, and so I decided it ought to be written down, so that other people could read it and be impressed.

Camilla Badescu is in the fifth form, and has pale skin, dark hair and red lips. She comes from Romania (which is practically Transylvania). She doesn’t eat at meals. And she seemed to have an unhealthy influence over another pupil, Amy Jessop. Now, I do not believe in vampires – I am the Honourable Daisy Wells, after all. But when I heard the rumour that Camilla was seen climbing head-first down a wall, I knew it was time to investigate…

At the moment, this story is only available to download wherever the UK editions of my books are sold (this is because my US publishers hold the distribution rights for all of my titles in the US). It is also only available as an ebook. BUT, if you don’t have an e-reader, or if you get your books from libraries, you are in luck!

This morning I signed the contract for the upcoming Cream Buns and Crime anthology. This will be a real book, and it will be full of puzzles and codes and recipes, the three short stories I have written so far (Lavinia’s Missing Tie, Blue Violet and Deepdean Vampire) AND two BRAND NEW short stories featuring characters from Hazel and Daisy’s world.

Cream Buns and Crime will publish in April 2017. A cover is on the way, and you’ll be able to pre-order the book soon – I’m very excited at the thought of seeing my short stories in physical form!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy The Case of the Deepdean Vampire. When I’m not reading murder mysteries, I really like stories about vampires and werewolves. One of my favourite books of all time is Dracula. So when my publishers suggested that I write a short story with a Halloween theme … I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

First Class Murder: US cover reveal!

Poison is Not Polite (the US edition of Arsenic For Tea) came out in April this year, and since then I’ve been hearing from lots of American and Canadian readers who love Daisy and Hazel.

If you’re one of them, I have great news for you: my third book will be out in the USA in summer 2017, and it will KEEP its British title!

First Class Murder‘s US edition will be called … First Class Murder, and it will have the most BEAUTIFUL cover from the super talented Elizabeth Baddeley.

I think it’s my favourite so far! There’s still a while to wait, but you can pre-order now at Amazon.com. Roll on 2017!