Robin Stevens's Blog, page 58

A Kirkus Star for Poison is Not Polite

I’m delighted to say that Poison is Not Polite, the US edition of Arsenic for Tea, has been given another review. This time it’s from Kirkus magazine – and they’ve given it a star as well! From the review:

‘Wells and Wong return in a classic country-estate mystery… this well-crafted and entertaining detective story, a stand-alone sequel to Murder Is Bad Manners (2014), is solidly set in a fading world of 1930s minor nobility and supported by a cast list and map. A first-rate whodunit, reminiscent of a game of Clue and terrific preparation for the works of Agatha Christie.’

Read the full (and very lovely) article at the Kirkus website, here. I really am so pleased – the book will be published in April, and it’s amazing to know that it’s being so well-recieved already!

 

Book Trust Read For My School 2016 Launch

Yesterday I was lucky enough to visit Swaffield School in Wandsworth to help launch Book Trust’s 2016 Read For My School.

This is a competition that aims to get as many children reading as many books as possible this spring term – last year 3,500 schools read over 700,000 books, and this year Book Trust are hoping to hit a target of one million books read.

It’s an incredible target, and I’m delighted that they’re trying to meet it in such an enjoyable, accessible way. I believe that reading is fun, and that there’s no right way to be a reader, or any best sort of book to read. Every reader is different, and I think it’s fantastic that Read For My School celebrates that – there are not only prizes for the pupils who read the most books, but for the most improved readers, and the readers who explore the most new genres and authors.

I had a great time meeting Swaffield’s pupils, who are already impressive readers, and I hope I helped inspire them to do even more reading. Below are some pictures from the launch – as you can see, we all had a lovely morning!

The competition is open now, and will run until the end of term. Good luck to everyone taking part, and thanks again to Book Trust for making me a part of this year’s scheme!

With Swaffield Primary School. Launch of Let a Million Books Bloom – nationwide Read for My School Competition 2016. Copyright © 2016 Andrew Wiard

With Swaffield School, Book Trust CEO Diana Gerald and Wandsworth Councillor Kathy Tracey. Copyright © 2016 Andrew Wiard

Murder is Bad Manners is an ALA Notable Book

I’ve had more great news about my American books: the US edition of Murder Most Unladylike, Murder is Bad Manners, has been chosen as an ALA Notable Book for 2016!

According to the website, ‘Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children’s books. According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.’

This is a huge vote of confidence in my book, and it’s in formidable company. If you’d like to take a look at the full list, it’s here. I’m honoured to be next to books like George, Hamster Princess and The Marvels: these really are some of the best middle-grade books around right now.

Thank you so much, ALSC – this is amazing news!

 

2016: A New Year for Me (And Daisy and Hazel)

It’s 2016, and the end of the first working week – my very first as a full-time author.

It still seems strange to say out loud, like I might be lying or confused. But it really does seem to be true. I get to do this all day (and all evening, and at weekends) – writing about Daisy and Hazel is my job. When I sit down to start writing my next book, next week, I’ll be able to spend hours at a time working on it, so I can make sure I actually get my head into the world and story I’m creating. It’s a pretty obvious writing tip – have enough time to write – but I couldn’t follow it before. I’ve given myself an amazing chance, and my resolution for this year is not to mess that up.

My home office!

If I need to, I can now spend all day reading about 1930s chocolates (did you know Terry’s Chocolate Oranges were introduced to the UK in 1932?), Cambridge climbing societies, 1930s fashion, and the Raj, while listening to Cole Porter (that is what I did on Tuesday). I can take time to think about my characters and make sure that their stories all fit together properly (that is what I did yesterday). I can sit down and read the whole of Gaudy Night (this is still ongoing). It all sounds suspiciously like fun to me, and probably to you, but I know that because I’ve got time to do this, book 5 will be so much better than it could have been if I’d had another job.

I’m incredibly excited about book 5, by the way. It will take place in Cambridge at Christmas, and feature Daisy’s brother Bertie, as well as Alexander from First Class Murder. I’m incredibly clear that my books have always been and will always be written for both boys and girls, but I like that I’m now able to write them about boys as well as girls.

So that’s what’s ahead for me over the next four months in terms of writing. But, of course, not having another job means that I’ll have more time to travel and meet all of you. If you’d like to come see me talk, I’ve begun to update the 2016 calendar – take a look through it here. This will keep on being added to, of course – and it also doesn’t include my school visit schedule, which is already filling up! If you’re a teacher or librarian who’d like me to visit you, please do email me. And if you’re not a teacher or librarian, please email me anyway – I love hearing from you!

And finally, I’ve got quite a few books and stories out this year. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually listed them all in one place – so here they are!

4th February: The Case of the Blue Violet. An ebook short story narrated by Daisy Wells. Pre-order here.

24th March: Jolly Foul Play. Daisy and Hazel’s fourth full-length adventure! Visit the book’s website page here.

26th April: Poison is Not Polite. Daisy and Hazel’s second adventure (published in the UK as Arsenic for Tea) comes to America! Visit the book’s website page here.

5th May: Mystery & Mayhem. This is an anthology of detective stories by 12 amazing children’s authors. I’ve taken a break from Wells & Wong to contribute a short story that is totally new! Pre-order here.

October 2016: Murder Most Unladylike Mystery Book 5. Title and release date still TBC – but this will be Daisy and Hazel’s fifth adventure, and it will be Christmassy!

I think one thing is obvious – this is going to be a pretty exciting year for me and my books …

Booklist starred review for Poison is Not Polite

Happy 2016! I’ve just found out that my year is off to a great start – Poison is Not Polite, the US edition of Arsenic for Tea, has been given its first review, and it’s a star from Booklist!

They say:

‘After getting off to a good start in Murder is Bad Manners, Stevens perfects her take on the British murder mystery in the second book in the Wells & Wong series. Daisy Wells has brought boarding-school friend (and co-member of the Detective’s Society) Hazel Wong to Fallingford, her family’s estate, complete with mazes, libraries, lords, and ladies. It’s Daisy’s birthday and a lavish tea is planned with visits from two other school chums. But there are other visitors, including the nefarious Mr. Curtis, who seems as enamored of the family antiques as he is of Daisy’s mother. From the first pages, we learn something dreadful happens to Mr. Curtis, and as the book progresses, readers will be enthralled with the what, why, and how—all issues that the Detective’s Society unravel through cleverness and sleuthing skill. Not so long ago, detailed accounts of murders in middle-grade mysteries was rarely done. Here, though, Mr. Curtis lies moldering in a guest room after a violent poisoning, while the game is afoot all over the house, which has been cut off by a flood. Though Stevens handles the mystery element to perfection (the house diagrams are a nice touch, too), what really shines is the depiction of her characters, especially bossy, egocentric Daisy, and loyal, smart Hazel, always aware that she is “other.” A smashing good time.’ – Ilene Cooper, Booklist

The End of an Era – All Change for 2016!

I’ve got some big news to share about me and my books!

I’ve always been clear that I loved my editorial day job. I’ve been trying to keep the two strands of my life working together, but over the last few months, I’ve realised that even with the best will in the world (and my relentless optimism), something needed to change.

I want to make the Murder Most Unladylike books the best they can be, and I want to get out there and meet more of you, my lovely readers, and to do both of those things I need to take a step back from my editorial work and focus on my writing for a while.

Therefore, I recently made the very difficult decision to leave my position as Assistant Editor at Egmont. From the middle of December I’ll no longer be with the company – my office will become my computer, and I’ll be working as a full-time author!

I’m immensely sad about stepping down from my job – Egmont have been wonderful employers, and I’ve had a fantastic time being part of the fiction team. I’m going to miss everyone I work with hugely! But I know that this is the right decision, and the right time to take it.

If you’d like to get in contact with me from 9th December, please use the email redbreastedbird@gmail.com, or send me post via my publishers, at

Robin Stevens c/o Puffin Publicity, Penguin Books

80 Strand, London

WC2R 0LR

If you’re a school, a book store or a library, this means that from the beginning of next year I’ll be much more available to visit you! I can tour more than I could before, and hopefully get to a lot more of the country, as many of you have been requesting. If you would like to enquire about my availability, please email me and my publicist Harriet (hvenn@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk), as we’ll be coordinating my 2016 schedule together. Of course, I’ll also be working hard on the fifth book in the Murder Most Unladylike series as well – I have a feeling I won’t be any less busy than I am now!

There are exciting times ahead for me and my books. After Christmas I’ll be able to share some more news that I’m very excited about – I can’t do it yet, but watch this space. I think you’re going to be very pleased!

Murder Most Unladylike at the Oxfordshire Book Awards 2015!

On Thursday, I visited Oxford High School for the Oxfordshire Book Awards 2015. I grew up in Oxford, and went to primary school at an Oxford school, the Dragon (yes, really, that is its name), so I am beyond honoured that Murder Most Unladylike was chosen as the 2015 winner of the Primary Novel award, voted for entirely by Oxfordshire children.

I was in excellent company, too – the picture book award was won by Sue Heap and Teresa Heapy’s Very Little Red Riding Hood, and the secondary novel award went to Marcus Sedgwick’s She is Not Invisible, with Jo Cotterill’s Looking at the Stars highly commended. Marcus couldn’t attend (for the very good reason that he now lives in another country), but Jo, Sue and Teresa were all there. And we all got cakes!

My beautiful Murder Most Unladylike cake!

I was very excited

Winners with our winning cakes!

The presentation ceremony was wonderful – representatives from the voting schools were there (as well as my parents, my special guests for the day), and we all had a chance to talk about our books and take questions from the kids. Reviews of each of the books were read out on stage (an amazing surprise) – I have to especially thank Isobelle and Neil for their incredibly kind words about Murder Most Unladylike.

My view from the stage. Hello Oxford!

We were all presented with the most beautiful award trophies, as well as flowers – I felt like a very lucky author. Afterwards all of the authors signed our books and talked to the kids – it was such an honour to meet them all, and I had a brilliant time. And, of course, we all had a very delicious bunbreak!

My award!

Me with my award – photo by Sally Poyton

Signing books – photo by Carterton CC Library

Thank you, Oxfordshire!

All change for Murder Most Unladylike Book 4!

I have some very exciting news to share with you today.

First, Murder Most Unladylike Book 4 has a beautiful cover! I can now exclusively reveal that it is YELLOW, it has FIREWORKS and I love it. It’s going to pop on shelves just as strongly as the first three books do, and I can’t wait to actually see it in stores. I’m working hard on the edits for it, and it’s currently scheduled to arrive with UK readers in late March 2016.

But that’s not the only update I have to give you. As we were working on the cover, it became clear that the original title we chose was just too long to fit – the words were very difficult to read! So we decided to go back to the drawing board, and come up with something snappier, that my illustrator Nina could really get her teeth into – and the winner was . . .

JOLLY FOUL PLAY

Henceforth, therefore, Murder Most Unladylike Book 4 will be known as Jolly Foul Play – and you can see its gorgeous cover below! I hope you’ll agree with me that this is totally brilliant, and very much in keeping with the other three books.

 

And if you’d like a little reminder as to the plot, this is what I can currently tell you:

It’s a new year at Deepdean – Daisy & Hazel are now in the fourth form. The school has a whole new group of mistresses . . . and a new Head Girl and Prefects. But these Big Girls are certainly not good eggs – they rule the school by bullying all of the younger years, and each other.

By the beginning of November, tensions are running high, and it’s hardly a surprise when, after the fireworks display at Deepdean’s Bonfire Night Celebrations, Head Girl Elizabeth Hurst is found dead. She’s been hit on the head by a heavy object. But who could have done it? And what does the murder have to do with the secrets that are suddenly being discovered on pieces of paper all round the school? One thing’s for sure . . . sparks will fly.

I’m so excited to share Jolly Foul Play with you all (as soon as I’ve finished it!) and I hope you’ll love Daisy and Hazel’s fourth adventure!

But although it’s still six months away, you can pre-order the book NOW from Amazon. So what are you waiting for? Go go go!

Hong Kong Young Post review of Arsenic For Tea

John Millen from the Hong Kong Young Post has given Arsenic for Tea an absolutely fantastic review!

He says: ‘Stevens’ Wells & Wong Mysteries offer a great deal of retro reading pleasure … as irresistible and entertaining as the first. Just the thing to devour with a pot of tea and a plate of scones.’

Announcement – the Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries have been optioned for TV and film!

When I was first writing Murder Most Unladylike I happened to watch ITV’s Cat Among the Pigeons. It’s Christie’s boarding school murder, and in this adaptation there’s a character called Hsui Tai. She’s played by , and seeing her added to the story gave me shivers. I’d been imagining Hazel as the main character of my own boarding school mystery, and now I was seeing a character at a TV boarding school who could be Hazel. I already knew that I wasn’t doing anything anachronistic in making my protagonist Chinese, but Cat Among the Pigeons made me see how much sense my decision made. That’s the power of TV – it makes possibilities real.

Katie Leung in ITV’s Cat Among the Pigeons

That was back in 2013. Now it’s 2015, and today I have the absolute pleasure of announcing that my books, and my characters, are one step closer to one day appearing as a TV show themselves.

The TV and film rights to the Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries have been optioned by Pilot Media and Salt Beef TV, who will be co-producing the project. The deal was done by my fantastic TV agent, Emily Hayward Whitlock, who’s working for me and Gemma Cooper (my agent for the books themselves).

My celebratory #bunbreak!

What this means, in case you haven’t heard this term before – I hadn’t – is that Pilot and Salt Beef have bought the rights to try to turn the series into a show – they will now work to find financial backing, distributors, writers and actors, which is extremely difficult to do, and explains why most things that are optioned never actually become TV shows or films. So we’re not there yet – this is just the beginning. Now we have to wait, and let Pilot and Salt Beef work their magic – I might be the author of the books, but this is something that I have absolutely no control over, which is slightly nervewracking.

But I do know that Pilot and Salt Beef are the perfect people to buy the rights – the entire deal came about because Dan from Pilot’s 9 year old daughter read Murder Most Unladylike and told him how much she liked it. It doesn’t get much better than that, and Dan and Jeremy keep on proving that they have some serious passion for the series. If anyone can make this happen, they can.

While we wait to hear more, I’ve been having a great time fancasting. I’m particularly fond of the idea of Benedict Cumberbatch as Uncle Felix, and Ben Whishaw as The One. Who would you cast? Any and all ideas below, or on Twitter – but no spoilers, please!

As I said, we’re not there yet. But we’re off to a great start.