Robin Stevens's Blog, page 61

Hay Festival 2015

Authors at Hay – with Catherine Doyle and Melinda Salisbury

As soon as I could read, my father and I bonded over books. Of course, he loved me from the moment I was born, but I get the feeling that he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with me until the day he realised that he had created a fellow book nut. He would come into my room while I was reading and gently deposit a pile of books next to me, and we both knew that we understood each other perfectly.

So, of course, when we spent time together, we went to bookshops. We had happy afternoons in Blackwell’s and Waterstones (and Ottakar’s, remember that?), and on one very special weekend every year we went on a road trip to our ultimate Mecca, Hay-on-Wye.

As a child, Hay was pretty much my vision of heaven on earth – a place where every shop was a second-hand bookshop, where everything smelt slightly like musty pages and where I was allowed to go running through towering, wobbly stacks of paperbacks, frantically filling my arms with all of the books that caught my eye. I have a powerful memory of the moment when my father led me up the stairs of Murder & Mayhem, the crime-specialist bookshop, pointed to the entire wall of Agatha Christie books facing us, and said, ‘Which ones don’t you have? Buy them.’ Hay helped make me a reader, and a writer – and for years one of my biggest life goals has been to go to Hay Festival.

So you can imagine how it felt when I was invited to Hay this year. I genuinely never imagined that my first Festival experience would be as an author, hanging out in the Green Room in weirdly close proximity to Jude Law and Sandi Toksvig, going through doors that said Artists Only and feeling only 80% like a gigantic fraud.

For me?

I was lucky enough to do an event with my friend and fellow Mystery Girl Katherine Woodfine, whose book, The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, is out on the 4th of June, and is absolutely the perfect thing for anyone impatient for First Class Murder. Set in an Edwardian department store, it’s a mix of Mr Selfridge, Philip Pullman’s Sally Lockheart series and Nancy Drew, full of ace young detectives, dastardly villains, clever code cracking and delicious iced buns. I love it, and I think you will too.

Mystery Girls in the Green Room, ready for our event!

Katherine and I talked about the golden age children’s books and crime novels that inspired us, our obsession with the 1900s and 1930s respectively and our love of all things detective. Katherine read from The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, and I read (for only the second time ever) from First Class Murder. Then I spoke about Gunpowder, Murder & Plot, the fourth Murder Most Unladylike Mystery (currently at 13,000 words on my laptop, and set to be published in spring 2016), and caused great excitement when I told the audience that it would take place at Deepdean School and involve the death of the new Head Girl (not, I promise, the old one – King Henry doesn’t appear in it!).

Katherine reads from the Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow – picture by Claire Shanahan

I read from First Class Murder – picture by Michelle Toy

Below are a further selection of pictures from my weekend, and our event. For me the whole experience genuinely was a dream come true.

Me and Katherine on the Starlight Stage at Hay

With our thank-you roses after the event – picture by Harriet Venn

Signing books in the bookshop tent – picture by Harriet Venn

Our incredible signing queue! – picture by Claire Fayers

With blogger Michelle Toy and her son

In the Lovereading tent signing their author tree – picture by Harriet Venn

If you did come to the event, I hope you enjoyed it! Elizabeth R has sent me a lovely video of her reviewing Murder Most Unladylike, which she read after watching me talk about it. She’s now reading Arsenic for Tea – here’s a picture of her with it, below. Looking at her bookshelves, she has excellent reading taste!

Elizabeth R reading Arsenic for Tea after the Hay Festival event.

 

Murder is Bad Manners is #8 on the Indie Next List for Summer 2015

Great news! Murder is Bad Manners, the US edition of Murder Most Unladylike, has been chosen as #8 on the Summer 2015 Indie Next List.

It’s been given a great review: Cathy Berner from Blue Willow Bookshop says ‘Hong Kong transplant Hazel Wong serves as Watson to Daisy Wells’ Sherlock Holmes in this debut middle-grade mystery series set in 1934 at Deepdean School for Girls. After Hazel finds the body of Miss Bell, the science teacher, it suddenly disappears, setting the Wells and Wong Detective Society on the case. Hazel narrates the story through her casebook, revealing that she is the more analytical of the pair. There are plenty of red herrings and wrong turns, but in the end Wells and Wong solve the case and leave readers eager to read more of their appealing tales.’

I’m delighted that my book is featured on the list – it’s so nice to see American readers embracing my heroines and their bunbreaks!

Booklist review of Murder is Bad Manners

Booklist have reviewed the American edition of Murder Most Unladylike, Murder is Bad Manners! They say:

‘Here’s a mystery import, set in the 1930s, that does justice to its British roots. Hazel Wong has come from Hong Kong to attend Deepdean boarding school. An outcast until she is accepted by upper-crust Daisy Wells, Hazel is happy to be half of a two-girl detective agency. The crimes they solve are silly—until Hazel discovers the body of their dead science teacher in the gym. By the time she gets Daisy, the body is gone. The situation grows more complicated as the girls dash around Deepdean, learning secrets about teachers (including a hint of a same-sex relationship), picking up clues, and getting in all sorts of mischief (such as drinking ipecac to make themselves ill). Then another murder occurs. This is a delightfully designed book, from the throwback cover to the school map inside . . . Nancy Drew, meet Wells and Wong.’ – Booklist

The title of Murder Most Unladylike Book 4 is . . .

Gunpowder, Murder & Plot

Intrigued? Well, here’s an early synopsis, to whet your appetite . . .

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 be taking my heroines back to Deepdean, where their adventures began – and so pleased to be able to revisit some of my favourite characters from the first book. So, what do you think about the title, and the plot? Which characters from Murder Most Unladylike are you hoping (though without spoilers, please!) I’ll bring back? Let me know on Twitter, by email, or in the comments below!

Bookseller review of First Class Murder

First Class Murder has just been given its first review! It was the 9-12 pick for August children’s fiction, and Fiona Noble says:

‘This is book three and it’s a delight. Hazel and Daisy are aboard the Orient Express: cue spies, priceless jewels, a murder and seriously upgraded bunbreaks. The tone may be light, but Stevens isn’t afraid to go deeper: there’s once again racism towards Hong Kong-born Hazel and her father, and we very much sense the dark shadow of Hitler looming over Europe.’

Murder Most Unladylike: Audiobook Recordings

A few months ago I announced the exciting news that my Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries were being made into audiobooks.

Since then, my publishers have been working to hire an actor and set up the recordings, and yesterday I was lucky enough to be able to go into the Penguin Random House recording studio, to listen to my books being turned into audio.

I’m completely delighted to be able to tell you now that the stories are being read by Gemma Chan (you might know her from Fresh Meat, Sherlock and Doctor Who, and she’s going to be in Channel 4’s Humans next). She’s pretty much the perfect Hazel, and she makes my books sound unbelievably classy.

With Gemma Chan, the voice of Hazel!

My agent, my editor, my publicist and I all descended on the studio together and had the best time possible. We got to see how the recording process works (it’s so much more careful than I was expecting – sometimes each sentence is repeated three or four times, to make sure that each word is clear and the intonation is correct, and the actor is directed to help them get the most out of each phrase), and to listen to Gemma as she read the murder scene from Arsenic for Tea.

Hearing the text spoken was a surprisingly wonderful experience. It suddenly sounded so big and real, like a proper book by a proper author, not one written in bits and pieces on my commuter train and the sofa in my living room.

Below are some pictures I took of the afternoon. The first two audiobooks, Murder Most Unladylike and Arsenic for Tea, will be out some time in the summer, with First Class Murder following soon after – I’ll alert you all as soon as they’re available for purchase! You’re definitely going to want to buy them, even if you’ve already read the books – they really add something amazing to the stories.

Pages of Arsenic for Tea marked up for reading.

Gemma’s mark-ups in more detail. Every intonation is noted!

Gemma reading!

The recording being made.

My wonderful editor and agent listen to the book being read!

Me with Gemma in the recording studio.

You’re Invited to my First Class Murder Launch!

I can’t quite believe how quickly this time has come around again, but here we are: First Class Murder, Hazel & Daisy’s third adventure, will be released on 30th June 2015, and to celebrate that exciting fact, I’m holding a launch at Waterstones Cambridge on Saturday 1st August.

Details of the afternoon’s festivities are still being ironed out, but rest assured that there will be readings, there will be activities, there will be signings and there will be CAKE. Possibly even train-shaped cake, if I can manage it.

So please, come along! Absolutely anyone is welcome, and I would love to see you there.

Murder Most Unladylike Events: Summer 2015

Summer is almost upon us, and I have many events coming up that I’m extremely excited about. The current list of where and when I’ll be appearing is below, but keep checking back: I’ll update it as new dates are announced.

Tuesday 19th May, 6:30pm, Waterstones Piccadilly: I’ll be on a panel with brilliant children’s authors Lauren St John and Kenneth Oppel to discuss what makes a true modern classic.

Monday 25th May, 1pm, Hay Festival: I’ll be speaking with fellow mystery girl and author of The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, Katherine Woodfine, about history, mystery and bunbreak. We’ll be on the Starlight Stage, and tickets are £6 from the Festival website.

Tuesday 9th June, 7pm, Waterstones Hampstead: I’m immensely excited to be appearing alongside bestselling crime writer Sophie Hannah, to discuss writing Agatha Christie in the 21st Century. Tickets are £5 and can be bought by calling the store on 0207 794 1098.

Saturday 13th June, 3pm, Oxford Central Library: Join me for a free event – I’ll be talking about the books, giving readings and helping readers with their own detective activities.

Sunday 21st June, all day, Storytellers Inc Bookshop, Lytham St Anne’s: On Midsummer’s Day I’ll be appearing as part of Storytellers, Inc.’s little literary festival for middle-grade readers. Join me and my fellow mystery writers for a day of talks, readings, workshops and signings with an interactive mystery for our young sleuths to solve.

Saturday 1st August, 3pm, Waterstones Cambridge: It’s launch day for my third book, First Class Murder! Please come along and celebrate with me. There will be readings, there will be train-themed activities and there will be bunbreak!

Happy publication day, Murder is Bad Manners!

The time has come at last! No longer will my grandmother have to single-handedly keep our friends and relations in America supplied with copies of Murder Most Unladylike by ferrying them over in her luggage: from today, my first book will be available in stores the length and breadth of the USA and Canada.

Its title in North America is Murder is Bad Manners, and its publishers are Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, who have done the most gorgeous job with it.

It’s a very satisfying hardback with illustrations and cover by Elizabeth Baddeley (I am so in love with that cover that I have it framed on my wall).

I am so proud of the way it looks – and, of course, of its contents as well. I had a very fun time working on the Americanizations for it (in this edition Daisy and Hazel sport athletic underwear and have a penchant for cinnamon buns, which delights me) – but I promise you that all of the really important things have remained the same. And I’m particularly pleased that the USA is about to be introduced to the concept of bunbreak.

So, America, I hope you like my girl detectives! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book. Happy launch day!

Author and author copies!

 

Deal Announcement – Daisy & Hazel are going to Germany!

This week is London Book Fair, at which agents (including my own, the fabulous Gemma Cooper) and publishers are all trying to sell foreign rights in their books.

And I’m very happy to say that for us, the Fair has got off to a brilliant start: the first two Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries have just been sold to Knesebeck Verlag in Germany.

I’m absolutely delighted that Murder Most Unladylike and Arsenic for Tea will soon be available in German, 30% longer (it’s all of those compound words) and also quite probably 30% more awesome.

And now, I’m off to have a slice of celebratory gugelhupf for my bunbreak.