...faith, and trust and pixie dust

I've decided "faith, and trust and pixie dust" is the best recipe literature can supply for staying positive in trying times. Thank you J.M Barrie!

Wherever you are in the world right now, I hope you're safe and well and staying positive. There's a lot of uncertainty floating around, especially now most of the world is locked down, and I've escaped it by climbing between the pages of books to keep me sane. "Reading gives you someplace to go when we have to stay where we are." ~ Mason Cooley.

To anyone who's struggling with current circumstance, I encourage you to grab hold of a good book - an old familiar one, with a strong spine and a story that will wrap you up like a warm blanket and keep you safe.

Classic children's stories are the warmest blankets I own. True, they're tainted with darkness, but the hope they bring is more contagious than any virus. And since it's International Children's Book Day this Thursday (Apr 2nd), I thought I'd share a few of my favourite middle grade reads with you. I hope they can provide some light relief from the madness:

1. Hans Christian Andersen's POPULAR FAIRY TALES. International Children's book day coincides with Hans Christian Andersen's birthday each year, and I honestly do love his stories. They're still so well known today. The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling...but my personal favourite is The Nightingale.

2. ALICE IN WONDERLAND by the wacky and wonderful Lewis Carol. Respect the classics everyone!

3. PETER PAN & WENDY by J.M Barrie, the author that inspired today's blog title. This is one of those stories that is intended for children, but of course I love it because it has that niggling undertone of darkness that keeps us interested as adults.

4. Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. Brilliant book series. Brilliant Netflix series. Brilliant film. Need I say more?

5. THE WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum and all the subsequent books. If you haven't read them, please treat yourself immediately to a trip over the rainbow.

6. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi. There is also a great film adaption of this book if you're starved for entertainment.

7. TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDENS by Phillipa Pearce.

8. CORALINE by Neil Gaiman.

9. THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Another classic, and a book I've re-read this month to lift my spirits. A LITTLE PRINCESS also by Frances Hodgson Burnett is another of my favourites.

10. THE DIVIDE by Elizabeth Kay. I'm a fantasy lover and this is the go-to fantasy book that I always recommend to anyone asking for middle grade reading suggestions. No spoilers, but I was gripped the first time I read it...and I still am now!

11. THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by Edith Nesbit.

12. THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. Perhaps a heavy topic in our current situation, it does also shed a sobering perspective on what it is to stay inside for days on end.

13. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by Lucy Maud Montgomery and subsequent books.

14. LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott, and the lesser known, but equally lovable AN OLD FASHIONED GIRL by Louisa May Alcott.

15. GIRL OF INK AND STARS by Kiren Millwood Hardgrave. Another fantasy novel I've read this year. It's a quick paced story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Obviously there are so many more out there, but these are the few that have stuck with me and will always be my favourites. Let me know if you'd add any to the list!

Until next time, find me on Facebook @zuzuspages and Instagram @zuzuspages for bookish and writing updates!
Stay safe everyone!

Zuzu 🖋

#internationalchildrensbookday #hanschristianandersen #childrensliterature #childrensbooks #books #bookblogs #bookbloger #bookstagram #instabooks #bookreview #children #MG #middle grade #zuzuspages

...tiptoeing into spring

The crocuses have reared their heads, the daffodils have endured the wind and the rain we battled for a few weeks here in jolly old blighty, and the snowdrops have waited patiently for snow, only to be disappointed when none arrived.
It's fair to say we're tentatively, trepidatiously, tiptoeing into Spring...

It's sad to think that some people are missing this beautiful transition whilst in self-isolation, and only seeing its beauty through a window. Still, I suppose sunshine is a better mood lifter than rain, even if you're stuck indoors.

Personally, the weather doesn't affect me. Come rain or shine, I bide by the conviction that books are the best thing to get your mind off anything unpleasant. They're the most effective form of escapism, and so, I've spent the past few days re-reading The Secret Garden and pretending that Spring is the only thing on the horizon!

Why am I blogging about Spring?
The season's have become very pertinent to one of my current writing projects (yes, projects plural - I'm in possession of a great deal of free time at the moment), but they're also important to me in general. I grew up in Vancouver, Canada, where the changing seasons were beautiful and evident on the mountain tops and in the trees. I love the changing moods that come with each season: the new life and spontaneous rains of spring, the blurry haze of summer, the glorious colours of autumn, and the festivities of winter.
Like everyone, I prefer certain seasons (controversially autumn and winter), but I see the potential beauty in them all.

My house is situated in the middle of an old fashioned high street, sandwiched between a river and some fields, both of which have been flooding on and off for many weeks now (don't worry, we have effective flood gates!) I've been enjoying muddy walks through muddy fields, à la Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice: "Elizabeth continued her walk alone, crossing field after field at a quick pace, jumping over styles and springing over puddles with impatient activity." Thank you Jane Austen! "I did not want to avoid the walk. The distance is nothing when one has a motive..."
Walking has been great for blowing off the cobwebs and keeping me clear headed for writing.

When the weather gets warmer (and dryer), I like the idea of taking to the fields to sit and write or read for an hour or so.
As much as I love my desk, and it will forever remain my favourite writing nook, I also like a fresh perspective and scenery to look at on occasion. Last summer, there was a shorn field filled with perfect haybales that made for brilliant thrones upon which to sit and contemplate (and later regret, because hay gets everywhere!) I look forward to forgetting that, and re-enacting the itchy hay dance again this year.

I'm a pluviophile; by definition, a lover of rain, so for now I'm content to enjoy the spring and eagerly await the oncoming April showers! Umbrellas and wellies at the ready (as long as we're still allowed outdoors. Darn potential lockdown, and Corona restrictions!)

Wishing you all a slightly belated Spring Equinox! The official date was Friday 20th March, and I hope you've all managed to get outside beneath these beautiful blue skies we've been experiencing here in England.

Until next week everyone, find me on Facebook @zuzuspages and Instagram @zuzuspages for regular writing/reading updates and book related posts.

Zuzu 🖋

#lockdownreadinglist #author #thesecretgarden #springequinox #zuzuspages

...(book review) the starless sea by erin morgenstern

When Zachery Rawlins stumbles across a strange book hidden in his university library it leads him on a quest unlike any other. Its pages entrance him with their tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities and nameless acolytes, but they also contain something impossible: a recollection from his own childhood...

THE STARLESS SEA by Erin Morgenstern

Published: Nov 2019

Genre:  YA Fantasy Fiction. Adventure. Romance Fantasy.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here is a book that went to the top of my TBR pile the moment I obtained it. I've been lusting after a new read from Erin Morgenstern since I read the very last word of The Night Circus in 2011. And The Starless Sea certainly did not disappoint!!!
Set between our world and a fantastical underground (hence starless) land of books and magic, The Starless Sea is a book lovers' dream.
It combines everything I love: fantastic characters, engaging plots, multiple stories, mysterious books, repetitive themes and imagery (keys, swords, bees) carefully interwoven, libraries, cats, brilliant writing, and a ending that did not disappoint.

It irks me when a story is so well told and unravelled, but then is concluded by an author with too much haste, but I didn't feel this from The Starless Sea.
Erin Morgenstern's writing is brilliantly paced; I devoured this book in two days, then wished I hadn't because I was sorry it was over.

The phrase don't judge a book by it's cover is completely lost on me. How could you not look at the cover of The Starless Sea and not be instantly drawn in? The brilliant thing about this cover art is that it becomes more revealing as you progress through the story. I think it's wonderful.

Inside Cover Art

As always, it's very difficult to review a book without spoiling the story, and I've no desire to take anything away from your experience and first impression of  The Starless Sea. I urge you only to obtain a copy and to read it immediately! I know it's only March, but this book will surely be one of my top reads for this year.

A little update on my Self Inflicted 50 Book Challenge:
This was my 6th book on my quest to 50 by the end of 2020 (see my ...precocious little book challenge (2019 edition) blog for further explanation.) I'm now on my 9th read, and once again failing to stay on target - oops! Better get reading!

Until next time,
~ Zuzu 📚

find me on Facebook @zuzuspages and Instagram @zuzuspages for updates on writing/reading challenges, and book related content!

#thestarlesssea #erinmorgenstern #bookreview #bookblog #reading #fiction #reviews #books 

....updates...writing...and a tankard of coffee

This last week has been a busy one; a blur of midnight reading, and coffee, and work, and coffee, and non-writing related projects that came to a head this weekend and are now blissfully complete...and coffee...

Although I've been invested in these projects and I'm incredibly proud of how they turned out, I'm also relieved that they're over, because all weekend I've been itching over a new idea for a story; one that has been in the back of my mind for quite some time, but got pushed to the back burner while I prepared and edited THE BLOOD DRAGON for submission. Now that it's complete and on its agent seeking journey, I have a writing void that I'm desperate to fill.

This new story is still fantasy, it's a genre I elect to write in because it knows no limits, and has no restraints. But where THE BLOOD DRAGON is high/epic fantasy, this new story lingers more in the vicinity of magical realism. I've also been influenced strongly by existing fairy tales à la Christina Henry (an author of horror and dark fantasy - and a brilliant one at that!)

That's all I will commit to revealing at this point. Allow me my secrecy since I'm in the earliest of early stages of story crafting. Thus far, I have only a compilation of hastily scribbled notes, snippets of dialogue, some character profiles, and an opening chapter to show for this new book.

In true Zuzu style, there is a notebook dedicated to it's initial creation. I never type my stories up until they're essentially written and outlined on paper. For me, it's nice to keep a visual record of it's development. To have sections of writing crossed out and re-written, and scrawled drawings in the corners of pages.

Over the last few weeks the cogs of my mind have begun to grind, generating this story piece by piece. I'm so grateful that today I've had the time to start transferring it to paper!
However, since the weekend was a hectic one, this morning my mind was seriously impaired by tiredness (I confess I made things worse by reading until 2am last night!!) Cue the tankard of coffee!
Coffee = sustenance
Coffee = brain fuel
Coffee provides the pleasant buzz that leads to that caffeine driven state that allows my mind to work overtime for a couple of hours, and my hand to move faster as it tries in vain to write to the same pace that my mind thinks.

Respectfully, I'm going to keep today's blog short and sweet and hasten back to writing. I hope that as my story matures, there will be more I can reveal. A title for example! With THE BLOOD DRAGON, the title was in place from the start, but since I'm not too sure where this new story is going to lead, I didn't want to assign a title that would restrict it.
Once I settle upon something appropriate, I will reveal all...

Until then, find me on Facebook for more updates and book related info: @zuzuspages
and on Instagram, also @zuzuspages

~ Zuzu 🖋

...on rejection

Ahhhh, rejection, a word that I'm sure many aspiring authors are all too familiar with!

Trust me, I am well aware that the publishing world can feel brutal.
Like Little Red Riding Hood, we walk innocent and unsuspecting into the woods, expecting to arrive at the house of a kind agent who wants to represent us, unaware of all the talons and claws that might rip at us along the way.

When you start submitting your book, it's akin to passing around a piece of your heart; it's hard not to fear it coming back to you in shreds.

Yes, rejection stings, but my advice...try not to take it personally!
It's never about you. It's about your work, and an agent or publisher not feeling that they're right to represent it.
At the end of the day, you wouldn't want someone who doesn't wholeheartedly believe in your story to publish it. You want to hold out for the right match, as do agents. It works both ways.

It's comforting to remember that rejection is an occupational hazard for all writers, so we're in good company:

Herman Melville's Moby Dick was rejected by multiple publishers, one of whom even wrote to him asking, "Does it have to be a whale?"

When attempting to have Little Women published, Louisa May Alcott was told to "stick to teaching".

And F. Scott Fitzgerald was told he'd have a decent book if he "got rid of that Gatsby character."
Can you believe it?!

Like these great authors, I pride myself on being pretty good at dusting myself off and rallying.

Unlike these authors, I grew up as a performer, and so rejection has been part of my life for years. As a result I've developed a grotesquely thick skin.

How do I do this? I cling to the positives!
The first agent that rejected my book gave me some feedback, which doesn't happen very often, so I'll be forever grateful. She wrote: "I found much to admire in the care you have taken in crafting the world and characters, and you write well."
My heart swelled. I didn't even care that these words were followed by, "However..."

Since then, my feedback has been frustratingly contradictory, and so it's difficult to know how to act on that, or whether you should act on it at all.

For me, the best advice has come from The Writers & Artists Yearbook (2020 edition linked here).
Please don't submit your book without first having read this cover to cover! It's so helpful and encouraging.
When writing my book, I gave no thought to how I would brand my story, or what would make it marketable. I was simply putting the story trapped inside of my mind to paper. This book provides valuable insight and helps you answer those crucial questions that agents and publishers require.
1. What's your genre?
2. Who is your target audience?

To help me pinpoint this, I read only fantasy for a year, trying to understand where my book potentially fit on bookstore shelves. Before this, I'd have generically labelled my book "fantasy", without considering the clarification of sub-genres: contemporary, high or low grade, magical realism, fairy tale...
I considered who I was writing for: children, middle grade (MG), young adult (YA), adult; whether there was potential for cross over...
I let my book be read by different age groups, people that I trusted to be brutally honest with their feedback.
The conclusion of this: I've written a high grade fantasy fiction for YA/crossover readers. That is how I distinguish my book to agents.

My advice therefore, above all else, is know your book. Not that this will necessarily help discourage rejections, but it will give your story its best chance.

I wish I had more, or better advice to give, but since I'm still navigating this process myself, I can only abide by the mantra: If at first you don't succeed, submit, submit again!

Good luck to anyone out there who's stuck in writers' limbo, somewhere between completing your novel and publication. I empathise and I trust we can all ascend past the rejections!
Respect and congratulations to anyone who has already made it out alive!!

If you're reading this and you have any additional positives or advice to offer, please leave them in the comments below! I'd love to hear them, and I'm sure there are other aspiring authors out there who would too.
Share the knowledge everyone, for knowledge is powerful and we all deserve the chance to stand in our power.

Until next time, find me on Facebook @zuzuspages
~ Zuzu