Top Ten Tuesday | Give Me Some Space, Man

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books I Want My Future Children to Read (Or nieces and nephews, Godchildren, etc.)' - I actually kind of did this topic back in May and I don't really want to repeat myself, but I also didn't want to miss another week of TTT!

I have a nephew and four nieces - yes, four! Christmas shopping is a nightmare! - and my oldest niece is a bookworm, too, which is lovely, but there are some things I still definitely need to teach her. I live in South Wales while my older sister lives in North England so I don't see my oldest niece or her brother and sister that often, and when I saw her a few months ago I just so happened to be wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. She told me I shouldn't be wearing it because, and I quote, 'Star Wars is for boys'.

I'm sure you can imagine my horror.

So today I'm going to talk about the sci-fi books I'd like my niece to read when she's a little older to help her learn that Star Wars, and science fiction, is for everyone. She doesn't have to like science fiction, but I don't want her thinking it's a genre she's not allowed to participate in.

(Just as a sidenote, I don't tend to read as much sci-fi as I'd like to so the sci-fi experts amongst you probably have even better recommendations than I do - please feel free to leave them down below!)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: When eighteen year old Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley penned this haunting tale she set up the foundations for the genre we now know as science fiction. What better way to realise it's a genre that was never meant for boys alone?

Feed by Mira Grant: One of my favourite books of all time, this book broke my heart into teeny tiny pieces and made me sob. I love this one because it's a zombie story that isn't really about zombies in the way traditional zombie stories are, and when my niece is older I hope she'll enjoy its commentary on politics and the media as much as I did.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: Another one of my favourite books of all time and one I can't praise highly enough. Its discussions of gender, sexuality, race relations, family units and what it means to be human will stay with me for the rest of my life and I think anyone who reads this novel can learn something from it while also enjoying a beautiful story.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: I still haven't read this one myself (I know, I know, the shame!) but I swear I'm going to get to it soon and I think a book like this one would be the ideal story to get my niece thinking about feminism when she's a bit older.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor: Another sci-fi story that discusses race relations and the validity of cultures both familiar and alien (hurr hurr) to us. As my niece will sadly be growing up in post-Brexit Britain, I hope she reads lots and lots of stories about why it's important not to dismiss another culture simply because it's different to her own.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: As much as I got sick of the genre, YA dystopian fiction is such a good starting point into science fiction, at least one strand of science fiction, especially for people like myself and my niece who aren't huge sci-fi people. Katniss Everdeen is one of the fiercest heroines around; my niece will be able to learn a lot from her, I think.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver: On the other end of the scale is a quieter dystopian tale, but an equally powerful one. One of the things I loved most about this book is that the heroine, Lena, is more traditionally feminine than a lot of the YA dystopian heroines out there, and unfortunately I think a lot of heroines were distanced from traditionally feminine things because how can a girl possibly be feminine and kick-ass? Thankfully there are different ways to be 'kick-ass' and Lena and Katniss are both prime examples of that.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: I think this could be a particularly good starting point for my niece when she's old enough to start reading YA. I love this series, and the fact that all of the books in the series are retellings of fairy tales means that they're accessible for readers who might be familiar with the fairy tales but find sci-fi a little intimidating. It worked for me! (Also can I take the moment to have a mini rant and say that it really annoys me when I see this series being described as a dystopian series - not every YA sci-fi book is dystopian!)

Blood Red Road by Moira Young: More post-apocalyptic than dystopian, this book is just so much fun and yet another book with a very interesting heroine; Saba's even fiercer than Katniss, I think, and I hope it would show my niece just how fun and versatile this genre is.

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Various Artists: Because let's face it, if my niece thinks Star Wars is for boys she probably thinks that about Marvel, too. Who better than Ms. Marvel herself to show her otherwise?

Which books made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Back to School

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is a freebie! I wasn't sure what I was going to talk about at first, and then I thought I'd talk about some of the books I really enjoyed that I had to read for school and university.

Books I Read for School

Skellig by David Almond: I don't know how well Skellig is known overseas, but it's become a bit of a children's classic here in Britain. Skellig was the very first book I had to read when I started secondary school and I loved it so much. It's enchanting and spooky and hopeful, and one that I recommend you read however old you are.

Holes by Louis Sachar: Pretty much everyone knows this book, right? It's another modern children's classic in my book, and another one I was given to read during my early years of secondary school. I don't actually own copies of Holes or Skellig, so I think I may have to treat myself soon...

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: I was introduced to Jane Eyre when I was 14, and I've loved it ever since; in fact it's probably Jane Eyre I have to thank for my love of Victorian Literature today. It's a brilliant story, and personally I think Jane is one of the most fantastic heroines ever.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Sadly British schools now only look at British Literature when it comes to the GCSEs, which is a real shame and just plain wrong. There's a lot of fantastic British Literature out there, but there's also a great wealth of international work that I wouldn't have known about if I hadn't encountered them during my GCSEs. Anyway. Rant over. When I was in school we were always given a piece of American Lit to read, and we ended up with Of Mice and Men. I didn't have very high hopes for this when I was first given it, but despite its short length it's probably one of the few classics I find myself thinking about quite a lot, even now. It's not a particularly happy story, but it's a great place to start if you're a bit wary of classics!

Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare: Okay, okay, so I know Shakespeare's plays are really meant to be seen and heard rather than read, but I had so much fun reading this one during my A Levels. It certainly helped that I had an amazing English teacher.

Books I Read for University

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie: And now we move onto the university books. I read this in my first year of university when we were studying postmodernism, and any fans of retellings really need to pick it up. It's such a fun story and there are so many references to old stories from 1001 Nights to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: I did a course on Romanticism during my second year of university where I ended up studying Frankenstein. I now consider it one of my favourite classics, and I think Mary Shelley was a genius.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu: Carmilla is a pre-Dracula vampiric Victorian novella. Try saying that five times fast. I had to read it for my Victorian Gothic module and it's probably my favourite book from that module, and is now another of my favourite classics. It's so good, and great for anyone who's intimidated by classics!

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: I had to read The Moonstone for my Victorian Popular Fiction module and I fell in love with it. I'm fascinated by imperialism in Victorian Literature, the representation of India and its people, and I ended up writing an essay about imperialism for this module which I got a first for! This is thought to be the very first detective novel, and it's brilliant.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: This is the other classic I talked about in that essay. I loved the 1993 adaptation of this book growing up, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't actually read it until I studied it at university. I loved the book; it's become another favourite, and it's another book that's a great starting point for anyone intimidated by classics.

What did you talk about this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Gimme More

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel'. Luckily for me I recently went on a bit of a debut binge, and it's made me want to read more debuts in future - I don't think I'm particularly good at reading debuts, especially not reading debuts the year that they're published, mainly because half the time I don't realise I'm reading a debut unless it mentions it somewhere in the blurb. This year, though, I've been trying to check out more books by the same author because I find it frustrating when people ask me who my favourite authors are and I realise just how many authors I've only read one book by; I feel unable to call an author a favourite if I've only read one of their books.

Anyway, these are the ten authors whose debut novels I thoroughly enjoyed, and whose work I'll be keeping an eye out for in future - some more than others!

Hannah Kent: Hannah Kent's debut novel, Burial Rites, was the first book I read this year and it broke me. It's a beautifully written fictonalised account of the last days of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland. I'm really looking forward to seeing what she writes next! Read my review of Burial Rites here.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia: You guys already know how much I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia's debut novel, Signal to Noise. She's already published two short story collections and edited plenty of others, and recently she announced she'll be releasing two more standalone novels! I believe Young Blood will be her next novel, also set in Mexico City and featuring a homeless teen and drug lord vampires (give it to me now), and she's also writing a historical fantasy novel titled Proper People. I want them both. Also you should all drop everything you're doing and read Signal to Noise right now. Check out my review here.

Anne Brontë: I don't really know if Anne Brontë counts on account of her not being a living author but, hey, this is my list. I love Agnes Grey, and though I've read bits of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall for school and whatnot in the past, I've never sat down and read the whole thing from start to finish. Considering I'm taking part in The Women's Classic Literature Event, I'm planning to read it soon!

Nicola Yoon: I didn't love Everything, Everything, but I did enjoy it and I'll be keeping my eye on Nicola Yoon to see what she releases next; she's an official member of the We Need Diverse Books campaign, so she's definitely an author I want to keep on my radar! Read my review of Everything, Everything here.

Mary Shelley: Another classic lady. Frankenstein is one of my favourite classics - it's such a fantastic book - and I've been meaning to read more of Shelley's work ever since.

Andrew Davidson: I feel as though Andrew Davidson has vanished off the face of the earth. I adored his debut novel, The Gargoyle, it's a stunning book, but it was published in 2008 and since then I haven't heard of him bringing out anything else. I hope he does, though!

Laura Konrad: Laura is a friend of mine and I was very lucky to receive a review copy of her gritty, post-apocalyptic debut Lorelai, You'll Never Die, which I reviewed here. I've known Laura for a few years now, she's an online writing friend, and I've had the pleasure of seeing her blossom as a fantastic writer of sci-fi. She excels at stories in outer space and post-apocalyptic fiction, and I can't wait to see what she publishes next!

Robin Talley: My entire MA was based around the idea of the representation of minorities in history and how historical fiction can give a voice back to the people who were originally deprived of one, so I love stories like Lies We Tell Ourselves that look at history through the eyes of someone who isn't white and straight. I think Robin Talley is a fantastic voice in YA today, and her third novel, As I Descended, is one of my most anticipated releases of next year! This is kind of cheating because I've already read her second novel, What We Left Behind, but sadly I wasn't a big fan of it, so I'm hoping I enjoy As I Descended a lot more. Check out my reviews of Lies We Tell Ourselves and What We Left Behind here and here!

Becky Albertalli: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was such a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed it, and flew through it, and I'll definitely be checking out whatever Becky Albertalli releases next. Check out my review of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda here!

Jessie Burton: I finally read Jessie Burton's debut, The Miniaturist, a couple of months ago and thought it was absolutely stunning - you can check out my review here! I think her style of writing is gorgeous, and I believe she's currently working on her second novel set during the Spanish Civil War.

Who made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Authors I Wish I Could Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Ten Authors I REALLY Want to Meet'. I decided to change this week's just a little, because some of the authors I really wish I could meet are dead.

Daphne du Maurier: I finally started reading du Maurier last year and absolutely fell in love with her. I think she was a genius, and I'd love to meet her in Menabilly, the house that inspired Manderley, and go for a stroll around the gardens with her.

Shirley Jackson: Yet another modern classic genius. I don't read much horror because not only do I scare easily (seriously I can't even watch Shaun of the Dead on my own, that's how pathetic I am) but I never find many stories in the genre that interesting. Jackson is the exception. I've loved everything of hers I've read so far, and all of it has given me the creeps. Her power isn't in what she says, but in what she doesn't say.

Anne Brontë: To be honest I'd quite happily meet all of the Brontës, but I'd love to meet Anne in particular. I love her writing, and as I've so often said she's been the forgotten Brontë too long. I'd love to tell her there are plenty of people, myself included, who think she was fantastic.

Mary Shelley: I mean the woman was only 18 when she basically created sci-fi as we now know it. Frankenstein is one of my favourite books of all time, and I'd love to meet this lady. I imagine she'd have a lot of fascinating stories to tell.

Aphra Behn: I haven't actually read any of Behn's work yet, but as well as being a 17th century woman writer, who wrote everything from plays to poetry to fiction, she was also employed as a spy in Antwerp by Charles II. She's just cool.

J. K. Rowling: Yeah, I know this is probably a really unoriginal answer, but this woman was a huge part of my childhood, and I'd love the chance to thank her for that.

Seanan McGuire: Will I ever stop talking about this lady? Probably not. I love her, and I'd love to meet her, even though I'd probably just gush like a huge idiot.

Marissa Meyer: I adore The Lunar Chronicles, and I'd love to meet this lady to tell her just that. Her retellings are so original, and I can't wait to get my hands on Winter later this year! Feel free to check out my reviews of Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and Fairest!

G. Willow Wilson: I love what she's done with the Ms. Marvel comics (I've reviewed the first two volumes here and here!), and I'd love the chance to thank her for writing Kamala Khan so beautifully. She's one of the best characters to come out of Marvel in years, in my opinion, and I'm looking forward to reading Volume 3.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia: This lady wrote Signal to Noise (reviewed here!), which is probably my favourite book of the year so far, so I'd absolutely love to meet her. I just want to hug her, really, and thank her for writing such a brilliant book.

Who made your list this week?

Top Ten Tuesday | Characters Who Deserved Better

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books With Characters Who ___'. I wasn't sure what I was going to do for this at first, but a previous TTT topic got me thinking about the characters out there who deserved so much better than what they got.

Some of these characters were the victims of their circumstances, and others were just treated terribly by their authors. Only one of the people on this list is a man.

Frankenstein's Monster from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: A lot of the stuff this guy does is very bad indeed, but when you read this classic it's difficult not to empathise with him, even just a little.

Susan Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis: I will forever be unhappy with how Lewis treated Susan, with how he criticised her for wanting to grow away from Narnia. She is described as "no longer a friend of Narnia" who is "interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations". Lewis himself said: "The books don't tell us what happened to Susan. She is left alive in this world at the end, having by then turned into a rather silly, conceited young woman. But there's plenty of time for her to mend and perhaps she will get to Aslan's country in the end." When we're younger it's easy for us to dislike Susan - why would anyone want the real world when you could live in the world with centaurs and queens and talking lions? - but when we grow older and we see the religious aspects to Narnia, this view on Susan becomes rather sinister. How dare she like lipstick when she could have Jesus!

Bertha Rochester from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: If someone told me to choose between Mr. Rochester and Heathcliff I'd choose Mr. Rochester in a heartbeat, because Heathcliff is a whole other kind of messed up. But Rochester's hardly a catch himself. Yes he's educated and wealthy and, let's face it, quite sassy, but when he asks Jane to marry him he fails to mention he's already married, and his mentally ill first wife is locked up in the attic. Real husband material. I suppose we can argue that it's something of a mercy that poor Bertha wasn't sent away to an asylum, but locking her up in the attic was hardly a good idea either.

Elinor Mompellion from Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks: Despite including her on this list, I can't say a lot about Elinor without giving too much away. All I will say is that something is revealed near the end of the book which infuriated me, but kudos to Brooks because I didn't see it coming!

Margaret Prior from Affinity by Sarah Waters: Yet another character who I can't talk about too much without spoiling the ending of Affinity. Let's just say that Affinity is probably Waters' gloomiest novel, and those of you who've read it will know why poor Margaret made this list.

Agnes Magnúsdóttir from Burial Rites by Hannah Kent: Here I'm talking about Agnes the character, because for all I know the real Agnes - the last woman to be executed in Iceland - really was a violent murderer. The Agnes that Kent writes, however, just breaks your heart.

Nancy from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens: Nancy is one of the few decent people in Oliver Twist, and the person who gets dealt the worst hand. I had an illustrated version of this book when I was a little book and when I first read it, the scene where Nancy is murdered terrified me. Her death has haunted me ever since.

Sirius and Regulus Black from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling: We could probably argue that pretty much every single one of the Marauders deserved better, but the Black brothers make my heart ache like no others. Poor Regulus's courage was practically forgotten, and Sirius, the most loyal friend anyone could ask for, had to spend thirteen years of his life imprisoned for something he didn't do, only to be confined in a house full of horrid childhood memories when he escaped until he was eventually killed. I just have a lot of feelings about these boys, and I'm never going to be over Sirius.

Tess Durbeyfield from Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy: Alec d'Urberville and Angel Clare are both awful human beings and I hate them both in equal measure. That is all.

Katniss and Primrose Everdeen from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: Don't mind me, I'll just be over in that corner. Weeping.

Who made your list?

S is for Shelley | Blogging from A to Z

Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley

There are three books which I consider to be my favourite classics; Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I read all of these classics while I was at university, and while Romanticism is not a literary movement I find all that interesting (I'm much more of a Victorian girl) I am glad my Romanticism module gave me the opportunity to read Frankenstein, which has to be one of the most brilliant books I've ever read.

That Mary Shelley began writing this when she was 18 astounds me; the ideas she tackles in this story are so thought-provoking, from the conflicts between science and morality to the consequences of creating a life and what it really means to play God. There's a reason this classic is so many people's favourite, it really is a masterpiece.

Top Ten Tuesday | Inspiring Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Inspiring Quotes From Books'. I had a lot of fun putting this list together, so without ado, here it is!

This is one of my favourite ever quotes from one of my favourite classics. If I ever got a tattoo, I'd get this quote tattooed somewhere on my body because I just love it.

There are plenty of quotes from Harry Potter to choose from, but I've always loved this one; it's such a good message for children, because when we're younger we'll often do a lot of things we don't want to to impress people. It took me a long time before I learned it was okay to tell my friends 'no', at which point I decided to go and make some better friends.

I'm not even the biggest fan of Wuthering Heights, but even I can't deny that this quote - and so many others - is just gorgeous. Cathy and Heathcliff's obsession with each other is so twisted, but it's fascinating.

I've always loved this quote. There's something so adventurous about it that makes me want to go and explore.

I don't think this is a quote from a book, but it's about books so that counts, right? I've always loved this one. That stunning piece of dragon art can be found here.

I'm going to be surprised if I don't see this on several lists today. Jane Eyre is just such a quotable classic, and this quote in particular is wonderful.

Macbeth is my favourite of Shakespeare's plays, and Lady Macbeth has some fantastic lines. This one has always been my favourite.

I've never actually read Uncle Tom's Cabin, but I love this quote.

I couldn't leave out Anne if I was going to mention Charlotte and Emily! Agnes Grey is full of lovely quotes. This one's one of my favourites.

I love this quote so much that I actually opened my MA reflective essay with it. I'm not the biggest fan of Woolf's fiction, sadly, but she's just so fantastically quotable.

What are some of your favourite quotes?

Top Ten Tuesday | All Time Favourite Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books you would classify as ALL TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS from the past 3 years'. I thought I'd find this list fairly tricky, but as much as I really love a lot of the books I read there are only a select few that end up on my list of favourites!

Feed by Mira Grant: Is it any surprise that this book is on my list? Feed was my favourite read of last year, and has an eternal place on my favourite books of all time list.

Cress by Marissa Meyer: I love The Lunar Chronicles, it's one of my favourite series, and so far the Cress has been the best book in the series in my opinion. It was so much fun to read, and I can't wait for Winter!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: This is another book that I didn't read until last year - I know, what took me so long? - and I just adored it. I'm a big fan of Gaiman's work, but I think this is my favourite of his novels, with American Gods coming in at a close second.

Rat Queens, Vol.1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch: I only read this in January, but I've absolutely fallen in love with this series.

The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown: I found this book in a local charity shop and read it in my first year of university. It's just a traditional high fantasy novel; there's witches, dragons, unicorns, knights and talking animals. It's a really lovely little book, and what makes me love it all the more is that the fate of the world doesn't depend on the heroes' success in their quest. The only thing that's going to be affected by the outcome is their happiness.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu: The first of my three all time favourite classics. Screw Dracula, read Carmilla.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson: Such a beautiful book. If you haven't read this yet I can't recommend it more, it's just stunning.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: The second of my all time favourite classics. I thought I was going to hate this book when I had to read it for a Popular Victorian Fiction module at university but I ended up really enjoying it. If you're interested in some pre-Sherlock Victorian detective fiction then I recommend checking it out!

Corrag by Susan Fletcher: My list wouldn't be complete without some historical fiction, and Corrag is a gorgeous novel. If you're a fan of novels like Burial Rites or Alias Grace then this is another book worth your time!

Frankenstein Mary Shelley: The third of my all time favourite classics. This book is a masterpiece.

Which books made your list?

My Favourite Female Science Fiction Authors | Sci-Fi Month 2014

I didn't really start getting into sci-fi until earlier this year. For a long time I felt as though I wasn't allowed to like it because I was a woman, and I was almost afraid of venturing into it for fear of being criticised because of my gender, especially as I'm useless when it comes to pretty much all sci-fi terminology and tropes.

As a feminist I'm rather ashamed that I let myself be scared away from the genre, especially considering there are so many amazing female authors and female protagonists in science fiction. I still consider myself a newbie to science fiction, but I've already discovered some fantastic female authors (some of whom I already liked, I just wasn't really aware I was reading science fiction at the time!) and today I'm going to share three of my favourites with you!

Mary Shelley

I couldn't possibly make a list about my favourite female science fiction authors without mentioning Mary Shelley, the woman whose work is believed to be responsible for modern day science fiction! Shelley is most famous for Frankenstein, one of my all time favourite classics, but it's not the only thing she wrote; she also wrote The Last Man, a piece of post apocalyptic fiction about the last man on earth, Mathilda, a novella which was never published during her lifetime because it explores incest, Valperga, a piece of historical fiction, and a series of supernatural short stories. Frankenstein, her masterpiece, is believed to be one of the very first science fiction novels.

Tanya Huff

I started reading Tanya Huff's work long before I started my adventure into science fiction. Huff is well known for her science fiction and fantasy works, and is especially known for the way in which she explores and upturns gender stereotypes. She is the author of several series, including the Blood Books and the Quarters novels, and is also the author of the Confederation series; a science fiction series with a female lead that is on my TBR!

Mira Grant

Any of you who have been following my blog regularly this year will know that I've fallen in love with Grant's Newflesh trilogy. It's quickly become one of my all time favourite series with one of my all time favourite heroines, and now I'm a little bit in love with Mira Grant. As well as writing the Newsflesh trilogy, a series about blogging, conspiracies and zombies, she is also the author of the Parasitology trilogy and, under her real name of Seanan McGuire, she is the author of the October Daye series.

Which authors do you love?

Writing Tag

I saw this over on Jaime Morrow's blog and decided to steal it because it looked like a lot of fun!

1. Best Writing Space?

Right now it's the dining table! I've mentioned in previous posts that I recently finished university so I'm back to living with my parents, and while we live in a lovely house it's also a pretty small house so there isn't enough room in my bedroom for a desk. The dining table works, though - I just stick my headphones on and get to work!

2. If you could have dinner with any author, alive or deceased, who would it be and why?

I think it'd have to be Daphne du Maurier, because I recently started reading her books and I adore her. Her writing style is gorgeous and she also seems to have had a lover for historical fiction. Not to mention I'd love to ask her for some tips as to how she managed to pop out so many stories! 

If not her then Mary Shelley or Anne Brontë, who I also love. If I could invite all three of them that'd be a dream come true.




3. Favourite way to procrastinate when you should be writing?

The internet. The internet is my enemy.

4. In less than 20 words, describe your current WIP.

Historical Fiction/Magical Realism set in Whitby in 1916. A retelling of a Cornish folktale.

5. If your favourite writing genre didn't exist, what would you write instead?

Gosh, what would I do without historical fiction? Thankfully I don't write solely historical fiction, but I do love it. If I couldn't write that I'd probably write fantasy and science fiction, because of most of my historical fiction seeps into magical realism and contains fantastical elements anyway.

6. Favourite band to listen to while writing?

It depends on what I'm writing. I do like to listen to film scores, and in my experience pretty much anything composed by Hans Zimmer works a treat.

7. Morning writing or night owl scribbler?

I'm definitely more of a night owl.

8. Favourite friendship in a published book?

Like Jaime said the Golden Trio would be the obvious choice, but other than those three... When I was younger I loved the friendship between Lirael and the Disreputable Dog. (I did a list of my Top 5 Fictional Friendships here!)

9. If you could write a book to capture the heart of a song you love, the song is?

Funnily enough I recently scribbled down an idea inspired by a song I love. I've already started listening to Christmas music; obviously here in the UK we don't celebrate Thanksgiving so as far as I'm concerned as soon as Bonfire Night's out of the way it's Christmas time! One of my all time favourite Christmas songs - in fact it might be my absolute favourite - is A Spaceman Came Travelling. I have the seed of an idea, so I'm going to go ahead and let it burn away in the back of my mind.

10. When the movie of your book gets made, who's the dream cast?

Well my current WIP is still in the very early planning stage. I suddenly got hit with the idea and decided to do it for NaNoWriMo, but I still have 0 words (seriously I suck at NaNo) and I only have a handful of characters and the vaguest idea of where the plot is going to go. I also still have to finish Bloodroot and Bracken, but I wanted to take a break from it to try my hand at something new and de-stress after finishing my MA.

Anyway, this WIP, tentatively titled Still Bravely Singing, has two leads, one male and one female. My male lead, Teddy, is the product of an English father and an Indian mother, so if I were to cast him off the top of my head I'd say someone like Naveen Andrews. My female lead, Fiona Shaw, is Irish and not exactly human. I don't really have her appearance that clear in my own mind just yet, but maybe someone like Sarah Bolger.

If you'd like to answer these questions, consider yourself tagged!