The Fault in Our Stars: Review

Goodreads Blurb:

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Review:

YA/Contemporary is not my usual genre, as you know I write and read paranormal YA. I like the escape they give me from reality, but in the six months this book has been released it has been racking up the 5 star reviews, making people cry and tweet about it all over the show! I have to say I can't offer anything other than, everything else you will have already heard about this book.

Hazel is the kind of teenage girl I love, she is ultra smart, geeky in her bookishness, tough and self-depreciating. Augustus Waters is a gorgeous, funny, smart teenage boy, who with his action film/video game obsession is equally believable. Their relationship, and the way it develops is sweet, smart and also very grown-up, as is their language... and yet it is also believable due to their predicament.

The story is simple, and yet it will draw you in and make your heart sing. It will make you laugh out loud, then turn around and crush you, leaving you sobbing into a tissue! I don't know much about cancer, but I imagine this is a very real look at what must be one of the biggest horrors of our time. I have come to the conclusion that John Green is one of the best current writers out there. His characterisation is perfect. 'Looking for Alaka' will be my next read!

*****

Reading, Books and Holidays...

I love my postman, especially when he brings me books! This was my parcel from Red House last week:

I decided to spend some birthday money and get these books because since having Meningitis in June and not being able to read, I somehow got out of the habit. I had started The Girl Who Played With Fire as I loved Dragon Tattoo. and I'm sure I will love this one, but for now it's too heavy and I just can't get into it.

I've wanted to read 'Looking for Alaska' for ages and I know 'The Fault in Our Stars' will be the first book I delve into because I've heard so much about it. 'Debutantes' begged to be bought for it's beautiful cover alone, although as soon as it mentioned 'Pride & Prejudice' and 'Downton Abbey' I was sold! 'Slated' looks superb, and no book has made me cry quite as much as Suzanne LaFleur's last book 'Love Aubrey', so I couldn't resist her latest offering.

Whilst I fully anticipate having read and reviewed at least one of these books before I go away, I'm writing the next few posts and scheduling them in for the next couple of weeks as the time is finally here. My holiday! I've looked forward to this ever since I booked it in February! Me and my family are off to the Greek island of Corfu for two lazy weeks in the sun. Ok, it probably won't be quite as lazy and book filled as my holidays once were, pre-children. With 7 and 5 year olds our days will no doubt be filled with lots of sticky ice-creams, salt water and sand... but ahhhh I can't wait! For my worldwide fans who aren't aware of the beauty of Corfu, here's a picture:

So yeah... that's where I'll be for the next 2 weeks. I will have scheduled a couple of blog posts, so keep checking back every couple of days, but I'll probably be having a facebook & twitter free holiday and be coming home refreshed and ready to write! Keep safe, keep happy and keep reading!

Modern Witchcraft: Part 3

There are many different types of witchcraft in our modern world, many of the 'western' types overlap into Paganism with some practising witches calling themselves Pagans, and some not. Wicca is one of these modern, generally Pagan, religions that worships Earth & nature. It was created by Gerald Gardner in the 40's & 50's. Gardner defined witchcraft as positive and life-affirming. Wiccans take an oath to do no harm in their magic.

Other similar forms of Pagan witchcraft may be types such as Kitchen or Cottage Witchcraft, which concentrates on practises around the home, using herbs to bring protection and healing. Hedge Witches are not a part of a coven or group. They practise alone as solitary witches, again often working with herbs (or the Green Arts) to heal. Green Witches are similar to Kitchen Witches except they often practise in the fields and forests. Traditional Witchcraft is different to Wicca in that they may not worship the gods & goddesses of Wicca and Nature. They contact an unseen spirit world during ceremonies and focus of herbs and potions, responsibility and honor.

As touched on in my previous post African Witchcraft is something different, and there are many different types of witchcraft in Africa, some more resembling Shamanism and some leaning towards Voodoo practises. Voodoo itself is the main religion of Haiti and is also popular in Louisiana. Whereas Shamanism is also popular in Asian parts such a Mongolia & Siberia and with Native indigenous people of the Americas & Australia. 

Lastly we have fictional witchcraft, that which exists within books such as the Harry Potter series and L.J.Smith's Secret Circle, or magical movies like The Craft, and of course my Witchblood series. Within my books I wanted to have the fun, fantastical element of fictional magic we know and love, but I wanted it to have roots in believable Wiccan and Traditional witchcraft practises of old.

Witchcraft Part 2: Witch Hunts in the Modern World.

In my last post I talked about the infamous witch hunts of 16th century United Kingdom. I mentioned that the last woman to be convicted of witchcraft was in 1944. It would seem unbelievable that practises similar to the same tortures those woman endured in the 16th century are still practised today anywhere in the world, but in the UK?

This time the victims are not elderly women and their daughters, they are not pagans, healers or village outcasts. They are children. Pastors in Southeast Nigeria claim their children are witches and warlocks, and that they bring illness and misfortune on their villages. They must be cleansed through deliverance or cast-out. They are beaten, attacked with boiling water and cut with machetes. They are accused of being able to transform into a cat (a typical witches familiar), a viper and even insects. When a child is accused of being a witch they are hated by absolutely everyone and cast out of the home, and village. Once cast out many of them are killed, tortured in the church or trafficked out of the city. According to the Telegraphs report more than 20,000 children are being forced to live on the streets due to being accused of sorcery, by the recently integrated Christian churches who take money from the parents to rid their children of demonic possession.

The recent case of a young couple convicted in the witchcraft related murder of 15yr old Kristy Bamu in London, highlights how immigrants from Central Africa are bringing their beliefs with them. The Metropolitan Police have reported 84 witchcraft related child abuse cases in the past 10 years. Kristy Bamu died after being tortured and drowned in an attempt to rid him of evil spirits.

Back in January Helen Ukpabio an evangelical Christian from Nigeria, known for exorcising demons from children she believes to be witches visited the US in a 12 day event to preach about combating evil spirits. Leo Igwe, International humanist warned, "she is coming to spread the gospel of hate and witch hunts in the US. Ukpabio's mission is not good for the US. Her evangelicalism is not good for children in the US."

No matter what religion we are, what beliefs we hold, is it not our job to protect our children? All children?

Ancient Witchcraft in the UK - Part 1

After a friend recently visited Boscastle in Cornwall and sent me a photo of the Witchcraft museum there I thought it might be interesting to write a blog about the various places you can learn more about our 15th/16th/17th century witches.

Witchcraft was not a punishable offence until the 16th century. Instead witches were respected for their ability to heal and knowledge of the land and calendar. In 1563 the Witchcraft Act was passed introducing the death penalty in England and Scotland. In July 1566 Agnes Waterhouse was found guilty of 'bewitching' in England's first major trial and hung for her crime. Over the next 150 years tens of thousands were condemned to death. In 1727, in Scotland, Janet Horne was the last woman to burn for witchcraft, but amazingly it wasn't until 1944 that the last conviction for witchcraft was passed, to a Helen Duncan!

This is the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle:

I really fancy visiting next time I'm in Cornwall. It claims to have the worlds largest collection of witchcraft related artefacts:
  Now I presume these are all witchcraft related books but wow look at that wall... A wall full of book shelves that fit around my door... My dream!    

Nearer to home is Lancashire, another place famous for witchcraft and made notorious for its Witchcraft trials. This is the home of the Pendle Witches, ten of whom were tried and hanged in Lancaster in 1612 and where you can visit the home of the notorious witch hunter Thomas Covell:

Amazingly it was only at the end of last year that an intact cottage of one of the witches was unearthed, near Pendle Hill. Archeologists found the building under a grass mound, complete with a cat skeleton bricked into the wall!

There are many more interesting stories and facts about ancient Witchcraft and the trials which came about. The North Berwick witchtrials are one to look up, and there are many more...

Reviews and Competitons...

For starters I thought I'd announce my Witchcraft Cover competition winner. Aishah Waheed, Rafflecopter picked you as my random winner! Congratulations!! I'll contact you shortly and the PR company will post out your tickets. Which one do you fancy visiting? London, York, Blackpool or Edinburgh??

Secondly, I just wanted to highlight the importance of reviews for all authors, but especially indie authors like me! So I'd like to say a huge big thank you to the 35 or so readers who have left me positive reviews on Amazon UK, US, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads for either Witchblood, Witchcraft or both!

Here is my most recent review, http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/379911547 So thank you to Sara!

Unfortunately even though over 10,000 people have downloaded my books, I only have 15-25 reviews on each site, so this is a plea... please please, if you have enjoyed reading either of my books it would really help me if you could post a short review on either Amazon, Goodreads or B&N.

An Olympic Diversion...

I tried for all of about five minutes to find a way of mixing vampires, witches and the Olympics... but I just couldn't do it! So this evening, as I write, the Opening Ceremony is on the television in front of me... and seriously impressing me by the way!

I had to do a post because apart from my blog being a website for all my friends, family and lovely Witchblood fans out there, this is a kind of diary for me too and the London Olympics is after all a pretty momentous event in my life. My four year old son is already obsessed and is planning on watching it all day tomorrow, pretty much every sport LOL!... Wow! Those glowing rings are amazing... I remember the industrial revolution in history at school, but this brings it to life in such a vibrant way!

Anyway... ahhhh... this is So good! Bond meets the Queen!!! I am SO loving this! :D Talking of the Queen, I love this recent photo of her. She is a truly amazing woman.

Now, I really need to get back on track, so to speak, so I thought I'd just show you who I'm going to be watching and rooting for over the next few days, in no particular order:

Rebecca Adlington: From Mansfield, only an hour or so from where I live, Rebecca won Gold in Beijing for 400m Freestyle (Swimming)



Tom Daley: Our amazing young diver, with rather lovely abs! Divers always amaze me so I'm looking forward to watching this.

 Victoria Pendleton: She's a world and an Olympic champion, she fell in love and proved everybody wrong. She's a role model. Simple.

 

Zara Phillips: I first watched her one memorable day picnicing at the Chatsworth Horse Trials in 2004. She won Eventing World Champion in 2006 and is still one of the best.



Hannah Whelen: She was the youngest member of the team in Beijing at only 16 and is now ranked No1 in the Britain. Oh yeah... and she's from Stockport, my local (big) town!

Now those are the sports I'll be watching, but I know my hubbie and little boy will be supporting Team GB Football so as I can't find a decent pic of the whole team, heres one of Becks! :)

He's part of the reason we're all here - he fought damn hard on the Olympic bid and frankly I'm shocked he's not on the team :(

So all that's left to say is "Good Luck..."