Genesis and Phil Collins have been in the news and on TV screens these last few nights. Just for fun we’ve looked at which of our book titles relate to Genesis songs. (We haven’t stretched to Phil Collins songs yet.) One is fairly obvious. The other link is more tenuous and, as it doesn’t relate…
It’s a standing joke at Strident HQ that if there’s something mad in one of Kirkland Ciccone‘s ‘mondo weirdo’ YA novels you can bet your life it will pop up in real life. There’s an Elvis impersonator in the brilliant Endless Empress. He’s…dangerous. And as we were editing the book this BBC report popped up. An…
We love it when Bookwitch enjoys one of our authors’ books, as here with Follow Me. Victoria Gemmell‘s YA novel is a cracker. It’s unsettling and insightful. Actually, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it allows insight. It doesn’t tell us things, it shows us them (the best writers do), leaving the interpretation to us.…
DO NOT ADJUST YOUR COMPUTER. It’s only one of Kirkland Ciccone’s shirts. (You may, however, need to wear your sunglasses. Even Kirkland needed to.) Yes, the man who invented the ‘mondo weirdo YA’ genre has been interviewed again. This time by Christina Banach. It’s an insightful and amusing piece. So sit back, learn and laugh.
Fancy hearing from one of the most interesting authors writing today? Nothing author Janne Teller will be in conversation with literary critic Paul Binding at Kensington & Chelsea’s Town Hall (Hornton St, W8). The event comes ahead of 2 world premières – Glyndebourne putting on Nothing as an opera in February while Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre are…
We’ve always loved the cover of this book – have a good look at what’s in the trees and you’ll see why. But what’s inside the cover is what really counts, and it’s one of the best dystopian novels we’ve read. The comes from the state-backed One Church that dominates politics in the book’s parallel…
Oh no she doesn’t! Oh yes she does! (Well, it’s that time of year, isn’t it.) And good on Amy. We love it too. We’re talking book blogger Amy Powis here. She’s listed North of Porter by The Master of Oddness, Kirkland Ciccone, in her Top 10 reads of 2015. Kirkland and Porter are up…
A tree, some teenagers and some stuff thrown on the ground. We LOVE this trailer for Glyndebourne’s forthcoming operatic production of Janne Teller‘s awe-inspiring novel NOTHING. So simple, yet so effective. Just like the book itself. Tickets are on sale now for the performances on 25, 26 & 27 Feb. Click here to go to…
There’s been quite a bit in the media recently about knife crime, including this BBC report and of course the tragic events at Cults Academy near Aberdeen. It’s a problem that’s not going away, despite groups like Break The Chain working hard to help turn things around. Books can’t single-handedly solve the problem. But perhaps they can be part of the…
That’s Kirkland Ciccone‘s response to this great Bookwitch review of his new YA novel North of Porter. Has the Bookwitch got Kirkland sussed? For, like her, we’ve seen Kirkland carrying just the sort of D&G bag that protagonist Porter Minter cherishes. Though we haven’t seen Kirkland doing so since he finished writing the book. Was he merely…
Victoria Gemmell’s Follow Me has been described as ‘a striking debut young adult novel’ in The Herald/Sunday Herald by crime novelist Alex Gray in her end-of-year recommendations. It ‘has layer upon layer of mystery as a teenage girl struggles to find the truth behind her twin sister’s apparent suicide. The insight into teenage angst and…
Everything’s going to be alright. Oh sorry, we’ve come over all Rod Stewart. No, tonight sees the launch of Kirkland Ciccone’s North of Porter at Waterstones in Glasgow’s Argyle St from 6.30-7.45pm. It’ll be a lot better than getting soaked at a firework display. We look forward to seeing many of you there. (Rod, you’re welcome too…
Kirkland Ciccone had a big cover reveal at 1200 today for his forthcoming 3rd novel, North of Porter. We thought we’d join in. If you’re reading this, you’ve already seen it. A belated ‘Tada!’ to you. It’s less than a month now until the book itself makes an appearance. (Oooh.) And exactly 32 days and nights until…
Victoria’s forthcoming Young Adult novel Follow Me is a gem, something special. And there’s a great story to how it came about. You can read about it here on the Notes from the Blunder Ground blog.
Kirkland Ciccone will be running an Advanced Higher Creative Writing workshop this Friday (4th September) in Edinburgh. It’s part of a Creative Writing Conference run by Edinburgh University and will take place at Moray House School of Education in the city’s Canongate. Should be a lot of fun.
Endless Empress author Kirkland Ciccone was the talk of Edinburgh International Book Festival yesterday. His début appearance was noteworthy in itself, but something else also caught the eye. Sing along now…Where did you get that suit, where did you get that suit (and tie)? With such an eye-catching…
This cracker from great new talent Victoria Gemmell was inspired by her research into the Factory that Andy Warhol established. We suspect Follow Me will bring Victoria at lot more than 15 minutes of fame… What is the deadly allure of the Barn? 17-year-old Kat Sullivan has been devastated by the loss of her twin sister, Abby, the…
We spotted these and thought they were too good not to share. Kirkland’s books in Kirkland’s words… Conjuring The Infinite ‘…an eerie creepy kooky spooky thrill ride into the darkest realms of magick…and the fractured psyche of the teenage brain, complete with raining toad and a green fur coat of wrath.’ Endless…
A new blog post by Kirkland Ciccone is a moment to savour. In this latest instalment: It’s ‘Oops!’ time as 2 award-winning authors lock themselves out of a launch event… A few tasty lines from forthcoming novel North of Porter How running down a street with a rolling pin can affect your dress-sense Find out who’s creating fabulous covers for…
Most ears in Scotland were glued to radios at 1545 today for Kirkland Ciccone‘s spot on BBC Radio Scotland’s Culture Studio programme, hosted by Janice Forsyth. Okay, that’s not all true. People didn’t actually glue their ears to their radios. For those in the know, the big question was: would Kurt be with Kirkland? Kurt Cobain,…
If you caught David Almond’s excellent ‘A World Beyond Alice’ programme on BBC Radio 4 yesterday you’ll have heard him talking Janne Teller about her provocative modern classic Nothing. It’s a remarkable existential novel, with an equally remarkable tale behind its publication. If you missed the programme, click here to go to it on the BBC…
The Bookwitch’s year-end round up has been posted. It’s like an advent calendar without ads…or vents. And – just like those little venty windows – it’s always a joy to open. All the more so (for us anyway) for it making mention of Gillian Philip‘s rather brilliant Icefall. https://bookwitch.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/best-of-2014/ For the uninitiated, Icefall is book 4 (the final…
Read the hilarious new Scottish Book Trust: Author Confessions…with Kirkland Ciccone and you’ll find out which actor Kirkland Ciccone thinks looks just like him (its not who you might imagine!) as the Conjuring The Infinite and Endless Empress author bares his soul.
…but with a bit of grunge thrown in, because Conjuring The Infinite and Endless Empress author Kirkland Ciccone appears to have kidnapped the ghost of Kurt Cobain and whisked him off to the yurt at Edinburgh International Book Festival, as you can see in this great new video: Kirkland is off to collect the Catalyst Award…
Because this one does. Why? The clue is in the blurb. (Click to read it.)
We’re big fans of the Teen Titles review magazine, and they’ve very kindly allowed us to reproduce this hilarious interview with The Supreme Master of Weirdness , a.k.a. Kirkland Ciccone. Teen Titles Kirkland Ciccone interview There are so many quotable lines. Our particular favourite involves Tracy Beaker, but then there’s the one about the cow… There’s also…
Icefall – the breathtaking 4th book in Gillian Philip‘s Rebel Angels series – is now available as an ebook as well as in paperback. [metaslider id=1734] If you haven’t read any of the series yet, our advice is this: before you start, tell your friends (and even your family!) you’ve gone on holiday for a few…
Kirkland Ciccone‘s Catalyst Book Award winner Conjuring The Infinite is now available from all main ebook suppliers. So you can read it on your e-reader or tablet. [metaslider id=1354] If for any reason you can’t find the ebook, try using the ISBN (the book’s unique identifier) to search. It’s 9781905537686.
We’re thrilled for Kirkland Ciccone, whose debut Conjuring The Infinite has followed in the footsteps of Linda Strachan‘s Spider, which won the Catalyst Book Award in 2011. We don’t normally post full media releases here, but Kirkland is always good for a quote. Plus, this way you can find out what’s next from him. It has an extraordinary…
Just in case you haven’t already put a big ‘X’ on your voting slip for Conjuring The Infinite, here’s chapter 1 so you can read why you should. Enjoy! CONJURING THE INFINITE by Kirkland Ciccone chapter 1 CONJURING THE INFINITE by Kirkland Ciccone chapter 1 Vote KIRKLAND CICCONE for Catalyst Book Award 2014!