If you’re anywhere near King’s Cross on the evening of Tuesday 9th August, I’ll be at the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club (upstairs at the Star of Kings pub) moderating a panel on the highs and lows of self-publishing. I’ll be chatting to self-pub superstars Nicola May, Kate Johnson and Andrew Wallace. It’s always a lovely evening and newcomers are always welcome. Hope to see you there. More details on this FB event link.
Month: July 2022
Come and see two authors telling the unvarnished truth…
Join me “in conversation” with the very splendid F.M.A. Dixon, author of the delightful The Last House on Everywhere Street next Saturday 30th July at the Little Green Book Shop in Herne Bay.
Now, the more canny of you out there might be thinking; ‘Hang on, didn’t these two do an event at the Faversham Literary Festival at the beginning of the year?’ We did indeed, but a lot can happen in six months, and we’re going to compare our experiences of being published in 2022 and we won’t be holding back.
We’ve promised to tell the truth about festivals, book launches, Covid, school events, imposter syndrome, horror movies, driving agents potty, hassling publishers, escalating paper costs, avoiding reading reviews, and all while trying to write our next books.
Come for the unvarnished truth, stay for the free wine and cake (all included in the ticket price!).
Tickets are £5 and redeemable if you buy one of our books, so we can’t say fairer than that (and did we mention the free wine and cake?”)
Click here to get your tickets, and we do recommend that you book ahead. The Little Green Book Shop is a wonderful venue, but the clue is in the name. It’s little, and twenty people is a crowd.
E.T. The Book of the Green Planet on the Authorized Novelizations Podcast
Following on from last week’s lively discussion of William Kotzwinkle’s daring novelisation of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, I rejoin the gang at the Authorized Novelizations podcast to delve into his follow-up, E.T. The Book of the Green Planet.
So what do you think happened after E.T. went home? Turns out he was spurned by everyone he knew, got demoted, drugged a whole bunch of his aliens friends and stole a turnip spaceship. Yes. Really.
You can listen to our increasingly exasperated conversation here.
And, if you’re playing along, here’s the slideshow used to befuddle special guests Max Fitzpatrick and Gavin Smith. Happy listening!
Book Review: The Ghost Of Ivy Barn by Mark Stay #GhostOfIvyBarn #WitchesOfWoodville @markstay @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours
Synopsis
August, 1940.
As the Battle of Britain rages overhead, a warlock leader from the Council of High Witches comes to Woodville with a ritual to repel the imminent Nazi invasion. The only catch is it involves full-frontal nudity on the White Cliffs of Dover. The Witches of Woodville are having none of it, but when more witches arrive they realise they might have a spy in their midst, and it’s up to Faye Bright to uncover the traitor. But she’s got enough on her plate already with the ghost of a Polish Hurricane pilot who may hold the key to the truth.
My Review
When we catch up with Faye she is still trying to process and deal with the aftermath of the dramatic battle at the end of the second book, Babes in the Woods. That’s when Larry approaches Miss Charlotte, Mrs Teach and Faye because there’s something…
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Discussing the E.T. novelisation on the Authorized Novelizations Podcast…
I had so much fun discussing William Kotwinkle’s extraordinary novelisation of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with the gang on the Authorized Novelizations Podcast. This is in-depth stuff and full of surprises. The delightful and often bizarre choices that Kotwinkle makes elevates this book above the average movie tie-in. Settle in for a rollercoaster ride. It’s on all the usual podcast providers, but here’s a link to Apple podcasts.
Waterstones, Westwood Cross Event Confirmed
Join me and the superb David Lee Stone for a signing at Waterstones, Westwood Cross, Thanet. If you love fantasy with a big heart and lots of laughs you’ll love David’s books. See you there! More details here.
The Unboxing Ghost is revealed (and some behind the scenes stuff)…
Thanks to everyone who’s watched my recent unboxing video for The Ghost of Ivy Barn, especially those who have been looking for the ghost in the background. He appears four times. Most people only see him three times. Here’s the original video…
So, here’s a breakdown of where you can see him…
I hope that clears everything up! By the way, if you’ve enjoyed our unboxing videos, you might like this little peek behind the scenes with some fun outtakes…
Herne Bay Festival Event Confirmed
I’m going to be chatting with the wonderful FMA Dixon at the Little Green Bookshop as part of the Herne Bay Festival! Here are the details…
Join Herne Bay authors Malcolm Dixon and Mark Stay as they discuss writing fantastical stories set in the real world, writing for children and young adults, and what inspires them to write.
Mark Stay has 25 years of publishing under his belt and has written for TV and film. He is also co-presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast, which has inspired writers all over the world to finish and publish their books. His latest novel, The Ghost of Ivy Barn, is the third in The Witches of Woodville series.
Malcolm Dixon is the winner of the 2019 Acheven Prize for Young Adult Fiction. He will be discussing his prizewinning debut YA novel, The Little House on Everywhere Street.
This evening will include a Q&A and a book signing. Expect wine, snacks and plenty of bookish chat!
Tickets are £5, which is redeemable if you buy one of our books on the night!
Click here to get yours. Space is limited!
The Ghost of Ivy Barn Launch – Watch it on Youtube…
I’m still buzzing from an amazing launch event at Waterstones in Canterbury last night. It was wonderful to see so many people turn up in person and online, and it was great to finally launch one of the Woodville books in person (the first came out during lockdown, and I had Covid for the second). It was all such a blur. Catching up with old friends — including one of the teachers who inspired me to write — and making lots of new ones. My thanks to all of you for coming and I hope to see you all again soon.
We live-streamed the event thanks to some technical wizardry from filmmaker Douglas Ray. We had some mischief switching between live and pre-recorded feeds with our ghost towards the end. You can watch it here…
My thanks to all at Waterstones, Canterbury for making us feel so welcome, to Douglas, Kai, Emily, George, Claire, Emily Bracknell and our wizards and witches.
The Ghost of Ivy Barn is here!
It’s finally here! The Ghost of Ivy Barn is now available wherever you get your books. There are all sorts of buy links here.
I’m launching the book tonight (Thursday 7th July) at Waterstones in Canterbury, so please come along if you’re in the area. We have cake!
Or, you can join us on Youtube! This will be interactive, so you can ask questions and there will some extra bonus material for you streamers (to make up for the lack of cake) . Just click on the screen below…
Today also sees the start of a wonderful blog tour from Random Reads..
The first reviews have been amazing!
The Book Lover’s Boudoir said: “I love Faye. She’s my kind of witch. This is a hugely entertaining mix of history and magic. I can’t wait to see what the witches get up to next.” Here’s the full review.
And the Witches of Whitby at the Enchanted Emporium said: “The witches didn’t think this series could get better, but they were wrong. This is the best book yet – full of humour, magic, betrayal and murder, with a slight inkling of romance between Faye and Bertie.” Here’s the full review.
My huge thanks to everyone who helped bring this book into life, and to all you readers who have ordered it. I really hope you enjoy it and do please leave a rating or review wherever possible. Happy reading!
Mark Stay Writes 