Random House Blogger Brunch

They didn’t tell us anything about it, other than it was about something exciting and to keep our eyes peeled. This proof arrived the other day and I had a little scream! I am SO EXCITED to read this book. And you should be TOO!

With all the titles explained to us, it was then time to move onto the authors and the first up was the wonderfully talented Jonathan Stroud telling us all about his new upcoming series. The first book in the Lockwood & Co series is to be released in August but it sounds amazing and I cannot wait!

Jonathan started out by telling us about the idea behind his series. These books revolve around teenagers who can see ghosts. In his world, adults lose the ability to see ghosts as they grow older and so it is down to the teenagers to take care of them. Thus in steps Lockwood & Co, a teenage ghost hunting agency. Yes, you read that right. The agency then step in to deal with all of the ghosts and banish them back to well… wherever ghosts are supposed to be!

If you didn’t know by now, I love anything to do with ghosts and this sounds like an absolutely fabulous series that I am just certain I am going to EAT up. It reminds me of Anna Dressed In Blood but just with a more comedic and British tone to it, and honestly, what’s not to love? Anyway. After explaining about the concept of the books, Jonathan then showed us what you would expect to find in the pack of a teenage ghost hunter.

Backpack; A sturdy backpack in which to carry all of the essentials. It must be dual shouldered simply so not to ruin the balance of the ghost hunter.
Belt; This is for all the little things that don’t fit in a backpack. The essentials that are listed below are likely to be found in the belt.
Flashlight; A necessary item for all ghost hunters. It could be the end of you if you don’t have one!

Sword; One must ALWAYS carry a sword around to protect themselves. As demonstrated by Jonathan above.

Iron Chain; One must also ALWAYS carry an iron chain around. This can be used to protect yourself from particularly nasty spirits. By placing the iron chain in a circle on the floor and stepping within it, a ghost can not cross the barrier.

Holy Water; an essential item for the belt. This repels ghosts and is particularly handy when your sword is just out of reach.
Salt; same function as holy water and iron, it is an irritant to ghosts and will give you just that last bit of time to save yourself.
Ghost Vaccum; Once the ghost is safely sorted it gets transported into this handy device until it can be properly disposed of!
Teapot; Because EVERY teenage ghost hunter will need tea on the job, let’s face it.

*DISCLAIMER* – I am remembering these things MERELY from the photos, these facts may not be 100% accurate, please do not take my word for it.

Once Jonathan had told us all of this, and my excitment had increased tenfold, Amy McCulloch was then brought in to talk to us all about her debut novel The Oathbreaker’s Shadow

Amy told us all about her book and the inspiration she had for her story which was really fascinating. She did a lot of research in Mongolia among other places and the entire story sounded very interesting. It’s a fantasy duology where if you make a promise, a knot is formed on your wrist for eternity and if you break your promise, you are cast out and marked as an Oathbreaker. This happens to Raim and it is his tale for the book – and it sounds utterly stunning!

After explaining about the book, Amy read us a small passage from the book and it really intrigued me and I cannot wait to read this book and see where else Amy will take me!

Silent Saturday by Helen Grant (4th April 2013)
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles (paperback, 2nd May 2013)
Acid by Emma Pass (25th April 2013)
Blood Family by Anne Fine (4th July 2013)
The Child’s Elephant by Rachel Campbell-Johnson (2nd May 2013)
Doll Bones by Holly Black (9th May 2013)
Witchfall by Victoria Lamb (4th July 2013)
Incinerator by Niall Leonard (5th September 2013)
Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper (1st August 2013)

To find out more about these titles and all the other titles by Random House Children’s Publisher, head over to the NOW LIVE website; http://www.totallyrandombooks.co.uk.