Book Lists

Interview with a Character ~ Brightwood by Tania Unsworth

By on May 21, 2018   /   Author Interviews, Fiction  

I’m so excited to introduce you to Tania Unsworth’s main character and basic facilitator of the middle grade fantasy Brightwood – “Brilliantly conceived . . . entertaining and heartfelt.” —Kirkus Reviews

Meet Daisy – an imaginative and determined girl who is willing to fight for the only home she’s ever known.

Hi, Daisy! It’s great to meet you.

It’s great to be here. Thank you very much.

Tell the readers about Brightwood Hall, the only home you’ve ever known.

I love my home. It’s filled with treasures and secret passageways and enough supplies to last us just about forever. Sometimes I go down the driveway and look through the gates at the outside world, and wonder what other people’s houses are like. I was born in this house, and I’ve never been out, not even once. As for my rat, he’s called Tar, and he’s not really mine. He appears when he wants food, which is most of the time because he is obsessed with eating. Tar is very chatty. I know he can’t really talk, but he seems to. It’s hard to explain. As for the ‘explorer ghost’, her name is Frank, and she’s not really a ghost at all . . .

Whoa . . . you just blindsided me with the end of that response. I am so intrigued! What are some of your favorite things and ways to pass the time?

Brightwood is full of animals. I like feeding and looking after them. My favorites are the peacocks. Years and years ago, there were only two of them. Now there are dozens of them running around wild.

They run around wild? That must be funny.

I also like cooking – I taught myself from books in the library. Our basement is filled up with hundreds of boxes of food and groceries, so I can always find the ingredients I need. I go to school every day in the ballroom. My mum teaches me. Sometimes I wonder whether my life is different – even strange. But I don’t have anything to compare it to. Do other kids do their lessons in a ballroom? I just don’t know…

It must have felt strange being alone in the house when Mr. Gritting first arrived. What did you think of him?

When my mum didn’t come back, I tried not to worry, although she’d never been late home before. I kept telling myself there was a reasonable explanation, but when she hadn’t returned by evening, I knew something bad must’ve happened. I was scared when Mr. Gritting arrived in his car. Apart from my mum, I’d never seen another person in my life before.

This must have been so hard for you. You are a strong girl, Daisy.

I wanted to trust him, I really did. And he seemed quite friendly to begin with. But something about him didn’t seem right. Maybe it was the way he acted – as if he owned the place.. Or maybe it was the moment he said, “I have to take care of you” that made me realize the truth. Mr. Gritting was not my friend, and he wasn’t going to help me. He was planning to do the exact opposite.

Would you share something you learned about yourself throughout this book journey?

I’ve learned I’m braver than I knew.

???

A door creaks open and someone shuffles into the room.

Oh my gosh! What a lovely surprise! Tania, your creator, is here. 

*Daisy blushes*

Daisy, care to share what you really think of your creator? *I smile, and she smiles back.*

Okay. I think she was a little bit like me when she was a kid. She made things up – people and places – and they seemed real to her, even though she knew they weren’t. When you’re a child it’s far easier to believe two opposite things at the same time. I happen to know that she had an imaginary friend, whom she blamed whenever she got into trouble. One day, during a long drive, she blamed him for pinching her sister on the leg. Her father stopped the car and told him to get out, and that was the last she ever saw of him. As far as she knows he’s still there, on the side of the road.

Haha! I think I really like her father. It was wonderful meeting you, Daisy. Best of luck on your future adventures. Thank you for joining us. I’m going to chat with Tania for a minute.

Hi Tania! I’m thrilled you’ve dropped by, again. Real quick, tells us your favorite thing about writing this book.

I got very fond of Frank. Even when I’d finished the book she refused to go away. When a reader sent me a letter telling me how much she liked BRIGHTWOOD, I felt compelled to answer as if I was Frank. And for nearly a year, Frank persisted in sending this reader at least a dozen further letters, recounting her adventures with Sir Clarence in the Amazonian jungle. I had to really put my foot down before she finally stopped.

That is very cool! It’s wonderful you have such a strong connection to Frank. I’m sure the lucky recipient reader loved this.

What can your readers expect next from you?

My latest book THE GIRL WHO THOUGHT HER MOTHER WAS A MERMAID, will be published in July 2018 by Zephyr/Head of Zeus. As you might guess from the title, it’s a mermaid story, but with a dark and unexpected twist…American readers can preorder it on amazon.co.uk

Ooh, sounds like a fantastical read kids (& adults like me) will love! Best of luck to you always. Thanks to you and Daisy for spending time with us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tania Unsworth is the author of THE ONE SAFE PLACE, BRIGHTWOOD, and THE GIRL WHO THOUGHT HER MOTHER WAS A MERMAID. She moved from the UK in her twenties, and now lives with her family in Boston, Mass. Find her on her Website and Twitter.

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Changing of the Guard

By on May 7, 2018   /   Book Lists, News  

Hello, Mixed-Up Files friends! It seems like ages since I joined the blog in 2014. So much has happened–an international move, writing and revising (and rewriting and revising and…)  four middle grade manuscripts, ups, downs, highs, lows…you get the picture.

As much as I’ve loved geeking out on middle-grade books with you all, it is time for me to move on. If we were face to face, I would probably sing to you, because that’s what I do (just ask my kids). Instead, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite farewell songs:

via GIPHY

I’m thrilled to see several Mixed-Up Filers stepping up to take over leadership on the blog and know you, dear readers, will continue to be in very good hands.

And because I can’t resist, I’ll leave you with one last book list too.

2018 Summer Reads

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgFull of family secrets, sibling conflict, and sweet baking magic, A Dash of Trouble will enchant you with it’s fun plot and spunky main character.

 

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgThe Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray is a creepy middle grade mash-up of Lemony Snicket, Edgar Allen Poe, and Oscar Wilde. Read at your own risk!

 

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgIf that’s way too spooky for your young reader, check out this sweet summer debut by the lovely Cindy Baldwin about a young girl coming to terms with her mother’s mental illness.

 

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgFirst love and a desperate search for a missing mother make this debut from Kheryn Callender a must-read.

 

 

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgAnd it wouldn’t be a booklist from me without a little bit of fantasy. From the second I saw the cover art for this stunning book, I knew it was going to be fantastic. Strong female heroines, a horde of demons, and the Serpent King make this one a gripping read.

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Midnight in the Piazza–Interview and Giveaway

By on May 3, 2018   /   Book Lists  

Tiffany Parks’s debut middle grade published in March. She stopped by for an interview.

Hi Tiffany! Can you tell us what made you become a writer? 

Although I have been passionate about writing all my life, I never imagined it as a career for myself until I started working on my first book. My first true passion was music, and I trained to become an opera singer. My love of opera took me to Rome, and Rome became my muse. With the art, history, and magic of Rome all around me, I became inspired to write fiction for the first time in my life. If I hadn’t moved to Rome, I’m not sure that I would have become a writer.

Where did you find the book’s inspiration? 

One of my favorite places in Rome is Piazza Mattei, where a small and exquisite fountain topped by four bronze turtles resides. When I heard a legend that the fountain was built in one night, it fired my imagination, and I knew one day I would write a story about it. A short time later, I met a 13-year-old American girl who lived in the same piazza, with a view of the fountain out her bedroom window, and MIDNIGHT IN THE PIAZZA slowly began to take form.

Can you describe your process? 

When I began this book, I had no idea where it was going. I only knew I wanted to write a middle grade novel about an American girl living in Rome with a view of the Turtle Fountain outside her bedroom window. I had no clue as to where the plot would take me. As I wrote, the characters emerged from the story as if they had existed all along, and slowly a mystery developed. Unfortunately, writing in such a way (especially being an inexperienced writer) meant that the plot was full of holes. I spent significantly longer revising than I spent writing the first draft, and I have learned my lesson and now plot out my stories in advance.

What are you working on now? 

My work in progress also takes place in Rome (of course), but this time it is set in 1599, instead of the present day. In the dark days of Counter Reformation Rome, Caravaggio’s bold new art—and the controversial techniques he uses to create it—are bringing him unwanted attention from the zealous priests of the Inquisition. Olimpia, the niece of Caravaggio’s patron and protector, and Nardo, the painter’s model and errand boy, discover there are even darker forces afoot, seeking to destroy Caravaggio and harness his gifts for their own nefarious purposes. Together, they vow to save the great painter, even if it means going up against the Vatican itself.

Thanks so much! And extra thanks for offering a giveaway.

To be eligible to win a copy of Tiffany’s novel, please enter a comment below.

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