Ben's People! - Eloise Williams

I don’t get out much.

Partly because I live here ...

 

and it’s so beautiful.

And partly because I live here...

 

 

 

and it’s such a long way from everything.

 But once in a while we get into our jalopy amidst pickled onion Monster Munch, a plethora of games I’ve made up since our radio broke - most of which involve singing and a grimacing husband – and generally some unidentified pungent foodstuffs rotting in the glovebox from the last road trip and we drive along the old M bore.

And this time it was worth it. SO worth it!

We’d been invited to two book launches. TWO!!!

 

 

Forgive the excitement but not many books get launched round this ‘ere parts.

(I’m not sure what accent that’s supposed to be. It certainly isn’t Welsh my lovely).

((Neither is that)).

 

Firstly, and only-just-made-it-because-of-Friday-traffic-ly, was the launch of Stefan Mohamed’s acer than ace, ‘Ace of Spiders’ the sequel to his outstanding ‘Bitter Sixteen’.  This was held in a really cool shop called Forbidden Planet which neither me or my husband had heard of because we are so far the wrong side of cool we can’t even see cool on the horizon.

 

‘Stanly is frustrated. Having set himself up as London's protector, he's finding that the everyday practicalities of superheroism are challenging at best, and downright tedious at worst. So it's almost a relief when an attempt is made on his life and Stanly finds himself rushing headlong into a twisted adventure, with enemies new and old coming out of the woodwork. However, even with his friends and his ever-increasing power behind him, he may have bitten off more than he can chew this time. The monsters are coming ...and nothing will ever be the same!’

 Bitter Sixteen was a compulsive read with superhero style reviews:

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK, TIMES, SAT 25TH APRIL 2015
"Highly original... clever and funny... I didn't think the superheroes genre had anywhere left to go. Mohamed convinces otherwise. Daryl and Stanly have one of the greatest buddy relationships I can recall - the rapid fire dialogue between them enviable in its witty ease."
Alex O'Connell, Times

And the ‘Ace of Spiders’ certainly looks spectacular balanced at the top of my teetering TBR pile and enticing me into its web. I loved the first thereby proving that even though it is written with wit, intelligence and youth it also appeals to the slightly less young, less witty, less aware of interesting shops type reader. Stef is absolutely, mind-blowingly talented and I can’t wait to get stuck into it.

 

Just removed from the top of my teetering TBR pile for reading purposes (and with great fear of crushing small dog in the process) is Anna McKerrow’s ‘Red Witch’ the second launch we were invited to. And what a launch!

I’m talking Glastonbury, I’m talking a blessing from a real live witch, I’m talking the White Spring under the Tor, connecting with my own spirituality (and believe me I am a hardened cynic), barefoot wandering through spring water in candlelight to the sound of sweet singing and drumming, the works.

Anna McKerrow is a beauty in writing, spirit and appearance. She had us all completely ensorcelled as she explained to us the importance of the White Spring in her book and I felt completely privileged to be a part of the occasion.

 

‘Red Witch’ is the sequel to ‘Crow Moon’, a book I devoured last year as if it was a piece of chocolate cake, covered in extra chocolate, with a side order of chocolate, and it is absolutely divine.

Seventeen, heartbroken, powerful; Melz has run away from home, run away from the safety of the Greenworld. In the cities of the Redworld, Melz discovers she's special, desired. And not just for her magical talents.

When Melz meets the young but influential Bran, their attraction is instant and electric. In the Redworld, with Bran by her side, unrestrained by the customs of her former life, Melz knows she can reach her true potential.

​But the world Bran wants to give Melz is ravaged by war and violence. Oil is running out, and people will do anything to gain control of the remaining resources. Melz may be more powerful than ever, but even great power can be a curse when used against you.If you like witches, magic, fear,

"Deadly, sexy, and utterly spellbinding" Melinda Salisbury

"If you want to know how real witches work, summon your own goddess and read Red Witch!" CJ Daugherty

"Clever, gripping, but above all a terrifying cautionary tale for our times." Louise O'Neill

 

You are probably wondering how a totally uncool Welsh person who has never heard of Forbidden Planet managed to get invited to two of the grooviest launches going right?

Well I am lucky enough to be one of (what I call) Ben’s People!

 

We don’t look quite like this… well only on a night out in Swansea… but we are all part of the same Agency.

 

There are lots of us out there doing good work and writing AMAZING stories.

Lu Hersey, writer of one of the best books ever and winner of the Mslexia Children’s Novel Writing award was there too… this is me, name-dropping… I slept on the same bed as her cat, who incidentally has the loudest and most superbly satisfying purr you could ever imagine.

 

Eugene Lambert was there… his debut novel ‘The Sign of One’ is coming out imminently and will be launched at this cool little place I’ve been to called Forbidden Planet. Ahem....

 

 

 

I was there…

*pauses to attempt being somewhere near cool for a moment*

*fails*

There are other lots of other BIA beauties around too. A couple I am VERY excited about are Liz Flanagan's 'Eden Summer' which is out in July, eek! And Sophie Plowden's 'Jack Dash and The Summer Blizzard' which comes out in June, eek again!  

I’m currently working on a few novels and hoping, praying, chanting, casting spells and howling at the moon (that last bit is a lie, thankfully) that I will get a publishing deal soon.

And so a sincere bit without any weak jokes or tries at being cool.

I am so thankful to Ben for taking a chance on an unknown Welsh person with a short Welsh face and to Ben’s People for making me feel so much a part of a writing family. They all ROCK massively and you should go out and read all of their books. ALL of them. NOW!

 

*bewitches you with strange howling at the moon to buy all their books*

*stops howling when neighbour looks out of window*

*bewitches you with threats of further moon type howling ritual thingy* 

*is satisfied that you will buy all their books so goes back to reading. I'm alright noooowwwwwoooo!*

 

 

www.eloisewilliams.com