When I was a girl, my grandmother called me an ‘old soul’ and said she thought my fascination with the 19th century meant that I’d lived then in another life. Ever since, this notion that a person might have lived before has always fascinated me! I gravitate to books that bring the past and present together in all sorts of ways–through memory, ghosts, time travel…and reincarnation. Now my own books of suspense for kids and teens deal with many of those same themes. I always write books I would want to read myself!
This is another tale that starts with a
fortune-teller—but this time it’s teenage Jo who gets her future told. The clairvoyant tells her that there is only
one true love for her—but the last time Jo saw him was in a past life! Now she needs to find him in this life. Jo doesn’t believe a word of this, but events
start to unsettle her. Could
reincarnation possibly be true? But
what if she can’t recognize her soul-mate when she finds him again in this
life? I love the suspense elements in
this book as well as the romance.
Unlucky in love Jo is dragged along to see a clairvoyant by her two coupled-up best friends, and is told that there's only one boy for her. The trouble is, the last time she saw him was in a past life, when she worked as a governess to his younger brother. The clairvoyant tells her that as she is back in this life, so is he, and she must find him if she is ever to know true happiness and love.
Jo doesn't believe a word of it - but then a series of events begin to change her mind.…
I was lucky enough not only to get published in my thirties, I also got a film deal for those first two books. I was flown to Hollywood and it was all very grand. However, what they did to my stories in translating them into film scripts horrified me. And ruined them. And the films never got made. I started to look deeper into what ‘experts’ did, and it was awful. I became obsessed with how stories work, developed my own ‘knowledge gap’ theory, proved it through my Ph.D. research, and became a story consultant in the industry. Story theory has completely taken over my life and I love it!
A story is not the words that you write down. That’s a narrative. A story is what your audience builds in mind for themselves when they receive the narrative.
If I give you a six-word story: For sale. Baby’s shoes. Never worn. You don’t just see an advertisement. You think about the lives of the people who placed the advertisement, right?!
What you just did in your mind is how stories work, and Roland Barthes was the first to recognise this. His book is a series of articles demonstrating the mythology that lies behind the words and symbols we are fed in everyday life.
My knowledge gap theory of how stories work owes a great deal to Roland Barthes, and this book in particular.
"No denunciation without its proper instrument of close analysis," Roland Barthes wrote in his preface to Mythologies. There is no more proper instrument of analysis of our contemporary myths than this book―one of the most significant works in French theory, and one that has transformed the way readers and philosophers view the world around them.
Our age is a triumph of codification. We own devices that bring the world to the command of our fingertips. We have access to boundless information and prodigious quantities of stuff. We decide to like or not, to believe or not, to buy or not.…
When sixteen-year-old Ashlee Sutton's home life falls apart, she is beset by a rare mental illness that makes her believe she's clairvoyant. While most people scoff at her, she begins demonstrating an uncanny knack for sometimes predicting the future, using what could either be pure luck or something more remarkable.…
This book reminded me of a Doris Stokes book, which as a teen were my favourite books to read.
The story is an autobiography of a celebrity Psychic Medium: Mavit Pittilla. The story is engrossing to me as I am a Spiritualist, I loved learning how she started off her life as an ordinary human being, only to have the gift of clairvoyance thrust upon her. I loved reading how she developed and helped so many other people in the UK, by giving demonstrations, readings, and finally becoming a teacher to others.
“Make them go away!” This was the immediate reaction of young Mavis Pittilla when people from the spirit world began appearing unexpectedly in her home. One of these “spirit people” delivered a message that would ultimately save her life. Still, she wanted nothing to do with these visitors and sought help from her local Spiritualist church. There she learned to embrace these new experiences, opening her to a lifetime of service that has spanned continents. World-renowned and universally respected and beloved as a medium and teacher for over fifty years, Mavis Pittilla remains modest and humble. The story of her…
I found Alice Bell's Grave Expectations books (the sequel, Displeasure Island, was published this September) quite by accident in a Little Free Library, and they're probably the most purely enjoyable writing that I've read this year.
A fascinating unique concept: a teenage girl's best friend vanishes, then her ghost re-appears, giving her the ability to see all ghosts, a skill she uses to earn a living as a medium, and solve murders on the side.
These books are very very funny. The humour is very millennial so people who enjoy their murder mysteries on the more traditional side might not love them as much as I do, but really these are the woke, trans-inclusive, millennial murder mystery novels the world has been waiting for, so what's not to love?
A pacy and hilarious debut crime novel, in which a burnt-out Millennial medium must utilize her ability to see ghosts to figure out which member(s) of a posh English family are guilty of murder.
Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch's 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered…
I’m a foodie at heart and grew up working in a family restaurant. I currently live in Los Angeles, where I’m delighted to have access to all sorts of edible goodies. As a writer, I insert food into my books, specifically in my culinary cozy mysteries, which have murder—and recipes! I also adore the idea of the fantastical; as a kid, I often created entire imaginary worlds during playtime. I’m happy to combine both loves in my newest series, the Magical Fortune Cookie books.
I loved the echoes of culture I experienced with this novel, which has a Chinese American protagonist. The cultural expectations and even tidbits of language made me feel represented.
I also admired that Vanessa could tell fortunes through examining the dregs of a teacup; as a tea lover, I wholeheartedly endorsed the notion. I was already familiar with Lim’s storytelling and knew I’d be in for a treat of a read, especially one filled with vivid details of Paris and its excellent culinary ambiance.
From the critically acclaimed author of Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune comes a new delightful novel about exploring all the magical possibilities of life in the most extraordinary city of all: Paris.
Vanessa Yu never wanted to see people's fortunes—or misfortunes—in tealeaves.
Ever since she can remember, Vanessa has been able to see people's fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee, but somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life and the ones of those around her. To add to this plight, her romance life…
I recently read an interview with Samantha Shannon where she talked about re-visiting this series and re-publishing an updated version. It intrigued me enough to pick up the series again, as I had tried it years ago and found it a bit too grim for my liking. This time around I REALLY enjoyed it. I'm not sure if it's because of Shannon's changes, or just because I was in the right book mood for it this time, but I loved it. As I write this, I'm just starting the third book in the series, and still loving the story. Paige Mahoney is a fantastic protagonist. I can't quite put my finger on why I like her so much, apart from saying while Shannon writes to tropes, she doesn't lean into them to a degree that it makes a character annoying. And the side cast is great too. If you like…
The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.
It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford - a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious…
The Road from Belhaven is set in 1880s Scotland. Growing up in the care of her grandparents on Belhaven Farm, Lizzie Craig discovers as a small girl that she can see the future. But she soon realises that she must keep her gift a secret. While she can sometimes glimpse…
All my books are narrated by either dogs or wolves except two. First, animals are a prevalent force in my life, and I have many. I see them with souls. I have combined them with my love of vampires, werewolves, and monsters. After I read Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, I was hooked on vampire stories. I hold a master’s degree in English. After teaching writing for a decade, becoming a magazine editor and publisher, and then starting my own writing and editing company, I have published 16 novels. Oddly enough, even with the subject matter, they all are about unconditional love.
I must include my friend Travis Luedke’s book, The Shepherd. It totally took me by surprise. From the uncensored male teen dialogue to the games girls will play, I totally returned to high school. Travis captured the entire clique strata. Mike has had visions that he does not discuss. His life is depressing with an unemployed, alcoholic father. Then, he meets Nadia, a young girl Mike barely avoids hitting with his car. She is mysterious and latches on to Mike. The reader has no idea who she is, where she is from, or why she acts as if she has always known Mike. Neither does Mike. When weird, awful events begin to happen, Nadia is the key. Travis keeps this twisted tale going in high gear and keeps us enthralled all the way to the shocking end.
Skate punks, kleptomaniacs, clairvoyant visions and reincarnation...
THE SHEPHERD is unlike any other Young Adult novel you have ever read.
For me, Mike Evans, a skate punk living in a white-trash trailer park, high school blows.
My dad's an out-of-work drunk. My ex-girlfriend avoids me like the plague. My best friend, Anita, won't keep her hands off me...then there's Moses Lake's champion wrestler. The a-hole is waiting for an excuse to beat my face into the skate park concrete.
Worse, my visions of grisly death are back again, and if I tell anyone what I've seen I might actually cause…
I am a queer Latinx author and avid reader. Long before I became an author, I was devouring books and losing myself in fantasy worlds. When I got older, I realized how few books in the market looked like me. I didn’t feel represented in the literary world. Now, I create queer fantasy novels that feature strong women of color in sweeping Latin American-inspired settings for future generations.
Set in a Mesoamerican-inspired world, The Lost Dreamer is seeped in Latin culture and tradition.
Everything about this novel reaches deep into my soul and makes me feel more connected to my land and my ancestors. The magic system feels more organic and earth-bound, closer to shamanism than depictions of magic in more modern fantasy novels and I loved it.
The novel follows two courageous and strong Latin women with gifts - a Dream Walker and a Seer. Individually we see them learn to fight for themselves, and for the land and lives they love. The queerness in this novel is intrinsic to the world and story, characters able to be themselves without question or oppression. (At least, not oppression due to their sexuality - which I appreciated!)
A lush, immersive debut fantasy about a group of women whose way of life is threatened by a new king; a fierce celebration of community, sisterhood, and finding our power.
Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end―an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep. As violent…
I am an author, American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and signing storyteller. I write picture books, children’s nonfiction, middle grade, and young adult fantasy, and resource books for educators, librarians, and parents. In my books, I highlight strong female characters, both fictional and from real-life. Here I am sharing 5 of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi books with female characters who – by the end of their journeys - absolutely do not care what you think of them.
Asra is a demigod with the gift of dictating the future by writing with her own blood. When her blood magic leads to the mortal girl she loves turning into a vengeful dragon, Asra must embark on a journey across the kingdom to stop her. A big-hearted protagonist grappling with her own power, complex cultural politics, two compelling love interests – who could ask for more? That so many of the primary romantic relationships in the story are same-sex is almost beside the point – except, of course, that queer characters rarely appear so matter-of-factly in epic fantasy. Inkmistresstrades in deep, nuanced characters, moral complexity, and a story that often surprises in the best way, keeping the reader hooked until the incredibly satisfying conclusion.
A sweeping, action-packed, and romantic fantasy full of dangerous magic and dark choices, perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Kristin Cashore—set in the same world as Of Fire and Stars.
Asra is a demigod with a dangerous gift: the ability to dictate the future by writing with her blood. To keep her power secret, she leads a quiet life as a healer on a remote mountain, content to help the people in her care and spend time with Ina, the mortal girl she loves.
But Asra’s peaceful life is upended when bandits threaten Ina’s village and the king does…
I wear many hats in my life, but none matter as much as the hat: mama. As a clairaudient medium who works first-hand with mothers on their spiritual journeys, I feel as though I know what spiritually conscious parents hope to find and be moved by in the books they read because I know what my spirit needs during this wild and overwhelming adventure called motherhood. It can be an isolating path to walk, and these books not only felt like a helping hand during the rockiest moments but also like a warm hug when I needed it most.
This book catapulted me into a deep dive into all the spiritual aspects of the motherhood journey and brought out the miracle-making goddess within me!
I found myself wholly moved and eager to dive into learning to communicate with my unborn child. I read it while pregnant, but I wish I had found it earlier; it would have helped me navigate this new adventure with so much more confidence and feel even more spiritually connected during pregnancy.
This book will absolutely change your life, whether you want to conceive, are pregnant, or are already a mother.
Am I Meant to Become a Parent? Why Can’t I Conceive? What Is My Unborn Child Trying to Tell Me?
In this reassuring, supportive, and accessible book, leading clairvoyant and medium Walter Makichen offers guidance to prospective parents eager to create a warm, nurturing environment for their soon-to-be-conceived-or-born children. Applying the wisdom and insights he has gained through twenty years of communicating with these spirit babies, Makichen helps you resolve issues about starting a family…actively participate in the psychic process of creating a child…and move past your worries and fears about becoming parents. From the seven essential chakras that link…