P. J. Bracegirdle, Campaign Challenge Reminder, and List of New Releases

P. J. Bracegirdle's last book in The Joy of Spooking series, Sinister Scenes, is out! I haven't read it yet, for I've just finished the second book, Unearthly Asylum.


"With Fiendish Deeds, the first book of The Joy of Spooking trilogy, I wanted to kick off a quirky, comedic mystery that packed some serious chills. I loved the idea of a young heroine who revels in how the worn-out relics of the past still echo with secrets and stories—and that's what I found in Joy Wells. To set the stage for her, I took a lot of inspiration from classic literary figures such as Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. ...

This trilogy itself however would be set in the modern day ... For that reason I needed a distinctively modern villain, someone both a product and a victim of these times. Someone selfish, greedy, and egotistical in the extreme. ... That character soon developed into Octavio Phipps, a failed musician who now works as assistant to the mayor of a neighboring suburban sprawl. It was then just a case of unleashing him on his mission: to destroy Spooking, the weird old town he blames for his woes..." (visit Bracegirdle's website for the full description from Simon & Schuster's Behind The Book Series)

In Unearthly Asylum, Joy's "pet frog Fizz becomes trapped behind the walls of a mental asylum, [and] Joy must mount a rescue operation that brings her into conflict with Mr. Phipps again. Along with her brother Byron and their strange playmate Poppy, Joy soon uncovers mind-bending secrets straight from the pages of her favourite author [E. A. Peugeot]. Can Joy get everyone out alive, or will they be trapped in the unearthly asylum forever?"

None of these descriptions quite convey the essence of these stories, which is sinister, mysterious and fun all at once. They're probably marketed as Middle Grade, but they're just the sort of books I loved back in my MG days and still love - where the author doesn't talk down to the young reader, and doesn't sugar coat mystery or history. And Bracegirdle (never mind having a Tolkienesque name) is from Montreal!

Speaking of local connections, Diana Gabaldon's posted the description of Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner, coming 29 November. The last time I visited Quebec City, it was after I'd read about Lord John's time there. I still get a thrill when I see lines like "Lord John Grey has brought home from Quebec..."

If you're not a spoiler avoider, there's a new mini-excerpt on the forum from the next book, Written In My Own Heart's Blood (Or MOHB - Diana's calling it Moby).

What's that you say, he's a fictional character? Well, so are Rosa and Baha from my own story Out of the Water. Yet that doesn't make them any less real. What would us writers be without voices in their heads?

Fellow campaigners, my entry for the second challenge is in the post below, featuring a tweaked snip from Out of the Water. Please head over to Rach's and click Like on your favourite entries!

Other releases, in no particular order:

Kait Nolan - Genesis
Susan Bischoff - Heroes 'Til Curfew
Duff McKagan - It's So Easy and Other Lies
J. L. Campbell - Giving Up the Dream and Don't Get Mad... Get Even

And coming sooner rather than later... Jennifer Hendren's By The Pale Moonlight. Now there's a reason for excitement!

Comments

Jemi Fraser said…
I can't believe someone would think our characters aren't real! Yeeesh! :)
I really like the cover. And it sounds like my kind of stories. I'm going to look these up!

Our characters are real to us! I never would've believed it until I became a writer.
Susan Fields said…
"sinister, mysterious, and fun" - sounds like my kind of book!
Tara said…
I love that cover! And I can't wait to read Jen's book. :-)
Anonymous said…
This trilogy looks interesting. I believe I have the first book on my wish list, but I'll go check.
S.P. Bowers said…
Just because something isn't tangible doesn't mean they aren't real. Our characters are real.
Anonymous said…
I'm so intrigued by the Bracegirdle books. So many great books out!
Misha Gerrick said…
Hehehe sounds like an idiosyncratic but fun book. I'd love to read it one day.

:-)
Deniz --- You wouldn't believe how full my google reader is. (g) I'm just now seeing this post -- thank you for the mention! :) I read Susan Bischoff's first book and thought it was really clever--I'll have to check out the new one. Thanks for the recs!

Jen
Deniz Bevan said…
I know Jemi! Sad, huh?

They're really neat stories, Theresa and Susan. I can't wait to read the third one!

Me neither, Tara :-)

I hope you enjoy them, Medeia!

Exactly, Sara!

I know, Liz and Misha - it's hard on the ol' TBR pile, hearing about new interesting books...

Thanks for coming by Jen! I hear you on the Google Reader :-)