I’m totally delighted to have the opportunity to participate in “In the wake” Book Blog Tour. Helen Trevorrow’s debut novel is a gripping and breath-taking feminist crime thriller about family, unrealised trauma, alcoholism, secrecy, and strong women. ABOUT THE BOOK The novel immediately plunges the reader into the core of the mystery. Valerie Lagarde, an agency nurse working at the St Mary’s Hospital, goes missing a few days before Christmas. Although the patients insistently ask Sister Williams about her, the chief nurse doesn’t bother to raise the alarm. After all - she thinks – Valerie is just another unreliable agency nurse who couldn’t cope with the work at the medical institution. Kay Christie, a PR woman in career, is meeting her main client at the London Excel. While she’s getting to the building, she notices the police are retrieving a body from the Thames. Kay curiously peers over the white and blue tape surrounding crime scene. Her eyes unexpectedly meet the face of the dead man; she is shocked. She knows the man. She knows who he is: Lance Corporal Benedict Philips. The death of the man doesn’t only affect Kay’s weak psychological state – she’s still grieving over her mother’s demise – but it involves her private life. Jim, Kay’s father, works as a security guard in the building which Kay’s client office is in, and the police consider him the main suspect. He has willingly deleted a part of the security cameras footage considered of relevant importance. Kay is completely distressed. The police look for her father. Julia, her partner, overlooks her; the promotion and presentation of her debut novel are absorbing her more and more. The detective in charge of the investigation, DS Polly Harvey, triggers the woman’s sexual fantasies and ardent attraction. In this vortex of events and emotions, Kay’s memories torment her. Benedict was a fellow soldier of Dave, her best friend; he harassed and attacked Kay during their holiday in Cyprus. Shockingly, Kay discovers that the missing nurse is Benedict’s girlfriend. Focusing on Kay’s mental state and emotions, the novel unravels its mysteries and brings terrible secrets that people close to Kay have kept hidden to light. The truth behind this murder is deeper and scarier than what Kay thought. ABOUT THE CHARACTERS The main characters are three determined and very strong women who have to face a tricky and difficult situation in which the fate plunged them into. Let’s have a close look at them. KAY CHRISTIE: Kay is a perfect troubled woman. Firstly, the death of her mother hangs over her head like a sword of Damocles. The reader can feel that something is not right in Kay’s pain; there’s something deeper and more secret in the tragedy, something Kay doesn’t want to disclose. The recognition of the body of Benedict totally shocks her. The man was the typical arrogant chauvinist who had pestered and beaten her. He clearly considered women as a mere tool at his complete disposal. Consequently, in this moment of weakness, DS Polly Harvey pops in Kay’s life, causing troubles and doubts. The author describes in an amazing and simple way the sexuality of the characters without naively using it as a point plot or an unspeakable revelation; it is simply part of them. The redemption, however, comes to Kay at the end of the book, sorting positively her private and sentimental life. JULIA ROTHMAN: I really liked this character. Initially, she seems disinterested and completely focused on her success as an author. Although she concentrates on her career, she quickly puts everything on the side to save her relationship. Julia, too, finds a sort of redemption at the end of the novel, strengthening the love for her partner. DS POLLY HARVEY: she is pure temptation. Polly is younger than Kay and quite cute. The spark she causes in Kay immediately sets their relationship on fire, but the catastrophe is looming. Kay realises her mistake and decides that it’s better to interrupt the relationship before it becomes too serious. DS Harvey is the only character that doesn’t find her personal redemption. The sad reality leaves her hurt and disappointed. FOLLOW THE TOUR ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Trevorrow graduated at the Leeds University. She has worked as PR in London for twenty years, specialising in food and drink. During her career, Trevorrow has ghost-written articles and posts for newspaper, magazines, and website. She’s currently been living in Brighton. Trevorrow has always been very good at what she was doing, and PR needs a combination of numerous skills to be successful. She thinks that her job contains a little bit of magic because it directly deals with people emotions and subconscious; it is a little bit of psychological analysis. Her father’s reaction precisely describes her thought. Trevorrow had been promoting a product for a while, and his father’s attitude was dismissive and uninterested in the item’s benefits. When he saw the advertisement in the Daily Mail, he changed his mind as to how he judged it. The last two years have been fundamental for Trevorrow’s life and career as an author; she graduated in 2016 Faber Academy Creative Writing programme and moved to Brighton with Vicky and their three-year-old daughter. Although Trevorrow initially thought that the decision to move was dramatic, she soon realised that a half of the Brightonians – an adjective that Helen doesn’t like – had done the same move. She still loves London, where Trevorrow occasionally goes back for work commitments. Her sexuality has never been a problem either in London or in Brighton. In Hove, it is possible to spot numerous people of the same sex, happily holding hands and thoughtlessly strolling around. The feeling is wonderful, Helen says. It is lovely to see other people that are as comfortable and serene as themselves. I’d sincerely like to thank Helen Trevorrow and Urbane Publication for having given the opportunity to participate in such an incredible experience and read this astonishing novel. I'd also like to thank Kate Lacey from Love Books Group for the spot in the tour. LINKS: Author website Urbane Publications Helen Trevorrow's interview on Fyne Times Love Books Group BUYING LINKS: Amazon UK Amazon US Foyles Waterstones
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I’ve recently pondered whether I had to write about the intriguing relationship between books and theatre or postpone it. I wasn’t sure as to how and what to say, then I thought of the huge satisfaction and incredible, enthusiastic energy I felt during the performances, and I decide to spend a few words on it.
My experience in watching a book adaptation goes back to a few years ago. ‘1984’ by George Orwell was at the Playhouse Theatre in London. I had found the tickets for the last show, and I was curious to see how the director and his team had interpreted the novel. I also was quite doubtful. ‘1984’ is an incredible, intense, and meaningful book. I couldn’t figure out how the adaptation could have been made. Once I arrived at the theatre, I took my seat – I was in the front row, directly beneath the stage – and I still didn’t know what to expect. The performance finished after a couple of hours; a roaring clap of hands and a joyful standing ovation thanked the amazing actors who had taken part in the show. I was surprised, completely stunned and astonished. The play had perfectly represented the intensity, the psychological struggle, and the morality of the Orwell’s work. ‘1984’ is not either an easy-going reading or simple-meaning book; it’s extremely rich and full of significance. Recreating properly on the stage can also be quite difficult. Rapid changes of set, clever and stupefying use of lights and astonishing acting had totally transported the audience inside the story, remaking faithfully the atmosphere and environment of the book. It was great. The novel had come to life. The theatre is not that different from reading a book. When you read, you create what the writer describes in your mind. You visualise every detail. Theatre and books are strictly connected; the theatrical adaptations bring to life the deep and astounding magic books contain. Surfing on the Internet and reading the bookshops’ events’ page, I’ve recently discovered the interesting SciFi Session that Waterstones Gower Street monthly arranges to talk with new and established authors about science fiction and fantasy. The special guests Glyn Morgan professionally introduced were Adrian Tchaikovsky – author of Dogs of War – and Emma Newman – Before Mars. After the writers read a sample of their novels, Morgan immediately plunged into the core of the conversation, asking what drew them on writing science fiction and fantasy, and what was the distinction between the genres.
“That’s not an easy question,” Newman replied, causing the audience to chuckle, “I’ve never thought about the genre I was writing. I was just writing. It actually was the publisher to let me know what genre it was when it picked my novel up.” “I think science fiction and fantasy are the genres I’ve always belonged to,” Tchaikovsky said. “Since I was a kid, I’ve used to read a lot of science fiction, and I then decided to write something the readers might want.” The authors agreed that they spent a huge amount of time on researching. Morgan wanted to create an original scenario which could be rooted in British history. Tchaikovsky, instead, focused on the consistency; the worlds a writer created had to make sense. “The closer you get to reality,” he said, “the more you bear the burden of what you created.” The connection between reality and fictional creation gave Morgan the opportunity to ask what led the writers to a certain story or series. “There were a lot of variables involved,” Newman replied. “My initial ideas needed numerous characters to describe the multiple points of view I wanted to write about.” Tchaikovsky thought that short series was the best way to write a story; what was really important was to create the world in which you wanted to set the story, then to focus on the characters and plot. “I believe that a novel has to have a pay-off at the end,” the author said, “without leaving the readers depending on the next book.” The works of Tchaikovsky portrayed a strong and unusual interaction between animals and human beings. “My inspiration came from the David Attenborough’s documentaries I grew up with,” he explained. “Playing role games inspired me, too. The best way to judge a system or people was to put yourself in others’ shoes and observe them from that new perspective.” Newman’s narration had a more psychological approach, instead. Disorders and difficult backgrounds were the main characteristics of her characters. “The interaction between humanity and technology brought me to write about what I was angry for,” she said. “I focused on the psychological aspects because literature often stereotyped people who had these disturbs. I believed that the causes behind their conditions were more complex to examine.” The author then told the audience that she suffered depression in the past, and she wanted to describe what she really felt, instead of a mere and superficial representation. Morgan’s last questions focused on the importance of the science fiction in analysing and criticising the society. “Politics shouldn’t ever be removed from science fiction,” Newman proudly said. “Along with fantasy, this genre has always been political. My works expressed my views, my fears, and my worries.” Newman the added that the problem wasn’t the technology, but the determination of the people to make good results. The technology used properly could sort a lot of problems out. “I’m not completely optimistic, in the short term.” Tchaikovsky concluded, “In the long term, I think we should be able to get over the period of crisis and resolve the problems.” Anthony Horowitz and Charles Cumming have chatted with fans and passionate readers at the historical Daunt Bookshop in Marylebone High Street, in the heart of London. The authors entered the Edwardian style hall of the bookshop. Horowitz was smiling and relaxed, wearing a blue jacket on a white t-shirt and jeans; he looked around and then calmly sat on the comfortable chair on the stage. To his left, another man stepped on the stage. Charles Cumming opened his eyes wide, staring surprised at the numerous people gathered this evening. He smoothed his dark blue jacket, took his notebook - in which he had probably written down a few notes and questions - and sat down. The conversation could start; the topic of the event was the presentation of Horowitz’s latest book (Forever and a day), a James Bond’s intriguing adventure.
After a brief introduction, Cumming got straight to the point, asking Horowitz which his James Bond’s favourite book was. “I think I would go for ‘Dr. No’ because it was the first I’ve ever read, and it impressed me,” Horowitz answered. “But I would personally say that the best one was ‘From Russia with love’.” James Bond has been a successful films’ franchising, and, predictably, Horowitz explained which his favourite film and actor personifying the British spy were. “Sean Connery and Daniel Craig are my favourite actors, but the most iconic was Roger Moore.” The audience nodded in unison, agreeing with the author’s thought. Cumming interjected, saying that James Bond had only the resemblance of Roger Moore. “It’s not that I don’t like the others, or I haven’t appreciated their performances,” he explained. “I grew up with Moore as Bond.” “I think ‘Casino Royale’ was the best film if we compare the movies to the books,” Horowitz went on. “The film was an amazing return to the original atmosphere described in the books.” The authors were perfectly comfortable with the topic they were talking about, and the audience interacted and reacted their comments and opinions on the character created by Ian Fleming in the Fifties. “The book is a sort of prequel,” Horowitz said. “The story actually happened three to four months before ‘Casino Royale’, and the main purpose of it was to try giving an explanation as to why Bond became such a cold-blood assassin.” Cumming’s questioning was absolutely brilliant and cleverly calculated; without letting the conversation get boring and unlively, he led Horowitz to speak of Bond’s villains. “My favourite villain was Hugo Drax,” the author claimed. “He was the perfect resemblance of evil. He was perfectly extreme.” The readers and fans knew James Bond for his spy abilities, but they also knew him for his attitude towards the women. “I’m glad for the improvements of the women’ conditions and I totally support the cause, but in terms of Bond’s novel, I don’t think he was either sexist or misogynist,” Horowitz said, shifting in his chair. “He had always treated the women kindly and respectfully, you can read that in the novels.” Then, he added with a grin. “Despite, of course, he had a quite huge sexual appetite.” Writing about James Bond wasn’t as easy as it might appear. Horowitz had to deal with the Fleming Foundation during his researches. “I had already written a novel about James Bond, and this time I was less nervous than before,” the writer said. “The Foundation helped me a lot, though. I explained my ideas, and they were very comprehensive and available.” Horowitz told the audience a curious situation happened during the creation of his book; the author described a scene in which Bond woke up and got off the bed naked. After having read that part, the Foundation contacted him by saying that the scene was fine, but Bond had never slept naked. The spy used to wear a bed jacket every time he went to sleep. “They were very watchful,” Horowitz said, chuckling with the audience, “but they’ve always respected my points of view.” Horowitz has been a huge fan of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes – about whom he wrote two novels (The house of silk and Moriarty) – since he was a kid. “I wanted to write about them because I’ve loved them,” he said. “My father gave me the first Sherlock Holmes book, and I’ve known I would be a crime writer since.” Answering a question from the audience, Horowitz said that he’s always structured his novels carefully, especially when he wrote about other authors’ characters. “When I wrote about Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, I wanted to set my novels in the same period Fleming and Doyle had set them,” Horowitz said. “I could have created them nowadays, but I would have felt it wrongly and inadequate.” The end of the conversation dealt with the future of the author and his next works. “Writing is an adventure, and I like to experiment new genres and new kind of stories,” the author said, “I’ve got numerous ideas for plays and children books.” He then added, smiling. “What I’ll never do is to stop writing the stories which cross my mind.” After the amazing and funny conversations with Kevin Conroy and the actors who voiced GTA V characters, the last panel I attended dealt with an interesting topic. The authors Brian McClellan (The Gun Powder Mage series), Jen Williams (The Copper Cat trilogy), Wesley Chu (Time Salvager), Lucy Hounsom (Worldmaker trilogy), and Sam Miller (Blackfish City) were in conversation at the Comic Stage on how the reality which we live in inspired and influenced their works.
The writers arrived together; Chu led the group to the stage. The audience welcomed them clapping loudly their hands. As the round of introductions concluded, the authors plunged into the core of the conversation. “What influenced my novel was the importance of the climate change,” Miller started off. “Besides a lot of people in the United States claimed that immigration ruined our country, so I thought that it would be original to make them be the people who emigrate.” “My novel, too, deals with the issue of climate change,” Chu interjected, “but I wanted my characters to fight for a solution, which happened to be time-travelling. In the world I created, people can travel back in time to get the resources they need.” McClellan said that he had always tried to avoid social problems, as he has recently tried not to read the news. “Fiction is an escape from the real world and worries,” the author explained. “I don’t think we should include them in our works.” The audience silently heard the writes’ interesting points of view. Lucy Hounsom has always observed the genders and races. “I wanted to create a ‘trans-character’ who could point out the numerous differences in the human beings and society,” she said. “My main purpose was to stimulate discussion in my readers.” “I agree with this opinion,” Williams interjected. “I think that sci-fi is supposed to deal with the questions of the society. In fantasy, the ideas aren’t as explicit and as clear as they might be.” Hounsom created a unique world in which women were able to set on fire things – deliberately or unintentionally – and the authorities persecuted them. Their main characters were strong and powerful women. The writer’s explanation brought the conversation to discuss the problems of genders. “The first book I published had a lot of criticism because it was considered male centred,” McClellan said, “but women were as powerful and influencing as men were. In the third book I wrote, I, however, worked on reducing the male predominance.” “Criticism is what makes us improve,” Chu agreed. “We learn from our mistakes and we start observing the world from different perspectives.” McClellan added that the problem was cultural; authors had to explore different point of views, but the bizarre educational system tended to provide mainly male main characters. “That’s why my first character was a male,” Hounsom agreed. “I’ve always read a lot and I was used to having main male characters.” “Although female writers have recently started using female points of view,” Williams said. “It’s a duty of the writers to examine different views.” In Chu’s opinion, writing about fantastic creatures might be the safest way to avoid making mistakes and misunderstanding. “Even though your cultural background will always come out,” the author went on. “It’s inevitable that sooner or later you’ll offend somebody.” The conversation came to the end; the authors provided their opinions clearly and efficiently, answering the few questions the audience had for them. “Creating your fictional world is not easy because it will always reflect your cultural background,” Williams concluded, “but it’s our responsibility to do it as proper and real as we can, respecting the numerous and beautiful differences our society provides.” Rude, vulgar, impolite, aggressive, disrespectful. This was the funniest, mind-blowing, and entertaining panel I had attended at the ComicCon London. Three men suddenly popped in the small Centre Stage, shouting and swearing. They were not happy; only two dozen of people composed the audience. “They didn’t advertise properly,” a girl with glass exclaimed. “I casually discovered you were here.” “They didn’t advertise properly,” A black haired man wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans shouted. “I’m gonna get some damn people. Oh yeah, some damn people!” He ran along the main aisle, calling and shouting at people to come in. That was the main event. The best and hugest event in all the convention. His two companions took their seats, grinning and shaking their heads. “He went f*****g nuts,” the black man wearing a baseball cap, black t-shirt, and jeans exclaimed. “I can’t f*****g believe it!” “For f***’s sake, let’s get started,” the other man said – he wore a black polo and military, mimetic trousers. “We have an hour to talk about our work. I think fifteen minutes are more than enough.” The black-haired man got back, swearing and screaming; only a few people joined the audience. We were literally dying by laughing. The air filled with sighs and giggles. Finally, the three actors sat before us, grinning. The event could begin. The gentlemen were Ned Luke (the black-haired man), Shawn Fonteno (the black man), and Steven Ogg (the man in mimetic trousers) who respectively voiced Michael, Franklin, and Trevor in one of the most popular video games of all time, Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V).
“It took almost three years to record all the scenes of the game,” Luke kicked off. “I’d say almost four, man,” Fonteno interjected. “It took four years of recording. We were closed in that f*****g booth.” “We were, and we did the most exhilarating and craziest s**t we could do,” Ogg replied, “and, obviously, that wasn’t included in the game.” The actors were still totally in their roles; the conversation and the bantering excited the audience and kept us utterly focused on their performance. “The language wasn’t very difficult,” Fonteno resumed saying. “It was street language. Who couldn’t do that properly?” “You’re right,” Luke said. “I think that the biggest trouble was recording for the British market. It was like learning a new language, filled with new and unusual slang.” “At least, we had a kind of freedom,” Fonteno said. “A sort of,” Ogg added. “A sort of freedom. It wasn’t completely free range, as we anyway had directors who wanted us to follow the script strictly, while other directors were more flexible.” The actors agreed that, when they accepted the project, they had no clue as to what the work they were up to do was about. Imagination definitely had helped them during these years. They only had the scripts, then they worked in a closed room, trying to recreate the scenes they read. “It was the most important opportunity for me,” Fonteno told the audience. “It was the first job I got, and I put all myself into this role. It wasn’t only reading your lines and repeating them. We used our creativity to reproduce mentally the environment which we were in.” The incredible success of the game didn’t surprise the actors. They had expected it because of the huge amount of effort the people working with them had put into it. The massive advertisement campaign also indicated that their project was going to be amazing. The event dragged to the end; the three actors – on a member of the audience request – voiced their characters with a British accent. “I told you, guys,” Luke exclaimed, grinning and concluding the conversation. “It’s not the same language. We have learnt a new f*****g language.” ‘I’m Batman: A conversation with Kevin Conroy’ was the first panel I attended during my visit at the ComicCon London on Friday. It had a deep meaning for me; Batman has always been a super-hero who fascinated and intrigued me during my childhood. Kevin Conroy entered the stage unexpectedly, and a deafening handclap boomed in the Main Stage conference hall. Conroy smiled and waved his hand at the audience, before making himself comfortable on the black leather sofa. His energy was totally contagious; people chuckled at his initial thanking words. He has been the voice of Batman, the animated series which started in the Nineties, for almost twenty years.
“I’ve always been a stage actor,” he began, “and being the voice for a cartoon was a new and challenging experience.” Working in a booth and recording for hours wasn’t easy at the beginning; Conroy didn’t know exactly how to deal with it. “When they offered the contract, I was surprised. I had seriously thought I hadn’t made it because it was my first audition.” There was another fact that surprised him; Conroy didn’t expect the enormous success they had. The contract he signed stated that the show was only one season, but then the seasons increased. The series wasn’t the only project; Batman soon became a film, then a series of films along with the original series. “My imagination helped me to act as Bruce Wayne,” Conroy explained. “I had the script before my eyes, and, although I initially thought I had only to read it, the preparation behind my character was more intense than what everybody might ever have thought.” Conroy remembered how he prepared the audition; he didn’t really know Bruce Wayne’s story, but, when the director explained him, he realised that he had to put himself in Wayne’s situation. “That was the boost to get the best out of me,” Conroy said, eyes glistening at the lights pointing at him. “I couldn’t interpret that role without plunging into it.” While he was preparing the role, Conroy wondered how it was possible that nobody could recognise Bruce Wayne. He was one of the richest men in Gotham and very famous. “It didn’t make sense at all,” Conroy said, shaking his head. “It was a thing that I couldn’t understand, so I decided to change my voice when I had to act as Batman. I thought it was a good trick, and the director accepted it.” The enthusiasm Conroy emanated was totally involving. I’ve never seen such a reacting audience; the attendee chuckled when Conroy chuckled, they smiled when he did. It was like having a conversation with a friend you had known for a long time. “I still remember the first time a guy recognised me,” Conroy announced. “I’m from New York, but I was working in Los Angeles. That was a quite bizarre situation.” The actor needed to go to the post office, but he had to ask a guy for information in a parking area. After a few minutes, the guy called him Batman, taking him aback and forcing him to admit he was the actor voicing the superhero. The excited guy didn’t let him go until he hadn’t talked to him with Batman’s characteristic voice. “That was the funniest experience I had ever had,” Conroy exclaimed, laughing. His laughter was peculiar; you couldn’t help laughing even though you had tried resisting it. The final Q&A pointed out Conroy’s extroversion. “’A mask of a phantasm’ was the best film we made,” the actor said. “I really loved – and I’m proud of – the moment in which Bruce Wayne realised that he couldn’t escape his destiny.” The scene Conroy mentioned portrayed Bruce Wayne in front of his parents’ grave. He had fallen in love with Andrea Beaumont, but he had to choose between having a normal life or carrying on living his double identity life. “Bruce was completely conscious that his destiny was to become Batman,” Conroy affirmed. “It was impossible for him to run away from his fate.” Conroy burst into a fragrant and explosive laughter, as a member of the audience asked him which hero he would like to voice if he hadn’t become Batman. “I couldn’t have accepted any other role,” he proudly exclaimed. “Batman is a normal hero, without any super-power to help him, but his determination. He is a character to whom anybody can relate. If you noticed, Batman never kills, he fights the villains and, then, he closes them into Arkam.” Conroy was very proud of having been the superhero of Gotham City. The experience permitted him to meet and work with numerous amazing actors. “Life is completely unanticipated. I adapted my job to the role I had obtained as Bruce Wayne adapted his life after the tragedy that happened to him.” Conroy then concluded. “Acting is taking the chance. An actor has to be ready to fail. Our job is to dare to fail. If we don’t bear this simple rule in mind, we can’t do what we love to do.” |
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