Vulpi out next month

Vulpi the much anticipated sequel to Kate Gordon’s Thyla is out next month.  Kate posts about the release and answers some frequently asked about the book here.

Kate kindly participated in my Authors & Social Media interview series last year and I also reviewed Thyla here.

 

 

 

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Tassie Devil Charity Auction

Authors Kate Gordon (who I have reviewed here) and Christina Booth are holding a charity auction to raise money to help combat  “Devil Facial Tumour Disease”. 

The link for their Auction site is here

The items being auctioned are:

1. A signed copy of Thyla
2. A signed copy of the very first hot-off-the-press Vulpi (the sequel to Thyla) – read it before anyone else does!
3. A signed very rare hardback copy of Christina Booth’s acclaimed picture book, Potato Music
4. A manuscript assessment of the first thirty pages of a Young Adult Novel, compiled by me!
5. And the most wonderful prize of all, an original illustration from Christina’s beautiful Tasmanian Devil book, Purinina.

Please consider bidding.

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Book Review - Thyla by Kate Gordon

Thyla is Kate Gordon's second novel, but her first in the Paranormal YA genre.  Now I know that some readers have just turned away at the mention of paranormal and YA in the same sentence. 
Bare with me.

Thyla is a refreshing take on the genre, uniquely Australian and not infiltrated by any moralising subtext. There’s a touch of teenage romance but essentially it’s a high school, mystery adventure tale with a female protagonist sans any sparkly supernaturals.

The Story
Tessa is found collapsed and alone in Tasmanian bush land.  She wakes in a hospital bed, with little to no memory other than her name, and no idea how she got the scars across her back.  She’s placed into Cascade Falls, a private all girls school at the behest of a mysterious benefactor.  Her only friend is the policewoman Connolly, who has lost her own daughter only recently.

As the story unfolds Tessa becomes aware that things at Cascade Falls aren’t all that they seem.  On the surface it’s the typical boarding school experience, bitchy cliques – the popular girls vs the ferals.  Tessa falls in with the ferals, who are more easy going and accepting.  It soon becomes apparent, however,  that the ferals aren’t your average teenage girls, and neither is Tessa.  Battling  inconvenient amnesia and tribal conflicts,  Tessa begins to slowly piece together her life and her supernatural origins, just in time to combat the sinister Diemens.


Australian History on the sly.
I like Gordon’s choice to set this book in an Australian context, I love her use of early Australian convict history which I think really beds down the narrative and gives it an honest Australian flavour. There’s passing mentions of institutions and  places that are real, buildings whose original purpose may now be lost or at least unknown to 21st century teens – an invitation to interested readers to check out history in their own backyard (presuming of course they are Australian).

I also like her use of Australian animals for the were-creatures; notably the Thyla (Tasmanian tigers) and the Sarco (Tasmanian devils), tribal enemies until the Diemens(hinted at vampires) arrived at point of colonisation.  It’s a refreshing departure from regular European Vampire/Werewolf mythology which would have been an easy road to tread.

There’s a nice little bit of world building that encompasses a narrative of colonisation- the Thyla’s and Sarco’s remember a time when humans and they lived together in peace, before settlement and before the Diemens.  It would have been easy to have tapped into the earlier gothic traditions but I am glad Gordon didn’t, its nice to think that we have home grown were-creatures with a separate mythology.

No Vampire Hunks
One thing that niggled at me with Twilight was the sinister implications behind  the attraction of a 100 year old vampire to a teenage girl.  In Thyla, the romance (what little there is), is much better handled in terms of power dynamics.  Tessa might be an immortal teen but at least she’s attracted to other immortal teens.

Narrative mode
I found the narrative mode interesting-Tessa as the narrator (first person), directed at the character Connolly.  This can be a tricky mode to write in and get the balance right – nothing worse than being caught in a boring characters head.  Thankfully Gordon handles it well giving the reader an intimate account of Tessa’s adventures.

Recommendations
At only 279 pages and with an uncomplicated style it was a quick enjoyable read for me. I’d recommend it for ages 13 + and both genders, and while it does feature Tessa having her first period - certain to register as “too much info” for young male readers.  It also features well described conflict, bloodshed and death for the action fans.  I’d suggest it for those readers who want an original take on the Vampire/Werewolf myth.

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Kate was nice enough to participate in my Authors and Social Media series of interviews. You can read her interview here .
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Kate Gordon on Authors and Social Media

Welcome to the fourth interview in the Authors and Social Media series; where I interview some of Australia’s most acclaimed speculative fiction authors.  Today we have Kate Gordon an Australian YA novelist  answering 5 questions on Authors and Social Media.

Sean:

How important do you view social media to selling your books or interacting with fans?

Kate:

I don't know that it is that important at the moment, to be honest. Fingers crossed, in a couple of years (if I'm lucky enough to still be doing this writing-as-a-job thing), it will be very important indeed. I see how well writers like Cassie Clare and Gail Carriger use social media to converse with their “fans”. I'm not sure I actually have “fans” yet! I mostly use social media to interact with peers and fellow book-lovers. If they happen to buy my book because of this interaction, that's an awesome bonus!

Sean:

Do you or would you want to receive any guidance from your publisher/agent on interacting via social media, both in a technical sense or in a 'professional presentation' sense?

Kate:

I've been social-networking and blogging for an awful lot longer than I've been “authoring” so, from a technical point of view I think I'm okay. I know that sometimes I might say silly stuff on social network sites, but I've received feedback that the people who follow me want this to continue. It's part of what makes me who I am and thus is part of my online “persona”. As a “follower” I tend to delete “tweeps” who are too professional, dry or self-promotional in their tweets, and I assume people would do the same to me. I am very conscious, though, of not saying anything too out-there, negative or in any way “adult” in my tweets and Facebook status updates. I'm aware I write for minors and it would be career suicide to write anything online that was inappropriate for them. I guess that's a long-winded way of saying, “No, I don't believe I need input into the way I handle myself on social media”. However, if a publisher wanted to offer me advice, I would gladly take it!

Sean:

There have been some recent examples of inexperienced authors reacting badly on the Internet in response to blog reviews e.t.c., what are your thoughts on being social media savvy? What advice would you give to new authors?

Kate:

Hmm, I think I sort of answered this in the previous section! My main advice to new authors (of which I still consider myself to be included) would probably be: Stuff on the internet is public. Stuff on the internet sticks around. Don't write anything on the internet that you wouldn't say to your grandmother! And try not to say anything negative. Not just about writing stuff, but about anything. People who complain too much on social media are irritating! Also, be yourself, not a walking billboard. If you only use social media to promote your work, people will get bored very quickly!

Sean:

In my experience Social media breaks down normal communication conventions. People can be more familiar and 'take liberties'. Have you experienced problems where this ease of communication has lead to followers/fans 'crossing the line' or has your experience been entirely positive?

Kate:

As I said before, I'm not sure I have “fans” but I have had a few aspiring writers “cross the line” a little bit. I'm really new to this writing gig, and I vividly remember what it was like to be really really new. I remember what it was like to be desperate for any and all advice you can get! I am really happy to pass on what tiny advice and knowledge I now have about writing or publishing. It's nice to be on that side of things now! The only trouble is I don't have a heap of time, so it means I just can't respond in detail to lots of queries. I worry this makes me sound rude or stand-offish and I always end up feeling really guilty if my answers are brief or not as in-depth as the person requesting them would like. Most people are really understanding of my lack of time, but some have, well, not been. I hope this doesn't make me sound like a horrible person!

 

Sean:

How vital is social media to the genre in which you write and how do you think social media will effect the way you write and interact in the future?

Kate:

It's so wonderful to feel like part of a community. Down here in Tassie, there aren't too many YA writers, or speculative fiction writers – I'm lucky that the couple there are happen to be people I count as friends. Social media helps me feel like I'm a part of a community. I am always in awe of the fact that Twitter and Facebook allow me to communicate with people I consider my idols. When Nick Earls first responded to one of my tweets, I nearly cried and when Ann M Martin followed me, I think it was just about the happiest day of my life (yes, I was a huge Babysitter's Club fan. Obsessed. Rabid. Insatiable). I can't imagine life without Twitter. As far as my development as a writer goes, it's been invaluable, and I have met some brilliant people, some of whom I've been able to meet in the “real world” but many who I only communicate with online. Three of these people co-organised the “Writers for Queensland” auction a couple of months ago, which raised over $20,000, so that's a real example of the good that social media can do! The whole thing was entirely organised on Twitter, email and blogs. I do love blogging, too. I only wish I had more time for it! I also pore over the blogs of other YA and Spec Fic authors and it allows me to keep up-to-date with what's going on in my genre. I couldn't do without it!

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I’d like to thank Kate for answering my questions.  You can find Kate at her site. Or she goes by @misscackle on twitter.

You should be able to purchase Thyla in all good Aussie bookstores and it’s available from Amazon as a Kindle download.

Keep your eye out for her next book, Vulpi as well.

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