GUEST BLOG: If Only I Could - Liz Kessler

‘If only I could go back in time and…’

Have you ever had a thought that began like this? If only you could go back and change one thing, or say something differently… If you could see someone again who you met years ago and have no idea how to contact now. If you had made one tiny decision differently. If you could thank someone who did something for you and you never saw again…

These are the kinds of ideas and thoughts that fascinate me. I love the fact that our lives hinge and turn on a hundred of these moments every day. Which is why I was very excited when I managed to persuade my publisher to let me write three books that explore these questions, each in different ways. The first, A Year Without Autumn (which came out in 2011) looked at what might happen if you saw something terrible in your future and you got the chance to go back in time and change one tiny moment that might change your future as well as your past.

The second of these standalone time slip books is North of Nowhere, which is out this month. The book looks at time travel in a completely different way. This one explores what might happen if, somehow, you could communicate with someone who had lived in a different time from you. Or, to be more precise, someone who is alive now but you could communicate with them when they were a completely different age from what they are now. Sound complicated? Well, yes, it is a bit! Or it was when I was writing it, anyway. Spending a year figuring out how to make everything add up so that my characters could successfully travel backwards and forwards in time, with not only the past affecting the present, but the present affecting the past as well, left my brain spinning and bedraggled! It was one of the hardest tasks I’ve ever undertaken.

But as with lots of things, the harder the task, the more satisfying it is when it’s done. And if you get to read it, I hope you’ll agree and find it a satisfying read as well!

And maybe it’ll get you thinking, too. What if you could talk to someone who’d lived in a different era? Or perhaps you could meet up with someone you know in your life today, but when they are much older – or younger – than they are now. Who would you choose? What would you say to them? What might change as a result of your conversation?

Makes you think, doesn’t it…


NORTH OF NOWHERE by Liz Kessler is published by Orion Children’s Books on 24 January in hardback at £9.99 



BREAKING NEWS:
But wait, we're not done yet, theres a Young Writers Competition in conjunction with "The Guardian" the details are:

"The competition is open to all writers aged 8-13 who need to finish the story (which is the opening paragraph of NORTH OF NOWHERE) in 500 words or less. Entries are open from 17 January 2013 – 28 March 2013. The winner will have their story published on the Guardian Children’s Books website, will win a digital camera as well as £100 worth of Orion Children’s Books for their school library.

The competition will be launched on the Guardian Childrens Books website on 17 January:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site"

8+: North of Nowhere - Liz Kessler

Release Date: 31/01/13

Book Blurb: 
The sleepy seaside village of Porthaven hides a mystery ...Mia's grandad has vanished and nobody knows why. When Mia and her mum go to support her grandma, Mia makes friends with local girl, Dee. But why does Dee seem so out of reach? Why does she claim to be facing violent storms when Mia sees only sunny skies? And can Mia solve the mystery and find her grandad before time and tide forever wash away his future? A night of storms. A lifetime of secrets. A week to find the truth.

Review: 
If there’s something that Liz does well, its bringing a story of suspense and mystery with a character that the younger reader can not only associate with but want to spend time with. The prose as usual is crisp, the twists and turns magical and when added to some cracking authorly slight of hand, the reader will be more than thrilled with the title. Add to the mix some magical scene settings through vividly descriptive passages and all round the reader is in for a treat, especially as the whole thing plays out wonderfully within their imagination like a personal mini movie. Magical.



   

8+: Emily Windsnap 5: Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun - Liz Kessler

Release Date: 06/09/12

Book Blurb: 
Emily and Aaron are sent on a top secret mission by King Neptune. The king has been having nightmares he doesn't understand and he knows only that Emily and Aaron must go to the Land of the Midnight Sun to avoid catastrophe. But when the friends arrive in this icy world of mountains and glaciers, they uncover a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined. With the help of her best friends and a brave heart can Emily survive and fulfil her mission? A magical adventure about the power of friendship.

Review: 
Liz is an author that knows what her readers want and delivers it in spades as in this, the fifth title in the Emily Windsnap series has gone to prove. Emily as a character has grown and with the support of her friends alongside her courage really has gone from strength to strength with each subsequent title challenging her more than the last.

Here sent to the far north (on a mission for Nepture) Emily is thrown straight in at the deep end and its only through her determination that things get done, it’s a wonderful read, has some truly magical moments and when blended with the authors no nonsense no word wasted style really makes this one of the best of the series to date. Great stuff.

   

TEEN: A Year Without Autumn - Liz Kessler

Release Date: 07/04/11

BOOK BLURB:

If you could see into the future - would you look? Jenni Green doesn't have a choice. On her way to visit her best friend, Autumn, Jenni suddenly finds she's been transported exactly one year forward in time. Now she discovers that in the year that's gone by, tragedy has struck and her friendship with Autumn will never be the same again. But what caused the tragedy? How did Jenni skip a year? And can she find her way back to the past to try to change what lies ahead? With humour - and her customary light touch - the author of the EMILY WINDSNAP books plays a fascinating game with time, and explores the changes that take place in friendships and families in the aftermath of a disaster.


REVIEW:

Having enjoyed Liz’ last Emily Windsnapp series I was interested to see how the author would deal with a title that dealt more with the adult side of life and consequences. Here in this title, that is exactly what happens as this tale, aimed at the older teen market takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster with only a touch of science fiction added. It’s well thought out, the characters are believable and the hooks that the author gives the reader will not only appeal on an emotional level but also on a likeability factor.

All in, this is a book that should be read if only to see Liz’ writing going to another level as the prose are delightful, the subject matter thought provoking and above all else it’s the dialogue and friendship of the principle characters that will really enamour the reader to the overall arc.

9+: Liz Kessler Day: Philippa Fisher and the Stone Fairy's Promise, Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret

Release Date: 03/06/10

BOOK BLURB:

Philippa is looking forward to spending New Year in the village where her new friend Robyn lives. But her fairy godsister, Daisy - assigned to a new job but disobeying orders as usual - turns up to warn her that Something Really Bad (SRB) is going to happen! What they don't know is that a fairy has gone missing from the ancient stone circle on the moors - and that at ATC (Above The Clouds) Headquarters, the fairy godmothers in charge have a special plan for them. A perfect story for Liz Kessler's many fans, in which humans and fairies swap worlds with dramatic and unexpected consequences.


REVIEW:

Young Readers who love fairies will probably be pretty enthused by this offering by Liz Kessler it’s got adventure, it’s got magic and it has a time scale that should the quest be unfulfilled the world is at stake. Unfortunately as an initiate to this series I felt locked out in the cold as I didn’t understand the driving forces behind the characters involved and whilst it was interesting, there just wasn’t enough hooks to keep me glued to the final page which left this title one that was read over numerous sittings rather than over one or two. A great shame but it might be worth noting but start with this from the beginning in order to give it a fair crack of the whip.




Release Date: 03/06/10

BOOK BLURB:

Emily is delighted when her family returns to Brightport. But their attempts to follow Neptune's orders to bring humans and merfolk together seem hopeless. Thrown out of mermaid school and scorned by her old enemy Mandy Rushton, Emily goes in search of the lost sirens, banished by Neptune to a top secret undersea cavern. Only when she uncovers the true story behind the lost sirens can she bring the pieces of her own life back together.


REVIEW:

Whilst I didn’t get on that well with Liz’s Philippa Fisher title, I absolutely loved this one. Yes it’s the fourth book in the series and whilst there are some spoilers for the previous novel, this one definitely is readable without prior knowledge of events or the characters. It’s fun, it has adventure and above all else it carries the message of people accepting others cultures which is a message that should be imparted to children of all ages. Add to the mix characters that not only “swish” off the page, but bring to life their world alongside their emotional worries and you know that it’s a title that the 8+ range will get a blast from. I really will have to check out the other titles in this series.