Today I’m pleased to welcome best-selling writer, Alex Bell to Bart’s Bookshelf. Author of The Ninth Circle and Jasmyn. Lex Trent versus The Gods is her first foray in to YA comic fantasy.

I also have news of a fantastic giveaway from Alex and her publisher, Headline, after the interview, so be sure to keep reading!

Alex Bell: Hi Darren. I am an escaped law student, an avid reader, a compulsive writer, and a proud Great Dane owner.

Lex Trent versus The Gods is my third novel, and the first to be YA and comic fantasy. It’s a fantasy adventure story about a good-for-nothing scoundrel who lies, cheats, swindles, and gets away with it.

Alex Bell: As a child, Lex suffered for a brief while from terrible nightmares about octopuses.

*Blinks* Actually that doesn’t totally surprise me… Now as you say Lex is “a good-for-nothing scoundrel who lies, cheats, swindles, and gets away with it.” But what about his less redeeming features. Surely there is a ‘good boy’ in there just waiting to escape?!

Alex Bell: Er . . . well, you never know, but I seriously doubt it!

Alex Bell: Lex didn’t change a huge amount during the editing process but, aided by the notes I got from my editor, I think the story became more exciting than it had been in the first draft. I added some new scenes and polished certain sections that were already there – and past experience obviously helps with all of that.

Alex Bell: Lex’s next adventure will be even bigger and better than the last one! He will face stiffer competition, come up against greater perils, and perpetrate more outrageous frauds. And he will find himself evenly matched with his next companion, who is almost as much of a rascal as Lex is himself. There will be more Gods, more strange beasts, more weird & wonderful locations, more cheating, and more scams!

Alex Bell: I mostly write at my desk at home, preferably early in the morning or late at night when the house is quieter. I can’t listen to music whilst I write, although I do enjoy writing in coffee shops sometimes (when I can afford it!)

As for inspiration and prompts, I have a noticeboard on the wall above my desk which I cover with pictures, photos, maps, postcards, and anything else I think might inspire me. I also have an extremely untidy desk that is covered with weird and wonderful things that I’ve been known to mess about with when I’m trying to work out how to move the story forwards. And I have a big skeleton named Erin in my room who I will talk to if I’m getting really stuck.

It’s also important for me to have lots of cats around me when I’m writing. They release happy enzymes in my brain, and help me think! Especially my little Siamese who spends most of each day on my lap. I don’t think I could write very well without cats, which is why my three are all duly acknowledged in the acknowledgement section of every one of my books!

Alex Bell: I’m working on another serious adult book at the moment, but I would certainly jump at the chance to write more Lex Trents, or more books that are like Lex Trent, as I have so much fun with the comic fantasies. I have lots of ideas for funny books I could do in the future.

Alex Bell: I think all that’s left is to thank you for the great questions, Darren!

Lex Trent versus The Gods by Alex Bell is out Now!

Alex Bell, can also be found: Blog | Twitter | Publisher

GIVEAWAY!

Anti-Hero: In fiction, an antihero (feminine: antiheroine) is a protagonist whose character or goals are antithetical to traditional heroism…

Alex’s publisher has agreed to giveaway a SIGNED copy of Lex’s first adventure to THREE lucky readers of Bart’s Bookshelf!

Entry is very simple and there are two ways to win:

First: Simply comment on this post and let me know who your favourite literary anti-hero is, at the end of the entry period, I’ll pick TWO random winners.

Second: Tweet the following to help spread the word of the giveaway, and once the entry period is over, I’ll pick ONE winner.

Win a copy of Lex Trent versus the Gods a brand new YA comic fantasy by Alex Bell. Enter at @bartsbooks http://bit.ly/cmk33b

Headline have kindly agreed to send worldwide. Contest is open until midnight GMT on Monday February 15th 2010.

Winners will be notified by email or twitter.

See: Contest Policy

Blogging wise, I’ve got a couple of reviews I’d like to get at least started on so I can hopefully post something next week if work goes to pot again! There’s also a couple of interviews I’m working on at the moment, which I really need to complete. And that pretty much is my Sunday. How’s your week been?

Books Read and Reviewed

• The Thirteen Treasures by Michele Harrison
  an engaging, gothicy and slightly old-fashioned (in a good way) adventurous romp.
• What I Was by Meg Rosoff
  Originally published in the UK as a YA title, and in the US as an adult title this one straddles that divide perfectly and will equally appeal to both groups.
• Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
  I can’t say enough about just how good the prose is, brilliant imagery, and profound language fill the pages.
• The Bird Room by Chris Killen
  Verdict: Decent – but not for me.
• Graceling by Kirsten Kashore
  A compelling ‘light’ fantasy, well worth the read and  the companion novel, Fire, is most definitely on my wishlist.
• Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez
  Everything I’ve been told about the wonderfulness of Márquez’s writing is true, and I’ll certainly be attempting one of his longer works in the near future!
• Lex Trent vs The Gods by Alex Bell
  Look for a review of this one later this week!

Totals: 7 Books; 1896 Pages; 3 Books by Male Authors, 4 Books by Female Authors

Site News

January was my second busiest months ever for visitors! So, I’m really pleased with the way things are shaping up. Also had a few new people commenting regularly and that is just brilliant! Keep it up, I love hearing what you all have to say!

Top Ten Commenters in Jan

Beth F Amanda Amused stephanie Chris

Kailana Louise Joanne Alyce Becky

Top Book Searches

What books were people searching for when they ended up here? (and links to what they might have been looking for.)

The Ghost of Thomas Tempe; Hunger Games; The Ask and the Answer; The Silver Kiss; The Bloodline Cipher

So, how was your reading in January?

What I’m hoping to do with this post and at the end of every month, is highlight a few of the reviews that have been posted, in the style of a review carnival. Hopefully, in addition to spreading a bit of link-love this will point you in the direction of one or two books you may not have come across before that will then help you compete the challenge!

A few stats before we start:

• 126 Readers are signed up to take part!
• 60 Review links posted!

What I’m hoping to do at the end of each month, is highlight a few of the reviews that have been posted, in the style of a review carnival. Hopefully, in addition to spreading a bit of link-love this will point you in the direction of one or two books you may not have come across before that will then help you compete the challenge!

	The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin Review by Sherrie @ Just Books for the Young Adult Category. Who had this to say: This is a wonderful book! I was intrigued and hooked about the 3rd chapter. Couldn’t put it down after that.
	The Green Hills of Earth by Robert Heinlein Review by Carl V @ Stainless Steel Dropping for the TBR Category. Who had this to say: If you are interested in bite-sized samples of Heinlein’s work, and/or are a fan of short stories, I highly recommend this collection.
	Hespira by Matthew Hughes Review by Richarn LeComte’s Life at the Keyboard for the Shiny & New Category. Who had this to say: This charming adventure will make you stay up late to finish it, particularly if you’ve read the other two books.
	Breathers a Zombies Lament by S.G.Browne Review by Stephanies Confessions of a Book-a-hollic for the Bad Bloggers Category. Who had this to say: This book is one of those rare gems that you pick up, not knowing that much about….and find out how truly fabulous it is!!
	In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson Review by Amused by Books for the Charity Category. Who had this to say: If I didn’t want to visit this place before I sure as heck do now! It’s my first Grade A book of 2010!his
	The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale Review by BethF of Beth Fish Reads for the New in 2010 Category. Who had this to say: My only complaint about the novel is that I think it begs for an epilogue. On the other hand, perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to get a sequel.
	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Review by Books to Share for the Older than You Category Who had this to say: It has all requirements to become a classic. Lovable characters, great settings, nice-flow storytelling, and memorable ending.
	The Dark Devine by Bree Despain Review my So Many Books so Little Time for the Win Win Category Who had this to say: Wow!  I had heard good things about The Dark Divine and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.  I loved this book!
	The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi Review by The James Review for the ‘Who are You Again?’ Category Who had this to say: This debut novel is a stunner, a singular marvel exploding across the pages.
	A Whole New Mind by Daniel H Pink Review by Karen @ Never Stop? for the Up to You Category. Who had this to say: I highly recommend this book for all educators and for anyone else who wants to enhance the workings of their brain.

Be sure to click on the covers to take you to the full review, and don’t forget to leave them a comment!

Despite a little ribbing from my colleagues at work…

You’re going to a what? To do what?

The poor misguided souls just don’t understand…

Anyway is was everything I hoped it would be, and I managed to grab a few photos and a very short snippet of him reading from the book.

And I knew I’d never get away with not sharing! So here they are…

View Full Album

I ended up fumbling the camera so only managed to get a short useable snippet of him reading from the book.

To give it some context, the novel is set in a world where your social status is decided by what colour you can perceive: The Colortocracy: is the hierarchy of social order your perception of colour places you in (think the British Social classes in the 18/19th centuries) with Purple being the highest, then Blues, Greens, Yellows, Oranges and Reds, with the Greys having the least rights of all.

The novel’s hero, Eddie Russett (a red)  is explaining the test all of the populace takes at age 20 to determine one’s colour perception…

We also managed to pick-up a few facts about his writing.

He loves a writing dare does Jasper Fforde, and most of his books start from him writing himself out of a ‘hole’ in some way.

(I’m paraphrasing most of these, because I forgot to take a note pad!)

• Thursday Next came from the premise that Jane Eyre has been kidnapped; discuss…
• The Big Over Easy, was simply, Who Killed Humpty Dumpty
• and the entire novel 100,000 word + novel of The Fourth Bear, exists solely to explain the porridge…***

The challenge being not only to write himself out of the hole, but to also create a world in which the answer he comes up with not only works but is believable and in fact perfectly reasonable..

*** Think about it… Daddy Bear’s big bowl is too hot, Mummy Bear’s medium bowl is too cold and Baby Bear’s little bowl is just right… How is that even logically possible? The answer? There must have been another bear, and everything else in the book exists to prove that point.

We also learnt that while the Thursday Next books to excellently around the world, and have been translated in to 18 languages, The Nursery Crime books have yet to be translated and this is due to Humpty Dumpty and Goldilocks not being part of non-English speaking cultures apparently.

All this was fed into random.org which shuffled the numbers and picked:

#90 =  Julie J from the blog: MY OWN LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD

Congratulations Julie!!! Just let me know which book from this list and where you want it sending via my contact page and I’ll get your prize off to you!

Returning to his home town some twenty years after the murder of Santiago Nasar, our narrator attempts to unravel what happened on the fateful day, and why a whole town could have been aware of what was about to happen and yet do nothing to stop it.

It’s an examination of (and I suspect criticism of) machismo.The two brothers that carry out the murder, do so, more because tradition dictates they must avenge their sisters ‘honour’ than any real wish to carry out such an act.

This is a murder mystery that is more about how it can have happened, than the who, and why.

Everything I’ve been told about the wonderfulness of Márquez’s writing is true, and I’ll certainly be attempting one of his longer works in the near future!

‘The truth is I didn’t know what to do,’ he told me. ‘My first thought was that it wasn’t any business of mine but something for the civil authorities, but then I made up my mind to say something in passing to Placida Linero.’ Yet when he crossed the square, he’d forgotten completely. ‘You have to understand,’ he told me, ‘that the bishop was coming that day.’

Other Reviews to Consider:

A Striped Armchair | The Book Gnome

Buy: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez, From the Book Depository

At a ceremony in central London earlier tonight, poet Christopher Reid, beat off competition from Patrick Ness, Graham Farmelo, Raphael Selbourne and Colm Toibin etc to win the 2009 Costa Book Prize.

The judges described A Scattering as “intensely moving, compelling and honest”.

The collection of poetry, was written as a tribute to his late wife Lucinda Gane, who passed away in 2005.

On collecting his award, Reid thanked the judges and commented on the experience of writing the collection and winning the award.

“I am absolutely delighted and bewildered to be the recipient of this important literary prize.

“The book itself was difficult to write, but it has had a very happy time since it fell into the hands of my publisher.”

It will come as little surprise to many that I was rooting for Patrick Ness to win, and while he didn’t the judges did say that his trilogy A Chaos Walking of which The Ask and the Answer is the second book, is “a major achievement in the making”

Have you read any of the finalists? What did you think of them?

Three books in to the house this week, which slightly takes me back over where my TBR pile was at the start of my book buying ban But then there is still over a month to go so I may get it lower!

• Lex Trent versus The Gods by Alex Bell: I was sent this book by the publisher for review. We’re also trying to get an interview with Alex together as well, which should appear on the blog at some time in Feburary.
• Hector and the Search for Happiness: Was sent to me by the lovely people at Gaelic Books.
• Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde: Bought this one and I can’t wait to start it! I’ve loved everything he’s written in the past. Even better I’m off to hear him talk about it on Thursday, and I’m going to take it along in the hope of getting it signed!

Mailbox Monday: Is hosted by Marcia, of The Printed Page.  Head over there if you want to see what everyone else has received in the last week or you want to play along!

1. My most recent review is: Graceling by Kristin Cashore a novel where one or more of the main characters have a natural or innate skill, as do..
2. Alek and Deryn from Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Alek and Deryn’s paths collide, primarily because Alek is on the run to avoid the bad guy’s and save his life. As is…
3. Jamie, the squash playing teenager from Tim Bowler’s Shadows. Tim is a British author who I have seen many times compared to…
4. David Almond, who collaborated with one of my favourite illustrators, Dave McKean on The Savage. McKean is also well known for his work with…
5. Neil Gaiman. Who wrote my favourite book of 2008 with The Graveyard Book, which was also illustrated by Mckean. Gaiman also once wrote a book with…
6. Sir Terry Pratchett, who is most famous for his Discworld series, however my favourite book of his, is, 2008’s Nation.

Well, I had a lot of fun with that! Feel free to keep the chain(s) going in the comments! (Comments here are threaded, so don’t worry if the chain splits, just hit the relevant reply link and keep the one going that feels right!)