Tree Sacrifice on Tour

If you hang out on social media platforms, you may know that my publisher, Impress Books, sent my third book – Tree Sacrifice – on tour to book reviewers in January.

Tree Sacrifice is the third and final instalment of the Tree Magic trilogy (or tree-logy, if you like puns).

After much nail-biting, I was relieved to see that the majority of reviewers liked the story. Many of them hadn’t read Tree Magic (book 1) or Tree Slayer (book 2). This made the storyline difficult for them to follow, since the trilogy must be read in order for it to make sense.

However, the reviewers were very complimentary about my writing, which made me feel all warm and mushy. My favourite reviews were those where the readers felt differently about trees and nature after reading the trilogy. Several said they wanted to go out and hug a tree, others liked the way the story inspired them to get out and do something to protect nature. And one reader has started drawing trees.

For me, the Tree Magic trilogy was about more than writing a story. It was about making people think about trees, about getting them to imagine what trees could be saying to each other, about inspiring them to want to defend nature. So I’m proud to think that the stories have had this effect on some people, at least.

Here are a few quotes from the reviews, plus the links to read the full reviews and see some of the amazing bookstagrams the reviewers created. Many thanks to Impress Books and LoveBooksTours, who organised it.

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“I could really picture Harriet’s writing and her descriptions, which makes these books a perfect escape from realty. Her writing is also very thought provoking at times and does have you questioning life. It also certainly makes me proud to be a tree hugger because this book is simply magical and beautiful, which I’m sure I’ve said many times now!” @hannahmaybookreviews

“This might not be a book written for adults, but there was plenty to keep my interest and keep me guessing as to how it would end. It deals well with complex adolescence emotions and relationships, as well as decision making and responsibility, along with an engaging storyline that touched my tree soul.” French Village Diaries

“This is a beautiful book, great plot, well written and I really enjoyed it. I also loved the underlying idea of this – save and respect the trees. Do all we can to protect the earth and nature. A great topic for the world we live in today.” @book_a_holic_17

“Every page of this book was full of such vivid descriptions and rich imagery that I truly felt I was surrounded by nature. This book is so important for so many reasons, it allows young adults to really stretch their imagination but it also depicts the importance of nature and more specifically trees with both humans and the ecological community.’ @fiction_vixen18

“I loved the idea behind this book, gaining peace and knowledge from the world around us and protecting it as much as we can.” @tryingtomaketimetoread

“I love the idea of trees communicating, being all powerful advisers, it’s such a gorgeous story! I think it may have turned me into a tree hugger!” @thebookishhermit

 “A thrilling end to a unique and beautifully envisaged trilogy.” @Livinginmyownprivatelibrary

“Harriet writes with such beauty that the imagery created is breathtaking. It’s easy to envision what the characters are experiencing. In future I want to read the first two before rereading this book in the hopes I will understand it as it is meant to be understood!” @face_down_books_up 

“I adored the environmental themes, which were sophisticatedly weaved throughout the magical plot whilst also giving a realistic nod to the way humans often fail to respect nature 🌳 It definitely got me thinking about the little changes I can make to help to protect our world.” @the_beautyofreading

“This was a fascinating read that really stretches your imagination… A fascinating YA Fantasy that brings nature to life with the turn of each page.” @bookshortie

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Sorry if this post sounds a bit boasty. I just wanted to share the goodwill that the Tree Magic trilogy has inspired. Oh, and encourage you to read the trilogy too!

If you’d like to purchase the books, they’re all available in both ebook and paperback format from your favourite online or local bookseller. Alternatively, you can click on the cover photos in the sidebar to order them in the UK.

Tree Magic : paperback ISBN: 978-1911293637, e-book ISBN: 978-1911293644
Tree Slayer : paperback ISBN: 978-1911293392, e-book ISBN: 978-1911293408
Tree Sacrifice : paperback ISBN: 978-1911293705, e-book ISBN: 978-1911293699

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I’ll be back this spring with a series of posts on a completely different subject. Meanwhile, happy reading.

Welcome to Tree Sacrifice

I’m excited to announce that the third book in the Tree Magic series will be published by Impress Books on 7th September 2021 in both e-book and paperback formats.

Please give a warm welcome to Tree Sacrifice.

This is the final book in the trilogy, which begins with Tree Magic and is followed by Tree Slayer. I had such fun finishing Rainbow’s story. I hope you enjoy reading it.

The story is set in France and the UK – and also in a parallel world where trees and people live in harmony. That’s all I’ll say for now, but you’ll find a full blurb at the bottom of the page. If you haven’t read Tree Slayer yet, I suggest you skip the blurb (and that you read Tree Slayer before 7th September!). Some reviewers have said Tree Sacrifice is the best book yet in the series.

The cover was designed by Molly Phipps, who has done an excellent job, once again – many thanks for the colour suggestions from my readers, which I passed on to my publisher.

You can already pre-order the book from your favourite bookseller, and even from your less favourite bookseller if you don’t have an alternative. The ISBN numbers are:

– Tree Sacrifice paperback: 978-1911293705

– Tree Sacrifice e-book: 9781911293699

(The ASIN code for the kindle version of the e-book on Amazon is B08X4Y1YKK )

Pre-orders are really important to authors because the publisher’s marketing budget is often allocated according to the number – lots of pre-orders means that the book will have a bigger budget and reach more people.

Here are some direct links to take you to the three-book series on Amazon: Amazon UK, Amazon France, Amazon USA

Finally, I’d like to thank you for supporting me. To show your appreciation for the years of work involved in each book, it would be great if you could leave comments on Amazon or Goodreads, share posts about the books on social media, talk about them to friends and ask your local library to order copies.

Here’s the blurb:

Tree Sacrifice

A suicide pact. A new responsibility. A desperate bid for harmony.

As Rainbow leaves Brocéliande forest after the events of Tree Slayer, she learns that a much greater challenge faces her. Exasperated by mankind’s disrespect for trees, the One Tree has set a terrible event into motion. Rainbow is strictly forbidden from intervening, but thousands of trees across France could die unless she does so.

Her search for guidance will take her to England, where a startling discovery makes sense of her gift and opens new perspectives. She must take the hardest decision of her life. But will her and Eole’s sacrifices be enough to save the French forests?

Unknown to Rainbow, help is close by. But it lies in a different world, a parallel world where mankind lives in unity with trees. There, Druana must decide whether she’s prepared to risk everything to rebalance her world.

Will Druana and Rainbow ever meet? What would be the cost? For everything gained, something must be lost.

***

 

Free Writing Workshop

Have you ever written creatively in another language?

Several years ago I took part in a series of regular writing workshops in French. I was very nervous before the first one. My French is fine for everyday life and work but I was sure I’d never be able to write anything decent.

What I wrote during those workshops was pretty basic. But it wasn’t a waste of time. I discovered that taking part in them activated my creative mind. I wasn’t able to write flowery, detailed sentences of exquisite beauty (hey, I can’t even do that in English), but I could still build a structure, develop a voice and create something in my mind that I then expressed on paper. It was a great way to pare down to the essentials of what I wanted to show.

My experience in these workshops is one reason why I have offered to do a free creative writing workshop in English for French speakers. I’d like other people to discover the satisfaction of creating something in your mind and then seeing it on paper in another language.

courtesy of Le Texte Libre

The bookshop in Cognac, Le Texte Libre, will be hosting the writing workshop. They have also organised a Meet the Author session led by Christine Clamens afterwards.

If you like, you can simply come to this second part.

My two novels, Tree Magic and Tree Slayer, are already on sale at Le Texte Libre. I’m happy to do book signings – as long as you promise to ask easy questions and clap loudly at the end!

While I’m being silly, here’s a link to a short video I made for Le Texte Libre’s facebook page.

The event is being held on Saturday 16th January 2021 from 3-6pm. The workshop will run from 3 – 5pm, and the Question & Answer (Q&A) session will begin at 5:15pm and finish at 6pm.

You don’t have to be bilingual to take part in the workshop, but you do need to be able to write basic sentences in English. If you don’t want to write, why not come along to the Meet the Author session and practise listening & speaking in English?

Reservations will be necessary for the workshop part, since we can only have 12 participants. Of course there will be a lot more room for an audience at the Q&A afterwards. You can call Le Texte Libre on 05 45 32 20 52 to reserve or leave a message on their facebook page.

If you know of any non-native English speakers who may be interested, please let them know. Of course, native English speakers are also welcome. If you’ve never written anything before, this may be a good way to try.

Finally, if you’d like to know more about me and my books, you can listen to this radio interview at RCF Charente, which I did in October, or this youtube video with the CEO of Impress Books, my publisher, which dates from June.

Look after yourself, have a happy Christmas and I hope to see you on Saturday 16th January.

Coming Soon… Tree Slayer

In France it’s La Rentrée – the French term for Back to School – which means that after the lazy summer days of sunshine and aperitifs, it’s time to get back to work. (My summer wasn’t lazy, actually, since my bike and tent featured in a few escapades and I fell in love – but more about that in a later post).

So to begin La Rentrée, I have some book news to share with you. In previous posts, I explained that my novel Tree Magic has been re-released by Impress Books in a second edition. The paperback is now available and looks amazing. I love the woody font used for the section pages.

 

To celebrate the new edition, my publisher has sent Tree Magic on tour. This means that every day between 7th and 14th September, a series of book bloggers – 35 of them at the last count – will be posting reviews, interviews and generally flooding social media with photos. This will lead to millions of book sales and make me a bestselling author. I hope.

The blog tour is organised by Love Books Group. You can find details of the bloggers involved at the link to their Tree Magic page. I’ve also copied the dates into the ‘Tree Magic Series‘ tab on this blog. If you’d like to drop in and comment on their posts, that would be wonderful.

Very shortly after, on 6th October, I’m delighted to announce that Tree Slayer – the sequel to Tree Magic – will be published in both e-book and paperback format. And because you’re kind enough to read my blog posts, I’m going to share the cover with you. Ssshhhh, the official cover reveal (for the whole world and not just you) takes place on 16th September.

Isn’t it just stunning?

You can already pre-order Tree Slayer from your local bookshop or online. The ISBN numbers are 9781911293392 for the paperback and 9781911293408 for the e-book. And if you want to resort to Amazon, here are the links to the Tree Slayer pages on the UK, US and French Amazon websites.

Tree Slayer is also going on tour with Love Books Group. The dates are from 26th October to 1st November, so hopefully there will be plenty of buzz – or hype or whatever the marketing experts call it – for publication day on 6th October.

What’s more, the lovely Jacqueline at French Village Diaries will be posting her review of Tree Slayer on 30th September followed by a Q&A interview with me on 2nd October.

Would you like to see the blurb for Tree Slayer? Yes? OK, here you are:

A horrific gale. A mysterious quest. The most important tree in France to save.

Nine months after the events of Tree Magic, Rainbow is struggling to come to terms with how she’s changed. Her bond with trees has grown and she’s found a way to work with them. But Amrita’s warnings about a Tree Slayer are gaining strength and Rainbow can no longer ignore them.

To protect France’s woodland, she’ll need to save the One Tree, although its whereabouts remains a mystery. To find it, Rainbow will have to leave everything she knows and loves. It will be her greatest challenge yet – but she cannot succeed alone. She’ll have to enlist the help of Eole, an enigmatic scientist and sceptic.

Rainbow’s journey through mountains and forests will increase her understanding of the tree world and of herself. But her life is at risk. Does she have what it takes to face the Tree Slayer? And can she trust Eole, who has powers of his own?

While writing Tree Slayer, I was invited on a residency in the Pyrenees mountains, which is where part of the story is set. I wrote a series of blog posts about it and will be re-blogging them from the beginning of September. I hope you’ll enjoy (re-)reading them.

One final piece of good news regarding the Tree Magic series: both books have been selected for the Bookseller Association’s Christmas catalogue. This is where 90% of independent booksellers stock their shelves, so you may even see my books in your local bookstore in December.

Add to all those dates the preparation I’ll be doing for an autumn writing workshop and live interview at my local bookshop, Le Texte Libre, and I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s going to be a busy month of September, full of highs (good reviews), lows (bad reviews) and important questions, such as: How am I going to find time to continue editing the third book in the series? And what colour will its cover be?

Happy Rentrée to you all!

Some Personal Stuff: An Interview

Last Friday I had to summon my courage and my speaking skills when the CEO of Untold Publishing, Jeff Collyer, asked if he could interview me about my writing via Zoom.

This is because the second edition of Tree Magic has been released by Impress Books this week and the sequel, Tree Slayer, will be out in September 2020.

Of course I had to say yes. Nowadays, writers are expected to have a level of visibility that many of us would prefer to avoid. But Jeff promised to be kind and I had the support of fellow Impress Books writer Tracey Warr during the interview. Tracey’s final book in the Conquest series has also been published this week, and I’m looking forward to reading the end of her medieval trilogy about the daughter of the last king of Wales.

So here is the interview on Youtube. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me via this blog or on Facebook / Twitter.

Are you sitting comfortably? It’ll take half an hour.

 

 

 

Second Edition of Tree Magic

Exciting news! 

My second novel – the sequel to Tree Magic – will be published in September. Because of this, my publisher, Impress Books, has decided to re-launch Tree Magic with a brand new cover.

Isn’t it pretty? Many thanks to designer Molly Phipps and to Jeffrey Collyer, CEO of Untold Publishing, the group to which Impress Books now belongs.

The ebook is available to pre-order NOW from online bookshops, and will be released on 2nd June 2020.

The paperback version will be ready once the Covid restrictions are lifted – but the original paperback is still available.

Here’s the blurb:

A life fractured into parallel worlds. A quiet magic to accept or ignore. A decision to make.

Escape from difficult family dynamics is teenager Rainbow’s desire. When she discovers a strange gift for communicating with trees, she thinks she’s found her salvation. Even better, a mysterious but gentle man living in her Dorset village helps develop her powers.

But when tragedy strikes, Rainbow’s life is torn apart, creating parallel worlds in the process. In one life, the vulnerable Rainbow strives to salvage her family. In the other, her alter-ego, Mary, flees her past. Over the next few years the two versions of Rainbow follow very different lives. The source of their grief, however, is the same – a confession buried deep within their memories.

Could France offer more than a mere escape? As the two worlds draw closer and memories resurface, Rainbow and Mary’s futures must be determined. Can they receive the healing they need? Or will the renewed pain be too much to bear? Only by risking their lives will they know.

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And here are the book details:

Ebook ISBN-13 number: 978-1-911293-64-4

Link Amazon.co.uk:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087MCBT53

Link Amazon.com      https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087MCBT53

Link Amazon.fr:         https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B087MCBT53

 

Going Public

Sometimes I wonder whether writing a blog is a waste of time. An enjoyable waste of time, but still time that I could spend doing useful things like, um, writing proper stuff? Or testing my kids on their irregular verbs. Or making fab meals for my partner. Or maybe cleaning the greasy grime from my bath (actually, no; not that).

And then something like this happens, and my effort is rewarded.

Like what? I hear you ask.

Click, click, click… like this:

I was in the Pyrenees mountains on my writing residency in June and, to avoid being lonely in the evening, I wrote silly things on my blog about what I’d been doing each writerly day.

On my last day, I received an email via my blog contact page from Clare, a Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook website editor.

If you’re a writer and you’re thinking about publication, you’ll know that this red writers’ bible is published annually and contains listings of agents, publishers, magazines, awards and associations. It also has practical articles from writers talking about their craft.

Well, Clare had been reading my blog and wanted me to write an article for the Writers & Artists  website.

So I did. I wrote ‘Going Public’.

And from this surprise request, I have learnt that having a bit of fun and being yourself seems to be more effective than spending hours drafting queries and proposals.

(Hmm… talking of drafting queries: if you happen to be a literary agent and like my blog, feel free to contact me and offer me representation.)

Anyway, here‘s the article on the Writers & Artists website.

I hope you find it useful. Or interesting. Or something like that.

While you’re there, take the time to browse the website because it has loads of useful information on it. You can register for free and sign up for the newsletter too.

You might even find an article about how to catch the media’s attention via your blog…

Tree Magic available to pre-order

I’m pleased to announce that my YA novel Tree Magic is now available to pre-order from Amazon and other ebook websites. It will be published on 9th January by Impress Books’ digital-first imprint Watchword ebooks.

“13-year-old Rainbow travels from England to France, through secrets, fears and parallel worlds, to discover whether her ability to communicate with trees is a gift or a curse.

“Will she find her place in today’s scientific society? To find the truth, she must also find herself.”

You have until the end of today, 9th November 2016, to win a Tree Magic prize on Twitter at @ImpressBooks1. Just retweet and follow the pinned tweet at the top of the page to qualify.

Many thanks for your support.

Impressed!

Tree Magic

“Thirteen-year-old Rainbow discovers she can communicate with trees. But that’s just the beginning.

Her magic hands can shape trees at will, but her gift is dangerous and has fatal consequences. An accident that leaves Rainbow in a coma leads her mother to make a confession that will change Rainbow’s life forever.

Are her abilities a gift or a curse? Can Rainbow really trust her mother?

From England to France, through secrets, fears and parallel worlds, Rainbow’s journey to understand her powers takes her beyond everything she’s ever known.

To find the truth, she must also find herself.”

I didn’t write this. I mean, I wrote the book Tree Magic but I didn’t write the blurb you’ve just read.

It’s a strange feeling when someone else writes a piece based on your own work.

Unlike a review, in which the reviewer is giving their opinion from outside the book, this blurb has been written from the inside. It’s written by a reader who is interpreting your story and wants to share it with other readers. Up to now the only person who has done this is me.

So who did write it?

My publisher!

Ooh…Shivers down my spine. Yes, I’m excited. A novel is a bit like a child, and when someone takes an interest in your child it makes you happy. Unless it’s the police, of course. Or an unsuitable boyfriend – you know: tall, dark (why dark? Isn’t that hairist?), handsome, rich, fun. (In case you’re wondering, he’s unsuitable because your daughter will fall for him and then neglect her studies).

Rainbow has interested several people since she first knocked on the door of my imagination and demanded to be let in. To begin with I let her into the hall, where she asked for a short story – this was back in 2005. I read Rainbow’s story to my writers group, Lumineuse. Later, one of the writers (Christine) told me she could almost see Rainbow beside me.

Rainbow liked this. “See!” she said to me. “Now you’ve got to let me sit down and have a drink.”

She ignored my protests about not having sold my first novel (novel Zero) yet, pushed her way into my living room and demanded a novel of her own. These teenagers. They’re all the same.

Like the model mother I try to be, I negotiated that she could have a small novel as long as she took her feet off my coffee table and helped with the washing up.

She shrugged. “Whatever,” she said. 

But the small novel shot up, in the way teenagers do, and became a full size novel.

Rainbow had her own bedroom by now. She would play loud music and order pizza for dinner. She was great company – when she wasn’t sulking about me having to go out and earn a living and deal with real life.

In the end, she decided my house was too small for us both. She wanted to go into the world, which I guess is natural. I’d taken her to meet my writing friends over the years, but now this wasn’t enough.

We wrote off to find her a place with an agent or publisher. Some were interested and encouraged her to keep trying, though they didn’t have room for her. She was interviewed several times, won a runner-up position in a competition and, at one point, was even offered a place.

This didn’t work out, though, and I think she became a little depressed. These poor kids spend years studying, only to find there are no jobs at the end of all the hard work.

Then, one day, an interviewer asked to see her for longer than the standard three minutes. She took her whole self along and gave everything. The publisher liked her. Rainbow liked the look of the publisher. We negotiated. Rainbow yawned – she was a bit bored by all the nitty-gritty, real-world stuff – and we came to an agreement.

So my Rainbow is due to fly the nest. I’m leaving her in the capable hands of a nice young man (Tall? Dark? Handsome?) at Impress Books.

Hence the terrible pun in the blog post title… my apologies if you’re groaning.

Click the following links to find out more about Impress and their ebook imprint Watchword. You can sign up to their blog, discover their authors, see a silly photo of me, read a quote from my editor – and, around January 2017, you’ll find Rainbow sitting on the shelf beside the other Watchword ebooks.