The Ghoul Next Door is the second instalment in the Monster High series, following the RAD’s (Regular Attribute Dodgers)  of Merston High School, and their struggle with fitting in with normal society and trying to be themselves at the same time.

In this novel we’re following Frankie and her friends as the fallout from book one becomes the nail biting storyline for book two. There is no stopping evil Bekka’s plans to get Brett back and the RAD’s want to go public, safely. Cleo is busting a gut to become the next big thing in Teen Vogue, but what on earth are they all going to do when all hell breaks loose?

There was just as much shameless product placement in this book as there was in last one. However with the release of the merchandise, almost in sync with the book this time, I feel we have faces to add to the names in the book.  (This is, for those of us who haven’t watched episodes of the Monster High cartoons on Pay TV or on the ‘net)
I still feel that Lisi Harrison has added positive messages in the book. The importance of loyalty, how nasty peer pressure is, and being true to yourself, is just the beginning. If we scratch a little deeper there is also not making judgments on your first impressions of someone and trusting your gut instincts.

The parents took a large step back in this instalment and I’m glad. They weren’t there to totally screw up the plot and although it did seem a little weird that they went from super protective in book one, to extremely laid back in this one, it felt like perhaps they were feeling a little silly for being such butt heads previously.

This is not an intellectual’s book… only read it if you’re in the mood for fun and a few giggles. The story moves quickly and had me hooked enough to want to read through a headache.  It was worth the squinting.

Bring on book 3, Where There’s A Wolf There’s A Way, out later in 2011.
The Ghoul Next Door — Lisi Harrison

Published 1st April 2011 by Little Brown Book Group

Paperback, 256 pages

This is a special shout out to all my wonderful readers who’ve been supporting Burn Bright and helping spread word of it to the international reading community. First there’s Missie’s Aussie Book Tour at The Unread Reader.

Then bloggers like YA Concoction, She Who is Known as Jess and In The Good Books who are doing extra give aways. And CubicleBlindness for epic tweeting.

And Renee at YA Book Reads who’s put together a GREAT video blog promo.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwpYM52Nk04

There’s also the fan clip made by Abbey:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQHqz0pFCcQ&feature=youtu.be

And the others on Facebook like Fay Bear, Kate McTaggart et al. You are all fantastic!

Hi Everyone, just wanted to pop in and share some of my latest busy-ness.

I just got back from a few days book tour in Melbourne where I visited some great schools including Sunshine College, Manor Lakes, St Catherine’s (read their blog) and Presentation College.

Also had a most enjoyable kaffee klatsch at the Pancake Manor organised by Braiden from YA Concoction and you can see more photos over at his site. It was brilliant to get an opportunity to see my peeps Al Goodman and Janette Dalgliesh (who is now writing for the Marianne Delacourt site), and meet both Braiden and Skye (In The Good Books). To top it off we got a surprise visit from the lovely Adele Walsh (Persnickety Snark), and Sue Bursztynski popped in on her way to the Nova group meeting. All in all, a great hour or so.

The next day I had a radio interview at 3CR with Jan Goldsmith. We talked all things Burn Bright. The show will be on air next Thursday and the podcast will be available next week as well.

Last port of call was The Pines (library and Dymocks store). Only one brave soul turned up for the talk, but she made it more than worthwhile making the trek there. *Waves* at Julie Haydon. It also meant I got a chance to talk to the wonderful Dymocks manager, Claire, about her other life as a photographer. Wow check out her photos!!! (This is a facebook link; sorry if you’re not hooked up there)

We’re still working on overseas sales for The Night Creatures trilogy, so hang in there! Special shout out to Fay Bear and all those spreading Burn Bright love to overseas readers.

Now some news for YOU. My publisher has announced a fantastic competition. Make a 90 second book trailer of one of a selection of their books and win $1000 cash plus a heap of books for you school.

You can watch the competition information video on my new YourTube site or on the Random House site.

Of course you know which book I’ll be hoping you choose! Ahem.

There’s been a bunch of reviews continuing to flow in, especially from GoodReads. Here are links to a few of them; Tracey Lea, CBCA blog, In The Good Books, Kate Gordon.

And finally, some new interviews/blogs are up at She Who Is Known as Jess and Strange Candy with others to come soon for We Love YA Blog, Fragments of Life, Adventures of a Bookanaut and ReelSwellBlog.

St Catherine's author visit ( photo courtesy of their blog)

The existence of Werewolves, in particular, has been bandied about in both myths and fairy tales for probably as long as anyone can remember and usually they feature as the villains of the piece.

Now, with so many Weres popping up in popular media, it seems time to try to discover just where our furry-turning friends originated from, and if they do indeed deserve their howling-at-the-moon-big-bad rap.

A popular thread of thought yet again takes us back to the original Fae that lived amongst us before the great divide between theirs world and ours. Often, noble Fae men and women were thought to have the ability to transform themselves into an animal at will, or, in extremely powerful cases, any animal they chose.

Regarded as fierce warriors, these shifters were highly sought after during inter-Fae wars, and often had high ranking status as Royal body guards. Unfortunately, the history and reputation of  Weres becomes quite murky after the majority of the Fae hightailed it back when things with the Humans became a bit tricky.

Whether the Weres that stayed behind took to the more animalistic side of their natures or the inter-breeding with Humans warped their gifts, no one is sure, but it is after this time that they went from being revered to feared.

There is also no definite answer as to why there are so many different breeds of shifters. One theory that keeps popping up over and over is that, once they’d left earthside and needing to hide their true natures, those with the ability to shift to more than one animal found their power diminished and became stuck with just one shape – or that the power faded with a diluted bloodline.

Another train of thought I found fascinating is that science is to blame; that Lycanthropy is in fact the result of some mad genius with a God complex, and those unfortunate (or fortunate depending on your view) to be exposed find themselves changing into the first animal to bite them. My only problem with this theory is, if that’s the case, why aren’t we overrun with Mosquito Weres?

As for the Big Bad Wolf rap that all Weres tend to have to wear (pun intended), perhaps the most important thing to remember is that most Weres spend a fair chunk of their time furry and on the hunt. Would you try to pat a lion like you would a tabby?

And just in case the science theory proves to be true, sign me up for a shot today, as long as I get to pick my animal. Who doesn’t want super strength and senses and a slow ageing process to boot?

Some shifter tales to have you howling:

Thyla — Kate Gordon
Wolfborn — Sue Bursztynski

Nightshade — Andrea Cremer
Paranormalcy Kierstin White
Twilight saga — Stephanie Meyer

The year is 1864 and 17-year-old Stefan Salvatore is grudgingly accepting the future his father has laid out for him: becoming betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love to strengthen the family’s standing, learning the ropes to one day take over the running of the plantation and trying to keep the peace between his Father and Damon. That is until the beautiful and intoxicating Kathryn Pierce comes to stay and Stefan finds himself head over heels and craving her company. Unfortunately, Stefan isn’t the only one to find himself drawn to Kathryn—life as Stefan knows it is about to end, literally.

Origins brings us the history behind the love triangle and sibling rivalry that will span centuries and has had readers and TV viewers left desperate for more. Covering the period from just before that first fateful meeting until just after Stefan and Damon are turned, Origins answers a lot of questions and gives us a glimpse into a softer, very human Damon and Stefan, and a seemingly non-evil Kathryn. You will find yourself mourning the loss of such a close and endearing relationship between the brothers. Although it’s by no means perfect, with its brotherly competition, the dynamic is far removed from the barely maintained truce we later see. Kathryn has always been my least favourite character in both adaptations; in fact, I’m usually rooting for someone to finally give her what she deserves. But, surprisingly, I found myself liking this seemingly innocent version of Kathryn, as seen through Stefan’s eyes.

Origins will delight fans of  both the books and the TV adaptation, as well as hooking those new to the series. It has certainly become my favourite of the series. A fast paced  and sometimes nail biting trip down Stefan’s memory lane, Origins is the perfect book to curl up and spend an afternoon with some of the hottest Vamps right now. It certainly does seem true that, in Stefan and Damon’s case, “Love Sucks”.

The Vampire Diaries- Stefan’s Diaries Vol 1 Origins

Based on the Novels By L J Smith

Published by Harper Teen

Paperback, 350 pages

ISBN:978-0-06-200393-5