My Swordhand is Singing

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The story immediately starts off right: a gruesome murder, a man being buried with spikes in his casket, and with cattle mysteriously dying, the small Russian village knows what’s up. So does Peter’s father, but he is drunk most of the time, wanting to forget his dark past. The people of the village are superstitious and coat their houses in tar on St Andrews Eve to ward off the evils of winter until the spring comes.

Set in the isolated, hostile environment of the forests of seventeenth century Romania, My Swordhand Is Singing tells of the enigmatic Tomas and his adolescent son, Peter, woodcutters and outsiders who cannot seem to find a place to settle. They have spent longer in the village of Chust than they have in any place before and Peter is finally beginning to put down some roots. He has even begun a fledgling romance with draper's daughter, Agnes. However, secrets bristle the air at home, erecting a large and painful barrier between Peter and his father. But family tensions are the least of Peter's worries. Strange and menacing things are happening in Chust. A man who recently died in mysterious circumstances is said to be visiting his wife at night. Something is very, very wrong. Yet when Peter discovers the truth about his father’s forbidden box, the dead rise from their graves – looking for a sword. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments

I am reading this book right now for the carnegie award and i have a feeling it is the best book out of all of the different ones ot read. The book's dark and brooding pace suits the story's mood. Written in third person, the tale oversees the life of Peter whose secretive father hides a tragic past and whose distant and offhanded demeanour makes growing up in the cold wild of 17th century Romania difficult. After moving from place to place we find father and son beginning to settle on the fringes of the village of Chust. Here, Peter tries to forge relationships with the guarded locals, but all is not as it seems as the nights are plagued by vampires. Peter finds himself not only entangled a web of deceit within the village but also in the grip of his father's past which will not leave them alone. Dupa un timp in sat se zvoneste ca vaduva lui Radu e vizitata noapte de noapte de catre sotul ei mort si ca este din ce in ce mai bolnava si slabita, fiind foarte palida la fata. Aceste zvonuri sunt intarite de convingerea ca Regina Umbrei trebuie sa soseasca si ca va pune stapanire pe sat. Petru insa, desi naiv si speriat, are totusi o arma cu care sa se apere: sabia magica a tatalui sau. Come. Come away.” She pulled Peter’s hands, dragging him deeper into the wood, and he knew she was right. He shook himself. “This way,” he said. “I’ve got Sultan with me.” They ran.

This book, even when it may not appeal all YA readers, is easier to grasp and might be more enjoyable for the masses than, say, Revolver or the other ones I read before. This is not to say that this has less quality than the other ones - what I mean is that in this one there's more action and "entertainment" factors. Yes, I always loved myths and legends - I used to read and re-read two books from the library - one a big illustrated edition of Greek Myths and the other Old Peter's Russian Tales. I don't know why I was fascinated by these stories, but maybe simply because I find them to be more glamorous than contemporary stories... They are not well liked in the village of Chust and are considered to be outsiders. Peter is used to his own company because they have moved around a lot and his father Tomas is a taciturn man. Peter knows his father is troubled by something but as usual he is unwilling to share. Marcus also wrote with his brother Julian, and contributed to a short story collection with fellow YA authors.I started to write as a teenager a bit, but properly when I was in my mid-twenties. It took a few years to think it might actually happen! Thank you , this is great. We usually send this novel off with children to read over summer but this year we will use these novel-study activities and read it alongside them (it will be that sort of year!) on their return. Useful PEE, show-not-tell, character work to enable the children to use their reading to inform writing.

The most important thing is to know your market! Who do you think your book is going to be read by? What else is out there that's like it? Are you writing something that will sell? When we first meet Tomas and his brother Peter they are heading from their hut on the outskirts of the village to attend the funeral of Radu. As the book progresses Peter learns more about the undead and about the real reason he and his father have moved around a lot. stars. This book already deserves all the stars for presenting vampires as the terrifying, dangerous, non-seductive monsters that they are.WHEN TOMAS AND HIS SON, Peter, settle in Chust as woodcutters, Tomas digs a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut, so they have their own little island kingdom. Peter doesn't understand why his father has done this, nor why his father carries a long, battered box, whose mysterious contents he is forbidden to know. Effective gothic horror with a mystical touch. In 17th-century Europe, young Peter and his alcoholic father, Tomas, have settled down for longer than their transient life usually allows. They live in a vast forest, cutting wood for nearby villagers, but are always estranged. An eerie sense of menace haunts the area. Two bizarre and gruesome murders in a short time couldn’t be due to wolves, but Tomas insists that whispers of supernatural danger are mere superstition. Then, because one victim was unmarried, Peter’s friend Agnes is forced into a Wedding of the Dead and stowed away for 40 horrifying days of symbolic mourning. Visiting her cabin secretly, Peter confronts the chilling truth: Undead corpses are rising from graves, killing and recruiting more and more humans. Led by new friend Sofia and her Gypsy caravan, Peter and his historically unreliable father find that their only hope lies in a singular old sword and an ancient song with lyrics confronting the emotional essence of the zombie-vampires. Underlying tenderness, overt chills. (author’s note) (Fantasy. YA)

saw Marcus turn his attention to books for younger readers with the launch of a humorous new series: The Raven Mysteries, narrated by a grumpy raven, Edgar. This particular author is quite a prolific writer of YA stories in a variety of genres, but it was the mid-European horror story setting that drew me to this particular book. Great question, impossible to answer. So many amazing things to go and see – the building of the pyramids, a Viking boat putting out to sea, Man Utd winning the European Championship in 1968… Many of your novels are inspired by history and by myth and legend - have these areas always been a fascination of yours since childhood and if so how did this passion come about? City girl Rebecca, spending the summer in a remote East Anglian seaside village, encounters Ferelith, a Goth who lives in a commune.I found this book slow. The characters were dull and the plot was predictable. The author’s writing style was more middle grade and less adult, which is not the standard I’d expect for a gothic novel. With that being said, I enjoyed learning about the mythology and starting point of vampires. The tone of the novel was beautiful and I think I would enjoy more from the gothic genre *if* it were written with more depth and adventure. The characters need to be fleshed out and the speech between them needs to be seriously upgraded beyond the level of a 9 year old. Alex trained at the VGIK institute of cinematography (Moscow), with Elen Bowman, Irina Brown, Lab Ky Mo and at The Video College. Alex is currently the Children’s assistant on Sam Mendes Charlie and the Chocolate factory in the West End, where he is also creating and leading the CHARLIE school. Recent productions include The Crocodile (riverside studios), OUTED (Park Theatre) and Merri England (Finborough Thetare). He has assisted Melly Still, Tom Morris, Braham Murray, Mike Longurst and most recently Simon McBurney and Complicite for a new work at the National Thetare. I love music, both listening to it and playing it (I'm a drummer). A day without music is not a proper day... I also love travel and try to travel as much as I can manage.