This was such a wonderful read! I made it my holiday book when I went down to London to renew my passport. The gloomy London setting was a perfect contrast to the sunny picnic table.

The Fallen Children is inspired by the 1957 novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham and has much of the same premise. 

During a strange “Nightout” the entire population of a London estate fall unconscious. When they wake up, oblivious to the night before, four girls realise that they are pregnant. When the pregnancies proceed at an alarming rate, the girls find themselves the enemies of their neighbours, and are forced to come to terms with what happened that fateful night. 

My friend got me a proof of State of Grace by Rachel Lucas, and I am so thrilled to have read this! A sweet and wonderful YA debut, dealing with all the problems of growing up which are only magnified by having Aspergers. Grace is a lovely heroine, one I very much identified with. 

A month ago I volunteered for the Crime Writers’ Association’s annual conference, which was a wonderful experience! We helped with goodie-bags and general smooth running, and it was a glimpse into the professional world of publishing I’m hoping to join one day as well. 

As part of the CWA, I entered the New Generation short-story competition, and to my surprise, I was short-listed for the prize! All of us who entered were given the opportunity to read our stories in a special section of Blackwell’s here in Edinburgh. While it was nerve wracking to read my own work in front of people, it was also extremely exciting, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. 

Once the shortlist was announced, my short-story got read by none other than Stuart MacBride! He put on his best serial killer voice (which was chilling!!) and it ended up being an absolutely perfect reading! 

How gorgeous isn’t this cover? It is both shiny and has sprayed edges, which I hope every single paperback I ever buy has as well. 

Wing Jones is so amazingly gorgeous with its pink and purple edges! And the book inside is even more wonderful. 

Wing Jones was actually the first book I read just for myself in a long time. I have been so busy with uni, both with contextual reading and actual writing of stories and essays, that reading just for me fell behind. The book is such an amazing journey, both for Wing and the for the readers, and it reminded me of how much I love stories. I would recommend it for anyone who loves them too.