News: Beautiful Creatures #Penguin Chat

I have some exciting news today from Penguin who are launching a brand new venture called Penguin Chats.  This will provide a unique opportunity for readers to connect with some of their favourite YA authors.   

The Penguin Chat will be a 30 minute Q&A with a Penguin author on Twitter, using #PenguinChats and hosted by @PenguinUKBooks.

To take part in the very first one, all you need to do is be on Twitter on Sunday 27th January at 8.00pm when Kami Garcia (@kamigarcia) and Margaret Stohl (@mstohl) will be answering fans questions on their Beautiful Creatures series and the very exciting upcoming movie (which I personally can't wait for!).

You can discover more about this on the Penguin blog so be sure to check it out.  You'll find a list of all the other official blog partners too who will be hosting exclusive content from the books and the film.

News: Beautiful Creatures: Official Illustrated Movie Companion

I'm really looking forward to seeing the big screen adaptation of 'Beautiful Creatures' by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia when it hits cinema screens next month. 

Until then Puffin have just published the official illustrated movie companion which looks amazing and should keep fans busy until February.  The cover art is fantastic and if possible, I think I'm even more excited now! 

This ultimate visual companion is lavishly illustrated with full-colour photos of the cast, locations, and sets. With never-before-seen images, exclusive interviews and personal stories, Mark Cotta Vaz takes you behind the scenes with cast and crew, uncovering intimate details of the film-making process.

From Page to Screen in 2013

There are some fantastic young-adult books currently being adapted for the big screen and lots of exciting releases to look forward to next year.  Here are some of the page to screen titles that I'm especially thrilled about with release dates for when the films are due out.

'Beautiful Creatures' is released in the UK on 13th February 2013.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

The Host is released in the UK on 29th March 2013.

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

City of Bones is released in the UK on 23rd August 2013.

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . 

Catching Fire is released in the UK on 22nd November 2013.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol -- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped crate.

As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is also set to hit the big screen in 2013 but there is no release date for it yet. 

There's also the film of Veronica Roth's bestselling novel 'Divergent' to come in 2014, as well as an adaptation of 'Delirium' by Lauren Oliver and 'Fallen' by Lauren Kate!

Comment and let me know which book you would love to see made into a film.

Cover reveal + Giveaway: Beautiful Creatures film tie-in

On 13th February 2013 the internationally best-selling novel Beautiful Creatures becomes a major Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros blockbuster, directed by Oscar nominated Richard LaGravenese (P.S I Love You) and featuring an all star cast including Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davies and hot young Hollywood talent Alice Englert, Alden Ehrenreich and Emmy Rossum.

Check out the awesome trailer for the film as well as a book to screen featurette:





The gorgeous new tie-in edition of 'Beautiful Creatures' will be published by Penguin on 3rd January 2013.  Beautiful Creatures: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion is due to publish alongside the film tie-in paperback edition and The Manga will follow on 5th February 2013.

In Ethan Wate’s hometown there lies the darkest of secrets…

There is a girl. Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head. Green eyes, black hair. Lena Duchannes. There is a curse. On the Sixteenth Moon, the Sixteenth Year, the Book will take what it’s been promised. And in the end, there is a grave. Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. But Lena is cursed and on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided. Ethan never even saw it coming…

For the latest film updates visit the Beautiful Creatures Movie Facebook page and follow @RavenwoodManor.

The lovely people at Penguin have very kindly provided me with a complete set of all four books in the series to giveaway.  This is for UK entrants only and you must be a follower of my blog.  Good luck!

Giveaway rules.

• There will be one winner.
• Open to entrants with UK addresses only. International entrants may enter, provided they have a UK address to send the books to.
• Please fill out the form completely - including email address
• You must be a follower of my blog
• Deadline for entries will be on 2nd December 2012
• Winner(s) will be drawn by random.org
• Winner(s) will be contacted via e-mail, and will be given 48 hours to response. Otherwise, a new winner will be drawn.
• Any details will be deleted after use and will not be passed on to any third party.