Tag Archives: Paper Butterflies

Tales Q&A with Lisa Heathfield and Me!

Today is my stop on the fab #YAShot2018 Blog Tour and I have been paired with the wonderful Lisa Heathfield!

YA Shot is an author-run, author-led Young Adult and Middle Grade festival that raises the money and resources to run a year-long programme pairing libraries and schools for free author events to foster a love of reading, inspire a passion for writing, and encourage aspirations to careers in the Arts. We believe in equal access to books and opportunities for all – YA Shot brings UKYA and UKMG authors together to pursue that goal, supporting libraries and young people across the country.

So for our stop I wanted you all to get to know a little bit more about Lisa and in turn Lisa thought it would be fun for people to know me a little better too….

‘Trust Us’ the Kindreds tell Pearl and so she does.

A thrilling story of life in a cult.

Fifteen-year-old Pearl has lived her whole life protected within the small community at Seed, where they worship Nature and idolise their leader, Papa S. When some outsiders arrive, everything changes. Pearl experiences feelings that she never knew existed and begins to realise that there is darkness at the heart of Seed. A darkness from which she must escape, before it’s too late.

A chilling and heartbreaking coming-of-age story of life within a cult, Seed was shortlisted for the Waterstones’ Children’s Book Prize in 2016.

Stand By Me meets We Were Liars – a heartbreaking and stunning breakout novel for teenagers from the award-nominated author of Seed.

June’s life at home with her stepmother and stepsister is a dark one – and a secret one. Not even her father knows about it. She’s trapped like a butterfly in a jar.

But then she meets Blister, a boy in the woods. And in him, June recognises the tiniest glimmer of hope that perhaps she can find a way to fly far, far away. But freedom comes at a price . . .

Paper Butterflies is an unforgettable read, perfect for fans of Lisa Williamson’s The Art of Being Normal, Sarah Crossan’s Moonrise, Jandy Nelson, Jennifer Niven and Louise O’Neill.

The stunning new novel from award-shortlisted Lisa Heathfield, author of Seed and Paper Butterflies. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places, Lisa Williamson, Sarah Crossan and Sara Barnard.

Rita and Lo, sisters and best friends, have spent their lives on the wing – flying through the air in their trapeze act, never staying in one place for long. Behind the greasepaint and the glitter, they know that the true magic is the family they travel with.

Until Lo meets a boy. Suddenly, she wants nothing more than to stay still. And as secrets start to tear apart the close-knit circus community, how far will Lo go to keep her feet on the ground?

Flight of a Starling is a heartbreaking read with an important message.

You can buy any of Lisa’s books here or from your local bookshop!

Hi Lisa! I’m so happy to have you here on Tales again! You are one of my absolute favourite authors so it’s an absolute honour.

So here’s how this will work….

We each ask each other a question. Any question. About anything at all. And we both have to answer!

Here we go!

What is your favourite smell?

Lisa – Our boys’ hair. From when they were babies to now, it’s the best smell ever.

Chelle – For me its a toss up between talc powder (that fresh baby smell) and Lush Snow Fairy shower gel! I have to buy it every Christmas!

Name a favourite memory from your childhood.

Lisa – Lying on my belly in the grass reading a book.

Chelle – Oh I have lots of childhood memories! When I think of my childhood I think of wandering off with my brother in the woods for hours in a place we used to spend a lot of time when we were kids and him scaring me and my sister about ghosts that haunted the woods. As I got older a favourite childhood memory is devouring a Point Horror every weekend and trying to collect them all (I still am!)

Where is your favourite place?

Lisa – Either in the Brighton sea in winter, or in the middle of nowhere on the Isle of Mull in Scotland.

Chelle – Kind of related to my above answer, but one of my fave places is a little place called Arley near Bewdley. I spent a lot of time there when I was younger and when I visit there now it just makes me relax. It’s so peaceful and full of so many memories.

Name the last thing that made you smile.

Lisa – hugging my boys this morning.

Chelle – Same for me too…..hugging my son! So much love in one hug!

What is your favourite song?

Lisa – Any and every Gospel song.

Chelle – Mine is so different! I have so many it hard to pick just one! If I had to chose I would say Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana! So much of my teenage years revolved around this song! From blasting it out on my stereo to trying to learn it on guitar! I love it! Even to this day when it comes on my Spotify playlist I have to turn the volume up!

Chelle – In complete contrast my favourite ever line from a song is “I’ll never let your head, hit the bed, without my hand behind it” from Your Body Is A Wonderland by John Mayer. Yes it’s cheesy and embarrassing but that one line is just pure love and romance to me!

What is you favourite book?

Lisa – I’ve three: The Folk Of The Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton, The Book Thief – Markus Zusak and As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner

Chelle – As we were only meant to pick one Lisa and you picked three 🙂 …. I am cheating and picking two! Watership Down by Richard Addams and One Day by David Nicholls. Both very different books but both so brilliant! I love them!

Name your favourite word.

Lisa – It changes, but at the moment it’s ‘fold’

Chelle – I’m not sure I have a favourite word! What does that even mean?! Should I have a favourite word? Hmmmmmmm…..I am going to say “love” just to go along with my cheesy theme above!

What is your favourite line from a book?

Lisa – ‘My mother is a fish.’ – From As I Lay Dying.

Chelle – This changes quite a lot for me as sometimes I read a sentence in a book and get swept away completely by just that one line and I think wow. But I do have a favourite line that left me quite breathless if that’s even possible when I read it…… “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once” from The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. Pure perfection in a sentence.

Name a book you want to read, but haven’t yet!

Lisa – I’ve wanted to read Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, for years and years. A friend bought me a beautiful copy of it after we went to visit the Bronte’s house in Haworth, but for some reason I keep saving it…

Chelle – Good call with Wuthering Heights as I have never read it either! Even though I keep saying I will! I have so many books and so little time, but I think for me it’s To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Why have I never read this?!

Name a book that you would give as a present

Lisa – It changes, but at the moment it’s Moonrise, by Sarah Crossan. I’ve also given a fair few people The Book Thief. And Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses.

Chelle – Mine changes too and without sounding too cheesy I would give your books, Lisa, as presents as they are all wonderful! I would also include All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and One Day as those books have my heart!

Where is your favourite place to read?

Lisa – if it could be absolutely anywhere, it’d have to be in a field with really long grass and me and a book sunk into the middle of it where no one can see.

Chelle – I love to read sitting on the hill at my favourite place mentioned above. Other than that snuggling up in bed for a good read is perfect!

And your favourite place to write?

Lisa – I write every day at my kitchen table and that’s a nice place to be.

Chelle – I normally just write at my desk in my little office at home, but I attended a writing outdoors workshop at YALC a few years ago and it’s honestly so inspiring to sit and listen to all the sounds around you whilst you are writing!

Name a book that you wish you had written

Lisa – The Hunger Games – not just because it’s brilliant, but because I would love to spend months in that world with those characters.

Chelle – One Day by David Nicholls. What a book! Or basically any book that makes you feel such emotion that you cry just thinking about it! I would love to write something that people have that much of an emotional connection to.

Or It by Stephen King! 🙂

You can buy any of Lisa’s books here or from your local bookshop!

About Lisa Heathfield

Before becoming a mum to her three sons, Lisa Heathfield was a secondary school English teacher and loved inspiring teenagers to read.

Award-winning author Lisa Heathfield launched her writing career with SEED in 2015. Published by Egmont it is a stunning YA debut about a life in cult. PAPER BUTTERFLIES is her beautiful and heart-breaking second novel. FLIGHT OF A STARLING, her third novel is equally heart-breaking and contains an important message.

Lisa lives in Brighton with her family.

You can follow Lisa on Twitter – @LisaHeathfield

Previously On Tales….

You can find previous Lisa Heathfield related posts on Tales by clicking on the below links!

Tales Review – Seed by Lisa Heathfield

Tales Q&A with Lisa Heathfield

Cover Reveal – Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

Tales Review – Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

Giveaway

With thanks to the lovely people at Electric Monkey myself and YA Shot 2 sets of Lisa’s books to giveaway to two lucky winners!

You can enter via my twitter here

UK Only

Ends 04/04/2018

Good Luck!

Blog Tour

Make sure you follow the rest of the fab YA Shot 2018 Blog Tour!

A huge thank you to Lisa for such a fab post and for asking me to join in and to Electric Monkey for the giveaway. Also a huge thank you to YA Shot for having me and for pairing me with Lisa.

Have you read any of Lisa’s books? Are you intrigued? Are you going to YA Shot? I would love to hear from you! Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the top of this post or tweet me on twitter using @chelleytoy !

Happy Reading

Guest Post – Celebrating YA by Cynthia Murphy

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Today I am honoured to bring to you a brilliant guest post from awesome blogger, writer, friend and basically all round awesome human being who I hugely admire, the lovely Cynthia Murphy.

Cynthia has been doing a fantastic job blogging recently about mental health in UKYA and following an article that was released this week (that shall not be named) asked if I would feature a guest post here on Tales.

I jumped at the chance and can confirm that and can confirm that this blog post is glitter free…..

Celebrating YA

Another week, another article shaming young adult literature. Is it just me, or is it getting boring now?

Yes. Yes, it is.

I’m proud to say that I, unlike some newspapers which shall remain nameless, have been busy setting up a blog series that actually celebrates YA, instead of constantly tearing it down. I have actually read these books and loved them, just like many of you.

My first post was on Halloween reads – all a far cry from cute and glittery, without a manic pixie dream boy in sight. There’s some cracking teen horror around at the moment (I’m 32 and had to read FROZEN CHARLOTTE with the lights on) that has come a long way since the Point Horrors I read as a teen. You can see the rest of my creepy reading recs here.

Yesterday, I posted something very close to my heart – Mental Health in UKYA. The books I covered were all excellent examples of how young adult literature is making a difference for readers. In five book recommendations (which you can see here

I had covered PTSD, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, OCD and attempted suicide. Two of those books just happened to be titles from Zoella’s book club, the very one that was unnecessarily criticised this week. Yet I think these books are important, not only because they allow readers to explore content they may not be familiar with, but because they are good. They are well written, adventurous and often hilarious. They allow you to see yourself in the character. They make you laugh, cry and gain empathy and understanding of serious topics in a compelling way. What’s so cute and glittery about that?

As I’ve been concentrating on UKYA, I’m delighted to be guest blogging for Chelley, as this way I’m able to recommend some more wonderful, important books from around the world. As far as I’m concerned they’re all excellent depictions of a wide range of issues and genres, as well as being fabulously well written. I hope you agree and that you find your next great read amongst the list!

The Micah Grey Trilogy by L.R. Lam

One of the most beautifully written fantasy worlds I’ve ever come across. This series has just been re-released and features an intersex main character who craves freedom and runs away to the circus. I dare you not to fall in love with Micah.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

This book made me laugh, ugly cry and feel all the feelings. It touches on the issues of growing up as a mixed race teen, poverty and abuse, all while making you yearn for first kisses and hand holding on the bus. Plus, I really want to borrow Park’s X-Men comics.

The Spinster Club Series by Holly Bourne

Holly has captured exactly what it’s like to be going through sixth form and does it with real feeling and some pee-inducing laughs. Though the books link together, each can be picked up as a stand-alone and they cover mental health, drinking, dodgy dates, split families and feminism. Oh, and how could I forget the cheesy snacks?

Crush by Eve Ainsworth

A story told from two points of view, Crush examines an abusive relationship as it plays out, from start to finish. It’s beautifully done and not only looks at why the relationship is wrong, but what leads both parties to act the way they do. Important and empathetic.

You can check out a Tales Of Yesterday review of Crush here

Or a Q&A with Eve Ainsworth here

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Parker Grant is one of my favourite characters. Yes, she’s blind, but she’s bolshy, bright and full of resolve, too. She has taught herself to navigate around her home town, but finding her way through family problems and relationships proves a lot more difficult…

Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

Heart. Wrenching. Paper Butterflies examines the physical and mental abuse of June, a character you will want to wrap up in a blanket and hold until it’s all over. The ending was a million miles away from what I expected and absolutely broke me. An important lesson on why you should always speak out and characters you won’t forget in a hurry.

Well, there you have it. I could go on and on and on but I think I’ve made my point. YA is exploring important topics in amazing ways and if you don’t believe me, give one of the books above a try and let me know how it goes.

You can find a Tales Of Yesterday review of Paper Butterflies here

You can find my Celebrating #UKYA series over at The Scribblers (https://thescribblersonline.com/) where I will be covering a different topic every two weeks. The next one will be live on Friday 25^th November and is on those books that are breaking taboos in UKYA, including the fabulous ASKING FOR IT by Louise O’Neill and THE ART OF BEING NORMAL by Lisa Williamson, to name just two.

You can find a Tales Of Yesterday review of The Art Of Being Normal here

Or a character Q&A with Lisa Williamson here

I hope to hear from some of you with your thoughts and recommendations and if a certain newspaper is reading, I’d be happy to write you some honest reviews of books I have actually read…

About Cynthia Murphy

Cynthia is a primary school teacher from Manchester who loves to read, write, bake and eat. She will read anything and everything and favourites include The Historian, The Secret Garden, Harry Potter and Eleanor & Park, to name a few. She’s inspired by her travels and believes that magic is real…

Cynthia also blogs over at https://cynthiamurphywrites.wordpress.com where she has documented how meeting her literary agent led to a breast cancer diagnosis.

She is currently editing her debut novel, a contemporary middle grade mystery and is repped by Nicola Barr at Greene and Heaton.

You can follow Cynthia on twitter – @Cyn_Murphy

The home of The Scribblers – a group of writers on a whirlwind adventure from slush pile to publication – from slush to lush! The Scribblers are a group of writers who first met on the CBC Online Writing for Children Course with Catherine Johnson in Autumn 2015.

https://thescribblersonline.com/

A huge thank you to Cynthia for such a fab guest post!

Have you read any of these brilliant books? What books would you recommend? I would love to here from you! Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the top of the page or tweet me on twitter using @ChelleyToy !

Happy Reading!

Cover Reveal – Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

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In light of the brilliant Waterstones book prize being announced on Thursday this week, 17th March 2016, the lovely people at Electric Monkey thought that it would be the perfect time to share a very exciting final cover reveal!

You can find out more about the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2016 and the shortlist here where Seed by Lisa Heathfield amongst other brilliant books have been shortlisted!

It’s no secret that I read and loved Seed by Lisa Heathfield last year!

You can read my review here

I, as well have others, have been waiting in anticipation for Lisa’s next book a standalone called Paper Butterflies ever since it was announced!

I squealed with delight when the proof copy arrived through my door last month!

pbproof I was also so excited to see a quote from my review of Seed inside the proof! The first time this has happened to me since I started blogging!

seedquote

I have read and loved Paper Butterflies so much! I had Paper Butterflies fluttering in my tummy. An emotional tale of an abusive childhood, growing up, friendship, love, forgiveness and choosing left or right.

My full review of Paper Butterflies will follow shortly on Tales, but first lets gets down to business!

I am so over the moon to reveal the final beautiful cover for Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield!

A very early version of this cover was sent out with the press release and on Goodreads I think, but this is the final version, front, back and spine designed again by the brilliant Benjamin Hughes and complete with a very special quote……

9781405275392 LH_PButterflies_75392_COV pbspine pbback I LOVE this cover so much!

I think it captures so many things about this wonderful book! The paper butterfly, June’s face, the faint outline of the woods and caravan on the back of the cover and a beautiful spine!

I cannot wait to see it on the shelves on the 30th June 2016!

Check out the Paper Butterflies trailer below!

About Lisa Heathfield

1394100257Lisa_Heathfield-202x300 Lisa Heathfield is a former secondary school English teacher, specializing in working with hearing-impaired children. Seed was her debut novel and Paper Butterflies her second. She lives in Brighton, England, with her husband and three children.

You can find out more about Lisa here or why not follow her on twitter using @lisaheathfield

You can pre order Paper Butterflies here

A huge thank you to Maggie and the team at Electric Monkey for asking me to feature this fab cover!

I previously featured a Q&A with Lisa Heathfield – you can read it here

What do you think? Have you read Paper Butterflies or are you excited about it’s release? I would love to hear from you! Why not leave me a comment using the reply button at the top of the post or tweet me on twitter using @chelleytoy !

Happy Reading and grabbing for those tissues!

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