Welcome to The Bookshelf. Each week I feature an author or book blogger and talk about their bookshelf with them. It’s a light-hearted, book focused, Q&A.
This week I have the lovely Shelley Wilson, Shelley’s books are on my list of must-reads and with a new book just released on Thursday her bookshelf is growing!
I hope you enjoy peeking into her bookshelf…
What was the first book you remember having on your bookshelf?
The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton (Iβve still got my original copy!). I loved that book so much, and it began my lifelong addiction to fantasy.
What was the most recent book you added to the bookshelf?
I had a client meeting over in Kenilworth, Warwickshire recently and whenever I visit this part of the world I have to pop in to the beautiful independent bookshop, Kenilworth Books in Talisman Square. I bought Kate Garrawayβs book, The Joy of Big Knickers. Itβs an unusual book for me to buy as I tend to go for YA fiction, however, with a title like that who could resist!
Which book have you most recently read from your bookshelf?
The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey as I loved The 5th Wave (I even enjoyed the film!). Iβm also reading a copy of Revengers by David Valdes Greenwood, which is a YA horror for Rosie Amberβs Book Review Team.
Which 5 books from last year would you not let go of from your bookshelf?
Oh wow, thatβs a tough one! Okay, Iβd have to go with Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine, Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth, Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare, and King Slayer by Virginia Boeker.Β (Not sure if they were all published last year, but they arrived on my bookshelf in the last twelve months, does that still count?) π
Which books are you most looking forward to adding to your bookshelf?
Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare (I canβt get enough of the Shadowhunters!).
What was the most recent addition to your writers bookshelf?
I bought Write Your Way out of Depression by Rayne Hall. I adore Rayneβs Writerβs Craft series and have all of them.
Which of your own books are you most proud of adding to the bookshelf?
That would be my new release, Oath Breaker, a YA werewolf story. I had this tale in my head for so long but couldnβt pin it down. I needed to tap into my younger self and remember the feelings and emotions I had when dealing with abuse. Itβs a YA novel, so I didnβt add too many gruesome details, but it was important to me that I gave the protagonist, Mia the right mindset. I had to work on my discipline and self-care to write it, but I am so happy with the result.
Which book on your bookshelf do you most wish you had written?
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare! I adore that book and totally disconnected from the world as I read it. To be able to create worlds and characters like Cassandra Clare is the dream.
Is there a WIP we can look forward to adding to our bookshelves?
Ooh, now thereβs a question! My editor wants me to write a follow-up to Oath Breaker, so Iβm plotting this out at the moment (Oath Keeper is the working title). However, Iβm also working on another stand-alone YA book which is turning out to be good fun to write!
Can you share a picture of your bookshelf / favourite bookshelf?
Shelley Wilson’s Bookshelf
*These may not be all of the author’s publications but are the most recent. Check their links below for full details.
AboutΒ Shelley Wilson
Shelley Wilson divides her writing time between motivational non-fiction for adults and the fantasy worlds of her young adult fiction.
Her non-fiction books combine lifestyle, motivation and self-help with a healthy dose of humour, and her YA novels combine myth, legend and fairy tales with a side order of demonic chaos.
Shelley is an obsessive list maker, who lovesΒ pizza,Β vampires, and mythology, and may alsoΒ have crazy cat lady tendencies.
She was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire but raised in Solihull, West Midlands, UK,Β where she lives with her threeΒ teenagers, one eleven-year-old fat goldfish and a black cat called Luna.
Writing Blog:Β http:// shelleywilsonauthor.com
Motivational Blog:Β http://www. motivatemenow.co.uk
The Bookshelf
Thanks so much for stopping by Shelley,Β it’s so interesting to see what you’ve been reading especially as they are all books a few years ago I would have dove on but since pulling away from YA Fantasy I’ve not picked so many of these up in recent years. I’m not wondering if I should give a few of these series a go, especially the Rachel Caine one, as she was one of my favourite authors at one point!
Want to take part?
If you are a blogger or author and would like to take part in The Bookshelf click here, and fill in the really short contact form to let me know! I’m currently looking for people to fill spaces throughΒ June.
I can’t wait to hear from you!
Yay! Thank you so much for letting me invade your lovely blog, Claire. I had fun sharing my bookshelf π
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Such great answers, a pleasure to have you.
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Great book choices, Shelley. I chose Rachel Caine too! And there are plenty of books on your shelf that I want to read as well. Esp Cassandra Clare (my son loved the Magisterium books she wrote with Holly Black).
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I love the collaboration books Cassandra does with Holly! Your son has fab taste π
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I really enjoyed reading this, and finding out more about Shelley. I loved The Faraway Tree series when I was little too – they were fab books.
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Thanks, Hayley. I think Enid Blyton was an important part of all our childhoods in some way. Moonface was my favourite character π
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Is there anyone who didn’t love the Faraway Tree series?! I think I’d still like them now! Lovely article, ladies π
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Would you believe I’ve never read The Faraway Tree series?! π²
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π±π±π± Fabulous books! You’d love them. I think they’ve been rewritten so they have more modern character names!
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I don’t know if they’d stand up now…. perhaps we should all give them a re-visit and see!
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Ha ha, so true!
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