C.G. @ Paper Fury

5 Hacks For Taking Better Bookstagram Photos (On A Reeeeally Low Budget)

26th Feb 2019 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 71 Comments

Bookstagram is rapidly becoming my favourite thing.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’re probably sitting there eating toast crumbs and rolling your eyes like, “Yes, CG, we kIND OF NOTICED FROM THE CONSTANT BARRAGE OF PHOTOS.” Ok, ok. I only half apologise for my posts being image-heavy because I love pretty covers.

Love !!!! them !!!

Before I go on, I will say: the algorithm gives me frikkin nightmares. I hate it and I have not figured out the secrets. Sometimes I’ll get like 5% reach despite having 50,000 followers and fshofrsffss I want to bite someone. So no algorithm hacks from me, but I do have hacks for…

taking photos if you’re on a really low budget

I don’t believe it’s true that “only rich people” can do well on bookstagram. Obviously the book photos that go viral ARE the ones where people have swords and crowns and whole rooms of books. I don’t begrudge people those opportunities! (My dreams too haha.) But you can run a successful account without spending a lot of money. My own bookstagram budget is quite small. I’ve had a lot of luck and opportunities that aren’t accessible to all, that has to be acknowledged, but let me see if I can share some tips that might work for you too?

…more bookstagram hacks you might like…

➸ How To Get Started On Bookstagram
➸ How I Got 40,000 Followers On Instagram
➸ 12 Bookstagram Secret Hacks
➸ How To Photograph Ebook Covers (Using Free Photo Manipulation On Pixlr)

1. acquiring books cheaply

Now I (obviously) have a lot of books lmao. I have been insanely lucky and blessed by Australian publishers over the last 5 years of book blogging with them. No truly: most of my books are from publishers + library sales. I never bought books as a teen (couldn’t afford it) but as a working adult, I get to allocate some money towards books. I’m happy! I also landed a really nice freelance gig for a bookstore, where I blogged for them = got paid in book vouchers. It ended, but if you’re able to google around and look out for opportunities like that, they’re amazing!

You still don’t need ALL the books to have a successful account. My aesthetic is lots of books and overcrowded colours and being intense. But I have so so many favourite accounts that are minimalist. Like @br.enda @thefictionfaery and @everlasting.charm! And @annreads is incredible and takes photos of a lot of the same books.

Also I actually feature a lot of the same books over and over too.

Other Ways To Get Books Cheaper
➸ library sales if your library has them!
➸ apply for ARCs and review copies from publishers
➸ 2nd hand stores and thrift stores
➸ you can also take photos of library books and ebooks
➸ if you land rep work with a book box company, you can get books through them
➸ if people are gifting you things (birthdays! christmas!) you might ask for books

I want to acknowledge that OF COURSE this isn’t all “simple as simple” for a lot of people. Especially for international bookstagrammers. But I have more suggests coming up…

2. using photo manipulation for books you don’t own

Ok I’m excited about this because I discovered this site called DIY Book Design and they have a generator to make 3D book covers! My second book, The Boy Who Steals Houses, isn’t out for another month so I don’t have finished copies yet but I waaaaant so bad to photograph it. So look at this:

They’re…fake!

Obviously they are not perfect lmao…and I still have a lot of books in the background. But I was really excited to find this to help me promo my book. So maybe it could be useful for those of us who don’t always have physical copies of the latest releases?

3. photo editing for free

I don’t use Lightroom or anything paid. I used to use picmonkey but when that hoofed us out in favour of making us pay (DUDE…) I moved over to Ribbet.com and using a free Mac app on my laptop called PhotoscapeX. I also just downloaded the free VSCO app and most of the presets cost, but there are a few nice freebies. (I haven’t paid for it because I don’t yet use any filters myself.)

I also use Unfold (free app) for making nice looking Stories. Or Canva.com! I actually use canva for all my blog graphics too. CANVA IS LOVE.

The trick with editing is to make sure your photos are clear and bright. And filters help keep things consistent. You don’t HAVE to have a consistent feed, but my account was a cold potato until I did so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. props? we gotcha props

I only use books and flowers. A LOT OF FLOWERS. I’ve taken a long time to build my collection and, again I’m so so lucky…but I got a ton of these for free from garage sales! I also use eBay and 2nd hand stores. I drew my background for my photos myself to keep with my rainbow theme. But I once had a fake-wood piece of material that I got for like $7 on ebay. So that’s worth looking into.

Hey but props can be anything. Mugs, pencils, laptop, tea, blankets, your bed, notebooks, candles…YOURSELF.

@novelescape uses the bath for some of hers and I love it!
@berrybookpages has a lot of hessian mats, handwritten letters, pinecones and leaves!
@crispdawn uses old book pages and forestry!

And also you can focus on JUST the books. (This is me tbh.)

@opalbookjems uses mostly just books
@abookworld__ does too!
@bookwnoname has a very dark aesthetic (looove) and very simple.
@bookandbeverage features stacks!

And @betterwithabookinmyhand and @xenatine (two of my ultimate faves) do lots of book shape arrangements! They fold books??? So amazingly???

5. and lastly…the camera

So this is hard, because you obviously need one and cheap cameras mean less quality. I don’t have an iPhone (iPod here, sir) so I started off using my parents’ DSLR and eventually I could afford my own Nikon on a sale. I still take everything on automatic though.

You can rely probably on editing to get you through. Especially if you use a nice filter.

But whatever camera you’ve got, remember: LIGHTING IS KEY! No flash. Take a ton of photos because, if you’re like me, about 7 out of 8 will be blurry lmao. Even if your images are simple — make sure they’re focused and there isn’t anything weird in the background. (Like, your kitchen or dog’s toy or whatever.)

I hope something here might help those of us who can’t spend a lot of money on bookstagram right now.

And I don’t want to diminish anyone who can’t utilise these tips because they’re still out of your price range. I’ve had a lot of luck with free flowers and free books. (Although I do work for the books!) Also time and practise have helped my photos improve. But hey, hey, I know it’s super easy to be jealous of other bookstagrammers. I go there. But we are still all doing our best to promote love for art and books. I can’t even express how epic it is, from a very small time author’s standpoint, to know people are taking photos of your book and helping you promote it out of love?! Eeep! This is also so amazing for minority authors and diverse books.

So shout out to all the bookstagrammers, big and small, who have got authors’ backs and just share their love for books through this art medium. You are marvels.

➸ And just before we go? I’ve seen people say you “have” to have an instagram to get ahead in blogging. But you don’t! Definitely not. If anyone wants a post on how to make nice graphics (for free) for your posts, shout out!

And hopefully it goes without saying but: BE INSPIRED by others = don’t copy or steal. 😘

do you have any tips to share?? any of these sound helpful to you? if you’re a bookstagrammer, tell us what you use for props or what your favourite style of photos are!

and don’t forget to find me on instagram!

Do You Want To See The Cover for The Boy Who Steals Houses?!

25th Jan 2019 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 164 Comments

I’m absolutely beaming right now because it’s time to share the cover for The Boy Who Steals Houses!

We are coming ever closer to the April 4th release date (70 days to go, to be specific) and I’ve been doing exciting things like writing acknowledgements (still a surreal experience!!) and seeing page proofs and excitedly awaiting the moment when I get to hold a physical copy of TBWSH. Which is, arguably, the very best moment of all.

But the cover…!!

Are you ready?!

Book Depository | Hachette UK | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Booktopia Australia

Preorders do so much good for new small authors (like meeee) and bonus, the book is usually a bit cheaper before release day! If you’re in the USA, your best option is Book Depository! They do free shipping too. Amazon US will get it in, but so far only the kindle is up for preorder. I think this is because I’m not published in the US. But who would know!

and you can add it on goodreads…!

🗝 yes there will be ARCs and it’ll be up on Netgalley UK!

This should happen early February, but I’ll keep you updated from where you can request. (Physical ARCs will only be for those in the UK and Australia, as far as I know.)

🗝 and this is a good time to say…if you ever want to interview me or share about TBWSH or ask any questions — GO FOR IT.

I do not bite (well, not on weekends anyway) and I love you so much. I’ve had a few people message me starting off with, “I’m so sorry to bother you…” pfftshtfffsfs. YOU ARE NOT A BOTHER. I’m immeasurably grateful to you.

**🗝 The Boy Who Steals Houses is not a sequel to A Thousand Perfect Notes.**

They’re set in the same universe though!! There may or may not be a wonderfully placed cameo or mention or two.

🗝 It’s 360 pages!

Compared to ATPN’s 288…so someone got long-winded ha ha. Although, as I was reading through for the 180th time and crying over copy-edits, I pledged to myself never again to write over 300 pages. So much more to edit. Why do people write 100K books. Why…why would they.

**🗝 The keys on the cover mean things.**

So many things…

🗝 There’s a lot going on in this book and I’m very proud of it.

It has homelessness and big messy families. It has anxiety and autism. It’s set in summer, so there’s popcorn and mangoes and a soft yellow pocket of happiness before everything goes really bad. It has brothers with a very intense relationship. It has a very soft and tentative romance (between a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin). It is a genderbent modernised Goldilocks retelling. There is banter and snark…and also tears and bloody knuckles. When I say “I’m going to make you laugh AND cry…” dude, I mean it.

It is dark and light and about being lost and found.

It’s about looking for something and stealing the impossible.

And there is a heck tonne of brownies in it because I drafted it for NaNoWriMo 2016 and I was home alone for a week and brownies is one of the few things I can bake. So like. There sits the truth of my inspiration.

🗝 I’m never going to get over this whole AM AN AUTHOR thing.

It’s just my dream, ok?! The process isn’t all perfect and I still have so many wishes I’m desperate to come true. But just !! knowing people read and enjoy my work, having publishers and an extraordinary agent who root for me, and being able to unravel the stories that make my heart beat faster…I’m so so grateful.

(And wouldn’t be here without my blogger-friends’ support! So thank YOU.)

me @ not being able to wait to take proper photos of it

well I am a happy swamp right now!!!! what do you think?! are there fairy tales you wish were done in contemporary and/or genderbent? ready to be broken by meeee again?

5 Things I Did (Before I Was Published) To Become A Better Writer

11th Aug 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 97 Comments

One of the top questions I get asked now that my first book is out in the world is, “hEY BUT HOW DID YOU DO IT???”

And to this I say: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Okay I’m juuuust kidding. I do actually have about 13% of a clue what I’m doing. This is a staggering percentage and we are all in awe of it. (Hush. Act in awe.) I’ve basically been writing seriously for 9 years. I’ve been agented for 5 years and had a book published by Hachette UK for, ah….2 months. SO! I have a lot to learn still about being a published author. (I still rather feel like the child with muddy gumboots in a room full of Adult Authors.)

But I did get here. And I did do a lot of things that I truly think helped me get here. YES there’s a bit of luck and timing involved, but also freaking haaaard work. It’s easy just to say: “Oh look!! Cait has a big blog!! Now she has a book deal!! It came so easy for her!!”

Haha. Haaa hahahaha. No. I worked hard for YEARS so let’s see what I was doing, hmm?!

1. I WROTE MILLIONS OF WORDS AND OVER 30+ BOOKS

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know I am a wild writer like this. In 2017 I wrote a million words (including outlines that went over 40K sometimes, and 7 novels…some of which were over 130K). That is a LOT OF WORDS. And truly, I needed them to learn how to write. Some might learn to write a lot faster than I did…but I needed SO much practise. All these horrible gnarly drafts (starting from age 15) got my to where I am = a published author.

Are these 30 drafts something you might read someday???

LMAO. They are not.

**“So what was the point of writing them all??? Wouldn’t it have been better to write less books but write them better and work on them harder?”**

Look this is a seriously good question. I did edit some and rewrite others. Actually the 16th draft I wrote was what became A Thousand Perfect Notes.

Personally, I needed to write a lot to learn. I wanted to experiment. I wanted to chase that glittery idea that probably wasn’t marketable. I had the time to do this and the energy, so like, why not?! I would NOT be writing how I am today if I didn’t have dozens of “practice novels” in the dust behind me.

Most of these novels are: (A) HORRIBLE because I wrote them when I was, um, smol and deluded, (B) some I’ve actually repurposed bits and pieces into newer novels, (C) they gave me a chance to experiment with so many styles and genres! I learned my favourites and what I didn’t like to write about, and (D) I might still go back to some of them!!

Nothing is wasted. They all taught me.

This doesn’t mean YOU have to write 30 novels before you’re published. The point is: WRITE WRITE WRITE. Don’t just write one book, write more. Don’t except yourself to be excellent now. Practise. If you write and it’s not as good as it was in your head? WRITE SOME MORE.

And heyyyyy = have fun with this, ok?! I have such fond memories of all these books and characters!

2. I LEARNED HOW TO REWRITE AND EDIT

This follows directly on from the last one but seriously: DO NOT JUST WRITE FIRST DRAFTS. You learn almost everything by rewriting and editing. Books aren’t writing, they’re rewriting. So if you’re dreaming of being an author and you’ve never learned to edit??? Goooo, fiend. GO. This is absolutely where you need to apply yourself.

3. I RESEARCHED PUBLISHING ALL. THE. TIME

People often think researching is sitting down for an hour and Googling around. WELL ACTUALLY. It’s something you kind of need to do…all the time. For years. I didn’t learn about agents and book deals and editing and submissions all at once. I learned it over several years with constant reading of author blogs, agent blogs, tweets, youtube vlogs and teaching sessions, articles, facebook groups, etc. etc. I just SUBMERSED myself in it as much as possible.

YES I asked real people questions…but mostly I learned by reading the information available online. There’s a lot. It’s hard to know where to start, but soon you click on one thing that leads to another and another and VOILA. You are gathering information. (You don’t have to do this ALL in one day!! So don’t be overwhelmed!)

PRO TIP: Don’t ask me “how do I get published” if you’ve never never researched for yourself. #siiiiigh (But I am VERY MUCH HERE to answer specific questions if you have them! And providing I can actually help!)

4. I LEARNED TO HUSH MY LITTLE SELF AND LISTEN

This is actually hard because you NEED to learn to listen and take on advice…but you also can’t listen too much. Like sometimes I absolutely freak out (STILL!!) because there’s so much to learn and know and remember and EVERYONE’S ADVICE CONTRADICTS. What can I write?? What can I not write?? Do you want this type of agent? Should you pitch? Query? Hire an editor? Get sensitivity readers? What country should you aim for? Should your debut be a series or standalone? Is your style marketable? If you get anxious about all of this, will you turn into a lizard? DoES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOINGGGGGGG.

Anyway. It’s a trip to figure all that out.

But it’s still important to:

Listen to what agents tell you (nope you are NOT the exception to a rule)
Listen to what readers are saying (because they will point out things you didn’t think about, especially regarding content if you’re writing something not directly in your experience)
Listen to what your writing buddies are saying (and GET SOME if you don’t have any! Seriously you can’t pick up all the problems with your novel yourself. There are always things that get left in your head and don’t make it to paper like they should. FEED BACK IS 100% THE BEST THING. Don’t be scared of it. Don’t hate it.)
Listen to the trees. Most people say “why would you do that” but seriously you can say it’s important to sit in a forest and listen to the trees but in reality you can just take a nap. You deserve a nap. We all deserve a nap.

5. I READ UNTIL MY EYEBALLS FELL OUT

I can’t even saaaaay how important reading is! These are your BEST TEACHERS. If you ever get stuck with writing (“how the heck do I write an action scene?!”) read back through like 5 or so of your favourite books’ action scenes. ANALYSE them. You can do this for any type of scene! Dialogue. Characterisation. Description. Let books TEACH YOU.

You also need to read so you know (a) what’s overdone or trending or popular or avoided (probably for good reasons!), (b) what’s happening amongst your bookish peers, and (c) because it stops you turning into a goblin who eats children at night.

Also 10/10 you can buy books for “work now”. This is perfect. Nothing can go wrong.

what’s the best writing advice you’ve been given?! and do you prefer 1st drafts or doing rewrites/edits??

#AmCurrently ~ Officially A Published Author (omg) + TBR Is Taller Than Me (oh no)

30th Jun 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 113 Comments

“So how does it feel to be an officially published author now?!” you might be asking.

A Thousand Perfect Notes has been out for 3 weeks now…which is…absolutely mind-blowing?! It’s already been 3 weeks?!? Speaking of which: how is it also JULY.

So anyway. How am I feeling?

Utter mood right now. I’m fiiiiine.

Now let me tell you all about my month! Because wow. It was an intense one. And my #AmCurrently post is my recap of what I’ve been reading, books I’ve collected, life things, and exactly how many times I’ve screamed lately. * So much fun!

Also I hope you appreciate my first photo in this post, where I’m measuring myself in books. It doesn’t take many. I am smol.

* This is a complete lie. One cannot count these.

So my debut novel came out with Hachette UK which is KIND OF A BIG THING JUST SAYING. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m not even exaggerating: 7 YEARS IN AZKABAN AND NOW I HAVE A BOOK. It’s in bookstores. Sometimes it’s featured in bookstores. People actually buy it?!? People bUY IT BECAUE THEY WANT TO???? What is this world.

I’m not…I’m not crying. This is my waterfall cosplay.

I’m so freaking happyyyyyyyyy.

Just in case you haven’t read it yet…

You can find it on Amazon (there’s only 12 left in stock so um, if you’re in America…GET ONTO THAT.) And also Booktopia, Book Depository (free world wide shipping!), Wordery, and add it on Goodreads!

(Also PS. I could really use reviews on Amazon! I need 50 for it to be counted properly / recommended, and I only have 10!)

OMG WHERE DO I EVEN START????
Probably by being so frikkin’ humbled and proud all at the same time. Because I was honestly scared my little book would just be a slight hiccup in time. I mean, I’m an unknown author. It’s a debut…it’s kind of dark (which isn’t everyone’s thing), I’m not able to be physically present or go sign in bookstores or meet people, ergo what if IT ALL JUST IS A QUIET MELLOW RELEASE etc. etc. (Hi, yes, I have anxiety.) But it’s been amazing. I worked really really hard and it worked and I JUST AM !!!!
Cosplaying the waterfall again, look at me go.
So it got to rank 119 on Book Depository (we’re talking out of thousands of YA books)! It also got to “bestsellers in romance” which cracks me up because it’s so unromantic. August says “I like you” and Beck literally sprints 40 miles in the opposite direction. But looooook! I’M NEXT TO BECKY ALBERTALLI. (Probably alphabetically for this list but hush!!)
It also hit #1 on Amazon…for the YA music section lmao…which has like 10 books in it all up BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M TAKING IT.
People actually find it in bookstores!!! (THIS IS MY DREAM.) And so many times it’s actually been shelved in prime positions, with cover facing out to catch attention. I am so lucky, wow.
I opened my annual Booktopia newsletter and…IT WAS FEATURED. This was so unexpected?! And I died a little when they’re like “you might know Paper Fury!”… Yeah. I do. She’s climbing the walls currently but ok.
It was featured in the Illumicrate May box! With bookmarks. And signed book plates. It was so fun signing those. And it also had red-stained pages so like…my eyeballs are in love.
I still haven’t gotten my author copies yet, so I literally just have the Illumicrate one. Haha….sob.
But when I do get them, I can do some more giveaways!
I’ve done so many interviews, a twitter chat, instagram takeovers for Hachette NZ and AUS, and it’s all intense and also completely surreal. (Little me?! So many opportunities?! ajfkdasldf)
0_0 <—- mood
mY TWITTER CHAT TRENDED.
The #AThousandPerfectNotes hashtag is wild and I love it and it’s no longer just me! Nice!
MORE PEOPLE THAN JUST MY MUM LIKE IT.
My sisters actually all pulled through and proved themselves useful and bought copies. This is the only reason I tolerate having 4 sisters.
My editors sent me flowers! Which is the actual sweetest thing!!
People have been so kind, and so supportive, and I hope you absolutely 10000% know that I wouldn’t be able have my heart stuffed so full with all this incredible news if it wasn’t for your help.
I LOVE YOU, OKAY.

LOOK I’M IN BOOKSTORES!

(Literally this was the pinnacle of my dreams. My book —> in a bookstore! I have yet to actually go see it myself due to living in a town without a bookstore. And also being too overwhelmed to go to the city right now. BUT SOON I WILL LIVE THAT DREAM.)

AND READERS ARE STILL HAVING FUN.

UM LAINI TAYLOR SAID CONGRATS, SO CLEARLY I HAVE PEAKED AND CAN RETIRE NOW.

I’m so so exhausted haha oh wow. Ok. I’m done. And I PROMISE I WILL NOT ALWAYS GO ON AND ON ABOUT ATPN. It’s just a special time for me right now!! ah!!

Oddly…publishing a book equals less time to read?!

I actually am kind of devastated that this year will be like my least-amount-of-books-read in the last 3 years?!? I know it’s still a lot of books. And it’s ridiculous to be disappointed! But yet here I am. Overachiever me is suffering. I’m still on track for my Goodreads goal but I also feel a little slumpy.

I’m reading less —> but not collecting less books. #OHNO

I also wanted to read a ton of lgbtqia+ books for Pride month and I barely read any. Ughhhhh. So disappointed @ me. I ended up only reading 6.

Review copies vs books I bought!

Actually I say that, but Smoke and Iron is on the wrong side lol lol. I am dysfunctional. Anyway, I’m on the blog tour from that (thanks Berkley Publishing!) so look out for it next week!! SO EXCITED. THIS SERIES IS MY LIFE.

Also thank you Bloomsbury, Flatiron US, Allen & Unwin, Nadine Brandes (who sent me Fawkes herself!!) and Bloomsbury! ALSO PENGUIN FOR THE REVIEW-COPY OF BRIGHT WE BURN AHHHHHHHHH. And Jo for sending me through her ARC of The Unpredictability Of Being Human (which is about an autistic girl and it’s soooo good!).

FROM EDELWEISS OR NETGALLEY

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I mastered the ice cream sandwich ok. This is me reaching the pinnacle of my life achievements. Forget being published — I can make ice cream sandwiches. (Also they were strawberry and chocolate and dairy/sugar free, meaning they are HEALTHY. Meaning I can eat, like, all of them.)
Through all the publishing madness I STILL managed to outline another book!! And no it’s not sold or anything, but I’m still pleased I managed to finish it despite my brain being a complete beehive lately.
My Etsy store is dying and basically I’m waving hopelessly at the funeral pyre haha. Omg.
My dad built me some new shelves! Which I sorely needed. The fact that they’re directly above my bed is a tiny bit disconcerting, but you know what? Life is short. Bookworms are supposed to live perilously. Here’s the Before vs After:

Those sheets on the wall are edit notes!!
There is my dog, Atticus’ butt.
Also he absolutely blends with my bed and the walls. How and why.
I’m so so excited to read Bright We Burn (!!!) absolutely busting out of my skin right now!!
Also if you loved A Thousand Perfect Notes, jUST REMEMBER: next year I’m going to ruin your life with The Boy Who Steals Houses! #excite
Anyway.
My sister is visiting so hopefully we’ll watch lots of Brooklyn 99.
I’ve literally done nothing except answer DM’s and eat ice cream sandwiches this month so I’m not sure what else I should say here except: send help.
No really, help. I washed my white jumper, got it all pleasantly clean, and went and made strawberry jam. Ah ha, Cait. AH HA HA HAHAH (crying). So my jumper is no longer white, and how are you.
HOW DO PEOPLE CALL ME INTIMIDATING. PEOPLES. THIS IS LITERALLY ME SPILLING JAM ON MY SHIRT.
My plans for July include: (a) reading a sheer ton of books because my TBR is stressing me out. I’m so behind. And (b) I hopefully will draft a new book! Also (c) never never wear white again.

what book are you MOST excited to read soon?!? (and do tell me what I should be reading I need help hahaha) tell me what happened in your June! are you ready for July? and important: what’s your favourite kind of ice cream??

Happy Release Day To A Thousand Perfect Notes!

7th Jun 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 163 Comments

My little book is officially out in the world today and my entire mind is just !!!!!!

I’ve dreamed about this day for so so so long that now it’s actually happening, it’s all still so surreal! Although this is the UK release date and Australians and New Zealanders have to wait till the 12th. (SORRY, BUT REMEMBER I’M WORTH IT.) But it’s officially: A Thousand Perfect Notes is in stores and shipping and in houses across the world and…I can’t even.

I CANNOT.

Insert me looking starry-eyed and shellshocked…and so so SO SO HAPPY.

Every time someone sends me a photo of it in a bookstore…or them reading it…or saying how much they loved it…It’s absolutely and completely incredible. UGH EMOTIONS. There were so so many years I thought I would never get here, but look!!

Look!! I did it!

Writing often feels like a lonely thing since it’s mostly you staring at your computer screen and shouting, “WHY” several times very loudly into the void until the void finally has enough and shouts back. (10/10 recommend for someone to talk to. The void seems nice.) But actually there’s so many people to thank?! I’m such a cliche, but IT’S TRUE. And I already gushed in the acknowledgements of my book…but just…

…thank you to my agent, Polly Nolan, for pulling me out of the slush pile and championing my books. I seriously have a super agent who believes in my work like nothing else and I am so thankful!

…and to my editors at Orchard / Hachette Children’s UK, Megan Larkin and Rosalind Macintosh! And the rest of the team! For falling in love with my book and making it 100 x better and being just the general best! My publicists, cover designer…LOVE YOU ALL.

…to my parents, who always supported my dream to be a writer. Which is huge, really. I am so lucky! And about 14% of thankfulness to my five siblings because n o n e of them have read it, but I did learn how to bicker with siblings from them and put that in my book. So at least there’s that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Although to the ones that have preordered…you can stay.)

…I’m going to thank cake because I can’t be stopped.

…NO thanks to my dog. Who leaves the room when I try to pet him and thinks my entire bed is his and I am still missing a sock what the heck did you do with it. Stuart in the book is YOU.

…and a Specific Classical Musician (won’t say the name because it’s a bit of a spoiler for my book!) who I listened to on repeat in my teendom until my mum literally took the CD off me.

…to my critique partner, Emily!! Bookstagram Pastel Queen!

…and Maraia (and Sebastian!) for all the help translating the German!

…and just generally Maraia who suffers through reading so many bad drafts of so many books and who is just an incredible friend. I can’t even. You are the best. All our endless texts and book discussions mean the world to me.

….and you. I mean, look at you all. You’re reading this post. You’ve probably read MANY of my posts. You’ve cheered my blog, my social medias, my photography, my snippets, the time I threatened to sort cereal into Hogwarts houses, and my millions of typos because, even now, I pretty much can’t spell. THANK YOU, MY BLOGGING FRIENDS. You are incredible and supportive and it means the worlddddd to me. I’m actually gushing. The Vulcan piece of bread has fallen. I hope you’re happy.

I wrote a post on my publishing journey and I was VERY EMOTIONAL.
A Thousand Perfect Notes is listed amongst the “romance bestsellers” on Book Depository AND it’s ranked 224…I don’t remotely understand the rankings there, but out of the thousands upon thousands of books, that seems pretty freeeeeaking awesome?!? (It’s not really a romance though but THANKS ANYWAY, BOOK DEPOSITORY.)
Move over fanart I have FAN CAKE, which is literally the peak of my author life.
People on instagram have been sending me SO MANY PHOTOS and my heart is so so full!
It’s literally out in bookstores?!? ON SHELVES. IT IS ON SHELVES.
SHELVES
IN A BOOKSTORE
MY ACTUAL DREAM
Someone messaged me this and I just !!!!
My blog tour is being lovely!!
No Safer Place = why I wrote A Thousand Perfect Notes and the inspiration behind it
Once Upon A Bookcase = interview with my cover designer + some looks at early drafts which is sO COOL
A Whisper Of Ink = interview with me and the COMPLETELY NICEST REVIEW
And more coming!! I will be tweeting links!
My book is featured on Kobo’s picks of the month!
Incredible reviews have been pouring in! I’m really terrified I won’t get a chance to thank everyone?! I want to! Your support is absolutely amazing. I would give you all the cake of the planets. I know it’s easy to think, “Oh Cait has a big blog, she’s fiiiiine,” but seriously it’s the little reviews, the tweets, the preorders, the constant cheering that actually makes this all happen.
(And if you’ve done reviews on your blog, please put them up on retailer sites too!! It makes an amazing difference for me! Like Amazon, B&N, Waterstones, etc.!)
I’ll be doing a Twitter takeover and Chat on @DateABook on the 12th! This is so cool and I’m totally nervous ha! Be there if you can, I neeeeed you!
And on the 11th I’ll be alllll over Hachette NZ’s instagram page for the day, doing snippets of my writers life + so many colourful explosive photos.
You seriously can’t get away by this point.
My book is featured in a book box! (Click here to know which, but you will get spoilers for the box, obviously!) It even got an exclusive edition (sprayed red edges!) and I signed hundreds of book plates and am still reeling that this dream came true omg. STOKED.
And my instagram challenge is finishing up on the 7th but you can STILL JOIN IN! The hashtag is #1000perfectnotes and all the details are here. I’ll leave it running for a few days for latecomers! Winner gets an annotated copy of my book. The final day is for posting a picture of ATPN (or just the cover on your phone if you don’t have a copy yet!) and I’m hoping it gets a bit of buzz (!!!) which will make this world 1000 x better and I will probably climb the walls, but that’s ok. Chill is to be had by no one anyway.

Here are a few questions I get asked quite often! But feel free to ask me things anytime. You know I don’t bite! ~~I mean well I do bite but it’s only a small bite and sometimes people get hungry ok don’t worry about it.~~

Why did you write A Thousand Perfect Notes?

My stories always come from a huge tangle of ideas. I am forever collecting shiny pieces of inspiration and then working out how they can all fit together. For ATPN, I wanted to retell a classical composer’s life…and maybe add in a bit of a genderbent Cinderella. I wanted to talk about music. And passion…and obsession. I wanted to talk about self-worth and friendship and annoying loveable sibling relationships. I wanted to write a book of contrasts, where it’s sometimes dark and bleak…but also warm and hopeful. I wrote a book full of emotions and intensity and I’m so proud of it.

What made you keep pursuing publication?

I don’t think I have the hardest publishing journey of anyone on the planet, for sure, BUT !! it was stressful for me. It was long (5 years since I first signed my agent) and I ate several brick walls and wanted to quit a lot. But my #1 dream in life is to walk into a bookstore and see mY BOOK on a shelf. And honestly I am a fiercely motivated Slytherin so I don’t lose my ambitions till death do us part, basically.

Easiest vs hardest thing about this book?

Since it’s my debut, there were a LOT of learning curves in the editing. (Trust me, book 2 has already been easier because I know how it works!) So all the little changes (and then never remembering what stayed/what went) was really hard. Also being on submission FRIED MY NERVES TO SATURN AND BACK. The easiest parts? Writing it was actually really fun and not as terrifying as I thought it would be. Watching it grow into a Real Book™ was incredible. Seeing the cover. Knowing it was at book fairs. Having industry professionals say they LOVE IT. Never never never going to get over that my little book that I wrote with half-frozen fingers because it was so cold in my house and had NO IDEA if anyone would even remotely like it — is a real and loved book. I just !!!!!

!!!!!!!

REALLY JUST !!!!!!

Biggest loves vs fears of it being out in the world?

I’ve already gushed about seeing people reading it, seeing it in photos, having people tell me it meant a lot to them (!!) So those are my biggest loves. Also, won’t lie: would be tooootally down for it to be a bestseller, turn into a movie, be published in 17 countries, and have no one mention in my signature that my G looks like a 6. (It DOES but shh.) Anyway all those last things have NOT happened. But I can dream.

My fears are all just the cliches! That everyone will hate it (BRAIN, IT’S NOT TRUE!) and honestly I sigh at how some people write August off as a “manic pixie dream girl.” I shouldn’t say anything much once a book is out, it’s out. It’s yours to interpret now! I respect that fully, believe me. But August gets dismissed because she’s happy. That kind of sucks lol lol. (If she was a boy, she also wouldn’t be critiqued for being happy. I see @ you sexism. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) August doesn’t cure Beck, she doesn’t save him, she doesn’t show him how to fix his messed up life. You know what she does? She tells him he’s worth fighting for. She takes him out for cake because he’s upset. She makes herself a safe space. That’s called friendship.

Anyway I love these two called Beck and August. I LOVE THEM. I’ve been on this journey with them for 3 years and finally they get to find their way out in the world. I AM hAPPY FOR THEM.

My beginning blogger years were full of me standing atop a box (because I am rather short) saying, “I am taking over THE WORLD.” And everyone smiled and humoured my joke. But look. Look. My book is in dozens of countries. In bookstores. In homes. On kindles. On shelves. Who’s to say I was joking?

Thank you THANK YOU for supporting me and coming along on this journey! I know I show the sparkly parts a lot, but trust me, there’s blood and tears and hard hard work behind this, and I’m so freaking grateful for everyone who’s helped and believed in me.

I’m pretty freaking proud.

also I’m exhausted I’m going to go melt into the carpet now lmao it was nice knowing you

How To Make The Cake From A Thousand Perfect Notes! (Ft. A Literary Tea Party by Alison Walsh) + Giveaway

5th Jun 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 104 Comments

If there’s one thing you can expect from me, on my blog and in my books, it is cake.

Somehow I’ve managed to get half the internet to associate me with cake, and you know what??? I’m okay with that. That is the meaning of success. And, staying true to myself and my beliefs in life, I have a scene dedicated to cake in my upcoming debut, A Thousand Perfect Notes.

Now how would YOU like to make that cake?!!

My friend Alison from Wonderland Recipes has invented a recipe just for my book (!!) and I’m literally busting out of my skin with excitement for this collaboration, okay?! It is the best. All collabs pale in comparison to this because CAKE. (I’m so hAPPY, Alison, thank you!)

And this is actually a doubly special occasion because Alison’s cookbook is out today and it’s called A Literary Tea Party and it’s full of recipes from all your favourite books. It has recipes for Turkish Delight from Narnia, Queen of Hearts cupcakes from Alice in Wonderland, Eeyore’s birthday cake, Jo’s gingerbread from Little Women, and Tom Sawyer’s Jelly Doughnuts…just to name a few!!

Happy release day to A Literary Tea Party!!

Alison’s Blog Goodreads Barnes and Noble Indie Bound Amazon Book Depository

Tea and books: the perfect pairing. There’s nothing quite like sitting down to a good book on a lovely afternoon with a steaming cup of tea beside you, as you fall down the rabbit hole into the imaginative worlds of Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, and Sherlock Holmes . . .
Fire up your literary fancies and nibble your way through delicate sweets and savories with A Literary Afternoon Tea, which brings food from classic books to life with a teatime twist. Featuring fifty-five perfectly portioned recipes for an afternoon getaway, including custom homemade tea blends and beverages, you will have everything you need to plan an elaborate tea party. Cook up and enjoy:
Turkish Delight while sipping on the White Witch’s Hot Chocolate from The Chronicles of Narnia
Drink Me Tea with the Queen of Hearts’s Painted Rose Cupcakes from Alice in Wonderland

recipe for a chocolate date fruitcake from A Thousand Perfect Notes, written by Alison Walsh
a giveaway of Alison’s cookbook, A Literary Tea Party
CAKE PHOTOS
MY HEART BEING SO HAPPY

Chocolate Almond Fruitcake from A Thousand Perfect Notes

Guest post by Alison Walsh

I’ve been following Cait’s blog for years, so when I realised her first book and mine were coming out days apart, I shot her an email to see if she was interested in teaming up for a post. Since my book is a cookbook, I thought it would be fun to develop a recipe for one of the foods from her book and share it here on her blog. Not only did she say yes, but she had a food suggestion straight out of the gate: chocolate almond date fruitcake!

In A Thousand Perfect Notes, Beck and August indulge in rich slices of chocolatey, almondy date cake in a coffee shop on a weekday afternoon while playing hooky. It’s one of the few simple, joyful moments in the book (we all know Cait loves to make her darlings suffer! 😉). I wanted a chance to make that simple, sunny afternoon a reality in my own kitchen, so I knew I’d found the food I wanted to make!

I started by comparing LOTS of fruitcake recipes. I’d never made one before, so I wanted to get a good sense of what made a fruitcake a fruitcake…beyond, y’know, having fruit in it. After I was sure of the basics, I read the scene in the coffee shop again and thought about the best way to make this fruitcake a faithful recreation of the one in the book.

I went with chocolate chunks rather than chips so they’d stay a little melty in the middle for a good while after baking, and I kept the date chunks pretty big to be sure they kept their chewy texture. I ground the almonds up like you commonly would for a fruitcake, but I made sure to sprinkle chunks of whole almond on top for that satisfying crunch. I also added orange zest to lighten and brighten the flavors. Since the fillings are so rich, I made sure to stay away from too much sugar in the batter. I used less sugar than I normally would for a cake and made half of it brown sugar for extra depth.

The final product was a huge success at my house! The topping and fillings are just the right size, so you get distinct moments of chocolate, date, and almond without them getting lost in too much cake. The ground almond helps keep the cake itself moist, and there’s just enough orange zest for a bit of complexity. I’ve already made it four times—we can’t get enough of it!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
½ cup finely ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp almond extract
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 cup loosely packed chopped dates*
2 tsp orange jest
3 tbsp chopped almonds, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F/176° In a small bowl, stir together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the almond extract.
Gradually fold in the flour mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate, dates, and orange zest. Transfer the mix to a greased 9×5 loaf pan and spread out until flat. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. At the 15-minute mark, sprinkle your chopped almonds on top of the batter and gently press them down a little (you want them to adhere to the batter but not submerge).
When fully baked, allow the cake to rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

* You can buy pre-chopped dates, but I recommend buying whole pitted dates and chopping them yourself to achieve larger pieces. Cut each date in half lengthwise, then each half into 5 pieces.

Thanks so much for this recipe, Alison!

I literally haven’t stopped flailing about it (my family can attest) and I put my horrible baking skills to the test to make it too! Now mine…did not…turn out nearly as pretty as Alison’s. Which I blame a little bit on using mini chocolate chips instead of chocolate hunks so it was chocolate smoosh. Mine basically looks like the ugly rustic weird cousin.

I shall stick to writing tragic novels, not baking wow.

But, despite mine looking ugly, it was delicious. Everyone in my house RAVED about the flavours. Alison is a cake magician.

Seeing something from my bok come to life like this was just…ahh! It was so exciting! I shall geek out about it and never stop! Please definitely go check out Alison’s cookbook because she is a master.

Don’t forget A Thousand Perfect Notes is out in just TWO DAYS.

So excited!!!

Insert laugh/cry emoji here. SO UGLY, CAIT. STICK TO WRITING.

USA only!
1 x copy of A Literary Tea Party cookbook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

is there a bookish-themed food you’ve always wished to try?! do you think you’ll try this cake?! (if you do, tag me on social media so i can see!!) and tell me if you’re a good cook (unlike meee ha)

My Publishing Journey! How I Got An Agent And a Book Deal

2nd Jun 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 187 Comments

**It’s getting to the point where I realise my debut novel comes out in less than a week, and I’m just sit here thinking, “I DID IT???”**

I’ve been working towards this for so so long. I often say “IT’S BEEN 5 YEARS IN AZKABAN” because it absolutely has and that’s no small length of time if you think about it. These last 5 years have been absolutely exhausting and full of heartbreak and encouragements and successes and nerves and triumphs — and now I get to actually hold my book???? I sometimes don’t know how to believe this is real.

I’ve been busting to share the details of my publishing journey with you! Every author tumbles into publishing a different way, but it’s interesting to read all the versions…so finally, here we go!

And please FEEL FREE when this post ends, to ask me questions! About publishing or A Thousand Perfect Notes! I may use some of the questions in a little Q&A on release day too.

Do you want to know how I started writing? I have one of those fantastic and heart-warming origin stories.

I was about 6 or 7 years old. I “wrote” the Three Little Bears out with eloquent illustrations and then told my family I’d invented it. HEARTWARMING, SEE? Later, at 12, my little sister started writing stories and was getting way too much attention, so I joined in. But it wasn’t till I was actually 15 that I finished a real book (it was probably barely 40K in retrospect ha) and thought, “Yep, this is going to be my life.”

Author. Bestseller. Adored all over the world. Etc. etc.

I grew up as a rather adorable book monster, the kind who’d hide with Tintin and Narnia on Christmas and ignore everyone, and my house was filled with books…so NONE OF THIS IS MY FAULT. I was doomed. I’ve always been obsessed with storytelling and had an incredible imagination — so figuring out I could tell my own stories plus control the ending plus (obviously) get famous for it someday was life changing.

What more could a little sharp-toothed, curious-eyed book monster want?

At 19, I was ready to start querying.

When I say “I researched”, I mean I was freaking obsessed with it. I still am, honestly. I still research and read and watch and listen to so much about the publishing world.

Before I queried, though: I had critique partners. I’d written dozens of (awful) books. I was really into a few teen writer communities and had feedback from authors. I religiously read advice and tips. I didn’t just work hard, I overworked hard, just in case you wonder if younger-me had some chill?

HAHA HAH AH. NEVER, NO.

Writing out several versions of my query and ANGUISHING over them.
I entered a few contests to get critiques.
One (professional) author said, not only did my book not work, my query was awful too.
I cried.
Seriously querying is super hard on your self-esteem.
I queried in the UK and USA. I’m in Australia, but this was 2013 and as much as I researched, I couldn’t find many Aussie agents?! I remember the biggest one took ONLY snail mail! Which they posted back to me…ya, thanks.
I pretty much angsted and freaked out over making sure I followed every individual agent’s guidelines.
I GOT REJECTIONS.
I didn’t actually track it very well, because the rejections were devastating for me and I’m sooo not the whole “Put your rejections on the wall!” type of writer. My opinion on that: the heck no. I put encouragement on my walls, thanks.
I did about 20-30 queries? Maybe less.
They were all form rejections except…maybe…2?????
Mostly there was nothing.
Technically I’m still waiting to hear back from about 10 agents. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I started to think Professional Author Who Said I Wasn’t A Good Writer was right…
Then I got one yes.
I only needed one yes.
I signed with Polly Nolan @ Greenhouse Literary UK (who is, by the way, a super agent and our visions for my writing click so so well and I couldn’t be happier)!!! Seriously best moment.
This took about 10 months all up.

Things did go slowly at first.

I was signed for a dark YA fantasy that I’d been rewriting and rEWRITING since I was 15, so it was like The Story™ but it needed help. We did a lot of editorial work first. (I still have no idea why I got signed loooool. I’m relieved I did! Don’t get me wrong! BUT HOW DID I GET SIGNED.) Then we went out on submissions to UK publishers.

Then we got rejected.

So my agent said, “What about another book? What about a contemporary?”

And I being (a) desperate, (b) incredibly motivated to work my eyeballs out, (c) wanting this dream to be a reality mORE THAN ANYTHING, (d) being excruciatingly good at saying “yes” and thinking later, and (e) really open to advice…

I said “I’D LOVE TO!”

(Note: I had written 15 books before this. None of which were contemporary.)

Apparently, it seems, I am tolerably good at contemporary. I insert a smug little cute smile here.

Because in 2015 I wrote a little book called “Tremolo.” After revisions and edits, my agent suggested the title, A Thousand Perfect Notes.

In 2016, when I was twenty-one, I signed a 2-book contemporary deal with Orchard / Hachette Children’s UK.

I actually got the email at 4am, because WHO SLEEPS (#insomniac #life) and waited until about 8am for my family to rise from the dead so I could just lurk awkwardly and stare at them which is absolutely how you convey you have a book deal. I swear, I’m super good at communication.

I stood atop a mountain for about 6 months, just screaming in relief. I am a good writer. I am worth a book deal. I worked so freaking hard and long for this and I made it.

(Also I apologies to everyone I ABSOLUTELY LIED TO for the 16 months between signing my deal and announcing it. Ha ha hahaha. Oh wow. I am great.)

Has it been a super easy road?! OH YOU SWEET SUMMER CHILD.

Haha hahha no.

As you can see, I didn’t have any magical shortcuts. I didn’t do query contests or pitchwars (I didn’t even have a twitter for ages?!) and I didn’t have 4989 agents asking for me or 9389 publishers vying for my book. I am the poster child of: “IT JUST TAKES ONE YES” for publishing. And it is so true. This is success and I am proud and happy! And freaKING NERVOUS.

I have social anxiety and autism, which makes communicating hard for me, but my agent and publisher has been 100% onboard with meeting my needs. I have a big online audience, but it actually did 0% in getting my book deal. (It’s the writing that’s important, peoples!) And little things went wrong along the way…like my ARCs didn’t have my copy-edits in them, and I didn’t get to do a cover reveal, and there’s been lots of niggling things behind-the-scenes that haven’t been perfect. I have stressed. I have eaten through a few brick walls.

I’m not telling you that to complain. I’m saying publishing isn’t perfectly smooth for anyone! It has its highs and lows. I’m pretty sure 0% of debut authors have got it all together.

And between all the waiting and hoping — I was writing. If I can ever give one piece of advice to writers pursuing publication: WRITE AND WRITE SOME MORE. Write literally millions of words. Nothing makes you better and more confident than sheer amounts of practise.

And the things I still can’t stop happily freaking out about??

Getting translation deals! Seeing people wanting for my book without me having to spend 398 years begging them to read it like I did pre-getting-a-deal (HAHAH LIFE IS SWEET). My editors saying the most AMAZING things about my owrk. Also my editor crying…oh oh my halo just slipped can someone grab that for me.

Having people understand my work. Having professionals improve my work and now my writing is 100 x better and I still can’t get over that. Having my book go to book festivals in Europe! Getting a gorgeous cover (!!!) Knowing I have a SECOND book coming out in 2019. My publishers bought a book off me that didn’t even EXIST yet. I still can’t get over how amazing that is.

And holding my hard work in my trembling paws and knowing that I finally finally did it after I thought I might never get here.

I am all sparkly and my heart is so full right now!

Also, I will just say: getting a book deal is wonderful for the self-confidence. 10/10 would recommend.

Thanks for coming along on this publishing journey! Even if you’ve just started reading my blog or been here for the last 7 years…it’s been amazing to share this with you! Look I’m getting emotional, ugh, someone bury me.

A Thousand Perfect Notes is out in just 5 days!

if you’re a writer, feel free to tell me what your journey has looked like so far! plus ASK ME QUESTIONS! about my book(s) or publishing! i am answering!

Announcing My Second Novel (The Boy Who Steals Houses) Coming Out in April 2019!

19th May 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 173 Comments

I am practically beaming with happiness right now okay?! Let me introduce you to my second soon-to-be-published novel!

If you remember from when I announced A Thousand Perfect Notes back in October, I said it was a 2-book deal. And here is news of my sECOND SON. My second novel is called The Boy Who Steals Houses and it’s coming out in April 2019, with Hachette Children’s / Orchard UK! Which is actually less than a year away already.

I’m growin’ up so fast omg hold me.

Now it is still so so early so I’m not going to say a lot (!!) but I’ll do a fun little Q&A for this post and basically continue beaming until I outshine the sun. I know it looks like, “WOW Cait is coming out with all these books so fast!!??!” but trust me there’s been 7 years of work behind this and quite a few sacrifices to the trees and a criminal amount of chocolate.

But I’m so so happy and my heart is so full. There were so many times I nearly quit and screamed myself into another dimension…but here I am. Author of two books. That you will soon be able to read. And I just…my current state is: !!!!!

THE BOY WHO STEALS HOUSES

Can two broken boys find their perfect home?
Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he’s ever known. Now Sam’s trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he’s caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing – each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie.
But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.

Goodreads Book Depository Waterstones Amazon UK Pinterest Board!

**To be clear, on one has asked me anything yet. But I am prepared. Hence here is a presumptuous Q&A where I will answer questions no one asked.**

Q: What’s the title?
A: The Boy Who Steals Houses!

Q: Why is this vaguely familiar to me, a keen observer of your blog.
A: Because, you clever finch, you might remember me talking about this project back in 2016 when I wrote it for NaNoWriMo! It was a book I finished in 3 DAYS and I was pretty excited about that. I never knew if it’d end up being an actual published novel but look!! look!! I’m so happy I can’t even explain !!!

Q: So is this a sequel to A Thousand Perfect Notes??
A: It is not. It is a standalone, but it’s in the same world as ATPN and it’s set 1 year later. In fact Beck and August from ATPN go to the same school as Sam and Avery from TBWSH.

This is page 18 in A Thousand Perfect Notes…

I am ridiculously pleased with myself and my Easter Eggs, ok. RIDICULOUSLY PLEASED. The scheming here from me is wild.

Q: Can we call agree TBWSH is a horrible acronym and looks like mouthwash.
A: Yep. I’m gonna go ahead and agree.

Q: Also tell me about the title.
A: Can you believe I, the infamous horrific titler, actually TITLED THIS ONE MYSELF. I’m so proud. (FYI A Thousand Perfect Notes was named by my agent! I originally called it Tremolo because I cannot title.)

Q: How do you steal a whole house.
A: You know what? You’ll have to wait and see.

Q: Will there be ARCs?
A: I assume so but it is waaay too early. I have literally only just sent back an early round of edits. This isn’t quite even book-shaped yet.

Q: So do you have a favourite between your two sons now?
A: Nooooo. I mean, I love them both to death and each has a special place in my heart. But TBWSH has definitely stolen (har har) my heart and it’s one I can’t ever stop thinking about. Sam and Avery are the softest cinnamon sons, who also make such bad decisions I have no idea how they’re still alive. This book is dark. It’s very raw and honest. It’s extremely special to me.

Q: Are there dragons this time????
A: um, still no

Q: Is there cake?
A: YES. Actually, funny story: when I wrote this, I was living alone (my sister doesn’t count as a person because she was there but useless in the kitchen) for a month and basically living off sandwiches and brownie because apparently cooking is hard and I am small and tired. In the end there was brownie in like every third chapter of TBWSH. It’s not quite that bad now, but the whole book is an ode to brownie.

Q: Will I cry tho. Is it happier or sadder than ATPN????
A: Dude, you know it is sad. You already know. And it is just as dark as ATPN…

Q: What’s with all the yellow?
A: Yellow is a really important colour in the book! Also I’m not sure if the protagonist, Sam, is a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor…I will get back to you on that. And also, this is a genderbent Goldilocks retelling!

Q: So you are writing about autism.
A: Yes! There is an autistic character in here from an autistic author. And look, I just want to smile in a very deviously satisfied way to all the people who’ve told me that autistic authors DON’T get published. They do! Hello! I know I am very lucky, but I’ve also worked monstrously hard and I’m not undermining that by saying it’s all luck and timing. And while this book has an autistic secondary character in it (Avery), it isn’t actually about autism. Because autistic kids get to have plots and narratives too. This also isn’t the “usual” autism narrative you see. Avery isn’t a math genius, he has a lot of stims/tics, and he gives me a chance to talk about the autistic kids who aren’t low or high functioning and how the world either demands too much or too little from them.

Q: What does this mean for the blog then?
A: You get to put up with me mentioning two books all the freaking time. Please don’t go.

Q: When will we see the cover?
A: I haven’t even seen the cover! Probably not for quite a while!

Q: Anything else you want to spill? Look I can see you shimmying around. Just spill it.
A: OKAY!! So if you’ve preordered a copy of A Thousand Perfect Notes, there is actually a sneak peek (half of the first chapter!!) of The Boy Who Steals Houses in the back!! YOU GET TO MEET MY SONS, SAM AND AVERY, VERY SOON. In 19 days to be exact. And then you get to wait 320 days for the rest. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Q: What else goes down in this book?!
A: There are two homeless brothers + also a very very big messy chaotic family + a lot of banter + the cutest awkward romance ever + more bad decisions than is healthy for anyone tbh + a glitter catastrophe like you’ve never seen + one of the biggest character-casts I’ve written + it GETS DARK.

Q: Tell me something cool.
A: um on Waterstones it’s being compared to “Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Jennifer Niven.” And I just !! That’s pretty neat! Don’t mind me as I explode into the sun!

APRIL 2019. I’m so happy you’ll meet Sam and Avery!

Books To Read While You’re Waiting For A Thousand Perfect Notes!

12th May 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 66 Comments

**As you may have heard (since I’ve mentioned it once or twice) my debut novel, A Thousand Perfect Notes, is nearly here!**

Somehow it’s only 26 days to go?!?? WhEn dID thaT happEN. I swear this has taken forever and absolutely no time at all, which just proves I’m probably a magical writer wizard creature who manipulates time and you should all read my book.

“But, Cait,” you say patiently while building a house out of cake because reading my blog usually gives you that kinda feel, “it’s not here yet so we can’t read it.”

Which is a good point, I’ll give you that. So I’ve very cleverly decided to put together a list of books you can read while you wait! These are a bit like comparative titles too! And they were actually really hard to find because music-themed-books ARE RARE UNICORNS. Clearly I am filling a void here with my book. Someone award me.

Although obvious reminder…my book is still pretty different to these in style/presentation of topics. lol lol. Have you met me. I am always different.

Beck lives for one thing: music. But it’s not his choice. His mother, a once famous pianist, is determined to live out her shattered dreams through her son. The tyranny of her passion rains down on Beck in a torrent of violent words and blows. Isolated from the world, he is the ghost of a boy – until August comes along.
August, with her bare feet and her blue-doodled hands, her eyes as complicated as the ocean. August, fiercely protective of those in need.
As Beck’s own music swells inside him, can August help him unlock it and say all the things he’s never said?

Goodreads ||| Amazon UK ||| Amazon US ||| Amazon AUS ||| Waterstones ||| Book Depository ||| Angus And Robertson ||| Wordery ||| Booktopia |||

…FOR UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS + VIOLENCE

A List of Cages is one of my favourite books of last year! It totally smacked me in the feels which is, obviously, just what all good books are supposed to do. I mean, who is here for happiness?! HA. ADORABLE. Anyway, this one is about Adam (who has ADHD) and Julian (who has dyslexia) and their unlikely friendship coupled with Julian’s very dark secrets of the abuse he suffers at home.

My heart turned into an emotionally damp piece of bread reading this because my book was under contract in early 2017 but still a secret (!!) so it was hard to explain why this book meant a lot to me!! But I definitely think ATPN would get on well with this book.

…FOR ANXIETY AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Starfish is such an incredible book! I don’t even know if I’ve yelled about this one on the blog yet?! Which is a true dire shame, but it is heartwrenching. It’s got such a good representation of social anxiety too (although my book doesn’t, just to clarify!) and it’s also an #ownvoices story about being biracial! Also Kiko is an ARTIST! And my protagonist, Beck, is a PIANIST. So ya know. It works.

This one features a poisonous mother/daughter relationship, while ATPN features a mother/son relationship…both are BAD NEWS. So like read this if you just want to bawl and plot to kidnap characters from their mean authors. *

* um wait…that’s me…

my characters @ trying to have a good life

…FOR BEING A PIANIST + SIBLINGS.

Tell Me Something Real is probably one of the only (!??!) pianist books I’ve read!?? What is this world. I mean apart from Jace from Shadowhunters but I don’t think I could get away with comparing that ahhhh ahha. Ahem. Now this one is actually about a girl who wants to go to the Conservatorium for classical piano, buuut her mum has leukaemia so her attentions are elsewhere. It’s also lots of sibling/sister rep in it! And the romance is so soft™.

ATPN stars two siblings, Beck and his 5yo firecracker of a sister Joey who would probably eat you. So that’s lovely. *

* Also fun fact, I have FIVE siblings and exactly ZERO of them have read my book lol lol sob. They are all for sale.

…FOR MUSICAL PASSION TURNING TO OBSESSION

Someday Somewhere is a newbie debut I just read this year and FUN FACT: this author and I have the same literary agency. Like, isn’t that just super cool!? I didn’t know until I was reading the acknowledgements, and then I geeked out. Like the professional I am. I swear nobody gave me a How To Be An Author handbook so I’m going to continue functioning * as a blogging fangirl. tRY AND STOP ME.

Anyway!! Like my book, this is about that line between being passionate vs obsessed with music. This one deals really heavily (and I thought really well!) with mental illness too. It also has a girl who loves to dance! I do not have that! But I have a girl who loves dogs, so that’s like very very important.

* Looooool. Dubious use of that word

…FOR AWFUL MOTHERS

The Dangerous Art of Blending In was soooo good and soooo heartbreaking ASDKFLADSJ I DIDN’T ASK FOR EMOTIONS. Ahem. I only read it earlier this year and was immediately like: “This book should be friends with my book.” Which is weird. But hello. I am a writer.

Anyway, the boy in this book has a most horrible mother + he uses art to escape! In my book, Beck also has a horrible mother, but uses composing music to escape. Although this one also has #ownvoices Greek and queer rep and it’s just so so gooddddd. The cover is covered in sprinkles too, so basically it is a cake! I’m such a fan!

…FOR ADAM PARRISH SLIGHTLY????

The Raven Cycle is my #1 favourite series of ever AND YOU KNEW I’D SQUEEZE IT ON THIS POST. YOU KNEW IT. Any excuse to remind you to read it, OK?!?! Now my book does not have dead Welsh Kings, magic, cars, friendship squad goals, or even obsessive amounts of yogurt. I know. My book is a complete failure. However Adam Parrish, who has a crappy home life with an awful father and PTSD, is definitely the kind of person my protagonist Beck could relate to.

Minus the magic. I’m sORRY, Beck, I could’ve given you magic and I messed up.

Anyway this is like 78% wishful thinking but I’m putting it on here because no one can STOP ME.

…FOR THIS BEING A SLIGHT CINDERELLA RETELLING!

This is the kind of retelling that you might not be able to pick! But my very very first smidges of inspiration did come from making A Thousand Perfect Notes —> a genderbent Cinderella retelling. It did change in rewrites of course, and mutate like the X-Man it should’ve been but wasn’t because no one’s let me write a Wolverine retelling yet (SOMEDAY???) but the thought is there!!

It’s also a little smudge of a retelling of a famous classical composer BUT I SAY NO MORE BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL SPOILERS.

righto, what do you think?! have you read any of these comparative titles? and if YOU are an author/writer (!!) tell me what books/movies you’d compare to your current project? i’m super curious! and have you read many pianist books??

How To Tell If A Book Has Good Autism Rep (Ft. Lists Because We Love That)

3rd Apr 2018 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 171 Comments

It’s high time we talked about Dos and Dont’s for autism rep in YA books!

Also when I say “high time” I just go straight to thinking about high tea, which is really British of me despite me not being British. But what can I even do?! (I’m Australian so I guess I can claim heritage??) I just need scones and jam and tea right now, so please appreciate my suffering right from my very first intro sentence. #TheBloggerLifeIsHard

Anyway.

Sometimes when we read books that represent a minority we’re not part of, we have noooo way to know if it’s accurate representation or not. And it’s DOUBLY hard to figure it out anyway because = one minority experience does not equal every experience in that minority. But I thought I would try to be useful for once instead of writing a post sorting different breakfast cereals into Hogwarts Houses (this would be exciting tho) and help out by talking about:

how to tell if autism rep is getting it right

But I have Things™ to say before we get onto my lists (I love lists! You love lists! Lists are GREAT!) And they are:

Autism is a spectrum!! So while I’m going to say “these are good vs bad tropes” they are just my opinion as an autistic. Another autistic individual might have a different opinion. I respect that.
My opinion on autism is still never going to be universal. (TRUE FOR ANYONE’S OPINION ON ANYTHING.)
April is Autism Awareness Month…which is good! And also bad.
It’s bad because it was started by Autism Speaks and please please please do not support them. They endorse super problematic “therapies” for autism and want to cure instead of aid. They want to make a way to test for autism pre-birth so people can specifically abort autistic kids. Plus they talk a lot of trash about autistic people being “locked inside themselves” or having “pieces missing”. So just N O.
So don’t wear blue.
However autism does still need awareness. And understanding. And discussion. Especially by autistics!
It’s not a bad word, it’s not an illness, it’s not broken.
So here is this post. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I also admit to being frustrated at how wildly the YA community champions diversity…except for disability. It’s like that just gets forgotten?! We need to do better.
And on THAT note, there’s an #ownvoices Autism anthology coming soon which you can find out more about here! The creator got in touch to ask if I’d spread the word, and I think it sounds fantastic!
I am excited to talk about something personal to me today so I hope you enjoy this too!

…remember to talk about ALL types of Autism! Because the stereotype is basically: an autistic white little boy who’s a math genius and has no social skills. Those boys exist but, um, so do hundreds of other types of autism. Books are way way more likely to rep high functioning autistics (HFA), but please don’t forget those with learning disabilities and executive function issues and who never speak or never live independently. It’s a huge huge spectrum! I’m not asking books to list every type of autism ever, but the fact that it’s so hard to find ones with lower-functioning individuals is downright sad.

…make autism the SOLE PERSONALITY of the character. Being autistic definitely impacts every part of your life, but it’s NOT the only thing we think about or act on! Autism is part of your identity, how you function, and your culture. You can’t remove it and still be the same person! But there’s still more to you than your autism, same as being Australian effects my whole life but I’m not JUST an Australian. If a book reduces a character like that, then it’s saying: “This character is a DIAGNOSIS” instead of “This character is a PERSON.”

…give autistic characters A PLOT!!! It’s fine to have “issue books” where the autism is the big topic. But holy heck, we want to be in sci-fi adventure and fantasies too OK!? We want contemporary romances and roadtrips and mysteries. Plus if the autistic character actually has a plot, you see how being autistic affects your life. We actually, ya know, do things and have dreams and ambitions.

…make the underlying theme be self-hate, looking for cures, or needing to fixed to be happy. Autism has a lot of stigmas around it and it IS okay for books to address these. And yes, of course autism is frustrating and horrible at times. It can be full of anxiety and isolation and confusion and overwhelm. A book should include the meltdowns and shutdowns and miscommunications and opportunities missed because of disability. But none of that equals broken. Plus a lot of autism struggles come directly from trying to be “normal” because society is terrified of differentness and would rather miserably crush autism into a normal-shaped-box than be uncomfortable by its existence. Hence depression. Anxiety. Self-hate. So let’s STOP putting messages of autism being brokenness in books, thanks. Not to mention how triggering it is to have a book say TO YOUR FACE –> “you need to be fixed.” (I’ve had panic attacks reading this.) No more neurotypical (non-autistic) characters saying things like “I feel so sorry for them never being able to live a good life”. Functioning differently doesn’t mean you can’t be happy! And I believe that’s for high and low functioning autistics, although obviously it’s important to point out that life is a lot harder for people with severe autism. But if a character wishes an autistic person cured, this basically translates to: “Your way of functioning makes me uncomfortable.” If someone is uncomfortable by autism, they’re the problem.

…talk about positive traits! Autistics can be really dedicated and hyper-focus on a job. Our obsessions can make us experts on a topic. We also can really really intensely LOVE things and this is so fun and exciting. We think outside the box. Autistics are inventors and dreamers and discoverers (HISTORY PROVES SO). Books should not solely zero in on the hard parts. If they do, it’s pretty much coming from a viewpoint where autism is only a burden.

…talk about ableism and fight stigmas! Books aren’t problematic if they use problematic language! But show other characters fighting back. (Either the autistic character or supporting cast.) One thing books NEED to fight is the thinking that “autism” is a bad word. It’s nOT. So you know it’s problematic rep if they do everything they can to avoid the word “autism”.

…make autism the catastrophic finale. This can be done well??? But usually it’s depressing to read. Like if the autistic’s big “finale” is a meltdown…SIGH. Don’t make a disaiblity be what ruins everything in the end. Instead HAVE the Bad Thing for the finale and then show how autism affects how the character reacts to it.

…talk about the autistic character’s feelings. I read this a lot (and see it in everyday life) but an autistic character will have a meltdown and the first reaction of others is to say “Oh that poor mother dealing with this.” Instead of thinking about the autistic and why they’re in pain. Autism has a ripple effect and this can’t be ignored. It’ll impact supporting characters negatively and positively, and there’s a LOT of drain on a carer of a low-functioning autistic. Books should talk about that! But they should also talk about the autistic’s viewpoint and feelings way way more than they do. (PS. WE HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS. We might just not express them how is expected.)

…dramatise traits ridiculously so. You know rep is off when you have a high-functioning autistic character who MISUNDERSTANDS EVERY. SINGLE. SOCIAL. INTERACTION. It’s never a 100% of the time thing! Especially for HFA teenagers/adults! It’s like saying autistics are incapable of learning and we’re not. (Although sometimes we’re too tired or don’t feel like the effort lol lol.) And even if we don’t understand a social situation, we won’t always massively mess it up. Faking is a big part of how we (have to) live. Books that make ALL symptoms hyperbolic are insulting.

…put humour in the book! But don’t make autism the joke. I know there’s a huge stigma that autistics don’t understand sarcasm (it’s because of literal thinking). And this is true for a LOT…but not all. And even literal-thinking-autistics can be funny?! Let there be humour around autism (IT’S NOT A DARK THING) but just don’t make the autistic teen’s social mistakes the butt of the joke.

…confuse “character development” and “fixing”. If a book includes the autistic character having to “get over it” or “get better enough” to give someone a hug or eat the food they hate or stop an annoying stim (repetative motion). THIS ISN’T OK. An autistic character can grow and change and conquer and improve without stopping being autistic. (Also I HATE the “autistic kid finally gave their parent a hug” trope. It’s like what if you hate bees and the finale of your character arc was sitting in a field of bees? Seriously.)

…includes more than the average stereotypes! Stereotypes are OK. They exist because they’re somewhat true. But (a) an autistic character is never ALL the stereotypes, and (b) it turns them into real people if they have less-known autism traits as well. Like echolalia (repeating what others say), sensory processing disorder (something weirdly absent from most ASD stories by non-autistic authors), sensory seeking, stimming, low executive dysfunction (actual inability to do simple things like self-care, especially when overwhelmed), specific and intense routines, shutdowns as well as meltdowns. Books should dig deeper than solely the stereotypes!

So in case you’re now sitting here, mumbling into your popcorn, that you wish you had some autistic-book-recommendations…I AM HERE FOR YOU.

Yes I know you’re so lucky to have me, bless us all.

The covers all link to my reviews!

QUICK NOTES:

Afterwards has really good autism rep BUT it is unfortunately affiliated with Autism Speaks arghh. So it has underlying problematic thinking…but is also one of the very few books I’ve read that features a low-functioning autistic and did it really well.
The Art of Feeling does NOT explicitly say Eliot is autistic so it’s a head-canon from me lol looool. But I put it on the list because Eliot is one of the best autistic characters I’ve read…despite maybe it not being intentional?!
Made You Up again is NOT an “on-page-autistic-reference” but the love interest, Miles, reads as an autistic and my friend asked the author and she confirmed he is undiagnosed!