If you’ve been watching my social media feeds, you’ll know that I’ve been in Sydney for a few days, signing books and undergoing the worst kind of torture (aka, being interviewed on video).
It was a whirlwind trip and so much fun. I love visiting the team at Hachette Australia and catching up with everyone. It takes such a lot of people to get a series like The Mapmaker Chronicles out into the world, and every single member of the Hachette team does a brilliant job.
I learnt a few things about myself, the number one being that I need to wear my specs to sign books these days…
In a very exciting moment, I got a sneak preview of the cover for the first book in The Ateban Cipher series (out on 12 September 2017) and it’s just fabulous. I can’t wait to share it with you!
If you’d like to know a bit more about the series, you can watch me talk about it here in my Facebook Live moment.
I talk about Beyond The Edge Of The Map, book #4 in The Mapmaker Chronicles series, but I also have a bit of a chat about what you can expect from the new series. It’s not to be missed – particularly, if you’d like to see me wave my hands around with excitement (a lot).
In other news, reviews for Beyond The Edge Of The Map are coming through.
“A.L. Tait creates characters that are relevant to modern readers without compromising the authenticity of Quinn’s time and place. Quinn is also a hero children can relate to, struggling with fear and self-doubt and, at times, a longing for home. We feel Quinn’s joy when he greets a friend and his fear when faced with an old foe.” Holly Bidwell
Read the full review here – it also includes a terrific family mapping activity.
Tween book blogger Jazzy has written a lovely review for Megan at Children’s Books Daily.
“A.L. Tait has done a brilliant job piecing together a story full of surprises and climaxes which makes it one terrific, fast-paced tale of survival. The scene with the lions was gripping and a page-turner. The characters’ personalities are realistic and I enjoyed the fun and games between the brothers.”
And, finally, if you’d like to introduce the magic of maps to your kids, I wrote a guest post for Caz and Craig at YTravel about 12 books that will help!
Phew! Quite a week! And now, I’m back at my desk, hard at work on an edit for book #2 of The Ateban Cipher. Procrastipup is very happy to have me home!
Congratulations on your latest release. What a fantastic achievement! After many years’ relapse I’ve begun to read children’s literature again, and look forward to delving into the world/s you’ve created, Allison. One day I hope my yet-to-written trilogy set in two worlds will be published!
Thank you so much Eileen – I hope you enjoy the books and best of luck with your own!