Bloomsbury news! An online writing competition, upcoming books, cover reveals & blog tours!

Here's all the latest news from Bloomsbury, one of my favourite UK publishers. Scroll down for news on Bloomsbury's very short competition for young writers(this sounds like a lot of fun!), some upcoming books and their lovely covers, and a blog tour that I am a little late in mentioning. Ooops!

247tales.com is Bloomsbury's online writing competition that challenges young writers  (aged 10-16 and from the UK) to create stories using only 247 words or less. How fun does this sound?! And you can win great prizes too!

Read on, read on...

2011 sees the launch of a new look website for the competition, featuring thrilling stories and inspiring topics. Better still, awesome Bloomsbury authors will be dropping by the site and sharing their own 247 stories on a given theme.  Budding young writers will then be encouraged to submit their 247 stories on this theme.  One winner will be chosen each month, and will have their story featured on the website.  As an added bonus, the winner will win a selection of books and a framed copy of their story. Pretty cool, huh! Ten runners-up will get a signed copy of the latest book from that month's featured author, and their story will appear in the 247Library section of the website.

The competition launches at 2:47pm on World Book Day, Thursday, March 3rd.(That's today! Better get writing!) with a 247tale from new author Jim Carrington on the theme of The Money. Rules and details of how to enter are on the site -  www.247tales.com. This year the site has been re-launched in a blog format to encourage entrants to comment on the work, talk about short stories and become part of a 247tales community.

Authors taking part in 2011 are Celia Rees, Angie Sage, Cathy MacPhail, Alyxandra Harvey, Irfan Master, B.R. Collins and Isobelle Carmody.

So, young writers - what are you waiting for? 

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 As many of you might know, I love finding out about new, upcoming books, and I especially like seeing all those shiny new covers.  Here's are some upcoming books from Bloomsbury and their yummy covers. Swit Swoo! 

Adult Titles

Lucky Break by Esther Freud is my pick of the upcoming adult titles from Bloomsbury. A sneak peek behind the scenes at a drama school? Yes, please! I love the sound of this one! Can't wait to read it when it releases in April.

Lucky Break by Esther Freud.

Release date: April 2011.

It is their first day at Drama Arts, and the circle of huddled, nervous students are told in no uncertain terms that here, unlike at any other drama school, they will be taught to Act. To Be. To exist in their own world on the stage. But outside is the real world - a pitiless, alluring place in which each of them in their most fervent dreams, hopes to flourish and excel.

Nell, insecure and dumpy, wonders if she will ever be cast as anything other than the maid. She’ll never compete, she knows this, with the multitude of confident, long-legged beauties thronging the profession-most notably Charlie, whose effortless ascendance is nothing less than she expects. While Dan, ambitious and serious, has his sights fixed on Hamlet, as well as on fiery, rebellious Jemma.

Over the following decade these young actors will grapple with haphazard tours, illogical auditions, unobtainable agents, deluxe caravans, rocky relationships and red-carpet premieres. This dazzling new novel from Esther Freud uncovers a world of ruthless ambition, uncertain alliances and the many-sided holy grail of Success.

Young Adult Titles

As always, Bloomsbury has some great titles for Young Adults. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, was my favourite YA book from Bloomsbury in 2010. I wonder if any of these will make my favourites in 2011. I'm looking forward to finding out! 

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I got a proof of this one a couple of weeks back, and it sounds so good. I'm intrigued by this one, and can't wait to get started on it. Love that cover too.

The Opposite of Amber by Gillian Philip

Release date: April 2011.

‘They found the fifth girl right after the snow melted . . . the place where he left her was winter water, crazed with ice-feathers and dusted with snow. The traces from her body were gone, the ones that said his name, but she had an extra skin of ice that protected her and she looked perfect, like Snow White.’

Ruby and her older sister, Jinn, are on their own, just about making ends meet. Jinn is beautiful, with glittering blonde hair, and makes it her business to look after Ruby. They are horrified by, but try to ignore, the local newspaper stories of prostitutes who are murdered, their bodies eventually discovered underwater. Then the no-good Nathan Baird turns up on the scene – again – and Jinn starts to change and no longer has time to look after Ruby. And it seems to Ruby that Jinn herself needs looking after. Her beautiful glittering hair starts to lose its shine. And then Jinn disappears.

A deeply moving, chilling, and incredibly powerful thriller that celebrates the love two sisters have for each other and mourns the events beyond their control that will conspire to drive them apart.

Oooh, a witchy book, with a beautiful cover and great tagline. I'm sold!  This guy Eldric sounds kinda yum!

Chime by Franny Billingsley
Release date:  April 2011.

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

David by Mary Hoffman will be a summer release from Bloomsbury. I love historical ficition, and this Italian setting sounds to die for!

 David by Mary Hoffman.
Release date: July 2011

Michelangelo’s statue of David is renowned all over the world. Thousands flock to Florence to admire the artistry behind this Renaissance masterpiece, and to admire the beauty of the human form captured in the marble. But the identity of the model for this statue that has been so revered for over five hundred years has been lost . . .

In this epic story Mary Hoffman uses her persuasive narrative skills to imagine the story of Gabriele, an eighteen-year-old who, by becoming Michelangelo’s model, finds himself drawn into a world of spies, politicking, sabotage and murder. Set against the backdrop of Florence, a city in a state of constant siege, this is a rich, colourful and thrilling tale.

There are so many more books that I could include here, but you know, this post would then be insanely long and out of control! You should, however, know of my excitement for the July 2011 release of Alyxandra Harvey's and also the next installment of her Drake Chronicles, Bleeding Hearts, which will be released in October 2011. There's also a new Carrie Jones book, After Obsession, written with Steven Wedel, which is out in September 2011, and it sounds pretty good!

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Bloomsbury author Chris Priestley is doing a blog tour right now, and I've posted a list of stops below. I loved Priestley's The Dead of Winter, and I'll be reading more of his spooky, gothic tales when Halloween time comes round again.  I'm a little late announcing this one (sorry!). Chris is over with Jenny at Wondrous Reads today sharing  his creepy writing tips!

You can catch up with the blog tour by visiting the blogs below!

All book covers and descriptions taken from publishers website.