Heroic Blog Tour (Cover Discussion)

As part of the Blog Tour for Phil Earle's new book, Heroic, I was asked to talk about the book cover designs (one of my favourite subjects!!!)

Here are all three of the books covers:

I really like the colours on these covers and the fonts used.  I love that the titles on Being Billy and Saving Daisy are big!  Plus they both have this kind of distressed look - with all these kind of scratches over the cover.  For some reason this really pleases me!  I have to admit I wasn't sure, at first, about the people on both of them but the more I looked the more I started to like it.  The boy on Being Billy creates energy - the idea that Billy doesn't like to stay still - whereas the girl on Saving Daisy looks sad and defensive - as if something bad has happened.  I think they help create a good sense of what the book is about.  Add in the brilliant tag line for each book and I really like both of the covers.

Heroic is my favourite of the three though.  It takes all the elements I liked from the other two (the big (ish) title font, a strong solid colour and an awesome tag line!) but amalgamates it better with the image. Like the previous covers I have a really good sense of what the story will be about and it definitely catches my eye!

I also like that all three covers tie in together.  Being Billy and Saving Daisy look very similar - which is good since they are set in the same world - and Heroic has a very similar feel as well, creating a nice theme across the covers.  Take the author's name off the cover and I would still think of Phil Earle which I can't help but think is a sign of a great cover!

What do you think? Do you agree?  Which is your favourite out of the three covers?  Let me know in the comments below!

Heroic/Phil Earle Blog Tour!

The Heroic Blog Tour Kicks off this week with the first stop at Spinebreakers on Monday - and I will be hosting a stop on Saturday! For more infomation on the schedule see the banner below.  But first check out the trailer:

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle

For Review: Penguin
Published: 5 January 2012

From Goodreads:
Losing love, fighting guilt, seeking hope.

Daisy’s mum is gone. Her dad refuses to talk about it and as far as Daisy’s concerned, it’s all her fault…

Saving Daisy is a powerful and moving story that follows the life of Daisy Houghton who first featured in Phil Earle’s critically acclaimed debut, Being Billy.

As Daisy struggles with misplaced guilt over her mother’s death, she turns to extreme and violent measures and soon her life starts spiralling out of control. This leads to tragedy and suddenly Daisy finds herself left all alone. But sometimes the kindness of a stranger can turn things around. A stranger who desperately wants to save Daisy – if she’ll only let herself be saved.

Since reading the fabulous Being Billy I have been looking forward to reading Daisy's story. Now that I have, Phil Earle has truly cemented himself as an author I will read simply because his name is on the cover. I absolutely loved it.

The events of Saving Daisy take place before Being Billy making this a prequel of sorts. I loved finding out all about Daisy and having the story told from her point of view - I adored her in Being Billy and loved her even more after reading this. One of the things I really liked about Being Billy was the authentic voice given to Billy and I have to say that he did it again with Daisy. She's so real you can't help but get swept up in her story and feel everything she felt.   I felt so bad for her and everything she goes through. She's so convinced that everything is her fault - that she deserves to be alone. Her reaction to her mother's death is understandable - it must be very hard to deal with - and I hated that someone used that to get close to her when he shouldn't. And, of course, the accident would be hard for anyone to deal with - add it all together and it's not surprising that she finds it hard to cope.

Again it's obvious that Phil Earle has experience working with kids - it shines through in his writing. He has such an understanding of what Daisy and kids like her are going through - the whole story is just spot on and feels completely realistic. Powerfully so. I so desperately wanted Daisy to stop blaming herself - to find a way to see that none of it was her fault.  And I loved Ade - her key worker - and how she manages to help Daisy see the truth.

I can't recommend this highly enough. I loved Being Billy but this managed to surpass all my expectations. An absolute must read!

Author Interview: Phil Earle

Phil Earle is the author of Being Billy, which was published by Puffin on 6 January 2011.  You can read my review for it here.  Phil kindly took the time to answer a few of my questions...

What prompted you to write Being Billy?
It feels like a lifetime ago now, but in the mid 1990's I worked as a care worker in a couple of children's homes. The kids I looked after ranged from babies to teenagers, and it's fair to say their stories left a deep impression on me.

It was heartbreaking to see so many of them struggle to find either long-term fostering or adoptive homes. Many of them felt like prisoners in the system and found themselves institutionalised by their time in care.

By the time opportunities came up for them to be part of a 'normal' family set-up, they were often unable to adapt and found the placements dissolving within months.

It was this predicament that influenced Billy's story. For the past ten years I've been unable to shake how it must feel to be rejected by two different sets of parents by the age of ten. I mean, how would that make you see the world, or indeed yourself?

I adored both Billy and Ronnie. What were the influences behind their characters?
When I first started writing the book I hadn't planned for Ronnie to be such a big part of it, or for his and Billy's relationship to play out the way it does. I found that as the draft developed, Ronnie featured more and more, and the more I wrote about him, the more I liked him.

He was inspired by other guys that I worked with in the homes. A lot of ex-military folk worked there. Maybe it was something about the regimented, ordered way of life in a home that attracted them, perhaps it wasn't dissimilar to their first careers in the forces.

As the book took shape, I loved the fact that Billy and Ronnie were actually a lot more similar than either of them had realised, in many ways they are the flip side of the same coin.....

Billy is a mad old mash-up of many children that I met over the years. His story isn't the same as any of theirs, but his anger, spirit and resilience certainly is. They were extraordinary and I feel lucky to have known them.

The book really packs an emotional punch and made me cry buckets! What was the easiest/hardest part for you to write?
I don't know whether to feel gratified or guilty that the book has caused so many tears. I didn't set out to write a tear-jerker, I just wanted to be as honest about these children's lives as I could, and the truth is, their lives are emotional.

A difficult part was the 'review' scene, where Billy is sat in a meeting with carers and social workers, who are planning out his next year for him. It was difficult to find a balance where the social workers aren't shown as one dimensional characters. Every time I had dealings with them I found them to be dedicated and committed, but as the story is seen through Billy's eyes, it had to be his truth I was telling. It was a hard balancing act.

The scenes I loved writing most were the boxing scenes with Billy and the Colonel. I grew up addicted to films like Rocky and The Karate Kid (guilty pleasures, both) so it gave me a real buzz to get stuck into some sparring!

I can't not mention the separation scene as well, when the twins are finally taken away. I knew it was going to be one of the big emotional peaks, and it certainly turned out to be one for me as well as people reading it now.

I loved how authentic Billy's voice was. How did you set about achieving this?
I don't know really. I'm new to writing, and didn't do a lot of planning before getting stuck into a first draft. I wrote a loose two page synopsis before starting, but didn't make myself stick to it. If I started to veer off I just went with it.

I think the important thing is that I wrote quickly, every day practically, until the first draft was done. When you're writing every day, it's a lot easier to stay inside your characters head. Leave it a week and you have to read back what you've previously done to make sure it's consistent.

What inspired you to become a writer? Was it always something you wanted to do?
I didn't know I wanted to write until I was 26 years old (I'm now 36). I can remember where I was when I made the decision, as I was working as a bookseller for Ottakar's in Putney. I was sat listening to Celia Rees talking to a class of kids in the shop and an idea came to me. I was so inspired by the way she talked that I thought I'd give it a whirl.

As a kid I barely read. I played a lot of sport and loved being in plays, but reading was mostly comics and terrible novelisations of films like 'Predator' (how embarrassing). Comics definitely helped though as it's such a pure form of story-telling, you cant afford to waste a single word.

Was it a conscious decision to write YA?
Not at first. The first story I had a go at was for 8-12 year olds, a mixture of Roald Dahl and Tim Burton called 'Cotton Bud', about a kid whose parents were so over-protective that they literally wrapped him in cotton wool. Friends and family were really impressed and supportive. Agents and editors? Not quite as enthusiastic, and rightly so!

Billy was the second book I tried to write, and as I'd read so much YA over the years it felt like the natural place to go.

I understand you are a big fan of children's books. Are there any books or authors you would highly recommend?
I find it difficult to read outside of children's books now. In part because I work for a children's publishers, but also because it's the the genre that excites me most.

It's hard to pinpoint any one book or author, but I am a huge fan of Kevin Brooks (Martyn Pig and iBoy in particular), S.E. Hinton (everyone should be bought a copy of 'The Outsiders'), Keith Gray is a brilliant storyteller, as are Jenny Downham and Siobhan Dowd. It's a brilliant time to be reading YA.....

What's next for you?
I'm going to spend as much time over the next few months as I can talking to schools about 'Billy" (I love doing school events) and have just finished writing about Daisy, who appears in 'Being Billy'.

It's not a sequel - it explains how she gets to where she is when she meets Billy, so it's a prequel if anything.

Anyone who has enjoyed 'Being Billy' will appreciate the references in it, but new readers will hopefully get hooked independently....well, at least I hope they will!

---
Thanks Phil!  I'm really looking forward to reading Daisy's story:)

Being Billy by Phil Earle

For Review: Puffin.  Published January 2011
From Goodreads: Faces flashed before my eyes. And for every face there was a time that they had let me down. Each punch that landed was revenge, my chance to tell them I hadn't forgotten what they did.

Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away. As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble. But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else. Can he?

This really is such a great book! I apologise in advance for my (rather) gushing review but I really did love it.

The story follows Billy, a boy who has been in care for the past 8 years, a 'lifer' as he calls it.  He's angry with everyone - the only meaning in his life are his younger brother and sister.  Then one night he runs into a girl called Daisy and they develop a friendship.  As he starts to open up to her he begins to learn that people do care...and that he cares too...

Phil Earle's writing in this is spot on and the voice he gives to Billy is remarkably authentic.  Not only did I absolutely adore his character but his story made me reconsider all the things I take for granted - having a home, having parents who have always been there for me, knowing that I am loved by them - there are just so many things that just are that I haven't really thought it might not be the case for everybody.  No,  that's not completely true.  I think I know that's the case but by making Billy so real, it makes it heartbreaking to realise that there are many, many kids out there just like him.

So I admit I cried A LOT reading this but please believe me when I say there is humour present too.  I loved how Billy is constantly trying to wind Ronnie up!  But Billy's story really struck a cord with me.  I can't even begin to understand what it must be like - to essentially be rejected not once but twice, and all before you are 15 years old.  To be told:  yes you are wanted and then no, sorry you are not.  Back to care you go.  It made me really sad (and angry) but I also began to understand why this might happen.  How do you go from living in care  - where everything is decided for you, with  a bunch of other kids and people who look after you on shifts and then go home to their 'real' family - to being part of a family where suddenly you are supposed to fit in and make all these choices, to really believe that someone cares?  I wondered if that's why Billy calls himself a lifer?  Because he knows he will never have anything else?

I loved taking Billy's journey with him.  At the start he's angry with everyone - constantly lashing out and refusing to let anyone close.  His lifeline is his brother and sister and you really see how different he is with them, how caring and vulnerable.  The addition of Daisy in his life seems to change all that anger and their friendship seems to open him up and make a real difference.  I also loved his relationship with Ronnie and how that changes and develops over the course of the novel.  If I had to criticise, there was one aspect of the story that felt a little too coincidental for my liking, but at the same time it did get Billy to the place he needs to be.  The pay-off made it worth it so to speak!

What I really enjoyed about this book, as well as everything I mentioned above, was how all the characters felt real.  Ronnie, Daisy, Billy's brother and sister, his mother -  I felt completely invested in all of them.  I think Phil Earle's experience working in a care home really added to this novel by giving us insight into not just Billy but also in the characters that surround him.  A truly awesome debut and I'm really looking forward to reading more by this author.

Sneak Peek: Being Billy by Phil Earle

From Goodreads: Faces flashed before my eyes. And for every face there was a time that they had let me down. Each punch that landed was revenge, my chance to tell them I hadn't forgotten what they did. Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away. As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble. But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else. Can he?

I'm really looking forward to reading this one. It's published by Puffin on 6th January 2011.

If you fancy a sneak peek you can read the first chapter below:

BeingBilly_Chap1[1]

You can find Phil Earle at the following places:

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