Time to let a very exciting cat out of the bag — I’ve begun work on a new YA trilogy called The Poison Diaries.
It will be published by Balzer & Bray (IMHO the coolest of all the
many cool imprints at HarperCollins), and the first book will be
released next summer.
Here’s the rather unbelievably awesome
part: these books are based on a concept by the Duchess of
Northumberland, and are inspired by the real-life Poison Garden on the
grounds of Alnwick Castle, in northern England.
Duchess. Castle. Poisonous plants. Are you following how awesome this is?
Two
months ago, while researching the first book, I had the opportunity to
visit the exceedingly lovely Duchess (and her gracious husband, whom
you may call, natch, the Duke). I roamed around the Poison Garden (look
but don’t touch!), and was treated to a dungeon-to-parapet tour of
Alnwick Castle. Here’s what we’re talking about:
If
the castle looks at all familiar, that’s because Alnwick was used as
Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films. Allow me to recap:
Duchess. Castle. Poisonous plants. HOGWARTS, PEOPLE!
I
am very excited about these books, and I think you will be too. It’s so
inspiring to be able to set a story in a place that is both totally
astonishing and absolutely real. This project is also a chance for me
to flex some of my favorite but lesser-known writing muscles: it’s
creepy, gothic, and darkly—dare I say lethally—romantic.....
As they say, the difference between curing and killing is in the dose, so that’s all for now. You can find out more at
theBookseller.com, or at the
News Post Leader.
xoxo
m