It’s only seven weeks till Ice Breaker hits the shops, and things are hotting up. For a start, it just got its first review, in Bookseller & Publisher, which is the magazine that goes to all the bookshops. Here’s part of what they said:

‘Ice Breaker is wonderfully realised: the clanking engines, rusted walkways and icy upper decks of the ship make for vivid settings. There is suspense and danger, and the characterisation is very human and ultimately moving.’  4 1/2 stars

I can’t tell you the rest of the review, as it would give away too much of the story. But it was very complimentary. So that made for a good week! It also made me put my head down and work harder than ever at Book 2, which is due to be handed in way too soooooooon.

Also this week I saw the media release that my publishers put out. Here’s a bit from it, talking about the story:

She is an outcast on a mysterious ship that has been circling the southern icecap for the last three hundred years.
He is the rising star of a cult that has brought the world to a new Dark Age.
She will do anything to save her ship.
He will do anything to destroy it.

Does that make you want to read the book?

And lastly, we started planning the Hobart launch, which is at 11 am on Sunday October 27th, at the Founders Room in Salamanca Place (entrance via the stairs on Wooby’s Lane). If you’re in Hobart, we’d love to see you there. We’re telling people that, if they want to dress up, they might like to come as one of the ragged crew members of the ice breaker Oyster. I’m also thinking that maybe we should tell them to bring along an iceberg, a penguin, a coil of rope, or anything else they think might fit in. 🙂

‘Bring along an iceberg?’ you gasp. Well, why not? A friend and I are going to spend this afternoon experimenting with cardboard boxes and white plastic, to see if we can make a convincing one. If we can’t make the plastic work, it might have to be papier mache, though that sounds like a LOT of work. Any other suggestions will be gratefully received.