Editor Cherry Potts talks about Devilskein and Dearlove a young adult novel by Alex Smith, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal on 2015. Includes Q&A with the author, animated trailer by Nick Page and a couple of readings by actors Greg Page and Peter Noble.
You can buy Devilskein and Dearlove from our Webshop. Use the discount code ARACHNEVERSARY at the checkout throughout August.
Video from our feast of food stories at the Brockley Deli as part of Brockley Max festival.
You may notice something about these videos, you may not… see below*
Snippets from the longer works, and the complete poems. Mostly the readers are the wonderful Gloria Sanders and Peter Noble, but the equally marvellous Joan Taylor-Rowan read her own story.
Peter reading from Devilskein & Dearlove by Alex Smith
Joan reading from Feeding Time
Gloria & Peter reading from Monsieur Fromage (Lovers’ Lies) by Rosalind Stopps (the full video is available on Youtube
Peter & Gloria reading from Christmas, Presents by Jason Jackson
Peter reading April is the Cruellest Month by Rob Walton
Gloria reading Laureate by Jennifer A McGowan
*A new experience for me, matching sound files to video – the aircon (or something) at the Brockley Deli interfered with the sound on the video so I had to use the recordings from my audio machine. Something of a challenge getting them in sync!
Author Alex Smith in South Africa answers questions about Devilskein & Dearlove collected at readings in the UK
The last of the readings before we hear whether we’ve been long-listed for the Carnegie Medal (announcement will be on Tuesday)…
Cape Town born Peter Noble takes up the Devilskein challenge, at Lewisham Library. Peter it turns out went (we think!) to the high school Erin is forced to attend, a little later into the book than this extract.
Press coverage of the reading at Brentwood Theatre (with slightly exaggerated audience number in the headline!!) Thanks to Chicken & Frog for organising!
Recording from an early section of the reading by Greg Page at Brentwood Theatre
Video snippet of Greg Page reading at The Gate Library, Forest Gate.
Arachne Press is doing another actor reading of our CARNEGIE MEDAL NOMINATED Young Adult novel, Devilskein & Dearlove this coming Thursday 5th Feb 7.45 for 8 til 9.30 at Lewisham Library 199-201 Lewisham High Street SE13 6LG.
It’s an intoxicating mix of gardens and demons, doors within doors, tragedy and hope. Great for anyone from age 9 to 900, and especially anyone who loves fantasy.
Join publisher Cherry Potts of Arachne Press and actor Peter Noble for the reading with video Q&A from the author Alex Smith, showing of the animated trailer and live Q&A from the publisher.
We will find out if we are LONGLISTED for the Carnegie Medal a couple of days later…
Free but booking advisable at EventBrite (this is purely to control numbers, don’t be put off coming by the need to get a ticket!)
Moody, teenage clever clogs Erin meets her match in the magical but malignant Devilskein. At first I thought they deserved each other. Our author’s upfront revelations of Devilskein’s fantastical powers and horrific motivation and the more gradual revelations as to why Erin lies about her past change this.
Amid the caustic wit and at times frantic action, Erin grows to understand the upsides and downsides of having a vivid imagination and about friendships both real and contrived via the vivid worlds opened by the right keys. The only thing that grated was the heavy-handed use of brackets (although I do exactly the same myself).
All praise to Arachne Press and the Carnegie Award judges for unearthing this South African diamond. Alex Smith’s novel pays homage to other classic and contemporary writers whilst being unique in its own right.
Alan M
The perfect Hallowe’en reading: Devilskein & Dearlove – magic horror and … gardening brought vividly to life in a Cape Town apartment block, by the wonderful Alex Smith.
I had a phone call today to tell me that Devilskein & Dearlove is one of 100 books to be
Alix Adams, long-term supporter of Arachne Press, put her reading glasses on and stepped in to the breach for two readings of Devilskein & Dearlove, our magnificent Young Adult novel by Alex Smith, first at Rochester Literature Festival and then at Albion Beatnik in Oxford.
Alix is a past mistress of ‘reading in voices’, although a Cape Town accent is beyond her, and spent many hours when I first met her, reading to me while I washed up – it’s the only way she could get me to do it! It’s good to be able to share her talents with the rest of the world. (We have a dishwasher now.)
Malini Stevenson recently read a section from Devilskein & Dearlove to a wrapt audience of (mostly) 11 year-olds and a couple of adults, at two events in South West London. Interesting questions were asked about having a bad-tempered, rude heroine; tattoos, crickets who speak Pashto, and comparisons made to Alice in Wonderland (all those locked doors). We couldn’t get a connection to South Africa, so instead of talking to Alex, we showed the animation. Not for the first time, we were asked whether there would be a full length film. Wouldn’t that be great?
Thanks to Andrea (Balham) and Heather (Tooting) for hosting us.
Two opportunities on the same day for tea with Mr Devilskein, the supergenarian companyman (aka Demon) with a need for a new heart…
Malini Stevenson is reading from Devilskein & Dearlove Alex Smith‘s amazing reboot of The Secret Garden, set in Cape Town and featuring Demons, hidden gardens, a cricket who used to be a Chinese ambassador, and Erin Dearlove, possibly the grumpiest heroine in literature… but not without cause…
Catch the readings of the wildest young adult novel of the season at the following times and places:
Thursday 7th August
Balham Library 16 Ramsden Road SW12 8QY at 2:30
Tooting Library 75 Mitcham Road SW17 9PD at 4:30
Opportunity to buy (signed) copies of the book, and depending on the library’s policy (not checked yet – a job for Monday) we might be offering fresh baked scones…
