Coming Up In 2012 #3: The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards

I first made contact with Jasmine Richards through Twitter, when I somehow managed to persuade her to send me an early copy of William Hussey's brilliant Witchfinder: Dawn of the Demontide. Jasmine is a senior editor at Oxford University Press, and I have since had the pleasure of meeting her at several of her events. These meetings have always been extremely pleasurable as, like me, she loves to talk for hours about books.

Now Jasmine has a couple of books of her own scheduled to be published in 2012, the first of which is The Book of Wonders. Unfortunately for UK readers this book has not yet been bought by a UK publisher and so for the time being  it will only available in the US (once it is released on 17th January). However, if you are canny like me, you will probably order a copy from the brilliant Book Depository. Now let me hand you over to Jasmine so that she can tell us a little more about her book:

The Book of Wonders, my debut novel that publishes Jan 17th 2012 is loosely based on tales from Arabian Nights and on the seed of an idea which has been with me since I was 9 years old!

You see, even back then, it bothered me that the sultan in Arabian Nights [who has been busy executing young women left, right and centre] should end up finding love. I understand that over 1001 nights the sultan is healed through Scheherazade’s stories of Sinbad, Aladdin and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, that his cold heart is melted. But still, it all seems rather unfair to me - after all who speaks for those poor girls that were killed?

And so, I have a written a novel in reaction to the traditional tale. In my version of events, Scheherazade does not tell stories of monsters, sea journeys and sorcery she lives these adventures. She and her best friend Rhidan experience many horrors and triumphs on their quest to defeat the sultan, giant snakes, a giant made of brass and angry djinnis. The action does not let up for a minute.

I think this is a breathless, headlong adventure but I’m going to say that because I wrote it! I would love to hear your thoughts. Do come over and say hello on www.jasminerichards.com!