Spooky tale of crusades (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Spooky tale of crusades

3:13pm Thursday 29th March 2007 in Chippenham By Benjamin Parkes

FORMER Gazette reporter Sarah Singleton is celebrating the launch of her novel Sacrifice with a book signing at Waterstones bookstore in Chippenham on Saturday.

Ms Singleton, from Patterdown, was awarded the Booktrust Teen Prize and the Dracula Society's Children of the Night Award for her first young adult novel Century.

Her new novel, to be released on April 2, is a mysterious Gothic thriller dating back to the time of the Crusades, when a band of knights was given a lily by an angel to help them overcome their enemies in a Holy War.

Over the centuries that followed the lily's power warped, bringing insanity, suicide and murder to the descendants of those first knights. In 1890, Miranda, Jacinth and Jack - each linked to a descendant - have a duty to unravel the mystery of the lily and set to rest an ancient curse.

Already the novel has been well received. A spokesman for Waterstones said: "Sarah Singleton's debut grabbed the attention of Booktrust Teenage Book Prize yet Sacrifice proclaims even greater charisma.

"Woven together from three separate narratives Sacrifice echoes the dark romance of a classic Gothic thriller.

"Sarah Singleton drives her narrative from the familiar stalking grounds of Frankenstein yet she retains a compelling contemporary flair."

Bookseller Magazine said: "Her best book yet. A beautifully crafted story, rich in visual imagery and Gothic atmosphere."

Ms Singleton said: "Sacrifice was a challenge to write, with a large cast and a geography ranging from London to Ireland, Prague and North Africa.

"I am very excited it will soon be hitting the bookshelves and I'm looking forward to the book-signing on Saturday when I hope many of my friends and members of my family will join me for the launch."

The event at Waterstones in Chippenham runs from 11am to 1pm.

Ms Singleton who is married with two daughters, Poppy and Fuchsia, had her first adult book, The Crow Maiden, published in the USA in 2001. It was shortlisted for the International Association for the Fantastic at the Arts Crawford Award.

Her debut children's novel Century trounced the country's top children's authors to win the coveted Booktrust Teenage Prize 2005.

She trumped front runner Julie Burchill, whose tale of teenage lesbian love, Sugar Rush, was made into a TV series, and Meg Rosoff's How Do I Live Now, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize.