Joshua Winning's Blog

My TBR is getting out of control, so I'm making life easier by lining up my next five reads. Here's what I'm cramming into my eyeballs over the next month...

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
The premise for this book had me at 'dead cheerleaders'. (Anybody remember Heroes and "save the cheerleader, save the world"? Those were the days.) The Cheerleaders is Kara Thomas' third book, and has been described as "a little bit Riverdale, a little bit Veronica Mars", so of course I couldn't possibly say no. It seems to have a little bit of a Buffy and Point Horror vibe going for it, too, so I'm IN.

Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
This author's last book, Final Girls, consumed my life for roughly two days. I couldn't put it down. (If you haven't read it yet, go get it! You won't be disappointed.) So I'm really excited to check out his next one, which I've slightly been putting off, because the copy I have is an enormous hardback, but I'm going to stop being such a wuss and get on with it. I don't know anything about the plot because I want to be surprised, but if Sager's previous book is anything to go by, this should be a fun, twisty ride.

Rosewater by Tade Thompson
I've seen buzz about this everywhere, and even though I'm not a huge science-fiction reader (I'm more on the fantasy spectrum), the premise for Rosewater is really intriguing and sort of reminded me of The Bone Season (in a good way). It's come along at a time when black voices and stories are happily enjoying a huge surge in popularity, particularly within the realms of sci-fi and fantasy, and I'm excited to find out what has made people rave about this so much.

Dark Pines by Will Dean
Will Dean is enjoying huge success with this book, which is awesome – I'm only sorry I've not got to it sooner. But I finally have a gorgeous paperback copy ready and waiting (it has one of the coolest inner-front-cover quote spreads I've ever seen), and I can't wait to meet Tuva Moodyson. If you know me, you'll know I'm a Scandi nut (I even taught myself Swedish), so I'm really looking forward to reading this.

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix is my number one at the moment. I inhaled My Best Friend's Exorcism and We Sold Our Souls , and I just can't get enough of his lean but colourful writing, and his thoroughly lifelike characters. Somehow, though, Horrorstör completely passed me by, so I'm going to rectify that in the next few weeks. The book's laid out like an IKEA catalogue, which is genius. But then, this is Grady Hendrix we're talking about, so OF COURSE IT IS.

Have you read any of these? What are you sticking in your eyeballs next? Let me know in the comments below!

Phew, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling the heat. It's pretty apocalyptic out there at the moment, which is sort of fitting because GUESS WHAT – Splinter is out today!

It's been sort of an epic journey since Sentinel was published in 2014, but the trilogy is finally complete, and I'm allowing myself a quiet little moment of pride that I made it over the finishing line. Splinter, hopefully, is the best in the trilogy – I tried to deliver a huge conclusion that doesn't skimp on the emotion.

But what are you still here for?! Get yourself over to Amazon and grab a copy.

ALSO, if you've not read the trilogy yet, or if you have but love a bargain, Sentinel and Ruins are both just 99p on Kindle for the whole of July! Be sure to let everybody know.

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Thanks so much for coming on this journey with me, and I can't wait to hear what you make of Splinter!

Well, it's true... my new YA thriller Vicious Rumer is OUT NOW from Unbound! Just look at that hot pink cover. I could swear it's looking right at us.

This book was an absolute blast to write and I'm really proud of it. I tried to write something lean, mean and unpredictable – I guess time will tell if I cracked it!

Please do add it to your Goodreads list here and let me know what you think!

And why not tweet or Facebook about it to help spread the Rumer? Be sure to @JoshWinning so I can retweet you!

Here's what some people have been saying about Rumer's story so far...

‘Violent but whip-smart… This thrill-ride will delight and enthral’ – Heat

‘It’ll keep you up all night’ – Closer

‘An exhilarating read’ – SFX

‘Bloody good and at times just plain bloody’ –Teen Reads

Hey everybody! I hope you're all having a fun 2018.

Earlier this year, I promised some exciting things in the Sentinel camp, and today I'm thrilled to reveal that  Witchpin , a new Sentinel novella, is now available on Amazon!

Set before the events of the Sentinel Trilogy, Witchpin dives into the past to reveal the secrets of Jessica Bell and Isabel Hallow. Ever wondered how they met? All will be revealed!

You can head over to the Witchpin page here on the ST website to read more about the book (including a Q&A with yours truly) or, if you can't wait any longer to get your hands on the book, head over to Amazon UK or Amazon US to grab your copy.

And be sure to leave a star rating and/or short review on Amazon and Goodreads when you're done.

Thank you and remember, the Sentinels are always watching.

"I've killed more people than I can count, but I never meant to"

Hey everybody. Exciting news! My new book, a YA crime thriller called KILLING RUMER , is available over at Unbound! The way Unbound works is that when you pre-order your copy of the book, you help get it published - and you get your name in the book as a thank you!

What is KILLING RUMER ? Well it's about a teenage girl thrown into a world of gangsters and the occult. It's sort of like Jessica Jones meets Lisbeth Salander, with a little bit of Nancy from The Craft thrown in there. V gritty and attitude-y, with some pseudo-supernatural stuff that could all be in the mind of our heroine, or could be for real...

Please check it out here: http://unbound.com/books/killing-rumer

Thank you!

We can't believe the day is here at last, but it's true – Ruins is finally out! We're really proud of it – it's bigger, scarier and even weirder than Sentinel (you better believe it), and introduces a load of exciting new characters while throwing Nicholas, Sam and Isabel into even more terrifying adventures. Can they find the girl who holds the key to their fate? You'll have to crack that spine to find out!

You can get your copy of Ruins at a number of retailers, including Amazon UK, Amazon US and the Peridot Press website.

And make sure you add it to your Goodreads list here!

And don't forget you can read more about the book over at the Sentinel Trilogy HQ. The Ruins page includes a Q&A with author Joshua Winning, and we're working on even more exciting exclusives that take you deeper into the world of the Sentinels – and those spooky Dark Prophets.

But what are you waiting for? Go grab your copy of Ruins and be sure to let us know what you think.

And we'd love if you would Tweet and Facebook about it. Share the Sentinel love with everybody who knows that dark fantasy is the best thing ever. Because obviously it is.

I'm really excited to reveal the cover for Ruins, book two in the Sentinel Trilogy. It's already been posted up to the Ruins Goodreads page here: Ruins

Be sure to check it out and add it to your reading list!

Ruins is published by Peridot Press on 18 May 2015.

To celebrate finishing the second draft of Ruins, book two of The Sentinel Trilogy, I've posted a blog with a few juicy spoilers and a discussion of the terrifying Tinker Zone.

Check it out at the Sentinel Trilogy website here.

The Press Association have reviewed Sentinel! Check out what they thought below…

Just weeks before he turns 16, Nicholas Hallow is orphaned when his parents die in a bizarre train crash. They’d left him at home in Cambridge in the care of bubbly neighbour Tabatha, but hadn’t told him where they were going. In their absence, Nicholas finds a hidden room containing vast tomes of Sentinel Chronicles and a birthday gift from his parents. Sam, an elderly friend of the Hallows, is tasked with telling Nicholas what has happened to his folks and takes him through unseasonal snow to the remote country mansion home of his ‘godmother’.

On the way, Nicholas has a strange premonition moments before their decrepit bus is stormed by a beautiful, scarlet-clad woman intent on murder. Nicholas begs Sam to explain his parents’ secret life, but it falls to his strangely youthful godmother Jessica, to reveal that he himself is a Sentinel, a “supernatural demon hunter”.

Written poetically (“An angry black cloud was unfurling across the afternoon sun like a colossal inkblot”), with carefully-drawn characters, this is an extremely promising YA debut by a young author. 8/10

(Review by Kate Whiting)

Peridot Press has released Sentinel in paperback and eBook today!

Buy your copy through the Peridot website and receive a goodies-stuffed fan pack that includes postcards, author notes and a poster. Just head here: http://www.peridot.co.uk/bookshop

Or if eBooks are more your thing, head over to Amazon to download direct to your Kindle.

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1jAdb6t & Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1hEwPtE

And as always, if you like the book, please do spread the word!

Happy nightmares!