The Curtain-Twitcher's Handbook

by Jo Danilo

What if the medieval folklore of old was based in truth? And what if just one girl was charged with the task of destroying it?
Adventure, swordfights, love, loss, faeries, battles… and magic. All in one book.
A fairytale for ages 10 - 100.

Available on Amazon.co.uk
Available on Amazon.com

Christina opens the wooden chest of her dead stepmother to discover she has been saddled with the ongoing task of the ancient Ostergaard family: To rid the entire world of faeries.

The only problem is, as far as she knows, faeries DO NOT exist.

Meanwhile, less than a mile away in the village of Blackwood, three friends are discovering just how very much faeries do exist. And just how dangerous they really are.

Christina is thrown into a violent, supernatural world of faerie killing, but it is only with the help of the three friends that she can hope to come out of the battle alive.

This story is a collaboration with Dr. Melchior Williams, who discovered a treasure trove of intriguing manuscripts from medieval Blackwood hidden away in the depths of the British Museum – documents which seem to suggest the existence and destruction of the mythological creatures so ingrained in the medieval world. He provided the facts and I provided the fiction. We both hope you enjoy the result!

316 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

Jo moved from the far north of England to the Far North of Aotearoa in 2011. It’s decidedly warmer, but she misses all the ghosts. She writes in the Contemporary Young Adult and Historical Fantasy genres and has managed to type ‘The End’ on four novels and a novella. With a motley background, including a BA in Egyptology, an MSc in Computer Science, a job as a zookeeper and a summer turning socks inside out, she is not short of ideas for the next ones.

Reviews

[Lucinda Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I was really impressed.

This novel combines lively action, humour, vivid descriptions and characterisation in an expertly woven creepy supernatural adventure alternated with prosaic high school life in a small Yorkshire town.

There is a curse on a house by Tinker's Wood, and it must begin and end with a death.
When new neighbours move next door to the protagonist Daisy May and her mother, something re-activates it from its decades long sleep.

This is a scarcy story, and a funny and a sad one. It's full of action and vivid descriptions, tersely recounted. I was hooked from the moment I read of foul Mr Braithwate, and his habitual saluation to all - with two fingers.

The protagonist Daisy is a delight; unlike so many heroines,who leave all the wise cracking to the boys, she even retains her wicked sense of humour after she falls in love (I don't think it's writing a spoiler to say that she does that ) and retains her sense of identity, too. She's tender and tough if a bit diffident. She comes from a one parent family, and they're hard up, and she has to work to help out, but she doesn't whinge.

Daisy has normal teenage concerns – whether or not to agree to her boyfriend, the school’s prize athlete Fred, taking things further: after all, she’s sixteen now and, they’ve been going out for a couple of years...

But she is dismayed to find herself unaccountably attracted to the new boy in town, Will Mckenzie, soon to become an object of fascination among her friend group. Daisy, who blames him for allowing her dog to be run over, is in a quandary about her mixed feelings over him.

This male lead, Will, is as lovable a hero as Daisy is a heroine - even when he turns Daisy's life upside down,you have to love him. Daisy is puzzled as to how she comes to attract two of the most desired boys in the school; the reader sees it as evidence of her attractive personality.

The pace is quick, the characters real, the humour perfectly balances the grim happenings, and I found it - here's a cliche - 'A real page turner'.

The story begins with the body of the unpleasant Mr Braithwaite being taken from the house next door, where he has lived alone since the mysterious disappearance of his wife many years ago. This sets Daisy off on a new activity for her – ‘curtain twitching’.

She has never spied on him before, as: ‘He had nothing to show me except for his slow crawl into urine-scented senility. There was more entertainment to be had watching bananas slowly rotting in a fruit bowl.’

But then the McKenzies move in and Daisy becomes fascinated by what is going on in the house. What makes Will act so oddly when he is in his room, and why does he feel the need to avoid going home? How does all this tie in with the story her Grandfather tells her, of the disappearance of an encampment of gypsies from Tinker’s Wood at about the same time of Mrs Braithwaite’s disappearance?

Try it yourself. You won't want to put it down (I didn't, and sadly I'm no YA).

Finally, here are a few of my favourite quotes.

“Death to begin it.” The whisper tore my eyelids open and made me spin round with a gasp. It was so close I could have sworn I’d felt the whisperer’s breath tickle my ear. I stared hard into the blackness but there was nobody there. Nobody at all. I heard the fear in my own uneven breathing. The Braithwaite light surged again, flooding the lane with a brief light and sending the same shooting pain into my temple. “Death to end it.'

‘A gentle breeze made the trees whisper and sway, and patches of sunlight danced across the floor. Everything was tinged with spring green, even the sound nearby fields, the soothing song of the wood pigeon. And through the tree trunks were glimpses of the patchwork hills and chocolate-brown moors beyond the wood, stretching on and on.'

“I wish I had half of what you have,” Will continued. “My grandparents never bothered with me and my parents aren’t interested in anything I do.”

‘He’s a little bit hunched over, as if he has a heavy pack on his back that weighs him down. But all this new vulnerability only enhances his charm. Everyone wants to look after him and take away his hurt.’

‘I twisted round frantically, to see whose dreadful claws were clutching my waist, adrenaline using my veins as a Grand Prix circuit.’

‘He looked awful, the whites of his eyes shot through with red and his skin so pale. Like a dead boy.’

[Jo Danilo]

Review posted on behalf of Georgina:

"I read this book in three chunks, over a period of two days! I was hooked to the story and literally could not put it down! It's the perfect read for many teenage girls like myself what with it covering dilemmas we can relate to and also including the interesting element of the ghost story that leaves you desperate to read on to find out what happens next.

I fell in love with Daisy the main character almost instantly and could relate to her throughout the book, I didn't see the ending coming at all it took me by surprise and completely blew me away! I felt so emotionally attached to both Will and Daisy throughout the book and found myself almost in tears on a few more occasions in the book.

It was by far one the best books I've read in a while, for the reason that not only did it have a phenomenal story but it took me on a journey with the characters as I felt I knew them so well and not many authors i know can portray this skill to take the reader on an journey and make them feel emotionally involved with the story but Jo has done this flawlessly and the book has been lingering in my mind since...

Definitely up there in my top 10 best reads and I have already recommended it to two friends, and passed it on to one of them already :) 5 stars!!!!

[Jane Duthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read right til the end, couldn't put it down.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. The characters were well developed and the suspense was great. I can't wait to read more from Jo Danilo!!

[Les Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Curtain Twitchers Handbook is brilliantly written, funny and witty. I loved it from start to finish. The characters are all totally believable and likeable and I love the way that Jo Danilo writes. Couldn't wait to get to the end to see what happened and then was sorry I'd finished it because I enjoyed it so much

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story. Couldn't put it down!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, cute and spooky in equal measures!

[Anna Dawes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for most parts an excellent read. Loved the way it was written and great story line. Definitely compelled to keep reading. But to me it was more teenage fiction and therefore felt did not need the tragic bit of the book to complete the mystery of the story. Could have easily been rewritten possibly in a cleverer and less aggressive way. It would be that...and not the sex bit that would stop me giving it to young teens to read.

[Karen Ingerslev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh YES! THIS book! I still remember it as my favourite on Authonomy when I was lucky enough to read it years and years ago. I don't remember details but I do remember it being very funny and compelling with great characters :-D

[Rach Crisp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

A lovely, easy read. Capturing teenage angst well! Deeper than I expected, with some interesting twists. I'll definitely look out for her next book.