MoiraYoung.com Goes Live

Moira Young, our beloved author among many other things, now has an official website! MoiraYoung.com is now live, and features links that include: Dustlands Trilogy, Thoughts & Inspiration, a Diary, About Me, and how to contact Moira yourself. Here's a peak at the site:

It even includes 'Dustlands' themed music! Click here to check out the site yourself:

http://www.moirayoung.com

What do you all think of the new website?

-J x
@jakevineyard

Book Launch for RAGING STAR!

I had the best opportunity to travel down to Moira's hometown of Bath to celebrate with her and many others the publication of Raging Star, the final installment in her Dustlands trilogy. 

Photo by Ferla Paolo

Read Along: Resurrection

'Everythin I thought I knew, pretty much all of it turns out to be wrong.'

It's the final stop in the route for Saba and the gang, but what will happen at the Tonton HQ?

Read Along: The Road to Resurrection

'Life ain't black an white. People ain't neether. Family, friends, lovers. It's all a lot more complicated.'

Saba returns to her family and friends and they set off to rescue Emmi by infiltrating the Tonton base of New Eden - Resurrection...

Read Along: Weeping Water

'DeMalo. The Pathfinder. Master of New Eden. I'm dreamin. This cain't be true.'

Saba finds herself with the one person she never dreamed she would and her eyes are opened to a new world of possibilities and experiences...

Read Along: Sector Nine

'Trickster. Betrayer. Deceiver.' 

It's time for the group to be pretenders in this new environment but with old faces along the way, it's hard not to be recognised.

Read Along: The Lost Cause

'The Lost Cause is lost.'

Saba is as determined as ever to find Jack and the truth behind why he was with the Tonton, but neither is to be found at Moll'y Lost Cause.

Read Along: New Eden

'Long life to the Pathfinder!'

What was meant to be a hijack becomes an alliance as new land is explored.

Read Along: The Wraithway

'I got me some vengeance to wreak with the Tonton.'

Saba thinks she knows best and heads out alone but enemies and friends are close behind.

Read Along: The Snake River

'You...are gonna be somethin else entirely'

At the Snake, the group settle into the camp for a few days, only to have their eyes opened to divinity, betrayal and a visitor.

Read Along: The Waste, one month later

'I'm fallin. Fallin. Fallin.'

Stuck in a wasteland, Saba's mental state experiences rapid deterioration and the group doesn't know how to save their strongest link.

READ THE FIRST 40 PAGES OF RAGING STAR NOW

EEEEEEEK here's the cover in HQ!

You read the title correctly, everyone! Click here to read the first pages of RAGING STAR, the third and final book in our series. And then go tweet us at @DustlandsFans telling us what you think!

Thanks Moira! x

-Jake 

Read Along RETURNED: Jack

   'He'll head west and he'll find her. Saba.'

Jack has some news to share with Molly and along the way, some unexpected twists in normal life occur.

'It's been a parched, mean road all the way'

Jack and Atlas have been travelling since they left Saba and the others. They finally come across some people with 'weary face, wary eyes'. Tired of this hopeless life 'they aren't social people but they aren't mean'. There seems to be a little humanity left. But Jack cannot stay long as he is 'headed to the storm belt' to find the Lost Cause and Molly as he is 'the bearer of bad news. The worst.'

'There's something up ahead'

The Tonton appear on the road ahead of Jack with a young couple. The 'enemy have changed their game' apparently as they wear different clothes and behave in a different manner. They travel towards the shack Jack has just left. He knows it is a part of 'a land grab. A resettlement party' which results in the murders of the two parents, the young boy, Robbie, and the suicide of Nessa, a young girl. 'It chaos'. Jack is almost speechless as he watches and can only pass comment on the Tonton' notorious ways: 'they're rolling over the land like the plague'.

'He's afraid.'

Jack believes that 'Molly's in danger' after seeing this and regrettably admits that 'you can't kill all the badness in the world'. Ge muses on the new commander of the Tonton with his 'new game, new rules'. He concludes that he must be a 'man with a plan', 'determined, disciplined, persuasive and very, very smart'. The match he finds for this description is DeMalo - 'the stiletto in the dark'.

'The Lost Cause. At last.'

As Jack finally arrives at his destination, 'his stomach's jittery with nerves'. He knows the awful news of Ike's death must be passed on. His 'deep' history with Molly makes this all the harder, and results in him putting off the news for a long time. Meanwhile, Molly fills Jack in on the Tonton whose new leader is called the 'Pathfinder' and his men are 'Stewards of the Earth', who have the aim of 'healing' the earth. Molly insists that she can 'take care' of herself in this time. The way in which she talks about Ike and 'acts like a nervous girl' as she awaits his entrance evokes great pathos. As does talk of hers and Jack's deceased child, who'd 'be six by now'.

'She kicked the door down.'

Molly finds Jack's own love just as obvious as she asks 'who is she' about the new woman in Jack's life. Jack gives a brief overview - a very accurate one: 'pigheaded, prickly an stubborn'. But it's not all negative. 'She shines so bright' - causing Molly to believe in the depth of his love. She advises him to 'be with her'.

'Ike's dead.'

The mood is disrupted by Jack's eventual revelation that Ike is dead and won't be returning. He attempts to console Molly by telling her that 'he died well. He went out big' but her grief is immediate and heavy. She resigns to the back rooms of the tavern.

'Two men walk in.'

No, that's not the beginning of a joke. The Tonton have arrived at The Lost Cause also. They hear Molly out back and the reader is left to wonder just what's about to happen next...

~Ella

Our 'emotionally repressed narrator who sweeps you off your feet'

Saba's made it to the headlines! Well, to the Telegraph's online culture forum! 

See article: 

At last, girls are at the centre of the action in books and films

This article tackles the issue of gender representation as the heroic character in popular culture, through various types of media. For me, Saba is a near perfect representative of what should be the norm in literature and film: strong, independent women. Why has it taken the world so long to realise?

I recently stumbled across a video of similar subject that I just have to share in relation to this issue:

So let's hope that 2014 brings a better deal for girls. Especially our Saba as we near the release of Raging Star in May! Moira has page proofs starting on Friday, and the excitement is growing!

Look out for the Rebel Heart read-alongs which will be starting up again soon! 

~Ella