Mary's The Name
                                            by Ross Sayers 
                                                 Blog Tour

I am so excited to be part of the Mary's The Name Blog Tour! Not only do I get to share this amazing book with you all ( review further down the page ) but I also have a guest post from the author.
So without further ado, I'll hand over my blog to the wonderful Ross Sayers! 

I thought I might share some of my ‘firsts’ with Anna’s lovely readers!

First time I had something published: August 2013. 
Octavius Magazine (sadly no longer with us) chose my story ‘Late Kick-off’ for their second edition. This was such a thrill, having never seen my name in a contents list before! My story was told from a wee boy’s point of view, and I’m still using child narrators to this day in Mary’s the Name. I was particularly surprised when I found out, as my tutor at Uni at the time had said the piece didn’t work and I needed to rewrite it. Creative writing can be so subjective, always worth remembering!


First time I won a writing competition: July 2015. 
Cargo Publishing (also no longer with us, I must be a curse!) ran a competition, asking people to respond to the cover of Nicholas Hogg’s Tokyo with a piece of writing. My little story won, and I received a signed copy of the novel. I hadn’t thought I would win, of course, and I had already bought a copy! It was a great feeling though.


First time I signed a publishing contract: May 2016.
I met with Cranachan in late April to discuss the novel I submitted, then titled ‘The Portree Kid’. In May, I signed to published the book in February 2017. I was over the moon. All the work I’d put it over the previous year had paid off. I was going to get to call myself an author. Fair to say, February 2017 seemed so far away at the time…


First time I held my own book in my hands: December 2016. 
I met with Helen from Cranachan at Coffee on Wooer in Falkirk, to read from Mary’s the Name at ‘Wooer with Words’. I didn’t hear much of what she said at first, as I knew she had a copy of the book in her bag and all I wanted was to hold it! Funny thing is, it wasn’t the huge moment you’d think it would’ve been. I’d already seen the cover, the back cover, and a PDF of the inside. Add to that, Helen and my friends looking at me as I held it, really I just felt a bit awkward! My friends and I ended up going on a trip to Oban that night, and I could barely put it down. It may not have made me emotional, but I didn’t want to let it go!

First time I signed a copy of my book: January 2017. 
Helen and I visited Levenmouth Academy in Fife to do a mock launch of Mary’s the Name. As we were leaving, Helen asked the teachers if they would like an advanced copy of the book. They said yes, then asked for me to sign it. I knew I was going to have to sign it eventually, but I wasn’t quite prepared! I sat looking at the title page for what felt like an age, not really sure what I was doing. My hand was genuinely shaky, as if I was graffitiing the book. Hopefully I’ll get used to it soon!

By the time you’re reading this, I can add First time my book was released. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Mary, and I hope you enjoy!

I would like to say a huge thank you to Ross Sayers for his guest post, for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour and for sending me a copy of Mary's the Name. 



Summary 

An eight year-old girl and her granpa are on the run...
"When me and Granpa watched James Bond films, he told me not to be scared because people didn't have guns like that in Scotland. That must have been why the robbers used hammers." 
Orphaned Mary lives with her granpa, but after he is mixed up in a robbery at the bookies where he works, they flee to the Isle of Skye. Gradually, Mary realises that her granpa is involved. And the robbers are coming after him - and their money. 

My review 

To say that I loved this book would be an understatement. Mary stole my heart from the very first and as the story progressed, so my fondness for her grew and grew.  

Ross Sayers has somehow managed to capture the essence of an eight year old little girl perfectly! Mary is smart, feisty, kind, loving, weird ( in only the best ways ), innocent, vulnerable and yet so incredibly strong. 

The whole story is told from Mary's perspective, so we see everything through the eyes and thoughts of an eight year old girl. The genius lies in how we, as adults get to see more than Mary does, how we understand more than her innocent self, and see, before she does, the storm clouds in the horizon. 

Mary and her granpa's relationship is beautiful, touching and so real. I loved Mary's logic, her thought process and the reasons she makes the decisions that she does are so clear and based on the self preservation of a young child not wanting to get into trouble and yet her awareness of consequences is that of a much older child. Her friendship with Grace is again perfectly done... from the "best friends" declaration to the small injustices that seem to a child unforgivable offenses, Ross Sayers captures the vulnerability of a new friendship delightfully. 

The local dialogue helps to transport the reader to the Isle of Skye and brings the island and it's inhabitants to life. I could see the row of colourful houses, feel the spray of the cold sea water on my skin, hear the seagulls cries and smell the sea air and the fish and chips from the chip shop. 

Mary's the Name made me laugh out loud, hold my breath in anticipation of what the next page would bring, and cry ugly tears. If you are looking for a powerful emotional story, then grab yourself a copy and prepare yourself to meet Mary, who will stay with you long after you put the book down. 

I received a copy of Mary's the Name in exchange for an honest review.


Follow Ross Sayers on twitter

Buy the book here : Amazon 
                                    The Book Depository 

Here are the rest of the stops on the tour below.