Published Bestsellers

" The story revolves around three main characters: Alice, Kieran and Jenny and a group of bullies known as the Popular's. Alice Turner is a year eight pupil at Stowton Middle School who has become a victim of bullying by the girl gang – the Popular's. Deeply unhappy, Alice finds herself wandering into a cafe called OTOLI that she has never noticed before. There she meets Jenny the mysterious waitress who always seems to be scrubbing the same table clean. Alice is initially excited to have a friend, but she soon realizes that this friendship may come at a price. At times we depend upon one another and our life "depends upon" another, enough to manipulate someone into convincing you to make bad choices and live with regret. Accept your intuition and go with the thought that this is not right and everything has to be done to stop it. The author is trying to alert the world that bullying is very destructive and has severe consequences and it should become a

OTOLI is a tough and questioning story of bullying and the consequences of revenge. Although, a relatively short book, this is excellent and much better than I expected. It is haunting and really makes the reader think and engage with the characters. The story revolves around three main characters; Alice, Kieran and Jenny and a group of bullies known as the Populars. Alice Turner is a year eight pupil at Stowton Middle School who has become a victim of bullying by the girl gang – the populars. Deeply unhappy, Alice finds herself wandering into a cafe called OTOLI that she has never noticed before. There she meets Jenny the mysterious waitress who always seems to be scrubbing the same table clean. Alice is initially excited to have a friend, but she soon realizes that this friendship may come at a price.

" I found myself quite surprised by this book. It was a bit darker than I was expecting but in a really good way. And I loved the concept - how it makes you think about bullying and the affect it really has. The book shows multiple points of view but mainly focuses on Alice, the bullying she faces on a daily basis and her friendship with Jenny. We also learn about Kieran and his friendship with Jenny, as well as learning about Jenny's past, and the reason behind her actions. I thought the author did a great job with the characterisation. Out of all the characters I liked Alice the best. She really grew on me over the course of the novel. At the beginning I felt sorry for her but during the story you really learn how strong and kind hearted she is. Despite what she's has to deal with she still finds the courage to look outside her situation and think of others. I found the story really reflected on how bullying can not only affect how people perceive themsel

A review by A Cheshire Lad (Rural Cheshire, UK) As someone who has worked one-to-one with victims of serious bullying for some time, I was particularly eager to read Bryony Allen's new novel "OTOLI". Bullying is serious cancer that can affect the entirety of youngsters' lives if left untreated. It is a subject that needs to be handled seriously and sensitively. Following her razor-witted first novel "Mystery, Deceit and a School Inspector", Bryony Allen, a teacher herself, uses more of her classroom experience to venture into the "Young Adult" book sector with this polished outing. Told simultaneously from the perspectives of intertwined victims' often difficult experiences fitting in to the social jungle both inside and outside of school, "OTOLI" is bang up-to-date for her target audiences. Sleek and paced for the modern market and far from a Stephen King "Carrie"-type revenge tale, "OTOLI" takes quite an

A review by A Baker In this beautifully written YA tale, Bryony Allen takes us on a journey into the lonely world of bullied teenager Alice Turner, and the solace she finds in a strange little cafe called Otoli. The waitress who works there, Jenny (who always seems to be scrubbing at something on a tabletop whenever Alice enters) offers her apparently unconditional friendship, and seems to understand the despair Alice feels at being a social outcast at school. However, Jenny's friendship is only apparently unconditional, and as the novel progresses we realise, along with Alice, that there is much more to her new-found friend than meets the eye. What I particularly loved about OTOLI is the way Bryony Allen draws the reader into Alice's world as inexorably as Alice herself is drawn into Jenny's. There's no spoiler in saying that a strong thread of the supernatural runs through the story, which Allen handles with a great subtlety and finesse which calls to mind

OTOLI | Fiction: Children/YA, Bullying by Bryony Allen CONTENT 7/10 The readers thought the beginning was very powerful, pulling them into the story. Many noted that the author really seemed to understand what it is like to be the victim of a bully. They sympathised very much with Alice and her journey through the story and they also thought that you dealt well with ‘onlookers’ who feel sorry for the victim but do nothing. They also liked the cliffhanger at the end of the book. A number of the boys felt the book was a little slow. They wanted (I quote) ‘More magic, wizards and cars.’ (Typical boys!) STYLE 9/10 Excellent flow to the text. Speech worked particularly well. Character descriptions were superb but a few wanted more setting description. The teachers noted: ‘The vocab was perfect for this age group.’

Watch the Review (Rating 4 stars)     The book The ghosts of The Assembly Room have been waiting for someone to unlock their secrets, and 14 year old Merryn Stearne has arrived. For Merryn the future should have been perfect–a new home in the idyllic Suffolk countryside and romance with the gorgeous boy next door. If only the past would stop interfering with the present. Bryony Allen is the author of three books: ' Mystery Deceit and a School Inspector ', ' OTOLI ' and her latest - ' The Assembly Room '. 'The Assembly Room' is available in the following eBook formats: The Assembly Room - Kobo ePub The Assembly Room - Tesco PDF and ePub eBooks The Assembly Room - Amazon Kindle  

A review of 'The Assembly Room' by Angie, YA Novelties review site.   Review Snippet (Rating 4 stars) "The Assembly Room is an amazingly written story of the past and present intermingling. The depth of many of the characters that face terrible luck due to the past is realistic and perfectly portrayed. This book is definitely one of my favourite surprises of this year. I totally did not expect to enjoy The Assembly Room as much as I did. The Assembly Room is a must read for all horror readers because honestly, it's a story that packs a punch and tantalises one's reading palette..." Read more. The book The ghosts of The Assembly Room have been waiting for someone to unlock their secrets, and 14 year old Merryn Stearne has arrived. For Merryn the future should have been perfect–a new home in the idyllic Suffolk countryside and romance with the gorgeous boy next door. If only the past would stop interfering with the present.   Bryony Allen is the autho

A review of 'OTOLI' by Theta Sigma, Resolution Corner blog.   "A book that delivers some food for thought... even for somebody who left school over twenty years ago." The Review Rating 4/5   "You know when you identify with a character in a book and say "I'm like him/her" or "I know what he/she feels like". Well, with this book I can genuinely say that to a point. I initially found out about this book due to the author, Bryony Allen, becoming a friend through Goodreads and I became interested in the book's theme of bullying. The reason for this is because I am a bullying "survivor" (I prefer to use this term rather than "victim") who was bullied physically, verbally and emotionally throughout primary and secondary school. The book is primarily seen through the third person points of view of main characters Alice and Keiran. Both characters are marginalised through bullying - Alice due to the actions of a

Bryony Allen's latest YA novel in the spotlight as she's interviewed by Steven Russell, East Anglian Daily Times.   "A haunted-looking building and the Suffolk witch trials of 1645 were more than enough to send writer Bryony Allen’s imagination into overdrive, as Steven Russell discover". Read the interview (Press Cutting) The book The ghosts of The Assembly Room have been waiting for someone to unlock their secrets, and 14 year old Merryn Stearne has arrived. For Merryn the future should have been perfect–a new home in the idyllic Suffolk countryside and romance with the gorgeous boy next door. If only the past would stop interfering with the present. Bryony Allen is the author of three books: ' Mystery Deceit and a School Inspector ', ' OTOLI ' and her latest - ' The Assembly Room '. 'The Assembly Room' is available in the following eBook formats: The Assembly Room - Kobo ePub The Assembly Room - Tesco PDF and ePub

Author Bryony Allen's new YA novel 'The Assembly Room' will be hosted for blog tour on the 'Reading Away The Days' YA blog in the last week of October 2012. The tour will feature reviews, guest post, an excerpt and some giveaway competitions too! Click to see the full schedule on Goodreads Bryony Allen is the author of three books: ' Mystery Deceit and a School Inspector ', ' OTOLI ' and her latest - ' The Assembly Room '. 'The Assembly Room' is available in the following eBook formats: The Assembly Room - Tesco PDF and ePub eBooks The Assembly Room - Amazon Kindle The Assembly Room - Kobo ePub

'The Assembly Room', Bryony Allen's latest YA novel, featured in the 'In touch with Stowmarket' magazine.   The book The ghosts of The Assembly Room have been waiting for someone to unlock their secrets, and 14 year old Merryn Stearne has arrived. For Merryn the future should have been perfect–a new home in the idyllic Suffolk countryside and romance with the gorgeous boy next door. If only the past would stop interfering with the present. Read the feature (Press Cutting) below. Bryony Allen is the author of two books: ' Mystery Deceit and a School Inspector ' and ' OTOLI '. Bryony's latest book - ' The Assembly Room ' is due to be released on 11 October 2012.   'The Assembly Room' is available in the following eBook formats: The Assembly Room - Tesco PDF and ePub eBooks The Assembly Room - Amazon Kindle The Assembly Room - Kobo ePub    

What do the Suffolk witch hunts of 1645 have to do with Merryn Stearne’s family? Here's your chance to find out.   Goodreads Giveaway - Two paperback copies of the book with a promotional bookmark and postcard.   fReado Giveaway - Three Kindle e-Book copies .    For 14 year old Merryn, the future should have been perfect–a new home in the idyllic Suffolk countryside and romance with Jamie, the gorgeous boy next door. If only the past would stop interfering with the present. Dreams of medieval witchcraft trials become so terrifyingly real that Merryn believes there is a mystery to be solved. With Jamie's help, she uncovers the truth about the Suffolk witch hunts of 1645. Is there a curse hanging over the Stearne family, or is it all in Merryn’s imagination…? Find out more

The Assembly Room By  Bryony Allen The ghosts of The Assembly Room have been waiting for someone to unlock their secrets, and 14 year old Merryn Stearne has arrived.   For 14 year old Merryn, the future should have been perfect–a new home in the idyllic Suffolk countryside and romance with Jamie, the gorgeous boy next door. If only the past would stop interfering with the present. Dreams of medieval witchcraft trials become so terrifyingly real that Merryn believes there is a mystery to be solved. With Jamie's help, she uncovers the truth about the Suffolk witch hunts of 1645. Is there a curse hanging over the Stearne family, or is it all in Merryn’s imagination…? Find out more “Irresistibly bewitching” …publishedbestsellers.com Genre: Fiction: Children’s and young adult ISBN: 9781782281801 Publication Date: 11 October 2012 Edition/Format: 1st/Paperback & eBook Book Size: 203 x 127 mm, 186pp Sales and Distribution: Spring Leaf Books Landline: +44(0)

Bringing you exclusive interviews with authors featured in the Book Savvy Newsletter. Our Guest, Bryony Allen writes Adult and Young Adult fiction. She is the author of 'Mystery, Deceit and a School Inspector' and 'OTOLI', her latest book. Bryony is a teacher and currently lives in the beautiful wilds of the Suffolk countryside with her husband, four children, and the family pets of cats and dogs. Enjoy the interview. Q1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your book 'OTOLI'? I am a primary school teacher and mother of four. I live in a village in the Suffolk countryside and I absolutely love it here. Writing has always been a passion of mine although motherhood, dog walking and work pushes it to the back burner, except in the dark hours of the morning. I am also an avid reader, especially of crime fiction. 'OTOLI' is a book aimed at the teen / young adult audience. It is a tale of how three teenagers coped against bullies and socia