Release Day for The Enigma Game in the UK!
Welcome to #TheEnigmaGame virtual launch party and giveaway!
Published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in the UK on 14 May 2020, The Enigma Game is a World War II thriller set in the world of Code Name Verity. If you’re familiar with that world, you’ll be familiar with Jamie Beaufort-Stuart, now flying Blenheim bombers, and Ellen McEwen, working as a driver for the Royal Air Force.
But you can pick up The Enigma Game without ever having read any of my other books. This one introduces teen Louisa Adair, half Jamaican and half English, as a major new character and narrator. Louisa, Jamie, and Ellen come together on a remote airfield in Scotland in the winter of 1940-41 to do some unexpected code-breaking that allows them to remain a few steps ahead of the enemy – but that enemy is closing in on them.
Where:
Here on my blog, on Twitter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ewein2412), on Facebook (Elizabeth Wein), and on Instagram (ewein2412) – but also at my front and back gates! I have a few signed copies to give away, so if you’re on your daily walk in Perth, stop by and pick one up. I’ve made bookmarks, too. Take a selfie and post it to show you’ve gone to a book launch today!
From 7- 7.30 pm BST I'll be discussing the book with Sara Barnard on Twitter to celebrate the launch. Join us there!
Guests of Honour
Meet some of the real life airmen and women who inspired The Enigma Game</>!
The Caribbean women who served in World War II
Wonderful Pathe footage of aircrew and planes at a Bristol Blenheim bomber station in 1940. It really gets to me how young these airmen are.
Lilian Bader, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
Alastair Panton, Blenheim bomber pilot
Refreshments
Contraband butter from the Isle of Man, a pint of heavy if you’re of age (a wee dram of whisky will cost you two and six), spam sandwiches, or ersatz coffee. Louisa has decided not to drink any more coffee till the war is over or she goes back to Jamaica, whichever comes first.
You might also enjoy a PIMMS, which is what Jamie's flight section is named after.
Entertainment
Here I am reading a sneak peek from The Enigma Game! Thanks to Porter Square Books in Boston, Massachusetts, for originally publishing this video.
We're also running a blog tour all through this week and next. Feel free to stop by!
Here are links to some of my guest posts:
'Louisa Adair Takes to the Sky'
'Flying & Factories: Women & War'
I've also got an interview about The Enigma Game posted at School Zone on Readingzone.com.
'Perception and Belonging'
Music is so important to Louisa – and to the airmen she plays for sometimes. Here are a few of the dance tunes they listen to:
'Moonglow' – Cab Calloway
'Jitterbug' – Cab Calloway
And Mendelssohn's 'Hebrides Overture' – it’s in the book trailer (above), too. It’s an orchestral piece, but I chose this amazing piano (8-hands) version because Felix Baer, the German pilot in The Enigma Game, plays it on the piano and makes Louisa cry.
'Ave Maria' – Music by Bach and Gounod. Johanna von Arnim is the stage name of the old woman Louisa cares for, and this 'Ave Maria' is her first record. I couldn’t find a recording of a mezzo soprano in her mid-50s made in about 1915, so I went for Maria Callas.
And of course, there's 'The Spitfire Song'!
Oh – and if you're looking for entertainment - how about a ride in a Bristol Blenheim bomber?
Ready to leave?
If you’re heading out, here are some virtual museum exhibits that might interest you:
The Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre: Not far from the imaginary RAF Windyedge, RAF Montrose in Scotland was Britain’s first military aerodrome, opening in 1913 for the use of the Royal Flying Corps.
Pilots of the Caribbean: Volunteers of African Heritage in the Royal Air Force
Here’s the actual plane that inspired the German defectors in The Enigma Game, among the RAF Museum’s online collection.
And while you’re at it, take a virtual visit to the pub and the airbase that helped me visualize the setting for The Enigma Game: The Blue Bell Inn, Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England. (If you scroll through the picture gallery, you’ll find shots of the airmen’s coins stuck in the pub beams.)
Giveaway! (Ends 22 May 2020)
If you can’t stop by my back gate, I’ll post out three signed copies (international as long as your postal service is currently receiving mail from the UK – please do check if you’re not sure). To enter, please comment and let me know why you’re looking forward to The Enigma Game!
Mission:
And finally, here’s your War Work. Sometime in the next week, if you’re interested and able, order a book from your local bookstore or buy one on line. Then Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, comment on Goodreads, or blog about your purchase, using the tag #TheEnigmaGame – and ask your friends to stop by here.
From your couch to the front lines, spread the word about the giveaway, and above all, enjoy!
You can buy The Enigma Game here.
Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed the party - and that you enjoy the book!
Published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in the UK on 14 May 2020, The Enigma Game is a World War II thriller set in the world of Code Name Verity. If you’re familiar with that world, you’ll be familiar with Jamie Beaufort-Stuart, now flying Blenheim bombers, and Ellen McEwen, working as a driver for the Royal Air Force.
But you can pick up The Enigma Game without ever having read any of my other books. This one introduces teen Louisa Adair, half Jamaican and half English, as a major new character and narrator. Louisa, Jamie, and Ellen come together on a remote airfield in Scotland in the winter of 1940-41 to do some unexpected code-breaking that allows them to remain a few steps ahead of the enemy – but that enemy is closing in on them.
Where:
Here on my blog, on Twitter (
ewein2412), on Facebook (Elizabeth Wein), and on Instagram (ewein2412) – but also at my front and back gates! I have a few signed copies to give away, so if you’re on your daily walk in Perth, stop by and pick one up. I’ve made bookmarks, too. Take a selfie and post it to show you’ve gone to a book launch today!
From 7- 7.30 pm BST I'll be discussing the book with Sara Barnard on Twitter to celebrate the launch. Join us there!
Guests of Honour
Meet some of the real life airmen and women who inspired The Enigma Game</>!
The Caribbean women who served in World War II
Wonderful Pathe footage of aircrew and planes at a Bristol Blenheim bomber station in 1940. It really gets to me how young these airmen are.
Lilian Bader, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
Alastair Panton, Blenheim bomber pilot
Refreshments
Contraband butter from the Isle of Man, a pint of heavy if you’re of age (a wee dram of whisky will cost you two and six), spam sandwiches, or ersatz coffee. Louisa has decided not to drink any more coffee till the war is over or she goes back to Jamaica, whichever comes first.
You might also enjoy a PIMMS, which is what Jamie's flight section is named after.
Entertainment
Here I am reading a sneak peek from The Enigma Game! Thanks to Porter Square Books in Boston, Massachusetts, for originally publishing this video.
We're also running a blog tour all through this week and next. Feel free to stop by!
Here are links to some of my guest posts:
'Louisa Adair Takes to the Sky'
'Flying & Factories: Women & War'
I've also got an interview about The Enigma Game posted at School Zone on Readingzone.com.
'Perception and Belonging'
Music is so important to Louisa – and to the airmen she plays for sometimes. Here are a few of the dance tunes they listen to:
'Moonglow' – Cab Calloway
'Jitterbug' – Cab Calloway
And Mendelssohn's 'Hebrides Overture' – it’s in the book trailer (above), too. It’s an orchestral piece, but I chose this amazing piano (8-hands) version because Felix Baer, the German pilot in The Enigma Game, plays it on the piano and makes Louisa cry.
'Ave Maria' – Music by Bach and Gounod. Johanna von Arnim is the stage name of the old woman Louisa cares for, and this 'Ave Maria' is her first record. I couldn’t find a recording of a mezzo soprano in her mid-50s made in about 1915, so I went for Maria Callas.
And of course, there's 'The Spitfire Song'!
Oh – and if you're looking for entertainment - how about a ride in a Bristol Blenheim bomber?
Ready to leave?
If you’re heading out, here are some virtual museum exhibits that might interest you:
The Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre: Not far from the imaginary RAF Windyedge, RAF Montrose in Scotland was Britain’s first military aerodrome, opening in 1913 for the use of the Royal Flying Corps.
Pilots of the Caribbean: Volunteers of African Heritage in the Royal Air Force
Here’s the actual plane that inspired the German defectors in The Enigma Game, among the RAF Museum’s online collection.
And while you’re at it, take a virtual visit to the pub and the airbase that helped me visualize the setting for The Enigma Game: The Blue Bell Inn, Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England. (If you scroll through the picture gallery, you’ll find shots of the airmen’s coins stuck in the pub beams.)
Giveaway! (Ends 22 May 2020)
If you can’t stop by my back gate, I’ll post out three signed copies (international as long as your postal service is currently receiving mail from the UK – please do check if you’re not sure). To enter, please comment and let me know why you’re looking forward to The Enigma Game!
Mission:
And finally, here’s your War Work. Sometime in the next week, if you’re interested and able, order a book from your local bookstore or buy one on line. Then Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, comment on Goodreads, or blog about your purchase, using the tag #TheEnigmaGame – and ask your friends to stop by here.
From your couch to the front lines, spread the word about the giveaway, and above all, enjoy!
You can buy The Enigma Game here.
Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed the party - and that you enjoy the book!
Congratulations!!
Re: Congratulations!!
Re: Congratulations!!
The Enigma Game Giveaway
I am looking forward to reading The Enigma Game because I love all of your other books, especially Code Name Verity, so I know The Enigma Game will be great because you wrote it! I love reading about WWII, and I love books/stories about code-breaking, so this one will be right up my alley. I love all the characters from the Code Name Verity world, so it will be fun to see some of them again and also meet some new ones!
I think you are an amazing writer and I can't wait to read this next book!
Thank you!
Greta
Re: The Enigma Game Giveaway
Re: The Enigma Game Giveaway
Re: The Enigma Game Giveaway
Re: The Enigma Game Giveaway
Re: The Enigma Game Giveaway
Thank you so much!
Re: The Enigma Game Giveaway
I just wanted to let you know that I read The Enigma Game right after you sent it to me, and I LOVED it! It was so good! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I loved seeing the old characters, and I thought Louisa was such a wonderful character, and I really admired her bravery. It also sent me down a research rabbit hole about enigma machines, which are so fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank you so much for writing it and for sending me a copy!
-Greta
Why I am looking forward to The Enigma Game
I’m so excited to read The Enigma Game and discover the complex characters, cultures, and wonderful friendships that I always find in your books! I’ve reread Code Name Verity countless times, to the point that even minor characters like Jamie felt like best friends. When I did finally come across The Pearl Thief, I couldn’t decide (and still can’t) whether I liked it even better than Code Name Verity with brash, wonderful Julie exactly my age and the summer spent with Ellen and Jamie and Euan. I could go on with so many examples but suffice to say that with each time I reread your books, new plot intricacies come to light and soon my copy of The Enigma Game will be worn as soft as the rest.
In fact, the only reason I can participate in this giveaway, and have not yet bought The Enigma Game and devoured it whole, are my final exams this week, to be sat virtually from home. If I sat down with your book now, it would be finished within the afternoon, with the guilt of revision weighing down on me, and I would never get that first read back.
In my half term holiday, after my last maths paper, I will be able to enjoy the adventures of Louisa, Ellen and Jamie much more fully, and I truly look forward to it! Thank you for continuing to write such amazing novels with truly diverse characters. I have loved every glimpse I’ve gotten of Scotland thanks to you and even gone to my first ceilidh after learning a little school (my favourite dance of course being the flying scotsman!).
Best wishes,
Vitti D (age 17)
Re: Why I am looking forward to The Enigma Game
So, best of luck with your virtual exams, and with your forward journey into the future - strange times but let's make the most of them! Thank you so much for letting me know how you feel about my books.
warmly, Elizabeth
Re: Why I am looking forward to The Enigma Game
It made me so so happy to receive your reply! I was practically dancing around and felt the need to share your kind words with all my family, who already know how much I love your books.
Thank you for being not only a brilliant author, but also a wonderful person and truly making my week! I look forward to The Enigma Game with even greater anticipation.
Best,
Vitti
Re: Why I am looking forward to The Enigma Game