I’m revising a novel. It’s one I wrote last year, and my agent read it and liked it but wanted me to make some changes. And because I hate editing and rewriting, I put it off and wrote something else instead. And while I was waiting for my agent to read the other thing, I … More Why revising a novel is like juicing a lemon
I loved Frozen In Time by Ali Sparkes when I read it last year, and Out of this World is another cracking read. Ty Lewis is a keen naturalist, spending a lot of time in the woods near his home and building a strong friendship with Sam, the ranger who lives there. One night, Ty finds a … More Out of this World – review
This morning I had my first meeting with the head of Burford School, Oxfordshire, along with the head of English, the marketing/publicity manager and the fantastic librarian – all of us gathered to talk about my new position at the school as Patron of Reading, and what exactly that meant to all of us. We … More First Patron of Reading meeting
Whew! Let me pause for a moment to catch my breath… …that’s better. I’ve had a flurry of booky events over the past few days; all fantastic! First of all there was my great author pal Susie Day’s book launch at Blackwells Bookshop in Oxford last Friday. Susie’s series of books about Pea and her family … More A booky few days! Two launches and a festival!
I should have read this book sooner. It’s BRILLIANT. I’ve had Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase (by Jonathan Stroud) on my shelf for a few months. I know quite well why I didn’t pick it up before. It’s hardback (and therefore not my preferred format for reading since I like paperbacks), it’s got a lot of … More Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase – review
I love reading kids’ stories. They don’t know the so-called ‘rules’ of storytelling: that each story should have a beginning, middle and end, that the hero/ine should face obstacles, that you ‘should’ use lots of descriptive language, that you should never start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’. They just WRITE. On Monday I returned … More Writers of the future
Back in October last year, the author Lee Weatherly (have you read her ANGEL trilogy? It is AWESOME) asked me if I’d take some portrait photos of her. She had a new book due out and wasn’t happy with the photo she already had. I said I’d be delighted – any excuse to practise my … More My first commission as a photographer
So at the weekend, I ran a half-hour craft event at the Wychwood Festival – and here, as promised, are the instructions to make your very own shooting star wand, popup and 3D star cards. Just click on the picture to enlarge – and you can even print it off for your own use at … More Wychwood Crafty Makes
“You were so funny!” said a teenager* in some surprise. “You’re like a cross between Michael McIntyre and Miranda!” That was the BEST feedback of the weekend 😉 I love it when people think I’m funny. They don’t expect it. I don’t write funny books, and if you meet me in person, I don’t immediately … More My Wonderful Wychwood Experience!
Jo Cotterill 