Isn’t this gorgeous? It’s by Charlotte Taylor, who came second in the Shrewsbury Bookfest 2018 art competition. It’s a picture of Darby, my main character in A Storm of Strawberries (which was shortlisted for the award) as she goes out looking for her sister in the middle of the night… I love the bright red … More Strawberry fan art!
Wait. That should be “Welcome to the world, Jelly!” but actually, it works this way round too 🙂 I’m so, so thrilled that JELLY is finally out there, in the world, getting to readers. I honestly think it’s one of my best books so far, and I hope so much that readers agree with me. … More Welcome to the Jelly World…!
Last year was a tough one for me, and writing wasn’t easy to do, but perhaps there’s a grain of truth in the old adage about suffering creating great art because I am SO proud of this, my very next book, out in June: Published by the fab team at Piccadilly Press, spearheaded by lovely … More COVER REVEAL: JELLY
It was World Book Day in the middle of Snow Week, which added to the complications for many authors of getting around the country to lots of schools! I was lucky only to have one visit postponed due to the weather, but it was hit and miss on a couple of days! Many thanks to … More School visits and Turkish Lemons!
A teacher has studied Looking at the Stars with her Y7 class, and they have sent me some wonderful reviews! Thank you so much, Miss Brett and Hartford Church of England High School – and thank you to the fantastic Y7s for their thoughtful and beautifully-written reviews! “I really enjoyed this book as it shows how … More Y7 reviews of Looking at the Stars
I know, I know, it’s a TERRIBLE pun. Er. Is it a pun, if you just add another letter to make it silly? Hmm. Anyway. It’s been TOO LONG since I blogged, sorry about that. It’s not as though I haven’t had events and things to write about! But, you know, Christmas, and stuff and…well, … More Latest Writing Wround-up! and new books!
A few days ago I received a wonderful email from a reader who had enjoyed Looking at the Stars so much she used it as inspiration for a recent art project. She said she found the book very meaningful and tried to capture that in her work. I think she absolutely has – what do … More Fan Art: Looking at the Stars
Last night, Blackwells in Oxford was once again host for my latest launch party. If any Oxfordshire authors are wondering which venue to choose for their launch, look no further! Hannah and Beth and Ryan at the shop are always so incredibly efficient and helpful and accommodating – this time they didn’t bat an eye … More Launching Strawberries and Chocolate
Whew! It’s been a busy and very exciting week! So this is what’s been happening… Last Tuesday, I travelled to Norfolk to SEE MY NEW BOOK BEING PRINTED. That deserves capitals because it was SO exciting! Authors very rarely get to see their book actually rolling off the presses, and so I need to say … More Strawberries, Empathy, Electrigirl and Music!
Last week I received a message from a school librarian. This kind of message is exactly why I keep writing for children: “We have a girl in Y3 with severe Asperger traits. It’s incredibly hard to get her to stay in a class room let alone settle with a book. Any books she looks at … More Making a difference – message from a school librarian
