Saturday 9 July 2011

Going to the Dogs: Tackling a Tricky Audience - Lucy Coats (inc competition)



Lucy and her leading canine ladies Sika, Hero and Teasel say....


WANT TO WIN SOME FANTASTIC BOOKS? JUST TELL US WHO YOUR FAVOURITE GOD OR HERO/HEROINE IS IN THE COMMENTS BOX UNDER THIS PIECE and leave your email address/keep checking back for the winner.”.

Orion Children’s Books have generously agreed to donate a big bundle of lovely books to one lucky winner picked at random from all entries. There’s:


· a whole set of 12 Greek Beasts and Heroes by Lucy Coats
· Dead Man’s Cove by Lauren St John
· The Case of the Deadly Desperadoes by Caroline Lawrence
· White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick
· Magus of Stonewylde by Kit Berry
· An Act of Love by Alan Gibbons
· The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Who wouldn’t want to win THOSE?

CLOSING DATE JULY 20TH 2011. GOOD LUCK!
Lucy's website is at http://www.lucycoats.com/

Lucy's blog is at http://www.scribblecitycentral.blogspot.com/ (Shortlisted for the Author Blog Awards 2010)
Lucy’s Facebook Fanpage is at http://tinyurl.com/lucycoatsfacebook
Lucy's Twitter page is at http://www.twitter.com/lucycoats

54 comments:

Unknown said...

Ooh! It's a difficult one. I can't decide between Loki and Pan. They are both mischievous tricksters, with another side to them: gigantic or hairy. Pan, Loki, Loki, Pan... I think Pan.

Unknown said...

Haha, spot the person who never follows the instructions properly! Good job I picked a Greek God in the end!
PS I thought the dogs were quite tame in the end!

Anonymous said...

Haha - brilliantly dotty! Thank you, Lucy!

Sam Mills said...

Seen this 3 times now and it still makes me laugh out loud! Love your doggies...

Linda Strachan said...

Fabulous! Love it, Lucy, I am sure the children on your school visits are just as mesmerised as the dogs seemed to be, by the end!

MC Rogerson said...

Cute dogs!

Hard question - I'm partial to Dionysus for all the obvious reasons, but I'll go with Nyx, goddess of the night.

Keren David said...

Love your video!

My son Judah(age 11) wants to enter your competition. He choses Dionysus: 'He's an amusing god because he a very important being and has powers but it's like he has useless powers because he's the god of wine. He's like the drunken god and I think it's very funny because gods are supposed to be powerful and serious and this guy is like the god of the drunkards.'

Nina Killham said...

That was so much fun. Good for you. Your dogs are good sports. As for a god or goddess, I've always loved Daphne. Who turns into a tree.

Miriam Halahmy said...

Oh I loved the dogs!! Beautiful video Lucy, the kids must absolutely love it when you go into schools.

Lucy Coats said...

Thanks everyone--the dogs are wagging their tails with delight. Personally, I think I sound like a cross between Joyce Grenfell and Barbara Woodhouse--but then I always was a harsh self-critic! Keep those entries coming!

Susan Price said...

Great fun, Lucy! I must go round to the local dogs' home before my next school visit.
As for gods - Odin, of course, God of poetry and inspiration. Don't care if He's not Greek. He could scrag any Greek god!

Jackie Marchant said...

What great dogs! Do they critique your work as well?

michelle lovric said...

Huge fun, Lucy! Do the children in the schools roll over on their backs and let you scratch their tummies too? Wouldn't be surprised.
I'm greedy, so I'll go for Demeter as my favourite goddess.

Sue Purkiss said...

I've always admired Athene, but she's a bit sort of forbidding, isn't she. So I think I'll go for Iris.

I hope the dogs got a biscuit each - great performances!

Leah Auty said...

I'd pick Hera, although she isn't ugly, she isn't the most beautiful, but is respected, like every woman should be :D After doing some research ;) I found she was the goddess of protecting married women and family. I think that Hera is the most brilliant greek goddess because she is beautiful in her confidence, and sets her sights on protecting the vulnerable, rather than being desirable to men :D thanks. My names Leah A and my email is leahauty8@hotmail.com xx

Drawtist_P said...

My favourite is Athena. She's fiercely independent, and happy about it. :)

Great idea to use boisterous pets as training for school visits!

Candy Gourlay said...

that is just so funny! love your dogs!

Candy Gourlay said...

btw i do love your beasts and heroes books!

Rebecca Emin said...

Love the dogs! Very cute!

Theseus... just because his story always stuck in my head.

My children would love your books.

Unknown said...

Great post, Your dogs are ubercute ;)

My favourite Greek goddess is Hestia the oldest but the youngest and the goddess of the hearth. What kept her tied to home? Why did Zeus never act without consulting her? Is it a case of the Goddess who seems to be least was, infact, the greatest?
I have ideas and an MG storyline percolating ;)

Joolze said...

I adore your dogs! Mine always used to fall asleep if I tried to read to it.
Favourite Greek God? Possibly Poseidon because I love the sea - even in its angriest of moods.

Enid Richemont said...

Demeter's mine. She even comes into one of my books and takes a leading role.
Your lady-dog readers are delightful (if disrespectful). Do they enjoy being read to?

Rebecca Brown said...

It has to be Athena. I remember learning about Greek mythology in primary school and for over 20 years I've thought she has to be the best god/goddess just because she represents wisdom and the arts - what better things could you be a goddess of??

And I love your video - you had nothing to worry about, you were charming and fun. Although the dogs obviously stole the show.

Please enter me into the draw, I'd like to say your books are for my son but who'm I kidding, they're for me!

catdownunder said...

Oh miaou! Not sure we can enter from Downunder (but would they give it to some needy kids - if so, Penelope!)

Anonymous said...

Me. (That's doesn't want = need, to win those lovely books.)

Goddess? Lucy Coats.

Did you read a story? I was so busy looking at those dogs I heard very little.

Tabatha said...

My favorite is probably Hephaestus, admittedly out of sympathy.

maryom said...

Loved this. I tried reading to our dog once but he wasn't impressed.

karen said...

Hee, hee, hee. I love the surreptitious reaching for doggie snacks tucked down the side of the sofa. Your sleight of hand is second to none, Lucy! Brilliant!

K said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
K said...

lol, such cute pooches :-D

My fav has got to be Hades- you gotta love a really good bad guy!

ladykblack(at)virginmedia(dot)com

Kyler Rose said...

I pick Thor - Chris Hemsworth!
kylershergold@hotmail.com

catdownunder said...

PS You do realise that we cats behave purrfectly when being read to?

Emily said...

My favourite goddess is Athene.

Anonymous said...

My favourite of all the Gods is Thor, because of the first funny poem my Mum told me:
The God of Thunder went for a ride, upon his favourite filly.
'I'M THOR' he cried, and his horse replied: 'You forgot your thaddle, thilly!'

But if we have to choose a Greek one, then Athene because she is strong and feminine at the same time.

From: therealsupergirl at hotmail dot com

Lucy Coats said...

Loving that Thor joke, Anon! Made me giggle. Thanks for all the comments and entries--keep 'em coming!

Unknown said...

Alright, I want to know, do you sneak treats to the children too - or is it just the dogs that get lucky?! :-)
Favourite Greek goddess - has to be Artemis - even named my car after her!

Anonymous said...

My favourite Greek goddess is relatively unappreciated, for reasons I don't understand. Gaia deserves to be everyone's favourite Greek goddess - as Mother Earth/ Goddess of Earth, she is one of the first ever spirits present in mythology and without her, surely our world would not exist as we know it. There would be no beauty and quite literally no nature. So Gaia deserves all the credit and all the admirers in the world: after all, she created Earth. She's an inspiration - in her beauty and her independence. She casts light on female emancipation and gives others strength to conquer their fears and to do something worthwhile, to create something and to believe in it. She breathes life into everything of importance to us. What's the point having wisdom, beauty, power of the elements, love or riches if none of it exists? Without Gaia, without her magical abilities, practicality and good-will, there would be nothing. Therefore Gaia remains my favourite Greek goddess.

By Jessica
jessicachristine@hotmail.co.uk

madwippitt said...

I'd like to say Anubis - what's not to love about a goid with the head of a wippitt? - but as it has to be Greek, then Artemis - goddess of the hunt with a whole pack of wippitties running at her heels ...

Hannah Powell said...

Your dogs are gorgeous!
My favourite Greek god is Athena, goddess of wisdom and war because she is really strong and wise, and she's not wet like Aphrodite.
From Hannah, age 10

Daisymaebee said...

I know that the person who is a God to me isn't classed as a God. But my vote goes to Charles Darwin. He is my God

Ramblings of a bake-aholic said...

ummm favourite god . . . I like Apollo, I like that he was the God of music

Kelly Koya said...

I have a pendant with the Hindu goddess Durga on. She is my favourite.

Sarah Anguish said...

Eros - because we all need love

@littleboo_21

feefeegabor said...

I'd have to go for Perseus - particularly in the original Clash of the Titans!

Juliet said...

It's got to be wily Odysseus.

whispering words said...

my favourite is persephone, she must have been some woman to land Hades as a husband!

dancing_dragon747@hotmail.com

Beth Kemp said...

I'm plumping for Athene. Although she can be harsh, you have to admire a strong woman.

Beth (at) bethkemp (dot) co (dot) uk

Anonymous said...

I love Clash of the Titans, so I would have to say Perseus. kooloo@live.co.uk

Lu said...

My favourite heroine has to be Penelope. The thought of unpicking all that tapestry night after night for 10 years fills me with horror. She must have been made of strong stuff.

Nikki Hartley said...

Athene because she is so strong yet feminine at the same time!

Linda Strachan said...

My favourite is Chronos, the god of time.

Thomas Taylor said...

Great little film:)

As for the greatest god, for me it has to be Sredni Vashtar! I don't if he really counts (he's hardly Greek) but he certainly answered young Conradin's pleas and repaid his devotion in the most pointed way.

mysticwen said...

ADRIAN MOLE HAS TO BE MY CHOICE HE HAS KEPT ME AMUSED FOR SO MANY YEARS - SO GO ADRIAN GO!!!!!!!

Lucy Coats said...

Thanks so much to everyone for entering. The competition is now closed, and has been won by Whispering Words (Sarah), who was the first to be pulled out of my magic mythic hat. Once again, thanks to my amazing publishers, Orion for providing such a fantastic prize.