An Awfully Big Blog Adventure

A very interesting post with lots of great links. ...

2012-06-03T23:06:35.777+01:00

A very interesting post with lots of great links. I'll certainly follow them up and hope something is going on in an indie close to home. Thanks.

Very interesting, Meryl - thank you. I'll be a...

2012-06-03T17:44:13.863+01:00

Very interesting, Meryl - thank you. I'll be away that week too, but good luck - it all sounds very exciting!

This all looks brilliant, and just what's need...

2012-06-03T13:15:21.558+01:00

This all looks brilliant, and just what's needed - hooray! I will happily register for all those author/bookshop initiatives, and would especially enjoy having a go at serving behind the till because I used to do that years ago .... at Heffers Children's Bookshop. I wonder if I ever served you, Meryl? I worked there from 1981-1986. And did I meet goodgentlewoman at Heffers too, I wonder?

Really interesting to hear all about these initiat...

2012-06-03T12:58:35.883+01:00

Really interesting to hear all about these initiatives, Meryl. Independent bookshops - especially those with a deep interest in children's & YA books - are a very precious resource.

I've always been impressed by the US Indies an...

2012-06-03T12:32:05.066+01:00

I've always been impressed by the US Indies and it is good to see UK booksellers doing it for themselves. We need independent bookshops to keep open and thrive. Thank you for this really useful blog for authors to find out more about how they can help/support/get involved.

Fascinating post with lots to follow up - as someo...

2012-06-03T10:51:52.903+01:00

Fascinating post with lots to follow up - as someone who has enjoyed working with schools and libraries, but not had so much chance to interact with bookshops, I am keen to get involved.

I, too, have very fond memories of Heffers' Children's Bookstore - even though they once turned me down for a job!

(I was very put out at the time - I didn't reckon there could be a greater children's book enthusiast than me.)

That's fascinating - and very useful! Unfortun...

2012-06-03T09:47:14.363+01:00

That's fascinating - and very useful! Unfortunately I'll be away the first week of July, but I'll certainly investigate some of these links. Thankyou!

Many years ago I used to work in the order's h...

2012-06-03T09:08:38.458+01:00

Many years ago I used to work in the order's handling department of Heffer's Children's Bookshop. My job was desk based and I didn't really need to go into the shop. But did I let that stop me ... Happy days.

An interesting read and a bit of encouragement at ...

2012-06-03T09:02:47.174+01:00

An interesting read and a bit of encouragement at the end, just what we all need. Thank you

A really interesting set of events and some really...

2012-06-03T08:48:58.797+01:00

A really interesting set of events and some really useful links for authors to follow. Thank you for dropping by!

Ah yes, Harriet the Spy is one of my all-ti...

2012-06-02T17:02:46.704+01:00

Ah yes, Harriet the Spy is one of my all-time faves too!

Jongleuse, I quite agree about the suburbs - a much neglected territory.

Fen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ...

2012-06-02T15:41:59.223+01:00

Fen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Love that Cathy. With some Cambridge academic riding pillion, waffling on about Aristotle and classic vs romantic, while steams through fenland.

Thought of two more urban books I loved: Harriet the Spy and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Both Manhattan - neither of them fantasies, though.

Thats excactly the way to look at writing - brick ...

2012-06-02T10:44:19.688+01:00

Thats excactly the way to look at writing - brick by hard fought brick!!

And.... if you do get away from it and do somethin...

2012-06-02T10:27:08.619+01:00

And.... if you do get away from it and do something else, the something else always seems to provide new ideas, so leads you straight back to writing.

How true - reading and writing are an integral par...

2012-06-02T09:28:15.653+01:00

How true - reading and writing are an integral part of who we are, not just what we do.

And I'm lucky - much of my writing is about travelling, which is a wonderful reason to pack the rucksack and head for the airport (notebook easily accessible, of course!)

This is all so true, including your brick analogy ...

2012-06-02T09:17:12.679+01:00

This is all so true, including your brick analogy - you did a beautiful job on that wall, by the way!

Love it! I also adored anything with an urban sett...

2012-06-01T21:27:40.235+01:00

Love it! I also adored anything with an urban setting, The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (New York) was a particular childhood favourite. The sequel (which I've forgotten the name of) where they move to the countryside was nothing like as good.
I've always wanted to write a magical fantasy set in the 'burbs, the most common (yet sadly neglected by literature) geography of cildhood

A novel about carburettors? In Cambridgeshire? Hav...

2012-06-01T15:36:00.242+01:00

A novel about carburettors? In Cambridgeshire? Haven't you read Fen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?

I shall look out for Wolfie come August, Emma!

Loved it! But could you do a whole novel about ca...

2012-06-01T12:16:03.958+01:00

Loved it! But could you do a whole novel about carburettors? Maybe you could...after all, they would want to test drive the car, at some point.

I remember a lot of books I loved with urban settings: Madeleine; The Family From One End Street (shame those books never lead to a genre); The Little Princess; Paddington; Diana Wynne Jones as you say - especially The Ogre Downstairs. One thing I notice is that when there is an urban setting it often seems to be London! Very hard to think of books set in Manchester, Leeds or most other British cities.

I've just written what might be termed an urban fantasy myself: "Wolfie", out in August - at least, it involves magic, and its set in an urban neighbourhood. Didn't know I was part of a trend! I was conscious though of wanting a certain kind of neighbourhood ...the sort of place I know well and which is also familiar to most children.

Brilliant and so clever. Thanks!

2012-06-01T10:25:26.002+01:00

Brilliant and so clever. Thanks!

Excellent! I love it when really characters appear...

2012-06-01T10:10:11.592+01:00

Excellent! I love it when really characters appear in stories. makes you feel so clever for recognizing them! And a very interesting point about the way we view cities and countryside!

Ah - I grew up in the country (the Australian &quo...

2012-06-01T09:52:38.496+01:00

Ah - I grew up in the country (the Australian "bush") and I have to admit things can happen there. I doubt we would have had the same freedom to roam in the city!

What wonderful sacrilege! And timely for me, as I ...

2012-06-01T09:16:11.921+01:00

What wonderful sacrilege!
And timely for me, as I am trying to pitch a quite tricky urban-magic story to my editor. Who has recently moved to the countryside...

2012-05-31T17:18:35.471+01:00

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As someone who did give up the day job, it could b...

2012-05-31T17:14:58.891+01:00

As someone who did give up the day job, it could be argued that any advice from me should be taken with a liberal dose of salts. I'd like to hope that this blog entry might give any up-and-comers a truthful insight into what it means to be a career writer.