Ability, Motive, Opportunity and Goblins, by Claire Fayers

 Hi all,

I'm going to be taking a bit of a break from the blog after Christmas so this will be my last post for a little while. I do intend to start up again once I've got some new ideas together.

Recently, I've been talking to libraries again, taking part in an online librarians conference and then visiting libraries to run school sessions.

I love visiting schools, but I am really enjoying having classes come into the libraries. The scheme is paid for by the Welsh Books Council who always pay promptly. As the classes come in, the sessions generally start a little later in the morning so there's no leaving home at the crack of dawn. And it's great fun. Maybe not quite so much fun for anyone else in the library at the time (if you were trying to work this morning when a rowdy group was creating goblins, I apologise!)

Part of my talk at the library conference centred around getting children to read, which got me thinking about why we want kids to read, and what's stopping them. In the grand tradition of murder mysteries, I think it comes down to ability, motive and opportunity. If kids struggle to decode every sentence, the whole thing becomes a hard slog, meaning they have little motive to read. And if they don't have access to books, they can't read.

Schools do a lot to address ability. Libraries are primarily about opportunity - making books available. We, as authors, can have a big impact on motive, engaging with young readers, making reading fun.

Bringing all three together feels very special. Children who've never been to a public library get to see the place for the first time whilst also meeting an author who can talk enthusiastically about the library, read, play games and generally have fun. 

My sessions are based on Welsh goblins, and the highlight is when I pass a marker pen around and the children take turns at designing a goblin to live in the library. I give them all a design-your-own-goblin postcard to take away and the class goblin stays in the library to encourage them to come back and see it some other time.

The fact that the goblins are very badly drawn just adds to the fun.

Have a great Christmas all!

Out of my depth in Cambodia - Ciaran Murtagh

One of the perks of my job is that I get to travel.

I am currently in Cambodia working with children and encouraging them to think creatively – something that, not that many years ago, would have got you removed to a detention centre.

It’s always inspiring to come to places like this. The vivacity of the children and the desire to learn and progress is a joy to behold. Many know just how much their parents have sacrificed in order to give them opportunities that they and previous generations did not have. They don’t want to waste any of it.

However, every day I am reminded that the same is not the case for every child in this country. It’s depressing, that travelling as a single white man of a certain age in this country comes with certain assumptions. I learned that telling anyone I was here to speak to children gives a VERY wrong impression.

It’s easy to be downhearted by the plight of so many in this country, and the difference in wealth is stark. However, as I visited the Killing Fields I was treated to the sound of children playing in the school yard next door. In this monument to past atrocities, the sound of hope for the future rang out. We should not forget that within my life time, schools were being converted into torture centres here. The fact that there’s any hope at all should be celebrated.

As I make my way home, one incident will stay with me for a long time. Last night I wandered out of the city and found a fairground. There was a tacky looking house of horrors attraction – you basically walked through a dark maze while ‘ghosts’ shouted boo. However, as I wandered about in the dark, it became clear to the teenage, minimum wage ‘ghosts’ that I wasn’t the usual customer – I was a white European – and instead of saying ‘boo’ I got, ‘hello, where are you from?’ and ended up with curious ghosts, Frankenstein monsters and vampires trailing me through the attraction asking me about the colour of my hair and whether I knew Lady Gaga.

It was symbolic of everything I’ve found out here. Young people want to learn, they want to ask questions and they want to get on. They didn’t see me as an outsider to be feared, they saw me as an opportunity for them to learn.

In a world increasingly divided by adults, let’s hope the kids protesting climate change, gun laws and yes, asking questions of a man they meet in a haunted house, prevail. I have a feeling they will, in a way the fact that I am able to come here at all proves that they have. 

Apologies for the lack of pics... normal service will resume next time.

To begin at the beginning, wherever that is - by Rowena House

Where to start teaching creative writing in schools and colleges? It’s a question I know many writers in the ABBA community have answered in their own professional lives, and I’d love to hear your advice.

Me, I waver between starting with character or conflict + change, although recently I’ve plumped for all three at once. Is place next or endings? Rising tension? Voice or structure? Great openings from published books?

Years ago, a trainer on an author schools’ visit programme urged us to model ‘excellence’ first, and then to work backwards from there, which was all very well except that the model he used to illustrate his point was far from excellent, according to professional writing standards.

Ever since then I’ve worried that I might do more harm than good by enthusing about turning points and climactic choices between ‘irreconcilable goods’ etc. if that’s not what schools, colleges and exam boards want students to learn.

 

 

Overcoming these doubts just became rather urgent since (I’m delighted to say) Authors Abroad have now added me to their stable of writers who offer talks and workshops to schools. Hurrah!

Fortunately, this year I’m also training to lecture on fiction prose writing at FE level, so I have the luxury of an academic framework within which to research the issues and practice teaching under expert guidance.

As a learner, I know I have a top-down bias, preferring to see the big picture first and details later. This, broadly, should fit with the ‘model first, work backwards’ approach, which, I now discover, has deep theoretical roots.

Bath Spa’s amazing MA in writing for young people also taught me the immeasurable value of mind maps as a way to avoid linear thinking at too early a stage in a story’s development, so I’m hoping to adapt and adopt non-linear teaching techniques also.

 

 

First, though, I’m honing a ‘commercial’ fiction scene in order to model structure. It’s got a lead character with a defined goal, an antagonist with a diametrically opposed goal, conflict between the two, a turning point and a resolution. All in 275 words!

It favours implicit clues rather than explicit descriptions to draw the reader through the plot, relying on our innate human desire to read between the lines and solve a puzzle.

[In the past, I’ve been impressed how quickly students of any age zoom in on the turning point of a scene, and work out which character ‘won’ and which ‘lost’ from the slenderest of clues - a skill my favourite screenplay-writing gurus would attribute to our collective understanding of story, born originally of universal oral storytelling traditions and reinforced time and again in books, TV and film.]

How far this approach is adaptable to the exigencies of an examined curriculum I don’t yet know, but I’m keen to explore opportunities to guide students through the basics of structure, rather than trying to teach them something that many will already know, albeit subconsciously.

Another thing I’d like to borrow straight out of the commercial publishing world is this definition of story, first introduced to me by author, editor and mentor extraordinaire, Beverley Birch:

            Story = a character changing through conflict.

Some writers I know bridle at the apparent over-simplification of this definition, including people who love classical literature. But for me, as a working writer, it helps scale storytelling down to size.

“Changing a character through conflict” is do-able. It’s a solid platform from which to launch a story idea, and one which I think might give confidence to student writers who are just starting out.

Embracing this definition also paved the way for my greatest writing eureka moment to date when I read that plot and character are two sides of the same coin: after the inciting incident, plot is simply what happens as a result of the decisions, actions and reactions of the protagonist.

Before that epiphany I had plotted.

And plotted.

I’d twisted and turned my poor protagonist into ever more hazardous predicaments. But always I put her there. She didn’t have agency.

Understanding that she absolutely had to have agency at every major point in the story led, logically, to telling her story from inside her head, a fresh starting point which, ultimately, got me published.

I suppose what I’m saying, or at least seem to be saying as I write this post, is that there is no single ideal starting point. It all dovetails. Somehow. Hopefully. Perhaps all I can hope to do is present the practical benefits of different approaches to writing fiction with passion and honesty.

Am I in danger of extrapolating too much from personal experience? Possibly. Is it unrealistic to expect similar epiphanies to give joy to students of whatever age? Probably. I do know that I have a great deal to learn about learning, and have increasing respect for full-time teachers. How on earth do they do it?

As a writer, I hope - and deep down believe - that the tradecraft of writing fiction for mainstream publication will prove helpful in deciding what to teach in schools and colleges - if not how to do it!

What do you reckon, people? All and any tips gratefully received.

Twitter @houserowena

Website: https://rowenahouse.com/

Authors Abroad webpage: https://www.authorsabroad.com/author/rowenahouse/

 

On Promotional Events, by Dan Metcalf

Ooh, it’s a quandary, isn’t it? Whether or not to ‘launch’ your book or let it slowly slide out into the world like a beached whale getting picked up by the tide once more? Whether to tour around flogging your wares or to concentrate on getting the next thing written and letting the stories do their own marketing?

For my most recent book, Dino Wars: Rise of the Raptors, I had thought long and hard about doing a book launch; a local cafe and caterer had offered their space but frankly my imposter syndrome kicked in and I felt unworthy to hold my own party and blow my own trumpet in this way. I’ve a few books under my belt now but I’m still very much a minnow in the world of kid’s lit, so I felt uneasy launching the book to a great fanfare – and who would come?

No, I felt more comfortable (for some reason) booking a small tour of events in the May half term where I would stand in front of complete strangers and tell jokes, read parts of my book and play silly balloon games with the assembled children. I set about finding places to hold them and soon found a few Dinosaur related venues – I live in Devon, which plays up its tourist destination of the Jurassic Coast well. Soon I had book events at the Dinosaur Museum inDorchester and Torquay's Dinosaur World. 

Dinosaur Wolrd Torquay, With Thanks to Lyn Jolly

This is where my experiences become a cautionary tale. Yes, my choice to go to dino-related venues was undoubtedly genius, (Okay, first suggested by my wife) but they bring their own challenges. Most are small affairs and have little space in which to hold events; an event in another fossil museum was a no-go due to lack of space. Dorchester had a cinema room which they were willing to hand over to me for my hour sessions, while Torquay had to clear part of their gift shop. Also, if you’re taking up space then it may affect their footfall numbers – we did the Dorchester event while still open during the day, but made the Torquay one a ticketed event for five o’clock when the venue was closed to the public. Another challenge was the fact that museums may not have the same relationships with wholesalers that a bookshop or library might have, so it was touch-and-go whether we would have enough copies to sell.

Both were well attended, largely due to the weather; it rained in Dorchester, driving families into the indoor tourist attractions, and the patchy weather coupled with it being the end of the day and parents being desperate for something to do meant that Torquay, while not packed out, was comfortably attended. Book sales were respectable – not going to bother the New York Times Bestsellers, but the venues were happy, and retained all the stock they had bought to keep in their gift shops. This means that Dino Wars is in two more places that they would have been normally, and places where children are hungry to spend their parent’s money. My evil plan to dominate the earth is coming together. Mwuh-ha-ha-haa!

Two other events in a well-known bookshop chain (beginning with W and rhyming with Porterstones) were weather-dependent – one had a handful of attendees and sales (showers), while the other, on a gloriously hot day when the entire population was at the park, pub or beach, was sloooooow. Again though, the silver lining is that stock remained and is now on the shelf in these High Street vendors, which they would not have been otherwise.

With Thanks to Claire Barker

Another event, organised by a specialist children’s bookshop and local library, had just one attendee. It was another hot day but we had fun nonetheless. I was even told afterwards that the child had only recently gone to live with them, as he was in foster care and it was the first quality time they had spent with them, which made the visit all the more worthwhile.

The half-term events? Tough to judge – I enjoyed doing them, but I’m not sure a spring-summer holiday is the best time to hold an indoor event. You live and learn.

The negligible results of my self-organised, self-promoted week of events was put into sharp contrast when just a fortnight later I was taken ‘on tour’ by my local bookshop, the splendid Crediton Community Bookshop. Arranged by the formidable Cathie, I was picked up at my house by their schools volunteer team and driven to ten schools over four days, speaking to over 800 children in years 2-5. The end of the week was topped off by a creative writing workshop in the bookshop after school for 17 children.

Results? Amazing. Cathie had a prediction (based on years of experience) that for every three children we saw, we would sell one book. This ratio worked perfectly: if I spoke to 180 children, we sold 60 books. If I spoke to 30 children, we sold 10. This didn’t quite work out at one book a child; a great deal on my Lottie Lipton Adventures saw many buying three books for £10, but we sold a handsome amount of Dino Wars too. There were a few challenges; miscommunication with the school meant that we weren’t able to stay after school as they wanted, meaning that some children may have been disappointed. This blow was softened by the bookshop handing out a £1 voucher to be used in the shop to every child. Some schools had promoted the visits more than others. Those that had talked the visit up in class and used some learning time to read my books to the children and research me (via my website) got a lot more out of the visit, and we sold a lot more books. Some children however entered the hall with looks of confusion on their faces and no money in hand – the staff insisted they had sent home an email or text to parents to inform them of my visit, but as Cathie put it, ‘Pupil pester power is the best promo tool’.

Lessons learned? Perhaps that I, as solo worker trying to write and promote at the same time, have not got the time to do it all. Visits are far more effective when a) organised and promoted properly and b) when the children have no choice but to turn up (I.E. Schools). The location of the event also has an amazing effect on how the children behave; in schools they are involved, better behaved and more interactive. In a public setting around parents they clam up and will barely say hello!

Now where did I leave that T-Rex?

This may not be news to a lot of you, but I thought it prudent that I note down these observations for myself even if not for anyone else. Anyway, aside from a couple of school visits that was my ‘launch’ event programme for Dino Wars: Rise of the Raptors. Now I can sit back until at least September, when Dino Wars 2: The Trials of Terror is released and the whole thing starts again!

Authors! What’s your experience of school visits / bookshop tours / alternative venues? What works best for you? Let me know in the comments and share with your peers!

Dan Metcalf is a children’s writer from south-west England. His latest book, Dino Wars: Rise of the Raptors is out now from Maverick Children’s Books. He is available for speaking at schools, libraries and literary festivals. See more at danmetcalf.co.uk

My local book festival - Lari Don

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is wonderful. Of course, all book festivals are wonderful and everyone’s own local book festival is precious to them. But I am privileged to live in the city with the biggest book festival in the world. For almost 3 weeks every August, Charlotte Square in Edinburgh becomes the heart of the literary world. (Yes, other festivals are available in Edinburgh at the same time, but this one is about BOOKS!)

I used to go to the Edinburgh Book Festival when I was an aspiring writer, before I had any idea what I wanted to write or how to go about it. I used to sit in huge tents listening to authors launching their new books and scribble down every tiny (and contradictory...) writing tip that I heard. I used to attend writing workshops in much smaller tents, and ask earnest and naïve questions. I remember coming out of one ‘how to write for children’ workshop with an idea I was convinced was a bestseller and sitting down on the muddy grass to fill a whole notebook with enthusiasm. (I’ve never written any more of that story. I wonder where the notebook is...)

I still go to the book festival every August, and I still sit at the back of tents with a notebook on my knee (because writers still say interesting things, and I still scribble them down.)

But I also chair events, and ask earnest and possibly naïve questions on stage.

And I also (and this is the bit I sometimes can't quite believe) stand on stage and read my own books to audiences. I talk about my writing process. I share my stories with young readers and answer their (challenging and very pertinent!) questions.

I launched my new book – The Witch’s Guide to Magical Combat - last week at the book festival. The last book in a trilogy I’m sure I wouldn’t have written without all the notes I scribbled and all the earnest questions I asked, many years ago.

I love book festivals. But the book festival which means the most to me, the book festival which reminds me how far I’ve come and how privileged I am, is the book festival which happens just up the road.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is now over for another year. But I wonder what words and stories and books will be written over the next 11 months by all the aspiring writers, young and old, who were in those audiences...

Lari Don is the award-winning author of more than 20 books for all ages, including fantasy novels for 8 – 12s, picture books, retellings of traditional tales, a teen thriller and novellas for reluctant readers. She has just launched the final book in the #Spellchasers trilogy.

Lari’s website 

Lari’s own blog

Lari on Twitter

Lari on Facebook

Three Books, Three Balls In The Air - By Lari Don

I’ve learnt a lot about writing trilogies in the last three years, mostly things NOT to do. (For example, don’t start more subplots in the first two books than you can tie up in the third book. I spent a lot of last year slashing out minor plotlines.)

But I recently discovered something else about trilogies, especially trilogies that your publisher wants to publish in autumn, spring and autumn (ie 6 months apart).

Bringing three novels out in quick succession (even if they are all basically drafted before you start) can mean the writer is experiencing a different point in three different books’ life cycle at exactly the same time. This month, for example, I’ve been promoting Book 1 of the Spellchasers trilogy (The Beginner’s Guide to Curses), dealing with the final edits of Book 2 (The Shapeshifter’s Guide to Running Away) and tackling the first major redraft of Book 3 (The Witch’s Guide to Magical Combat).

This means I’ve been talking to kids about the decisions behind an action scene in one book, while perfecting the language in an action scene in the next book, and trying to decide whether I should radically rework an action scene in the final book.

So the opportunities for getting tangled up in timelines and for blurting out spoilers to classes of 10 year olds are vast and varied! Particularly given that that one of my characters is a different shape, with different powers, in each book...

I’m having to think about each book in a different way. I’m thinking about Beginner’s Guide in terms of introducing the story, performing readings and discussing creative processes. I’m thinking about Shapeshifter’s Guide at a pernickety level, chewing on word choices and punctuation decisions. And I’m thinking about Witch’s Guide in a broad brush way, reducing wordcount and sewing up plotholes. This feels like slicing myself into three separate writers, each doing different things with the same overarching story at the same time...

But being three different writers at the same time is nothing compared to the challenges I regularly set my characters, so I can’t complain! Also, I love chatting to young readers about stories, and I love editing (yes, actually, I do love editing). So this month has contained many of my favourite things about being a writer!

I thought writing the trilogy was the hard bit. It turns out that promoting and editing a isn’t simple either. I’m juggling three books: each at a different stage in its life cycle, each a different weight and shape, each spinning and falling in a different way... I’m just waiting for one of them to bash me on the head!

But the joys of spending all this time with the characters, the magic and the story still outweighs the many challenges of writing a trilogy. (I suspect my next story idea wants to be a trilogy too. I’ll have to get used to keeping timelines untangled, stamping down on spoilers, and keeping all three books in the air!)

The first book in the Spellchasers trilogy, The Beginner’s Guide to Curses, is out now, the Shapeshifter’s Guide to Running Away will be out in spring 2017, and the Witch’s Guide to Magical Combat will be out in autumn 2017, all published by Floris Books.

Lari Don is the award-winning author of more than 20 books for all ages, including fantasy novels for 8 – 12s, picture books, retellings of traditional tales, a teen thriller and novellas for reluctant readers.
Lari’s website 
Lari’s own blog 
Lari on Twitter 
Lari on Facebook

Ben's People! - Eloise Williams

I don’t get out much.

Partly because I live here ...

 

and it’s so beautiful.

And partly because I live here...

 

 

 

and it’s such a long way from everything.

 But once in a while we get into our jalopy amidst pickled onion Monster Munch, a plethora of games I’ve made up since our radio broke - most of which involve singing and a grimacing husband – and generally some unidentified pungent foodstuffs rotting in the glovebox from the last road trip and we drive along the old M bore.

And this time it was worth it. SO worth it!

We’d been invited to two book launches. TWO!!!

 

 

Forgive the excitement but not many books get launched round this ‘ere parts.

(I’m not sure what accent that’s supposed to be. It certainly isn’t Welsh my lovely).

((Neither is that)).

 

Firstly, and only-just-made-it-because-of-Friday-traffic-ly, was the launch of Stefan Mohamed’s acer than ace, ‘Ace of Spiders’ the sequel to his outstanding ‘Bitter Sixteen’.  This was held in a really cool shop called Forbidden Planet which neither me or my husband had heard of because we are so far the wrong side of cool we can’t even see cool on the horizon.

 

‘Stanly is frustrated. Having set himself up as London's protector, he's finding that the everyday practicalities of superheroism are challenging at best, and downright tedious at worst. So it's almost a relief when an attempt is made on his life and Stanly finds himself rushing headlong into a twisted adventure, with enemies new and old coming out of the woodwork. However, even with his friends and his ever-increasing power behind him, he may have bitten off more than he can chew this time. The monsters are coming ...and nothing will ever be the same!’

 Bitter Sixteen was a compulsive read with superhero style reviews:

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK, TIMES, SAT 25TH APRIL 2015
"Highly original... clever and funny... I didn't think the superheroes genre had anywhere left to go. Mohamed convinces otherwise. Daryl and Stanly have one of the greatest buddy relationships I can recall - the rapid fire dialogue between them enviable in its witty ease."
Alex O'Connell, Times

And the ‘Ace of Spiders’ certainly looks spectacular balanced at the top of my teetering TBR pile and enticing me into its web. I loved the first thereby proving that even though it is written with wit, intelligence and youth it also appeals to the slightly less young, less witty, less aware of interesting shops type reader. Stef is absolutely, mind-blowingly talented and I can’t wait to get stuck into it.

 

Just removed from the top of my teetering TBR pile for reading purposes (and with great fear of crushing small dog in the process) is Anna McKerrow’s ‘Red Witch’ the second launch we were invited to. And what a launch!

I’m talking Glastonbury, I’m talking a blessing from a real live witch, I’m talking the White Spring under the Tor, connecting with my own spirituality (and believe me I am a hardened cynic), barefoot wandering through spring water in candlelight to the sound of sweet singing and drumming, the works.

Anna McKerrow is a beauty in writing, spirit and appearance. She had us all completely ensorcelled as she explained to us the importance of the White Spring in her book and I felt completely privileged to be a part of the occasion.

 

‘Red Witch’ is the sequel to ‘Crow Moon’, a book I devoured last year as if it was a piece of chocolate cake, covered in extra chocolate, with a side order of chocolate, and it is absolutely divine.

Seventeen, heartbroken, powerful; Melz has run away from home, run away from the safety of the Greenworld. In the cities of the Redworld, Melz discovers she's special, desired. And not just for her magical talents.

When Melz meets the young but influential Bran, their attraction is instant and electric. In the Redworld, with Bran by her side, unrestrained by the customs of her former life, Melz knows she can reach her true potential.

​But the world Bran wants to give Melz is ravaged by war and violence. Oil is running out, and people will do anything to gain control of the remaining resources. Melz may be more powerful than ever, but even great power can be a curse when used against you.If you like witches, magic, fear,

"Deadly, sexy, and utterly spellbinding" Melinda Salisbury

"If you want to know how real witches work, summon your own goddess and read Red Witch!" CJ Daugherty

"Clever, gripping, but above all a terrifying cautionary tale for our times." Louise O'Neill

 

You are probably wondering how a totally uncool Welsh person who has never heard of Forbidden Planet managed to get invited to two of the grooviest launches going right?

Well I am lucky enough to be one of (what I call) Ben’s People!

 

We don’t look quite like this… well only on a night out in Swansea… but we are all part of the same Agency.

 

There are lots of us out there doing good work and writing AMAZING stories.

Lu Hersey, writer of one of the best books ever and winner of the Mslexia Children’s Novel Writing award was there too… this is me, name-dropping… I slept on the same bed as her cat, who incidentally has the loudest and most superbly satisfying purr you could ever imagine.

 

Eugene Lambert was there… his debut novel ‘The Sign of One’ is coming out imminently and will be launched at this cool little place I’ve been to called Forbidden Planet. Ahem....

 

 

 

I was there…

*pauses to attempt being somewhere near cool for a moment*

*fails*

There are other lots of other BIA beauties around too. A couple I am VERY excited about are Liz Flanagan's 'Eden Summer' which is out in July, eek! And Sophie Plowden's 'Jack Dash and The Summer Blizzard' which comes out in June, eek again!  

I’m currently working on a few novels and hoping, praying, chanting, casting spells and howling at the moon (that last bit is a lie, thankfully) that I will get a publishing deal soon.

And so a sincere bit without any weak jokes or tries at being cool.

I am so thankful to Ben for taking a chance on an unknown Welsh person with a short Welsh face and to Ben’s People for making me feel so much a part of a writing family. They all ROCK massively and you should go out and read all of their books. ALL of them. NOW!

 

*bewitches you with strange howling at the moon to buy all their books*

*stops howling when neighbour looks out of window*

*bewitches you with threats of further moon type howling ritual thingy* 

*is satisfied that you will buy all their books so goes back to reading. I'm alright noooowwwwwoooo!*

 

 

www.eloisewilliams.com

 

  

 

 

 

 

Lost in London - Eve Ainsworth

I had an event. So as usual, I did the normal preparations. In this instance, I was to be chairing my first ever panel – so I made doubly sure that I knew what I was doing. I read all my authors’ books. I scribbled notes in my well-worn notepad. Then I listed out my questions, emailed them out to the other authors to make sure they were happy. I rehearsed possible answers in my head, role-played the possible scenarios.

I was prepared.

Or so I thought.

As I packed my case, I couldn’t have felt better. I was like a boy scout. I had everything I needed. I’d braced myself for every eventuality. I had even packed 5 pairs of knickers for goodness sake and two toothbrushes (I was away for one night!) But who knew? I might get kidnapped, or run over by that runaway bus that my Nan always warned me about. I needed to be prepared.

Except I wasn’t.

I wasn’t prepared for the tube not working.

I wasn’t prepared for the crowds.

I wasn’t prepared for my brain completely switching off.

I stood at Victoria, case clutched in my sweaty hand – staring up at the shut gates of the underground. I was actually having a hot flush. What now? I wasn’t ready for this. I had to get to the other side of London and hadn’t a clue how. Swarms of frantic, sweaty people shoved in front of me. They all seemed to have purpose. I had none. My five pairs of knickers would not help me now.

Then a light bulb popped up in my head. A taxi! They did it all the time in films – just stepped out in the road and flagged one down, it couldn’t be that hard surely? I would leap into one and be saved. All would be well again.

So I staggered, trailing a wonky case behind me in the vague direction of West. There were no taxis. Just lots and lots of people that don’t look at you. I kept walking. Hoping I might find another underground station. I called my husband, who was at home trying to feed two hyperactive children. “I’m lost. I can’t find Green Park.”

“It’s not here,” he muttered helpfully. I think he was distracted by his own burst eardrums.

Then I saw a taxi. I shut the phone on my husband and attempted to flag it down. To be fair it probably looked more like a suicide attempt. I failed to get it, but I did manage to keep my left arm – just.

I was nearly sobbing by now. My feet hurt. My case was lurching from side to side like a drunk sailor and it was getting dark. Then suddenly a man appeared by my side, tall and smiling. He asked if I needed any help. He said he could escort me to the nearest tube station.

I honestly thought I had been saved. I beamed up at him. I wanted to kiss him, but I didn’t. Instead I recited my dreadful journey and showed him the bent up wheel on my case.

“I was looking for Green Park…..” I said sadly.

“Well, you’re nowhere near. Let me walk you.”

I honestly didn’t care who he was. He could have been Hannibal Lector or bloody George Osborne, I would have happily trotted along aside him.

 

He smiled sweetly at me.

"It's ok," He said, showing me his pass "I'm a mental health professional..."

So my advice after this rather crazy affair, is plan your journeys carefully. They can go wrong. Next time I’m packing a map, a compass and several distress flares.

What you learn in tents - Lari Don

It’s nearly the end of the Edinburgh Book Festival – a wonderful opportunity for booklovers to gather and get rained on in Charlotte Square in Edinburgh.

I live in Edinburgh, so as well as being fortunate enough to do author events at the festival (this year, I did an event on my new book Serpents & Werewolves, and one on the gorgeously illustrated Tale of Tam Linn) I also spend a lot of time enjoying other authors’ events.

I learnt a lot about writing from the book festival when I was starting out, both from writers’ workshops and from asking questions at the end of authors’ events.

Do I still learn about writing from the events? Yes of course, though not in the waterfall way I learnt years ago, when I had no sense of who I was as a writer. I still listen and learn, but I no longer scribble frantically the whole way through events.

But writing isn’t the only part of being a writer. Author events, readings, workshops and Q&As are just as much part of my job nowadays as imagining and inventing and editing. So, having learnt how to be a writer by haunting the EIBF 15 years ago, is it now possible for me to learn how to do author events by watching what other authors do?

I mix going to see authors I already love to read and authors I’ve never heard of. I learn a little bit from all of them, from their writing process and their inspiration. But I also learn from watching them do their events. From their readings, dressing up, musical accompaniment, audience participation, powerpoint presentations, debates and discussion with other authors, and all the other things authors do at festivals. And the main thing I learn is - the most successful events are the most honest ones, the ones which genuinely reflect the author’s work. There is no point in trying to do the same event as another author, because the most important thing to do in an event is be honest and open about your writing process and your book.

I may love listening to Patrick Ness or Marina Warner, but I can’t copy the way they present their events any more than I can (or should!) copy their books. Whether talking to 300 kids in a tent in Edinburgh, or 15 kids in a library in Ayrshire, all I can ever do is share with my audience what I do and why I love it. (This is why I very rarely do an event without telling one of myths or legends or folktales that inspire my fiction.)

So, I learnt to write my own way from workshops all those years ago in Charlotte Square, and now I’m learning to talk about writing in my own way too.

But the tents will come down next week. And we’ll all need to stop talking about writing, get our heads down and start writing again!

Lari Don is the award-winning author of 22 books for all ages, including a teen thriller, fantasy novels for 8 – 12s, picture books, retellings of traditional tales and novellas for reluctant readers.
Lari’s website 
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Books and Unusual Forms of Transport - Joan Lennon

I use transportation, but I don't think about it a lot.  And as long as I HAVE books to read on a train or a bus or in my handbag in case the car breaks down, I don't think about "transportation and books" a lot.  But then, last week, I saw these two videos, which include unusual forms of transport and books.  Which made me think.

Comments?



Joan Lennon's website.
Joan Lennon's blog.

World Book Week – Cecilia Busby

It's Friday of World Book Week, and I am currently busy waving my arms and telling stories and answering questions and encouraging creativity in a primary school in Cornwall. (Of course I am writing this in advance, rather than taking time out of my lively interactive sessions to write my blog post!)

I really enjoy doing school visits, and that's mainly because the children seem to enjoy them. There's a huge buzz to be got out of watching thirty children with bits of paper and pencils, busy creating amazing words and ideas - all sparked off by your words, your books and your enthusiasm for writing and for the imagination. It's probably the closest I've ever got to being a celebrity, too - for many primary school children. you're the next best thing to J.K. Rowling, and they are amazingly keen to have you sign their planners, random scraps of paper, even their arms. Who could resist this kind of excitement generated by one's simple presence?!

I also know, having seen a few school author visits from the other side, just how valuable they can be. And as a Patron of Reading I get to hear from the teachers of the longer-term effects of visits. The excitement and chatter generated by a visit, and the increased levels of reading and talking about books, are noticeable for weeks afterwards.

So it's fabulous that this week, all over the country, there are schools celebrating books and doing this by inviting authors in to talk to their children. I have been zipping around like a flea - in Chelmsford on Monday, Devon on Tuesday, Wokingham on Thursday and Cornwall on Friday - by tomorrow I will be lying in a darkened room with a wet cloth over my head.

I do wish, though, that schools thought about books and authors on the other 39 weeks of the academic year. There are lots of us out there who are happy to come and inspire children at any time - whether it's in September, January or July!



Cecilia Busby writes fantasy adventures for children aged 7-12 as C.J. Busby. Her latest book, The Amber Crown, was published in March by Templar.

www.cjbusby.co.uk

@ceciliabusby

"Great fun - made me chortle!" (Diana Wynne Jones on Frogspell)

"A rift-hoping romp with great wit, charm and pace" (Frances Hardinge on Deep Amber)

Creating the best events - for authors AND organisers! - Nicola Morgan

This isn't a new topic for me but there is something special about this post: I am cross-posting with fabulous school librarian (former School Librarian of the Year, no less!) Duncan Wright, both of us writing from our own point of view but aimed at informing the other. So, I'm writing about what authors (writers or illustrators) would usually like from event organisers and Duncan has written here about what organisers need from authors. Both are in the spirit of positivity and mutual respect. We think it's good when each "side" can see it from the other's pov - though, of course, in almost every way we are both on the same side!

I have a document (on my events page) to send to organisers before my events but that is just my needs. What follows below aims to apply to all or most authors and to act as a general guide.

TIPS FOR AUTHOR EVENT ORGANISERS
Your visiting author wants the event to be brilliant and whatever you hoped when you booked that author. We aim to give our best performance every time. That's our job and our desire but there are things you can do that will make that easier - or harder...

All authors are different. Some find events exhausting, because of the energy involved in talking to new audiences all the time; others find them relatively easy. We have different needs, but the following are pretty common.

CONTACTING YOUR AUTHOR

1. Choose one you really want, and know why. Explain why when you send the invitation. Read any event details on their website so you know they're right for you.
2. If you absolutely have to ask for a reduced fee, please do this with a) respect and tact and only if you genuinely have to and b) fully understanding what you're asking: a working person to give up part/all their wages for the day (or more). We have to account for preparation, discussion, admin, travelling, and an event fee is not an hourly fee. Most of us earn very little and then only when someone pays us. There are ways of asking for freebies but if you don't get that quite right it's incredibly undermining. We bruise very easily! (To understand more, see here.)
3. Be as clear as you can about what you want, though we realise that may not be possible. Ideally, know your budget, so discussions can start from there.

DURING INITIAL DISCUSSIONS

1. Agree exactly what you're paying for. Agree expenses, too. If an overnight stay is required, most (but not all) authors value the privacy of a hotel or B&B rather than staying with a host. I know many authors who are too embarrassed to say no to accommodation with a lovely librarian in case they seem rude: it's just that privacy is really important to many and affects sleep and energy. 
2. Agree time-table details. And inform about changes well in advance, as it affects preparation.
3. Try not to send eleventy million emails. Although getting all the info is crucial (on both sides), try to do it smoothly, so that neither of you spend tooo much time on it and it's easy to find later.
4. Discuss whether and how bookselling can be part of the event. 
5. Be really clear about what you need from the day - we want to provide what you want but we're not psychic. 

LEADING UP TO THE EVENT

1. Ensure pupils know who the author is and what he or she has written. It’s good if they prepare questions – it helps make the event their own. Most authors have websites: get pupils to use them!
2. Make sure relevant staff know about the visiting author, too. That increases value as staff can follow up.  
3. Check what tech and other equipment is needed. And make sure it works!
4. If you've agreed bookselling, do ensure that pupils are told (often!) that they need money. Pupils often discover they want to buy a book but very often don’t bring money. The letter that you carefully wrote may not reach them or they may have forgotten. If bookselling goes wrong, it’s upsetting and embarrassing – and costly when the author paid for the books. (By the way, we don't earn much per book.) Sometimes, you’ll do everything right and the message still won’t get through, of course, so don't worry that we're going to think badly of you. We just need to know you tried your best.
5. Make sure no one will be filming or recording. Check with the author how they feel about photos. Personally, I’m happy to have photos taken (well, not happy exactly…) after/between events but not during. 
6. Discuss refreshment needs and make sure there is water and whatever else you feel is going to help the author perform well. 
7. Tell the author as soon as possible if a pupil might be upset at certain themes because of a recent personal tragedy or difficult situation. (I was once told, while walking towards the hall for a talk about Fleshmarket, that I couldn't talk about the first chapter because a pupil had recently been bereaved. If you know about Fleshmarket, you'll understand my problem...)

ON THE DAY

1. Plan your introduction to the audience. A lively introduction makes a huge difference to everyone's mood and excitement – and flattery helps, bringing energy to both the pupils and author! (NB Illustrators are authors, too - never undermine an illustrator's part in an illustrated book by saying anything to suggest that one is more important than the other.) 
2. Provide water and a table to put things on. (And anything else you've agreed.)
3. I recommend you give the author a few minutes' headspace before each talk. Don't hassle with chat about the weather at this stage: we may not look nervous but will probably welcome the need mentally to go over what we're about to say. On the other hand, if the author seems very chatty, go with that! I sometimes am and sometimes am not - please don't take it personally.
4. Bookselling (if you have agreed this): supply a table and chair for the author to sign at. Ensure that pupils don’t crowd round (I’ve been knocked off my chair like that!) You need someone to handle the actual selling while the author signs. Decide what, if anything, can be done to accommodate those who haven't brought money but want a book.
5. Remind or tell the audience what you've agreed about photographs and that they may not film or record (unless the author has agreed otherwise.) Make sure phones are off and out of sight.
6. Refreshment and breaks: make sure whatever you've agreed with the author is in place. 

A note about refreshments and breaks

Here's where I start to sound a bit nutty, but I've learnt that without the refreshments and breaks that I need, my brain starts to seize up. Most especially, I need breaks: little pockets of peace between talks. (For clarity, "peace" means not having to chat...) Lots of authors feel the same about the need for peace and may not tell you but I’ve decided it’s so crucial to my wellbeing and performance that I need to make a big point of it! I do like chatting and I am friendly but it's tiring.☺It's not the same as teaching all day - which I've done. And I also now do whole-day INSETS and even a whole-day INSET is not as tiring as doing a day of school events; doing a school event is much more like being on stage as an actor and delivering a one-person performance.

So, here's what I tell event organisers. (As I say, not everyone's the same. But you'll find many are.)

"My talks are energy-intense and afterwards my blood sugar will dive. I have very basic requirements but I do need time to myself at some point. I am delighted to be sent out to get a sandwich at lunch, or for you to give me a plate of food in the staff-room and time to gather my thoughts for the next event. Please do not feel that you need to entertain me. I’m an introvert (which does NOT mean I’m shy; far from it – just that conversation and social interaction tax my brain more) and I need recovery time between events. Of course, it’s lovely when other members of staff and management want to meet me and chat – and I can happily chat for Britain – but please make sure I get chill-out time as well, especially immediately before an event, otherwise the talk won’t be as good. In short, my only needs are: a sandwich (eg), something to drink and a bit of time on my own. And the time on my own is the more important bit because I'll have brought my emergency fruit and nut supply anyway. I told you: nutty!

"I have no food allergies or special requirements but was once given a raw onion sandwich at a school event and now feel the bizarre need to request NO raw onion. Thank you!"

PLEASE DON’T (MOST AUTHORS WILL AGREE):

1. Suddenly ask the author to “pop into this class and talk to them” if we haven’t agreed this in advance. 
2. Feel that you have to entertain us, unless we've specifically asked for a song and dance routine. 
3. Introduce us with the phrase, "X needs no introduction."
4. Leave us alone with pupils – this is a condition of our Public Liability insurance and not because we are scared!
5. Send (or escort) us along convoluted corridors (or even, in my case, one straight corridor) to the toilets and expect us to find our way back. Authors have disappeared like that.
6. Allow teachers to sit and mark books - please ask them to be involved in the talk; I know they are very busy but everyone will gain much more if they are properly engaged and it's very off-putting when someone is sitting there not listening. (Actually, it doesn't bother me hugely but it bothers some people a LOT. And it's rude.)
7. Tell us (as you're walking us towards the first talk, especially) how utterly GREAT so-and-so was and how he as the best speaker evah.
8. Worry about anything. If you’ve done all the above, it’s going to be a great day.

FINALLY

Remember that we want exactly what you want: a great event that people will talk about for all the right reasons. Almost none of us are prima donnas (or whatever the male equivalent of that is) and anything that sounds like a pompous "demand" is really really really only so that we can give you our best event. But most of us are fragile: this whole authory thing is very exposing and our career, reputation and emotional wellbeing are on the line. And so, if you want to earn our undying gratitude, just do one more thing, if you possibly can: say "Well done - that was great." And gosh, I hope it was, because I worked hard to make it so.

Problems of Presentation - Joan Lennon

A while back I tackled the ticklish problem of how we present ourselves at readings, festivals, author visits - any time we are obliged to get out of our pjs and face the public.  That post focused on women writers and their clothes dilemmas.  With men writers, there are fewer versions of shirt/trousers, sweater/trousers, jacket/trousers to get wrong.  But there is one thing - one vital decision - that I would like to address today - and that is ...

Nobody said being a writer was going to be easy - here's wishing you luck in your decision.


P.S. Apropos of nothing writerly, I'm a big fan of this video too - Yo Mama.


Joan Lennon's website.
Joan Lennon's blog.