How to divine your future at Midsummer - by Lu Hersey

In folklore, midsummer is a liminal time, when the veil between worlds thins. Which means it's often when stories of fairy encounters take place, and also traditionally a time when you can divine your future with the help of certain plants. 

Researching midsummer folklore out of interest, I've come across some extraordinary beliefs and superstitions, some of which I'll share with you here in case you feel like trying them out, or (more likely) writing them into something. 

Myrtle

In Household Tales with other Traditional Remains (1895), the writer Sidney Oldall Addy suggests you can use myrtle to determine whether or not to marry someone. Pick a sprig of myrtle on Midsummer's Eve and put it into your prayer book (yes, I know - I don't have one either so borrow one if you have to) on the page with the words of the marriage vows. Close the book and sleep with it under your pillow. If the myrtle has fallen out by morning, you'll marry that person, and if it's still there, you won't. Which all seems a bit risky to me - you'd probably have serious doubts about that person in the first place to try it.

Orpine

Orpine cut on Midsummer's Eve was believed to protect your household from lightning and disease. According to Tournefort's Complete Herbal (1719-1730), your animals won't be troubled by distemper either, as long as the plant remains green. 

For marriage divination, you need two stems cut on Midsummer's Eve. Place the cuttings in clay on a shell, or fix them in a doorway. If overnight they both bend to the right, you will marry in the following year (if to the left, forget it). If they turn to face each other, the marriage will be successful and if away from each other, there will be discord. If either piece withers, that person will soon die. Doesn't bode well, does it? Probably best not to bother. You can always get a divorce if things don't work out.

Roses

For this method of divination, you need some patience. Cut a rosebud on Midsummer's Eve and wrap it carefully in cloth, and put it in a drawer until Christmas. If the rosebud still looks fresh at Christmas, your marriage will go ahead, but if it's gone brown and perished, it won't. 

Can't help wondering how 'fresh' a rose could possibly look after six months in a drawer, but there must be some leeway here. or no one would ever get married...

Rosemary

Again, it's about marriage. I guess it's the time of year. Anyway, if you set a plate of flour under a rosemary bush on Midsummer's Eve, an initial will form of the man or woman you are to marry. Apparently. 

Sage

Pick twelve sage leaves on Midsummer's Eve at midnight, and you will see your future spouse coming up behind you, either in bodily form or a vision. (Don't blame me if this one goes horribly wrong...)

Saint John's Wort

Last but not least, we come to the most potent of all - Saint John's Wort. For this you need to gather the plant ceremoniously before the first dew evaporates on Midsummer's Eve. As this date was taken into the Christian calendar as the feast of Saint John the Baptist, the gatherer should also be fasting. If so, such is the power of the plant, marriage is certain within the year.

Incidentally, if a woman wants to conceive, she needs to go out naked at this time to pick a flower of St John's wort - she should conceive within the year.  

If you've got as far as this and you'd like to know how to become invisible, find treasure or become invincible, I wrote more about midsummer plant magic on my substack - here's a link if you're interested

Meanwhile, happy solstice,

Lu Hersey

https://www.lu-hersey.com/

More taxing times with ALCS by Steve Way

 

As, appropriately I suppose, the plot regarding repayment of tax paid by ALCS to HMRC thickens, and because many of you kindly read the post and/or commented on it, I thought I would explain the developments since last month’s post.

Firstly, thank you to all of you who commented on the post. Penny Dolan and Rowena House, I appreciated your supportive comments… and you’re right Rowena, if I owed HMRC 20% of something, the boot would definitely be on the other foot and communication between us would be far more rapid! As you mentioned Stroppy Author, it’s more effective to get letters posted to HMRC by family (or in my case friends) in the UK rather than from abroad, when they either seem to get ‘lost’ or considerably delayed. Thank you Nick Garlick for sharing your experiences, I had been considering approaching ALCS to support me in this matter and I’m sorry to hear that you got no help from them.

As I mentioned in last month’s blog, I sent my application form for repayment of tax paid to HMRC by ALCS in January. This was based on me being a taxpayer in France and therefore, under the ‘double tax’ treaty being theoretically eligible to reclaim that tax.

A while after posting the blog I did finally hear from HMRC! It is actually dated from before my last blog but arrived by what’s known around here as ‘snail mail’ a month later. However, to my surprise and frustration, they stated that, ‘We cannot deal with you claim because it is not on the appropriate Double Taxation claim form for France’.

Since I cannot for the life of me understand why the form I sent them is not the or an ‘appropriate’ form I am thinking about sending them the letter below. As fellow ABBA and Scattered Author friends I would be interested to know whether you think it would be a good idea to actually send the letter, or if you think by questioning them in the way I have that they may lock me in The Tower and throw away the key!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing with regard to the letter of 29^th April 2026, which I received from #### ##### stating that I had not sent you the appropriate Double Taxation claim form for France.

I am enquiring about this, not only on my own behalf but because I contribute to a blog (An Awfully Big Blog Adventure) produced and read by many authors, particularly children’s authors, and I am aware that there are other authors like me, living outside the UK, trying to reclaim tax paid to you by ALCS, based on the double tax agreement. I would therefore ask if you could kindly explain why the form I sent you is not the appropriate form as several factors seem to indicate that it should be.

The form I sent you is titled ‘Form DT-Individual’. I have assumed the acronym ‘DT’ refers to the Double Tax Treaty, or am I incorrect in doing so?

Further to this (in bold type) the sub heading of the first page of the form itself (copy enclosed) describes it as an ‘Application for relief at source from United Kingdom (UK) Income Tax and claim to repayment of UK Income Tax’. The form then goes on to state that it is, ‘For use by an individual resident of a country with which the UK has a double taxation treaty that provides for relief from UK Income Tax on… royalties arising in the UK’. I believe that France and many other countries in the UK have a double taxation treaty with the UK, which would seem to further imply that this is an appropriate form to use.

In addition to this, the accompanying notes (copy enclosed) state that one of the purposes of the DT-Individual forms is to apply for ‘relief at source from UK income tax on… royalties… paid from sources in the UK.’

Finally, which I am sure you can understand made me even more certain that I was sending you the appropriate form was that my local tax office in France kindly confirmed my status as a French taxpayer. I assumed that if the form was inappropriate, or unfamiliar to them, that my local tax office would not have ratified my form. As you can no doubt understand I am reticent to send them a second form to sign, having to explain to them also that the original form that seemingly purports to be the correct form is not in fact appropriate. Should it be that there is a special form to use unique to France, despite this not being stated on the one I sent you, surely the officials at my tax office would know this? If this is the case, it would be useful for authors based in other countries if this idiosyncrasy applies elsewhere.

If indeed, for some reason, which as you can see currently eludes me, the ‘Form DT-Individual’, despite apparently strong evidence to the contrary, is indeed incorrect, please could you explain to me which form is indeed the correct and how I access it – I don’t want to send you a second inappropriate form! Also, for the purposes of my fellow authors can you provide a clue as to how they distinguish between the appropriate and  inappropriate form? It would also be intriguing to know which applicants can actually use the form in order to reclaim royalties paid in the UK via the double tax agreement, if any.

I, and I suspect a number of my fellow authors, await your reply with interest.

Yours sincerely,

…

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are any of you good at baking as well as having access to sturdy cake -sized metal files?

Waffles & Julius NO HUGS PLEASE! by Ed Vere, reviewed by Pippa Goodhart

Bouncy enthusiastic dog Waffles longs to hug dignified cat Julius. But Julius just wants to sleep in peace.  Those opposites characters are so true of cats and dogs, and, as always, its truth that is very funny here, played-out with wonderfully observed body language and minimal text -

I have a cat and a dog who seek out each other's company, but very much on the cat's terms. You'll be glad to know that Waffles finally gets the hug that he longs for ... when Julius chooses the moment that suits him.

I also have a one year old granddaughter who tends to lunge and clasp other small children, whether they want hugs or not. I've given her this book! It's very very funny, but also a lesson in patience and respect and love. Highly recommended. 

Meet the Artist – James McNeill Whistler by Dide Tengiz; review by Lynda Waterhouse

 

It is heartening to read that that children’s enjoyment of reading and their daily reading habits have risen for the first time in five years. Good news but let’s not forget that in 2025 it reached a record twenty year low. The report also showed that the disadvantage gap was widening.

Check out the National Literacy Trust’s report on children and young people’s reading in 2026 here.

https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2026/

In the report, nearly half the children (48.7%) said that reading helps them explore their interests. This got me thinking. How are the other 51.3% supported to explore their interests? Online, shared conversations with fellow enthusiasts, collecting e.g.  football stickers or building up a fossil collection? When I’m working with school groups at The Wallace Collection, I often ask them what they collect and, after a moment’s hesitation, I’m given a long list. So far, however, no-one has spoken about building a book collection or collecting comics.

Perhaps it is the right sort of book that is required to explore interests. Yesterday I went to Tate Britain to see the James McNeill Whistler exhibition and I bought Dide Tengiz’s art activity book about the artist.

 Meet the Artist is a series of activity picture books that introduces children to the lives and works of artists. The accompanying activities are designed to encourage children to use art to explore themes, express their own ideas, and develop a lifelong love of art.

It is a good size book, approx. 24cm x 28cm, with the feel of an artist’s sketch book. Some of the activities include an invitation to go on a walk and sketch a street scene, listen to your favourite song and draw how it makes you feel, design patterns or write a poem, or identify places where you felt happy or sad.

Dide’s illustrations capture Whistler’s art whilst maintaining her own unique and beautiful style. Dide says, ‘I love storytelling and creating a sense of place and feeling in my work using colour and observational drawing.’

Check out Dide’s website: https://www.didetengiz.com/

I hope her unpublished silent graphic novel, Slow Things, gets snapped up by a publisher soon. This wordless novel would make a perfect, enjoyable ‘read’. Now that is another theme for a blogpost!

Tate Publishing

ISBN 978-1-917055-12-3

Members' News June

Welcome to the June round-up of Scattered Authors news. The weather has already swung from scorching to torrential and the school summer holidays are looming. We have a lovely batch of informative and fun books for young readers this month - clearly the month of non-fiction. Do take a look at them and help celebrate.

BODIE AND THE GHOST SHOWDOWN, Ffion Jones. Illustrated by Kara McHale

Ffion Jones is well-known for writing books supporting kids' mental health. Her latest book from Jessica Kingsley Publishers will be published on June 18th. 

Bodie has a secret fear: being sick. She is haunted by a ghost who whispers warnings and worries, convincing her to avoid buses, sleepovers, and even her favourite basketball games. She misses out on all this fun to keep her "safe" from the scariest thing she can imagine - throwing up!

At first, Bodie listens. The more she obeys, the stronger the ghost becomes. But with the support of her best friend Mina, Bodie learns to challenge his tricks, find her courage, and take back control of her life.

Bodie and the Ghost Showdown is a heartwarming story that gives children 7+ the tools to understand and overcome emetophobia. Blending humour and hope, with relatable characters, it's an empowering read for any child facing anxiety. The book also includes a guide for parents, carers, and professionals offering step-by-step suggestions for supporting kids with emetophobia. With practical tips and discussion prompts, it equips adults to assist children in applying the lessons of the story to real life.

Buy here

Ffion has set up a youth mental health and wellbeing story-based coaching Community Interest Company called Mind Chapters. It has just released its first two titles, THE GREAT GLIMMER HUNT: A STORY ABOUT NOTICING GLIMMERS and RABBIT AND THE WHISPERING WIND: A STORY ABOUT THOUGHTS AND WORRIES. Do take a look!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND AT THE PARK, Moria Butterfield, illustrated by Jesus Verona

Discover a world of wonder on a walk in the park with this beautiful picture book. Set off on a trip to the park to find natural treasure, from a big green leaf to sweet smelling rose petals, then learn more about the found object with irresistibly illustrated and informative nature notes.

Packed full of fascinating facts alongside a gentle rhyming narrative and encouraging children to get outside and explore their surroundings, this is a nature treasure hunt for the whole family!

Fun fact from Moira - the artist broke his hand so the book is a year late.

Buy here

THE ANIMAL DETECTIVES by Moira Butterfield, illustrated by Merle Goll

Another book from Moira this month.

What's the truth behind those strange mysteries we come across when we're out and about in nature? A pile of feathers... a broken egg... a hole in a shell... Time to investigate.

This engaging educational reference book encourages young readers to think like a detective in order to discover the secrets of the animal kingdom. Featuring crime-scene photos, suspect line-ups, witness interviews, evidence collections, surveillance footage and much more.

Buy here

YOUR WILD AND WONDERFUL BRAIN, Alice Harman, Illustrated by Buse Kaçer

Learn to harness, celebrate and love your wonderfully wild ADHD brain! This is the book that its author, Alice Harman, WISHES she’d had, growing up with ADHD. It helps children and young people explore their ADHD brains’ unique strengths and struggles, and learn to work with them rather than fight against them – in a fun, totally non-judgemental, ADHD-friendly way! 

Twelve different ADHD traits are each represented by a wild animal – from an all-seeing chameleon and a forgetful squirrel to a charmingly chatty parrot and a busy, busy bee. The book is full of practical tips, charming illustrations (from the brilliant Buse Kaçar), fun facts about brain science and animals, mini games and puzzles, creative activities and more. This is a must-have book for anyone interested in understanding more about our wonderful, wild and one-of-a-kind brains! Available as a paperback, ebook and audiobook, all out on 4 June 2026.

Buy here

ANIMATION RIGHTS FOR AMY WILD

Diana Kimpton's AMY WILD - ANIMAL TALKER series has been optioned for animation. The series is about a little girl who can talk to animals and who works with her animal friends to put wrong things right. The books have sold more than 350,000 copies in Japan where the series is called Animal Detective Mia.

This sample video is in Japanese and is based on the Japanese illustrations. It's being used to launch book 15 in the series but Diana also hopes it will catch the attention of the companies who can help turn the taster into a fully-funded project. Please share the link, it'd be fantastic if lots of people can see it. And look out for the English version coming in July.

That's all for this month. If you have any new books or good news you'd like to share in July, please send the details to Claire Fayers.

Double Exposure by Paul May

I've been using a film camera a lot lately. Although it's handy having a phone in your pocket that you can use to make instant photos when someone dents your car or you need to read the small print on a medicine bottle or a gallery wall, using film feels much more like making something special. These days it feels as if technology is trying to do everything for you, remembering your phone numbers and addresses, curating your Google searches and sorting your emails, and making all your photos look lovely - perfectly exposed and lit with a weird iPhone light.

With an old-fashioned film camera you actually have to do something more than just pressing a virtual button. On my camera I have to think a bit before I shoot, and I have to think a bit more because what I really like doing, especially on a trip to a new city or country, is taking double exposures.

This is not the same as putting a couple of pictures into Photoshop and layering them over each other. That's far too intentional for me. I stick the film in the camera and shoot a whole reel of backgrounds first. These might be patterns, or landscapes or fields of flowers, anything really as long as it's consistent. Then I rewind the film, hopefully without the canister swallowing the leader, and reshoot the whole film, often mainly with people, but in reality not worrying too much, simply trying to bear in mind that if the backgrounds are soft then the second layer will need to be more graphic. For me it's a perfect combination of randomness and planning, which is kind of how I used to write children's books.

A digital photo

The thing is, if you go to a much-photographed place like the Alhambra in Granada you'll probably only go once and the weather and the light might or might not be great for you, and the perfect, atmospheric pictures will already be available in books and on postcards and it seems slightly pointless to take a photo like this, although I did take it, as you see. This was twenty years ago.

But the atmosphere of that visit, and of the place, is recaptured far better for me by the double exposures I took at the same time, even though, not having done it before, I forgot that it would be a good idea to keep the camera the same way round all the time. The added oddness comes from using slide film and then processing it as if it was colour print film - an extra layer of random.

Cross-processed double exposures

When I start writing a story, I love the idea that something is coming into life that wasn't there before, and that even I don't know what it's going to be. Sure, there's a certain amount of planning involved, but I never know exactly what a character is going to say, or where they're going to end up. The end result may be terrible, or it may not, but it's always something new. And that's exactly how I feel about this kind of photography.

Looking Back at Flamingos - Joan Lennon

Back in 2011, I was thinking about how good books breed more good books. Fifteen years later, it's still true.   

These big birds and children’s authors - what do we have in common?

Is it that both groups are leggy, prone to pink and spectacularly ridiculous-looking? Speaking as a short-legged pink-hater who can only dream of looking spectacularly anything, I’d say no. Is it that people tend to look at us strangely when they meet us at parties? Perhaps, though I can’t remember the last time I encountered a flamingo at a rave. Or, indeed, the last time I went to one myself.

No, I think the thing we have in common is that we are both groups which are better as groups than in isolation. We need each other.

Take flamingos. Flamingos won’t breed unless their numbers are greater than some magic flamingo minimum. Sneaky zoo keepers have got around this by putting big mirrors by their pools so that the birds think there are at least twice as many of their colleagues long-legging it about the place than there really are. And – hey presto – bouncing baby flamingos ensue.

Writers are the same. We don’t thrive in a vacuum. We write better when we are part of a collective of creativity. The more really good children’s books there are, the more there will be. Birds and book-writers alike, we need a community in order to be really pink and glowing.

For, as the saying goes, no flamingo is an island.

Joan Lennon website

Joan Lennon Instagram