Damian's Diary

Library Visits

2011-12-19T09:16:00.000Z

I've got lots to tell you about in my diary but haven't had chance to do it yet... but here's a quick bit of news before I fill you in on what's been going on...

Today we're off to Rhuddlan Library for a session at 10.30, and this afternoon we're going towards the coast to visit Rhyl Library for a session at 2.00. Everyone's welcome so if you're in the area why not pop in.

See you soon....

Waterloo Sunset and Ironing out the Kinks

2011-11-21T14:01:00.002Z

Just in case you thought I'd completely disappeared I thought I should let you know that I am definitely still here and am very busy writing... I'm currently ironing out the kinks in chapter one of my latest book. I'd love to tell you what it's called but it hasn't got a proper title yet. So far it's called MUM... but that is definitely not going to be the finished title.

I really should make more of an effort to keep up with my diary writing but it can be difficult at times :-( Perhaps that could be my New Year resolution... Write more in my diary... Hmmm... I'll have to think about that as I'm sure there are far more pressing things to resolve. Such as FINISH THE BOOKS I'M WRITING!!!

On Saturday Vicky and I spent a lovely morning at Buckley Library where we met the award winning crime writer Martin Edwards... a very nice man whose mind is full of murder and deceit - all fictional stuff of course. Martin kindly signed a copy of one of his novels for us - Waterloo Sunset - and we can't wait to read it...

Saturday night was Vicky's brothers 40th birthday - Happy Birthday Chris - and we spent the night partying.

Back to work now... I'll write soon...

Writers In Schools and Libraries

2011-10-21T10:45:00.001+01:00

As well as sitting at home writing, authors and illustrators get the chance to go out on the road to visit schools and libraries everywhere. I love doing this as it gives me the chance to meet fans and readers and hopefully encourage other people to start reading and enjoying books and stories.

I've had a busy week so far visiting schools around the country and it hasn't finished yet. Today, we're off to Cardiff ready to visit the new Central Library where lots of children will be coming along as part of the Capital Reads festival. If you're in Cardiff why not come along. I'll be there from half two until four... See you soon.

School Visits

2011-10-17T19:08:00.000+01:00

Had a great day today at Saint Aidan's CE Primary School - here's a BIG HELLO to everyone there. Lots of great questions from everyone today - and good to talk to keen readers of Robo-runners...

Tomorrow I'm off to visit Billinge Chapel End Primary School in St Helen's - so here's a BIG HELLO to you too... then it's home for tea and off across to Nottingham ready to visit St Peters CE Junior School... Hopefully squeeze in a bit of writing somewhere along the way too.

Cats, Cats Cats...

2011-10-15T23:14:00.000+01:00

Many thanks to all the authors that have taken the time to send me pictures of their cats... I will certainly be putting some of these pictures on my blog/diary... but I've received so many emails that I will probably create a new page for my website to house all the pictures that I've received...

Thank you, thank you, than you...

Back on the road again next week to visit a few schools around and about... New of those coming soon...

Where do writers get their ideas?

2011-10-12T12:54:00.000+01:00

This is definitely the one question that writers get asked over and over again..

WHERE DO YOU YOU GET YOUR IDEAS ???

This can be a simple question to answer - Ideas come from lots of places...

Or it can be a difficult question - No one really knows where ideas come from etc etc...

But over the years I have come to know a lot of authors and I feel quite confident in telling you that I know where lots of them get their ideas...

It's from their cats.... Yes, yes...I know what you're thinking... "This is ridiculous!!!"

But I think it might be true....

Most of the authors I know have cats... Our cat, Polly... just hasn't been pulling her weight recently and that explains why I haven't written as much as I should over the last few months (thankfully this is all sorted now)... What other explanation could their be???

Other writer's cats are far more productive and they are producing much more work than me... to prove it I am going to feature other writer's cats on my blog to show how good they are at helping with writing...

So if you want to succeed in writing.... Get a CAT.

Just to prove this is true I will be featuring pictures of authors cats over the next few weeks... so don't be shy.... send me a photo of your inspirational cat....

Working Hard

2011-09-29T08:57:00.000+01:00

Lots of writing to get done today... a few things to finish and tweak and something new to start. Must get on with some of my planned longer books - one of which is starting to move along nicely now. I've set myself a daily word target on that one (not necessarily the right words or in the right order - but definitely a target).

I had a great day as Ysgol Bryn Hedydd in Rhyl last week... years five and six came up with some brilliant ideas for a story... I hope you all have fun working on them together.

Next week I'm out and about visiting schools and libraries around Britain...

On Monday I'm at Davyhulme Primary School, Manchester - Tuesday Colwyn Bay Library, Wednesday Middleforth CE Primary School, Penwortham... then straight down to Ely in Cambridgeshire to visit Rackham Primary School... My final visit on next week will be to St John with St Michael Priamry School, Shawforth in Rochdale. I'll see you all soon.

On with some work now...

Ysgol Bryn Hedydd

2011-09-19T15:52:00.001+01:00

I've got a few school and library visits coming up over the next few weeks and the first of these is on Thursday when I am off to Rhyl in North Wales to visit Ysgol Bryn Hedydd - here's a BIG HELLO to everyone there.

I'll see you all soon...

Truly, Madly, Deeply...

2011-09-06T23:44:00.002+01:00

I am so very happy to be able to tell you that my lovely lady, Vicky Harris, has said that yes, she will marry me... so I am delighted to be able to tell you that we are now engaged and that we will be getting married in October next year. I will tell you more about that as the time gets closer...

Over the summer we spent a lovely week in Tenby with Connor and Vicky's Mum and Dad... here we are sat at the harbour...

Since then we have been having fun planning our wedding and making arrangements for our perfect day - there are so many important things to be considered... including what songs will be played at the reception. Our favourite song, and one that is very special to us, is Truly, Madly, Deeply, by a group called Savage Garden.

There are so many things to be happy about but for now I can tell you that we are delighted that Rachel, Laura, Deanna, Rachel and Lauren have agreed to be bridesmaids, that my brother Craig has agreed to be my best man, and that Connor has agreed to be ring bearer for the day. There is so much more to tell you about but you will just have to wait...

Kindle

2011-08-30T09:33:00.000+01:00

I can't believe the summer holidays are almost over... the time has flown by. I've been quite busy over summer and have done lots of things so there's lots to write about in my diary now that I'm back to it but for now I'm just signing in to say a quick hello and to say that I'm thrilled to have my first kindle books available. The Mudcrust books are now available to buy and download from Amazon (and other places too).

Lots more news coming soon... watch this space.

Jon Mayhew and busy, busy, busy...

2011-07-19T14:24:00.000+01:00

Over the past few weeks I've been busy writing some very short stories for one of my publishers. Three 50 word stories and three 400 word stories. The stories have been done and sent off... the deadline has passed and now all I can do is cross my fingers and wait to see what the editors think. Hopefully one or two will be accepted for publication - I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime I'm going to be getting on with some other, bigger stories.

On Saturday we went into Chester and called at Waterstones where fellow author, Jon Mahew, was visiting and signing to promote his latest book - The Demon Collector. You can find out more about Jon by visiting his website ... just click HERE.

"Thanks for signing our books Jon - it was a pleasure to finally meet you."

The Dragon and the Firebird

2011-07-08T13:15:00.000+01:00

As well as writing this year I have been involved with a writing and arts project with St Anne's Primary School in Blackburn, Lancashire. Children in the school were working with myself and some other arts practitioners over the course of a couple of months to produce stories, craft, photography and art pieces.

I was lucky in that I got to work with most of the classes in school and we produced some great stories - including year four's The Dragon and the Firebird (Click on the title to go and read the story).

Year One's story even got made into a little picture book (illustrated by the children themselves) and put together by fellow practitioner Pippa Pixley (Pippa's first picture book - the Princess and the Pea is about to be published).

On with some stories of my own now...

All Quiet

2011-07-01T11:57:00.000+01:00

I've been very quiet recently - not writing anything in my diary - but I'm back...

On Tuesday I spent a wonderful day at Marshland St James Primary School near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. It was a long drive there and back but it was well worth it... what a lovely school and what an enthusiastic bunch of pupils.

I've been busy recently writing some very short stories and also working on some picture books and bigger book ideas. I will write more about those soon. A couple of little stories have gone off to my publisher - so I'm keeping my fingers crossed whilst working on other things.

Book Reviews

2011-05-04T17:37:00.000+01:00

When you sit at home writing a story you never know if anyone is going to like it so it's great when you find that people do. It's wonderful to receive an email or a letter from someone that has read one of your books themselves or from someone that has shared one of you books with someone else... it's also great when someone takes the time to write a reiew of a book.

I was delighted to discover that someone has read and enjoyed one of my Robo-runners books recently and has written a review of it for Amazon. Even more delighted that they enjoyed the book and gave it a five star rating. Woo Hoo !!!

Here's what they wrote - "The second great robot story by Damian Harvey does not disappoint. As the robots continue on their quest to find Robotika, Al, Crank and Torch come across some robots who race against each other; the mekanix and the engineerz. Quick paced and exhilarating, enjoyable from beginning to end. I reccommend this as I would all the robo - runners series. Great for young readers."
You can visit the Amazon page here

Easter Holidays - WWE - Swimming and Writing

2011-05-03T10:31:00.011+01:00

I hope you've all had a good break from school over the Easter Holidays and haven't eaten too much chocolate.

As well as going out for a few walks, spending at day at the swimming bath and enjoying the sunshine, we took Connor to see the WWE Wrestling at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.... and I have to say, it much more fun than Vicky and I thought it was going to be. We were sat pretty close to the ring so got a really good view too.

As well as all that I've also been busy writing. Today I'm going to be putting the finishing touches to one or two picture book stories that I've been working on - and then I'll be sending them off into the world to see what people think of them.... always a scary time.

I haven't got any book pictures to brighten up this diary entry I thought I'd show you a picture that I took while we were watching the Wrestling. As I'm sure you already know - the picture if of Rey Mysterio.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm calling in at St Mary's RC Primary School in Fleetwood, Lancashire, to spend a few hours with everyone from Reception to Year six - so here's a BIG HELLO to everyone there.

Manor Beach Primary School

2011-04-25T22:21:00.009+01:00

I've been a bit quiet on the diary front recently... sorry about that folks...

Tomorrow I'm off to spend the day with everyone at Manor Beach Primary School in Cleveleys, Lancashire, so here's a BIG HELLO to everyone there.

I'm also busy working a new story idea but it's TOP SECRET so I can't tell you anything about it just yet.

Hello To...

2011-03-21T18:29:00.002Z

Everyone at St Luke's CE Primary school in Crosby... and everyone at St Peter's Primary School in Leigh. See you soon folks.

Sinnington Primary School

2011-03-10T20:52:00.003Z

Had a great day at Gladstone Road Infant School today... just sitting and relaxing now.

Tomorrow is my last day in North Yorkshire and I will be spending it at Sinnington Primary School - so here's a Big Hello to everyone there.

I had a little walk round Scarborough earlier on - round the shops, down by the beach and along the seafront... it was lovely and sunny, but absolutely f-f-f-f-freezing cold.

Gladstone Road Infants

2011-03-10T08:02:00.003Z

Finally managed to get my internet connection sorted out so that means I will be able to start adding pictures to my diary posts again - Hurrahh!!

It's my second day in Scarborough and the sun is shining brightly... Today I will be spending the day at Gladstone Road Infant School so here's a BIG HELLO to everyone there.

Scarborough Schools

2011-03-09T07:59:00.004Z

I had another great day at Padiham Primary school yesterday... a big thank you to Mrs Billam and everyone there for making me feel so welcome.

For the rest of the week I am in Scarborough visiting schools with the school library service - starting today with Hinderwell Primary School... I'll see you all soon.

Allanson Street Primary

2011-03-07T08:56:00.003Z

Today I'm spending the day with Allanson Street Primary School in St Helens...

Here's a big hello to everyone and a big Good Luck with your tests. I'm set up and ready in the school hall so what are you waiting for :-)

Holly Spring Infants

2011-03-04T08:16:00.003Z

Today I'm in Bracknell visiting Holly Spring Infant School...

Here's a HUGE HELLO to everyone there. See you soon.

The Cathedral School

2011-03-03T07:17:00.003Z

Today I'm in Cardiff as I'm spending the day at The Cathedral School in Llandaff. I arrived here at midnight last night and think it's time I got out of bed and got myself ready.

Here's a BIG HELLO to everyone at The Cathedral School... And a big HELLO to you, wherever you are.

Happy World Book Day...

King Edward and Queen Mary

2011-03-03T07:08:00.003Z

Yesterday I was at King Edward and Queen Mary Junior School in Lytham and had a fantastic time with everyone there.

As well as telling stories, talking about writing and having fun, I was given the difficult task of judging some competitions. Everyone had been hard at work drawing pictures and building amazing robots... As soon as I get home I will put pictures of the robots up here for you to look at. They are amazing.

A big thank you to everyone for making the day so wonderful.
I'm writing today's diary entries using my phone and am hoping they turn out all right.

Padiham Primary School

2011-03-01T06:00:00.001Z

Hi folks... I hope you're all enjoying book week.

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go - today I'm heading over to Padiham Primary School in Lancashire for the first of my visits there (I'm going again next week), so here's a BIG HELLO to everyone there.

Tonight I'll be staying at my Mum's house so I'll be ready to go and visit King Edward and Queen Mary Junior School in Lytham St Annes.

Brookhurst Primary School

2011-02-28T06:10:00.001Z

It's Monday morning and today I'm off to Brookhurst Primary School in Bromborough, Merseyside. It's a couple of years since I last visited the school and I'm very much looking forward to going again. See you all soon...

World Book Day 2011

2011-02-25T16:03:00.004Z

World Book Day 2011 falls on Thursday 3rd March this year but lots of schools and libraries will be celebrating World Book Day at different times. For the next few weeks I will be out and about visiting schools around the country... I will be starting off on Monday by visiting Brookhurst Primary School in Bromborough, Merseyside, on Tuesday I'm in Padiham, Lancashire, visiting Padiham Primary School, then it's over to Lytham St Annes to visit King Edward and Queen Mary Junior School. On Thursday I will be at The Cathedral School, Llandaff, near Cardiff in Wales, and on Friday I'm at Holly Spring Infants in Bracknell. It's going to be a busy week but it should be lots of fun too.

Catching Up

2011-02-22T10:38:00.002Z

Yes, it's official... I have finally caught up with all of my emails, letter writing and other admin work that needed to be done but always gets in the way of the actual writing side of the business. It's a good job too because next week sees the start of a batch of school visits and I'll be zipping around the country. Hopefully I will still be able to keep up to date with everything while I'm doing that and have free time to spend with loved ones.

A Great Time

2011-02-04T11:03:00.003Z

Yes... I had a great time with everyone at West Walton Community Primary School on Tuesday of this week. It was a long way there and back - four hours drive each way... but it was well worth it. A lovely little school with lots of keen writers and book-lovers.

It's cold and wet in Blackpool today... brrrr. A good day for snuggling by the fire and keeping warm I think.

No school visits for a few weeks now but everything goes mad at the end of February for the start of Book Week (and World Book Day of course). I'll keep you up to date on where I'm going and what I'm up to so keep on coming back.

Right now I'm busy writing and updating my website... See you soon.

West Walton Community Primary School

2011-01-31T07:00:00.000Z

Tonight I'm hitting the road and heading across to the south east coast ready to visit West Walton Community Primary School near Wisbech. I visited the school a couple of years ago and I'm really looking forward to going again.

The drive to school takes about four hours... so there's a lot of traveling involved. Perhaps I should buy a helicopter instead of a car???

Here's a BIG HELLO to everyone at West Walton CP School... see you soon.

Tangled

2011-01-30T10:59:00.004Z

Had a great time at the cinema yesterday when we went to see Tangled, the new Disney movie based on the story of Rapunzel. A really funny (and romantic) movie that I would recommend for all the family.

As well as going to the cinema, I've been busy working on a few new stories - some long and some not so long. I've also been busy working on my website to get it up to date. You might not notice the changes that I've made right away as some of them are very small - and some will only appear when the new pages are finished.

King Edward and Queen Mary

2011-01-18T21:57:00.003Z

Here's a big hello to everyone at King Edward and Queen Mary School, Lytham St Annes. I'm very much looking forward to seeing you all in March during World Book week.

Walverden Primary School

2011-01-16T20:17:00.002Z

Here's a big HELLO to everyone at Walverden Primary School in Nelson... my first school visit of 2011.

I'll see you soon...

Happy New Year

2011-01-05T12:17:00.003Z

2010 was a very messy year for me with one thing and another. There was a mixture of good and bad throughout the year and for probably the first time in my life I am glad that a year has come to an end and I am really looking forward to the coming year... it promises to be a good one.

On New Years Eve we picked Rachel up and drove her to Llandudno where she was going to be visiting her Uni friend, Chris. Chris kindly took this photograph of us on the beach at Llandudno. This is the first picture of Vicky and I together - with Connor and Rachel too of course.

I hope you all have a great 2011 and that it brings you and your loved ones lots of happiness. I'm getting on with some writing now but keep coming back to visit my diary for news of what I'm doing.

Deepdale Infants

2010-12-07T12:45:00.002Z

This week I'm visiting Deepdale Infant School to work with year two - and hopefully squeeze in a whole school assembly session at the start of the day so here's a Big Hello to everyone there... I will see you on Thursday.

The following week I'm visiting Unity College in Blackpool to talk to everyone in year 7.

The rest of this week is going to be taken up with writing, looking after Polly, and but of decorating, a bit of Christmas shopping and a trip to Manchester airport to pick up Vicky and Connor after their trip to Euro Disney.

News of what I'm working on at the moment will be coming up soon.... watch this space.

Christmas is Coming

2010-11-24T14:19:00.005Z

Yes... there's no avoiding it... Christmas is definitely getting closer. The shops are full of decorations, Christmas gifts, Christmas songs and lots of ho-ho-ho... and it's still November. Last week Vicky, Connor and I went to see the Coca Cola truck in the Asda car park - and very Christmassy it was too.

On Saturday night Vicky and I went into Chester to have a look round the Christmas Market... Mulled Wine, Roast Chestnuts, A big Wheel... Lovely. There was even an ice rink but I didn't have my skates with me...

Last night I went with Deanna to an open evening at Preston College so we could have a look at their Drama and Performing Arts department. Deanna is very keen on stage management, sound and lighting, but it's not easy finding a course for that. Thankfully, the people at Preston college were very helpful and we came away feeling quite positive about it all. We're still not sure which college or sixth form Deanna will go to next year but at least there are a few options open for her. A very exciting time...

Between now and Christmas I have one school visit - more about that later. In the meantime I'm busy writing, writing, writing. And not just my Christmas list either...

Living Books

2010-11-08T10:28:00.007Z

On Saturday I spend the day as a Living Book at Fleetwood library in Lancashire. Over the last few years I have visited loads of libraries in England, Wales and Scotland and have talked to thousands of people - sharing stories and talking about books and writing... but being a living book was a little different.

Instead of talking to a large group of people, I spoke to just one or two people at a time - so the sessions were very personal. I was a little unsure about how the sessions would go but I needn't have worried... they were great and I had a really good time.

There were a few Living Books available in the Library on Saturday... the idea being that each Living Book (or person) was someone that had an interesting or unusual job, hobby, knowledge or personal experience that they could share with others. Members of the public then came along and made a reservation so they could spend a little time with the book of their choice. I was kept busy throughout the course of the day and spent time with people of all ages... including keen young readers that were interested in books and reading, older people that were interested on writing books for children and even a primary school teacher that had called into the library to return one of my books that she had been reading to her class.

It was an absolute pleasure meeting everyone at the library - thank you all for coming along... thank you too to the wonderful librarians.... especially Ruth and Ian for looking after me.

Living Books (or The Human Library) is a national initiative and you can find out more about it here.

On the Radio and Captain Kidd

2010-11-01T08:22:00.003Z

Just had an exciting start to the day by chatting on BBC Radio Lancashire about the importance of libraries. I hope I managed to say something that made sense and that I didn't just waffle on. It's always the case that you think of other things to say when it's too late though...

Last week a little box arrived from one of my lovely publishers containing copies of my latest little book, Captain Kidd: Pirate Hunter. This is quite a short story - only about 400 words. You can take a look inside the book if you visit amazon by clicking here

What's Been Going On?

2010-10-31T09:55:00.013Z

I've been struggling to keep up with my blog and just about everything else for a while but I think I'm finally catching up... so here's a little update on what I've been up to over the last few days or so.

Early on Tuesday morning I drove up to the North East of England to visit Newton Aycliffe library. I was a little worried at first because when I arrived at the library all I found was a large pile of rubble. It seemed that the old library had been knocked down that very morning... fortunately, all of the books, computers and librarians had moved out a little while ago and were now housed in a temporary library a short distance away, so all was not lost. I spent and hour or so talking to a group of keen young readers 8+ in the morning and then met a big group of younger readers and book lovers in the afternoon. After the library sessions I drove back down to North Wales and had pizza for tea... Yum!!!

On Wednesday morning I drove to Blackpool with Vicky and Connor, met up with Deanna and then had a great day acting like tourists in town. We had planned to spend the day at Blackpool Tower and the Tower Circus, however, as it was half term the tower was incredibly buy so instead, we walked along the promenade and onto Central Pier where we clambered aboard the big wheel. The wheel has been on the pier for a good few years now but I'd never ridden on it before. Definitely worth a go round if you visit the town.

After the Big Wheel, we spent a couple of hours in the Waxworks - including the Chamber of Horrors. This is Connor with Del Boy and Rodney (dressed as Batman and Robin from an episode of Only Fools and Horses). There was a whole section of the waxworks set aside for James Bond... I thought this one of Daniel Craig was particularly good. The chamber of horrors was pretty good too as it had a few live actors wandering around to give people the creeps.

We called in a a noodle bar for some lunch, visited my mum and then went to pick Laura up from the Sandcastle Waterpark. We were planning on driving through the illuminations but the traffic was horrendous and it would have taken us hours... so we decided to park the car, get some chips and have a little walk through them. We were all ready with our chips when it started to pour with rain so we made a dash back to the car..... soaking wet. Despite a few changes of plan through out the day we all had a great time.

On Thursday we went to Snugburys, near Nantwich, for some of their delicious ice cream and to have a look at their latest straw sculpture... this year, a giant meerkat. Take a look at their website and you'll see some of the other sculptures they've made.

On Friday I met up with Laura and we drove to Lincoln so that we could visit the university on Saturday morning for their open day. Laura is planning to go to university next year and study graphics... so far, Lincoln looks the best.

Robots In The Library

2010-10-25T10:54:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow I'm off up to the North East of England to visit Newton Aycliffe Library in County Durham... Here's a big HELLO to everyone that's coming along to the sessions there.

Today I'm busy catching up on lots of bits and pieces and also getting down to some writing. I've not written very much over the last few months and I'm eager to get going. My head feels as though it is packed with ideas and stories and they need to get out and on to the page...

St Joseph the Worker

2010-10-20T21:26:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow I'm visiting St Joseph the Worker RC Primary School in Salford, Manchester... so here's a big hello to everyone there.

Earlier this week I was at St Mary's RC Primary School in Middlewich, Cheshire, for a couple of days and had a great time.

Last night I met up with Rachel, my eldest daughter, who celebrated her 20th birthday on Monday. Rachel is at Lancaster University studying fine art... We had a meal at the Plough in Galgate, had a couple of games of pool, then wandered around the university campus chatting for a while. A really good night.

Today I've been busy helping my brother in his kitchen... he's busy redoing the floor so I was giving him a hand. I'll add some pictures to this diary entry very soon... but my phone is playing up at the moment and doesn't want to talk to my lap top... very annoying.

Hello to...

2010-10-17T20:11:00.002+01:00

St Mary's RC Primary School in Middlewich, Cheshire where I'll be on Monday and Tuesday of this week, and a big hello to everyone at St Joseph The Worker RC Primary School in Salford... see you on Thursday.

Today I've been at the University of Staffordshire, in Stoke, with Laura and her friend for the open day. Laura is still making up her mind about which University she wants to go to next year.

Think I'll be having an early night tonight.

Ten Pin Bowling

2010-10-10T11:32:00.005+01:00

This has been a busy week, visiting schools around the area and driving here and there, so it was nice to have some free time on Friday and Saturday.

On Saturday I had a great time with Vicky and Connor... We went round the shops then went Ten Pin Bowling together. I haven't been ten pin bowling for ages so it took me a while to get the hang of it again. We had three games and had loads of fun. We even had time for a game of pool before dinner...

Pizza!!! Yum !!!

Thank you both for a lovely day...

Next week I'm visiting Burton On Trent Library - so here's a BIG HELLO to everyone that's coming along to the sessions there - then later in the week I'm at Sandiway Primary School in Northwich - HELLO to you too.

A Big Hello To

2010-10-05T07:04:00.003+01:00

Luke Bennett and everyone at St Michael's Primary School in Lichfield...

I hope you're all having a fun book week.

Book Week

2010-10-03T22:49:00.003+01:00

It's been a busy few days with school visits and spending time with family and friends... and it's not going to slow down for a while either... today, Rachel moved back to Uni. (Why is it that the lift only stops working when we have to empty the car and carry loads of boxes up to the fourth floor grrrrrr)

This week I'm out and about again... so for a start, here's a big hello to everyone at Westfield Community Primary School, Boarshaw Primary School, and Audenshaw Primary School.

On the Road and Out and About

2010-09-29T22:29:00.002+01:00

Just spent the evening in town with the extremely talented and very funny poet Craig Bradley. We had a laugh, swapped stories about our lives and listened to each other as friends do... all right he listened to me bend his ear a bit... But a very good night.

This next few weeks is going to be very busy as I'm travelling round the country visiting lots of schools and libraries. I'll be writing about the places I go and saying hello to people right here so come back and see where I've been. Hopefully I'll put a few picture up here too.

For now, here's a big HELLO to everyone at Firwood School, Westlea Community Primary School in Upton and a special HELLO to everyone at Aylesham Primary School in Canterbury

Ice Cold

2010-09-26T14:35:00.004+01:00

Had a great time at Blackburn Arena Ice Rink on Friday afternoon with Rachel, Laura and Chris. With most people being at school or work the rink was nice and quiet and we even had it to ourselves for a little while. Unfortunately Deanna was at school so she couldn't come.

I used to play Ice Hockey at the arena so it's nice going back there and whizzing around when I can. The sound of skates on ice must be one of the best sounds ever.... or is that just me?

Happy Birthdays and Days out

2010-09-24T09:04:00.003+01:00

It's been a busy week so far but things are going to get much busier as many schools are having their books week celebrations. I'll be spending a few days travelling around next week, the whole of the week after and lots of other odd days here are there too.

This week has been quite busy as well. Wednesday was my brother's birthday and today is my Mum's birthday.... she is 7o today but shhhhh! don't tell anyone I told you how old she is.

Yesterday I drove down to Wales and had lunch with Vicky, then we spent a lovely afternoon together.

Today I'm writing letters and going ice skating with Rachel and Laura... should be fun.

Southport Airshow

2010-09-19T08:58:00.007+01:00

Had a lovely time yesterday with Vicky and Connor at the Southport Airshow, where even the rather damp weather couldn't spoil the day. I've seen the Blackpool Airshow a few times and always imagined Southport's to be pretty much the same, however, it's much bigger and stretches over two days, with things going on all through the day over the weekend.

We wandered around on the beach looking at some of the aeroplanes and display stands, watched the West Lancashire Dog Display team in action, a parachute team, and of course the amazing Red Arrows.

After a bit of lunch and a wander round the shops we made out way back to the car at tea time and there were still planes thundering overhead beneath the dark clouds. Just found out that today's airshow has been cancelled due to severe weather through the night which has caused flooding... we certainly went at the right time.

Writing and Walking

2010-09-09T09:17:00.005+01:00

This week seems to have flown by - as many weeks do - and I haven't had chance to write much in my diary. Earlier in the week I went for a walk along the river with Laura (it made a nice change to see the creek full and the boats floating instead of sitting in the mud), and we bought ice creams at Knott End - Cappuccino for me and Smarty flavour for Laura (both with a chocolate flake).This morning I'm in the house writing, and this afternoon I've got a shed roof to fix, a bit of rollerblading with Rachel to keep fit and then another walk this evening with Deanna. Hopefully the sun will keep shining and make all this possible.

Also got a few letters and emails to send to schools and libraries.

Hope you're having a nice day....

Borneo Veterans and TVR Cars

2010-09-06T18:11:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I went along to the Arboretum in Blackpool with Deanna as she was supporting the Borneo and Malaya Veterans in their remembrance ceremony.

Deanna was asked to lay a memorial cross as part of the ceremony and was very proud to take part. After that we went for lunch with the veterans and Deanna did very well - even though she wasn't feeling very well at the time.
In the afternoon Rachel and I went for a skate along the sea front towards Cleveleys. On the promenade at he end of our skate there was a TVR racing competition which we watched for a few minutes before heading off further down the prom. I've never seen as many TVRs in one place - we even got chance to to take a quick look at the Bloodhound SSC which was on display.

Instead of skating back, as it was rather windy, we took our skates off and paddled through the waves.

Paddling on the Beach

2010-09-05T08:13:00.004+01:00

Didn't end up skating yesterday as Rachel didn't get back from Llandudno until later so I went for a walk and a paddle instead. The beach at Blackpool gets busy so I usually go a little bit further down the coast where it's nice and quite.

I sat on the sea wall and read for a little while too - there's always something very relaxing about reading by the sea.

This morning I'm off out for lunch with our youngest daughter, Deanna, and the Malaya and Borneo veterans - following a ceremony this morning. This afternoon I'm helping Deanna with a little homework. Will hopefully have time to finish off an interview questionnaire that I've had for ages (sorry it's taking so long Gemma).

Yesterday and Today

2010-09-03T09:03:00.003+01:00

I had a lovely walk on the beach yesterday - there's nothing quite like the feeling of warm sand between your toes is there - and caught a bit of sun.

Busy writing this morning then off out after lunch for a hair cut, a bit of shopping and to go rollerblading along the promenade with Laura on her bike... they are the plans for today anyway. Lets see how they go.

Alfie

2010-09-01T10:20:00.003+01:00

This time of year can be both a little bit scary and a little bit exciting as it's the time that everyone goes back to school. I know some people have already gone back, some start today, and lots are not going back until tomorrow or even later - perhaps you're very lucky and are not going back until next week. But whenever your new school year starts - Here's a Big Hello to you...

Going into a new class with your old friends can be very exciting - especially if you haven't seen them all summer, and going to a new school can be a bit scary, but don't worry... everything will be fine and you will soon make lots of new friends, and changes in your life can be a very good thing.

Here's a picture of two of my daughters with a new friend of their own. This is Rachel and Laura with their new puppy, Alfie, he's an eight week old Border Collie - and don't they look pleased to have him.

I'm not starting school this week or next week, but I will be visiting lots of schools and libraries up and down the country very soon, so keep a look out on my website for news of that. If you'd like me to come to your school or library, get in touch soon.

Favourite Things - The Beach

2010-08-31T08:21:00.001+01:00

Went for a little walk on the beach the other night. The sun was struggling to cast its rays through the gaps in the dark clouds that were brooding. There was a storm heading in - very atmospheric. I managed to get back to the car just as the rain came crashing down.I love living near the sea and feel a little lost when I'm too far away from it...

Today I'm going shopping for Deanna's school uniform (possibly not one of our favourite things to do ... he he)

Ilkley Moore and Thereabouts

2010-08-30T13:23:00.008+01:00

On Wednesday last week I drove across to Leeds with Laura and three of her friends so they could set up camp for the Leeds Festival (she will be arriving home later today). After all the wet weather we've had over the last few weeks they've been very lucky - it's stayed nice and dry for them.
On Thursday I drove across to Leeds again, this time with Rachel who hadn't been able to get a ticket top allow her to go the day before. Deanna also came with us as we were planning to go for a little walk on the way home, so instead of driving back along the motorway we took the more scenic route through Ilkley and stopped off there for a while. We parked the car and walked up a little hill, past the old White Wells bath house and onto the top of the moors above. On the way back down we stopped for coffee before heading back towards home. We had a great time...

Picking up Speed

2010-08-19T15:37:00.004+01:00

Yes... things are definitely picking up speed here with the writing and with the ongoing rollerblading along the sea front. At the moment I've got several picture book stories on the go - non quite ready to send to my agent to to a publisher yet - and three longer stories... each one crying for my attention. Having many things on the go might not be the best way of working for everyone but it suits me fine. It means that if I get stuck on something for a while I can put it on one side and get on with something else. Thankfully though, one of those longer stories is definitely moving ahead of the others and is starting to take over so it looks like that one will be finished first. I've got nothing much to show in my diary for the writing I'm on with so have included a couple of pictures from mine and Rachel's latest evening skates along the seafront. The illuminations are always visible on the seafront - If they are not actually up and lit, they are either in the process of being put up or being taken down. Right now they are in the process of being put up...

Karien Naude

2010-08-17T12:18:00.003+01:00

It's always nice when the postman brings something good instead of a pile of bills - and working with children's books I do get lots of nice things through the post. Yesterday the postman arrived with this wonderful postcard that has been made and sent to me by the very talented illustrator, Karien Naude. You can take a look at some of Karien's other work by visiting her blog - just click here.

It took quite some time for the postcard to arrive from South Africa - but here it is and there's hardly a mark on it. The postman must have really been careful.

Thank you so much Karien - I'll put in it a frame and on on my wall inside my Scribble Shack...

Things to Write About

2010-08-16T16:55:00.005+01:00

After complaining about the lack of summer in my last diary entry it seems to have suddenly arrived here in Blackpool - for a day or two at least. There's not always a lot to talk about as a writer at this time of year as it's not always easy talking about stories and things I'm working on as they often seem to fragile to discuss. Something that seems like a real gem of a story idea can turn to dust in your hands if you talk about it before it's gained enough solidity. I can't even write here about school and library visits as there's not that many of those during the summer holidays, so instead, I'm going to keep mentioning other things that I'm up to and places I've been visiting. Last week (or was it the week before) we visited Brock Bottom and took a walk along the river. Sometimes we see deer when we visit, usually late in the evening as they come down to drink from the river, but this time there was no sign of them. The river was too deep to try building damns so instead we just plodded around, sat on the rocks, paddled and generally enjoyed the afternoon.

A Rather Wet Summer

2010-08-14T10:24:00.006+01:00

Despite the pretty lousy weather this summer we still manage to get out of the house from time to time. Last night's skating trip along the seafront with Rachel had to be cancelled due to the rain last night - hopefully we'll make it today though. he sun's shining brightly at the moment but there are dark rainclouds hanging clouds creeping around the sky like big dark rainclouds that creep around the sky.

Earlier in the week I managed to get out with Laura, who was needing to take a lot of photographs for her art and graphics work at college.We took a walk along the river Wyre near Skipool Creek and she took loads of photographs of plants and other wildlife, as well as pictures of boats and jettys. I took a few pictures myself so thought I'd put them on here for you to take a look at. When taking photographs I always find myself drawn to the old, dilapidated wrecks of boats rather than the nice new ones... they always seem more interesting (although a nice new boat would be very nice thank you very much) as they often conjure up interesting story ideas.

Catching Up

2010-08-12T13:22:00.003+01:00

I had fully intended to keep posting things in my diary every day - or at least every day that I am working, however, I have definitely fallen behind with things over the last few weeks. It's not always easy concentrating on work when there are other things to think about and other things taking up your time.

Things are settling down in my mind now and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing and where I'm going so I'm determined to try get my head down, get some work done and get everything up to date. I started off this morning by emailing my mate - Craig "That Poetry Bloke" Bradley - who was telling me he's coming to Blackpool in September and also doing some big charity walks over the next few years... Be good to meet up for a drink and a chat - and perhaps even get dragged along on some walks. I'll write more about that when it happens though. If you haven't seen Craig's website - go over there and take a look... you can even watch a video of him reading some of his excellent poems.

That's it for now folks... but I'm back blogging and writing so keep coming back to see what else I'm up to. Lots of school and library visits planned for the coming school year so I'll have news of that soon too.

The picture at the top of this post is of my youngest daughter - Deanna - with one one the Red Arrows - taken after their airshow flight in Blackpool last weekend.

Beacon Fell

2010-08-01T18:47:00.006+01:00

Went for a little walk yesterday round Beacon Fell. It's only quite a smallish hill, and we go quite often, however, there is always something different to see and keep us going back again and again. Just the way the light comes through the trees can make it look different, also the fact that things grow and die as the year goes on. Sometimes we see deer - though not this time - but we did find that the big wooden snake had a newly carved head... the old one had rotted away over the years.

Today I've been doing a bit of writing in the Scribble Shack, and have even been out rollerblading along the sea front. We do get some funny looks from people as we go whizzing by though. Probably because not many people go round on rollerblades in Blackpool.

Lovely Librarians

2010-07-30T10:22:00.004+01:00

I received this wonderful butterfly notebook from the lovely librarians (and children) at Lytham Library - you might remember I visited there a little while ago. So here's a big Hello and thank you to Lovely Librarians everywhere - but especially those at Lytham Library.

If you're on Facebook or Twitter - you can follow Fylde Libraries and see what they're up to...

Lions on My Tail

2010-07-26T08:43:00.005+01:00

Spending most of my time sitting down writing means it's easy to put on weight and become unbelievably unfit. I've spent most of my life doing physical exersise like swimming, going to the gym, tae kwon do and ice hockey - but over the last few years this has been replaced by sitting on my bum. not a good thing.

So recently I've started running again (and rolerblading as you can see in the post below). Sometimes I run with Rachel and sometimes alone... it doesn't really matter which. One of the paths I/we run on takes us around the edge of a golf course and round the back of the zoo in Blackpool. And let me tell you - there's nothing like the sound of a lion growling to make you keep running.

Back Home and Hello...

2010-07-14T21:55:00.006+01:00

I've had another good day today in Flintshire - and despite managing to come home without my mobile phone - it's been a great week with lots of enthusiasm, warmth, and a few pleasant surprises. It's amazing what comes up when you spend a few days working with young people.

Thankfully my phone isn't lost, as I thought it was, and I'm sure it will be back where it belongs shortly. I feel strangely lost without it.

While I'm writing in my diary I just want to say a Big Hello to Sam... I hope you enjoy the books you're reading.

I'll be going back to Flintshire again in the near future and can hardly wait. See you again soon...

Saltney Ferry School

2010-07-14T08:09:00.003+01:00

Today is my third and final day in Flintshire (for now - though I'll be back) and I'll be spending it at Saltney Ferry School.

So here's a big hello to everyone at Saltney Ferry... see you soon.

A Big Hello

2010-07-13T19:09:00.002+01:00

I just want to say a Big Hello to Connor - I hope you're having a good night. I've got a couple of books here for you which I'll send to you when I can. I hope you like them.

Another Fine Day

2010-07-13T18:47:00.005+01:00

Today I've spent the day at Wood Memorial School in Saltney - and I had a great time. Vicky very kindly picked me up again this morning and took me all the way to Saltney - with musical accompaniment by Michael Buble (he was sat in the back seat I think).

We received a very warm and enthusiastic welcome at the school - which had even gone to the trouble of making a big welcome display with pictures of my books (and one of me) and some bits of information. I was going to take a picture of the display for my diary but realised that you've probably all seem pictures of me and my books before so I thought it would be nice to show you something that you hadn't seen. The picture below shows part of a really nice frieze that is on the wall when you enter the school. Unfortunately I couldn't get it all in the picture (which is a shame) - but it is very nice.

After an hour in the hall talking to the whole school and sharing a few stories, I spent the rest of the morning with year five making up and a murder mystery story plan in which a famous pop star (who will remain unnamed here) had been murdered by either another celebrity or by one of the teachers in school.... very interesting and lots of fun it was too.

The afternoon was spent with year six making up story ideas about evil geniuses... phew... some strange and interesting ideas came up there.

Wood Memorial School

2010-07-13T07:52:00.003+01:00

Today is the second day of my time here in North Wales with the Flintshire Library and Information Service and shortly I'll be off to Wood Memorial School in Saltney - so here a Big Hello to everyone there...

See you soon folks.

Things on the Beach

2010-07-12T19:55:00.009+01:00

Today I've had a great time at Broughton Junior School. I was picked up from the hotel by the lovely Vicky, from Flintshire Library and Information Service and taken to the school where we received a very warm welcome and a very hot cup of coffee - which was great.

I spent the first hour in the hall talking about writing, telling stories and answering lots of questions from everyone in years 3, 4 and 5. For some reason my voice almost went half way through the sessions so I ended up croaking and squeaking a bit for the last half hour - thankfully it was back to normal very soon afterwards (I'll have to be careful tomorrow though).

We then moved into the two year five classes for the rest of the morning - and after lunch spent the afternoon with year 4 - coming up with story ideas. There were lots of great ideas flying around (and, as usual, some rather strange ones) but in the end we came up with some rough story plans for a few very interesting stories.

After leaving school I drove down to the coast at Talacre, near Prestatyn and had a walk along the beach to get some fresh air. There's an interesting little lighthouse on the beach and at first glance I thought there was a lighthouse keeper there too - but as I got closer I realised that the person on the platform was made of metal... a robot perhaps??? Could be.

I also came across the remains of this gigantic crab. It must have been at least 10 foot tall and reminded me of the giant crabs in Robo-runners book 5, The Ghost Sea.

O.K. so perhaps it wasn't quite that big, but I do like to exaggerate. After all... it comes with the job.

Broughton Junior School

2010-07-11T19:54:00.006+01:00

One of the frequent questions I get asked when I visit schools and libraries is;

"Where do you do your writing?" or

"Do you have a special place to write?"

As you might already know, I do most of my writing at home in the Scribble Shack (my shed at the the bottom of the garden). But sometimes I write in other places too, and I thought it might be interesting to start taking photographs of some of these other places and posting them in my diary. Perhaps they will end up on a webpage of their own - who knows.

So here is today's writing place where I am busy writing a story, and this diary entry too.

O.K. so you can't actually see me sitting at the desk - but that's because I had to move so I could take the picture. And as you can see, it's not my usual desk in the Scribble Shack - but that's because this week I'm back in the land of the Red Dragon.

This time I'm in the north of Wales and staying just outside Mold, in Flintshire. Tomorrow I'm off to visit Broughton Junior School in Broughton, near Chester, with Flintshire Library and Information Service, where I'll be sharing stories, talking about what I do and generally being silly for an hour or so -then I'll be doing some writing workshops with years four and five woohoo... so here's a big HELLO to everyone at Broughton Junior School. See you soon.

Earlier today I was busy writing and carrying on with some much needed website updates which will hopefully appear on my website later this week. As well as visiting schools this week I'll also be carrying on with my own writing - I'll let you know how it all goes.

The week that was...

2010-07-09T07:25:00.004+01:00

not the way it usually is.

It's been an odd sort of week as I've been doing odd bits of work here and there; a bit of writing, a bit of housework, sorting paperwork, writing letters and emails, visiting my Mum (not work I know) and other odd and ends - including some much needed updates for my website... but I don't feel as though it's been a very productive week. I did finish a picture book story and send it to my agent - which was great - but I'm still waiting to hear what she thinks, so it doesn't quite feel finished yet... in fact I'm sure it isn't. It doesn't matter how much I mess and tweak a story, as soon as it leaves my hands I find a few more tweaks that need or could be made. I'll just have to be patient and see what she thinks.

At this time of the year I generally meet up with a few writer friends down in Oxfordshire - but haven't been able to go this time. Writing can be a lonely occupation, which is fine most of the time, however, I do like to meet up with other writers every now and then as I find it a good way of helping revitalise my enthusiasm and determination to get on and succeed.

Next week I'm off to Mould in North Wales to visit a few schools in the area, so here's a quick hello to everyone at Broughton Junior School, Wood Memorial School and Saltney Ferry School - I'll see you all next week.

Today's photgraph is of one of the water lilies on my mum's pond. There are no fish left in the pond as she lives quite close to a river and heron's often stop by for their breakfast - but there are a lot of plants.

The Land of the Red Dragon

2010-06-29T20:07:00.006+01:00

An interesting day today - though it didn't go quite as expected. I spent the morning at Monnow Primary School in Bettws, Newport and talked to children from three classes. They didn't really seem to know why I was there or who I was - which was a shame... but the sessions were interesting.

At lunchtime we drove to Newport Central Library where I met with a group of year 5 boys from Glasllwch Primary School (which was a nice surprise) who were keen and enthusiastic, and then a group from St Julian's... phew... it was hot in the library this afternoon.

A big thank you for everyone that came along to the library and to Tracey, Sarah and (Anne - I hope I got that right) for looking after me.

Tomorrow I'm spending the morning at Clytha Primary School and the afternoon at Duffryn Junior School. See you soon...

Newport Schools

2010-06-29T07:51:00.003+01:00

In Newport, South Wales today and visiting Monnow Primary School this morning and St Julian's Junior School this afternoon. See you soon...

Say No To Escargot!

2010-05-28T08:28:00.008+01:00

That's the message I received when I went to visit Croughton Elementary (American) School on Tuesday. Visiting the school was like visiting a little piece of America, and although I didn't need to go by plane, I did need to take my passport with me as the school is on an airbase.

I was met at the gates of the airbase by the lovely Kathleen who signed me in and escorted me to the school where I was met by lots of book-loving teachers and pupils, a cup of fresh coffee and a basket of doughnuts - Yum!

Everyone in school had been busy looking at my Snail's Legs book and they had devised new menus for the King in the story. All the teachers and pupils were wearing snail stickers and they'd been busy making books about Snail. The message was definitely Save The Snail!. One class even brought their African Snails to see me - they were huge. They were also fast asleep.

The older pupils had been busy designing robot friends for Crank and Al (Robo-runners) - and they are fantastic - I'll get some of the pictures up on my website as soon as I can.

I had a great morning at the school and it was a real pleasure meeting everyone. Thank you very much for inviting me... and a big thank you for the lovely gift bag too (I'm drinking my morning coffee from a brand new mug today). Hopefully I'll see you all again real soon.

School Visits - Haut-Lac Bilingual School

2010-05-27T06:59:00.014+01:00

Over the last week or so I've been busy visiting schools, and in doing so have undoubtedly travelled further than I've ever travelled before. Last Wednesday I drove down to Liverpool and caught the plane to Geneva. It was a very cloudy day so I didn't get to see much through the windows.

From Geneva I hopped on a train to Vevey - a little town at the other end of Lake Geneva. It was great to find that My hotel was only a minutes walk from the station so I didn't have to worry about getting lost. After unpacking my bags I took a shower, put on some fresh clothes and went for a walk around the beautiful town of Vevey so I could discover a little bit about it.

I found out that Charlie Chaplin used to live there... Vevey is the world headquarters for Nestle... the people are wonderful and friendly...they love art (painting and sculpture) and there is a great atmosphere to the whole place.

On Thursday morning I was met at my hotel by Tim, who kindly showed me the way to the school - introduced me to lots of the wonderful teachers and made me some excellent coffee. The view from the school kitchen must be the best I've ever seen... The Lake, the mountains - Wow!

This was the first time I had ever been to a school outside the UK so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was even feeling a little nervous. But there was no need for me to worry at all... the school was fantastic. The teachers and pupils were brilliant and I had the most amazing time there. I even came away with a few good story ideas (thank you Jackson).

On Thursday afternoon I was taken over to another part of the school and met the children in Reception and Year one... they were very excited and had made some amazing little books for me so that I would be able to remember my visit.

That night I spent my time walking round the town, sitting by the lakeside and taking photographs. The next morning I found my way to school by myself and had another great day with everyone - sharing stories and talking about books. Friday was a special day at school as everyone came dressed as their favourite book characters... there were some very interesting characters too - a couple of girls came as Pippi Longstockings and a couple came as Smurfs. There were characters from Roald Dahl books, and lots of others. Even the teachers came dressed up, which was great. At the end of the school day there was an awards and certificates presentation in the school gym (and I was given a box of Swiss Chocolate... Yum!)

On Friday evening Tim drove me up to a little village in the mountains where we had Fondue - He must have known how much i enjoy cheese and bread. Excellent.

On Saturday I spent the day wandering around Vevey and sitting by the Lake again before having to catch the train back to Geneva airport. I didn't arrive home until twenty five to three on Sunday morning - but that didn't matter. I''d had a fantastic time.

A big thank you to Tim, Gayle and everyone at Haut-Lac for looking after me and making my visit so much fun. It was a real pleasure meeting everyone and I hope we can keep in touch.

I took lots more pictures - too many to put in my diary - so will have to add them to my facebook page.

More school visit news coming soon...

Still on the road...

2010-05-25T07:01:00.047+01:00

and still unable to get a proper Internet connection so having to write this on my phone. Back home later today so will catch up with everything then. Today I'm visiting Croughton Elementary School, so here's big hello to everyone there.

Oh dear - I've just noticed that this little message got posted to my diary about twenty times yesterday. I thought I was being clever by using my phone to update my diary. What a disaster it turned out to be. I won't be doing that again in a hurry.

A Quick Message

2010-05-24T08:09:00.001+01:00

I had a wonderful time in Switzerland last week - didn't get home until nearly 3 o'clock in the morning so have not had chance to write much in my diary yet. Thank you all for your lovely messages - I will reply to everyone, and write more about my trip in my diary tonight... It was fantastic.

Today I'm visiting Ashover Primary School in Derbyshire - so here's a big hello to everyone there. Be there soon.

Bye for now...

Switzerland Here I Come

2010-05-19T09:41:00.004+01:00

Today I'm driving to John Lennon Airport in Liverpool - flying to Geneva in Switzerland and then catching a train to the village of Vevey where I'll be spending a couple of days visiting Haut-Lac International Bilingual School - so here's a big hello to everyone there. I look forward to meeting you all in the morning.

I've packed my suitcase full of clothes and books - hopefully it's not too heavy or I'll end up having to unpack half of it at the airport.

Hopefully I'll get chance to take lots of pictures while I'm there... I'll put them in my diary as soon as I get home.

By for now...

Meeting Bibby Bear

2010-05-14T09:26:00.005+01:00

Yesterday evening I was at St Anne's Library where I had a wonderful time talking to a very keen group of young readers about my books and about writing. I got to meet the famous Bibby Bear (Bibby is the short one with the hair) and even came away with some quite interesting story ideas - it's amazing what pops into your head when listening to young people talk. Big thanks to P and his sister A for helping with the pirate story - and for M for reading the blurb of the back of one of my books (and she's only 4 years old).

St Anne's Library is one of those wonderful old libraries that has a separate room for the children's section so we could go in there and make as much noise as we wanted. If you are on facebook you can connect with the library by clicking here. And you can find them on Twitter by clicking here.

Special thank to Sheila and Bibby Bear for inviting me to the library and for getting so many people to come along. Hmm... I'm sure there was someone else...

Thanks Clover - You're a Star. Keep on Twittering....

St Anne's Library

2010-05-13T09:00:00.001+01:00

The car has been in the garage this week getting repaired, but thankfully, it's all sorted and I'm back on the road now. It's a good job too because this evening I'm visiting St Anne's Library, in St Anne's, Lancashire, for a session for storytelling, chat and silliness from 4 o'clock. If you're in the area, why not pop in and say hello.

It's always nice to get the chance to visit local schools and libraries... not only are they wonderful places to visit, but it also means I don't have to drive as far. Next week I'm visiting a school in Switzerland - the furthest I've ever been to visit a school. It's going to take me a while to get there. More about that later.

The Mudcrusts

2010-05-11T08:48:00.001+01:00

The postman brought a little parcel this morning containing some copies of the fourth and final book in the Mudcrusts series - Chief Troubles. I still haven't got round to building a web page for these books yet so I must get on with that as soon as I can.

Now I'm sitting in the Scribble Shack working on 'the bigger book' and am itching to get onto the second chapter. I seem to have been messing with the first chapter for ages trying to get it right. I think that the problem is that I haven't quite settled on how I want the story to feel. I know what the story is about... I know the characters, and I have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. But I'm still messing with getting the voice right. I thought I had it sorted out after working on it again on Sunday but when I woke up yesterday morning I realised that I'd been wrong. A few more ideas had come into my head and I realised that the opening chapter needed something else.

In order to let my thoughts gel together a bit better I didn't work on the story at all yesterday, but now I'm ready to get going and I know where I'm going with it.

Or at least... I think I do. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Mudcrusts - Chief Troubles

2010-04-29T13:42:00.004+01:00

Today I've been sorting out emails, paperwork and various things in the house after having been away from home for most of the week. I wasn't sure what I was going to write in my diary today but thankfully the postman arrived with a bit of help. Along with all the usual bills and junk mail was a little package from one of my publishers - A&C Black - which contained an advance copy of the fourth Mudcrust book - Chief Troubles.

The is the first copy of the book I've seen and it looks great with a brilliant cover (and cool illustrations inside) by Ned Jollife. Now that the fourth book is out I really do need to get on with adding a Mudcrust page to my website. Perhaps I'll be able to get that sorted out this weekend.

Here's the blurb from the back of the book -

Meet The Mudcrusts An Ice-Age family with a difference.

LOWBROW has challenged CHIEF HAWKNOSE to a trial. He thinks HE will make a better chief of the tribe. But Hawknose CHEATED in the last CONTEST. Will he try to cheat again? TIME IS RUNNING OUT if Lowbrow wants to DISCOVER what he's PLOTTING, and make a plan to stop him...

Captain Kidd: Pirate Hunter

2010-03-12T13:10:00.002Z

Jackie, my lovely editor at Franklin Watts has sent me the finished cover for Captain Kidd: Pirate Hunter. The artwork has been brilliantly done by Peter Cottrill.

This book is one of the Hopscotch Adventures and only has about 450 words in it (a bit like the Robin Hood books I've done), but I don't mind telling you that I had quite a bit of trouble writing it. I didn't know much about Captain Kidd so I did a bit of research into who Captain Kidd was and what he did... In fact, I think I did a bit too much research - and that was the problem. When I came to write the story I found it difficult moving away from the real story of Captain Kidd and making up a more fictitious story. Thankfully, my editor was there to help me - and luckily, she didn't shout at me at all.
Hmm... that reminds me... I'm sure there's a picture of Jackie somewhere dressed up as a pirate. I wonder if I could put that in my diary too. I'm sure she'd never find out.

An Itch To Scratch

2010-02-10T12:05:00.005Z

When a book is published, the publishers only print so many copies. When all those copies have been bought you have to hope that they will print some more... sadly this doesn't always happen, but I'm delighted to say that my first big picture book - An Itch To Scratch - has just been reprinted by those wonderful people at Gullane Children's Books.

An Itch to Scratch is a funny picture books story for very young children - it's all about big Gorilla and the silly things he does to try and get rid of his itchy back - and best of all... it has fantastic illustrations by the wonderful Lynne Chapman.

Storytelling Cafe'

2010-02-09T10:55:00.006Z

Last week I was fortunate enough to meet Harriet Goodwin - author of The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 - and hear her read a short extract from the book. I was embarrassed to say that I had a copy of Harriet's book sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, but I can tell you that that book is no longer sitting on my shelf - I started reading it as soon as I got home and suggest you do the same. It's great.

This all happened in Uttoxeter, where I spent most of last week taking part in the Storytelling festival. I met hundreds of school and nursery children and we had a great time sharing stories and poems and talking about writing... when I got home on Friday night I was exhausted.

On Thursday evening I met up with the organisers of the festival - most of the organising was done by the hard working Eleanor Shakespeare - and some of the other authors and storytellers that had been taking part. After getting a bite to eat at Frankie and Bennie's we went over to Thomas Alleyne's High School Theatre for the main event. Parents and pupils from all over the Uttoxeter area had gathered together to hear stories, meet the people involved in the festival, drink coffee and eat cake.

The evening was packed with young writers and storytellers sharing some of their favourite stories and stories that they had written. The first half of the evening was hosted by my friend Saviour Pirotta and the second part by myself. At the end of the night we announced the winners of the story writing competition. It's always hard judging the winners of a competition but I think it's safe to say that picking the winners of this competition was the hardest yet... The writing was excellent.

It was also great meeting Dan Clacher and Stephen Preedy - creators of Muddy Waters a great looking series of books about the adventures of a narrowboat (go and visit the website to find out more), Suzi Cresswell and the excellent storyteller, Clive Hopwood.

Uttoxeter Storytelling Festival

2010-02-02T21:33:00.005Z

For a while I wasn't sure if I was going to make it - but I have, and here I am. This week, schools across Uttoxeter are working together and holding a huge storytelling festival. I was here a few months ago, visiting Uttoxeter Library and it's great to have been invited back again to take part in the festival.

Tomorrow I'll be at Ryecroft Middle School, Thursday at St Mary's First School and Friday at Oldfields Hall Middle School. Squeezed in the middle is a storytelling cafe' at Thomas Alleyne's High School Theatre. During the week I'll get the chance to meet people from Thomas Alleyne's, Rycroft Middle School, Oldfields Hall Middle School, Windsor Park Middle School, St Mary's First School, All Saints First School and lots of Nursery Groups too (More about those on Thursday).

Here's a big hello to everyone taking part in the Storytelling Festival this week and a special hello to Natalie and everyone at Dove Farm. See you soon...

A Room With a Piano

2010-01-06T20:31:00.006Z

Who lives in a house like this???

Tonight, it's me. I'm staying in Melton Mowbray - famous for its meat pies and Stilton cheese. Do you like the room? The piano might not be as comfortable as a bed but it's much more fun.

Tomorrow I'm visiting Asfordby Captain's Close C of E Primary School where we'll be busy writing stories all day. It doesn't seem very long since I last visited the school - in fact, it was on the June 1st last year - and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again.

I was worried that the snow might have stopped me from getting here today, but the roads were clear. Hopefully the snow will stay away until I'm safely home again tomorrow night.

The first two Mudcrust books were officially published on January 1st - Dirty Deeds and Sabre-toothed Terrors - so keep a look out for those in your local library (or perhaps even a bookshop). There's nothing much on my website about these books yet, but the lovely poeple at A & C Black (the book's publishers) have sent me some pictures that I can use - so as soon as I get chance I'll be making a Mudcrust Page.

Mudcrusts Book 3 - Monstrous Mammoths

2009-12-13T09:09:00.003Z

While I'm busy editing book four in the Mudcrusts series I thought I'd let you have a sneak preview of the cover of book three (Monstrous Mammoths). I hadn't realised that the cover had been finished until I saw it on Amazon, but I think it looks great. On the covers, the title and the two splats have been embossed so they stand out very nicely. You can see poor Fungus Mudcrust hanging on to a rock as the mammoths stampede across the valley.

I did a bit of work in the Scribble Shack (my writing shed) yesterday, insulating the walls to make it warmer. I'll be doing a bit more of that today but we're also picking Rachel up from University and bringing her home for Christmas - aren't we nice.

High Oakham Primary School

2009-11-30T21:39:00.007Z

Today I've been at High Oakham Primary School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and what a great day it's been. The school is full of great pupils and teachers and the day was packed with lots of storytelling fun.

The day started off with a whole school assembly and was followed by a session with years 3 and 4, a quick break and then an action packed hour with the wonderful year 5 and 6 classes in the hall.

Dinnertime was spent looking at the excellent artwork and Monster Cake Recipes that had been done by each of the classes - it's always hard judging artwork or writing competitions, but I think today' were even harder to judge as there was some really amazing pictures.

After lunch I visited the little reception class (all of whom had been busy writing questions to ask) and then did a final session with years 1 and 2 in the school hall. Before going home I was given the honor of opening the new school library - and it's a great library too, and just look at the fantastic picture of Snail from Snail's Legs (expertly painted by Ruth).

Big thanks to everyone who helped out with stories, asked questions and special thanks to the hardworking librarians for helping during the day and with the book sale. Phew... it's been a busy day - I'm off to bed.

Back Online and in Nottingham

2009-11-30T07:29:00.002Z

Been having trouble with email this week, though I didn't realise that until this morning when I flood of emails came pouring in... some of the messages that I'd sent out earlier in the week. If you've been expecting an email from me and haven't had one - that's probably why. Hopefully everything is fixed and back to normal now.

This morning I'm in Nottingham ready to visit High Oakham Primary School - HELLO to everyone there... I'll see you soon. Off for breakfast now.

Marsden Community Primary School

2009-11-24T21:49:00.002Z

Today I've had a busy day writing and right now I'm watching Q.I. on television, but tomorrow I'm back on the road and driving across Lancashire to Nelson to visit Marsden Community Primary School for the day... so here's a big hello to everyone there. I'll see you soon.

Right... time for bed.

Goodnight all.

Robots Invade Penwortham

2009-11-16T21:25:00.009Z

Today I've been at Penwortham Primary School where I've had a great time sharing stories and talking about writing with everyone there. Here's a BIG THANK YOU you to everyone that helped out with stories (especially William for helping in assembly) and thanks to everyone for coming up with such interesting questions.

After dinner I managed to take a look at some of the excellent robots that everyone in year four had been working on - and they are fantastic. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a picture of every single robot, but here's a few of them.

Great aren't they!

This robot bird is called Peckathon and the illustration is full of notes about what it can do - brilliant.

Whilst at the school it was also good to hear that Shoo Rayner had visited last year and that everyone had a great time then too. If you click on Shoo's name (above) you can visit his website and see what he's been up to.

Northern Children's Book Festival 5

2009-11-13T20:06:00.002Z

Today was my final day at the Northern Children's Book festival. I got up early, had breakfast with Robert Crowther and then headed off up the road, through the Tyne Tunnel and on towards Monkseaton and Whitley Bay.

This morning I did two loud sessions with years five and six in the hall at Valley Garden's Middle School in Monkseaton. After the sessions there was quite a lot of book signing - and quite a lot of label signing for those people that weren't able to get the books they wanted right away.... I hope you get them soon.

At lunchtime I drove down to Whitley Bay, unpacked the car and then went for lunch with Lesley and Margaret from Whitley Bay Library - Thank you so much for looking after me all day and for the lovely lunch.

We got back to the library just in time for the afternoon's session with around 100 book-loving pupils from the Star of the Sea RC Primary School in Whitley Bay.

After the session, and a three hour drive, I'm back at home and ready for tea. Takeaway tonight as I really can't be bothered cooking.

Phew... it's been a busy few days for me in the North East of England, but I've thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the NCBF. It's great taking part in a book festival that's so well organised so hopefully this is the start of a regular thing.

Northern Children's Book Festival 4

2009-11-12T18:49:00.005Z

Another good day today, though rather hectic (there was no time for a break this morning and only just enough time to eat a sandwich at dinner time - though it was a very nice sandwich).

The morning started with a train journey up to Newcastle where I was picked up at the station by Jan, from Newcastle Library, who whisked me away to Our Lady and St Anne's RC Primary School for the morning. Then it was off to Seven Stories - The Centre For Children's Books for a quick lunch (this photograph was taken through the cafe window at Seven Stories) and on to Walker Technical College for an afternoon session - then back to the station to catch a train to Durham.

I'd hoped to have a good look round Seven Stories today, but there just wasn't time. There's lots to see there so I'll be going back there again as soon as I can. At the railway station I bumped into the excellent storyteller Bob Hartman who was there to catch a train to take him back down south before he flies back home to America.

I first met Bob a few years ago while he was telling stories in front of a large adult audience at a book conference. That was the first time I had ever heard the story of Silly Jack - it was also the time I helped out in the story... Bob ran around with me on his back. (Since then, I've told the story in lots of schools myself).

A BIG THANK YOU to Jan for looking after me all day and to everyone at Our Lady and St Anne's RC Primary School - especially Sue - and to everyone that squeezed into the library at Walker Technical College... it was great meeting everyone.

Tomorrow I'm getting up early and driving to Monkseaton to visit Valley Gardens School in the morning, then in the afternoon I'll be at Whitley Bay Library... but now it's time for tea.

Northern Children's Book Festival 3

2009-11-12T07:09:00.004Z

Today I'm taking the train to Newcastle where I'll be visiting Our Lady and St Anne's RC Primary School this morning and Walker Technology College this afternoon. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone - see you soon.

Now off for breakfast.

Northern Children's Book Festival 2

2009-11-11T23:28:00.004Z

I've had a great day today visiting Stockton - Big thanks to everyone that came to Egglescliffe Library this morning and everyone at Rosebrook Primary School where I spent the afternoon talking to about 150 young readers and writers in years 3, 4 and 5... I hope you all enjoy your books and have a great time sharing stories and writing your own.

And Special Thanks to Helen Wilberforce for looking after me all day and putting up with my constant twittering.

This evening I've been out into Durham for a meal with fellow authors - Gillian Cross, Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore, Alan Durant, John Dougherty and Bob Hartman. Wonderful...

Tomorrow morning I'm catching the train to Newcastle to visit a couple of schools there. More about that in the morning. I need to get some sleep.

Northern Children's Book Festival 1

2009-11-10T17:24:00.005Z

I drove up to Durham today, ready to take part in the Northern Children's Book Festival. To find out more about the festival you can click HERE, and to find out what I'm going to be up to for the rest of the week you can keep coming back to visit my diary.

After unpacking, I had a bit of spare time so I went for a little walk round Durham (I also called in at the railway station to buy a train ticket for Thursday when I'll be going up to Newcastle).

I'm staying in Durham tonight, but first thing in the morning I'll be driving down to Egglescliffe Library where I'll be spending the morning talking about writing, sharing stories and having fun. Hello to everyone in year 3 and 4 at Junction Farm Primary School and to everyone at Durham Lane Primary School... I'm looking forward to seeing you all at the library.

After lunch I'm going to Rosebrook School in Stockton for a big session with years 3, 4 and 5 - so Hello to you too.

Opening a Library and Sharing Stories

2009-11-06T20:52:00.009Z

It's been a good day today, sharing stories and opening the fantastic new library and meeting everyone at Barton St Lawrence C.E. Primary School.

I arrived at school early this morning so I had a bit of time to have a little look round before everyone came into the hall for a story to get the day started. I was delighted to see this excellent Robo-runners display that some of the fantastic artists in school have been having fun working on. Not all of the robot pictures have been put up yet but as you can see, there are already some fantastic pictures there.

Whilst at the school I was asked to judge a poetry competition - Phew - what hard work that was. All of the poems were brilliant and it was very hard choosing a winner from each class.

Big thanks to everyone at school for making the day so much fun - and special thanks to Dean for helping with the first story.