Reprint ordered

This morning I ordered another print run of Lost in the Christmas Post, the second in my Doodle series, all about how Iver No-Idea and his dog HB manage to cause their own brand of festive chaos...

Eric’s doodles are on the rampage again. Iver No-Idea and his dog HB are no ordinary doodles, they’re alive; and stories and pictures come alive around them. When Iver No-Idea jumps onto a Christmas card and sinks up to his knees in the snow it’s just the beginning of Eric’s troubles.

Eric comes up with an idea to control Iver No-Idea, but it only makes matters worse, and soon Iver and HB are running through the Christmas cards, knocking things over and jumbling things up. But when HB goes missing, and Iver No-Idea sets out to find him, Eric is afraid he might have lost his doodle friends for good.

Knitted sheep - inspired by the book But I'm Not Sleepy

Meet the sheep...

You must always remember you saw it here first...!

This is the first sheep in the flock, the prototype you might say for the ones to follow. And follow they will, as now I have a pattern, written down as I knitted, on the plain side of the paper band from the ball of wool.

Where, you might ask are all these sheep headed? Well they could follow each other around the kitchen table, get lost in the knitting bag, but ultimately they're  headed for Christmas fairs around the York area to promote the book that inspired them But I'm Not Sleepy.

So next time you are tempted to count sheep as an aid to going to sleep, bare in mind the chaos that could ensue when a flock of sheep start rampaging around the bedroom, not to mention the knitted sheep that will inevitably follow...

Halloween Special

Nestled inside a virtual bookshop (but actually in my stock cupboard) is a book, or rather a box of books, created in my imagination, with a little bit of real life inspiration. The story was captured and printed onto paper for me to share with little monsters everywhere.

Still at special Halloween price of £4.99

http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/165905439/the-monster-under-the-bed?ref=shop_home_active

Merchandising a book on a shoestring

OK so I seem to do everything else so why not merchandising too...? and so production has begun on a flock of sheep to go with my best seller But I'm Not Sleepy. And when I say production has begun I mean I have knitted a sheep's head... but the rest will follow I'm sure, after all following is what sheep do best...

So, after two false starts, where I realised that 11.30pm is not the best time to start a new creative project, I set off again with knitting needles and wool, and made a start. What was that, do I have a pattern...? No of course I don't, that would be far to easy... after all the wool started off as a sheep, I just have to turn it back into a smaller sheep - I don't think I'm quite ready for a life sized sheep to take along to fairs with me, I do have a wheelie crate now to take the strain, but that might be taking things a bit far.

As soon as I have a completed sheep I will post a picture  - oh dear, I do like to put pressure on myself don't I...

Editing... it should be a quiet activity... but not with a house full of furry hooligans...

I had a quiet morning planned, sat on the sofa editing my manuscript... but the stars of my story - a house full of cats had other ideas. They say never work with children or animals - well what about when your animal has children...?

So, there I was reading through my story about the antics of a litter of kittens, while the cats they grew into start a running battle around the house. I blame the weather, not just because it's a very British thing to do, but because if the weather hadn't been cold, wet and windy, then the cats would have run all their energies off in the garden, and not around the house.

In the end several doors were closed, thus separating cats who just wanted a nap, from the ones who wanted to pick a fight. The situation was defused, and I managed to get some work done, shut in the sitting room with Bumble who just wanted a nap.  zzz

Book signing dates, York area... come and Get lost in a Book

Shopping evenings and Christmas fairs 2013

Get Lost in a Book at:

8th November 7-9pm Huntington Primary School Christmas Shopping Evening

17th November 11am - 4pm Whixley Village Craft Fair

21st November 6.30pm Wilberfoss & District Playgroup &Toddler Group Christmas Shopping Evening

28th November 7-9pm Knavesmire Primary School Christmas Shopping Evening

7th Dec 10am - 4.30pm Tithe Barn, Church Lane Nether Poppleton Christmas Fair

Is it too early to be feeling festive?

So, after getting a little carried away, buying Christmas hats and booking Christmas fairs, and breaking into Christmas song (that was the step too far that I got told off for...) I thought I was being really early and organised when I went to stock up on dried fruit to start the Christmas baking - but apparently I wasn't as ahead of the crowd as I thought I was... some of the shelves were already bare and a locust style shopping seemed to be in full swing...

...and there was me thinking everywhere would be quiet on a rainy Monday in October. When everyone should be tucked up somewhere warm and dry with a good book - either reading one or writing one.

Getting our heads turned by springy Santa hats

It's all go on the kitchen table this morning with my daughter and Nails Inspire at one end and me with Lost in a Book at the other... both egging each other on and booking more Christmas fairs.

New nail polishes have been created and a quote for a new print run has been requested, and all was looking very grown up and professional until we got sidetracked onto Christmas hats... Now sensible business women's heads have been turned by springy Santa hats, which we simply must have to get in the festive spirit at the Christmas fairs...

Book signings and Christmas fairs

Here I am in October and a festive feeling is sneaking in as I book a few more Christmas fairs - list to be posted when I have the confirmations.
So out with the fairy lights and Christmas sparkles - and bring it on... it's always lovely to know that some of my books are out there being lovingly wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and nestling in Christmas stockings and under Christmas trees. :) ...now, where's that Santa hat?

Read me a story. Please... See if you can find the monster.

Read me a story. Please...

Let me share a little snippet  of my book The Monster Under The Bed with you, so that you can share it with your own little monsters... 

“Mum... Mum... There’s a monster under my bed!”

Billy sat up in the dark... something was moving around under his bed.

There was a creak from the stairs, then the sound of footsteps.

The door opened, and Mum switched the light on.

“There’s no monster Billy... now go to sleep.”

Billy listened as his mum went back downstairs.

He lay in the dark, with his duvet pulled up so that just his eyes peeped over the top.

He heard a bump on the floor.

Something was moving about in the dark.

“Get back into bed Billy,” called Mum.

“I’m in bed Mum. It was the monster.”

If you've spotted  the monster in the pictures, and want to see more, why not buy a copy to share with your little monsters at the Halloween price of £4.99

Writing, editing and following dreams

True to my plan I did make a start on editing my manuscript, OK so it was in the afternoon and not the morning, but I did make good use of my morning too... I had a play on adobe and managed to trick it into doing what I wanted! Here is the result:

 Check out Lost in a Book on facebook and share if you're following your dreams and putting your product out there.

Draft copy printed

Well I've done it now - I've printed out a draft copy of my book

I had two little helpers, one cat was sat in the comfy chair next to me, and one was sat on the desk, she had a dab at the flash drive sticking out of the side of the laptop - well it is in the shape of a penguin, so she probably thought it was fair game... luckily she didn't manage to knock it out, or the printer would have had a panic attack and then anything could have happened...

So... now I have a lovely crisp manuscript to read through in the morning.

Progress on the cat book v being cats' doorkeeper

There was definite progress this morning, despite having to keep getting up to play doorkeeper to the cats. The cat flap is currently blocked - yes that's right blocked, not locked, the locks have proved inadequate on previous occasions and we currently have a cat confined to the house until his stitches have a chance to mend an injury caused by a recent fight.

But between answering the door, and other never ending 'stuff to do' I have moved on to the extras such as insert pages for the beginning of the book. Tomorrow, cats, horses and cars permitting I'll be printing out a draft copy  - oh yes I should have added home printer permitting, as that is the most likely hiccup to try my patience tomorrow...

Then I should be able to decide exactly where the colour pics are going to fit into the book, so that I can get a print quote from the professionals -   they're the guys with the big printers that turn out beautiful books.

A week of horsing around...

Lets hope this week is going to be a bit less hectic, with no cats needing to go to the vets(apart from the one I took today for his check up), or cars to the garage. And if I can just keep a stir-crazy cat indoors long enough to ensure his stitches don't split open, then all should be well...

Last weeks highlights saw me riding an ex-racehorse and going to The Horse of the Year Show - The Horse of the Year Show was planned months ago, but the ride on the ex-racehorse wasn't - or at least it wasn't on my plan for the day... though my daughter has probably been planning it for a while.

This week has already started well, I've been invited back to a Christmas event at the Tithe Barn in Poppleton. This was a lovely event last year, with the barn decorated for Christmas and everyone feeling very festive.

So... after all that excitement... in the morning, bright and early (or as close to mid-morning as possible), I'll be getting on with my cat book...

Trying to fit some writing into my writer's day...

Well I made it to a computer by 10am this morning, this is progress...

The cars seem to be behaving themselves, well one of them went away for a min break at the local garage this week, so it should be rested up and ready for some trouble free driving...

The cats have all gone to sleep - how many cats I here you saying, well that's all going to be revealed in my new book if I ever stop thinking of more things I simply can't miss out, and declare it finished. But only this morning I found a chapter that just had to have some more detail added about how one of the cats got involved in some home decorating...

But when is a book finished...? and when should the promotion start? it's enough to make my head spin...

Leisurely start...?

It seems that getting to a computer earlier than 11am just alludes me...

This morning it's true I did have a bit of a lie in, followed by a leisurely sit down with a cup of tea - jumping up between gulps to pursued cats that they really shouldn't be wondering about behind the TV and threatening to chew wires...

But yesterday I did make some headway on my next book, and it's shaping up nicely. This is my first book aimed at adults and consequently it's going to be a thicker book - my first one that's going to be fat enough to put the title on the spine. I'm not sure I can talk about my book shaping up and then say it's fat in the same post - but I don't think it's listening...

Forced early start

Well who'd have thought you could get so much done in a morning with a forced early start...?

So far I've:
Taken one car to the garage, given a lift in another - no I'm not a taxi driver... I've set the laundry off (normal activity) dug up some garden (very unlike me...) and bought a book (now that's more me...) but I haven't done any work on my book, or sold a book... and so, even with an early start I'm still only sitting down to work at 11am - I could have had a lie in and started at this time... ah well I have got a lot of stuff done...

Apologies to home printer

Apologies to my home printer, and note to self not to take on technology when I'm tired  - or it will win!!

It took me a few days, and a bit of distance from the problem, but I finally figured it out - I added numbers to my pages between printing the odd pages and the even pages, thinking that the numbers would nestle nicely in the footer without taking up any extra space and throwing the whole document into disarray...  they didn't.

But aside from all of that, the editing and formatting of my next book is coming along nicely - and one of these days I'll risk approaching the home printer again to see it all in  print, for final checks before sending it off to the professionals to get a proof copy printed... ready for final final checks.

Home printer with a warped sense of humour...

I decided that today was the day to commit my latest book to print on paper for the very first time, but my home printer had other ideas...

OK so the printer doesn't get the same amount of attention it once did, when I printed out everything for fear of loosing a day's work to technology. But you'd think that would make it all the more keen to please when it does get used...

I set it off printing all the odd pages, all well and good, then I set it to print all the even pages, the result should have been a stack of neat pages with my book printed out. But this is where the printer decided to get creative and miss chunks of text out, I can only imagine where it's put them - they'll probably turn up on some unsuspecting and important form that doesn't need to include snippets of story about a house full of cats.

It's enough to send a digital file running off into the depths of a computer never to be seen again...

The Monster Under the Bed Halloween special offer...

“Mum……Mum…..There’s a monster under my bed.”
Billy sits up in the dark, he can hear something moving around in his bedroom. When his mum puts the light on there’s no monster to be seen. But when Mum goes back downstairs the noises start again.
“Get back into bed Billy,” calls Mum.
Something is making a noise, and if it isn’t Billy – who can it be? Find out in this full colour picture book that’ll keep you guessing till the last page.

Now on special offer until Halloween - for the little monsters in your life...

Lost in a Book Bookshop