author rambling on again...

Hi, you found me - I sometimes think I'm typing into an abyss... almost like trying to sell books in a bookshop with all the lights turned off. But I'm working on it, I've read articles, read the rules, but I don't like rules, especially when it comes to writing. Aren't the laws of grammar enough...? Surely creative writing is all about there being no rules...

So what does an online bookshop look like?

No I don't mean how it appears on your screen, work with me here - it could be any shape. It could be in a giant Teepee... with bookcases spiraling up as far as the eye can see... and sheep - why do the sheep keep popping up everywhere? Well they seem to be here to stay now. There'll probably be cats too, they'll be taking up all the sofas and beanbags, forcing everyone to sit on the floor to read their books, with that down the nose stare that cats are so good at...

Book signing in York

 

Exciting new book signing venue:

Clifton Library, York, is the venue for my next book signing Tuesday 7th April.

I'll have my books and a little gathering of sheep... my sheep seem to have captured everyone's imagination, and always raise a smile.

What is it about sheep I wonder that grabs everyone's attention, even more than the cats in two of my other books, though surely more people can relate to cats than sheep... or am I missing something? Are we suddenly a country of sheep lovers, there are hens in the gardens near my house, but no sheep... as far as I know... 

Anyway, I suppose when animals are fictional it doesn't matter what they are, it's not as if we have to accommodate the real thing in our houses, as long as we can fit the fictional ones into our imaginations. And with that in mind - I'm working on a story with a giraffe in it, for no better reason than I think giraffes are really cool and work well with an idea that was buzzing around in my head.

Creating and catching characters...

Here are some characters I caught earlier:

         

....just a few of the characters, mostly from my imagination, but one, very real and mischievous! 

I'm not sure what will happen releasing these characters together onto one posting - maybe HB the doodle dog will round up the sheep, or maybe the real cat and the knitted cat will join forces and chase the dog... I'm taking a big risk letting this lot out to play together, but what's the worst that can happen...? 

Ideas, inspiration and illusive characters

Writing - the art of capturing a piece of one's imagination and committing it to print...

But what happens when that imagination is running away with itself, faster than words can be written or pictures drawn...?

Some ideas don't like to be caught it seems, they run a mile at the sight of a pen or a computer screen and only come out to play when they think you're not looking... the only way to catch these sneaky creatures is to do something else, and pretend you're not watching them, which is why some of my best ideas come to me when I'm sat in the garden daydreaming. And if all else fails, once I'm in the garden there's likely to be a gathering of cats getting up to something - or a sneaky one viewing me from the other side of the kitchen window, on the forbidden worktops...

Inspiration can come from the funny situation going on in front of me, or from characters who flit through my imagination - the trick is to catch them...

Author rambling on about... stuff

March at Lost in a Book

When I'm not out and about at book signings I'm bobbing about in an imaginary world creating the next book, and right now that means drawing and colouring in. Yes, colouring in, and no I'm not too grown up to be colouring in, so that leaves a conundrum... as a writer I need to write, otherwise the words will just start to back up in my head and who knows what that will lead to. So the obvious outlet for these words is my website where I can chat to my virtual visitors in a my little bookshop with big ideas.

I'm getting a steady flow coming through now, maybe I should set up some comfy sofas and a coffee machine - work with me here, do you have a kettle to hand? you could become part of this imaginary world I seem to be inhabiting...  

Book signing York

Exciting new book signing venue:

Clifton Library, York, is the venue for my next book signing Tuesday 7th April.

Lost in a Book has popped up in some diverse locations, from a swimming pool to a vineyard, with bookshops, a school library and a lot of craft fairs along the way. So what could be more natural than a library? And there's a coffee morning and story time going on at the same time.

Books and coffee - the perfect combination...

Writing - the art of...

Writing - the art of capturing a piece of one's imagination and committing it to print...

Advertising and selling books - the art of capturing enough of someone else's imagination enough to get them to buy a book... 

Focusing - the art of getting down to what needs doing, and trying not to wander off into a daydream, even if that daydream might be the spark for a new project... oh no, I've just given myself an excuse not to focus... 

March at Lost in a Book

March at Lost in a Book

So, its march and the snow is falling, and I have a strong urge to hibernate...

And it's not even the sort of snow that looks pretty and you can go out and play in, it just keeps melting and making everything sopping wet - but hey - it's the perfect weather for choosing a book in my little online bookshop - I even have one about snow! It's at the back of the shop, past all the cats and sheep who're sheltering from the snow...