Ideas have no sense of timing or order...

Ideas have no sense of timing or order - they just spring into one's head and start running around like unruly puppies. And I should know, I currently have ideas and an unruly puppy to fit into my already busy days.

Why is it that while I was in the final stages of finishing my book, I was brimming with all sorts of ideas to launch and promote it – I even wrote some of them down... somewhere.

Yet now when I need all those ideas they seem to have fled - and ideas for my next book are rampaging around in my head... I guess I’m a writer not a promoter...

So here it is, you know, if you're fancying a new book: 

 

#LostinaBook 

Busy Book - a treasure trove of textures for tiny hands to discover...

I never thought I'd find January too short - but this year I don't seem to have got through as much as I'd hoped, and January is running towards the finish line before me..

The painting has been a lovely excuse to hibernate - well almost, right now I'm hiding in the warm as the wind howls round the house. I will have to venture out later though to buy parts for a broken down washing machine that has left me with a load of sopping wet washing - why does something always happen, just when I think I can get on...?

There's a brand new busy book in my bookshop - a treasure trove of textures for tiny hands to discover...

It's a one off unique book as I make them up as I go along. I empty a bag of fabrics onto the table along with ribbons, buttons and cords, and see what the combination inspires me to do.

 

Because babies need books too

Busy/Quiet Book each one hand made and unique from Lost in a Book

A chunky button and cord fastening open to reveal a treasure trove of textures and colours... 

 There's a furry bear, with a shiny button nose, and satin ribbon bow tie...

 There are balloons with colourful cords,,and a button and ribbon to feel and pull.

 There's a handy zip up pocket for little treasures, or just to play with the zip...

 All bound up in  a soft cover from Lost in a Book.

#LostinaBook #BusyBook #QuietBook #inspirations 

Book signing in York's Guildhall

The dates are filling up for book signings, the next one being on 24th October at York's Guildhall - I can feel another sheep emergency coming on...

There'll also be some new busy books, I've made a start on a festive one - I would show you the pic of the book in progress, but my phone is refusing to talk to the computer today.

Right, and after all that, I'm retreating into my book in progress for a while to do a bit of tinkering...

Sheep in York city centre?

Getting ready to take my little bookshop out and about - tomorrow I'll be in York's Guildhall with books, sheep and Basils... it'll be like a popup bookshop! 9.45am  - 5pm

#LostinaBook 

How using the wrong word can lead to buying a container ship...

I found a container ship for sale online... I know I've been going a bit nautical, but that is going a bit far...!

It also illustrates the need for correct spelling and word usage -  I searched 'ship sale' instead of 'ship sail' when looking for images to inspire some artwork.

I hope this doesn't lead to more container ship adverts popping up everywhere now that I've accidentally shown an interest in them...

Passionate about picture books

Picture books are fun - yes I could go into all sorts of theories about how they introduce the readers of the future to books, and paint the pictures in their imagination that will later paint themselves as they read... but when you read to little ones it should be fun!

Picture books have to appeal to different age groups - it's usually an adult who chooses the book. The Monster Under The Bed never fails to draw attention at book signings, everyone has a story to tell about the monster under their bed, it's a bit disappointing then, how many people shy away from buying the book for fear of scaring their children. Children enjoy a story that's a little bit scary, when read in a safe environment. It's exciting to not know what's happening, but then find out that all is well by the end of the book.

 

But I'm Not Sleepy is still my bestseller - it seems everyone can relate to this title, and everyone has a Lucy, but few will admit to having been one when they were little.

And of course there's the added attraction of the sheep - people love sheep! It started with little card pop-up pictures of sheep on my table at book signings, but now the sheep are in danger of taking over. Since the sheep took on knitted form they've become a real talking point and have been bought by all age groups...

 

Basil and The Flappy Thing often makes people chuckle, and every so often a like minded person picks it up and totally gets it - if you've ever trained a reluctant cat to use a cat flap, then you'll know what I mean... if not, then you should probably read the book to see what you're missing...!

  

Oh, and Basil has taken on knitted form too!

Book signing - York

I've rounded up the sheep and counted out the books, all ready for the first book signing of the year at Clifton Library tomorrow - I'll be turning up in time for the 11 am coffee morning - now if I could just arrange all my book signings around coffee mornings, then that would be lovely...

Rummaging about in my online bookshop - Lost in a Book

April at Lost in a Book

3rd April

Well the snow has yet to arrive, so I'm feeling that A face Full of Snow maybe isn't the best choice to be displaying on my table at the front of my bookshop, so bare with me, I'll just have a reshuffle and put...

hmmm... now what else is topical? Well there are spring lambs being born, so maybe But I'm Not Sleepy would be the ideal feature book this Easter:

...it's got a Lucy who can't sleep, and a whole lot of sheep... what more could you want? 

    

Lucy isn't sleepy. She's feeling bouncy and full of energy.

She listens to Granny's bedtime stories, then jumps about pretending to be the characters.

Granny suggests counting sheep, but when the sheep start running around Lucy's bedroom, even Downboy the sheepdog can't round them up.

Finally Lucy gets tired, and finds her own solution to the sheep problem.

32 page full colour paperback

ISBN 978-0-9560232-1-6

Lost in a Book

For personalised signing give name of recipient in 'note to seller' box at checkout.

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 banging on about books... again :)

The best way to encourage your child to read is to read to them from an early age.

Picture books are a great start to reading, and are often aimed at multiple age groups, so have a look around, you'll probably be surprised how much you enjoy them too, and if you enjoy them, that is going to come across as you read them aloud.

The cat lovers among you will find lots to chuckle at in Basil and the Flappy Thing - I wonder if your cat calls you the Feed-Mes and leads you a merry dance with the cat flap... 

There's even a book for adults hidden among the kids books - see if you can find it. Its a true story about how I became Outnumbered by Cats - there's a few more truths in there than there probably should be... but hey - everyone has found themselves hissing back at their cat at some point right...?

Judging a book by its cover... we all do it

I was in a bookshop last week, yes a real bricks and mortar bookshop.

I got a book token for Christmas - which took me back to childhood, as I always used to get book tokens for birthdays and Christmas.

I went in with an idea of one book I wanted, and decided to choose another on impulse, and that was when it occured to me that as I was browsing, I was judging books by their covers... and what else are buyers supposed to do when looking for inspiration for something different to read?

It's not practical to expect people in a bookshop to read every blurb in the shop, and we don't all want to simply go to our favourite author every time, or even the same genre - sometimes it's good to try something completely different.

Well the natural thing to do is to look around and see if a cover catches your eye, read the title, read lots of titles, and when one intrigues you enough, pick it up and read the blurb, maybe even read a page or two, and by then you'll have a pretty good idea of whether you want to live in that book for a while... 

 ......................................................

But I'm Not Sleepy - still my bestseller - This book is constantly judged by its cover and title - it seems to strike a chord with many people...

What age are picture books for?

I'm often asked what age my books are for... that has to be the hardest question of all, harder even than how long does it take to write a book...?

Picture books are enjoyed by a wide age range, from babies who enjoy the pictures and the sound of your voice, through toddlers who start to get the story, and love the repetition of being read a favourite story. As children grow they will understand a bit more of what is going on in the story, and ultimately enjoy reading along or reading in turns - they may be able to read a chapter book, but it doesn't mean they can't still enjoy a picture book. And they can still enjoy being read to...

Picture books are the perfect length for a bedtime story - what better way to end the day than to read the whole book...! 

Self publish book 10 years old and now in 2nd edition

February at Lost in a Book

My first book turned 10 years old at the weekend - The Monster Under The Bed was my first published book, and is still in print - now in it's second edition under my own imprint Lost in a Book, this title never fails to get a reaction - not everyone wants to buy a book about monsters, but everyone likes to talk about them...  

But what... or who, is the monster under Billy's bed...?

 In my Online Bookshop you can choose a first (while stocks last) or a second edition.

Book excerpt: A Face full of Snow

 

“You wouldn’t say that if you met him,” said Eric, thinking about Iver and HB left safely at home. Iver No-Idea and his dog HB were doodles.

But they were no ordinary doodles – they came to life, and words and pictures came to life around them, which was not always a good thing. Iver No-Idea had been learning to ski in a ski brochure. He’d been practising for weeks; he’d gone through every page. He’d skied down every ski run, and now he thought he was an expert.

Getting kids reading

I'm on a mission to get books into little hands - because the best way to give children a love of reading is to give them books from an early age.

I often get parents of 2 and 3 year olds saying that their child is too young for books, while another family will happily buy one for a baby under a year old - so what is the secret of these young book lovers?

It's simple, their parents have read to them from being tiny babies. It doesn't matter at that age whether they understand all that is being read to them, they enjoy the closeness of a being held and hearing the sound of your voice.

Choose a book with colour pictures for your baby to look at as you read, and by the time they graduate to stories without pictures their imagination will have learnt to paint the pictures in their heads as they read.

Many picture books are written on two levels - they need to entertain a small child as well as their parent, so choose a book that you can enjoy too... 

But I'm Not Sleepy - still my bestseller - it seems everyone has a Lucy who just doesn't want to go to sleep. But few will admit that they were just the same at that age...

Looking for a unique Christmas gift....?

The Christmas fair season may be over, or at least for me - but my books are all still available from my website.

And... I still have a couple of my Quiet / Busy books left. These unique cloth books were very popular at my fairs this season, and it seems it's not just the babies who like to stroke and feel at textures, people of all ages loved these books.
This one is available from my Etsy shop:

Christmas fairs and unique gifts not found on the high street

It's been a manic but fun few weeks, out and about doing Christmas fairs in the York area.

This year I've had books for all ages, from:

Cloth books for babies, a riot of colour and textures - with fur, satin ribbons and buttons.

Full colour picture books - read The Monster Under The Bed if you dare...

But I'm Not Sleepy - because everyone has a Lucy!

Basil and the Flappy Thing - about a ginger cat stubbornly refusing to do what Mr and Mrs Feed-Me expect of him...

There's the Doodle series for early readers or reluctant readers, or to share as a read aloud.

And for the adults - Outnumbered by Cats - share the journey of joy and chaos caused by a house full of kittens... with colour photos! 

The Christmas fairs are finished but the books are all still available from my on-line shop. So why not pop along and grab a signed book for a unique Christmas present that you won't find on the high street. 

Swan or headless chicken...?

I mentioned recently that an author is like a swan, seemingly all is quiet and serene, but under the surface there's a lot going on - well I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't more headless chicken than swan, with more stuff to get through than I can realistically get done in the day...

Oh well, I can have a sit down at the fairs over the weekend:

Poppleton Tithe Barn on Saturday and Yorkshire Heart Vine Yard on Sunday.

Must go now - and try not to run around in circles...

Lost in a Book at Christmas fairs

I had a lovely weekend at a Christmas fair in Haxby - everyone had turned out to socialise and do their Christmas shopping from local artists and crafters - I even came home with a tiny growing Christmas tree, which has taken up residence on my kitchen shelf to await some deccies...

So while everyone else is having a manic Monday, I'm having quite a chilled out one, plodding through the things that need to be done, before launching into preparations for my final weekend of Christmas fairs, in the Tithe Barn at Poppleton and Yorkshre Heart Vineyard.

There's some emergency knitting to be done as all my sheep and Basil's have gone to new homes - and if I have time I'll get another Christmas busy book made... and somewhere along the way I have Christmas cakes to make, and Christmas shopping to do...  arghh

Why an author is like a swan...

A swan will sit serenely on the water, gliding along effortlessly - but all the effort is going on out of sight, where the legs are doing all the work... Now I'm not saying that an author at a book signing is madly kicking their legs under the table, but, a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to get to the point where they can sit or stand there for the day, with all the time in the world to engage in conversation with total strangers...

It all starts with a spark of imagination... and then there's:

• Writing the book
• Illustrating the book
• Publishing
• Printing
• Gathering display stands, a table cloth and lights
• Getting everything to the fair
• Displaying the books
• Hiding behind the books   
• Engaging total strangers in conversation and sharing a passion for books

Behind the scenes at Lost in a Book