What would happen if your characters started escaping their covers...?

What would happen if your book characters started escaping their covers? Well that's just what happens in Doodle Mayhem - meet Iver No-Idea and his dog HB...

Once characters start to speak they take on a life of their own - and who knows where that might lead...? 

Best to visit them in their books - and try to leave them there, although they may take root in your imagination and live there for a while...  

Books on display ...just horsing around

May at Lost in a Book

 

New books looking good in the library display cabinet, with my other picture books keeping them company and showing their support.

#LostinaBook #BelleExRaceHorseJustHorsingAround 

New children's book out soon...

2018 at Lost in a Book

March at Lost in a Book

28th March

Proof copy here and looking good - no mistakes found so far, nearly ready to order the first print run, and send my books galloping out into the world - did I tell you it's about an ex racehorse...?

 

See the book cover now on my website

#LostinaBook #exracehorse

Autumn was invented for reading, and if it wasn't, it should have been...

Autumn was invented for reading! (or if it wasn't it should have been...)

 

Now, what can I tempt you with?

Well why not start with Basil and the Flappy Thing - a work of fiction, but based on my own cats. Anyone with a cat flap will know that once you have a cat flap there's never a dull moment, and all that after taking the time to get your cat to use the flap in the first place, when they'd rather just have you wait on them hand a foot...

 

There's the Doodle series:

Find out what happens when Eric's doodle comes alive and starts picking letters up off the page, and throwing them at Eric to get his attention...

Perfect to read aloud, or for early readers to lose themselves in as they discover the joy of reading to themselves. 

There are picture books to share with the little ones, and spark a love of books.

And not forgetting one for the adults - Outnumbered by Cats. A true story, where I possibly shared a bit more than I should have - it's quite normal to hiss back at your cat right? ...given the right circumstances...

Get Lost in a Book this autumn

#LostinaBook 

Local author at Clifton Library in York 7th July

Lost in a Book goes mobile tomorrow at the coffee morning and story time at Clifton Library in York. There'll be books, there'll be sheep and a few Basils... what's a Basil? Well why don't you come down and find out... 

But I'm Not Sleepy

So what do authors do when they're not writing...?

The wonderful thing about being a writer, is that I don't feel like I'm expected to be a certain way - I refuse to be put in a box... so what was I doing this weekend while I was away from my computer and neglecting my blog...?

I was at a family party where I found myself having a bucket of water poured over me soon after arrival, as part of the ice bucket challenge, then after drying off and having a hot cup of tea, I had a go with a JCB - as you do, on a Saturday afternoon...

Yesterday I realised that fabric shops are just as dangerous as bookshops when it comes to buying more than I went in for... I only went in for a real of thread, but then I saw some amazing fabric with sheep - knitting sheep at that - OK, I admit it, I'm easily distracted, but I think that's what makes life more interesting - I just never know where my day is going to take me - in reality or my imagination...

Website escapee

Welcome to my homepage - actually this piece is an escapee from my homepage - for some reason people can find my blog but not my website. So for those who haven't found my little cyber Bookshop - this is a piece of what you're missing - that and the books of course...

My little piece of cyberspace that's just for me and my books - and some sheep... oh and a few cats.

My equivalent to a business meeting is to sit on the garden seat with a cup of coffee and a few cats. There's my usual two, Captain and Steve who always come out with me and distract me into playing with a ping pong ball, and dangle bits of grass, and even a dressage whip - which they all like to chase.

So that's where the cats came into the stories, but what about the sheep...? Well they just bubbled up from somewhere in my imagination and had to be released... makes me wonder what else is lurking in there waiting to come to the surface... 

The sheep took on a knitted form last Christmas when I wanted a new fun element to add to my table at book signings, well I couldn't take the cats - that would cause a bit more fun than anyone could handle...

Self publishing and selling books

If incentives are needed to achieve sales than here's a good one - I've just paid my print bill, and now I'm skint - so that's the reality of self publishing, it's all down to me... And don't be fooled by the so called self publishing companies - it's still down to the author to sell the books.

But how hard can it be...? People love my books, they tell me so all the time, and when I'm at a book signing they fly off the table, so why is it so hard to sell online?

Is my website tucked away down some side street somewhere, where no one can  find it...? Hmm maybe that's it, I seem to have my blog on the main street though, where lots of people pop in and have a look around, some even stop and have a chat occasionally.

So why not nip along to my online bookshop - I may not have a coffee shop, but you can always put the kettle on, it'll be like a DIY coffee shop, you could even buy a book with the money you saved, and I'll post it to you free of charge!

Monday ramblings on Tuesday...

Yes I know it's Tuesday, but Monday was pretty much taken up by 'stuff to do' which included a failed shoe shopping trip resulting in my usual shoe shop problem - me surrounded by shoes that don't fit, shop assistants trying to help, against all the odds, and me reaching for my trusty cowboy boots where my feet can hide away again in comfort. Yes I know it's June - but it was a thunder storm outside - which just goes to show that boots are the ideal foot wear at any time of year, so why fight it...?

So this week's dilemma is whether to carry on with my online campaign, book another craft fair,or work on the next book in the hope that my books will sell themselves... At the same time as all this, I seem to have developed tennis elbow even though I don't even watch tennis, let alone play it, and now everything I do seems to aggravate the condition, yes even typing. Of course I could put myself on sick-leave and read a book until the pain goes away, but I probably should achieve something tangible with my day.

Just putting the kettle on...

...ok now mustn't get carried away or the tea will go cold - yes it happens all too often. So I think my website should maybe be more fun, buzz words like retail theatre spring to mind - but how do I translate that into a website - oops must take the tea bag out - I don't like strong tea... caught in the nick of time.

So retail theatre seems like a dead end - for now, so what can I take from my experiences at book signings? Well people like to talk to a real live author - well they can always message me ...  OK what I actually take from that is that I still need to do book signings, and can't just hide behind a computer.

Apparently people like to rummage - so how can I translate that to an online bookshop, mess up the shop a little maybe...?  hmm any ideas anybody?

1st editions 1st print run... signed books

So here's the thing...

I've got some pretty special books - first edition first print run  - and what's more it's a short print run of just 100 books, each hand numbered and signed.

And why should you buy one? Am  I famous? - well no, not yet, but with my drive and stubbornness anything is possible, and wouldn't you just kick yourself if you'd missed this opportunity...?

But the real reason to buy my new book Outnumbered by Cats is that you're going to love this true story, it's all there - possibly a bit too much at times - is it normal to hiss back at your cat when she hisses at you in the middle of the night for telling her kitten off...?  ...she was certainly surprised.

Oh and did I mention the photos? You're going to love the photos...

Outnumbered by Cats - tell me the story

Outnumbered by Cats

by 

Anne M Stephenson

Lost in a Book

I met my cat on facebook

I met my cat on facebook – a true cat of the twenty first century. There she was, looking fearlessly back at me from her side of the computer screen.

“So do we want her?” my son Mike asked, hand poised ready to click the mouse and put in a request for this tabby and white kitten.

When the kitten topic had raised its head recently, I’d shocked everyone by saying I’d like to get a female kitten and let her have a litter, of which we’d keep one kitten. Not surprisingly Mike had quickly found a suitable kitten, probably before I had a chance to change my mind, and here she was...  ironic that a mouse was about to change the life of a cat forever. It was one of those pivotal moments in life, I looked at this little stranger, and knew that with a simple yes now, she could become part of our lives, our futures forever entwined, and change our lives as every new arrival does – what I didn’t know was how much she was going to change our lives...

Click – and the request was sent. 

Read the true story of how that decision filled our house and hearts with kittens... written from the kitten diaries I kept along the way - diaries that have chewed edges and paw prints...

Grab a copy now - still at launch price - and postage free

Buy now

Book signings and the randomness of craft fairs

Every so often I venture out from behind my computer screen, out into the world....

Book signings in bookshops are good because people are already there looking for books, but you can't beat the randomness of a craft fair...

I'm usually the last to arrive at these events, because I know I can set up in less than 10 minutes. It's become like a well oiled machine - the tablecloth, the book stands, the books of course - some on stands and some laid flat on the table. Most people like to pick up the ones from the table rather than the stands, who know why... maybe they don't want to risk upsetting the stands. But really not much upsets the stands, they're a tough lot, my display team, valiantly holding up books for hours on end  with never a complaint... (oops, letting my visual imagination run away with me again).

The newest addition to the display is a little flock of sheep, that go with my bestseller But I'm Not Sleepy. I have fairy lights and bookmarks, and the sometimes forgotten notice that says I'm a local author doing a book signing - strangely that's the thing that mot people don't notice...

Although the characters of my latest book Outnumbered by Cats, try to stow away in the boxes as I pack them, I don't think half a dozen cats running round a craft fair would be very practical, especially as the occasional dog comes in...

The other traders are usually a friendly bunch, which helps the day go by, through the quiet times. And there's nothing like eating a sandwich to bring out the customers, it's as if they just wait for you to fill your mouth with food to come over and ask a question, so lunch can take a while to eat. My record for longest lasting sandwich was a couple of hours - if only I could remember the filling for that magic sandwich that brought the customers flooding in...

And there's nothing more random than the customers...

• There's the obvious book lovers, who spot the books from the other side of the room and come over with that glint in their eye. 
• There's the ones who look totally uninterested, but get drawn in and often buy one. 
• There's the collectors who buy a signed book to put away and see if it becomes valuable - while quite possibly missing the true value of a book, which needs to be read to be revealed... 
• Best of all is when a book is bought for a small child and placed in their hands to hold and enjoy. Books are precious, but not the sort of precious to be placed on a shelf like fine china. The sort of precious to hold, to read, and to look at the pictures, and to get a little shabby like a favorite teddy...
• Lastly there's the difficult ones, who'll pick fault with everything, but stay to talk anyway, they've no intention of buying, and the books are probably shying away from them in terror in case they get picked... (oops that imagination again...) 

Craft fairs can be fun, and a great way of meeting customers and getting your book out there. 

Monday ramblings and book marketing

Monday ramblings:

Well that was a busy, if a little maddening morning, sorting out the mess I made of my blog header on Friday night, when I would have been better employed leaving the computer well alone and reading a book instead...

My marketing team are busy taking a siesta in various sunny and shady places about the house depending on their current preference - the darker their coats, the sooner they seek shade.

So that leaves me tackling the hardest part of writing a book - namely: shouting about it and getting it out to a greater audience.

    So why should you buy my new book?

• Colour photos - if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the word count in this book is immense - with 82 colour photos of cats and kittens, from all the time when they were getting into mischief and I reached for the camera instead of lifting them down...
• Small first print run - this is a print run of just 100 books, and all the books will be hand numbered and signed
• True story - it's all there, maybe a little too much at times...
• Launch price of £7.99 till the end of May.

The Blurb:

I'd like to get a female kitten and let her have one litter," I said to my stunned family when they raised the kitten topic. Not surprisingly a suitable kitten was quickly found...  and Mitzi arrived in time for Christmas, bringing her own brand of fun and chaos, and demanding friendship from our 5 year old cat Cleo.

By summer Mitzi was quite confused, she came into season and started calling shamelessly. But when a hapless tomcat answered her call, she was far from impressed; causing more than one cat flap drama, and a hole in the door where a flap used to be. 

Eventually nature took it its course and Mitzi had kittens. The first few weeks were blissfully peaceful, watching as Mitzi took care of their every need. We had a week of heartache when one of the kittens was poorly, and then not developing properly, and was destined to challenge and inspire us in ways we could not yet imagine. 

Then they grew big enough to escape their box, and the bedlam began... 

The story that emerged from the kitten diaries, written as kittens climbed on me and chewed the edges of my note books... 

Cats and boxes... it's a cat thing

After all the hard work I'm very proud of my new book - but all Kryten wants is the box...

Help him get his wish - 4 more books and the first box is empty Outnumbered by Cats launch price £7.99 till the end of May

...because cats love to be the centre of attention

Meet Bumble - from Outnumbered by Cats, giving his own input to proceedings...

Not much happens around here without a bit of furry input - in fact there seems to be fur everywhere...

Here is Bumble taking an early interest in the book.

The marketing team - making marketing fun

I've decided that I need some help to shift my stock of books

- so I've brought in a marketing team.


They've agreed to work for commission of food, toys and cuddles... with a possible bonus of a new 'kittie corner' if they do really well...

They were full of enthusiasm to go to the book signing...

Look - I just fit...

Let me just check you've got everything...

I think the cats thought they should go too - after all the sheep went...

Unique selling point and marketing hats

So I'm supposed to be wearing my marketing hat - so what can I say... I need to tell you about my book's unique selling point (USP) well apart from the unique story, a behind the scenes view of living with kittens - and the 82 colour photos, this is a small print run of just 100 books, all of which will be numbered and signed. 

So for a first first - first edition, first print run it's pretty exclusive, and the first box is going down fast...

More attention needed to prevent banana deficit

It has come to my attention that whist internet shopping may be very convenient - especially if your car decides to take a day off and not start at all, it is necessary to have a different level of attention ordering food online, than it is to walk around a shop picking things up.

The first time I ordered my groceries online I received a small but perfectly formed sliced loaf, of the sort I would probably never have noticed if I'd been walking around the shop. Today, in the middle of a bag of apples there was one lonely banana! Now, when I saw bananas priced per kg I assumed I was ordering by the kg, I even changed my initial plan of buying 2kg of bananas in favour of just 1kg so when I pulled my 1 banana out of the bag I had to smile - I wonder if the pickers in the shop have the occasional laugh at the customers expense when such obvious errors occur...

So The thing I have learnt today, is to pay more attention when ordering my groceries online - or face a banana deficit.

...and all this actually proves is that leaving myself time to market my book leads of random ramblings about bananas...

Making a mess

How is it that when I do a book signing at a fair, I'm usually the last to arrive, but never the last to finish setting up. I'm organised and ready to talk to passing people and sign books.

Why then, did signing and packing books on my kitchen table become a scene of total chaos? By the time I fetched my assortment of padded envelopes to actually pack the books, there was nowhere left to put them but the floor, where a passing cat wondered whether to walk on them or stay and destroy them - luckily he chose not to destroy them, he probably saw that I had already surpassed him in messing the place up...

Finally the books were in envelopes, all containing a card with a message on (hopefully all to the same people as the outer envelope was addressed to...) and all that remained was to clear the table.

It occured to me as I packed away, that this was the worst and the best part of working from a kitchen table:
Worst because I have to clear everything away at the end of the day.
 Best because I have to clear everything away at the end of the day, and so, have a clear table to start a new mess everyday.

Self publishing, and why I'm not trudging around the bookshops with my books

My new books are here and ready for sale, so why am I not out there trying to get my books into the bookshops?

Well it's a case of been there, done that, and taken the losses when the bookshops go out of business, and it's not just the small shops, it's the big boys too. Why do bookshops expect to  take their stock on sale or return? I don't order a print run on sale or return, I buy in what I'm confident of selling.

So my position is, I'm happy to sell to bookshops, or supply to them through distributors, but I'n not pushing my books on sale or return anymore.

So my books will be selling mainly from my website and book signings. I'll sign  books for that personal touch, and I'll hand number all copies of my first print run of Outnumbered by Cats, as it's a short print run of just 100 books.

Why such a short print run? Because it's been quite an expensive project to do, it's got colour inserts containing 82 colour photos, and that was after some hard editing down. But the good news is that if you're quick it's at a launch price of just £7.99!