Author sharing the journey - even the wrong turns and dead ends...

So, my website is back on track and I've optimistically added the link to Rummage4words.co.uk to my blog. The current sticking point is the shop, but if you go to any of the online book sellers or bookshops, and ignore the not currently available notice, then your order will come through to me and I will dispatch your order to you - go on I dare you - let's do this!

For the books that need to be read - I will fight technology!

I've been having some website issues lately to the point where I'm coming back to my trusty blog to regroup. So where can I go form here? I have books relying on me to find homes for them and send them out into the world to be read...

The journey has been a long and varied one:

My books have been in book shops...

                                                                       and in library displays...

I bought bright orange envelopes - to send the books out into to the world in style.

I knitted sheep as quirky promotion...

...it worked, so I knitted more sheep.

I knitted some cats - the ginger one, not the tabby!

But most of all I've sat or stood behind my books at book signings and sold direct to readers.

...and played around with book displays.
                                               From books going on holiday...

...to a horse display, (yes I knitted the horse and knotted the hay net)

to promote my latest book.

So you see - I am determined - and I will launch my books out into the world!

#LostinaBook #rummage4words 

A book cover is like a door to a hidden world

A book cover is like a door to a hidden world – open that door and peep inside, but be careful – a book has the power to draw you inside and never let you go…

If you open that book and find it to be empty, then you must be the one who is meant to fill that book – fill it with something amazing…

First proper rain in over a month - the cats were thrilled!!

 

First proper rain in over a month - the cats were thrilled!!

 

Rummaging around my little bookshop and this little chap jumped out at me...

Rummaging around my little bookshop and this little chap jumped out at me...

 

  

"Hey - I'm Iver No-Idea - I know weird name right? I blame Eric... Anyway you can find out how I got my name and where I came from in Doodle Mayhem - but if you want to keep cool in the heatwave why not find a cool spot and read about how I gatecrashed a skiing holiday, because what better time to imagine yourself in the snow?"

Never tell an author you don't like books - they'll see it as a challange

5 Things you should never say to an author at a book signing...

1.   My child is too young for books. It doesn’t matter what age your child is, they are definitely not too young for books! Babies can enjoy books right from the start, and what a lovely activity to it is to share, to cuddle up with a book and a baby on your knee, sowing the seeds of a love of books that’ll stay with them always.

2.   Are you the author? – who me? The one sat behind the local author book signing sign... yes, I get it all the time – I put signs on my table, but people still seem surprised that I am actually the author.

3.   How long does it take to write a book? Well we could be there all day with that question - a book isn’t like a production line item, it could have been born in a rush of inspiration that came tumbling out faster than I could type, or it could have been an idea that lurked around in the recesses of my mind, stubbornly refusing to arrange itself into a story... And then of course there are the illustrations, not just to be drawn and painted, but scanned in, and then technology gets involved, and anything could happen... 

4.   I don’t read books. Never tell an author you don’t read books – they’ll see it as a challenge...  I believe there’s a book out there for everyone, maybe you just had a bad introduction to books, were made to read books you didn’t enjoy... But there are so many books out there, that there must be something you’ll enjoy. What sort of film do you enjoy? Finding a book on the same theme as a film you enjoy is a good place to start, and once you’ve found one, you’ll be able to find other books of that genre, and before you know it you’re a book lover.

5.   My child doesn’t like books. If your child doesn’t like books, could it be that they see you not liking books? Go to a library of bookshop together and choose a book each. If you’re choosing a book for a very young child, then you have a lot of influence, so choose one you like too – if you enjoy reading the story you’re more likely to get that across to your child, and before you know it you’re both enjoying books.

#LostinaBook #amwriting 

Is a true story harder than fiction...?

I did it, I found a little chunk of time between looking after animals, and stuff to do, to get some writing done - ah that feels better.

I'm writing a true story at the moment, which ought to be easier than writing fiction, but I'm finding it harder than fiction, maybe because fiction is just me and my imagination flying off wherever it needs to go. True stories involve other people, and an obligation to get it right...

But time is short - not like the puppy who is far from short these days, and needing more and more exercise to keep him happy - time for a walk I think...

#LostinaBook #amwriting 

Sending books out in style...

Captain is very pleased with the new packaging, he found it discarded on a chair, and instantly took up residence.

But what was the packaging from...? My new bright orange envelopes - because I want my books to arrive in style and make a statement. These are just for the Doodle series at present - but I've ordered some larger ones for the picture books, which will be here in a few days...!

 

So why should you order this book? What better way to start the summer holidays than a bright orange envelope dropping through your letter box, addressed to your child, and containing a book. A book full of imagination, about a doodle called Iver No-Idea and his dog HB. 

Step into a world where words and pictures come alive and interact with the real world... 

#LostinaBook

The calm before the storm - craft fairs and book signings

This month is the calm before the storm, no book signings this month, but plenty of planning and preparation going on for the months ahead...

Right now I'm procrastinating when I should be making a poster for one of my forthcoming events... Oh yes and there's that book to finish, sheep to knit, plums to harvest - yes I know plums have nothing to do with my books, but I can see the tree from the window - and they need picking... arghhh!

But meanwhile - here's a poster that I get a billing on...

I'm looking forward to this one, I might even start my Christmas shopping while I'm there...

Sheep are more unruly than books...

The sheep?

These are my little woolly ambassadors...  

They are the characters from But I'm Not Sleepy, which is my bestseller, but they are in danger of taking on a life of their own. In the lead up to a book signing I'm far more likely to be in the middle of a sheep crisis than having trouble with the books - sheep are more unruly than books...!

What I need next is a sheepdog to round them up... just like Downboy the sheepdog in the story.

 

 

All my books at a glance - oh and some sheep to...

All my books at a glance - oh and a sheep too... can you guess from the covers where the sheep come into it...?

 

 

My intention is to grab unsuspecting surfers off the net - kicking and screaming, dripping wet if necessary - oh no wait... they're not that sort of surfers...

...and persuade them that they need a book:

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I have picture books to share with the little ones in your life: 

   

 

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I have the Doodle series  - chapter books, with black and white drawings, ideal for early readers, or just to read aloud. 

   

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And my latest book, one for the adults, or more competent readers; a must for all the cat lovers out there - I think the title speaks for itself. It's a true story, illustrated with colour photos of cats and kittens. 

 

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New, and each one unique - cloth busy books for babies. A riot of colour, texture and things to pull and grab.

  

Book Stockists:

website online shop

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...

What to do at Easter - read of course!

April at Lost in a Book (from the Little Bookshop with big ideas) 

1st April

A new month - and it's nearly Easter - now the DIY stores would have you believe that you should be ripping the house apart or digging up the garden every bank holiday, but with snow forecast for Easter wouldn't you rather be reading a book...? And given the forecast I think A Face Full of Snow would be an excellent choice.

If you live in the York area why not pop along to my book signing at Cliffton Library on Tuesday 7th April from about 10.30am

  

Third in the Doodle series:

As Eric crashes his way down the ski slope, totally out of control, his only consolation is that Iver No-Idea isn't there to see.

Iver No-Idea and his dog HB are doodles. But they are no ordinary doodles – they're alive, and words and pictures come alive around them. Iver No-Idea has been learning to ski in a ski brochure. He's been practising for weeks and now he thinks he's an expert, and can't wait to tell Eric how it's done.

But when Iver No-Idea and HB are left behind, they find a way to gatecrash Eric's holiday. They arrive at just the wrong time, causing their own unique brand of trouble.

50 page paperback

Black and white line drawings

ISBN 978-0-9560232-3-0

Lost in a Book

I see that the last time I featured A Face Full of Snow in the Little Bookshop with big ideas it was in February... oh well, the weather obviously has no regard for the seasons, so here it is again propped on the display table at the front of the shop. :)

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.

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...?

Because sometimes characters have a mind of their own...

The battle between words and pictures...

So here's the thing - I've been splashing around with some paint this week. I thought I just had to illustrate a story that I'd already written and polished. But that's before the pictures got involved...

The trouble started as I got going with the illustrations and the character I was painting just didn't want to go to bed as the scrip was directing - time to turn the story on it's head and accommodate this headstrong character - who knows what'll happen next...? 

Anyone for skiing...?

It's January - I know, you've probably noticed... and what is there to do in January...? skiing! or the next best thing, reading about skiing. Find out how Eric got on on his skiing holiday, and how Iver No-Idea managed to gatecrash his holiday... in A Face Full of Snow

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: