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.

 

 

lavender sheep... whatever next?

OK this is what happens when I let my imagination run away with itself... but what secret is inside these mini sheep...? 

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.

Sheep - Promotion or Distraction...?

Wool shopping done, future sheep emergency averted..

So what's with all the sheep...?

Well, they started as a fun thing to put on my tables at book signings, and soon became a talking point. From the small child in a buggy who pointed and said "Baa" to the lady who bought one to put in her crib scene at Christmas - they certainly get noticed.

But where did they come from...?

They're the unruly characters from But I'm not Sleepy - who'd have thought that counting sheep to try and get to sleep could have led to this? So this morning instead of doing what you'd expect an author to be doing, I've been sourcing some more wool to build up my flock.

Is Stonegate ready for a flock of knitted sheep I wonder...?

OK things are getting out of hand now - where did that black sheep come from...? There're no black sheep in the story but I thought why not... he'll be among the flock on Saturday, lets hope he doesn't cause any trouble...

is Stonegate ready for a flock of knitted sheep I wonder...?

Book merchandising, sheep and knitting patterns...how's that for diversification!

Diversification seems to be the buzz word for keeping business moving along - so when I was looking for a fun addition to my table at book signings, sheep sprang to mind... in fact they seem to have been springing up everywhere ever since...

The sheep were a great hit, but they did seem to take up every evening during the Christmas fair season, just to keep up with demand. So now you can buy your own knitting pattern from my online bookshop - then you can knit as many sheep as you want, and count them along with the story...  zzzz

...how's that for diversification!

It all started with the book - then the sheep came along...

Book signings and Christmas fairs... and sheep

It's that time of year again, and dates for Christmas fairs are filling up, mostly in November and into December, I probably should get back into sheep production to save a last minute rush - last year I seemed to spend every night in November knitting extra sheep to keep up with demand, and this year I have a few other hand made items in mind...

Sheep on the loose... this is what happens when Downboy the sheepdog isn't around

Who let the sheep out...?

Who let the sheep out...?

The best part of working for myself is that I can plan my own day, and if that leads me to doing a photo call of knitted sheep, then so be it...

So where did they all come from - they just kept dropping off my knitting needles last winter, as I knitted more and more to keep up with demand as I did book signings at Christmas fairs. And it wasn't just the children who wanted them, it seems all age groups have a secret soft spot for sheep.

Find out how to get one in my online Bookshop
or how to knit one with a free pattern

Bestseller at special birthday price...

But I'm Not Sleepy was 5 years old on the 1st August, so what better way to celebrate than to have a special birthday offer...?

So, for the whole of August But I'm Not Sleepy will be at the special birthday price of £5 (while stocks last) and still come with a free sheep (also while stocks last) - a knitted one that is, handing out real sheep would be a little impractical.

Bestseller at special birthday price

So, if I haven't got your attention with the cover - which is surprising given that everyone at fairs is immediately drawn to this one... apparently everyone has a Lucy - a few even admit to having been one...

Surely you can't resist this little character - or at least want to know where it fits into the story and how you can get one...

 You should also be wondering why more keep cropping up... well, you're just going to have to read the book. But don't start counting the sheep, I don't want you nodding off before you've visited my little bookshop with big ideas.

zzzzzzzzzz 

But I'm Not Sleepy... how to get some sleep

I’ll let you into a secret,” said Granny. “When I can’t sleep I count sheep. It always works for me.”

“Have you got sheep Granny?” asked Lucy, her eyes wide with excitement. “Where are they? Are they in your knitting bag?”

from But I'm Not Sleepy my bestseller is 5 years old today!!

First there was Lucy jumping up and down on her bed, then there was Granny reading calming bedtime stories... and then came the sheep. So all that was left was for Downboy the sheepdog to make an appearance and it looked as if nobody would be getting any sleep - but finally even Lucy felt sleepy...

Because it seems that everyone has a Lucy - some even admit that they used to be one too...

The Great Yorkshire Show, gentle giants, storms and all things woolly...

 It's a busy time in Yorkshire, with the Great Yorkshire Show in full swing. I was there on Tuesday, sat on the grass banks waiting for the heavy horses to come into the main arena, as heavy clouds gathered overhead... The storm clouds went wild, sending everyone rushing for cover and purchasing anything waterproof - my daughter and I totally carried off the kiddies rain ponchos in fetching doggy print.

Luckily the heavy horses were calmer than the weather, they're such gentle giants.

The shopping was good too, so much more fun than chain store shopping, from kitchen knives and an olive wood chopping board, to some beautiful artwork they had it all covered.

So my hands were pretty full of shopping by the time I made my way to the sheep pens, trying to find some sheep who looked like my characters from But I'm Not Sleepy. There were some funky looking sheep, and I think the ones most like mine were tucked away in the sheep shearing pen, but I did find these:

I wonder what this sheep is trying to say...?
"A up Pearl, sit up, we're having our photo taken..."

Knitted sheep, adding a woolly dimension to story time... 

“We’re not trouble makers are we Pearl?”

“No Hilda, certainly not.”

“It’s just that we’ve been rounded up so many times our heads are spinning.”

“Yes spinning.”

“Spinning into wool?” asked Lucy.

“No… spinning into a flock of dizzy sheep,” said Downboy.

(from But I'm Not Sleepy)

Back from my holiday - so what's next?

Just back from a wonderful Birthday weekend away with my family at Center Parcs. We went swimming every day, we were even joined in the outdoor pool by a duck... I cycled round on a quad bicycle contraption with my daughter, and generally had a lot of fun...  and now I'm feeling refreshed and ready to go again.

So what's next? Well there's a notice up on the outer ring road reminding me I've got a book signing coming up very soon, at Long Marston near York on 4th May at the Spring craft fair - there'll be books, there'll be sheep... and that's just on my table. They'll also be birds of prey and a bouncy castle...

Random thoughts about characters and where they come from

Characters - where do they come from?

Sheep - what is it about sheep that makes them so appealing in story books?

When I started writing But I'm Not Sleepy I can't remember having sheep in mind at all, I simply wanted to write a bedtime story. Then the idea of not being able to get to sleep started to take over my thoughts, and most of the plot of the story unraveled itself in a swimming pool, as I swam up and down doing some lunchtime lane swimming...  I never count lengths, I simply swim up and down and let my mind drift where it will...

The sheep soon became very real, and it was the obvious progression for a sheepdog to turn up in Lucy's bedroom. Then the sheep became quite rebellious and decided that they were tired of being rounded up...

This is a clear case of characters popping up in a story and making it their own. Next came the cardboard pop-up sheep on my table at book signings, which attracted people's attention - it seems sheep are very popular. Before long I found myself knitting sheep, and I used to say I'd never make characters to merchandise my books - never say never! The knitted sheep went down very well at Christmas fairs, and earned their place at the fairs: form the little tot who said "Baa", persuading her parents that they must buy a sheep, and then ended up buying the book too, to the lady who bought one for herself for her crib scene.  

I even have a spin off book planned which is sheep based - is it any wonder my nearest and dearest are now thinking of me when they see anything sheep related, and sending me all sorts of links to funny sheep stuff...

Counting sheep

Counting sheep... it's the tried and tested way of getting to sleep - but what happens to all the sheep once you've finished counting them? I bet you didn't think about that...?

Here at Lost in a Book things are in danger of getting out of hand. 

It all started with a notion to merchandise my book But I'm Not Sleepy.  One sheep took shape and sprang from my knitting needles, then one sheep lead to another until it is fast becoming a flock of sheep...

And where are all these sheep heading? Well they'll be making an appearance at Christmas fairs around the York area. The first one is Huntington School this Friday - who knows how many they'll be by then...

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...