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 

Book promotion for the clueless... but I'll get there in the end!

Book promotion for the clueless... but I’ll get there in the end!

I’ve done it, I’ve finished my book, and requested a print quote to have my files magically transformed into a beautiful book... so now what do I do...?

This is the part I find the hardest, the part where I need to promote my book – but it doesn’t exist in a physical form yet. I’ve researched on line about the next step, but in truth most of the articles are full of buzz words about tried and tested ways of getting a book noticed. Most of these involve a massive investment in money, and sending out emails or letters asking for a piece of the spotlight across the media. This does seem a bit reminiscent of sending out pitches to publishers to add to their slush pile... So what I usually do is take my books out into the world at book signings, but this only generates enough sales to fund the next print run and keep me ticking over.

So how hard can it be to get a book noticed? Harder than writing the book it would appear. But wait a minute, what did I have to overcome to write a book in the first place...?

 I had to learn to type for a start off – I trained as a chef, back in the days when a chef would never need to use a computer, and I never expected to need to type. But I have always loved reading and making up stories, and as my children grew out of picture books - I didn’t.

 About this time my daughter would sometimes ask me to tell her a story instead (or probably as well) as reading one. This got my imagination stirring, and I started to write the stories down – pen and paper at that stage. When I graduated to the computer, writing was very slow, as I had to stop and search for the letters a lot of the time, and I found I made spelling mistakes on a keyboard that I would never have made with a pen...

 I had a deep mistrust of the computer, and liked to print things out in case they were lost. I’ll never forget the first time I used the printer on my own – the printer seemed to know it had the upper hand and started spitting paper out at me like an unruly child, until I had to stop it in the only way that made sense at the time – I pulled the plug out of the wall – that’ll teach it I thought! Of course it later had a tantrum about not being turned off in the correct way, but it only had itself to blame.

So, when I come to think about it, I’ve come a long way, so I will absolutely NOT allow a little thing like not knowing where to start, get in the way of getting my books noticed...!

So if anyone is interested I’ll write a series of these articles and share my journey and if anyone cares to add comments along the way please feel free to do so.

#LostinaBook    Lost in a Book is the name of my imprint. I’m self published and proud of it.

Bubbles and noise at the library

Just had a lovely morning at the library - there was reading and singing, castanets and pompoms, and then the bubble machine and the giant beach ball came out.

Sometimes change is good - lovely to see the next generation getting involved in books and more... and not being told to be quiet in the library!

...oh yes and I sold some books too :) 

#LostinaBook 

Bunny busy Book

It's nearly Easter - which inspired a bunny themed busy book...

 Soft bunny on cover.Ribbons to feel.

Button flowers and pocket holding a carrot for the bunny...

 

 a soft tree...

 ...and back view of bunny with his little white tail.

Only one available in my website bookshop.

#LostinaBook

Lost in a Book 

Who knew paint had such attitude...?

Multi tasking seems to have a become a way of life...

January is my time to get stuck into to some writing, and try to hibernate as much as possible. But this year I still have some legless sheep left over from when I ran out of time before Christmas. Added to that I now have a legless bear (which has nothing to do with my writing, but I thought I'd mention it anyway...), due to running out of wool - I seem to be getting another theme going here... But hopefully all the knitted characters will eventually get their legs and I'll still have time to get on with some writing.

So... yesterday I finally brushed off my next book, and brought it out for an airing. I got my paints out, only to discover that paints don't like being shelved for weeks on end. One paint had taken it upon itself to creep out of its tube and run into the tube next to it., several others were reluctant to open at all, with paint sealing their lids on - who knew paint had such attitude...?

Another Christmas fair season survived at Lost in a Book

 

Well that was a busy Christmas fair season, the thing with Christmas fairs is that they all come at once...

And what am I left with? Well apart from an aching back from lifting boxes of books in and out of the car, and a little flock of legless sheep - who are now destined to remain legless till after Christmas... very festive.

What I do have is a stock of books for my online bookshop, waiting to be posted out for that unique Christmas present. So, if you're too busy or too tired to hike around the shops, why not give yourself  an easy life and order online.

Not how I imagined spending my time as a writer...

OK I'm still fighting technology, and I'm not sure who's winning... bits of equipment that are meant to talk to each other are refusing to do so.
Oh well, I'm about to go on a sheep mission anyway - I have a bag full of sheep parts that need assembling before the weekend, which is not how I imagined spending my time as a writer, but we all have to diversify, and sheep have proved to be an excellent crowd puller at book signings, not to mention an excellent outlet for procrastination when a certain book is stubbornly refusing to get over its final hurdles...

Tomorrow never comes... really?

People who say that tomorrow never comes must be asleep before midnight and miss seeing it sneaking up, regular as clockwork... these are probably the same people who, when tomorrow does come, are awake and ready for it... or maybe they just lack a good book to read... 

#LostinaBook 

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...? 

Lost in a Book online bookshop because January is a time to shop from your favourite armchair and let the books come to you...

On the theme of Grabbing Monday and making the most of it - what about grabbing January...?

January has to be the best month of the year for buying and selling books online - why...? because you can stay at home where it's warm, and let the books come to you.

Still not convinced? Well let me show you what's happening in my online bookshop this month...

Right now you can read the next installment of A Face Full of Snow - and find out the secret of how Iver No-Idea and HB managed to gatecrash Eric's skiing holiday..

And at the end of January it's the 10th anniversary of first publishing The Monster Under The Bed - now how can I celebrate that...? The Monster Under The Bed is now in second edition, but I still have a few first editions left... now what could i do with them...? 

Book excerpt from Lost in a Book's A face Full of Snow

Excerpt: A Face Full of Snow

Chapter 1

Whoosh! Splat! 

Eric’s first attempt at skiing ended up with him flat on his back in the snow, like a stranded bug. He tried to get up, but his skis had other ideas, they felt like a pair of over sized planks strapped to his feet. 

“I’m glad Iver wasn’t here to see that,” muttered Eric, sitting up.

“Who’s Iver?” 

Eric looked up into a pair of green eyes, waggling about on stalks. They were growing out of a green hat, which was pulled over an explosion of orange hair. 

“Hi, I’m Aline,” said the owner of the orange hair.

“Alien?” Eric sat up with a start, his skis clattering together in protest.

“No... Aline. Who’s Iver?” 

“Oh just a friend of mine,” said Eric. He couldn’t tell a complete stranger the truth, even one who had an alien on her head. 

“And is Iver a good skier?” persisted Aline.

“Well he likes to think he is,” said Eric. “If he was here he’d be telling me what to do all the time.”

“That might not be such a bad idea,” said Aline.

A Face Full of Snow by Anne M Stephenson - from Lost in a Book

Lost in a Book does best at fairs and book signings, but in January wouldn't you rather browse my onlinebookshop rather than battle through the storms to go shopping...?

 Let me bring my books to you...

This week I'm featuring A Face Full of Snow

 

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

New from Lost in a Book

Messing around with trucks...

 

  What's behind the shed door, with the chunky button door handle?  

 Drive along the road, and into the tunnel... or is it a cave?

 There's a handy pocket...

Just use your imagination - it's a new story every time... 

Christmas Fairs and Book Signings - York 2014

Christmas fairs and book signings: Lost in a Book

• Sat 1st Nov 10am - 3pm Wetherby Town Hall - Charity Christmas Craft and Gift Fair in aid of children's heart surgery fund.
• Thurs 27th Nov 7 - 9pm Knavesmire Primary School - Christmas Shopping Evening
• Sat 30th & Sun 31st Nov Haxby Memorial Hall - Christmas Fair
• Sat 6th Dec 10am - 4.30pm  Tithe Barn Nehter Poppleton Christmas Fair
• Sun 7th Dec 12 noon - 6pm Yorkshire Heart Vineyard Christmas Fair 

...there'll be books, there'll be sheep - and a few other things yet to be made...

Everyone has a book inside them...?

They say that everyone has a book inside them, but not everyone has the passion to cultivate that book and release it into printed form...

Ideas and inspiration spring up at the most unexpected times, but not every flash of inspiration has enough momentum to become a book. That's why I don't write down everything that pops into my head - if it's meant to be it's going to stick around anyway - some characters simply won't go away, so they're not going to be forgotten just because I didn't make a note of them the first time they popped up...

Some characters will have so much to say for themselves that they become a series of books - yes I have such a character, Iver NO-Idea sprang up as if from nowhere when I was reading an article about how to write - now I'm not sure that anyone can tell you how to write. You can be taught the rules of grammar and the structure of a story, but the fun really starts when you start playing with the rules, and just let your imagination run riot...

Doodle Mayhem was born out of the idea that you shouldn't let a character take control and do their own thing - whoever thought up that rule certainly hadn't met Iver No-Idea, born out of a simple doodle drawn by Eric in class, when he couldn't think of what to write... the character really took off when he started to talk to Eric, and he literally got his voice...

Buy now

 First in the Doodle series

Eric would rather doodle than write a story, but when the words start to disappear off the page in front of him, and his doodle starts talking to him, he thinks he must be dreaming.

Eric's doodle has come to life, and he's getting bored; he jumps into Miranda's story, where he gets attacked by a rubber, then he's blown off his feet when Natasha sneezes. Miss Roper is getting angrier by the second. How will Eric ever finish his story, when his doodle just wants to have fun, and create havoc?

Step into a world where drawings come alive, meet Eric's doodles Iver No-Idea and his dog HB as they cause their own brand of trouble.

46 page paperback

Black & white line drawings

ISBN 978-0-9560232-4-7

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...

The secret to selling lots books,..

The secret to selling lots of books is to write the book that everyone wants to read - but what subject does everyone want to read about?

It seems that everyone wants to be told how to do something, mostly how to achieve massive sales and success. But what they don't realise is that just because one person has achieved massive sales, copying their formula won't necessarily do the same for someone else...

And who knows what the next best selling genre is going to be...? A reader doesn't always know what they want to read until they start reading, and get totally caught up in a new story. If all books were written to the formula of the current best seller, we'd never have anything new to read...

So what should you write...?

• Something amazing
• Something new
• Something that you love - others will love it too
• Something, anything... just write...

How long does it take to write a book...?

How long does it take to write a book? The question people love to ask, but writers hate to answer - it's enough to send your brain to mush...

For a start off, no two books are the same, some might have a clear starting point where you start to write, and keep your head down until it's finished. Others might have floated about in the imagination for months or even years before being caught and committed to print.

Some books might get shelved in favour of another, and then rise to the surface when the time is right. And then of course there's the time when technology gets in the way of what you're trying to do... you know what you want to do but just can't convince the computer to let you.

Picture books have another dimension, when the story is written, but the words have to shuffle about to make space on the page for the pictures, often throwing up new ideas and possible changes to the script...

Of course there are other times when life just seems to get in the way, and things don't get done as fast as you'd like, so when asked how long it takes to write a book, instead of being totally struck dump, or trying to waffle something as I try to remember when each book started, maybe, at the risk of sounding rude -  I should just be honest and give one of the two possible answers:

1. I have no idea
2. It takes as long as it takes 

Spreadsheets... argh!!

My brain has now gone to mush after catching up on my spreadsheets. I always say I'll keep up to date with them, but there's always something more interesting to do... I think I'll need to do a lot of daydreaming now just to reboot my creative brain... or read a book... or go for a swim... or maybe even all three.

The secret to a bestseller is to write a great book and then don't keep it a secret

The secret to a bestseller is to write a great book and then make sure you don't keep it a secret...

So today I'm shouting about my #1 bestseller But I'm Not Sleepy

It's my bestseller at almost every book signing - why?
It seems that everyone has a Lucy...

They say don't judge a book by its cover - well news flash - the cover is the first bit people see, so that's what makes them pick it up or walk on by...

The title strikes a cord - who hasn't heard those words...? And who hasn't jumped up and down on the bed instead of going to sleep in...? Most parents moan that their kids do it - a few admit that they used to too...

 Then they open the book and see the bright colour pictures,  not knowing that they started out from my kitchen table...

 First came the book, then came the sheep...
These little characters made their debut at Christmas fairs and were an instant hit, appealing to all ages.

 Soon there was a little flock of them - don't ask me to count them zzzzzzzz

So why should you buy my book?
Because it's one of those bedtime stories that you can share again and again and build those special memories with your child that last a lifetime...