Authors Electric

Happy Easter! Griselda Heppel channelling her inner  Maggie Smith as Professor MacGonagall from Harry Potter. World Book Day has been and gone and I can now reveal my costume, having kept you in suspense for a whole month. I know. Lucky me, I found this splendid Professor MacGonagall outfit online and have been channelling my inner Maggie Smith ever since (soon to move on to the Dowager Countess What is a weekend? Grantham from Downton Abbey ). I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was and reckon these Hogwarts wizards and witches know a thing or two about Practical Wear for Muggle Workshops (Spells, Charms and the Magic of Books Part 1, for instance). I’ve never before given author talks on each of my books all in one day (including two separate ones on The Fall of a Sparrow ) and I did wonder if I’d end up muddling all 3 of them (oops) or conking out altogether. Fortunately the stories are each so different in theme and background, and the Christ Church Cathedral S...

It is March, and World Book Day approacheth… and I am delighted to find myself booked for the whole day. Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford have asked for 3 workshops, one based on each of my books, to 3 different year groups, and I’m just hoping my voice doesn’t run out half way through the third one. I know this is nothing for many seasoned authors but I’ve never done quite so much in one day before and I’m wondering how to get into training. Talk more at home, perhaps, in the week up to Thursday, 7th March ? (What, more than you do already? exclaims my husband. Hmph. Thanks for that.) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame One thing I do need to prepare, though: my costume. Dressing up as a favourite character in a children’s book is all part of the fun, apparently, but isn’t as easy as it sounds. Animals (Ratty in The Wind in the Willows , Reepicheep in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , Kanga in Winnie the Pooh ) are out, as far as I’m concerned, owing to complexity of cos...

March saw another World Book Day where children and parents alike competed to see who had the best costume. Celebrated each year, the day pays homage to authors and illustrators united by the innate knowledge that reading is fun. However, while World Book Day began with the aim of giving every child a book, for many today, it is all about the dressing up! I am privileged to write for a publisher,  In The Book , that felt strongly about this diversion from the reading aspect of World Book Day.  We recently conducted a survey which showed only 18% of adults in the UK read to their children for 20 minutes a day. With so much excitement surrounding World Book Day, we were surprised to find this excitement didn’t translate into a passion for reading. And the benefits of reading to kids for 20 minutes or more a day are abundant. You can read the full post from us  here. Did you know that a child’s brain develops the fastest up to the age of five than any other...

KIDS STUFF by Ann Evans Some favourite characters When you write children's books, World Book Week is often a very busy week. Not that I'm complaining, because being invited into schools to work with the children, inspiring them to read, and to write creatively is just the best thing. Plus of course, it's a most welcome addition to a writer's income. What makes it especially interesting is that every school visit is different. The way the day is worked out, the children and teachers in the classes, the activities you do, and the questions you get asked. Even though you plan your day, you're very much working off the seat of your pants. Questions come flying at you, and you need to have an instant answer – and make it interesting. After reading an extract of The Beast, youngsters were inspired to draw it. Although most of my books are for 8-12 year olds and young adult, I'll often be asked to work with the little ones too – rece...

So you really want to join a book club. You ask around and find a few events locally, but they’re not quite right for you – nothing wrong with them, but your ideas don’t quite fit. Maybe you’ll just stay home and read books instead. But then you think on it a bit more and decide to start your own book club. It helps that you have contacts in the hospitality industry and you know just the right place to host such a thing… And so the Knutsford Literary Society was born. I went to the first meeting on Thursday 3 rd March and met organiser Emma for the first time, together with twenty or so other people. In a wine bar in Knutsford (shame I had to drive ..) together with a group of people who all had a love of books in common. What’s not to like? Corks Out has a lovely little upstairs room and a huge outdoor space which will be great when the weather improves. Perfect for a small and cosy get-together and a bit of mingling! And the fact that 3 rd March was also World Book...