Thursday 22 December 2011

Merry Christmas

Just to wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year-in case I don't get chance to blog til next year. Winding down for a family Christmas and a wee bit of writing. Hope you all have fun and get everything you want. Hoping to go to the midnight service at St George's on Christmas Eve-I wonder if I will get anymore inspiration from there? Who knows it may appear in the next book...

Sunday 18 December 2011

Out of Time: Freezing at Furness Abbey

Out of Time: Freezing at Furness Abbey: What a wonderful winter's day today-blue sky, cloudless and FREEZING! However it was all worth it to meet my youngest reader Simon age 6 w...

Freezing at Furness Abbey

What a wonderful winter's day today-blue sky, cloudless and FREEZING! However it was all worth it to meet my youngest reader Simon age 6 who asked some intelligent questions about the story. Also had a good laugh with the two ladies on the next stall, who were selling jewellery-www.bizzielizziesjewellery.com. Of course being so close to Abbey Mill Cafe it would have been rude not to have a hot chocolate...it was a shame that more stall holders didn't turn up though-but the three of us and Santa had a lovely time anyway-they don't know what they missed! Well that's the last book selling and signing of the year-so its over to preparing for new year!

Thursday 15 December 2011

tis the season to be jolly

Not a lot to report -busy chasing my tail. Bluebirds Study Centre looks as though we will have some more opportunities in the new year to follow up. Hopefully we can get back to full strength over the next few months.
I have a growing list of bookings for my diary for new year too which is good news. I have just about completed the pictures for Guy the Grumpy Gargoyle-just a couple of tweaks! Then its off to Troubador Publishing to be sorted. Next job finish off the last chapters of Raven's Hoard-job for the holidays. A weekend of partying this weekend-family and friends celebrating my daughter's 18th birthday! Then some hard work over Christmas-ringing stores and writing and of course-blogging!

Saturday 10 December 2011

Library visits, e-books and tweets

What a great way to spend Saturday morning! I was privileged to join some very smart young people at Barrow Library this morning for their Reading Group. We had a lovely time chatting about writing, reading and of course "Out of Time". Four of the youngsters had already read the book and one was half way through. By the end of the session 2 more had borrowed the library copies:) I hope I can visit again-perhaps when I've got Raven's Horde finished?
I'm over there again on Monday evening this time for the Teenage Book Club-should be fun!
After that-nothing much until January! Ah well-lots of writing time then-in between family Christmassy things.
Looking at book sales today-still going very well, but a bit disappointed with e-book/Kindle sales. Not sure how one increases these sales-more tweets perhaps-and  think I need a wider range for touring schools to get things moving. Ah well-all for New Year I think.

Sunday 4 December 2011

Out of Time: Hairy Biker buys Book!

Out of Time: Hairy Biker buys Book!: Well after a chilly, long day at Barrow AFC NOT selling many books I am glad to say that today was more successful! Thanks though to the d...

Hairy Biker buys Book!

Well after a chilly, long day at Barrow AFC NOT selling many books I am glad to say that today was more successful! Thanks though to the directors and staff at the club for your continuing support and letting me appear on a match day. However, the Christmas Fair run by Furness Rotary Club at Chetwynde Hotel was very pleasant and more productive. Then when I had just settled down, the Hairy Biker, Dave Myers turned up! He had come to do a book signing no less! Obviously, though a fellow Barrovian he is slightly more famous than I am, so instantly a queue formed! I got quite excited when my friend Darren Herbert (thanks Darren) went over to ask if we could have a photo together (on account of me being too shy to ask!). That would have been lovely...but even better he asked me about the book  and bought one (and I had to sign it too). I do hope he reads it and maybe tweets what he thinks-that would be wonderful. He was very friendly and a really nice chap and is a credit to his home town Barrow-in-Furness. So, I can do or say no more...except to share the photo with you all! Yay!

Saturday 3 December 2011

Christmas is coming

Bit of a draughty and long day today. Spent the day chatting to supporters at Barrow AFC and met some people I hadn't seen for a while. Not much in the way of book selling but a pleasant day anyway and time to catch up with everyone. Off to Chetwynde Hotel tomorrow for the Rotary Christmas Fair. Signing again but some nice bits and pieces to sell-merchandise linked to the book-including calendars and mugs. Come down and see whats on offer-I know there a lots of other stalls and a Santa's grotto too. Ill be there from 11am til 2pm-see you there.