Spooky stories getting darker!

Well its almost here-the time for publication of my third YA fantasy story Out of Time 3: The Cistercian Conspiracywww.out-of-time.co.uk! The official release date is 28th November but I have advance copies...many of them! Nothing makes the heart skip a beat more than unwrapping the new book for the first time! I am particularly pleased with this one as the cover is even more spectacular and mysterious than the previous two. 

I absolutely love the cover and it is just as I envisaged it-thanks to a talented young man called Stuart Appley who has a company called Comely Media. He is a great historian and is in tune with my ideas-as evidenced by the cover and the promo films he did previously. Equally, congratulations go to Troubador Publishing and their Matador imprint-the quality of the book is excellent once again.

So what of the story? Well without giving too much away (after all I do want you all to actually buy it) this is a darker and more desperate tale. The story focuses on the third sibling in Out of Time and we meet new and old characters. Another time frame is introduced and we explore a real event in the rich history of Furness Abbey, the notorious murder of Abbot L or J depending on which interpretation you use. The story culminates in a fight with the dark side to win the treasure but the end leaves the reader with a cliff hanger!

To celebrate the third book I will be signing at a range of venues; kicking off with Dalton Library and Waterstones in Barrow-in-Furness on Saturday 29th November. I will post further details soon and I will be engaging with schools in the Cumbria area, offering author days and workshops. In 2015 I will hopefully be extending my reach to other areas as well and if you would like me to visit your bookshop, school or group you can locate me on the new website - www.out-of-time.co.uk -again created by another talented person-Naomi Chadd of Windmill Websites.

Remembrance approaches

Quick mention to the brilliant guys at Barrow Waterstones-thank you for making me so welcome on Saturday. It was a steady flow for the full hour I was there and it was a shame I missed some people...catch them later I am sure!

The weather is a bit more like it ought to be in November and I am looking forward to visiting Brantwood on Coniston Water at the weekend. I'm going to the Craft Fair and I am hopeful that I make some good sales and contacts. We had a great time last year-so this will be a test of the recession! 

It will be poignant for me to be in Brantwood on the 11th November-as I think I have mentioned before that my dad's maternal grandparents and family lived at the Lodge at the foot of the drive there. I have wonderful photos of them outside the cottage and my Great Grandfather Miles Wilkinson was a gardener under Professor John Ruskin and later took over from the Head Gardener and continued to work for Arthur and Lily Severn after Ruskin's death, until his own in 1920.

His son John will be in mind particularly as he was one of the many who gave his life for us during World War 1. He had volunteered with his brothers at the start of war, but had been declared unfit for service because of poor sight. He joined the local volunteer unit and as war progressed he was called up when conditions were relaxed. He went to France in 1917 and was home on leave in February 1918-we know this from his diary (now in Ruskin Museum Coniston) and he had barely returned to the front when he was shot in the head at Vimy Ridge. He ended his life in the field hospital at Wimeraux and lies in the cemetery there (the same cemetery which houses John McCrae-the soldier-poet who wrote "In Flanders Field"). Naturally, the family was devastated and his loss was felt in the Brantwood community. In fact he was honoured by Canon Rawnsley (of National Trust fame), who penned a poem in his honour, read at the memorial service. John was 27 years old,shy, unassuming and quiet. He had a fiance-who is known only to us from the diary as "F"-she lived at the Severn's London home in Warwick Square and was a servant there. One wonders what happened to her and how she took the news-she had visited the family home in Coniston on his last leave-so it was maybe then that they were engaged.His diary entries are brief and simple-but it is quite chilling when the entries cease on 26th March-two days before he was shot. However, the most poignant and disturbing discovery is in the fly leaf of the diary, where in faint pencil he has scrawled "Cheerio".

John Wilkinson Royal Garrison Artillery Died 30 March 1918

Poem written for John by Canon Rawnsley

Remembrance ceremony for the fallen of the villageand dedication of the memorial cross in St Andrew's Church Coniston

Vikings, Halloween and books

Action...charge!

The Viking leapt into the air raising his sword above him, his war cry curdling the blood in the young people's veins. He landed heavily on the sand, screaming his battle-cry again and running towards the headland, his swordsmen crowding behind him. The noise of the men's cries split the tranquillity of the day and as they gathered, some armed with axes, some with spears or swords and many with more than one weapon, the youngsters shrank into the dunes hoping to be overlooked.

 They had not seen on the headland a small force of local warriors, who were now racing to meet the Viking raiders...the Vikings had seen their quarry and ran rapidly towards the warriors, whooping and leaping joyously, impervious to the danger of battle.The noise was terrifying and ear-splitting. Metal clashed against metal, weapons hissed through the air, screams of agony met cries of triumph and victory. Bodies crashed heavily into each other, bones and skulls cracked and split, men fell to the ground never to arise again...

An altogether more peaceful scene-looking toward the Lakeland hills

A motley crew of Vikings plus the author
(L-R Iain, Terry, Gill, Piglet, Martin and Craig)

 A brilliant day today filming at Bardsea and Birkrigg with some very kind gentlemen--dressed as vikings. They are all re-enactors and did a great job. I have to thank them-with special mention to Iain McNichol who is a local "History Man" of local repute, Terry Harvey Chadwick (Midgard Living History) Piglet(real name unknown) Martin McFall and Craig Appely. Thank you all for your stirling efforts-I can't wait to see the end result.

It starts to be busy from now...the book is now out on ebooks/Kindle/ibooks and the paperback is released on Thursday. Tomorrow I am at Abbey House Hotel at 7pm giving a reading...

On Wednesday we (New Horizons) are having a 3 hour story and craft session for Halloween at Walney Community Centre-its a fun session for 7-11years and our first activity for children. From there I race over to Abbey Mill Coffee Shop to do more readings-this time in a tent...please dont let it rain... Thursday-Raven's Hoard is OUT!
Building up to a grand launch and signing at Waterstone's Barrow at 1pm for an hour only-so if you want a signed copy come on down!

Promotion, preparation and signing

just checking in tonight... have a few busy weeks ahead. The business is still in need of promotion and although we have had a fab couple of write ups in the NW Evening Mail, it hasn't brought many clients. I am an impatient soul but I have to try and get us known and out there. New Horizons Education has some good heritage courses which I am keen to teach...just need the students! In fact my life has become a massive promotional task-blogging, facebook, tweeting etc etc...it takes a lot of time but the key thing is its free!

I have a number of visits planned to various venues and I should be out and about up until Christmas. Its important to do the small things too-like tonight I've been to Hartington Street Methodist Tea Club. I didn't imagine that I would have such a good response-but I managed to engage the group and this led to leaflets being taken to hand on to teachers-with the hope I may get some Author visits in. Its a very different life to the previous one I led-as a salaried teacher. It is varied and interesting but the pay is indifferent to be honest and a little unstable...which is the one- down side really! However, it has freed me up to do something I have long wanted to do-work as a Museum Assistant albeit casual. I could never have consciously taken such a massive drop in pay when I was working...but now as all my work is intermittent and casual it is actually an extra! Weird!

Well I hope you are ready for Raven's Hoard-its a bit darker than Secret of the Swan-and quite exciting. It can be pre-ordered and I will be doing  signings locally from 28 October (if the advance copies arrive) onwards.

28 Oct Abbey House Hotel Halloween Family Ghost Walk 6-8pm

31 Oct Abbey Mill Cafe Halloween Scare Fest 4-6pm and 6-8pm

3 Nov Waterstones Barrow 

10-11 Nov Brantwood Craft Fair

8 Dec Dock Museum

Hope to see you there...somewhere...

Meeting myself, coming back

Really nice day today-which has made up for quite a challenging few days. We had a very busy day at the Barrow Carnival on Saturday-in which I had to make up the numbers as a monk-passing out leaflets and collecting pennies around the centre of Barrow. Can't say how many embarrassing moments I had seeing people I knew! Ah well-all in a good cause. We then did a long stint on the stall-raising money for Furness Abbey Fellowship and the Dock Museum. We netted £120 not bad-but a gruelling 8 hour day for those of us who set up at 8am.


Sunday was Rock around the Dock at the Dock Museum. What an excellent day. Lots of nice exhibits and stalls, great live music and an authentic 1950s Tea room. It was lovely and the cakes were to die for. That done I met up with son and grandson and raced around the playground for a couple of hours. Result-one knackered Nannie! But worth it!


Today-a brilliant visit to Year 7 and 8 at Dowdales school Dalton-in-Furness in their lovely library. We had a lot of discussion about writing and "show don't tell"-which is harder to describe than you'd think. There were some burgeoning writers and there was a great deal of interest. Did a book signing and lots more kids want to bring in money tomorrow for books. Thanks to Laura at Waterstones and Janet the librarian from Dowdales for organising.


Can't say much yet-but at the end of this week big changes are afoot in my working life. Its exciting and scary at the same time-but I look on it as being a new chapter in more senses than one. Ending the week-is a signing at Waterstones at Chester. I am looking forward to this and it will be good to reach a new audience. Pictures to follow later

Wonderful World Book Day

Mad March Hare a random Monk and the Mad Hatter

World Book Day at Waterstones Barrow

What a great day...I was invited to attend Waterstones World Book Day at their Barrow shop. There was a steady flow of book buyers and browsers and I had a variety of conversations with people about Out of Time and signed a few books too. I enjoyed browsing too-and as always didn't leave without buying. Instead of my usual historical novel or biography I thought I would change track and have a go at "We need to talk about Kevin" by Lionel Shriver...looks interesting and I'll have a go. Of course, couldn't  leave without a couple of purchases for grandson Noah-good old "Where the Wild Things Are" By Maurice Sendak and"Hairy McLary from Donaldson's Dairy" by Lynley Dodd. Can't wait to read them to him.

March Hare, monk and Cheshire Cat

 I've had a busy week this week-earlier I had a second visit to Lindale Primary School. This time worked with the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 as well as Key Stage 2. We shared Guy the Grumpy Gargoyle and then drew pictures of the characters. In KS2 we had fun with settings and words to create atmosphere. Lovely day. Tomorrow I am off to Thwaites School Millom to share the books and work together-should be good!

this week I have mostly been....

reading...finishing my newly downloaded Great Expectations-with original illustrations (had to give up on Grandad's originals...print far too small to read-he gave me a full set for passing my 11 plus!Happy Days!) Then got engrossed in Joffre White's Frog-a brilliant fantasy for older kids-loving it and able to appreciate it now I've a bit more time free(who am I kidding?) Next up...How to make your social networking count and help marketing! Not such a scintillating read-and I do seem to be on the right track-no clue as how to go "viral" or at least "viralish" but keep plugging away I guess!


Taking bookings for schools and arranging signings-next up is Blackpool Waterstones I hope at half term. Barrow Waterstones have kindly invited me to work with them during World Book Week-can't wait! Trying to go further afield-but Cumbria always my priority-special rates for our schools, no travel expenses charged-hope to get about a bit in spring and summer. Hopefully, going to Italy to a school near Vas where they used the book as a summer project.
Still looking for kind people to follow, like or otherwise interact with the various social network sites I now have a presence on...oh and reviews would be acceptable too! Looking forward to Wednesday at St Paul's CE Junior School, Barrow-a lovely author day    planned, lots of new activities-can't wait! Then half term when I am putting aside at least 3 full days where I will write-UNINTERRUPTED! That's the problem when you have a butterfly brain-it flutters everywhere but where it should be! 


http://www.keswick2barrow.co.uk/sponsor/welcome.asp?ID=60



Going to Manchester to the Dystonia Groups meeting-be nice to see everyone again and get up to speed with whats going on. We are still in need of awareness because although dystonia is the 2nd most common movement disorder it hasn't the profile it deserves such as Parkinsons or MS has-yet there are as many sufferers. Our 5 teams for dystonia in the Keswick to Barrow walk are training hard and we will look forward to fundraising and awareness success again this year! I am attempting my 7th walk this year and am looking forward to day-which is inspirational as well as painful...all 40 miles of it! But nothing compares to seeing the Lakes at dawn and walking through the hills to Barrow. If you would like to sponsor me-no matter how little please use the link above!Thank you Find out more about dystonia below-
www.dystonia.org.uk
Will let you know on the progress of Guy the Grumpy Gargoyle and the Furness Abbey Friends group...watch this space!