Cover reveal: Tilda and the Bones of Kradlock

 

Tilda #3 has a cover! 

And publication looks like being the 12th October, so keep your eyes peeled if you want to get your hands on a copy! 

Tilda and the other mages of Ring Isle have a problem. What exactly did you do with dark power tainted silviron? It wasn’t a situation that any mage in the long line of Issrayan powermages had ever had to face before.

The mages decide to bury the small metal box in the turbulent waters of the Merjan Straits between the inner and outer seas of Merjan and Kradlock. Tilda accompanies Kamen, the aging Mage of Kradlock to fulfil the task and to help him decide his successor.

As Tilda soon discovers, the famous Hanging Rock, the city of cliffs full of cavern homes markets, the honeycomb tunnels full of bones, and the mortal remains of Kradlock’s powermages will test her abilities and her right to be called the Mage of Merjan.

Good News for Super Stories!

 Squeeeee!

I am one very excited Squidge, because Squidge's Guide to Super Stories and Becoming a Better Writer has been longlisted in the Lunchtime Book Club!

The Lunchtime Book Club is a Children's Book Prize founded just this year, with the aim to increase literary engagement among young children in Luton, UK.  The prize winner is selected by the children who participate in fortnightly lunchtime book club sessions to discuss the entries. 

I thought it was a bit of a long shot, because there's a tendency to focus on fiction when thinking about how to engage children with books. But I gave it a go, and it's now one of just eight longlisted books up for the prize. 

Super Stories is in good company: the other longlisted books are being announced on Twitter today, and already I've seen Lauren St John and Frank Cotterill Boyce among them. Eeeek! If you want to twitter about it too and spread the word, then here's the link to Lunchtime Book Club.

It'll be a while before we find out which books have been shortlisted, and the Prize Ceremony won't be until February 2022, but keep your fingers crossed for me, won't you?. 

Middleway Words - a free book festival

I might have seemed a bit quiet on the Scribbles recently, but that doesn't mean that things aren't busy behind the scenes!

To give you an idea of what's been going on;

* I've been working with the lovely Chris at The House Agency, because he's creating a new website for me which will enable me to have the Scribbles, book info, sales links, anthology links etc all in one place. Sneaky little preview...

* I've also been working on Tilda #4 and finally have the shape of the whole story under my belt, though there's still work to do to build it up.

* I've knitted myself a top which included lace and knitting-in-the-round (something I've not done before and which made a change from socks!)

And...

* I've been preparing for the Middleway Words online Book Festival! 

This has included creating short videos about my books, which you can view on the festival YouTube channel; getting to know my 'Tete-a-tete' author, Marilyn L Rice; researching other book people because I'm hosting them in the closing panel; and organising a 'Creative Writing for Children' session. 

The festival exists to promote authors and other book-related industries to book lovers in the Midlands, so there's lots to sink your teeth into - and it's all FREE. You just need to book a ticket via Eventbrite to allow you access to any of the programmed sessions. 

Here's the timing of each session in the programme, but there are lots more details and information to be found as to who is appearing when on the Middleway Words facebook page and YouTube channel - including the videos many authors have created to tell you about themselves and/or their books. 

The sessions I'm involved in are; 

Writing for Children.  4pm on Monday 6th - note, it's an interactive 45 minute session for children (and other budding authors) to find out about me and have a go at plotting out their own story using one of my favourite prompts, not a 'How to Write Children's Stories' session, which you might think from the title. All Scribblers welcome!

Tete-a-tete. 2pm on Wednesday 8th, with Marilyn L Rice. 45 mins of us chatting to each other about books and life for you to be a fly on the wall for! (And ask questions if you have any). There are all sorts of people in the other tete-a-tetes, so do check the information links above to see which take your fancy. 

Closing panel. 11am on Saturday 11th. I am so excited about this - I get to ask questions of some of the people who aren't necessarily authors but who help to bring books alive; a storyteller (which is a totally different skill to writing a story. I know, I've tried it!), an illustrator and a translator. 

Other sessions include an opening by Kit de Waal; information about all aspects of writing; libraries; writing session for adults; and a poetry showcase from students at Wolverhampton University. 

SO - the festival starts tomorrow and runs until the 11th. It's completely free, so what are you waiting for? Hope to see at least some of you Scribblers there - and if not, I believe you'll be able to access the sessions afterwards!