Just a quickie post - to say that the auction by Authors for Nepal has already hit £3000 in bids in its first 24 hours live!
There are over 150 items on offer - like critiques from Polly Samson, Julia Churchill and Debi Alper, a skype session from Carole Matthews, books from a myriad of well-known and lesser known authors, the chance to have an author visit your school - even the chance to have a character in a book named after yourself!
Updates are being posted on the Authors for Nepal facebook page, and it's also trending on Twitter (#AuthorsforNepal)
Please, continue to spread the word, share widely, and check out what you might like to bid for. (Remember there are a couple of books in there about a lady called Granny Rainbow, written by someone you might recognise...) I'm off to bid for a critique session.
And if you needed a reminder of exactly WHY this auction is happening, just take a look at this post from First Steps Himalayas...
Thank you in advance for your generosity and for spreading the word.
Squidge x
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Tuesday, 5 May 2015
100 days of writing
A writer friend of mine shared a technique recently that she'd used to power through the first draft of a novel.
It's a chart, with a box for every day of the year. The idea is, whenever she wrote a bit more of the novel, she coloured in a box; it's a physical way of seeing just how much you've progressed. And it worked - she's finished the first draft.
*pop of champagne corks and general celebrations*
I thought I'd give it a go. Being me, I didn't commit to 365 days. I went for 100... I'm not too good at the discipline thing y'see. That being the case, I made my 100 box chart and added another set of boxes underneath; the 'I've not written anything today' boxes. (I was hoping that a visual reminder of the days I was too busy/lazy/not in the mood to write, I'd be so ashamed of myself NOT making the time or putting the effort into writing, I'd force myself to get more done.)
I didn't start off too well. In the first week, I only wrote on four days. Then I cheated, and added a square when I wrote a blog post, which made me feel better. Well - it's writing. Not on the WIP, sure, but I'm still producing words.
I'm happy to say that I've done better since. There are only two blog posts recorded so far - the rest are all WIP work. The WIP is a very, VERY rough draft - handwritten and notebooked, with lots of comments in the margins - but it's growing. Whether it's a hundred words on a day, or several A4 pages full, it's growing. And every time I block out another square, I'm one day closer to my target. The ratio currently stands at 4:1 writing to non-writing days, and it seems to be keeping me focused. (Plus there's the added advantage of not losing where I am in the story, because I'm doing a little bit pretty much every day.)
The WIP story - er, not going to tell you about it yet. It's not nearly ready enough to share. But I'll be adding a few more hundred words to it later this afternoon.
Then it'll be another block shaded, which leaves only 83 boxes after today to hit my 100 days target...
It's a chart, with a box for every day of the year. The idea is, whenever she wrote a bit more of the novel, she coloured in a box; it's a physical way of seeing just how much you've progressed. And it worked - she's finished the first draft.
*pop of champagne corks and general celebrations*
I thought I'd give it a go. Being me, I didn't commit to 365 days. I went for 100... I'm not too good at the discipline thing y'see. That being the case, I made my 100 box chart and added another set of boxes underneath; the 'I've not written anything today' boxes. (I was hoping that a visual reminder of the days I was too busy/lazy/not in the mood to write, I'd be so ashamed of myself NOT making the time or putting the effort into writing, I'd force myself to get more done.)
I didn't start off too well. In the first week, I only wrote on four days. Then I cheated, and added a square when I wrote a blog post, which made me feel better. Well - it's writing. Not on the WIP, sure, but I'm still producing words.
I'm happy to say that I've done better since. There are only two blog posts recorded so far - the rest are all WIP work. The WIP is a very, VERY rough draft - handwritten and notebooked, with lots of comments in the margins - but it's growing. Whether it's a hundred words on a day, or several A4 pages full, it's growing. And every time I block out another square, I'm one day closer to my target. The ratio currently stands at 4:1 writing to non-writing days, and it seems to be keeping me focused. (Plus there's the added advantage of not losing where I am in the story, because I'm doing a little bit pretty much every day.)
The WIP story - er, not going to tell you about it yet. It's not nearly ready enough to share. But I'll be adding a few more hundred words to it later this afternoon.
Then it'll be another block shaded, which leaves only 83 boxes after today to hit my 100 days target...
Monday, 4 May 2015
Authors for Nepal
I shouldn't think anyone could remain unmoved by the devastation of last week's earthquakes in Nepal. So many deaths, so many injuries, so much history destroyed.
There has since been an outpouring of generosity following the DEC's launch of an appeal to raise funds to help alleviate the suffering of the Nepalese people.
Now there's another way to raise funds.
I'm proud to have donated signed copies of Granny Rainbow and More Granny Rainbow to the Authors for Nepal ebay auction. (You can read more about it here, at the Bookseller.) On the ebay site you will find literally hundreds of books and services donated by authors and editors from the UK. Some of the authors have written bestsellers... some (like me) are not so well known, but everyone who has donated is united by the desire to raise money for a good cause.
My books should be posted on-site soon - the posts are being added all the time and the auction goes live on the 5th May - but there are lots of goodies to look through already. And after my customised Red Nose Edition of Granny Rainbow raised a £30 top bid, I'm hopeful of raising a few quid.
So please, have a look at what's on offer and spread the word.
Thank you. xxx
There has since been an outpouring of generosity following the DEC's launch of an appeal to raise funds to help alleviate the suffering of the Nepalese people.
Now there's another way to raise funds.
I'm proud to have donated signed copies of Granny Rainbow and More Granny Rainbow to the Authors for Nepal ebay auction. (You can read more about it here, at the Bookseller.) On the ebay site you will find literally hundreds of books and services donated by authors and editors from the UK. Some of the authors have written bestsellers... some (like me) are not so well known, but everyone who has donated is united by the desire to raise money for a good cause.
My books should be posted on-site soon - the posts are being added all the time and the auction goes live on the 5th May - but there are lots of goodies to look through already. And after my customised Red Nose Edition of Granny Rainbow raised a £30 top bid, I'm hopeful of raising a few quid.
So please, have a look at what's on offer and spread the word.
Thank you. xxx
Thursday, 30 April 2015
Decorating diary - Part 2
We're ahead of schedule!
Today, we managed to get (nearly) all the gloss done, and all the walls! (Apart from one alcove behind the bookcase; we can't face moving the books twice, so we'll wait to paint that bit until we move everything out for the new carpet fitting and do it then.)
There was a dodgy moment about half way through, though; the gloss colour was looking decidedly dodgy next to the ivory walls. We discovered that i) the gloss was reflecting what was left of the yellow walls and turning it a funny colour, and ii) the ivory emulsion went on light, then went through a dark beige phase (yeuck!) before it dried an even lighter shade than it went on.
In the end, it looked fine. I'm really pleased with it. Even Mr Squidge said it looked OK, and he'd been wittering about the colour choices off and on all day.
And guess what? It was his birthday - and he spent the whole of it painting.
I'll make it up to him.
Somehow.
Today, we managed to get (nearly) all the gloss done, and all the walls! (Apart from one alcove behind the bookcase; we can't face moving the books twice, so we'll wait to paint that bit until we move everything out for the new carpet fitting and do it then.)
There was a dodgy moment about half way through, though; the gloss colour was looking decidedly dodgy next to the ivory walls. We discovered that i) the gloss was reflecting what was left of the yellow walls and turning it a funny colour, and ii) the ivory emulsion went on light, then went through a dark beige phase (yeuck!) before it dried an even lighter shade than it went on.
In the end, it looked fine. I'm really pleased with it. Even Mr Squidge said it looked OK, and he'd been wittering about the colour choices off and on all day.
And guess what? It was his birthday - and he spent the whole of it painting.
I'll make it up to him.
Somehow.
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Decorating Diary - Part One
You might remember that earlier in the year, the Squidges welcomed a new arrival to the house; our stove.
Wonderful as it was to get it in situ at long last, there was a distinct knock-on effect. Namely the chimney breast needed repapering and painting, AND we needed to find a new carpet as the old hearth was about two inches larger than the new one we've had.
Now, what you need to know is that my dining room is called The Yellow Room. It's not from any illusions of grandeur on my part - I wasn't aspiring to make my humble abode sound like a stately home. ("Tea in the Yellow Room, milady?" "Don't mind if I do.") It's because when the room was decorated (about ten plus years ago - can't remember exactly) I was going through a Feng Shui phase.
I dabbled in Feng Shui for a while, but never took it seriously enough to really feel the benefits. The one thing I did take note of - because it was all pretty much common sense - was the use of colours in decorating rooms.
My dining room is north facing. As such, it is a terribly cold room. (Although not post-stove, I'm happy to say!) Using 'warm' colours - yellows, oranges, reds - helps to create the impression of warmth. So I decorated the walls bright yellow, to go with the yellow and orange checked curtains I'd found.
It looked a lot better than that sounds - honest!
Now, bearing in mind that the room was known as The Yellow Room, I faced strong opposition when I mentioned that I was thinking of changing the colour scheme. To something a bit more grown-up, a bit more dining-room-ish, a bit more...muted, maybe?
I wanted red. Just on the chimney breast, with red curtains and new red covers for the chairs.
Task one was finding the curtain fabric - I always take my colour scheme from the curtains, as it's a darn sight easier doing it that way than choosing a lovely paint and trying to match fabric afterwards. Red doesn't seem to be a colour that's too popular at the moment, so we were a bit limited in choice. Third time lucky though...
Task two - the right paint. Ivory. A nice warm tone that will help keep the chill at bay. Which is fine until you can't get the same shade in the emulsion and the gloss. We came pretty close - if you come to dinner when it's all done, you might be able to tell if you look closely.
Today, Mr Squidge and I sanded down all the woodwork. He is glossing the picture rail tonight, in advance of emulsioning the ceiling tomorrow while I gloss the skirting boards and radiator. Friday, we'll do the walls.
Baggsy I get to do the Redcurrant Glory.
Wonderful as it was to get it in situ at long last, there was a distinct knock-on effect. Namely the chimney breast needed repapering and painting, AND we needed to find a new carpet as the old hearth was about two inches larger than the new one we've had.
Now, what you need to know is that my dining room is called The Yellow Room. It's not from any illusions of grandeur on my part - I wasn't aspiring to make my humble abode sound like a stately home. ("Tea in the Yellow Room, milady?" "Don't mind if I do.") It's because when the room was decorated (about ten plus years ago - can't remember exactly) I was going through a Feng Shui phase.
I dabbled in Feng Shui for a while, but never took it seriously enough to really feel the benefits. The one thing I did take note of - because it was all pretty much common sense - was the use of colours in decorating rooms.
My dining room is north facing. As such, it is a terribly cold room. (Although not post-stove, I'm happy to say!) Using 'warm' colours - yellows, oranges, reds - helps to create the impression of warmth. So I decorated the walls bright yellow, to go with the yellow and orange checked curtains I'd found.
It looked a lot better than that sounds - honest!
Now, bearing in mind that the room was known as The Yellow Room, I faced strong opposition when I mentioned that I was thinking of changing the colour scheme. To something a bit more grown-up, a bit more dining-room-ish, a bit more...muted, maybe?
I wanted red. Just on the chimney breast, with red curtains and new red covers for the chairs.
Task one was finding the curtain fabric - I always take my colour scheme from the curtains, as it's a darn sight easier doing it that way than choosing a lovely paint and trying to match fabric afterwards. Red doesn't seem to be a colour that's too popular at the moment, so we were a bit limited in choice. Third time lucky though...
Task two - the right paint. Ivory. A nice warm tone that will help keep the chill at bay. Which is fine until you can't get the same shade in the emulsion and the gloss. We came pretty close - if you come to dinner when it's all done, you might be able to tell if you look closely.
 |
| The curtain fabric has a larger pattern than this sample; this one will be used on the chairs. |
Today, Mr Squidge and I sanded down all the woodwork. He is glossing the picture rail tonight, in advance of emulsioning the ceiling tomorrow while I gloss the skirting boards and radiator. Friday, we'll do the walls.
Baggsy I get to do the Redcurrant Glory.
Giveaway time!
To celebrate the publication of More Granny Rainbow, I'm giving away a copy on Goodreads. To stand a chance of winning it, all you have to do is click on the link...
Good luck!
Saturday, 25 April 2015
A Froggy Fiasco at the Book Launch Party!
Today, I held the launch party for More Granny Rainbow.
It. Was. Brilliant!
There weren't as many people there as I hoped, but we had a great time regardless. Books were bought, cakes - and teeth - were eaten, and frogs were counted.
Like last time, I had a competition. You had to guess the number of frogs on the fabric to win. If you'd seen me, earlier this morning, with a jar of tiddlywinks, putting one tiddlywink on each frog so I didn't lose count (any frog whose eyes I could see got counted!)...I'm amazed that someone actually guessed the EXACT number of frogs! But they did. Their prize is a limited edition copy of More Granny Rainbow which has a single coloured picture inside. There are only five copies like this - one was earmarked for Laura, who did such a fabulous job of illustrating for me again (Marmaduke's my absolute favourite in this book) and another three will be posted on Monday to the winners of the story idea competition I held last year.
For Granny Rainbow and the Big Top Bother, you could dress up as a clown...
You could eat the teeth that the Tooth Fairy had forgotten to collect (Granny Rainbow and the Tired Tooth Fairy.) They were very fruity, and very chewy!
Marmaduke was getting up to no good in Granny Rainbow and Marmaduke's Mischief. (And yes, they are all socks I've knitted...)
Hubert the dragon flew in for a visit (Granny Rainbow and the Dragon Drama), though he didn't fancy trying any of Old Tom's blue honey (Granny Rainbow and the Blue Bees) - unlike some of the little people at the launch who seemed to like it quite a lot!
And there were lots and lots and lots of frogs! (Granny Rainbow and the Froggy Fiasco) These fabulous cake pops were made by Shell's Cup Cakes and Cake Pops - you can see more of her creations here. They were absolutely delicious.
And people bought books - hooray! I was asked to sign quite a few...
It. Was. Brilliant!
There weren't as many people there as I hoped, but we had a great time regardless. Books were bought, cakes - and teeth - were eaten, and frogs were counted.
Like last time, I had a competition. You had to guess the number of frogs on the fabric to win. If you'd seen me, earlier this morning, with a jar of tiddlywinks, putting one tiddlywink on each frog so I didn't lose count (any frog whose eyes I could see got counted!)...I'm amazed that someone actually guessed the EXACT number of frogs! But they did. Their prize is a limited edition copy of More Granny Rainbow which has a single coloured picture inside. There are only five copies like this - one was earmarked for Laura, who did such a fabulous job of illustrating for me again (Marmaduke's my absolute favourite in this book) and another three will be posted on Monday to the winners of the story idea competition I held last year.
 |
| ...101, 102, 103... |
I also had activities and props laid out on the tables for the children (and bigger children) to have a go at, which related to each of the seven stories.
Here's the post box I made for Granny Rainbow and the Poetic Postman. The cards could have a picture and/or words added and be 'posted' to Granny Rainbow.
These are some of the posted results...My favourite? 'To Granny Rainbow. I like all your poshons.'
For Granny Rainbow and the Big Top Bother, you could dress up as a clown...
You could eat the teeth that the Tooth Fairy had forgotten to collect (Granny Rainbow and the Tired Tooth Fairy.) They were very fruity, and very chewy!
Marmaduke was getting up to no good in Granny Rainbow and Marmaduke's Mischief. (And yes, they are all socks I've knitted...)
Hubert the dragon flew in for a visit (Granny Rainbow and the Dragon Drama), though he didn't fancy trying any of Old Tom's blue honey (Granny Rainbow and the Blue Bees) - unlike some of the little people at the launch who seemed to like it quite a lot!
And there were lots and lots and lots of frogs! (Granny Rainbow and the Froggy Fiasco) These fabulous cake pops were made by Shell's Cup Cakes and Cake Pops - you can see more of her creations here. They were absolutely delicious.
 |
| An edible Froggy Fiasco! |
Frogs featured quite a bit, as Froggy Fiasco is the shortest story in the book and the one I chose to read.
 |
| The audience, listening intently! |
And of course, I had books to sell. I took both Granny Rainbow and More Granny Rainbow, because I knew there were folk coming who had not yet met Granny Rainbow; although you can read the stories in the second book without having read the first, I thought maybe some would prefer to buy the first to find out what Granny's all about. I set up a lovely display...then my son arrived and rearranged it all. With mathematical precision. Just look at the steps on that bottom pile...
And that was that. An hour later, done and dusted. More Granny Rainbow had been officially launched!
The one photo I forgot to take was my addition to the Wall of Fame at Delice Deli. You might remember it from the previous launch?
The wall has got a fair few signatures on it now, but there was just enough space to add something along the lines of 'And back for the second book too'.
In fact, if any Loughborough folk fancy a read of either of the books when they drop into Delice for a coffee, lunch, or to purchase some of the fabulous produce on sale, then there are reading copies on the shelf and - even better - you can purchase a copy of either from them (along with several other local history titles published by Panda Eyes). How fab is that? An outlet for my books, in my home town. *squee!*
(And if you can't get to Delice or live far away, details of ordering by post are on my website.)
Huge thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with me - Granny's got off to a good start thanks to you!
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