The Blackhope Enigma Competition Ends Soon!

Only five more days to enter!

How would you like to win a visit from me to your school, library or reading group? That’s the prize lovely Templar Publishing are offering on The Blackhope Enigma website. And you’ll also get other goodies like signed copies as well as other fiction published by Templar.

You’ll need to go here to enter, answer the art history question and make sure you do so by September 1!

Talking With My Hands

Okay, I knew I talked with my hands a bit. But I didn’t realise how much until I saw this interview with Philippa Cochrane of the Scottish Book Trust. But hey, I get excited when I talk about Renaissance paintings, labyrinths, and other Blackhope Enigma stuff.

I was pretty excited to learn that Blackhope was selected for the Online Teachers in Residence Teachers’ Book Group for the new school year (for teachers in Scotland, by the way, where schools are linked together in an online community called Glow). We made the video to give readers a bit of background about the book. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, not least because I got to visit the Book Trust, a place abounding with friendly, book-passionate folks. I got to sit on the couch with the fancy silk cushions, with bookshelves behind me, and be right comfy.

If you know any teachers of 9-13 year olds in Scotland, please direct them to the site. There’s a chance to win one of ten copies they are giving away.

Win my book!

Read more about The Blackhope Enigma on these sites.

I’ve been doing various interviews with book bloggers and children’s literature websites recently - and they are offering the chance to win a copy of the book.

The Scottish Book Trust has selected The Blackhope Enigma as its July Book of the Month. Read my guest blog piece, answer a question and register to win a signed copy here.

Reading Zone also has an interview and a chance to win a copy here.

The Blackhope Enigma Book Launch

Debut book, debut book launch!

Photo by J Jamieson

Photo by J Jamieson

While we were celebrating the book, we also celebrated the virtual launch of The Blackhope Enigma website. Not only is it a handsome looking thing, but it has cool features on it, like downloadable wallpaper, a bookmark and some book plates that I drew, and which can only be found on the site. I also contributed an audio clip, produced by Cheer Productions, and a video clip made by Oak’s Bark, with the additional assistance of Pablo the sound man. Thanks to all those gentlemen, as well as Lighthouse Photographics, who took my publicity photo!

Last but not least, you can register to win a visit from me to your school (or your child’s school). So please do check it out!

I would like to thank everyone who came to the launch, especially those who traveled from far afield. They all made it a wonderful success and reminded me what great friends and colleagues I have. And I can’t thank Templar Publishing enough for all their support and hard work in bringing my book to the world!

What’s The Blackhope Enigma About?

A fine question indeed.

The Blackhope Enigma is a historical fantasy-mystery-adventure and it’s suitable for readers age nine and above. Read more about it on the Templar website, including an excerpt.

I just did a guest blog for the Scottish Book Trust about my path to becoming an author, and you can read that here.

I am really delighted that The Blackhope Enigma has been chosen as their July Book of the Month!

Tomorrow is Publication Day! The next couple of days will be busy, busy, but I shall be back with updates and photos forthwith.

More from Independent Booksellers Week 2010

In which The Blackhope Enigma appears at Atkinson-Pryce Books.

Armed with the book, postcards and laptop containing a riveting (I hope) presentation about labyrinths, Renaissance paintings, Venetian galleys and early maps, I had a fine old time introducing the children to some of the story’s background and inspirations. We even did some drawing together (mermaids, monsters and mice) while lying on the carpeted floor. I can’t think of a nicer way to spend an hour on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to all the children for coming and to Atkinson-Pryce Books for arranging my appearance there.

Psst, by the way, only one more week till The Blackhope Enigma is launched!

Independent Booksellers Week Events 2010

Support your indie bookseller!

Photo by K Ross

I love all book stores but I am particularly fond of indie bookshops like Blast-Off Books, which specialises in children’s books and provides an amazing service to its local community and schools. That’s why I volunteered to participate in IBW events this week.

We headed out into the gorgeous countryside in the sunshine and visited the lovely Dalmeny Primary School, where the pupils were already well into The Blackhope Enigma, being probably the first school on the planet to have had almost half of it read to them by their excellent teacher. That’s me in the photo, showing one of the illustrations inside the book. I was bowled over by their positive response and great questions. Wow, is all I can say.

The roadshow headed next to Torphichen Primary, another lovely school with keen pupils, who are now clued up on all things Blackhope. Again, excellent questions and comments all round.

The roadshow heads out to Biggar on Saturday, stopping in at another indie bookshop, Atkinson-Pryce Bookshop, at 11:30am. I’ll be doing a Blackhope-inspired workshop-talk for children age 9+. It’s free but ticketed, so if you are interested, contact them.

Both Blast-Off Books and Atkinson-Pryce will be stocking The Blackhope Enigma.

Counting Down to July 1st

Things are ramping up big style here at HQ. Only a few weeks till The Blackhope Enigma is released into the wild in the UK, and there is lots to do. I am spinning quite a few plates in the air for the time being, but each of those plates has a mountain of goodies on it. Some of the goodies will be unveiled to all on July 1st, when a certain new website goes live. Needless to say, it’s all very exciting.
I am extremely grateful to my posse of talented friends, who are giving me all sorts of help in getting things off the ground. When the time comes, I will shine a spotlight on each of them for all their good humored assistance!
And the folks at Templar are just great. It is wonderful to work with such a dedicated group of people!

A Cardboard Box Arrives..

..and the contents are thrilling!

The mail has been good to me today. Not only did the cardboard box yield ten copies of Blackhope, but I received a copy of its first review in The Bookseller, calling it an “impressive début”! Blackhope is included in a list of top picks for July publication and I am really gratified that my first book was chosen.

This has been a brilliant week, percolating with buzz. My London trip generated lots of new inspiration for The Next Book, and I will be getting back to that with gusto. Sometimes you have a day or two or three where you get immense clarity about where you are going and what you’ll be doing when you get there. Maybe there’s some fairy dust in the atmosphere (although it’s more likely to be volcanic ash). Whatever it is, keep it coming.

London Book Fair 2010

Keeping calm and carrying on.

Well, I lucked out this time. I bought a train ticket to London and worried that there might be a train signalmen’s strike…but who knew that the volcano would blow and suddenly trains looked pretty good?

This was my second time ever at the London Book Fair, but my first time as an Author. The Fair was a lot quieter than usual, since so many people were stranded elsewhere, but it was no less impressive. I got a new insight into the work that takes place on Templar’s stand: rights being sold to other countries, events being set up, orders being taken. And it all happens in a pretty small area. Kudos to everyone working so hard to make Blackhope a success!

It was exciting to see The Blackhope Enigma up there on the shelf with all of Templar’s stunning range of books for children. I positively drooled over the new picture books especially. And the new Vampireology (Ology Handbook)! I thought I was tired of vamps, but when I saw it, I knew I’d have to have it. That, and Dracula (Collectors Classics), illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert. Wow, and double-wow.

I was pretty amped to meet up with a couple of great people from my Arvon course last year. It was over a fleeting falafel sandwich in the Terrace Cafe, but grand nonetheless.

I fairly floated home yesterday, under crystal clear blue skies, the train racing through the blooming countryside. It was a good time to catch up with myself, make a mental list of all the exciting stuff coming up, and of all the writing and drawing I am anxious to get back to!