Christmas Book Signings

Cwmbran WHSmithIt’s that festive time of year again and I’ve got lots of fun weekends ahead. I’ll be signing my books for children at shops and book fairs throughout November and December, so please come along and say hello. This is where I’ll be:

Cardiff WHSmiths, Saturday 12th November, 11am to 3pm

Carmarthen Library Book Fair, Saturday, 19th November, 11am to 1pm

Cwmbran WHSmiths, Saturday, 26th November, 11am to 3pm

Llanelli WHSmiths, Saturday, 3rd December, 11am to 3pm

Llandeilo Book Fair, Civic Hall, Saturday, 10th December, 9.45am to 5pm

Winchester Writers’ Festival

Competition, Festival
winchester-writers-festival-certificate 

I’m so pleased that the start of a novel I’m working on for Young Adults has been shortlisted and highly commended by Skylark Literary Agency in the Winchester Writers’ Festival competition. Joanna Moult, director of the agency, described my story as ‘compelling and very readable’, so I’ll continue working on it and who knows, I might have a book for Young Adults published in the future!

The Big Day Out

big-day-out-1I had a great time sharing my stories in the Lambing Shed at Kate Humble’s Big Day Out on her lovely farm in Chepstow. Thank you to the children who volunteered as actors – two turned out to be from my own town of Kidwelly! All of you were great. Here are some photos of the farm and the festival. It’s a lovely place to go for a day out.

Kate Humble on the Lambing Shed stage
Kate Humble on the Lambing Shed stage

 

Gareth Malone
Gareth Malone teaching the crowd to sing
Willow weaving
Willow weaving

 

June Book Signings

Authors' Event, Book signing, , , , ,
WH Smith Cardigan Wendy WhiteA very big THANK YOU to WHSmith in Cardigan and to Waterstones in Aberystwyth for letting me come and sign my books in their shops again. I had a wonderful welcome, as always, and met lots of interesting and creative people. Thank you to everyone who came along for a chat and to buy books. I hope to see you all again soon!

Shortlisted for the Colm Toibin International Short Story Award

I am delighted my story, Red Flags and Empty Nans, has been shortlisted for the inaugural Colm Toibin International Short Story Award. Everyone on the shortlist has been invited to afternoon tea at the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford at the end of May to find out who the overall winner is. The competition is organised by Wexford Literary Festival which runs from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th May.

 

Pat Sheridan Photography: Colm Toibin with some Focal Committee Members

Celebrating World Book Day at Llanelli Library

Library session, School session, ,
A very big THANK YOU to Llanelli Library (especially Tracey, Giovanna and Tania) for inviting me to help celebrate World Book Day with them. Miss Owen’s lovely Year 1 class from Bigyn School came along to listen to my stories and take part in a making Welsh cakes role-play. It was great fun. Well done everyone!

 

Llanelli Library - World Book Day - 2

Got all the (fake!) ingredients ready for our role-play. Oh dear, I hope the eggs aren’t broken…

Llanelli Library - World Book Day

Waiting for everyone to arrive for story time!

World Book Week Celebrations

Ysgol y Castell - March 2016 - 1

I had a fabulous afternoon in Ysgol y Castell, Kidwelly sharing my favourite fairy tales with the Nursery and Reception classes, and Year 1 & Year 2 too.

It’s always lovely to go back to the school where I used to teach, and I really enjoyed meeting the children and all their wonderful teachers and helpers.

Ysgol y Castell - March 2016 - 4And just in case you’re wondering, my favourite fairy tales are:

First, Goldilocks and the Three Bears because Goldilocks is very naughty but she gets a nasty fright in the end and that serves her right, especially as she’s broken Baby Bear’s chair. And I also love the ‘what happened next’ story called Goldilocks and Just the One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson (published by Nosy Crow). It’s all about grown-up Baby Bear’s trip to the city where he finds grown-up Goldilocks and accidentally gets his own back on her. It’s great!
Ysgol y Castell - March 2016 - 5Second The Tinder Box by Hans Christian Andersen, because it has three dogs in it with very large eyes (one dog has eyes the size of tea cups, another dog has eyes the size of saucers and the last has eyes the size of dinner plates). I enjoy that fairy tale because I like dogs a lot, and I like magic dogs even more!

Ysgol y Castell - March 2016 - 6

“Thank you, Ysgol y Castell, for inviting me in to school to help celebrate World Book Week. I hope to see you all again soon!”

Visiting Year 2 at Ysgol y Castell, Kidwelly

School session, , ,

IMG_0199 - Compressed

I went along to Ysgol y Castell to meet Mrs Pearce’s lovely Year 2 class. I took my books ‘Welsh Cakes and Custard’ and ‘Three Cheers for Wales’ and my little felt board too. Elen from Pont Books came with me. She was making a film of me reading a story. It was very exciting!

 

 

IMG_0178 - Compressed

Just checking if anyone knew which story has an ice-cream scoop in it. Well done to everyone who knew the answer. (It’s ‘Cawl and Custard for Betsi Wyn’ – she thinks the mashed potato in her soup is ice-cream!)

 

 

 

IMG_0221 - Compressed

Here we all are posing for a photo with Mrs Pearce. We’re cheering for Wales. Some of us are cheering more than others!

 

IMG_0228 - Compressed

 

 

 

This is Hannah, Dylan and me. I hope you’re both enjoying your ‘Welsh Cakes and Custard’.

 

 

 

 

IMG_0224 - Compressed

This is Year 2’s wonderful display of work about ‘Welsh Cakes and Custard’. I love the portraits of me. Well done everyone!

Thank you for letting me come into your class Year 2 and Mrs Pearce. I really enjoyed my afternoon. And thank you Miss John for taking the photos.

Here’s the film that Elen made: