The Young Scottish Book Trust Blog

2010-01-15T14:12:00.002Z

This blog has now moved to

www.scottishbooktrust.com/blogs

Cathy Forde: Virtual Writing In Residence

2010-01-06T09:37:00.009Z

As you all know, Cathy Forde is our current Virtual Writer In Residence. Here is her blog offering this month. Don't forget to check out her creative writing tasks on our Virtual Writer in Residence pages!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope the holidays left you refreshed and not frazzled and I really, really hope you haven’t spent hours queuing up in M&S or H&M to take back gifts you didn’t want in the first place.

Just the thought of post-Christmas sales is enough to make me shudder, although I did brave Frasers’ in Glasgow yesterday….For about five minutes. One glimpse at the feeding frenzy in the shoe department was enough to send me fleeing back down into the Underground like an acrophobic mole.

I’ve actually had a really lovely – and musical - Christmas with my family. On Christmas Eve I went with my mum and my husband to a packed-out Christmas Mass in St Peter’s (Partick in Glasgow, not Rome) which was conducted almost entirely by the light of candles set around the church and held by the congregation. It was magical, and at the end of the service all the children in the church played along to carols on instruments they’d brought. That wasn’t magical but it worked! My elder son was playing jazz in Brel, a pub nearby, so I saw out Christmas Eve listening to both my sons and their friends in the company of my mum and my husband. I think it’s been one of the best Christmases I’ve had for ages. I even got good presents, including an amazing live Sam Cooke album from my elder son, and a tambourine from my younger.

A recommendation from Marion at Scottish Book Trust felt like another present. I read through all the books the Scottish Book Trust team suggested for famous people on their website and fancied the novel Marion would give Bono so much, I bought it.

What a brilliant book The Other Hand by Chris Cleave is. So thank you for your unexpected gift, Marion! I love books that feel real and that you can’t stop thinking about and that you want to tell your friends to read.

By the time this blog is posted, I will be in the middle of development for my play EMPTY which debuts in the Tron Theatre in Glasgow on 16th March and then tours Scotland. I am really excited at the prospect of seeing my script transformed into flesh and bone in front of my eyes, although I know I am going to be on the steepest learning curve of my life. I had a little taster of what’s ahead when my second play, The Sunday Lesson was unexpectedly given a development day with professional actors at The Playwright’s Studio in Glasgow just before Christmas. After nine hours of reworking, rewriting and rehearsal the actors read the play to the producers of A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Glasgow’s Oran Mor, and as a result it’s going to be included in their Spring programme. I think that’s the best surprise Christmas present I have ever had!

You can see a video of Cathy presenting her latest creative writing task, and previous ones, one our website. http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/children-and-young-people/online-writer-in-residence

Other news:

If you missed the wonderful adaptation of Julia Donaldson's and Axel Scheffler's The Gruffalo over Christmas don't panic - you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer this week. We loved it! http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00pk64x/The_Gruffalo/

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness has just won the Costa Children's Book Award.

Louis Sachar, author of the children's classic Holes, will have a new book out in May this year. The Cardturner is his first new book in four years.

If you spent Christmas snuggled up with lots of books and are now wondering what to read, why not take a look at our latest Teen Hit List - Books That Rock!

Christmas time is here...

2009-12-23T12:21:00.002Z

Happy Christmas!

Heather: Our brilliant week on tour with David Roberts

2009-12-22T14:19:00.009Z

On Sunday 6th December, whilst I was in Manchester preparing for a brilliant night at a Yeah Yeah Yeahs gig, Chris was driving down to Carlilse to meet illustrator and author David Roberts at the train station. This was the beginning of our final tour of 2009!

I joined the guys on Monday morning in Dumfries where we spent our first day. Both sessions were brilliant, with lots of drawing and Chris trying out his storytelling skills. It set the tone for what was to be a fantastic week of events.

On Wednesday we moved on to East Renfrewshire. I was a bit sad to leave the beautiful Dumfries and Galloway scenery but the four events we did in and around Glasgow were equally as great.

I often think that when you see an illustrator doing what they do best it makes it obvious how difficult drawing is. What was so wonderful about David's events was that he showed every child, and Chris and I too, that even we could draw pictures. Everybody drew Dirty Bertie along with David, and a few people tried their hand at Troll and Tyrannasaurus Drip. Although they may not have been as perfect as David's art work, he made sure we all knew they were equally as valid. It was lovely to see so many children getting involved and feeling encouraged.

Thank you David for a fantastic week, and thank you to all of the pupils who drew pictures and shouted out enthusiastically during Dirty Bertie.

I haven't even tried to convey how much fun we had because it's just too difficult. Perhaps this wee tour video will do that for me! http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/podcasts/video/david-roberts-tour

Other News:

The winner of the 2009 Royal Mail Awards older readers category, Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray, has been shortlisted for another award – the Lincolnshire Young People’s Book Award. Check out the other books on the shortlist here.

The shortlist of the Angus Book Award 2010 has been announced! The winner, chosen by third year pupils throughout Angus secondary schools, will be announced in May in Kirriemuir. The shortlist is:
Crossing the Line by Gillian Philip
Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks
Guantanamo Boy by Anne Perera
Numbers by Rachel WardHappy Reading!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. We'll be back in the new year with even more events, tours and blogs!

Cathy Forde: Virtual Writer In Residence

2009-12-04T16:16:00.008Z

As you all know, Cathy Forde is currrently our Virtual Writer In Residence. Every month Cathy drops by the blog to tell us what she's been up to. Here's what she's got to say this month...

Last week I was on holiday, trying to absorb enough vitamin D from the Portuguese sun to see me through the next four months in Scotland. I loved having blue skies on tap for a few days although being away meant I missed the Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books. Well done to all the winners, especially Keith Gray, my predecessor as Virtual Writer in Residence for the brilliant Ostrich Boys.

Going on holiday anywhere for me is about catching up on reading, and I always try and choose something that I wouldn’t normally go for. So many people have recommended Steig Larsson’s crime novel The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, that I bought it, expecting the ultimate unputdownable ( is that a word?) novel. Was I disappointed? I struggled through it. On the other hand, I knew nothing much about Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger, but found myself completely drawn in to its spooky clutches. It is beautifully written and very readable, with a huge crumbling house as the setting for the story. It was the perfect novel to read before I deliver my fourth writer in residence podcast on SETTING, and it made me think of all the other books I have read where location is a character in itself.

I am off to Fife next week to give a creative writing talk with Scottish Book Trust and last month we went to spanking new Bishopbriggs Academy where I was asked some of the best questions ever from the audience. A great visit, and I am looking forward to going back there in March next year, especially now that I know where the new school is. Silly me drove to the old one and wondered why it looked so run down and forlorn.

By the way, this is my ‘Christmas blog’ although I haven’t had any time to think about all the shopping malarkey yet. It must be the Festive Season though because supermarket carparks are full, Glasgow city centre is heaving ( with people carry Primark bags), ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ is playing on a loop in M&S. Also, my sons have started snooping around for the Christmas presents I buy throughout the year, then hide away. When I came home from Portugal they were half way through Season One of First Blood. I had hidden it at the bottom of a box of other presents for them. Would you ever do that you your mum? Okay, so I did it too, but not when I was 20 like my elder son!!!

Happy Christmas.

Find out more about Cathy's residency on our Virtual Writer In Residence pages.

Other news:

Chris and Heather are about to head off on tour with author and illustrator David Roberts to Dumfries and Galloway and East Renfrewshire.

C.J. Skuse's Pretty Bad Things is coming out in March 2010. Take a look at this exciting trailer...

John Ward: Books - the greatest gift of all.

2009-12-04T16:01:00.003Z

John Ward's novel The Comet's Child is December's Book of the Month. We asked him what it feel like to be published at Christmas and what he'll be reading over the holidays.

To have a book come out in time for Christmas is a special pleasure. Suddenly you are part of that most memorable library: books that were first received as Christmas presents.
Books: as presents go, they are rarely the most exciting, but so often give the greatest, most abiding pleasure, remembered and reread when flashier things are lost and forgotten. Their moment comes when the toys are played out and the excitement (up since the earliest hours, scarcely slept the night before) has subsided into fatigue: then it is time to curl up in a quiet corner among the cushions and discarded wrapping paper and the smell of tangerines and chocolate and read your book.

What must it have been like to be a child at Christmas 1935 (a time much like our own, with the world in a parlous state: financial ruin, unemployment, war and the threat of war) and receive a copy of John Masefield’s The Box of Delights, complete with curious illustrations and a riddling rhyme at the head of each chapter? To be drawn into the world of Kay Harker, home for the Christmas holidays, diddled out of his money by sly strangers on the train, befriended by the old Punch- and-Judy man and his dog Barney, plunged into a world of adventure with flying taxis, magic, time-travel, international gangsters, interminable snowdrifts and at the heart of it all, the wonderful Box of Delights?

I'll be reading it again this Christmas.

Take part in our Book of the Month competition and you could win a copy of The Comet's Child.

K.M. Grant: Paradise Red Launch

2009-11-30T15:12:00.005Z

On 14th October K.M. Grant launched her new novel Paradise Red here at Scottish Book Trust. It was a brilliant launch, all of the pupils who attended had a fantastic time, as did the SBT staff, but what is it like for an author? We asked K.M. Grant and she told us...

The launch of a book is strange day for an author: exciting and slightly unnerving. The excitement is sending the book off into the world to see how it fares. The unnerving bit is that because the publishing process is lengthy, it’s some time since you actually wrote it. On occasion, even the author forgets things and I’m always frightened there’ll be some detail that’s escaped me, because if there is, you can bet somebody will discover, and how silly does that make you look?

But the end of a trilogy – Paradise Red is the final part of the Perfect Fire Trilogy – brings an added pang. I’ve been living with Yolada, Raimon and Brees for three years. Some days, they’ve been more real to me than absent members of my family. I don’t want to say goodbye to them. But if I don’t let go of them, how can I start my next venture? And a new heroine, Belle, awaits …

For more information on K.M.Grant take a look at her website.

Other news:

We're busy getting ready for our tour to Dumfries and Galloway and East Renfrewshire next week with the wonderful illustrator David Roberts. You can read more about David and his work on his website.

Today is your final chance to submit your entry for The Book That Changed My Life so get writing if you haven't submitted already!

The Gruffalo will be hitting our TV screens this Christmas in a half-hour animation. Robbie Coltrane will be in the starring role.

Debi Gliori: Newcastle Tour

2009-11-27T09:40:00.013Z

In October Jasmine and Heather embarked upon Scottish Book Trust's very first tour to England. Joining them on this most exotic of adventures was author and illustrator Debi Gliori. Jasmine and Heather had a fantastic time, but what did Debi think of her week long tour to Newcastle?...

We parachuted in as a triad: three women, a ton of books, and in my case, enough moisturizer to rehydrate a pharoaoh. We came, we saw, we talked, we drew, we signed books , in and out of the SBT people carrier, past the security sign-in at all of the schools, across playground war-zones and into tiny classrooms.

Reading picture books is sheer delight when you're reading with and to a very small group of children. It's a rare privilege to be allowed into the imaginations of the very young and I count myself blessed to be able to do what I do for a living ; making picture books for our smallest citizens. It takes me, on average, about six months to conceive, develop, rough out, write and paint a picture book. However, with the best will in the world, it rarely takes more than ten minutes max to read a picture book. The picture book word-count is short, the children's attention spans, since the advent of PS2's and Wii's, even shorter. These facts notwithstanding, some years ago, a close relative of the Marquis de Sade decreed that it would be a Jolly Good Idea for writers to read one picture book for an hour to a group of anything up to two hundred children of various ages and abilities.

This, compadres, takes cojones of steel. Hence the need for Zen-like detachment prior to these sessions. To offer up your very best work, your newest and best baby, to a group of children who've never met you before, you have to dig deep. It's not simply a question of reading the story and pointing out salient details in the pictures ; you have to be able to capture and hold the attention of a group of small strangers, to dodge and weave around the bletherers in the front row, to make sure that the children at the back can actually understand anything you're saying, to ignore the clamour of dinner ladies banging pots and pans in the background, to talk and draw and field questions all at the same time like some multi-armed Buddhist deity, to stretch a short story out, waaaaaay out beyond the bounds of credibility, to ignore the hisses from teachers trying to control their classes, and to smile, while inside you're measuring out the hours between you and that first cup of mint tea...

Normally, I do these sessions on my lonesome; that is, after I've spoken with assorted groups of children, I return to my hotel/b&b/train unaccompanied, eat a solitary dinner, make mint tea in my room and fall into bed. This time, on tour with Jasmine and Heather, we had drinks, conversation, debriefings, gallons of mint tea and above all, we gave each other support. It didn't feel like a solitary mission into uncharted territory; it felt like teamwork. So many, many thankyous to SBT for inviting me to tour with them, to Scottish Friendly for continuing to support our endeavours and thankyou to Seven Stories for hosting a lovely family event and for organizing schools, books and directing us to the best Japanese restaurant in the Western world.

Other News:

We are really excited that Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell have a new book coming out next May called Wyrmeweald! It’s a Wild West adventure with dragon-like beasts featuring heavily – partly inspired by our Scottish Friendly Children Book Tour to the Highlands last September! Watch the tour video here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/paul-stewart-and-chris-riddell-tour-september-2009. And watch out for the book next year!

The Royal Mail Awards Ceremony 2009

2009-11-25T14:22:00.017Z

Yesterday was the award ceremony for The Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children's Books 2009. Over 600 pupils from all over Scotland joined us at Queen's Hall in Edinburgh to see the shortlisted authors and hear the announcement of the winning books. The awards have been the biggest and best yet with almost 30,000 children taking part and over 15,000 of them voting for their favourite book.

This was the shortlist:

0-7 Category

Manfred the Baddie by John Fardell

Pink! by Lynne Rickards and Margaret Chamberlain

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

8-11 Category

The Eleventh Orphan by Joan Lingard

First Aid For Faeries and Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don

Dino Egg by Charlie James

12-16 Category

The Reckoning by James Jauncey

Crash by J.A. Henderson

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray

AND THE WINNERS ARE.......

0-7

Manfred the Baddie by John Fardell

8-11
First Aid For Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don

12-16
Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray

Congratulations John, Lari and Keith!

We all had a fantastic time at the ceremony. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it such a success and especially to Cathy MacPhail for being such a wonderful host!

You can read more about the ceremony and the awards in The Scotsman, the Press and Journal and The Big Issue Scotland

Malcolm Walker: The Stone Crown

2009-11-23T14:50:00.003Z

Australian author Malcolm Walker tell us about his novel The Stone Crown which is set in Scotland and was released earlier this month...

My name’s Malcolm Walker and I’m an Australian author. The UK edition of my novel, The Stone Crown, which is set in the Scottish Borders, came out November 2. What’s an Aussie writer doing depicting Scotland? Well, that’s a long story, one which starts with King Arthur, who wasn’t really a king but a Dark Ages warlord and who probably hung out just down the road from you near Kelso…

The two main characters Emlyn and Maxine, townies from London and Newcastle, find themselves stuck in the small town of Yeaveburgh. Boredom and an unsettling mystery involving his father leads Emlyn to poke his nose into some local secret business and when the two teenagers unwittingly steal a small wooden horseman from Sleeper’s Spinney they suddenly find themselves stalked by an ancient terror. Neither Emlyn nor Maxine were to know that the spinney was magically protected or that their unwitting theft would unleash the Dark Ages Arthur and his men, who’ve been kept in check by the McCrossan family, an ancient line of ‘keepers’ charged with containing the power that is trapped behind the spinney’s dry-stone wall. Caught between the ‘keepers’ and a curse that has dogged both of their lives, Emlyn and Max find themselves plunged into a parallel world of myth, magic and the supernatural, where not all is what it seems and where help comes from the most unlikely quarter.

The book has sold well in Australia, with one Australian reviewer saying, “Forget Camelot and chivalry ... this is an intriguing fantasy told with poetic intensity, and an innovative approach to the Arthur we all think we know.”

More information about Malcolm, together with excerpts from The Stone Crown, can be found on his website.

Other news:

Tomorrow is the Royal Mail Awards ceremony at Queen's Hall Edinburgh. Keep your eye on the website to find out the winners! Details of the shortlist can be found on our website.

Chris Newton: Looking Back on the Highland Tour

2009-11-19T15:13:00.012Z

A mere 7 weeks ago (it seems like a lifetime now) we embarked on our longest tour, taking the duo who created the Edge Chronicles, Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, on a two-week tour of the Highlands.

Jasmine and I headed north on the Sunday and met the talented Mr Riddell at the airport in Inverness, Paul was at this point in a field near Dorset. The tour had begun.

We stayed in Inverness, in a hotel over looking the River Ness where we all went for walks or the occasional jog. Over the next few days we did exciting and entertaining sessions in Nairn (fastest place in the north), Boat of Garten, Dingwall (Dingers), Fortrose and a huge one at Eden

Court Theatre (Inverness), where we were joined by more members of Scottish Book Trust and the boys' publicist, Georgia Lawe, came up from London too.

Setting off from there we headed down Loch Ness and the Great Glen until we hit Ben Nevis and Fort William. I like Fort William it has a great atmosphere, perhaps that comes from the satisfaction of those who have just climbed Britain’s largest mountain or maybe those who have completed the West highland Way or maybe it is the anticipation of those two things. Or just maybe, its because they too have eaten at the beautiful seafood restaurant, Crannog. Mmmmm.
After our session in Fort William, we drove off and got on the Corran Ferry and glided over to the Ardnamurchan Penisula – where we greeted by more enthusiastic children and stunning scenery.

Time for another big drive but when the chat is flowing and the scenery is as stunning as it was 4hours seemed nothing at all. One of the best things about being on tour is getting to spend time with hugely talented writers and illustrators, you get to know them quite well as you are with them all day and you also get to hear some ace stories. Particularly when you are with Chris (a shameless name-dropper) and Paul (who knows a lot about German grammar and rock music).

Another great thing about touring is that you get to see Scotland, I had never been to Skye before so it was good to see it, if only for a couple of days and I would definitely go back. In fact, I am very very lucky touring has taken me loads of cool places; Skye, Orkney, Shetland, Kilmarnock, Outer Hebrides, the Moray Firth and Oban (spot the odd-one out!)

Jasmine, Paul and Chris spent the weekend on Skye doing the exploring that I would liked to have done while I returned to Macduff (where I am from) for a friend’s wedding and then I met up with them in Ullapool. Ullapool had just staged their Loopalu Festival so the town had somewhat of a collective hangover so I fitted in perfectly! While I nursed my hangover and rued the fact that I couldn’t watch Match of the Day 2 Chris drew wonderful caricatures of Jasmine and I which he signed. They are now framed and hanging in our houses – very proud.

As we headed up to Scourie, where we did our smallest session of just 15 pupils the rain came for the first time and we showed Paul and Chris the other side of Scotland’s weather! At least the rain brings out the colours of the heather and the rocks so at least all was not lost and we did have lunch in the van over looking a wee castle.

After Scourie we headed east to Golspie where we met even more great children and some enthusiastic teenagers as well as being able to have a walk on the beach. You would have thought that after almost two weeks on the road Paul and Chris would be flagging but there were still in great form and were as chatty and friendly as one could hope.

Back on the road and this time we are heading north, until there is no more north – Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on mainland Britain. Our last events were in Wick and once again the children were ace and they left entertained and enthused about books.

To finish the tour we had a celebratory drink in a bar that was straight out of 1974 and then ate in a restaurant on the World’s Shortest Street (Ebeneezer Street, Wick, 6ft 9), only in Wick!!!
We waved the boys off at the airport in Wick with the resignation that the end of such a good tour brings and also the realisation that we would be back at the desk in a few days. This adventure was almost over. Back to Edinburgh in a 7 hours, well 5 and bit as Marion was driving.

It has been great fun creating this tour video and I really hope that you enjoy it, it hope fully brings it alive and it serves as a fantastic reminder for us. Do look out for some of the things that I mentioned in the blog. Actually, it has been fun writing this blog as the memories have come flooding back and there has been so much that I have left out.

So yes, I do have the best job in the world.

Find out more about Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell on their website: http://www.stewartandriddell.co.uk/

Other News:

Random House Children's Books held a Teenage Kicks event with Keith Gray on 12th November. It was a huge success. Here's what a few attendees had to say:

‘Many thanks, the girls loved it. The authors were fab & it brings an added dimension to reading their books now.’ Karen Hans, Librarian, St Martin-in-the-Fields High School

‘It was a really great evening, the young people loved it and were on such a high on the train on the way home! The evening, and their involvement in the preparations leading up to it, gave them some great opportunities for enjoyment, creativity, and both social and personal development .' Kim Tucker - Children's Services LibrarianCrawley Library

Graham Marks: Happy Birthday Asterix!

2009-11-13T09:58:00.011Z

Jasmine Fassl, our children’s events manager, and Graham Marks, children’s and young adult author, tell us all about their love, and experience with Asterix the Gaul on the occasion of his 50th birthday!

Jasmine:
I have always been an Asterix fan. My dad is a huge comic book geek, though the only ones we were allowed to read when we were little, were Lucky Luke and Asterix. Every Saturday morning, for about an hour or two after waking up my siblings and I would lie in bed, reading comic books. I had favourites at certain times, stories I’d read over and over again, before letting my siblings ‘borrow’ that particular book. I grew up in Vienna, so read the stories in German, but by now I have gotten used to reading the new books in English. At first it was odd – some characters have different names, with the exception of Asterix and Obelix of course, and I didn’t really like it. I am ok with it now, though it took me a while. For me it adds something to the experience – and I am rather (geekily) proud that know the little differences…I am very jealous of Graham Marks who went to Paris for the 50th birthday of Asterix, here is what he says:

Crayonné original de la couverture d’Astérix et Latraviata (détail) Albert Uderzo
2001
40 x 50 cm
Collection particulière © 2009 Les Éditions Albert René / Goscinny-Uderzo

Graham Marks:
As day trips go, this was pretty special: destination Paris, for the 50th birthday of Asterix the Gaul! The venue, the Musée de Cluny, near the Sorbonne, was completely appropriate and itself worth the trip, being a walled, gothic-fronted building attached to the remains of an actual Gallo-Roman thermal baths!
From the moment we walked in to the bath’s frigidarium (cold room), its vaulted roof some thirty feet above us, it was one marvel after another: here were the original notes Goscinny had made when the idea for the series was coming to life, right next to Uderzo’s preliminary sketches (Asterix started out much taller, Obelix a lot thinner); on a plinth inside a glass case, there’s Goscinny’s manual typewriter, on which he wrote the script you can see alongside the stunning black and white artwork Uderzo then produced from it, his delicate brushwork and his fine, detailed penmanship bursting with life. Long live Asterix, and many happy returns!

Jasmine:
The new Asterix book – The Golden Book – isn’t a traditional Asterix story. It’s more like a short story collection, with a scrap book feel. It’s a book for fans with lots of tributes and references to older Asterix adventure as well as classic works of art like the Mona Lisa and artists like Leonardo da Vinci, though my favourite is Asterix as a Marsupilami (after a comic by Andre Franquin) – it’s inspired! It was a huge joy to read and the artwork is exquisite.
Unfortunately I don’t own the complete collection, but I still lie in bed sometimes on a Saturday morning reading Asterix comic books…

Want to find out more? Here’s the official Asterix website: http://www.asterix.com/.

Other news:

Today is the voting deadline for the Royal Mail Awards 2009.

If you're registered to vote

make sure you do so by 5.30pm today!

Anthony Horowitz was in Edinburgh last night as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, to promote his latest novel Crocodile Tears.

The Gruffalo has been voted the Nation's Favourite Bedtime Story by listeners of the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2.

The winners of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize are Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd and Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Jim Paillot.

Katie: Young People's Mentoring Scheme

2009-11-09T10:14:00.008Z

As part of his residency which ended in September, Keith Gray mentored four very talented teenage writers - Mathias, Manakan, Charlotte and Katie. They each worked with Keith, one-to-one and in groups, on their novels. The scheme ended with a trip to Scholastic Children's Publishing in London where the group got to learn more about the publishing process. Keith and the Scottish Book Trust staff had a wonderful time being involved in the scheme. We asked Katie to blog about how she found it from the mentee perspective...

For the past six months I have been fortunate enough to be involved in Scottish Book Trust’s first ever Young people’s Mentoring Scheme. It’s an opportunity that many adults would envy and it certainly taught me a lot about writing and what it will be like when I (hopefully!) have my work published.

It all started in March 2008 when I met my fellow mentees Mathias, Charlotte and Manakan for the first time and we were all introduced to Keith. I will admit that it was a bit daunting at first! Here stood a man who’d already achieved everything I dreamed of and I was about to spend the next few months giving him my work to read! Luckily, we all got along straight away and my fears vanished when Keith opened by talking about how much he hated Maths. I knew that if all else failed we had that in common.

We had our first proper group meeting on Thursday 4th June. We were all very ambitious in our plans for the scheme and immediately set about writing our first novels. It was my first experience of writing anything longer than a short story but I felt comfortable sharing my ideas with the group and Keith.

At our second group meeting we had the privilege of talking to Lucy Juckes, an agent from Jenny Brown Associates. It was my first real glimpse into the business side of writing and to say it was surprising would be an understatement. Our visions of publishing our first book and suddenly being a millionaire with a mansion and a sports car suddenly didn’t seem as likely! As Lucy talked more and more about facts and figures it was difficult to hide our shock and we must have made her feel rather guilty as she finished with,
“I really hope I haven’t put you off!”

Luckily, she hadn’t and we all continued writing. By this point, we were all back at school and perhaps the biggest challenge for me was juggling all of this with my regular life as a fifteen year old school student. Teachers weren’t quite as excited about my writing as I was and for some reason “I didn’t do the homework because I had the most genius idea for my book” didn’t count as a good reason. I really don’t understand why!

The highlight of this whole experience for me was definitely our trip to London a fortnight ago and not just because it meant two whole days off school! We had the chance to not only see inside Scholastic but we also got to talk to people from all different jobs within the publishing business. It was interesting to talk to them about what they think make makes a good book and to get their advice about what to do when we complete our work.

I have had a brilliant time with the mentoring scheme and although at times it was hard work, it was absolutely worth it! I do plan to finish my novel and have promised Keith that I will write for at least an hour a day (I doubt this will work but we don’t need to tell him that!). One day when I am bestselling author who does have a mansion and a sports car I know I will look back and remember it was all started by this and everyone who was involved. I wish the next lot of mentees luck; they are most definitely going to need it!

(pictured left to right: Charlotte, Katie, Keith Gray, Manakan, Mathias)

You can read work from Katie and the other mentees in their very own section of the Scottish Book Trust website.

Other News:

The Book Depository has launched 'My Bookmark' - a competition for customers to design ten bookmarks which will be despatched with orders from its site. You can find out more on Bookseller.com

Catherine Forde: Virtual Writer In Residence

2009-11-02T16:18:00.008Z

Catherine Forde, our Virtual Writer In Residence, takes over the blog for her monthly update. Read on to find out what she's been up to lately...

This is the high life indeed! On Tuesday I was chauffeur-driven by Jasmine and Chris of Scottish Book Trust from Edinburgh to Monifieth in Angus. I was visiting Monifieth High School to give my first ‘live’ talk in my role as Virtual Writer in Residence. It was not a promising start; the journey there had to be one of the wettest on record, and I was very glad I wasn’t behind the wheel on the motorway. But thanks to Jasmine’s unruffled driving we arrived a bit drookit, but in good time and to a lovely warm welcome from the pupils and English staff at the school. Thank you all, if any of you read this!

I gave a talk to the whole of First Year about where I find ideas for stories. There were so many hands up to ask questions that we ran out of time, which is always a good sign. Before Chris ‘chauffeured’ me back to Edinburgh, I talked to a group English teachers from Angus about some of the approaches I might use now if I was trying to encourage pupils to write creatively. It was actually quite scary talking to the teachers. The last thing I want them to feel was that that I was telling them what to do. They’ve enough on their plates with a curriculum to follow.

Over the last year I’ve been writing a play for the National Theatre of Scotland, (which I’ll talk more about in future blogs.) As I’ve never written any drama before, and wasn’t up to scratch on contemporary work, mostly anything I’ve read recently has been a playscript. (I’ve also been going to see lots of plays and loving it. I have a season ticket for the weekly plays that run in a series called PLAY, PIE AND PINT in Glasgow’s Oran Mor, although I only go for the PLAY – honest) Because I’ve been so steeped in drama it’s been ages since I’ve read contemporary Young Adult fiction. However, my Virtual Writer in Residence appointment has given me the perfect excuse to check out what’s been written recently, and I have just finished two incredible novels that I can’t stop thinking about: EXPOSURE by Mal Peet, and BOG CHILD by Sioban Dowd. They had everything I want in a novel: believable characters I cared about, and page-turning pace. Highly recommended.

You can find other recommended reads in our Teen Hit Lists. If you have any suggestions for new Hit List categories email teen@scottishbooktrust.com.

You can find details of Catherine's second creative writing task in the Virtual Writer In Residence section of the website.

Other news:

There are new reviews in our Your Reviews section of the website. If you'd like to have your book review featured online please take a look at the website for further details.

Nine titles have been shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award 2010. Three titles have been shortlisted in each category; Best Book With Facts, Book I Couldn’t Put Down and Most Fun Story with Pictures. For more information check out the Blue Peter website.

Barbara Mitchelhill: Dangerous Diamonds

2009-10-27T09:25:00.011Z

We were really pleased to recently host the launch of Barbara Mitchelhill’s new book Dangerous Diamonds with the help of Murrayburn primary school. Here is what she has to say:

Arriving in Edinburgh for the Scottish Book Trust’s launch of Dangerous Diamonds was exciting but quite bizarre. Here I was in the city where, over a year ago, I had dreamed up the whole story. The setting for Dangerous Diamonds is Edinburgh and I when I arrived at Waverley Station, I jumped into a taxi and went across town to visit friends whose flat in the Grassmarket is where the story starts and where Charlotte and Harry live. On the way, I passed the Assembly Rooms in George Street where their dad goes missing and I caught a glimpse of the grand house where the villain, Edina Ross, lives. All these were real places that but the characters were all out of my imagination.
That is the good thing about being a writer, you can put whoever you want into any situation.
The two days I spent in Edinburgh were great fun and all the children I talked to had wonderful questions. Most of all, I shall remember the Quiz Game we played and how they cleaned me out of every chocolate in the box!

Dangerous Diamonds is published by Andersen Press and available in all good book shops. Visit Barbara’s website: http://www.barbaramitchelhill.com/ for more information about her and her work.

Other news:

Melvin Burgess has started to write Twitterfiction. Check out his literary Twitter offerings at@MelvinBurgess

Chris's Highland Tour video diary is very nearly finished. Keep checking the blog and the website!

If you're a budding author, or simply keen to get creative and have a little fun, check out Virtual Writer in Residence Cathy Forde's creative writing tasks. They can be found in the Virtual Writer in Residence section of the website.

Johnny O'Brien: Day of the Assassins

2009-10-21T14:40:00.008+01:00

Johnny O'Brien is the author of Day of the Assassins, a fast-paced time travel adventure set just before the outbreak of the First World War. Johnny grew up in Scotland and has recently returned on a tour to promote his book. He tells us a bit about his tour and Day of the Assassins.

I grew up in Scotland and it’s a long time since I was here – it’s really great to be back. So far we have visited Linlithgow Bridge Primary, Forrester High School and Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh and Burgh School in Galashiels and Kingsland Primary School in Peebles.

I grew up in Peebles and went to Kingsland School so it was amazing to go back after more than thirty years. I’ve got to say that the pupils and teachers we have met have been brilliant - really welcoming and enthusiastic. Thanks to everyone! Along the way, we’ve had some great discussions about history, the First World War, the assassination in Sarajevo, ‘what if’ scenarios in history and loads more.

We’ve also had some great questions – my favourites so far: ‘Johnny – how much money do you make?’, ‘ you don’t really think that writing is a proper job do you?’ and, ‘do you know anything about rabbits?’ There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for the book – I explain that ‘Day of the Assassins’ is a good old action adventure (partly motivated by my need to get my own kids off the Playstation) – but set in accurate historical context so that people who read it, might learn something about history in the process almost ‘by mistake’ .

This seems to strike a chord – I read somewhere that history is ‘dying out’ in schools... and young people aren’t interested in it. Not so from what I’ve seen – we’ve sold so many books we’ve had to DHL another lot up from London.

You can find out more about Johnny O'Brien on his website.

Other News:

Francesca Simon, author of the Horrid Henry books, has teamed up with Innocent Smoothies in a project which aims to get children everywhere involved in creating 26 stories, each inspired by Innocents new Fridge magnets. They hope to create the biggest game of online consequences ever! Take a look at the Innocent website for more details.

Eoin Colfer is writing a stage musical called Lords of Love, which he hopes to bring to the Edinburgh Fringe next year.

My Week At Book Trust

2009-10-16T12:47:00.029+01:00

This week has been one of quite a few hidden revelations I’ve discovered about myself. Partly, it’s all job orientated, but most of it’s about what sort of person I really am. I always thought I’d be rubbish working in an office environment, that I was more suited to somewhere else. Where else? I don’t know, but just somewhere else—since my experiences of going into offices have always been that they’re tediously boring places where nothing ever happens and the works all dreary and boring. I’m pretty much convinced that although some parts of the work that everyone does here at Book Trust will be tedious and boring (because let’s face it, in all aspects of life boredom will rank pretty highly in one of your most frequent emotions) but quite a lot of it seems to be, dare I say it, fun. Even when I was stuck doing spreadsheets (which aren’t a picnic, let me tell you!) I didn’t really mind. Which strikes me as sort of odd considering I would find that pretty boring in any other environment. I think it might be because even whilst doing those spreadsheets I felt like I was contributing to a higher purpose. At school, you rarely are given tasks that fully contribute to a purpose. Sure, they’re generally all contributing to your grade, which in turn gets you jobs—but honestly, what sort of purpose is algebra or trigonometry going to attain past your schooling years? Unless you’re a sadistic masochist person who likes to inflict pain on themselves, of which, I am surely not. I think part of the reason I’ve enjoyed my time here so fervently is due in large part to the people, but also to the feeling that I’m being given responsibility and independence and being made to feel like some of the work I’m doing really matters, like mail, writing blogs and writing about The Book That Changed My Life, helping out with an event and picking competition winners. You see, all of that matters, in some small way to someone, it will matter, largely and probably mainly, just to me.

Although I don’t really hate school (although sometimes the feeling of hatred is a very tempting emotion when mixed with the word school) I find it quite boring. I bet you’re thinking of course you do! Boredom is an emotion associated with teenagers. We are the army of the bored. All we are is bored. All we do is sit at home whinging about everything. I’m not going to try and pretend that’s not me. It quite frequently is, and school is often a cause of that moaning. During this week, I’ve managed to pinpoint the reason to why I struggle to like school as much as I loved this week. The reason is pretty simple. Here, I’m being given that allusive thing—independence, and its counterpart, responsibility. Here, although of course I’m being told what to do, I’m also being left to get on with it. At school, we are wrapped and wrapped in hoards of cotton wool, and after all that we’re STILL stopped every couple of minutes to check that we’re getting on OK. Sometimes I wish people would just leave me to get on with it—to make my own mistakes, to learn by myself, to find what I’m looking for with the one person I can fully trust. Me.

At school it’s all about working as a collective amoeba, and whenever you sort of veer off the perfect little arrangement and make a mistake you’re absolutely SCREAMED at. Getting something wrong is not the end of the world. Maybe the teachers need some life lessons, because mistakes are part of being that carbon-based life-form called human. Mistakes are what you learn from, and are what shape who you really are. If you don't have lots of errors in life then you're not human. But, how can you make a mistake if you constantly have someone a) telling you exactly what to do and b) tearing you limb from limb whenever you make one? Frankly, the two things just don’t add up with what their saying. Adults, particularly teachers, always say that mistakes can be made, so why don’t they practise what they preach?

I’ve just realised I’ve veered wildly off course. I was meant to be telling you about my time here, and about what I’ve learnt. But all of the above is what I’ve learnt. I’ve learnt about me. I’ve learnt that this sort of job is exactly what I want to do—when I’m not writing, which is my ultimate goal in life, to write and have someone like it—that I feel I thrive and seek enjoyment from the sort of environment I’ve been working in this week. That I find the one thing I so rarely find at school. I find some sort of passion and love. At school I go through my day like a bit of a zombie, always stumbling along, just getting on with what I’ve got to do, never really coming alive unless it’s English or History. Although on a whole I don’t find it mind-bogglingly hard (unless the class names are Chemistry or Maths) I just don’t find that magical, burning desire to really knuckle down and get on with it. I’ve found out that here, I want to get on with it, and I want to really try and do something that will be helpful. Even when I’m on the bus home and deliriously tired, I still want to be back there doing more. For reasons I cannot explain to you fully because they don’t make sense to me—I’ve loved it here. Absolutely, purely, decidedly, loved it. In fact, if they I could come back volunteering to do it next week, or in the near future, I’d say yes in a heartbeat. Probably because when I’m here I’m not bored, and when I’m sitting at home, or sometimes even when I’m out with my friends (only sometimes, I’m not that serious and devoid of a likeness for social life!) I usually am. Not only have I had a real, true work experience (of the non-tea making variety) but I’ve discussed my ambitions and received advice from the people that know best about that sort of thing. One thing I know with utter certainty and clear clarity—I’ve had a life-changing week, one that if I was given the opportunity, I’d relive again and again.

Now it’s time to discuss my favourite books. I have so many favourite books it’s almost as if they don’t warrant the title favourite. I have many favourite books, but ranking pretty highly is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Purely because it’s gripping, romantic (if not quite tragic, what with the love being destructive and mad) and it's such a brilliant story, filled with wonderful, mad and generally unlikeable characters.

I also really enjoy the work of George Orwell. Having analysed both Animal Farm and 1984 for school, I am certain this man was a genius, with such excellent morals and ideas. His books have been life-changing, and truly opened up my eyes to the world around me. I also really like a prominently boy-book Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Another one I read for school, that I can say, with full integrity, I’d never have touched with a burning hot poker. My Dad tried to make me read it. I read the back, started some chapters, got to the killing of the Simon—and being the sensitive, squeamish girl I am; I felt violently sick. I stopped reading and put it back on the bookcase, wishing to never see it again. The following year, low and behold, it pops up for a book I’ve got to read and analyse. Great. The sarcasm and half-hearted attempt to re-read it came next. That was until I read it with an open mind, delved into the complexities of all Golding is trying to convey, and found out that whilst this book is violent, sickening and quite painful to read, it’s a very important, intelligent book, one I found myself liking more and more.

Of course I read normal books. I dabble in teenage fiction too—with one catch. It has to be intelligent. I can’t stand a book that’s all about the trials and triumphs of a first love, or falling out with your happy little close knit group of friends—and everything magically straightening out by the end. That isn’t real life. I prefer to read books that try to give me realistic expectations of what life’s going to be like when I step out that door in the morning. Filling me with silly whims and notions of princes on magical white ponies just isn’t for me. Sure, I like escapism and fantasy as much as the next person, but at the same time, I like my fantasy to be taken with a pinch of realistic salt. I like anything by Kevin Brooks; Candy, Martyn Pig and Lucas. I also enjoy Nicola Morgan; Sleepwalking, Fleshmarket and Deathwatch. Other books I’ve found intriguing are; The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Generation Dead by Daniel Waters and How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, among many others. I sort of live for reading and writing, so you see, if I wrote all my favourites, it’d take you days to trek through them.

I honestly expect you’ve stopped reading by now. I probably would have, but if you’ve stayed along for the messy ride, I hope you’ve liked what you’ve been reading, and if you haven’t, then I’m sorry for stealing some of your precious minutes of life.

Other News

You can now listen to an audio interview with Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell following our September Tour of the Highlands. A couple of weeks ago Heather promised you all a tour video, this is almost complete so watch out for it soon! (Chris "Speilberg" Newton)

We also recieved a beautiful poem from at Raigmore Primary which you can read on their blog.

National Poetry Day 2009

2009-10-08T09:41:00.016+01:00

Happy National Poetry Day everyone! Many of you will no doubt be marking the day by reading new poetry, dipping into your old favourites or maybe even attending a poetry event. It was announced today that the nation's favourite poet is T.S Eliot - a pretty good choice we're sure most would agree. We thought we'd take a little office poll to see which poems the SBT staff love to read...

Marc:

La prose du Transsibérien et de la Petite Jehanne de France by Blaise Cendrars, 1913

At that time I was in my adolescence

I was barely sixteen years old and had already forgotten my childhood

I was sixteen thousand leagues from my birth

I was in Moscow, in the city of the thousand and three belltowers

and the seven stations

And the seven stations and the thousand and three belltowers

did not suffice me

For my adolescence was then so ardent and wild

That my heart blazed in turn like the temple of Ephesus or the

Red Square in Moscow
As the sun sets.

This is one of my favourite poems because it is one of the first modern poems, a hymn to movement, travel, and adventure. Cendrars was a huge influence on Apollinaire, and this led to the birth of modern poetry. In addition, Cendrars worked with the artist Sonia Delaunay to create one of the greatest artists books ever made with this poem. Delaunay illustrated the poem with her abstract designs; Intended as an edition of 150, only 60 copies were printed, of which about 30 are thought to survive (The Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh has one). The book, a series of 4 sheets glued together in an accordion style binding, measures 199 cm tall when unfolded; the height of all 150 end to end would have equaled the height of the Eiffel Tower, a potent symbol of modernity at the time, and referenced in both the poem and the print.

Julia:

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Elliot, 1915

LET us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question …
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.
...

I love the imagery used and the flow of the poem. Although I know it just about off by heart, I’m never quite sure I’ve understood the poem - perhaps one of the reasons I never tire of reading it.

Helen:

To A Mouse. On turning up her next with the plough by Robert Burns, 1785.

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!
...

This was the first poem I learnt and had to recite in front of my family and school assembly. I liked the way he had written a poem for the mouse and felt sorry for it - you can tell I’m an animal lover!

Clare:

Entirely by Louis MacNeice

If we could get the hang of it entirely
It would take too long;
All we know is the splash of words in passing
and falling twigs of song,
And when we try to eavesdrop on the great
Presences it is rarely
That by a stroke of luck we can appropriate
Even a phrase entirely.
...

This poem was given to me by a friend years ago and has since been abroad with me – to different jobs and homes. I always find a place to pin it up. I read it from time to time to remind myself to stop being hard on myself for not being quite ‘there’ yet.

Catriona:

A Voodoo for Miss Maverick by Sandy Thomas Ross

I dinna like Miss Maverick –
This cushion’s for her heid.
I’m jumpin aa my wecht on’t,
An noo Miss Maverick’s deid!

Ye’re deid, ye’re deid, Miss Maverick,
An never mair ye’ll say
I dance like a hird o’ Ayrshire
Ky on a mercat day! I’ll pit ye ablaw the sofa –
Ye’re deid an yirdit baith,
An never mair ye’ll miscaa me –
Ye’ve drawn yer hinmaist braith!

My favourite poem is Voodoo for Miss Maverick by Sandy Thomas Ross, a much recited poem in primary schools up and down Scotland. I remember my brother learning it when he was a wee boy and having my whole family in stitches as he acted out jumping on the hated “Miss Maverick’s head” in the middle of the poem. Wonderful.

Sophie:

Things by Fleur Adcock

There are worse things than having behaved foolishly in public.There are worse things than these miniature betrayals,committed or endured or suspected; there are worse thingsthan not being able to sleep for thinking of them.It is 5am. All the worse things come stalking inand stand icily about the bed looking worse and worse and worse.

I found it really hard to choose as there are so many poems I love. I picked this in the end as I’m not sleeping very well and it sums up the state of insomnia very well.

Anna:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

...

This was Frost's favourite of his own poems. I love it for of its simplicity - and for the way it depicts life as a journey, for we all have 'miles to go before we sleep'.

Heather:

Sneezles by A.A. Milne

Christopher Robin
Had wheezles
And sneezles,
They bundled him
Into
His bed.
They gave him what goes
With a cold in the nose,
And some more for a cold
In the head.

...

I love all of the poems in A.A. Milne's Now We Are Six. It's also one of my Dad's favourite books which I think is one of the main reasons I love it - it's a shared passion. A.A. Milne captures the innocence of childhood beautifully and I think the humour delights adults and children alike.

Hopefully that lengthy list will inspire to read some poems today. Do let us know your favourite!

Catherine Forde: Online Writer In Residence

2009-10-05T16:53:00.013+01:00

Scottish Book Trust is very excited to welcome Catherine Forde as our brand new virtual writer in residence, following Keith Gray's fantastic residency last year. Catherine takes over the blog this week to tell us a little bit more about the plans she has for her residency and for the regular blogs she'll be writing for us over the next year....

Welcome to the first regular blog I’ll be writing as Scottish Booktrust’s new Online Writer in Residence. I should confess that I’m completely new to this blogging game so in case I’m rubbish, I thought I’d better swot up a bit on the whole bloggy business by taking a peek at a few the famous, or rather infamous blog sites.

Perez Hilton’s was the first – actually the only blogger I could think of off the top of my head ( which tells you how tacky I am) . So I dutifully googled Perez, and have to say I have come away from the experience of his gossip-blog profoundly enriched with knowledge, some of which I’ll share with you.
Here goes:

Michelle Obama is going to be a guest on Sesame Street.
Suri Holmes/Cruise ( her dad’s that chippy actor bloke out of Top Gun, isn’t he?) has a pair of black and white stripy tights. She’s about four, by the way.
Sarah Jessica Parker has dyed her hair blonde…
And er… I think that’s enough of that. This is meant to be educational.

I’m just going to focus my blog on some of the things that happen on my travels as Online Writer in Residence instead. Unfortunately they haven’t actually started yet, although when they do, I’ll be visiting many different places in Scotland with Scottish Booktrust, giving talks on creative writing. Over the last few weeks I’ve been putting all my ideas together for what I’m going to discuss. That’s been quite a challenging experience for me because it has forced me to analyse the way I approach my own writing and break it down into chunks of information. These chunks will form the individual tasks you’ll be able to see on the podcasts over the next few months, and I hope they are helpful to any budding writers.

If you have watched my first podcast, you have beaten me to it as I will be on a train to London when it goes ‘live’. I am going to speak at the Shoreditch Festival and visit the Sydney Russell School in Dagenham. I went to Sydney Russell for the first time a couple of years ago and have been asked back. I am looking forward wandering about London in between work duties, feeling a like a tourist, although I’m worried about navigating their Tube system with its thirteen different lines. Being a Weegie I can only deal with the Inner and Outer Circle of the Glasgow Underground – if you miss your stop you just stay on and it comes back round twenty minutes later.

I hope I make it back to write my next blog…

You can find out more about Catherine's residency by reading the Online Writer in Residence pages on our website.

Other news:

It's Children's Book Week this week and to celebrate we're putting on two events with Darren Shan and Barbara Mitchelhill. Keep your eye on the website for more from them.

At the end of this week Heather and Jasmine set off on a tour to Newcastle with Debi Gliori. Scottish Book Trust have never toured in England before so we're all very excited about it!

Tom Eglington: The Spellbound Hotel

2009-10-02T12:27:00.008+01:00

Earlier this year, Tom Eglington had his first book - The Spellbound Hotel - published. He takes over the blog this week to tell us more about himself and the weird but wonderful world he sets his stories in.

Hello.

My name is Tom Eglington and in May of this year I had the pleasure of having my first novel published. It is called The Spellbound Hotel (in case you were wondering) and begins, like all great stories do, with a village where everyone is addicted to sausages and a bizarre soap opera called ‘What About Dave?’ Sound strange? Well, to be honest, it just gets stranger from there on in. There are shadows that run free, terrified ghosts, a mischievous pooka called Mr Quinn and a hotel that has a sinister life of its own, not to mention a giant trapped in a pit being forced to eat fossils. And don’t get me started about the cleaning ladies.

I blame school. You see, when I was a young lad growing up in Edinburgh I would walk to school each morning with a friend. And each morning, with nothing better to do, I would think up ideas for stories. Sometimes these would be good ideas, sometimes not so good. Eventually, though, my friend suggested I write some of these stories down. So I began to scribble, scribble, scribble. And that, as they say, is how it all started…

More information about Tom, as well as games and some 'Truly Awful Jokes' can be found on his website.

Other news:

Next week is Children's Book Week and to celebrate we're doing two fantastic events in Edinburgh and Glasgow with authors Barbara Mitchelhill and Darren Shan! Keep an eye on the website and the blog for more from the authors.

The Green Pencil Award 2009 was launched at the end of August. The competition is open to pupils within the Primary 4 to Primary 7 age range attending an Edinburgh school, and the deadline is 16th October. For details see the Green Pencil Award website.

Bernard Beckett: Genesis

2009-09-14T11:44:00.013+01:00

When Bernard Beckett isn't teaching high school pupils in New Zealand he is an author of young adult fiction and has had many books published in his native country. His latest novel Genesis has been published in the UK. We were lucky enough to have Bernard as part of our Outreach tour this year. His events were excellent - Heather and Jasmine thoroughly enjoyed being challenged to think about human consciousness and the development of artificial intelligence, as did all of the pupils Bernard spoke to in Perth and Kinross. We asked him to tell us about his brief but incredibly busy visit to Scotland...

I arrive in Edinburgh feeling slightly beaten up by a flight which somehow ends up taking thirty hours from airport to airport with the added bonus of queuing for an hour for the friendly and heavily armed folk at LA airport. My first time on US soil and I don't even get a 'have a nice day.' Clearly television has been lying to me. Two hours after arriving in Edinburgh I do a reading for the Amnesty International event, and rather hope my jetlag mistranslates into gravitas.

Next morning and my senses are sufficiently sharpened to notice Edinburgh is one of the world's great cities, just so beautiful and with the slightly manic air of festival land stretched over it all, it's quite the sight. I begin to wonder if I might not be able to live here one day, but four words of warning echo in my head (this is their summer, this is their summer). I suspect I would miss the beach life.

My first event proper at the Book Festival is, in theory, me addressing a school group. Only the school cancelled (or there never was such a booking and the organisers are just trying to make me feel better). We're saved by home schooling. One young chap, his parents, a couple of ring-ins with New Zealand connections and the woman whose job it is to hold that microphone make for an intimate wee audience. We have a fine time nonetheless, as one must.

Get to record a video entry of 'The Book That Changed My Life', choosing the book in question as I walk into the fairy tale world of the Scottish Book Trust. Charming building and charming folk, and there's a fudge shop across the way, this city just gets better.

My evening event draws a crowd, thanks to the fact that I'm sharing the stage with Patrick Ness who is, you know, well known. I'm beginning to feel like I'm trapped in an episode of Flight of the Conchords, only I can't sing. We talk about talking dogs, as you do, and bright lights. A girl at the front has the most excellent laugh I have heard in a long time.

My favourite part of the Scottish adventure is the chance to travel north with two of the Scottish Book Trust wonders to visit and chat with students from a couple of high schools. The first is Blairgowrie and it's my great privilege to address two Religious Studies classes. I feel a slight pang of jealousy, we don't have much in the way of philosophy based education back home. The teens are smart and engaging, and capable of feigning polite interest throughout for which I am truly grateful. We talk about humans and machines and what the differences might be. It's fun for me; what it's like inside their heads I have no idea. Fantastic though to think some of the ideas in Genesis have traveled this far. A hugely gratifying thought, the biggest buzz of being a writer for me.

Next up is Perth, what a pretty town. It's hard not to feel a little aggrieved at whoever is responsible for not spending a little more on the school buildings. Again an audience brimming with an alert optimism, the sort only teenagers really manage to pull off. They deserve to be learning in palaces these young folk. What's more they arrive in their lunchtime which shows uncommon commitment I think. Two delightful students have read Genesis over summer (do you still use that word?) which makes me inordinately happy. As my talk begins the school band rehearse energetically overhead. Were I the rhythmic type I might try to keep time, as it is I bumble along to my own drum and once again the questions from the students are insightful and generous. My feelings towards Scotland grow still warmer.

Three nights in Edinburgh and it's back on the plane to Wellington New Zealand, another whimsical windswept city. And back to teaching. The more alert amongst my students have at least noticed I was away, bless them.

Here is Bernard's video entry for The Book That Changed My Life. You can read more entries on our website.

Other News:

Stephanie Myer and J.K. Rowling are set to have their biographies published in comic-strip form later this year.

Janis Mackay: Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest

2009-09-09T09:17:00.014+01:00

Janis Mackay recently won the Kelpie's Prize 2009 for her book Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest. We asked her to drop by the blog to tell us a bit about her inspiration for the book and how it feels to be a prize winner.

My journey with Magnus Fin began over a year ago. My partner and I had recently moved into this house by the sea in Caithness. Day and night the waves pound or lap or sigh. When the waves have been powerful I smell the tang of seaweed. Having the sea as your neighbour is to live up close to mighty creative inspiration.

I became fascinated by what the tide brought in – and often horrified. Once, after three days of stormy high waves thousands of plastic bottles littered the shoreline. I saw how hard and dangerous it is to be a wild sea bird. Young herring gulls die of starvation. Carcasses of cormorant and shag are washed up. Then wonderful things too – a little carved wooden horse all the way from Prague! A lifebuoy from Norway, half a rusted bell from a sunken ship.
At low tide here the mast of a sunken boat is visible. That really fired my imagination. It gave me a glimpse into a hidden underwater world – so naturally I started wondering – what else is down there?

Then the story of Magnus Fin, a boy who goes under the sea, came to me quickly. I had huge sheets of paper and decided, before writing the story down, I would attempt to draw it. Drawing is not my strong point but I thought it might help me visualise the characters and the settings. In that drawing my underwater creatures were mermaids. Later I changed them (all except one) into selkies.

For a long time I have been a storyteller. Having written Magnus Fin as a 17,000 word story I told it – or the gist of it – to a friend. I could see her eyes widen. She liked it. Then I sent the 17,000 word script to Hi-Arts. They offer a work-in-progress critique service to writers in the Highlands.

And if, by any chance, my anonymous reader reads this – thank-you! The story then was entitled ‘The waking of Neptune.’ I was given many helpful suggestions and the written critique ended by saying – make the story at least 40,000 words and send it to the Kelpies Prize!
Wining the Kelpies Prize was such a joy. What a treat to meet Joan Lingard, and to receive £2,000 – and most of all to know that Magnus Fin and these windswept rugged and beautiful northern shores – and my imaginative underwater world – will go on a journey and who knows where that will take them?

The whole adventure that Magnus Fin goes on under the sea happens because he asks for it. He throws a bottle out to sea and in his message – sent to the deep unknown, he asks ‘to be more brave.’ Well, ask the ocean something like that and you can be sure you will be tested.
I have wanted to be a writer since I was five. I have taken a long way round – via journalism, acting, storytelling, teaching – but not long ago I too threw my bottle out to sea. The Kelpies Prize is a lovely answer.

Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest is published by Floris on the 22nd October 2009.

Other News:

Enquire spoke to Malorie Blackman recently and you can now listen to the interview on their blog.

An exciting literary festival - Eildon Tree 10: Celebrating 10 Years of New Writing in the Scottish Borders - takes place 25 - 27 September with a line up of writers including Janice Galloway and Kathleen Jamie. More information can be found on the Heart of Hawick website.

Lili Wilkinson has blogged about her Outreach events, you can read the entry here.

SBT's Jasmine and Chris set off this weekend on their tour of the Highlands with Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Our Chris is going to keep a video tour diary so look out for that on their return!

The Teens and Young People section of our website is getting better all the time. At the moment we're looking for lots of book reviews written by teenagers to be uploaded at the start of each month. If you or any bookwormy teenagers you know are interested in writing for us, please take a look at our Reviews section.

Reachout, no, Outreach

2009-09-02T15:37:00.019+01:00

Back on the blogseat this week is Chris, you may remember him from such blogs as Suddenly She Turned Into a Gerbil, Secret Santa and Chris Says Howdy or you may not. He is here to blog about Outreach and being Festivaled-out...

A lot has happened since the last time I blogged here: the summer has come and gone, the Edinburgh festival flew past in whirl of entertaining wallet emptying, Michael Jackson died or was murdered (depending on who you believe) and we have just completed the Outreach events as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The premise of Outreach is simple, we take 6 authors or illustrators from the festival out to schools and areas who cannot get to the festival over 6 days. We had a dizzying array of talent in the Bookmobile over the last two weeks from all over the world...

First up, the wonderful Lili Wilkinson from Australia. We ventured north up to Brechin and then onto Arbroath top speak to students about Lili’s wonderful novel, Scatterheart, usually historical romance fiction is a non-starter for me but this book completely won me over. Lili had been doing research into her family tree and discovered that she had family in Brechin and we even managed to find her great-great-great grandmother grave at the cemetery! Lili also works on the award winning website for teen literacy Inside of a Dog – check it out it wont bite!

Day two and the rain is teeming down as we head over to Glasgow with the graphic novelist and comic book hero, Tony Lee. His previous work includes some small comic books that most folk wont of heard of, X-Men and Spiderman anyone!!! But we were there to promote his latest book, Outlaw: Robin Hood. Tony’s enthusiasm for writing and his sheer effervescent joy at doing what he loves to do shone through and was magically contagious. So much so that we all forgot about the rain and one wee lad in the second session who had the most outrageous laugh could not stop laughing. The poor lad nearly choked!

My next outing was with Liz Pichon who is a writer and illustrator of picture books including Bored Bill, The Very Ugly Bug and Penguins. We had two brilliant interactive sessions in Falkirk with quizzes, storytelling, drawing and colouring in – ace fun! Liz also runs a really amazing website, Show Me How to Play.com where you can learn to play your favourite songs.

During the morning session a wee boy came over to me and asked if I could tie his shoe-lace, so I did, but as I finished his teacher came over and told me that he could do that himself! So I asked him, “Why am I tying your shoe-lace if you can do it yourself?” His response… “Just cause” and off he went to finish his drawing.

We had a little extra time over lunch so we took Liz to see the Falkirk Wheel which is such an amazing feat of engineering and we also had a look at the prototype Horse Heads that they are planning on building.

My last day of Outreach was marred by stinking traffic in Edinburgh but once Frank Cottrell Boyce started reading it was soon forgotten. Frank (whose other work includes Coronation Street, 24 Hour Party People, Welcome to Sarajevo as well as film-adaptations of his books Millions and Framed) has written three novels – Millions, Framed and Cosmic. You may have seen Millions at the cinema or read about it winning the Carnegie Medal (not bad for a first effort!) and Framed was on the BBC this week, probably still on i-player and Cosmic was shortlisted for the Carnegie this year too! Frank thoroughly entertained his audience and his stories about his work and where his ideas sprout from were fantastic.

Also out on Outreach were Bernard Beckett and Thomas Docherty but as I was not at these sessions so I cannot comment on them but I have been reliably informed that they were excellent.

In amongst all of this, the Book Festival. Events with the Beano, Terry Deary (of Horrible Histories fame) and Michael Rosen (of Michael Rosen fame) as well as everything that the Edinburgh festival entails.

Phew! I'm knackered - I could sleep for a week, if only, there are 50 teachers coming round on Thursday and will need fed, watered and entertained!

Laters.

Things what i'm loving
Broken Records
Phantom Band

The Lighthouse Stevenson's

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella salad

Hazel Allan: A Dream Come True

2009-08-21T10:32:00.012+01:00

Hazel Allan has just had her debut novel Bree McCready and the Half Heart Locket published. Last week saw the book's launch night and every single copy was sold and signed! Hazel has every reason to be thrilled. She tells us more about what becoming a published author means to her...

In 1979, when I was eight years old I wrote to “Jim’ll Fix It” to ask if it would be possible to make my dream come true and lock me in a book shop late at night when everyone else had gone home. Now, for anyone under the age of 25 “Jim’ll Fix It” was a television show hosted by Jimmy Saville - a man who made the dreams of thousands of children come true every Saturday teatime. Sadly, my letter was never answered and I didn’t get my “Jim Fixed It For Me” shiny medallion to show off at school.

Fast forward thirty years… I am standing alone in Waterstone’s book shop on George Street at the end of the launch party for my debut novel Bree McCready and the Half Heart Locket. All is quiet, the lights are dim and it’s just me surrounded by row upon row of books. It wasn’t quite how I imagined the scene when I penned my letter to Sir Jimmy but it was as close as I could imagine to perfection.

August 13th 2009 was without a doubt the best night of my life. It’s not every day you get to have all your friends and family in the same room celebrating something as amazing as the publication of your first book! I signed so many copies of Bree McCready that by the end of the night my signature had gone from the usual legible loops to a sloping, spidery scrawl. My cheeks hurt from smiling and my mouth was as dry as an astronaut’s slipper. But I was floating around on cloud nine and nothing was going to get me off!

It’s taken me quite some time to get to this point you see, so it really is quite a big deal. When I was younger and I was asked that question - “What do you want to be when you grow up?“ I always had the same answer. A writer. However, having been brought up in a family that valued the old-fashioned work ethic, writing was never encouraged as a career. I was told repeatedly that only the very best get to earn a living doing something they actually enjoy! At school I was complimented for my colourful imagination (or scolded for my daydreaming!) but on the whole my talent seemed to go unnoticed. Despite this I always knew I had a novel in me somewhere.

When I did eventually “grow up” my love of writing never left me. I tried my best to bring my passion for words into my work as a nursery nurse. Literacy levels in the area where I worked were unbelievably low and I found this depressing. I very much wanted the children in my care to have a tool that might help them cope with the more difficult aspects of their lives - to broaden their horizons and to make them aware that there was more out there for them. I desperately hoped that it might be possible for them to make their own escapes with the sweep of a pen.

All my life (much like Bree, the heroine in my novel) I seem to have been searching for something to fill a void in my life. I thought I might have found what I was looking for when I embarked upon my degree in Community Education in 2000. Working with illiterate adults made me all the more appreciative of my gift and more determined than ever to use it in a positive way. During a particularly challenging time in 2006, when I found myself thrust into the unexpected world of single parenthood, writing seemed to organise the chaos in my life and helped to make me feel whole again. Suddenly I was grabbing every spare second I had to scribble down a few paragraphs here and there. I took to carrying a notebook with me for those flashes of inspiration that inevitably occurred in the oddest and most inconvenient places. I began to take my writing seriously and within two years I had a manuscript that was worthy of sending to publishers. It was certainly far from easy getting accepted. I have a head full of grey hairs and a drawer full of rejection letters to prove that! But I would never have given up on my dream. No matter how often I doubted myself I never stopped believing in my book.

I have never been motivated by the thought of fame and fortune and quite honestly I don’t expect it. I am just delighted to see my story in print. It gives me such a thrill to think that young people are reading my book and perhaps escaping some difficult times by immersing themselves in Bree’s story. My greatest pleasure comes from thinking that some may even feel inspired to write down their own thoughts and feelings as a result of reading my work. As a deep-thinking and misunderstood youngster I was always on the lookout for books that contained real characters, ones that I could identify with and who had a story that struck a chord in me. I remember falling in love with Holden Caulfield as I read The Catcher in the Rye. Completely immersed in the story about the young boy who was so achingly familiar to me I drank in the beauty and intensity of the words and basked in the knowledge that somebody understood me at last. Right from the beginning I really wanted Bree to have that affect on her readers.

I would greatly love for my book to transcend its categorisation as a children’s book and appeal to the adult imagination too. I feel passionately about the need to bring back storytelling at home and I am forever striving to encourage this dying activity throughout my work with children and parents. It took me until I reached the age of 34 to even consider trying to write the novel that I knew was inside me from an early age. This has been a most important journey, pursuing the one thing that has always mattered to me. On that humid Thursday evening, as I stood in the deserted Waterstone’s book store I had the chance to reflect upon the journey that has brought me to this point in my life. A shiver ran up my spine as I imagined my dog-eared, yellowing letter still lying, unread under a pile of thousands more like it in the archive boxes at the BBC. And it occurred to me in that moment that some dreams are worth waiting for…

Launch photographs: Caroline Harvey.

Other News:

Next week Scottish Book Trust & EIBF's Outreach Tour begins! Keep an eye on the website for photographs, blogs and more!

Malorie Blackman: A Week In The Life Of...

2009-08-17T11:07:00.019+01:00

Malorie Blackman is an author who needs little introduction. She has written over fifty novels, many of which have won literary prizes, and has also written many things for T.V. On Saturday 22nd August Malorie will be doing a sell-out event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. For the past week she has been writing a daily blog for us to give us a taste of what it's like to be a successful author. We were amazed she'd had time to fit this in when we read about how busy she'd been...

Day One
I had a great time co-tutoring on a ‘Writing Books for Young Adults’ Arvon course at Lumb Bank in Hebden Bridge with my friend Melvin Burgess. It was such fun but goodness me, it was hard work. Not just for me and Melvin, but also for the other writers who attended the course. We started each morning at 9.30am and didn’t stop most nights until around 11pm. We wrote, we read what we’d written, we wrote some more and we discussed all aspects of publishing. On Wednesday, the author Catherine Fisher came to read to us from her book Incarceron and she answered loads of questions. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my week but when I got back home, I was absolutely knackered! Can’t wait to do it again!

Day Two
Laura Kelly from the Scottish Big Issue interviewed me over the phone today about my writing in general and my latest book Double Cross in particular. I think I began each sentence with either ‘Er…’ or ‘You know…’ and I waffled horribly. I sounded just like Misty at the beginning of chapter one in Double Cross. I put the phone down wondering if it was possible for a person to sound any more inarticulate. I hope Laura manages to get something reasonably coherent out of what I said. Damn, but I’m useless at interviews. She made me laugh though when she said that some people (presumably those who have never bothered to read the Scottish Big Issue), assume that every article is going to be about homelessness. Some people have started to refer to me as the ‘Issues writer’ with a capital ‘I’ - which makes me smile. I’ve written close to sixty books, only a handful tackle ‘Issues’. But, ah well.

Day Three
Did a webchat for RaisingKids.co.uk today. People sent in questions and comments and I did my best to answer as many of them as I could in the hour I had. It’s a shame you can’t see the faces of the people who ask the questions. I like faces. But if you can’t chat in person, answering questions via the Internet is a great way to communicate with more people. It never ceases to amaze me that I get emails from Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, America and all points in between. Our world is definitely getting smaller and smaller. And the great thing about answering questions over the Internet is that I can sit at my computer with my hair a mess and wearing no make-up and I won’t frighten the questioners away. Let’s hear it for webchats!

Day Four
I’ll be in Edinburgh soon, doing my thing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. I’ve decided to talk about how and why I became a writer and I’ll read a short extract or two from Double Cross. I do hope those in the audience come with lots of questions for me as that is the part I enjoy the most. Before any festival event I always get so nervous. I mentally kick myself for agreeing to do them but once I’m on stage and chatting away, I really enjoy it. But it’s the five minutes before I go on stage which is a killer! My heart is racing away and I tend to feel like I’m going to be sick, I’m that nervous. But it tends to be worth it – and the Edinburgh Festival is definitely one of my favourites. Plus my hubby Neil is from Edinburgh so that’s another reason why I love the place. (I have to write that ‘cause my hubby is currently looking over my shoulder as I type!)

Day Five
Today is my day for reworking a short story I wrote recently. I put it away and read it a couple of weeks afterwards and discovered the voice of the young adult telling the story was all wrong. I hate it when that happens. So I’m practically rewriting the story, in the first person this time as opposed to the third person. And already it’s working so much better. I’ve done that a number of times actually. When I started writing my book Noughts and Crosses, it was originally going to be Sephy’s story for the first half of the book and Callum’s story for the second half, but when a story of mine isn’t working, it’s like fingernails scratching up and down a mouse pad – only inside my head. That’s when I tried alternating the chapters between Sephy and Callum and the fingernails stopped scratching. When I wrote my book Cloud Busting, I tried it first of all as a prose story but the fingernails came back. And then I tried it in verse and the fingernails relaxed. Now I’m reworking my current short story, the fingernails are quiet – but I sense they are poised, so I’d better get it right!

If you're not one of the lucky people with a ticket to Malorie's EIBF event on Saturday, here's a video of her talking about Double Cross.

Other News:

PanMacmillan and Penguin are joining forces to stage a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy convention - "Hitchcon 2009" - in October to mark the 30th anniversary of Douglas Adams' series, and the publication of Eoin Colfer's authorised sequel And Another Thing...

Audiences now have another opportunity to hear Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, speak at the Book Festival. Following the early sell-out of her first event, a second has been added to the programme on Tuesday 18 August at 6.30pm offering a magical celebration of her poetry accompanied by the music of John Sampson.

Take me to the beach!

2009-08-11T09:47:00.022+01:00

Heather from the children's team takes over the blog to tell us a bit about what's coming up in the Children's Programme, and recommends some books to bring a little sunshine to our summer.

It’s been an odd few weeks for the children’s team here in the SBT office. With students off enjoying their rainy summer holidays we’ve been catching up on “house-keeping”, amongst other things – a big change from the usual routine of events, events and events!

It would be wrong to let you all think that we’d been lazing around though. We’ve been making improvements to the children and young people’s section of our website, starting with some fantastic recommended reads in our 'Hit List' section, and the introduction of a new weekly book quiz. Still to come is the 'Your Writing' section to display all your masterpieces, and a new and improved 'Authors and Illustrators' section where you can read Q&As or listen to interviews.

As well as that we’re all looking forward to our Outreach Programme at the end of the month. We’ll be taking six authors and illustrators to various schools in Scotland so that those who can’t make it to the Edinburgh International Book Festival get a taste of what it’s like.

I’m particularly looking forward to Lili Wilkinson’s Outreach events. I’m reading her novel Scatterheart at the moment and can’t put it down. The story centres on Hannah Cheshire a ‘young lady of Quality’ living in London in 1814, who has her riches taken from her and suddenly finds herself sentenced to transportation. It’s a tale of brutality, love and self-discovery, full of feisty females and dangerous sailors.

Sailing the seas with a group of salty seadogs would be an adventure but not the relaxation the summer calls for. If the journey were to end on a beautiful beach then that would be a different matter entirely. But what would we read when we got there? Jasmine from the children's team came up with a few books perfectly suited to sun, sea and sand...

Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen is very well known for his humorous adult crime novels, though his first children’s book, Hoot, has been made into a movie (as have some of his adult books). He has a new book out in September called Scat (I can’t wait to read it!). All of the author’s books are set in Florida, all of them contain some eco or wildlife issues and they are all very funny. Even just thinking about them makes me smile and feel the (phantom) Florida sun on my skin.
Flush tells the story of Noah’s dad who takes the illegal sewage dumping of the Coral Queen in his own hands – and lands in jail for it. With him out of the way, the practice goes on – but then Noah and his sister Shelly take it onto themselves to not only fight for their father’s justice, but also for the marine life of Florida. Brilliant, crazy and very funny.

The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E L Konigsburg
A different kind of summer read – one without a beach. E L Konigsburg is one of my favourite American children’s writers, books like The View from Saturday and Silent to the Bone are my all-time favourites. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place is about Margaret Rose who does politely ‘prefer not to’ and in an American summer camp that’s a position to make any camp councillor to have a nervous breakdown. Fortunately her favourite uncles decide to take her in while her parents are away and there, at 19 Schuyler Place, she finds something worth fighting for – with the most surprising help she can imagine. Outstanding characters and a powerful summer story.

And because picture books aren’t just for the wee ones...

To The Beach – Thomas Docherty
A little boy looks out of his window on a rainy day and imagines his journey to the beach, as well as his friendship with the camel he meets there. The book reminds us all to use our imaginations and gives us some beautiful illustrations to inspire.

If you can think of any other catergories of books which we should be reading and sharing with everyone else then tell us about them on our Hit List pages. Leave us a comment, or tell us your opinions of the books already listed.

Now back to more website tweeking. Keep watching this space...

Other news:

The Edinburgh International Book Festival kicks off on Saturday, with a list of events for you, your mum, your brother, your sister's boyfriend's uncle, the postman....you get the picture...see the website for listings.

Calling all Shan fans! Check out the trailer for The Vampire's Assistant, released in the autumn.

Twilight won 11 awards at America's Teen Choice Awards including choice movie drama, rumble and liplock!

Carmen Reid has been nominated for the Scottish Woman of the Year Award in the 'Wit' category. To vote for Carmen please click here.

Nick Ward: A brand new Charlie Small discovery!

2009-08-07T10:08:00.008+01:00

Last December Scottish Book Trust had the pleasure of taking author Nick Ward on tour to Perthshire. This week a new Charlie Small Journal has been published - ideal summer reading for 6-10yr olds. Read on to find out more...

Nick Ward, custodian of the Charlie Small Journals, is pleased to announce that a new Charlie Small journal has been found and will be published on 6 August! It is called The Mummy’s Tomb, and was discovered by a boy deep in a cave on a lonely beach in Cornwall.

In this journal, Charlie is captured by a dandified fop called Tristram Twitch who sends our hero on a dangerous expedition to retrieve three priceless presents from the land of legends!

Charlie has to find a massive pearl from the giant oyster beds of Broomania; the diamond encrusted tiara from the head of the mummified Princess of Purh, and a solid gold spine from the last remaining golden porcupine in existence – which lives in the menagerie of the crazy Potentate of Mayazapan! Charlie’s scary and hilarious adventures are filled with deadly danger and electrifying thrills. He makes terrible enemies and great friends along the way.

At the same time all of Charlie’s other journals are being republished with exciting new covers (some of the titles have been changed slightly, as some people thought they were too long!) All the new books have fantastic cutout, full colour pictures inside that can be stuck in a special, free Charlie Small scrapbook.

To get your free scrapbook, visit Charlie’s website at http://www.charliesmall.co.uk/ and follow the links.

Other news

Check out this brilliant trailer for Charlie Higson's The Enemy. You'll be dying to read the book if you do, but you'll have to wait until September.

Film writer and director John Hughes, who created some of our favourite comedies such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck, Home Alone and Sixteen Candles, has sadly died of a heart attack, aged 59. Here's a montage of Harry and Marv - everyone's favourite childhood baddies.

The Ullapool Book Festival 2010 is to be held Friday 7th - Sunday 9th May. Keep your eye on the website for more information.

Keith Charters: Landing on the Sand

2009-08-03T11:16:00.012+01:00

We welcome author and publisher Keith Charters to the blog. Keith tells us about the odd, far-flug and often perilous locations that being a writer takes him to.

As some of you will know, I’m both the author of the LEE series of humorous novels and the MD of Strident Publishing. But today, I want to wear my author hat and I want to talk about travel.
You see, I do a lot of it, dashing around the country presenting in schools and libraries and at festivals.. Happily I love going places (and coming back from them). And every so often I get to go somewhere…well, if not exactly exotic, certainly far flung.

This coming school year will begin with me boarding a disturbingly small plane of the bring-your-own-elastic-band variety as I head off to Barra (where you land on the beach – yikes!), Benbecula, Orkney and Shetland. I was invited to the first two; I invited myself to the latter two, precisely because I have never been to them before.

Why do I love this sort of travel when I could just as easily stay at home in front of my computer? Well, we have 6-month-old twins and a 3-year-old in our house. Happily the twins have yet to work out how to open my study door. Unhappily the 3-year-old learned that trick a long time ago and now only the lure of chocolate raisins in the kitchen keeps him out of the room.

As a result, these days I write almost exclusively when I am travelling. And since I love writing I have to love travelling. So I can’t wait to get on those flights to the isles. I have tightened my elastic bands to breaking point, so we should be able to get off the ground. It’s just that landing on the sands of Barra that I have some misgivings about.

Other News

We have two fantastic book trailers for you. First up, Catching Fire, the sequel to Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Followed by a stunning piece of Play-Doh animantion for Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

Room on the Broom, the best-selling children's book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is going to be available as an "ePlayBook" later this year. It will feature the original story along with animation, audio tracks and activity sheets.

Louise Reid, 91, is certainly an avid reader: she has just taken out her 25,000th book from the Castle Douglas library, surely this must be a world record?

John Ryan, who was the creator of the Pugwash books which were subsequently turned into a cartoon has died at the age of 88.

Don't forget to test your knowlegde of all things booky in our Quiz.

Malcolm Rose: Forbidden Island

2009-07-28T10:52:00.016+01:00

At the moment you can't stand at a bus stop, open a newspaper or turn on the news without encountering the topic of germs! Our blog is no exception - Malcolm Rose drops by to tell us how his career in chemistry, fascination with government secrets and love of British islands inspired his latest novel Forbidden Island.

Favourite British mountain: Ben Nevis (climbed four times). Favourite British city: Edinburgh (visited lots). Favourite British view: Edale in Derbyshire (sorry about that). Favourite British wilderness: Glencoe area (scene of several holidays). Favourite British islands: western Scottish (apart from the fictional one I invented for my new thriller, Forbidden Island).

You get the idea. As a writer, I’m inspired by highlands and islands. And secret Government experiments into germ warfare conducted on Gruinard Island, near Ullapool.

I first heard about Gruinard Island – where the British government experimented with germ warfare in the 1940s – about thirty years ago. I was a chemistry lecturer then and I was shocked that this country might have used my favourite topic to kill people. Ever since, I’ve had it in mind to base a novel on this event. It’s taken a wee while!

Forbidden Island is about a group of children who get stranded on a secret island like Gruinard. I didn’t visit Gruinard for research because the island in my novel is fictitious. Most of my research was about the scientific experiments. Having been a chemist, I know where to look for information and I can understand the jargon.

Science is all about inventing and discovering new and often controversial things, so it provides a steady stream of new ideas and conflict for a thriller and crime writer like me. I think my thrillers like Forbidden Island are about the corrupting effect of politics and money on science. In other words, the conflict doesn’t come from iffy science but its misuse by iffy people.

I have one simple method of writing. I have the basic idea, the main characters and an exciting opening scene in my mind. Then I start to write and see what happens. The plot is totally flexible. I didn’t know who would survive the exploration of the forbidden island and who would not, whether it would be happy or sad. That way, it’s great fun for me, like the reader, to find out what’s going to happen. It encourages me to keep thinking and writing because I really want to know the ending.

Malcolm Rose above

Other news:

Are you a poet aged 11-14? The John Betjeman Young People's Poetry Competition is now open to you! Budding poets are asked to write a poem about their local surroundings. The prize of £1,000 is up for grabs. The deadline is 31st August. Find out more information here.

Director Spike Jonze has turned Maurice Sendak's classic, Where The Wild Things Are into a film. It is released in the UK in December. Check out the trailer here.

Have you tried the new Scottish Book Trust book quiz? No?! Well try it now!! A new one will be added weekly.

Michael Merillo: A summer for a little sci-fi and fantasy

2009-07-23T09:37:00.018+01:00

After a short time away, our venue manager Michael is back in the Scottish Book Trust office. We're all very excited to have him back and to mark his very real return we asked him to tell us what he's been reading whilst he was away - it seems that his tastes lean more towards the fantastical...

The Complete Chronicles of Conan: Robert E. Howard (Gollancz)

I started my summer reading off by cutting a bloody swath through the age of Hyboria alongside Conan the Cimmerian – thief, outlaw, mercenary, pirate, and king. While it’s true that he is a muscle bound, sword-swinging, uber-man, this brooding, blue-eyed barbarian is also an excellent example of anti-hero. My favourite kind of hero. When the story is resolved, usually ‘good’ things happen to characters around Conan, however, the motivations behind many of his actions are often selfish, amoral, and sometimes downright villainous. For example, in his quest for fame and fortune he disposed of the tyrannical king of Aquiliona by strangling him on the steps of his own throne, then taking the crown for himself. He found his fame and fortune, and the kingdom (and the world) was rid of an evil madman. And yes, before you ask, he always does get the women.

Robert E. Howard, a Texan writer, using Conan and his other character helped to create the very popular sword-and-sorcery genre of the 1920’s and 1930’s. He was also a member of The Lovecraft Circle of early 1900’s science-fiction, fantasy, and horror writers of America, with his regular correspondence and collaboration with H.P. Lovecraft. Conan, and his world, have been with us for over 70 years and he continues to cleave at popular culture - having spawned four Hollywood films, comics galore, many novels, television programs, games, and most recently a hugely successful MMORPG.

Gollancz has helpfully complied all the original Robert E. Howard stories in chorological order (as they appeared in the pulp fiction magazine Weird Tales) from 1932 until his death in 1936 into a single hefty, nearly 1,000 page long, tome of manliness.

Mortal Engines: Philip Reeves (Scholastic)

After stomping round in the dark forests and blazing desert of Hyboria with my barbarian compatriot, I thought I would hop a ride with young Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw in the Jenny Haniver. In a post-apocalyptic world of moving cities that hunt each other like a cats hunt mice, Tom and Hester have very different goals, but they have to work together to survive. Battling treachery, heartbreak, robots, hunger, and megalomaniacs the two young heroes seek to right wrongs and prove themselves right (and the other wrong).

Mortal Engines is the first in a quartet of books (plus another book that serves as a prequel) based in the Traction Era, by Philip Reeve. In the far future, the Earth was destroyed in the “Sixty Minute War” and many of the notions we hold dear today are no more. Nation no longer exist, instead each city-state – often entire cities mounted on huge caterpillar-tracks – fight a fierce battle for materials and often times merely for survival in a very Darwinist method. Hunting and eating other cities.

A good read for those who live in Edinburgh and wish the weather wasn’t so rubbish (even during the summer!) – If only the city could just start its engines and move south for some warm Mediterranean weather.

Other news:

Kate Greenaway Medal winning author and illustrator Emily Gravett will be illustrating Julia Donaldson's next picture book, due to be titled Cave Baby and published in autumn 2010. This will be the first time that Emily has illustrated someone else's work.

Film director Stephen Frears is going to turn Posy Simmonds' comic strip and graphic novel character, Tamara Drewe, into a film. Bond girl Gemma Arterton is to star in the title role.

Last night at Blackwell, Barrington Stoke launched Lari Don's re-telling of Tam O'Shanter. Alex Salmond sent a message of congratulations, although wasn't able to be there in person. Lari treated everyone to some wonderful readings from the book, which has an introduction from Sir Jackie Stewart, before we all enjoyed the wonderful cake which had the book cover in icing on the top!

Carolyne Latham: Back to the future for the holidays!

2009-07-15T16:01:00.032+01:00

Carolyne Latham works in the children's department of Blackwell on South Bridge here in Edinburgh. Spending so much time surrounded by books in such a wonderful children's section ensures that Carolyne's finger is always on the pulse of new children's fiction. She takes over the blog to give us a few ideas for summer reading...

After work last Tuesday my colleague Julie and I had only to pootle down from the bookshop to the Dovecot Studios to view Mr Gumpy and Other Outings, an exhibition of artwork by John Burningham. The picture book author and illustrator was first to win the Kate Greenaway Medal twice for Borka and Mr Gumpy's Outing, and the collection of work provides insight into the creation of his distinctive books. The exhibition and its events programme coincide with the publication of It's a Secret!, in which a curious little girl discovers where her cat disappears to every night...

I did not realise there were questions over the whereabouts and wellbeing of Winnie-the-Pooh, but we are to be told everything in Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, sequel to The House at Pooh Corner, which is due for publication in autumn. In anticipation of the new Winnie-the-Pooh book, children beginning to read on their own can discover the A A Milne stories with their original E H Shepard illustrations, and enjoy summer with Christopher Robin and the Best Bear in All the World.

The familiarity of the Hundred Acre Wood is far from the forests of Finland, where creatures we know as Moomintrolls live. Author Tove Jansson wrote Finn Family Moomintroll, the first in a series of eight, with her remote environment as the inspiration for her highly artistic and imaginative work. With the publication of Moominpappa at Sea, book lovers over the age of eight can come along on every Moomin adventure.

The creation of the landscape of Scandinavia is one of the secrets we discover in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, my favourite book as a young adult. The original psychedelic cover had DON'T PANIC in large friendly letters on the back, just like the intergalactic guide book itself, and the story of Arthur Dent and his friends led to four more books in an increasingly inaccurate trilogy of five. After the death of author Douglas Adams, the publication in autumn of book six, And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer invites a new generation to discover the series.

So there's a little something for all ages - thank you Carolyne! Of course, keep checking the blog throughout the summer for even more titles to add to your 'To Read' lists!

Other news:

Walker Books has brought forward publication of a new Alex Rider novel, Crocodile Tears, to this autumn after author Anthony Horowitz delivered the manuscript earlier than expected. You can read more about this exciting development on the Bookseller website.

The latest Harry Potter film - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is released this week, (not that any of you eager muggles needed reminding!)

The diaries of Alison Uttley - creator of Little Grey Rabbit - have been edited by her biographer Professor Denis Judd, and are published this month by Pen and Sword. The diaries span the years between 1931 and 1972 and reveal a darker side to the author of the cute wee rabbit, from her contempt for Enid Blyton, to her dislike of her illustrators.

Many of you will have been following the news on the vetting of authors who visit schools (The Vetting and Barring Scheme organised by The Independent Safeguarding Authority). Please note that the proposal does not cover Scotland. For further information please refer to Disclosure Scotland guidelines at http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/.

Carmen Reid: Teenage Kicks

2009-07-15T09:13:00.021+01:00

Carmen Reid looks back on her teenage years spent at boarding school in Edinburgh - the inspiration for her Secrets at St Jude's books.

The idea of writing for teenagers scared me, to be honest. I know nothing about what music they like, what gadgets and internet sites they use and now that we are in an 80s revival, I feel so sorry for them having to wear all those totally unflattering flouro colours, harem trousers and shoulder pads. I was there the first time round and I look back at the photos in horror!
But I realised the one thing I have in common with teenagers is that… I used to be one. Surely that must help?

I do remember feeling so torn between being a child and wanting desperately to be an adult. There’s such an inner conflict. Sometimes you make a big leap, like falling in love for the first time… sometimes, you fall backwards again and only your Mum and Dad will do.

Between the ages of 13 and 17 I was at boarding school in Edinburgh. The first year I was so homesick, I think I was clinically depressed. I was miserable, I was so far away from the people who loved me and living with strangers who didn’t really care. There were several strict and old-fashioned teachers who made the school day very cold and dreary and it took a long time to make new friends.

But by sixth form, I had teachers I really liked, I had a fantastic circle of friends and the centre of Edinburgh was a great place to hang out at the weekend.

Secrets at St Jude’s is a boarding school series, inspired by my Edinburgh years. It’s about four firm friends from different backgrounds, but because they share a dorm they become as close as sisters. It’s about school, friendship, first boyfriends, jealousy, awkwardness, pranks, making mistakes… all the things that matter to teenage girls.

I can’t tell you how much fun I have writing about the girls, I am desperate to know what happens next… I hope my readers are too.

The second Secrets at St Jude’s: Jealous Girl is out now.

Other news:

After the success of this years inaugural Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children's Book Award it has been announced that the award will be running again in 2010. The award will go to a manuscript that celebrates cultural diversity in the widest possible sense, either in terms of its story or the ethnic and cultural origins of its author. Find out more information about the award on the Seven Stories website.

In March 2009, Orion Children's Books, the Born Free Foundation and Waterstone's announched the launch of a nationwide competition to raise awareness of animal conservation and encourage children to this about the importance of wildlife buy making models of endangered animals from recycled material (judge Virginia McKenna OBE and author Lauren St John pictured left with the winning entries). The winners of the Animals Are Not Rubbish competition have now been announced. To see a compete list of winners check out the Born Free Foundation's website.

Kate Forsyth: Edinburgh, a city full of stories.

2009-07-08T15:33:00.015+01:00

Last month children's author Kate Forsyth came to Edinburgh to do two events with us. She told us all about her latest novel The Puzzle Ring, and delighted her audiences with the gruesome tale of Mary Queen of Scots. Kate takes over the blog this week to tell us about her love of Edinburgh and passion for stories...

I love Edinburgh. It is one of my favourite cities in the world. It seems like a city out of a fairytale, with spires and towers rising high against the sky, narrow cobbled alleyways, strange stone faces on ancient fountains, grand squares and avenues with heraldic flags snapping in the wind, and towering over it all, the castle on its hill. So I was so pleased to come back to Edinburgh, at the invitation of the Scottish Book Trust, to talk about my new book, The Puzzle Ring which is set in Scotland.

I have lived all my life in Australia, seventeen thousand kilometres away from Edinburgh. Yet I was brought up on the old tales of Scottish history and folklore, stories handed down through the generations from my great-great-grandmother who was born on the Black Isle in the Highlands. Stories about ghosts and curses and fairies and battles and betrayals, stories filled with adventure and danger and magic. Just the kind of stories I like to write!

I was amazed to learn that my audiences had not heard many of these stories. The children were enraptured by the tale of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the bloodstain on the floor of her bedchamber that no amount of scrubbing can remove; by the story of Tam Lin and how he was saved from the Otherworld by his brave sweetheart Janet; by the account of old curses and prophecies and how they came at last to pass.

I learnt again that stories have the power to connect us all, to each other and to the past. My great-great-grandmother’s stories had travelled all the way to Australia, down five generations of storytellers, and then back to the land where they began. I think she’d have been very glad!

Other news:

Mr Gumpy and Other Outings, an exhibition celebrating 50 years of John Burningham's work, is now at Dovecot Studios, Infirmary St., Edinburgh, 7 July - 5 September.

On Thursday 9th July at 7pm, there is a screening of The Age of Stupid at The Scottish Storytelling Centre. All welcome!

Darren Shan, master of all things demonic, will be doing an event with us in Glasgow in October. Watch the Scottish Book Trust website for more information...

Suddenly She Turned Into a Gerbil

2009-07-02T12:40:00.008+01:00

Hello, this is Chris and i am happy to be back in the blog-seat. This is a blog about last week, last week was brilliant...

Last week was a brilliant brilliant week!Firstly, my bro and his wife rushed off to hospital to have twin baby girls (both very cute and tiny), which left me looking after my 4 year-old nephew. He is great fun and he took great delight in soaking my shorts with the hose while we were supposed to be watering the plants, for my revenge I beat him at draughts. Like every wee lad he is going through a cheeky-phase and is calling everyone Mr or Mrs Poopy-face, so it’s especially hard not to laugh when he calls the check-out girl in Sainbury’s Mrs Poopy-face (a silent chuckle from me instead).

It is Wednesday already and for our final Big Issue event of the 08-09 school year we thought we would try something a bit different: rather than us going into the school we thought it would be great if schools would come to us. So out went the invites, in came the responses and finally in came the pupils from Newcraighall, Burdiehouse Primary and Leith Primary School.

John Fardell talked about his latest exciting novel, The Secret of the Black Moon Moth, before guiding the children through the art of storytelling, imagination and illustration by asking them to think of what happens next and getting them to draw their suggestions. All of this happens on the flipchart at the front of the stage and it always reveals a mad story, crazy character and even crazier plot twists “suddenly she turned into a gerbil”!

Philip the photographer for The Big Issue then gathered the pupils around John for some group shots before Jane (Big Issue’s wonderful reporter) interviewed a small group of the children for the magazine feature which should be out in about a month or so. John’s events are always such a pleasure to be involved with because his enthusiasm and love of writing/illustration shines through and it is infectious – a little like swine flu only without the nasty side-effects!

Ok, so where are we now, Wednesday afternoon. Following our Big Issue event is was time for me to leave the office and take my shiny new car on its first road-trip: 3 hours north to Aberdeen. What was waiting in Aberdeen for me? One ticket to go and see rock icon, Neil Young with my dad! The gig was truly brilliant, loads of great songs, big-,loud riffs and outros that just went on and on and on and on – watch highlights of his Glastonbury set to see what I mean. Stayed with my cousin at her nearby cottage then up at 6am back in the car and back at my desk by 9ish to start another day - well worth the early start and the 6hr round trip.

Thursday, a peaceful but busy day back in the office tying up most of the loose ends of our Highland Tour in September with Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell- we are officially now good to go. All we need is somewhere to rest our heads each night, some places to fill our tummies and to get our stars up to the Highlands and back to London.

Finally Friday night, work is over for another week and it’s time for another gig – this time it is part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and sees 3 local bands (Eagleowl, Meursault and Found) scoring music to some archive film footage; a lovely piece about a fishing boat, the postal service and Laurel and Hardy visiting the Playhouse in Edinburgh (they were the Brangelina of their day).

The event made me feel nostalgic so as well as reading Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, I picked up Michael Rosen's Sad Book off my shelf and read it repeatedly as well as Days Like This from the Scottish Book Trust as its full of people’s memories. Apart from spilling an entire pint of Guinness down my jeans I had a great time and it was a perfect way to end a brilliant week.

Over and out.

Joan Lennon: Wag and the King

2009-06-29T12:16:00.020+01:00

Back in March, in the days when the sun shone in the SBT garden, Joan Lennon came to launch her book Wag and The King. Here's what she thought about the event...

You could not have asked for a more beautiful spring day than Wednesday 18 March at the Scottish Book Trust – the kids got a good run in the garden before and after the event, and they looked like a great happy busyness of brightly coloured ferrets! Amelia (my suitcase full of props) and I were excited too, but didn’t run around so much. Once inside, I told them about having probably the best job in the world, about the old dog who gave me the idea for Wag and the King, and the painting that made me want to write The Ferret Princess (ah, so that’s why she said the kids looked like ferrets!) – and there was even a sneak preview of the cover art for A Mucker’s Tale (the third book in the Tales from the Keep series, due out at the end of the summer). I really enjoyed myself, so many thanks to Flora Stevenson Primary, Craigentinney Primary and Burdiehouse Primary for making it such a fun day!

Other news:

Steve Cole's latest book in the Astrosaurs Academy series, Deadly Drama!, is dedicated to our very own Chris Newton and Jasmine Fassl. They took Steve on a tour of Orkney and Shetland in April. Check out Chris's brilliant interview with Steve and hear them discuss writing, touring and Doctor Who! Listen now.

Patrick Ness has released a brand new, exclusive, FREE short story from the world of Chaos Walking written for his Writer In Residency at Booktrust. It might, just possibly contain hints of things to come in book three...

Gill Arbuthnott: The hectic life of a writer

2009-06-23T15:02:00.008+01:00

Gill Arbuthnott has just launched her latest novel The Keepers' Daughter. She takes a moment out of her very busy schedule to give us an insight into just how hectic her life has been lately...

Goodness me, what a week! I feel as if I’ve been living about three people’s lives simultaneously recently, and unfortunately, what’s left of my brain seems to cope by keeping me awake so that I can go over and over where and when I need to be. Of course, this leaves me sleep deprived and slightly hysterical, so if what you’re reading doesn’t make sense, that’s probably why.

I’m about to launch my first novel for four years (four years – how did that happen?), and I’ve been a bit nervous about talking about it; I feel as if I’ve forgotten how to just talk about a book, rather that having an interactive show, which is what I do for my non-fiction. So, it is with an empty stomach (much too nervous to eat lunch), and an over-filled brain (see previous paragraph), that I approach the schools’ launch of The Keepers’ Daughter… I wish I was as brave as my characters.

Two Hours Later

Hooray! I’m feeling completely elated, because things have gone so well. Scottish Book Trust put together a fantastic event (thanks everyone, especially Jasmine, Chris and Heather) with pupils from a number of schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow. I managed to find some readings that didn’t give away any of the surprises in the plot, and once I got going, I loved talking about the book. The real revelation was the questions I was asked: so many, and so perceptive! There were a good number I’d never heard before, and I’m still thinking about the answers to some of them. In particular:
Which other author would I like to collaborate with? I think the final answer is Terry Pratchett. (I should be so lucky.)
Which character would I like to play in a film of any of my books? On reflection, I think one of the modern day witches in Winterbringers, and not just because they’re the only characters who are old enough for me to play them…

I’ve also done an interview for Teen Titles with a completely bonkers (and I mean that in a totally positive way) group of pupils from Holy Rood High School. We got talking about the fact that I use music to get me in the right frame of mind for writing, and Kimberley (I think) suggested I put a playlist on my website. I certainly will, once I work out how to do it. I must thank them too for their amazingly generous present of a Smart Car. It will be very, very easy to park, as it is only about 4cm long… It is now sitting on the desk where I do a lot of my writing, ready to inspire me.

And now, I have to change writing gear completely, and get ready to go to Melrose for Borders Book Festival to talk about a completely different book, and next week I’m in Dundee, and then it’s London… and it would be nice to think I might fit in some writing as well.
I need to find out how to clone myself. But that’s another book.

Other news:

Harris Finds His Feet by Catherine Rayner wins the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medal 2009.

Nicola Morgan's Deathwatch Dash sets a new record for the greatest number of separate school talks by one author in one day!

Ayr Academy Library's brilliant blog - Juist bletherin’ an’ guid craic! - is definitely worth a read! Check out what they have to say about SBT's events with Sophie McKenzie and Anthony Horowitz.

Theresa Breslin: A Serpent. Two Circles. AZ-rod. A Mirror.

2009-06-12T13:09:00.026+01:00

Theresa Breslin is a Carnegie medal winning author whose work has been filmed for television and broadcast on radio and is read world-wide. Her latest book is The Nostradamus Prophecy (paperback Corgi ISBN 9780552557214)

Here she tells how she drew inspiration from the Standing Stones of Scotland and elsewhere to write her latest book for young adults - The Nostradamus Prophecy

A serpent.
Two circles.
A Z-rod.
A mirror.

On my window sill sits a replica of a Standing Stone given to me when Divided City was shortlisted for the Angus Book Award. The original at Aberlemno is one of the most famous of these carved ancient stones, with markings indicating that it was a prehistoric monolith reused later by the Picts. Examples of similar mysterious designs can be found across Europe with the snake symbol universally associated with magic and with death.

Standing Stones fascinate me and I’ve travelled widely to study them. Are they merely monuments, or do they have a deeper, more mystical, history, and exist to give guidance on events to come? Can the future be foretold? And are some people empowered to do this? People such as Cassandra, Doctor John Dee, the Braham Seer, and, arguably the most famous of all, Nostradamus, the Seer of Salon.

‘Three to make fifteen in the circle of one.’
So speaks Nostradamus to Mélisande, daughter of the minstrel at the court of the ruthless Catherine de’ Medici in sixteenth century France. This scene from The Nostradamus Prophecy was inspired by the Stone Circle at Callanish on the Isle of Lewis – (photo credit to Chris of Scottish Book Trust!) As well as telling Mélisande that her fate is linked to the Kings of France Nostradamus voices his concerns for the welfare of mankind. He fears that we will destroy the bounty of the earth and squander the harvest of the seas – bringing about the so called ‘Sixth Extinction’.

Mélisande’s ponders on his prediction, thinking that she should take heed, for: ‘Words do not disappear. They sear the mind like a comet coursing across the night sky.’

But does anything happen to Mélisande that cannot be explained as a result of vivid imagination? Did Nostradamus really see what others could not?

You are invited to consider the question.

Other news:

To mark the fifth anniversary of their Fabulous Fiction list, Usborne are launching The Usborne Young Writers' Award.

On Thursday 11th June we held a meeting for Scottish children's writers here at Sandeman House. Poets Amanda Lichtenstein and Elspeth Murray spoke to them about their experiences of bringing poetry to pupils in Scotland and Chicago.

On Thursday evening Elspeth and Amanda treated us to an evening of poetry reading at the Scottish Poetry Library to celebrate the Chicago Exchange. A lovely evening was had by all.

Sophie McKenzie: What a great visit!

2009-06-08T16:45:00.009+01:00

Sophie McKenzie was our guest for The Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour last week - read on to hear how she got on...

Coming from a small flat in a big city, the first thing that struck me was the space! Most of the schools Jasmine, Chris and I went to were set against an amazing backdrop of lush green hills and rolling fields. I’m sure it’s easy to take the view for granted if you go there every day – just like I take for granted having a supermarket down the road from where I live – but to me, like many other visiting authors, the scenery was jaw-droppingly stunning!

Getting on board the Scottish Book Trust bus was a big thrill. I love going on tour – the chance to explore new places and meet new people and this visit round beautiful Ayrshire was no exception. We were given such a warm welcome wherever we went and I got to meet lots of readers too. Standing up in front of people and talking about my books and writing is always more fun when the audience asks questions and gets involved – so thanks to everyone at all the schools who put up their hands (pictured below) and made me think… here’s a list of the answers to the top three questions I got asked on tour. See if you can work out what the questions were!!!

1. Yes, there will be a sequel to Blood Ties – its coming out next year.

2. No, I’ve never met Stephenie Meyer, but I love her books!

3. The Set-Up is the first book in my new series about a group of teenagers with psychic powers.

Plus!

Big congratulations to Sophie who was last weekend named the overall winner of the Red House Children's Book Award for her book Blood Ties! Well done Sophie!

Heather Collins: Ch-ch-ch-changes!

2009-06-05T11:36:00.030+01:00

There’s lots of commotion in the office today. Everyone is moving desks because there’s been an addition to Scottish Book Trust's staff, and will be even more new SBT-ers before the year is out! Our new Children's Programme Assistant, Heather, has written this week's blog to tell us about her first week at work...

Two weeks ago I sat my final university exam. As I watched the last minute of exam time tick by I was filled with a strange mixture of sadness at having finished university and excitement for what was to come in the future. Unlike many of the people sitting in the exam room with me I was lucky enough to be able to relax in the confidence I had an exciting new job waiting for me – right after a week of pure self-indulgence and celebration that is!

I’m Scottish Book Trust’s new Children’s Programme Assistant and have just had my first full week at work. In my interview I was asked why I wanted the job and I told them it was because few people have the pleasure of being able to say they love what they do, as well as knowing that it makes a positive difference to other people. Working with the children’s team is going to let me continue working with books, which are my passion, and also try to get children across Scotland to love reading as much as I do – is there really a better job than this?

It has been a busy week, especially with Chris and Jasmine being on tour to Ayrshire with Sophie McKenzie, leaving the children’s team two members down. Between preparations for our Highland Tour in September, checking RSVPs to other events next week and arranging an author visit to Barvas School on the Isle of Lewis, I’ve had little time to do much else. Each day has flown by but I can honestly say I have enjoyed every minute – even the photocopying. Well okay, maybe not the photocopying, but getting up bright and early and spending the day doing lots of interesting things certainly beats being flat-bound and surrounded by Victorian literature – the scene which has formed the main part of the past two months of my life!

One of the most interesting tasks I was able to tackle this week was looking into ways we can improve our website so that it becomes an excellent place for children and young people to share their creative work, book reviews and get more involved with Scottish Book Trust more generally. I’m really looking forward to seeing the improvements take shape so we can work more closely with the people who really matter to us – the young readers of Scotland!

When I’m not at work I’ll be spending lots of time reading things I want to read which after four years of English Literature essays, seminars and exams, is a real treat! At the moment I’m reading Don DeLillo’s Americana – a wry look into the superficiality of America and consumer society. I have a large pile of other novels ready and waiting which include writers such as Cormac McCarthy, Hanif Kureishi and Paul Auster. A book I’m particularly excited to read is my new 1945 edition of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. Waugh edited the book in 1952 and this is the only version still in print. I found the 1945 one in Barter Books in Alnwick during the aforementioned week of self-indulgence – it’s a visit every book lover must make! An entire train station packed with incredible second-hand books.

I absolutely have to share with you my favourite Brideshead fact – in chapter one my name appears; one sentence ends with ‘Heather’, the next begins with ‘Collins’, I bet few people can say that of their favourite novel!

Of course on top of all that I’ll also be reading lots of brilliant children’s books, starting with the Royal Mail Awards shortlist. The books I read as a child still stand out as some of my all-time favourites. I believe the reading you do when you’re young stays with you forever. I can’t wait to discover the magic of contemporary children’s fiction.

Knowing that there are so many people who hope to find employment in the arts, particularly with books, I feel very privileged to be getting this amazing opportunity and hope to share some more of my experiences with you another time!

Other news

Nicola Morgan's Deathwatch Dash.

Scottish Book Trust's creative writing competition receives press coverage in One Magazine and East Kilbride News.

Liz Rettig: Dating Disasters

2009-05-28T10:32:00.011+01:00

To celebrate the publication of Liz Rettig's hilarious novel My Dating Disasters Diary we have an exclusive peek at the first chapter also in this bumper-blog we have a dating guide for boys and a dating guide for girls (both compiled by Liz) and real-life dating disasters from anonymous members of Scottish Book Trust staff and perhaps one author...enjoy!

To access your free downloads please click on this link which will take you back to the Scottish Book Trust website.

Our Dating Disasters

After a particularly heavy night out my boyfriend (at the time) stumbled back to my college halls and as happens when you have drunk a lot of beer he needed to pee in the middle of the night. But rather than walk into the bathroom, he walked into the cupboard and peed all over my college course-work and my shoes. He wasn’t my boyfriend for very much longer.

I had just started seeing this guy and was giving a friend of mine the low-down by text and I said that he was ‘quite cute in an ugly sort of a way’ but rather than send it to my friend, I sent it to him. Oops! Things didn’t work out between us…

I was asked out on a date by a bouncer as I was leaving a pub at the end of a very long night. Disregarding the fact that he probably used the same tactic on every girl exiting the establishment, in anticipation of an eventual acceptance based on the law of averages, I readily agreed to meet him the next week at the same pub. The day of the date dawned, and I pulled on my standard student first date outfit (unnaturally tight clothes and sky high heels.) Tottering along to the appointed place in the pouring rain, I was slightly surprised to see him muffled up in layers of clothes, wielding a single golf club and a huge umbrella. Bouyed up my new heels, quite literally, I decided to disregard the ominous signs and continued on the approach. 'We're going to The Open' he beamed at me. 'Lovely', I beamed back, disregarding the fact that the Open is known throughout the world as an international golf event, and assuming instead that it was a nice new restaurant.The peny dropped when we arrived at The Old Course, a seething mass of mud, golf umbrellas and small children wearing hats in the shape of tigers. Slightly disapppointed, but deciding to disregard the obvious practical complications arising from sky high heels and lots of mud, I went to follow him through the gate. A hand shot out in front of me, almost sending me toppling onto the 18th green. 'Hold on there lady, you'll need to pay first - that'll be £16 please.'I watched in disbelief as my date continued forward towards the champagne tent, flashing his single complimentary VIP pass at the stewards. Disregarding the fact that he would at some point presumably turn round and expect to find me wobbling along behind him, I turned on my heel and tottered home again.

It was the fashion for 'big hair' which in my case was achieved with upside down blow drying and the liberal addition of various hair products: mousse, gels, sprays - you name it I put it on my hair for my date that night. And it worked. I had BIG HAIR. I thought I looked fabulous although with my hair sticking out vertically about six inches from my scalp I probably looked as though I'd just had an awful shock. My date seemed impressed though and took me to a lovely restaurant where we dined by candlelight. So romantic. Until I leaned over the table towards him and my hair caught fire. I was unaware of it at first but he noticed immediately and was horrified. My hair didn't just singe but caught fire and kept burning fuelled by hair products probably as flammable as petrol. He lunged over to me and started slapping my head to damp the flames which infuriated me until I realised (along with other diners) that I was on fire. Oops.

I had made the effort to look smart and had turned up to the pub a few minutes early just in case she was on time. I ordered a drink and waited patiently. I waited patiently for half an hour, so I texted her to see where she was and she never got back to me. I wondered if she was ok or had I just been stood up. She never did turn up and to this day I still don’t know if she was ok.

Other News

Joan Lingard has been nominated for the West Sussex Children's Book Award.

Methphrog have been blogging about their Comic Workshops

Patrick Ness: Interesting Questions in Falkirk

2009-05-22T15:08:00.009+01:00

This week's guest is the award-winning author of The Ask and the Answer, Patrick Ness, who was our guest for two Big Issue events in Falkirk...

My whirlwind day in Edinburgh turned out to be a whirlwind day in Falkirk, which I ended up not minding in the slightest.

First, Jasmine and Olivier from Scottish Book Trust drove me to Braes High School (well, Jasmine drove, Olivier dozed in the backseat), where Mrs Crosthawaite, the fantastic school librarian, led us in to their Learning Centre, where I spoke to the Accelerated English class and the library’s reading group, many of who had already read The Knife of Never Letting Go.

They were terrific, asking great questions and offering great ideas. Special thanks to Adele for volunteering facts about her life, and to the Big Issue Scotland for watching the event and interviewing some of the students after.

Then it was time for my own interview with the Big Issue before heading off to the equally terrific students at Larbert High School. Even at the end of the day, after PE class, in a very warm room, they were an attentive and funny group, asking all kinds of interesting questions (even one about “poo”). Kudos to Tommy for putting himself forward to tell us about his life.

A great day all around, finished off with a trip to Pizza Hut that – at last – offered a distant sight of Edinburgh’s castle. With confidence I can say that I’ll definitely be back.

Steve Cole: Tour-MOO-nator

2009-05-14T14:50:00.009+01:00

Help! I’m turning all poetical. I write silly action packed stories about space dinosaurs and time travelling cows, I can’t start getting poetical…

It’s those islands that have done it. Orkney and Shetland. My first impression of each was that they held secrets. The flat green sweeps of Orkney and the strong bleakness of Shetland’s landscape – there was a power and beauty to the way their mood changed with the bite of a sudden wind or the brightening of the sky. (Arrrgh! Must… stop… the poetical stuff… “There was a power and moo-ty to the way their MOOOOOOOOO changed with the bite of a sudden pie…” That’s better!)

Chris and Jasmine drove me in fine style through this raw abundance of landscape, and every trip felt like an adventure. The schools we visited were a mixture of very large and really quite small, most enjoying top facilities and spectacular views from canteen and playground. I was lucky enough to enjoy the pupils’ attention as I launched into my silly adventures in storytelling. I hope they had some fun because I certainly did. My favourite event was the big one in Lerwick Library at the end when so many people came along to join in. And not one of them threw a rotten tomato at me, which was a result.

I sort of envy the children being where they are because these islands are full of spurs to the imagination – Skara Brae, the 5000 year old settlement on Orkney that died out mysteriously after 600 years… the Ring of Brodgar, huge standing stones that have weathered the elements for almost as long… the rusted hulks of sunken ships in Scapa Flow, ghosts of past wars… The mysterious brochs of Shetland, crumbling old forts… Trolls – or as they call them here, trows – weaving mischief in the shadow of giant oil refineries… You could set so many incredible tales here.

One day, I shall return. For real, or in a story? Not sure, yet. The islands really do hold secrets and, for now, that’s one of them.

But it’s no secret how lucky I am to have had the chance to meet so many clever, funny children and tireless teachers in Shetland and Orkney, to have enjoyed so much local food and drink and even to have absorbed a little of the history, culture – and above all, the local radio stations! – of the islands. It was a fabulous trip, and one I won’t forget. Big, big thanks to Scottish Friendly and Scottish Book Trust for making it possible. As poetical thanks as you like.

Amy from George Heriot's School: Judging the Royal Mail Awards

2009-05-08T15:50:00.007+01:00

My name’s Amy, I’m from George Heriot's School and this year I was helping to pick the shortlist for the 12-16 and (with the help of my baby brother) the 0-7 categories of books in the Royal Mail Book Awards. I was very happy to do this, partly because I’ve always loved reading and given any opportunity will pick up a book …and partly because I had to write a 1000 word essay on Macbeth and was delighted to be offered a legitimate excuse to avoid starting it.

I’d taken part in the Award a couple of times and wondered how the shortlist of three books was chosen so I was really interested in what happened when a teacher at my school asked me if I’d like to help. I was given a box of twelve books and a couple of months to read them at the end of which I went to the judges' meeting. Everybody had already passed on their favourites and it was the five books that had received the most votes that we talked about. Everybody gave their views on each book and at the end there was loads of argument about which deserved to be on the shortlist! Finally the matter was decided by a vote (the last of about five) and the current shortlist was settled.

The overall quality of all the books I read for the award was excellent - there were one or two that I didn’t like quite so much but in general I was surprised by how good they were and I found choosing the ones I thought were best really hard! One of the first ones I decided on and which later at the judges meeting was passed by (I think) a unanimous vote was Keith Gray’s Ostrich Boys which I thought was fantastic. The first thing that struck me about it was how original it was; I’ve never read anything like it and I thought the central idea was brilliant. Despite dealing with serious issues; primarily death and also mourning, bullying, stress it always keeps a lovely tone; humorous and lighthearted- it’s definitely a feel-good book. It’s also quite unusual for two reasons; firstly in that all of the main characters (which are all brilliantly written; realistic and well-developed) are teenage boys, which for teen-fiction concentrating on emotions is unusual, and secondly in that, despite the main characters being boys, it still appeals to girls and girls can still - I thought - identify with them.

The second book decided on in this category was Crash. Again I found this very original - it’s definitely the first children’s book I’ve read that discusses mental illness in a way that combines it with humour, adrenaline and giant, Dundee-destroying tsunamis. The style of writing is simple yet dynamic with cliffhangers at the end of practically every chapter and the plot is satisfyingly complex without being confusing. It also has loads of twists and many separate plot-strands covering various genres that come together for a satisfying conclusion with no loose end left untied. All the characters are credible and, unusually for a teenage thriller or adventure story, it has important female characters meaning that it will appeal equally to boys and girls (despite the boyish front cover that will probably put some girls off).

The third book to be confirmed on the shortlist was The Reckoning. Out of all these books it probably had the best opening - an immediate hook grabbing the reader and setting the tone for the fast-paced thriller that follows. Like Crash it is exciting with lots of twists but also focuses on deeper social issues and questions – while I have to admit I preferred The Witness I think that these elements of The Reckoning are more credible and will strike a chord within many of its readers. Centrally though, The Reckoning is a mystery story with a gripping plot, an interesting and well-developed main character and a shocking ending.

I really enjoyed helping judge the Royal Mail Book Awards and would like to say a huge thank you to all those involved in setting it up and who invited me to take part – thank you very, very much!

(Pictures: top-right, Amy speaks at the Royal Mail Awards Shortlist press launch; above, Amy, centre, with shortlisted authors and Alana, also from George Heriot's, who helped judged the Younger Readers category)

Sara Grady's sneaky reading list

2009-05-05T16:44:00.008+01:00

Sara Grady, Director of the Children's Programme at Edinburgh International Book Festival, drops in to stir things up...

Spring seems to come and go in Edinburgh. One day it’s gloriously sunny, perfect for picnics and frisbee, the next I’m digging for my gloves and hat in a freezing torrential downpour. But one thing in my May diary is consistent: I finally have time to read a lot.

This time of year, the Book Festival programme is finished (with 350 events, I don’t think I can handle anymore!). Brilliant authors are coming and no one in the whole world knows the line-up except me. Until I have the big reveal at our launch in June, it’s my little (well, big) secret.

So in May, while I avoid spilling the beans, I spend a lot of time reading. It takes my mind off of things. And there is a hidden bonus: lots of people assume my current reading list equates to the Festival guest list. So, I switch things up with decoys. I read a huge variety of books to throw everyone off the trail. Sneaky eh?

So, here is my reading list so far. Try and guess which ones will be in Edinburgh this summer, I dare you.

Lately, I’ve Read:

How to Drink From a Frog by Michael Cox. A truly awesome collection of food facts. I have been telling everyone about how when Paris was besieged and starving in wartime, the zoo auctioned off its animals to the highest bidder for exotic feats!

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (pictured top right) – Absolutely brilliant and great fun. No wonder it’s up for the Carnegie.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I love all Gaiman’s work, and here the simplicity of the storytelling perfectly suits his quirky, otherworldly narrative of a boy raised by ghosts (and check out the awesome illustration by Chris Riddell, left).

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. This book just won some major prizes in America. It’s a compelling story about growing up just after WWII, well worth a read though probably my girliest pick of the month.

The Wizard the Ugly and the Book of Shame by Pablo Bernasconi. It’s not everyday a picture book comes all the way from Patagonia, and this oddball fairy tale lives up to its exotic origins.

Next Up is:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 by Jeff Kinney. This comic/diary series is a massive blockbuster in the states and soon to be a film. You’ll laugh until milk comes out your nose, promise.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (pictured right). I’ve been dying to read the sequel to the amazing The Knife of Never Letting Go (don’t let the weird title put you off, this shocking thriller is a page turner like no other). The first book ended on such a wild cliff hanger, I’m on the edge of my seat already.

What is the Point of School by Guy Claxton. I don’t only read children’s books (mostly, but not only). Sometimes I read books about childhood and education and things to programme events for parents and teachers. If the title is anything to go by, this one should be cracking.

The Thornthwaite Inheritance by Gareth P. Jones. A Lemony Snicket-like gothic tale of intrigue, this story sees twins in a duel of endlessly complicated murder attempts. Dark, odd and totally fun.

And then we’ll see. Possibly the new (and last) Confession of Georgia Nicholson. But who knows? Before I know it summer will be here and Festival preparations will envelope me again, so I’m reading all I can in the next couple of weeks. In fact, do you have anything I absolutely must read? I’m always on the hunt for something new…

Thanks again to Sara!

Plus, if you don't have enough reading suggestions from Sara's list, we just got news in today of the shortlist for the Branford Boase Award 2009:

The Traitor Game by B R Collins, edited by Emma Matthewson (Bloomsbury)
The Toymaker by Jeremy De Quidt, edited by Bella Pearson (David Fickling Books)
Flood Child by Emily Diamand, edited by Imogen Cooper (published originally as Reavers Ransom by Chicken House)
Between Two Seas by Marie-Louise Jensen, edited by Liz Cross (OUP)
Bloodline by Katy Moran, edited by Denise Johnstone-Burt, (Walker Books)
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, edited by Denise Johnstone-Burt (Walker Books)Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls, edited by Marian Lloyd (Marian Lloyd Books)

Gillian Philip: I don’t base my writing on real personal experiences. Except for that one...

2009-04-28T10:16:00.009+01:00

We had the wonderful author Gillian Philip doing some events with us last week, and they were great, despite her dreaming otherwise, as she tells us...

So I dreamed I left my notes at home, arrived on the wrong day and went to the wrong place. Fortunately none of that happened despite my huge potential for reading the calendar upside down/losing emails/missing train connections. I made it to the SBT headquarters (right) on Wednesday for the launch of Crossing the Line (with my notes) and to Turriff Academy on Friday for a Big Issue event (and I turned up at the right school). And I’m glad I did, because this week was fun.

Edinburgh’s launch was terrific – many thanks to Jasmine and Chris and everybody at the SBT. A really great audience, a beautiful day, and books plus a Jura whisky miniature for the train home... what more can a writer ask? Friday’s event was similarly blessed with gorgeous weather, a lovely crowd from S3 Turriff Academy (left and below), and a photographer with limitless reserves of patience (either I shut my eyes at the wrong moment, or they simply disappear when I smile. I have a very crinkly face, like certain breeds of dog).

I kept meeting people who came from Aberdeen, so I’ve had to stop pretending that the swimming scene in Crossing The Line doesn’t take place on Aberdeen beach. The water temperature and the sheer idiocy of swimming naked in the North Sea at one in the morning are just too recognisable to anyone who has tottered down the Beach Boulevard in the dark to find the Inversnecky Cafe shut, and nothing better to do... foolish, but refreshing. I don’t base my writing on real personal experiences. No. Well. Except for that one...

Seriously, I loved every minute of both events. If you need an author visit, call me. I do talks, workshops, weddings, bar mitzvahs...

...and until my laptop battery died, I even got a lot of work done on the train. Good news, since that first draft of the new novel is now two weeks overdue...

And if you're curious to know a bit more about Gillian and her books, check out our excellent Q&A with her, where she talks about writing stories, her favourite books and which fictional character she would most like to be!

Jasmine Fassl: The books that look at me

2009-04-20T10:04:00.004+01:00

After several months of guest bloggers, the blog is back in the hands of Scottish Book Trust's Children and Young People's team, and Children's Programmer Jasmine is in a philosophical mood...

I am not sure if everybody has had this experience, but books do sometimes ‘look’ at me. They sit on the shelves, spine on, staring at me. Even if I am watching TV, they still have their watchful eyes on me. They follow me across the room when I walk past. They are willing me to read them.

Now, I thought a great deal about what makes certain books look at me, and others not even acknowledging that I am there, and I think there are many reasons for it. I’ll try to give you some examples:

One is that the book was recommended to me, probably with words like: "you will love this one" or "this is just perfect for you". Another may be that I read an interesting review of that book somewhere. Maybe I really like the cover (I know, I know, but I can’t help loving some and hating others!). Or maybe we are planning an event with the author, so reading the book is imperative, really.

Whatever does it, probably a combination of all of the above, I do end up reading these ‘watchful’ books eventually. Last weekend it was The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack Gantos (a combined result of reading a good review, a personal recommendation and a very appealing, beautiful cover). It’s the story of a girl who is infected by her family’s love curse which, in combination with her interest in taxidermy, makes for an unusual and brilliant read. So, if you have a few hours next weekend, give in to the recommendation, review and cover and read it. It’s well worth it.

And me, well, I’ll have to give in to another of my books. Which one? Whichever doesn’t blink.

For more on Jack Gantos, check out this great interview with him:

And if you still have time to spare, check out the audio clip from Marcus Sedgwick's new audiobook Flood and Fang currently playing on the Scottish Book Trust site!

Jane Graham: Back to School

2009-04-14T15:27:00.008+01:00

Jane Graham, journalist with The Big Issue in Scotland, is in the blog-seat this week talking about our "Back to School" campaign and Julia Donaldson's first novel for teens, Running On The Cracks.

My visit to Douglas Acadamy in Milgavie with children’s author Julia Donaldson was my fifth outing as part of the Scottish Book Trust’s ‘Back to School’ campaign in conjunction with the Big Issue. As an arts journalist, avid bookworm and mother of two, covering the campaign is a joy for me – there are few things which warm my heart like watching shy school children being coaxed into divulging their ideas, ambitions and even the odd secret by a writer who has written a story which made them laugh, cry or rush to give their mum a hug.

Julia’s visit was particularly interesting because I quickly realised as I chatted to the 13 year olds in the library that she was as much a part of their childhood as Roald Dahl was of mine. Every student in the room had grown up with The Gruffalo and most knew other works of Julia’s. To that extent to them meeting her was like meeting a fairytale figure, an eternal mythical presence in their lives. That may be how Julia managed to cajole them into acting out scenes from her first novel for teenagers, Running On the Cracks, which most of them did with gusto, humour and even, in one case, an almost Brando-like intensity. Watching a 13 year old drop his or her cool, even for a few moments, is a delicious thing indeed.

Julia was keen to stress her personal relationship with Douglas Academy and told the class about her sons, who had attended the school, and how they had each influenced the book. Jerry had been a goth (which apparently left Julia unimpressed) and had introduced her to that subculture. Tragically, Julia’ s son Hamish had been diagnosed with pyschological disorder before he died, and he was clearly in her thoughts when she wrote the book, which includes insights into a number of debilitating mental illnesses. Children always appreciate honesty and openness and the Douglas Academy students responded warmly to Julia’s stories.

Thank you, Jane.

If you would like to meet Julia and hear her imaginative talk she will be appearing at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery on Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the RSPB.

Katie Waters: Recommended Easter Reads

2009-04-06T11:43:00.009+01:00

Katie Waters, Childrens Bookseller at Waterstone's in Edinburgh (West End), drops by to give us her recommended reads for the Easter Holiday.

Spring is not just about Easter bunnies and chocolate - it is also an exciting time of year for children's books! Right now at Waterstone's we are absolutely swamped with new titles so to make life easier for you, here are a few of my recent favourites to help keep you out of mischief over the Easter holidays!

'Smile!' by Leigh Hodgkinson is a stunning new picture book for the under 6s. Just how do you find a lost smile? First things first, check down the back of the sofa. Or how about the dog basket? With Hodgkinson's quirky illustrations you'll find more than just a smile inside this colourful treasure trove.

Vampires have taken teenage books by storm recently,and now they're sneaking into books for younger kids too! 'Meet the Kreeps' by Kiki Thorpe is the first in a new series of spooky tales all about the sinister Kreep family who have just moved into Polly's street. Perfect for little horrors aged 6-8!

For confident readers and animal lovers aged 8+ 'The Underneath' by American author Kathi Appelt is ideal. I know that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but the cover was what made me pick this one up! This brand new and brilliantly written animal adventure is sure to become a modern classic. A cosy book for when spring showers keep you indoors.

I'm a big fan of historical fiction for teenagers and I'm currently reading 'Scatterheart' by Lili Wilkinson. Set in 1814, this is the story of spoilt-little-rich-girl, Hannah Cheshire and her attempts to fend for herself after the mysterious disappearance of her father. Written a fairytale-like style fans of Shannon Hale and Celia Rees, like me, will adore this atmospheric read. And now I'm off to finish reading it!

John Fardell: Lucky Friday the 13th

2009-03-30T12:19:00.005+01:00

John Fardell was with us on Friday 13th March for the launch of his new book. Here he blogs about how it was for him:

I had a fun time at the Scottish Book Trust doing a launch event for my new book, The Secret of the Black Moon Moth, which was attended by groups from three different primary schools.

I talked a bit about my new book, and the old ones, and showed some of the illustrations projected on a screen. Mostly, though, I did what I generally do at my author events, and got the children to make up a story of their own through building up pictures on a flipchart (as you can see in the photo above).

The chidren all joined in and came up with a fantastic story, full of inventive ideas and great action pictures. And they had some interesting questions in the Q and A section at the end of the event. You can see more pictures in a slideshow here.

It was a good day to be at the Scottish Book Trust as, for Red Nose Day, they'd decided to do something yummy for money and had all brought in home baking. I don't think the visiting school children were actually let in on the secret that certain rooms in the building were piled high with cakes and biscuits, but I'm told that the Book Trust staff had managed to polish off the lot by the end of the day anyway without any outside help (apart from mine).

This came at the end of a busy two weeks for me, with various author visits to Montrose, Brechin, Arbroath, Leith, Ratho, Livingson, Mid Calder, Glasgow and Linlithgow, and a wee launch party that my publisher, Faber and Faber, kindly held for the new book in the West End Waterstones on Edinburgh's Princes Street. All a lot of fun.

Catherine Rayner: The Lesser Known Dragon Creator

2009-03-20T14:28:00.011Z

To celebrate the launch of Catherine Rayner's beautiful new book, Sylvia and Bird, we invited her to come along to Scottish Book Trust HQ to talk to a few imaginative 5 year-olds. Here are Catherine's thoughts...

The most exciting thing for me about talking to children about my new book Sylvia and Bird (a story about a dragon and a bird!) is that you get to ask the audience about their own pet dragons (the audience was a highly imaginative bunch of 5 year olds). They have teacher eating dragons, dragons with long legs, some that blow purple smoke, pocket sized dragons and there was a dragon called Bernard who sleeps in ‘the living room and only eats soup’. Brilliant! They were a very inspiring bunch! It’s lovely to hear their imaginations whirring away!

After I read ‘Sylvia and bird’ to the children we created and I drew our very own dragon (just because one can!) we came up with a dragon that can be described as follows:
The lesser known Sharptoothedbigbelliedhugefootedlongclaweddangleyleggedredwingedscaley Dragon!

The children were brilliant – it was so lovely to see so many little smiles on a Monday morning!

If you would like to find out more about Catherine or her lovely artwork you can drop in on her website.

Thank you very much Catherine, we will have even more author blogs for you next week, so do keep checking in!

Oisin McGann: The Twisting Tour of Scotland

2009-03-13T14:32:00.009Z

We were recently on tour with Ancient Appetites author Oisin McGann. Here, from the man himself, is how it went down...

Clinging to our seats in the Bookmobile, Jasmine, Chris and I began our twisting, weaving drive on our Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour. With the car as our pen nib, we drew a belt of Celtic knotwork through the roundabout jungle between Edinburgh and Glasgow. At times, we even dared to defy the inflexible, unadventurous sat-nav (to hell with its flashing question mark!).

Fuelled by apples and stovies, neeps and tatties, we scribbled paths through Blantyre, East Kilbride, Rutherglen, Falkirk, Bo’ness, Kilsyth, Wishaw and Motherwell. Wherever teenagers were educated within reach of an orbital bypass, they found the Bookmobile catapulting itself into their car parks.

Seeking food and shelter at SBT’s secret headquarters, we met under the cloak of darkness with teachers and librarians. We sought the favour of the Scottish publishing clans, the Florises, the Bright Reds, the Stridents, the Bookstarts and the Barrington Stokes. They gave their blessings to our mission.

Allowing ourselves to be caught briefly on GMTV (right) for World Book Day, and again for North Lanarkshire Radio, we kept moving, kept ducking and diving, kept finding those schools. Alarmed teachers spread word about an Irishman who shouted at their students, who hurled abuse at them and made clumsy attempts to mimic their speech. Like some Mao Tse MacTung, he waved a notebook at them. A snowball assault failed to shut him up.

On we went. No wind, nor rain, nor snow, nor dual carriageway pile-up could stop the Bookmobile’s twisting progress, until it came to a spinning, sprawling halt in Edinburgh, disgorging its dazed passengers.

The Bookmobile fell silent. The sat-nav went dark. And we looked back over the Scottish landscape at what we had achieved, and we saw that it was beast, nay, it was yaldy – some might even say . . . minted. Our work was done.

World Book Day: what did you do?

2009-03-06T16:14:00.005Z

It was World Book Day this week, so we asked a few top authors to tell us what they got up to on the day...

Cathy Forde

My World Book Day began with a morning session in Holyrood Secondary, Glasgow - their first author visit in years. I spoke to some lovely S2s. The afternoon was spent in Knightswood Primary School, Glasgow on the invitation of Eileen from Lost in Fiction Bookshop, Byres Rd, Glasgow. The entire school was celebrating World Book Day on a massive scale, with pupils and all the teachers in fancy dress, free coffee from Starbucks, competitions, and a head teacher disguised as Captain Hook. The enthusiasm for books and reading was as delicious as the cup cakes on sale. I spoke to all the P6 and P7 pupils about about my favourite book and told them how my snake escaped. It was a BRAW WBD indeed!

Annemarie Allan
To Musselburgh Burgh Primary to talk to two classes about Breaker, my new book. The children were delighted to hear about a story that takes place in North Berwick, so close to where they live. Not only are writers real people, but they write about real places. World Book day is not only international – it is local too! Then a short question and answer session with another class about my previous book, Hox. What they most particularly wanted to know was when I was going to write the sequel, so we spent an interesting ten minutes talking about that. I left them with the suggestion that they might like to write the sequel themselves and I am looking forward immensely to finding out what happened to my characters after the last page of the book.

K. M. Grant
On World Book Day, I will be in Rome, presenting a book to the Vatican. Not one of mine! In 1550, a beautiful book was created for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III. Popes were quite naughty in those days, hence the grandchildren. The book was nine years in the making and illuminated with jewel-like pictures by a brilliant artist called Giulio Clovio. Eventually the book became known as the Towneley Lectionary, and before I married, I was a Towneley. A stunning new facsimile (a facsimile is an exact copy) edition has been produced and the publishers thought it would be nice if my father attended the Vatican presentation. He asked if I could go too. It is my most unusual World Book Day visit to date. Not sure if I'll see the present pope, but am hoping at least to catch a glimpse of his cat...

John and Sandra from Metaphrog
On World Book Day, we were hard at work on our graphic novel in progess, Louis - Night Salad, scripting, pencilling and painting, as well as cleaning up some pages of line art for a short story. Finally, we prepared material for conducting a visual storytelling and comic workshop at Perth High School the following day.

So that's a little bit about what some of our writerly friends got up to. Now we want to know what you did! Tell us about your World Book Day by adding a comment or drop us an email: teen@scottishbooktrust.com.

Emma Turnbull: Reading Mountaineer

2009-02-19T16:37:00.001Z

Emma Turnbull, Literacy Officer at Scottish Arts Council pops in to blog about the mountain of reading she is currently doing for us as a member of the shortlisting panel for the 2009 Royal Mail Awards.

My living room is full of piles of book and bits of paper covered with scruffy scribbly notes, I haven’t been out after work for the last three weeks and I’ve started having crazy dreams because I’m reading non stop about magical, mythical and mystical happenings, far off lands, days gone-by and playground sagas of bullying, unrequited love and hair-dye gone wrong. It can only mean one thing: it must be the Royal Mail Awards!

I love being on the panel for the awards, I love the feeling of collecting the giant box of books and then getting home and arranging them all in piles wondering which ones I’ll love and which ones I will throw across the room in despair. I love the panel meeting in March where we all argue over which books should make it to the shortlists. The bits of scribbly scruffy paper are essential tools I need for the panel battle. It should be a nice civilised meeting where everyone comes to the same conclusion but it isn’t! No! It is all out war, polite war of course, the panel is made up of adults (and 4 kids who are probably the most civilised of all of us).

Since collecting the box-of-books I’ve been tearing through them every night and every spare minute I get-I’ve even stopped cycling to work so I can read on the bus. Reading so many children’s books in a compressed space of time definitely does funny things to your mind, you find yourself thinking about all kinds of stuff you wouldn’t normally: this year there have been a couple of ‘knights of old’ type books in the teen category so I’ve found myself thinking about that sort of world a lot. Last year I remember looking out at the sea thinking ‘where are all the galleons?’ yes, being a judge definitely unsettles your mind!

The books for the youngest age group are usually my favourite, I normally test them out on tots I babysit but this year I just had to force my boyfriend to listen to them instead, (‘But I’m watching Match of the Day’ ‘no but listen, there’s this kitten right, look it’s going to have some adventures’ etc etc) with the picture books you really need to know what they are going to sound like out-loud, sometimes it is completely different to the way something looks on the page.

So far I’ve read the picture books and the mid age range books, I had one clear favourite in the mid range, it was the sort of book you couldn’t wait to get back to. It was so good I was dipping into it at work in between meetings and at one point in the middle of a (very boring) meeting. I always get a bit nervous when I like a book too much though in case the other members of the panel hate it.

I’m reading the teen books now. Most of the time with the books it’s easy to remember back to when you were a certain age and think ‘I would have loved / hated this’ with the teen books most of them are much the same as books written for adults so it is much easier to judge. There is still about a month to go before the panel meeting, I have been saving some of the authors I know until the end as treats but there has been a lot of really great stuff already, some very nice surprises. There have been no absolute stinkers so far, I haven’t thrown a single book across the room and I also haven’t gone cross eyed yet! 40 down 10 to go.

Thank you Emma.

Keith Gray: Kebabs and the Bosphorus

2009-02-16T10:02:00.000Z

To begin this week we welcome back our good friend Keith Gray, who is here to blog about his travels and how they are inspiring his work.

I was lucky enough to be invited to Istanbul by the Koç School, to take part in their book fair, and flew in late at night. A long taxi journey from Atatürk airport in the dark didn’t show me much of the city. I saw hints of history and palm trees.

I was also hungry. Did you know that Guinness tastes better in its birthplace of Dublin? Apparently so. I wondered if the same was true for kebabs. With the smattering of Turkish I’d learned on the plane I managed to get the taxi driver to recommend a small eatery close to my hotel. To my surprise he even came with me. We sat opposite each other at a rickety wooden table no bigger than a chessboard by the side of the street, still buzzing loud and lively this late at night. The plates and plates of skewered lamb and chicken and spicy meatballs piled up. We sniffed the glorious smells, grinned at each other, then stuffed our faces. It didn’t matter that we didn’t speak the same language, we were too busy gorging. And I’d argue that these kebabs were without doubt 100% better than the ones I’ve eaten on the way home from the pub back in Britain. But then this was the first time I’d eaten kebabs sober.

I got to see the city proper on my journey to the school the following morning. Istanbul is a great pushing, shoving sprawl. My morning drive to the Koç School took over an hour yet I never managed to leave the high-rises behind. The motorway flies through the city, seeming to rise above its seven hills. And the steep slopes below are jungled with tall apartment buildings. In the middle of these modern blocks, poking up here, there and everywhere, are minarets like snorkels, trying to suck down a breath of heavenly air.

Crossing the Bosphorus was magical. I’d woken in Europe, now I was stepping across into Asia. The bridge carries you so high, skimming you over the river from one continent to the next. And I wish I had the words to describe the view... No wonder the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans have all wanted to live here. No wonder 17 million people live there now.

I wanted to talk to the students at the Koç School all about Istanbul, but of course they’d seen it all before. I wanted to talk about the breath-taking beauty of the Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque - just how very incredible some of these sights are. But that must have felt like ancient talk to them too. Because they’d heard it all before, so many times. They wanted to talk about books.

Books?! Do people get time to read books when they live somewhere like Istanbul? Luckily, yes. Or I wouldn’t have been invited in the first place.

And now that I’ve been I can write about it too. I’m already working on an idea for an Istanbul adventure. Maybe my hero has to escape across the Bosphorus? At the end of a chapter they could be dangled off the bridge by the villain - real cliff-hanger stuff!

Although perhaps I need to do a bit more research first? Perhaps I should go back? Have another look around, do some more exploring? There’s so much more I want to see...

Writing’s not all about sitting at a desk.

Sharon Tregenza: Master of the Zoo-niverse

2009-02-13T15:27:00.000Z

We had a special event with Tarantula Tide author Sharon Tregenza at Edinburgh Zoo last week, and we've asked her to tell us a bit about the experience:

There were screams and squeals today at the educational department of Edinburgh Zoo. Animal handler Daniel captivated children and staff of Carrick Knowe and Leslie Primary schools with close up and personal introductions to some of the zoo's most fascinating inmates.

I was asked along to give a talk and answer questions about my Kelpie's Award-winning children's book Tarantula Tide so I was obviously interested in one creature particularly, the tarantula, Elsa. Tarantula Tide is about the illegal smuggling of endangered species so I was glad to see that Daniel had some evidence of this terrible trade. He showed us a belt made from snake skin that someone had bought in Nigeria for a few dollars. Although the tourist was unaware that it was real snakeskin he was still fined over five hundred pounds when he tried to bring it home through the airport. A really grotesque handbag made from the skin, head and legs of an alligator made us all shudder. This was just one of a consignment of over two hundred bags - two hundred animals killed senselessly for profit.

After we were charmed by Dylan the armadillo, had reluctantly held cockroaches and stroked the bearded dragon and the pythons we got to the star of the show, Elsa. Although we weren't able to hold her we got a close look at this beautiful spider with the rose pink design on her back. What a thrill it was.

It was a great day for everyone and I'm grateful to The Scottish Book Trust and Floris books for arranging such a very special venue. Check out these creatures at Edinburgh Zoo if you get the chance - you won't regret it.

Oh and the screams and squeals? They came mostly from the adults.

You can listen to Chris Newton's excellent interview with Sharon Tregenza here, and you can see many more pictures from the day here.

35,000 Lost Worlds in boxes...

2009-02-09T16:04:00.000Z

This week we asked guest blogger Anna Burkey from Unesco Edinburgh City of Literature Trust to tell us a bit about what she's been up to lately...

It’s been a busy start to the year for me – I’ve been concentrating on giving away thousands of free books, and it’s harder work than it sounds! This year, we’re giving away about 35,000 copies of The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle – he may be better known for Sherlock Holmes, but Conan Doyle was a bit of an early sci-fi writer, and this is the book that inspired Jurassic Park.

This is the third year we’ve been giving away classic Scottish books, as part of our One Book – One Edinburgh reading campaign. By “we” I mainly mean me and my colleague Ali, but we also have about 50 other organisations helping us this year – though it’s mainly Ali and I that get to actually unload the vans full of free books, and distribute them around town. There’s been no need for the gym this month – shifting 35,000 books has been keeping my muscles working. You can get yours at Edinburgh libraries, while stocks last. You can see some behind-the-scenes pics of me unloading vans and handing out books on our website, or find us on Facebook.

I’ve been having a lot of fun arranging dinosaur-themed events across the city. We launched the campaign at Dynamic Earth with the help of a giant pterodactyl (made by local artist Rhian Russell), and have events at Edinburgh Zoo, the Botanic Gardens and in Holyrood Park. There’s also a Forensics Week, inspired by Sherlock, at the Royal College of Surgeons, and an evening with Arthur Conan Doyle himself – he’s back in town to celebrate his 150th birthday.

It’s also been good fun working this year on The Lost Book – an animation project that is being run by our friends Helen and Adam (also known as animation company Binary Fable.) They’ve got a good blog going at http://www.lostbook.net/, but they are getting a bit nervous now – they’ve aired the first animated episode online, but they don’t have a script for the next 5 episodes – it’s up to people to blog ideas, and then they’ll use those suggestions to write the rest of the story. I also keep getting sidetracked by voting in their blog for poll questions like ‘Watson the dog – boy or a girl?’

We’ve got a big question of our own to answer though – what should we get everyone to read next year? People have been telling us that they love the One Book – One Edinburgh campaign, but we’re a bit stuck as to what book we should choose next year. Any ideas?

Nicola Morgan Walks The Dog

2009-02-02T15:44:00.000Z

Nicola Morgan drops in to tell us about the life of a full-time writer, how she copes with doing "nothing" and her latest novel, Deathwatch.

I suppose you think that since I’m a full-time writer, I must spend most of my time writing. Or even maybe half my time, at least. If only!
Do the maths - (don’t worry, I’ll do it for you) - say I’m writing a novel of 60,000 words; and say I write about 1000 words an hour; and say I wrote from 9 – 5 with an hour for lunch, Monday to Friday. I’d finish the novel in a bit more than ….…. eight and a half days. Whereas it really takes me months.

So, WHAT am I playing at the rest of the time? That’s a lot of time to be a “full-time writer” and not be writing. So, you might like to know what’s really going on when my husband thinks I’m working: writing other things (like my blogs, or ideas for a new book, or newspaper articles or reviews); checking or redrafting what I thought I’d finished writing - my publisher has people who do lots of checking and every time they do it they have to send it back to me to check their checking; doing school or festival events , with loads of travelling; boring stuff like ordering printer cartridges or going to the post office; work emails; REALLY ANNOYING things like dealing with my computer when it goes wrong; nice things like answering emails or letters from you; reading - very important for a writer, but a pleasure too, of course. Promotion is a big part too - so I’ll soon be busy promoting Deathwatch.

But even all that doesn’t take up most of the time. There are two more things, which are the biggest parts of my writing life. THINKING and DOING NOTHING. I can’t think of ideas or what happens next in my stories if I’m sitting at my computer, or sitting anywhere. And I can’t exactly write walking around, can I? Wouldn’t want to fall into the canal. But I discovered that there are three things that make ideas come: 1. Walking (that’s where the dog comes in) 2. Cooking (my favourite hobby and I can do it without thinking so it frees my brain for ideas) 3. Ironing (please don’t tell my family this as I pretend I hate it).

What about the appalling DOING NOTHING? Surely I should feel really guilty about it? After all, if someone does nothing at work or goes out for long lunches, they get into trouble. But when you’re doing nothing you actually are doing something - you’re thinking, dreaming, planning, making space for important ideas to come. For a writer, thinking is definitely the most important part of our lives, and we need to make plenty of time for it.

Actually, thinking time is important for everyone. Don’t fill your lives so full that you have no time to dream and wonder and let your thoughts free-wheel. But for me, it’s work too. So, if you see me doing nothing, please don’t worry: I’m WORKING.

Well, that’s my excuse.

Nicola Morgan’s next novel, Deathwatch, is published in June 2009

Author website: http://www.nicolamorgan.co.uk/
Author blog: http://www.ghostlygalleon.blogspot.com/
Blog for writers: http://www.need2bpublished.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group: “Nicola Morgan’s Readers”

In Other News...
Publishing houses across London shut their doors today as the capital crumbled under the weight of 3inches of snow. Our friendly publicist friends had to make do with answering emails from the warmth of their duvets whilst supping on hot chocolate...some people have all the luck!

Congratulations to Neil Gaiman (who we did an event with in October) for winning the Newberry Medal in America for his amazing novel The Graveyard Book. The Newberry is the biggest accolade in American children's books!

Simon Puttock: I BLAME THE KIDS

2009-01-26T12:14:00.000Z

The author of the 2008 Royal Mail Award nominated Goat and Donkey in Strawberry Sunglasses tells it like it is:

On Thursday, as I went about my usual writerly business of talking to children about… well, stuff, I was faced not with just the usual one or two classes, but an ENTIRE school - P1s to P7s, the whole caboodle. The gamut. The lot. All 25 of them (24 actually, 4 percent were/was absent.) Even I, who prefers the unexpected and likes to wing it, was thinking this could prove to be too much of a good thing.

So there I was: serious-faced P1s to the left of me. Boisterous P3s at twelve o’clock. Almost nearly a bit grown-up P7s to the right. And the rest jostling for position in between. Now, just as bicycles need ankles in order to go, when it comes to school visits, I need questions. (Of course I read stories too, but questions are the engine of a session.) And at that moment THE question was, how much questioniness was there in this room? I should know better than to worry about these things…

Because although I am verbose - I ramble - I TALK TOO MUCH - what happened next really wasn’t my fault. One hour (and then some) of talking, falling over (only once), drawing the world’s worst cactus/duck/person, and general literary analysis and I was NOT responsible. I was still answering questions as I pulled on my coat and started to dash for my taxi but again, don’t look at me. It was those pesky children and their excellent QUESTIONS, making me THINK, forcing me to SAY STUFF. It’s happened before. There is probably nothing I can do to stop it happening again. Because when it comes to a good school visit, like I say, I BLAME THE KIDS.

Find out more about Simon Puttock here!

January Survival Kit: The West Wing and books

2009-01-21T14:27:00.000Z

If December is about celebration January is about survival: you just have to get through it. And, according to my colleague Clare, last Monday was officially the most depressing day of the year. Well, we got through that so things must be getting better…

There are two things helping me survive Edinburgh’s dark January days: series 3 of The West Wing and books. Now I’m going to tell you a secret. My colleague Jasmine deals in books. Like all dealers, she runs a slightly covert operation. She’s not one to shout about things. And the currency is enthusiasm, not hard cash. But, gradually, over a few days, you suddenly realise pretty much everyone in the office is reading the same thing, and that their supplier was Jasmine. One of her most recent offerings has already made a brief appearance on this blog, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but I was so struck by it I thought you wouldn’t mind my mentioning it again. It’s reality TV taken to its very extreme – read it. You won’t be disappointed. Also on my reading list at the moment is Bad Faith by Gillian Philip – another dystopian world where this time the Church has taken over. I’m only 100 pages in but it’s gripped me – I can’t wait to get to the end. And, because it’s January, there’s got to be some comfort reading. And mine, I’m almost ashamed to say, is Jane Austen. Not Pride and Prejudice – that’s good on telly, not so good in book form – but Mansfield Park. You can’t beat it.

There are two other readers in my household. The first is deep in Stamping Butterflies by Jon Courtenay Grimwood. For the second, perhaps 'reader' is stretching it a bit … she’s only 2. But she does love her picture books. She can be fickle in her taste – her favourites change daily. Currently top of her list are Follow that String, A Lark in the Ark, Natalie Russell’s beautiful new book Donkey’s Busy Day and Viv French’s first two books in her new series Sparkle Street. But there’s a couple of books she comes back to again and again … an ancient edition of Babar’s Big Book of Words, given to her by my cousin, now 16, who loved it when she was 2, and the Janet and Allan Ahlberg classic, Each Peach Pear Plum, at the end of which she always clammers “again, again” (either because she loves it so much or because she has worked out it delays bedtime by an extra few minutes – sometimes I suspect the latter).

But January hasn’t all been doom and gloom … here’s Jenny Watson, coordinator of the wonderful Aberdeen Reading Bus, to tell us about her January highlight:

“The Reading Bus and team had a fantastic day out at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 15th January 2009.

“The Reading Bus had a spectacular parking spot under Arthur's Seat and hosted a Scots Reading Champion Session. The guest class from Newcraighall School enjoyed an enthralling hour with Sheena Blackhall, Matthew Fitt, Bill Wilson, MSP and youngsters from Hanover Street School and Kittybrewster School.

“Inside the Scottish Parliament team members, including pupils, showcased examples of the innovative practice developed by The Reading Bus to an audience of MSPs, Scottish Book Trust representatives and a wide variety of guests from literacy organisations, authors, illustrators and poets.

The Reading Bus is extremely grateful to Maureen Watt, MSP for North- East Scotland for hosting this fantastic opportunity. It was a grand day out for all and a wonderful opportunity to share the work of The Reading Bus with a national audience.”

Enjoy the rest of your January!

Anna

Christmas holidays – otherwise known as On The Road

2009-01-12T10:27:00.000Z

Before we put the comfortable memory of Christmas behind us for another year, please indulge us as Scottish Book Trust's General Manager Jeanette Harris gives us a peek at her rather adventurous few weeks:

With great sadness (ahem) we locked the doors of Scottish Book Trust on 23rd December for the long-awaited Christmas holiday break. Of course it was practically impossible to drag the SBT team from their desks, but the enticement of lunch and a glass of Irn Bru did the trick.

But my Christmas road race had started before then. I could give Jack Kerouac a run for his money with stories of being on the road. Have a look at this...

22 December – To Perth return 90 miles. Collecting Dad and dinner with family, including nephews (age 2 and 4) who entertained with Christmas carols learned at nursery, dressed as shepherds.

24 December - To Perth return 90 miles. Because we forgot to bring some of the Christmas parcels on 22 December.

25 December – Santa delivered! To Bo’ness return 50 miles. Christmas dinner with family, lasting 6 hours, with long recovery breaks between courses. Entertained by nephews, singing the rude versions of Christmas carols learned at nursery, dressed as Spidermen.

28 and 29 December – To Peterhead return 330 miles. Delivering Dad back home to be met at the front door by the debris of an Amarylis plant which had fallen off its shelf.

30 December – To Fife return 44 miles. Beautiful walk up Benarty Hill to blow away cobwebs.

31 December – To St. Abbs Head return 102 miles. Walking the dog Gill. Hat blew off and probably now in Norway.

1 January – To Kirknewton return 25 miles. Dinner at friend’s with her children – my how they’ve grown – aged 23, 27 and 30!

2 January – To Portobello then to the Grange (Edinburgh) 10 miles - 2 parties in one day – live music at both, Scottish variety of course!

4 January – To the Falkirk Wheel 56 miles return - walking on the Antonine Wall (named for Antoninus Pious, left) – Christmas history lesson.

5 January – Back to work... But it doesn’t stop there! To Glasgow at midnight 94 miles return. Collecting daughter and partner who missed their earlier flight from Heathrow! Back from Australia via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Cambodia and the orangutans in the Sumatra jungle.

891 miles in total – trust the General Manager to do calculations during her holidays!

I even had time to read a bit:
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (Man Booker prizewinner 2008), for my book group.

Oor Wullie (pictured top), published by DC Thomson, because it’s a tradition.

Jeanette

Frohes Neues Jahr!

2009-01-06T15:40:00.000Z

As 2009 kicks off, we hand the blog reins back over to Keith Gray, to tell us a bit about his holiday reading...

Hello. Hope you all had a good time during the holidays. ’09 already! Kind of scary. I didn’t manage to finish half the stuff in ’08 that I was planning on doing...

I’ve got to admit, however, the last few days of the year were excellent. I went to Vienna, to stay with my partner’s family (because that’s where she’s from) and to experience Weihnachten and Sylvester - or Christmas and Hogmanay Austrian-style. So I could tell you about all the Schnapps I drank, the Wiener Schnitzel I ate and the waltzes I danced. But this is a Scottish Book Trust blog so I reckon rather than talk about how drunk, greedy and two-left-footed I was I’d tell you about the excellent books I read while I was away.

First up is ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins. It’s a brilliant slice of sci-fi dystopia, where the rulers of a post-apocalyptic America punish the citizens with a deadly, reality-TV style, gladiatorial fight for survival. 12 boys and 12 girls are chosen randomly, and these 24 ‘tributes’ are put into a wilderness arena before having to fight to the death in front of the cameras. There’s echoes of traditional folktales with the idea of sacrificial virgins, as well as new twists on recent stories (Stephen King’s ‘The Running Man’ or ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson), and it’s possibly the most exciting book I’ve read all year. I should have been enjoying snow and Sauerkraut with my in-laws, but I was many years into the future willing Katniss and Peeta to make it to the end.

And the other book I read was something a bit different. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bit of a ‘Doctor Who’ fan, but I’m definitely not a nerdy obsessive (a Whovian). But I have been interested in the Russell T Davies book about the writing of the programme and was lucky enough to find a copy in my stocking. And what a great book ‘The Writer’s Tale’ is! If there is anybody out there interested in writing (stories, books, scripts) it’s an insight into how writing works, about ideas, about characters, about re-writing, about re-writing, about re-writing... It’s also a fascinating glimpse of a hugely successful writer who’s possibly a bit mad, definitely obsessive, sometimes egotistical, but mostly genuine and warm. I reckon it should be the new Bible for all writers out there, professional or wannabe. And it’s so big I was able to use it as a duvet to sleep under in the freezing Viennese temperatures.

So there’s two quick recommendations to kick off ‘09. If you read them, get in touch and let us know what you think.

Prosit Neujahr.

Keith

What have you been reading over the holidays? Add your reviews and recommendations below...

Secret Santa

2008-12-19T16:09:00.000Z

Ho ho ho, it’s Chris here and I have taken on the mantle of filling you all with festive joy because in the words of the great lyricist, Noddy Holder (of Slade fame), IT’S CHRISTMAAAAAAASSSSS!

Everyone at Scottish Book Trust is very very excited, as im sure you all are too? Everyone has their own reasons for loving Christmas so I thought that I would share a few of ours:

• A niece’s first Christmas and a nephew who is gonna be hyperactively happy (this is mine!)

• The chance to buy presents for the cat

• Going home to see momma M
• I have bought a new dining table especially for Christmas dinner

• Not coming to work

• Going back home

• The chance to see the children unwrapping their presents after Santa has been

• Or perhaps its because the X Factor single has hit the shops?

Like many other workplaces across the country we indulged in a spot of secret Santa action, although the identity of our Santa wasn’t very secret.

The rules were straightforward (£5 max bought from a charity shop) and it was amazing what people found. Olivier found pearls for Clare who in turn found a Christmas in Motown record for Paul. There was Play-doh, slinkys, artwork, books, cufflinks, cushion covers…I could go on and on but suffice to say we all received great gifts.

Here are a few pictures of the team enjoying themsleves at secret santa!

Caitrin, Jo and Julia really didn't want their picture taken!

Have a wonderful Christmas and just have as much fun as possible. We will be back in 2009 with an even bigger programme of tours, events, projects and much much more from the blog as well as the website.

Other news…Two of our authors have been shortlisted for the Angus Book Award; James Jauncey (The Witness) and J.A. Henderson (Crash). Also on the shortlist are Meg Rosoff ( What I Was) and Anne Cassidy(Forget Me Not)

Snow place like Scotland

2008-12-12T10:44:00.000Z

Last week Jasmine and Jo took the author Nick Ward on a Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour of primary schools in Angus and Perth & Kinross. Nick has very kindly written us a blog of his travels. It sounds as if they had a great time even if the weather was a bit wintery! Take it away Nick...

I had an absolutely brilliant time on my trip to Perth and Kinross on the Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour, although I wish someone had told me to pack some ice skates or snow shoes! As soon as I arrived the temperature dropped and on our second morning I woke to find Pitlochry covered in four inches of snow. Brrr! It was cold, but it was very beautiful as well. The white hills looked like something from a fairy tale, and I must say I’m very jealous of some of the school children I visited. Their schools had the most spectacular views!

It was great to meet such wonderful and enthusiastic audiences – everyone had heard of Charlie Small and wanted to find out more about this lost boy adventurer. In fact most of you wanted to join my expedition to go in search of Charlie. Obviously not all of you will be able to come, but I hope some of you can join me – if you are able to be away from home and school for up to four hundred years that is!

On the third night of my trip the weather grew even colder, so I was not exactly thrilled when our hotel fire alarm went off at about ten o’clock at night! I was on the phone at the time and when the hooter went off I just dropped the phone and ran out to see what was going on. All of the fire doors along the corridor were closing automatically and I decided it was time to get out of there! It was just like a Charlie Small adventure.We clambered down the stairs to the emergency exit and rushed out into the chilly car park. It was then that I realised I hadn’t put my warm coat on. Yikes! Soon the fire brigade arrived and they were quickly able to tell us it was a false alarm and we could go back to our warm rooms. Is it always this exciting in Scotland?

I will always remember my brilliant trip to Scotland; the wonderful scenery; the friendly teachers and really great school children. Thank you all for making it such a memorable time.
Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for more Charlie Small journals. They could be anywhere! Have you searched your playgrounds yet?

Nick Ward

You can check out Nick's amazing website for much more info about him and the elusive adventurer, Charlie Small.

How it feels to win a Royal Mail Award...

2008-12-04T16:15:00.000Z

This week our special guest blogger is Royal Mail Award winner J.A. Henderson. So Jan, how was the winning experience for you?

"I have to say that I was astonished and delighted in equal measure at winning the Royal Mail Award for Bunker 10. I think the official term is ‘freaked out’. Bunker 10 had been shortlisted for another five prizes and managed to win exactly none (well, that’s not strictly true. I still have one to go). So I sat on my seat in the Award ceremony practising my brave face and reminding myself that being shortlisted was an honour in itself!

But I won! And I got a sheet of stamps with my face on it from the Royal Mail! Result! As soon as I got out I called my six year old son Charlie and told him. He was much calmer than me and suggested that I might like to split the prize money with him. That kid will end up Prime Minister some day. Or in jail.

I have to thank the Royal Mail (especially for the stamps, right) and the Scottish Book Trust for looking after me so well. But I REALLY want to thank the kids who voted for me. I’d written a whole bunch of books in the past as Jan-Andrew Henderson, but Bunker 10 was the first one where I decided to write exactly what I wanted. And there were plenty of adults who told me it was too complicated and too dark. And you proved that’s not true.

That’s better than having my face on a coin."

Thanks to Jan, and congrats again from all of us at Scottish Book Trust! If you haven't heard it yet, check out our interview with Jan talking all about writing Bunker 10 and loads of other cool stuff.

PS - if any of you out there are looking for Christmas present ideas, check out this list - only the finest selection of books, all of which make ideal Christmas gifts. Don't say we're not good to you...