Thanks to Lenham library for inviting me for some Easter story time fun. It was lovely for someone else to organise the craft, thank you to Sheelagh from Kent libraries for planning this. Some wonderful whales were made and I loved sharing A Whale of a Time with everyone! I’ll be at Maidstone library in the June half term – date to follow shortly.
Thanks to St Francis school in Maidstone for inviting me to visit on World Book Day. We used a parachute to recreate Minkie’s journey down the time tunnel. It helped us generate some ideas about where he might end up next. We had the jurassic era, the sinking of the titanic, Mars and the world of Minecraft. Great ideas! We also used the theremin to make some whale song.
I am currently learning this instrument (or trying too!) It’s an electronic instrument invented by Lev Sergeyevich Termen, better known as Leon Theremin. Lev was a Russian inventor, most famous for building the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments. Lev was an interesting character. Aside from this invention, he also built the first burglar alarm, was involved in the development of television and made a listening device for the soviet government. His secret gadget, “The Thing”, hung for seven years in plain sight in the United States ambassador’s Moscow office and enabled Soviet agents to eavesdrop on covert conversations – Sneaky!
For a more in depth look at this fascinating character, there’s a great documentary about him here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IMbsREy85U
You might be familiar with the theremin’s ethereal sound if you’ve ever seen the film, Mars Attacks, or know the theme tune from the original Star Trek series. Check out Katica Illenyi playing it here – unbelievable!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0NVb25p1oU
At present all I can do is make whale noises with it, but it’s still fun. It also makes a great time tunnel sound! I am currently composing a sound scape for the whole A Whale of a Time story, which I’m looking forward to using on author visits.
Some of year 2’s ideas below…
Thanks to all the lovely people who came along to help me celebrate the launch of my latest picture book, A Whale of a Time. We certainly had a whale of a time, ( pun intended!) with much love and appreciation shown for both the story and mythical characters – beautifully illustrated by Jonathan Petley.
There were also some great questions about the time travel elements, and I will have to brush up on my theoretical physics for future events, to further fuel your curious minds!
A special thank you goes to Cody and his lovely family. Cody is a big time fan of my last book, The Bum That Barked. I am almost glad you were late Cody, as I really enjoyed the opportunity to read the book one to one with you. I was so impressed with your knowledge of sea creatures and maritime myths and legends. This link is for you:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3C5QRKX1Xm8
Thanks to everyone who stayed to make a whale and huge thanks to Kamilla for hosting the event. I am currently taking bookings for 2025. Contact me through facebook, X or email. Details at the bottom of this page.
Thanks to everyone who came along to, The Bum That Barked story time, at Nettlestead Hall. The
session was a lot of fun, with singing, craft and colouring.
My next story time will feature my latest release, A Whale of a Time. This FISHTASTIC, time
travelling adventure is out November 14th. Take a peak and pre order here – https://amzn.to/4g9cwZf
Launch event information to be announced soon
A huge thank you to St Francis School, for inviting me to share World Book Day 2024 with your lovely year one classes!
We had a blast reading, The Bum That Barked, and I was impressed by the children’s author questions and their colouring and crafting skills.
We even had time for a little dance! Did I mention the book has a theme tune? Have a listen, here.
Work is still ongoing, getting things ready for publication of my second picture book! I have everything crossed that it will be ready in time for World Book Day 2025. I’ll keep you posted.
Just a quick update to my blog dated November 22nd 2020. My next picture book was set to be published by Sage’s Tower, in the autumn of 2022.
However, due to a combination of the pressure put on small business by Covid and some personal problems, Sage’s Tower Publishing have sadly closed.
I recently found out that another publisher is interested in the book! The release is now set for 2025. I look forward to sharing more about the book as production gets under way. For now, my friend Walter, might give you a clue to the setting of the story.
It was wonderful to be a part of Maidstone’s first literary festival in October 2023.
Thank you @maidlitfest for inviting me to share, The Bum That Barked, at Maidstone Library on the 3rd of October.
A big thank you to Fiona for making me feel so welcome!
It was great to get the chance to meet authors from the local area. I look forward to @maidlitfest 2024!
I wanted to share some pictures from my recent library tour and say thank you to everyone who joined me. It’s been lovely to meet so many of you and to share The Bum That Barked. It’s been a joy to see your craft creations!
I have been invited to take part in the Maidstone literary Festival, a celebration and showcase of local authors. I will be at Maidstone library on Tuesday 3rd October from 11.30 – 12.30. There will be singing and crafting as usual, as well as a few competitions and prizes up for grabs. Hope to see you there!
