The World Book Week 2023 mini-blog

Hello and welcome to the February mini-blog.

I’ve just come from a school visit in which the children of Southville Primary invented their very own magical creature with me: a maths-loving, pea-eating lizard called Gary Scrumpfry. I had a brilliant time exploring the writing process with them, and talking about what inspired many of the creatures in Mountainfell, too. In other news:

Book Pen Pals

This month I sent off some letters to my brilliant Book Pen Pals. For those who don’t know, Book Pen Pals is a really lovely scheme that connects schools with authors and illustrators, who then correspond throughout the year via postcards and letters. I absolutely love talking to my book pen pals, answering their questions, giving them writing tips and recommending books they might like. If you’re a school, author or an illustrator, why not check them out, or give them a follow on Twitter. (If you’d like to get a one-off postcard direct from me, I can do that too – do just get in touch.)

World Book Week – easy costume ideas!

As an author, it’s flattering to see children who feel inspired enough by reading your books to dress as your characters. I’ve already seen an excellent Leif costume and had requests for dressing-up ideas, so this year I thought I’d put some very easy costume suggestions for Mountainfell characters online:

Erskin – she wears simple trousers and a jumper, and because her pet cat, Scrat, likes to climb up and sit on her shoulders, the more holes (because of cat claws) the better. For an added extra, if you can find a piece of fluffy material that might make a good cat’s tail, why not have it dangling out of one side of a bag or satchel, so it looks like you’ve got Scrat with you, too…

Leif – again, simple trousers and a jumper or top will do, but remember that Leif has pockets full of odds and ends, and really, really loves plants… so perhaps you could have a friendly vine over one shoulder, or dangling out of the side of a bag, to keep him company.

If you do decide to dress up as Erskin or Leif, or as characters from any other of my books, I always love to see the pictures!

What I’m reading

At the moment I’m really privileged to be reading an early copy of Winter’s Keep by Tamsin Mori – book 3 in the Weather Weaver adventures and out on the 2nd March. With cloud sidekicks and sea witches, it’s a feat of fun and imagination. Keep your eyes peeled for it in March! Illustrated by David Dean (cover) and Hannah Blackman-Kurz (interior), published by Uclan Publishing.

I hope the rest of this month is a breeze, leaving you feeling as chilled out as Stevie clearly is today. Until next time!

First mini-blog of the year: 2023

Hello all! Hope you’ve had a brilliant time seeing out 2022 and welcoming in the New Year (depending on the calendar you follow of course). I wish I could say I’m starting 2023 feeling fresh and ready to go, but sadly, due to various factors, January has felt less like a walk in the park and more like trying to wade through a spillage at a glue factory. Nevertheless! Once I’ve dragged myself across the room and out the other side, I have high hopes for this year. With a number of creative projects planned and a strong need to free myself up and experiment, it’ll be great to get to a place where I can be productive again. So anyway, what’s been happening? Let me show you. Onwards!

Mountainfell reviews:

Books for Keeps wrote a wonderful 5-star review of Mountainfell which made my heart soar like a cloud dragon. The wonderful comments from friends and strangers alike have really been keeping me afloat this winter too. Thank you – and please do consider leaving a review on the usual sites if you feel so inclined, to help others decide whether they’d like to give the book a try :)

School visits:

I’ve been enjoying visiting some schools in and around Bristol lately – and in particular I’ve loved hearing the brilliant ideas the children come up with when set a task. Towards the end of my visit I like to get their help to invent a magical creature who lives in their school, and answer the question: why haven’t we seen it? Some of my favourite suggestions have included, ‘It’s so big that we live inside one of its cells’, ‘It shape shifts: maybe it’s that table!’ and ‘It hides in the staffroom and eats doughnuts.’ If you’d like me to visit your school (I travel outside of Bristol too) please get in touch.

Planning and plotting:

That’s right: I’m planning and plotting (and generally up to no good). Now all I need to do is get started on the actual writing…

Great reads:

My kid’s been loving all things medical lately, and has recently devoured – and loved – Kay’s Marvellous Medicine by Adam Kay. Given the choice of what to read next, he decided on… The Ghouls of Howlfair by Nick Tomlinson. Again. This’ll be the second time he’s read it, which must be a good sign! As for me? I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Do You Dream of Terra Two by Temi Oh and I’m really enjoying the idea of a group of young, slightly underprepared people in close quarters with one another bringing all their personal baggage with them to space. Intriguing!

And finally, cat likes box:

Apparently, cat likes box. And bag. And TV. (And apparently I love having cats again).

So what’s new with you? Are you having a good/not-so-good/insert-other start to the year? And, crucially, what have you been reading? Thanks for reading, and see you for the mini-blog in Feb!

October roundup – just one week until Mountainfell!

Hello, and welcome to my October ‘mini’ round-up. It’s been a busy month, not least because my latest middle grade book, Mountainfell, is due to hit bookshops in only one week! It feels incredibly surreal that, after all the many months of drafting, it will finally be out there in the world and on the shelves. In other news:

My author copies arrived!

It’s always a special moment to get a big box full of your own books, not least because of the panic it induces when you think you’ve accidentally ordered something big, heavy and expensive, then to discover what it really is (and feel the relief at having not accidentally ordered something big, heavy and expensive). It’s truly a joy.

Storytale festival

I had a brilliant time at the weekend hosting a ‘Dream Up Your Own Fantastical Creature’ event as part of Storytale Festival. We had some brilliant chats about animals both real and imaginary, what inspired some of those in Mountainfell, and also a very special technique for inventing your own. (If you’d like me to come along and do a similar workshop or event at your school or bookshop you can contact me here).

Sponsored Write

I’m pleased to say that the Green Ink Sponsored Write raised £1,867 for Macmillan Cancer Support. I was really happy to be asked to take part in it again this year. If you sponsored us, thank you so much, and happy reading! Perhaps see you for it again next time.

Books I’m reading

I’ve just started Kieran Larwood’s brilliant The Legend of Podkin One Ear and I’m really enjoying it. I also have a very spooky (and very adult!) book called Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez to read this Halloween. I saw her give a talk (in an actual crypt!) for my local bookshop, Storysmith, and learning all about her and the book was fascinating. I can’t wait to scare myself silly with this one.

And finally…

Some lovely reviews have been rolling in for Mountainfell, which is so heartening and encouraging for me. Among these fantastically generous reviews are this one and this one. Booksellers, book bloggers, teachers, librarians and everyone who champions books – thank you! You make the world go round.

That’s it from me. See you again for another instalment of the mini-blog in November.

You say May, I say June... book news and recent reads

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the belated May round-up that I’m counting as June’s too… Yup, I missed a month in the monthly mini-blog! I’m already late, so without further ado, onwards:

Latest book progress

Last month I sent my editor the latest draft of my next book, while wiping the sweat from my brow. Afterwards I celebrated by doing a few of my favourite things. I admit that the first of these was sleeping. After that there was some cake. What about you - do you treat yourself when you’ve finished a big project? How do you like to celebrate? Now the sleeping and cake eating is done, I’m playing around with a few fun ideas and secret side projects and having a great time while I wait for news on this one.

Shakespeare Week winning entries

I wrote a poem for Shakespeare Week to help inspire children across the country who were coming up with their own creative responses to ‘Still my beating mind’. Now the winning entries have been chosen and you can see them in the online exhibition. I loved reading/listening to/admiring them and was thrilled to see that my poem had helped inspire a few! A massive well done to every single person who took part.

Recent recommended reads

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown - this book (that says it’s for 7-10 year olds) is such a pure and beautiful tale. You’ll love Roz the Robot - who wouldn’t love a wild robot with such a pure heart?

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - I’m listening to this one as an audiobook and it’s superb in this format: Chiwetel Ejiofor is an incredible narrator. Reference to the stone statue of a fawn and a lamp post have already put me in mind of Narnia and taken me to the magical ‘betwixt’ world of who I am now and my childhood memories/imaginings, while the story describes the strange place that Piranesi inhabits.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey - I became obsessed with the sci fi series The Expanse recently, to find that the TV series only takes the story so far… so now I have to read all the books to find out what happens, starting with this one! (P.S. Camina Drummer can be my bosmang forever).

BONUS BOOKS: The Ghouls of Howlfair and Molly Thompson and the Crypt of the Blue Moon by Nick Tomlinson - my husband and I love these brilliant books, so we’ve started reading them to our kid at bedtime and he’s been loving them too. There’s nothing quite like a fun, spooky tale with the lights dimmed…

What have you been reading? I’d love to know! Take care and see you again in July for another edition of the mini-blog.

Happy Solstice! Current reads and festive wishes

Hello and welcome to my December mini-blog. Onwards!

Space - both real and imagined

I came across an article by Joanne Harris via her newsletter, all about her writing shed. It’s about more than that though. “A room of one’s own,” the article reads, “does not have to be limited by the rules of physical space.” As someone who writes on the living room sofa, I found this intriguing - and after reading it was left thoroughly inspired. You can read it here too if you’d like. After that I tweeted about the article, and Joanne Harris herself pinned my tweet to her profile. All of which means I now feel like a minor celebrity…

My writing

My goal this year was to write two book drafts. I didn’t manage it. However, I have written several drafts of one book - and outlined and started another, so I don’t feel too bad about it. What’s important is I feel happy with the progress of both, and I’m excited to make more progress with yet more ambitious plans in the New Year. In other news I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has bought, borrowed, recommended or reviewed my books this year. It makes a massive difference and I’m eternally grateful. You are the best, and don’t forget it.

Currently reading:

I’ve finally picked up a copy of A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll (I’m late to the party as always, I know), and finding it to be truly wonderful: a clear example of a book that deserves all its praise and accolades. Similarly (and also late to the party again) I’ve just got A. M. Dassu’s Boy, Everywhere on my kindle, having read the first few gripping pages, and I can’t wait to get stuck in. And in adult audiobooks I have The Terror by Dan Simmons ready to go - all 28 hours’ worth! I became more than a little obsessed with the TV series, falling in love with its sheer bleakness and horror. Not very Christmassy, you say? Well… there’s snow… ?

Whatever happens this December and beyond, wishing you all a safe and very Happy Solstice. May all the books you read change your life for the better. Katharine x

Reading, writing and... Mars?

Hi everyone.

Welcome back to my Monday mini-blog - which had a half term break and has returned as a mid-week mini-blog instead. I’ve been putting together a weekly writing challenge (bar last week) to provide a little creative distraction to children who’re at home - and anyone else who’d like to have a go. Previous challenges are here. And, for a change, I’ve recorded today’s as a video! Let me know what you think!

What I’m writing:

I always love it when authors put out a bonus short story or comic set in the same world as their books just for fun. It feels like such a treat. How about you - do you enjoy that too? Well, if the answer is yes (which I hope it is) then watch this space. Because I may have something up my sleeve, coming soon…

Reading and to-be-reads:

I’ve just finished Malamander by Thomas Taylor and let me tell you, it’s witty, thrilling (and, of course, supremely eerie) in all the right places: a truly rare and masterful creature. I’ve now started on Joseph Elliott’s second book in the Shadow Skye trilogy, The Broken Raven. I’m thrilled to be spending time with characters Agatha and Jaime again, as well as newcomer Sigrid, and the tension’s already rising!

Writing challenge:

Check out my video below for a prompt that I hope helps you spark some other-worldly story ideas!

Check out a video I made via Loom

Video transcript:

My writing challenge for you this week is all based around the Mars Rover that landed the other week and all the cool pictures it's been sending back. I just thought it was really awesome that it's on a whole new planet and is up there exploring things we've never seen before. So here's the writing challenge. Imagine that this Rover has moved on a little way over Mars, and it's taken some pictures and sent them back to earth. And the scientists are opening up these pictures right now. What do they see? There's something truly shocking in one of the pictures! That thing is completely up to you to decide: is it bones of some kind or even a live alien creature - or something completely different? Maybe it could be something completely random, like a teapot. It's also up to you to figure out why it's there…

New pages, new reads, a new writing challenge

It’s Monday, which means another mini-blog! I hope you enjoy this week’s writing challenge, as well as the latest updates from me:

Writing challenges get their own page:

I’ve created a page for my weekly writing challenges - so you can now browse them all in one place to find one that captures your imagination. I’ll be keeping it up to date every week when I add a new one - but keep an eye on this blog to be first to catch the latest.

What I’ve read, what I’m reading:

Last week I finished the most incredible book: When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten. The story follows Clara who’s been having a difficult time with her best friend, and who can’t remember things about last summer. All she knows is, she used to love to surf, but now she’s afraid of the sea... The adult audiobook I’ve just started is The Martian by Andy Weir, which I’m loving listening to as an audiobook. I’m finding a few parallels between lockdown and Mark Watney’s experience of being alone on Mars!

Writing challenge #4:

We watched Spirited Away this weekend (man I love that film!) and the idea of there being a spirit in/for everything - based I think on the Shinto religion - gave me an idea for the next challenge. So here it is. In Spirited Away there are river spirits, stink spirits - even a radish spirit! Take any object you can see or imagine (a tree, an armchair, your favourite mug) or something you can’t (like a smell you love) and imagine it as a character. What would they look like? What sort of personality do they have? How do they behave/talk/move? Write all about them! And please share: I’d love to hear all about your character.

Stay safe and well everybody, and have a brilliant week.