Prefab-ulous Post and Happy News Year

No, the 'Happy NewS Year isn't a mistake. I'd like to wish all my blog readers (if you haven't all deserted me because it's been soo long since I posted) a Happy New Year and to tell you my news.

The above artwork is painted by David Young, the fantastic illustrator who has illustrated all my People's Friend's stories which are set in my imaginary prefab village. The one above illustrated "The Lucky Sixpence"  in the issue dated January 12th 2013.

There'll be another story about the folk in Broome Park prefab village in February (it's a Valentine's Day story). I'll post the illustration for that one nearer the time.

There's a lovely short video about people who still live in prefabs and, sadly, a lot of them are losing their lovely homes. You can see the video and read all about it here:  http://www.emphas.is/web/guest/discoverprojects?projectID=748

The People's Friend Facebook page is a great place to visit for a chatter and to find out what's happening in the magazine and to readers, writers and illustrators as well. The NEWS part is, there are new friends joining every day. So, what are you waiting for?   Come and join in:  https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesFriendMagazine?ref=ts&fref=ts

People's Friend website and blog is newsy, too, and you get a sneak peek of the next issue every Tuesday.

My Fifteen Minutes of ("Friend") Fame

I had a lovely surprise yesterday when my People’s Friend editor emailed to say they’d like to do a little interview with me for the “Friend’s” blog. 

“What do you say?” she asked.
Well, of course, I was mightily chuffed and said, "Yes, please".

Then I promptly wrote ‘way too long’ answers to her questions.

(Yes, *sigh* I sometimes rabbit on too much in some of the stories I send for the Friend, too. So she was probably expecting me to do that. Sorry, Shirley!)

I mean, I even mentioned Tim ‘n’ Ted, our rough collies a few times!
But I do a lot of writing in my head and talking to my characters when I’m walking them through the woods so mentioning Tim ‘n’ Ted was kind of writing related! Howsumever, there wasn’t room for them to join me in my “Fifteen Minutes of Fame!”

Anyway, the end result is now on the “Friend’s” blog and I’m like a dog with two tails!  Do pop over and have a look at it: http://www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk/friend-blog

And don’t forget to visit the Friend’s Fantastically Friendly Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesFriendMagazine?ref=ts&fref=ts

You can chat to writers, readers and the editors. There’s some exciting news there and the editors provide virtual cake so we can all celebrate together.

EXCITING PEOPLE'S FRIEND NEWS!

Yes, it's Good “Friend” News Week!

I know from the comments on my blog posts, and letters in the The People’s Friend itself, how readers like to chat about the magazine and the stories.

Well, the good, exciting, lovely news is:

The “Friend” has given you a NEW PLACE to do just that. So come on over and chat to other readers, to writers and to the friendly “Friend” editors.

https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesFriendMagazine?ref=ts&fref=ts

The webpage has had a face-lift, too. Every week, you can have a sneak-peek inside the current issue and read snippets of other news, too!  

http://www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk/

Another Fabulous Illustration

This is the painting that illustrated my story (the second one set in the 1950s about the people who live in prefab village somewhere 'oop north') in The People's Friend Diamond Jubilee Issue.

I know! I'm 3 months late in posting it. It took me a long time to get used to finding things on my new computer.


I've just seen a sneaky preview of the painting for another story about the prefab folk. David Young
http://www.davidyoungillustration.co.uk  is so fantastic at capturing my characters and the atmosphere and the 1950s. I can't wait to show you this one, but I'll have to wait until the issue with that story in is out.

Meanwhile, I've a story in The People's Friend Fiction Special 63. Out now.

Look! Two Awards...

Thank you, Teresa @ http://teresaashby.blogspot.co.uk/ for these fabulous, lovely awards.

I have to 'pay' for the Fabulous Blog Ribbon by telling five fabulous things about my life. 

So... Family. That, of course includes Tim and Ted our fabulous rough collies.

My husband being so supportive of my writing and reading most of it in ms form as well.

Hubby selling his 1950s Collection of miniature racing cars.

Where we live (though if we get snowed or iced in, I do have a little moan).

Friends -  some are cyber friends, you know who you are, who mean as much to me as friends I can see and meet. And I really hope to meet some of my cyber friends one day.

I have to pass the awards to seven lovely bloggers who, if they like, can tell their five fabulous things.

That's hard because a lot of lovely bloggers have already had the awards passed on. So I'll
pass them on to any of my blogging friends' pets who'd like to tell us their five fabulous thing!


Another fabulous thing is having a story in this fabulous Annual along with some of my special writing friends.

Daffodil Days

This is the fantastic painting to illustrate my story Daffodil Days in

The People's Friend Spring Special # 57.  I was so over the moon with the painting I googled the illustrator, David Young, and emailed him to thank him. I also asked if I could show the painting here.

And the lovely thing is, too, David is illustrating the second story set in  my prefab village. Can't wait to see it in June's 'Friend'. This one will be in the weekly issue - the Jubilee one.

Hope you all like the painting as much as I do!

The People's Friend Magazine and a Friendly Blogger Award

Thank you  Susan @ http://susanjanejones.wordpress.com/ for this award. Sue awarded me for the My Little Pony stories I wrote a few moons ago and for my Cresslethwaite stories in The People's Friend magazine. I think the next Cresslethwaite story will be in the Winter Special out in January next year.
So many of my Blogger Friends have this award already so I'd like to award it to the People's Friend Magazine  'cos, you know, it IS a Friendly Friend. 

An Award and Some News as Well

Thank you Suzy Doodling at http://susanjanejones.blogspot.com/ for this award.

I'm supposed to tell you seven things about me. Well, I only did that a couple of posts ago and I'm not sure I can come up with seven more.

I could start with the News, though.

I've just had another short story accepted by People's Friend.

I once won first prize in a Fancy Dress, I was a Teddy Boy.

My auntie took me to have my hair done teddy boy style and the barber (yes, really) burned my neck with the waving tongs.

I love making chocolate cakes and chocolate mousse.

I have been known to eat a whole (small) jar of nutella off a spoon.

Numbers 6 and 7 are a cheat:    

I'm meant to name seven more bloggers for this award.

I don't want to put anyone on the spot. So...

If any of you who read my blog would like the award, it's yours as long as you follow the rules.

Did You Know...?

May 3rd is Rowan Tree Day.  This was when country folk used to take a sprig of rowan indoors to protect the building and its occupants against witches and disease! People also carried sprigs of rowan to ease rheumatism (hmm, might try that).

OK, so what has that got to do with writing? Well... I woke up this morning wearing my 'other' hat - the one that puts itself on my head when the muse thinks it's time to write a short story for a woman's magazine - and there was this character saying, "Rowan". I didn't know if she was telling me that was her name so I looked in one of my books of country lore and that's when I learned about May 3rd.
Rowan as a girl's name means red-haired one but the character talking to me didn't have red hair.
So, I suspect she either has a Rowan tree in her garden, or she'll be going somewhere there's a Rowan tree. Either way, the tree (or its flowers, berries or bark) obviously plays a big part in her story.
I guess I'll be spending the May Bank Holiday finding out why.
What will you be doing?
 

Mapping a Series and Authors for Japan

Welcome to Hingle - My Fictitious Village
Click on it to see a larger version 

This was my last year's birthday present from Husband up the Hill - an A2 map of the fictitious village 'somewhere in North Staffordshire' where the characters in my (proposed) series for 8 -10 year olds live. 
I think Loretta, the graphic designer, has done a fantastic job; she had to work off my really, really rough and messy plan.
I always find having a map gets the muse working on more storylines.
So, what gets your muse working?


If either of my bids at Authors for Japan win, it will be one of the stories for this series I'll have critiqued.

Ooh, An Award and a Win and Hedgehog

Thanks to Debs of Daydreams in the Shed
for this lovely award.
The rules are that I post seven things about me that you didn't know and then nominate seven other bloggers for this award.

1: Over the years, I have hand-reared seven baby hedgehogs
2: When we had fish and chip shops, I was known as the Mushy Peas Queen
3: I wrote most of the stories for My Little Pony comic for eight years
4: I get lost if I turn round twice
5: I can't drive (possibly related to#4)
6: Slugs make my ears pop
7: I love very sweet things to eat but can't stand sweet drinks
OK, so now for the nominations:

Aaaagh! Now I can't work out how to do the link thingie so I'll just have to name, Crystal Jigsaw, Shirley Wells, Amanda Ashby, http://laneswrite.blogspot.com/, http://nelldixonrw.blogspot.com/,

http://sallyquilfordblog.co.uk/ and The Real   Nicky Schmidt @  http://absolutevanilla.blogspot.com/

And the 'Win' bit of this post:  I won Kate Johnson's novel, The Untied Kingdom



Sick baby hedgehog
First Day





Baby hedgehog, Billie,
3 days later 1 oz heavier

Click the pictures to see larger version

The Winner of Run Rabbit Run is...

Barbara Mitchelhill's dog, Ella, has picked the winner of a signed copy of Run Rabbit Run

Congratulations to Shirley Wells!

Email Barbara your address, Shirley, and she'll post the book to you.

Wow! Look at This!

I asked Barbara what made her write a book set in WW2 and did she surround herself with items from that era.
Here are her answers:
Why I wrote a book set in WW2
After my Aunt Sarah, who was well into her nineties,
gave me a brooch with a picture of her younger brother, Fred, set in it, she told me something she must have been holding secret for over fifty years.
Fred had hated the thought of war and wanted to register as a conscientious objector.
But the shame on the family would have been enormous as all the local lads had left for the front. He never did register. Maybe Aunt Sarah persuaded him to join up. I don't know. But within a year he was a prisoner of war and died building the Burma Railway.
I became very interested in conscientious objectors and so I wrote Run Rabbit Run.

While I was writing the book, I didn't surround myself with WW2 items but I did do a lot of research, including the wonderful Whiteway colony in Gloucestershire.
But now I do have some WW2 items, ready for school visits.
One is a baby's gas mask which the mother wore like a back pack.



It's truly scary!

Barabara, thank you for the great answers.

Remember, if you have any questions for Barbara, post them in the Comments section on the post before this one.
You could win a signed copy of Run Rabbit Run
But, hurry! The draw will take place on March 4th.

Come and Meet Award Winning Children's Author, Barbara Mitchelhill...

I've got a grandson called Damian so when I spotted some Damian Drooth, Supersleuth books, I just had to read them.
I enjoyed them so much I kept a look out for new titles from Barbara - her thrillers for 8-12 year olds are great, too, and Storm Runners won The Solihull Children's Book Award.
Dangerous Diamonds was nominated for The Stockport Children's Book Award 2010 (I lived in Stockport for years) and The West Sussex Book Award 2011.

The third coincidence was when I heard about Barbara's latest book: Run Rabbit Run


It's set in WW2 and I'm about to send out a proposal of a book for 8-10s set at that time. (I was more than slightly worried at first but, luckily, my storyline and theme is completely different.)
Run Rabbit Run begins in Rochdale and, although it was a long time after WW2, I lived and worked in Rochdale for a few year; Barbara also lived in Rochdale at one time but not when I was there.
Anyway, what with loving Barbara's books - and the coincidences - I thought it would be great to have her as a guest on my blog.

And here she is...


What's more, Barbara is willing to answer your questions.
Barbara, my questions are, "What made you write a book set in WW2?" and "Did you surround yourself with items from that era while you were writing Run Rabbit Run?"

Go and have a look around Barabara's website: http://www.barbaramitchelhill.com/ to see all the books she's written then ask your questions in the Comments section for this post.
Oh, and Barbara's offering a signed copy of Run Rabbit Run as a prize. On March 4th, official publication day, the names of those who've asked a question (or questions) will go in a hat and Barbara will get her dog, Ella, to paw out a name.

We Stopped the Cow Factory Farm... We WON!!!!!!

Just had an e-mail from 38 degrees!
Last week, the business behind plans to build the UK's first US-style cow factory farm cancelled their plans.

Isn't that great news!
Go to their website www.38degrees.org.uk or see their facebook page to read more.

In other news... Keep a look out for an award winning children's author visiting this blog soon...