It takes time for a manuscript to mature and I feel I have learnt this not so much the hard way but certainly the long way ! A book’s real magic often happens after the big rewrites and for that reason I will always stick to my new rule ! Resist from sending my very first draft to the best friend to read ! It will no doubt be littered with flaws, ramblings of my idea and a thousand unnecessary filler words within sentences . When I scribbled the first draft and stupidly did the above , I was dealt enough honest negativity to give up on the idea of ever writing a children’s chapter book . I’m glad I didn’t (although I completely agreed with my bestie and felt guilty and quite useless that I had even thought it was ready to read). I’m sharing this, as today I have finally finished another edit and hopefully my last, of this manuscript and I have rewritten huge chunks more times than I wish to admit ! I honestly thought I had finished it to the best of my ability weeks ago . However I have spent the last three nights burning the candle while the world sleeps spotting and removing filler words, using stronger verbs to reinforce the sentences and igniting even more magic into my story. I hadn’t read my manuscript for some time and doing so with fresh eyes enabled me to see everything that was wrong with it and enjoy putting it right. It has taken input from a great team to get FLEA & The Sapphire Spell as shiny as I now believe it can be. If I am qualified to give any advice on manuscripts it would be this …….. I have learnt you cannot rush a story, it takes time to evolve and mature and maybe I have also done that alongside FLEA as a potential writer? Who knows ?

It’s been a while since I attended a school assembly ( left school in the late 80’s!!) but I have been asked by a primary school to present an assembly as an author and help inspire children to write and discover their imagination . It is a really great feeling when a school loves your books and invites you to attend however it can be a tad nerve wracking. Any tips or advice most welcome 🙏 Children are our greatest audience but also our harshest judges ! One of my books that goes down a storm in schools is Help! There’s a raccoon in my room and I know it’s going to be my ‘comfy pair of slippers’ on this occasion . It is without doubt my go to book for getting children involved and participating. Even though the Tilda series are the ones I drive commercially, my go to book is the reason I said yes to a full on assembly debut ! Andri do you remember this one ? 😁 Just wanted to say this creation has brought such joy to many people and continues to do so ( plus it enables me to put on my brave pants and say yes to standing on that stage very soon 🙏)

Marketing can feel like a whole new world once the book is finished. Some authors love it, others find it a bit overwhelming — but it’s such an important step to get our stories into readers’ hands. I’d love to know: how do you approach promotion? Do you lean on social media, school visits, word of mouth, local bookstores… or something else entirely? Share your experiences, tips, or even the challenges you’ve faced. We can all learn so much from each other — and maybe discover new ways to reach readers too. 💜✨

🎉 Friday Fun Challenge! 🎉 We’ve got a special game for you today… ✨ 👉 Watch the GIF below — it’s filled with words!👉 Hit start - then stop. When it stops, you’ll land on 3 random words.👉 Use those 3 words to create a short children’s story (max 400 words). 📚 Post your story in the comments, and we’ll read them all.🎨 Our favourite entry will WIN a custom illustration design based on their story! Get creative, have fun, and let’s see what magical tales you can come up with. 🌟

Today was one of those not so great days and then the team at BWUP changed all that by sending me the proposed title cover for my first chapter book. An instant boost of sunshine sent from the book creating gods 👌 I can’t wait to see a physical copy 📚and I’m already receiving pre orders just from todays cover reveal 🧚‍♂️