tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13333813661610476702024-03-05T03:44:40.279-08:00The journey has begunAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-45977711391746200772016-03-04T05:48:00.002-08:002016-03-04T05:48:31.132-08:00A treat in time for Easter!Things are looking brighter and I am so pleased to see sunshine today in West Wickham. It has been so cold during Winter and the sun is warm and very welcome. I have said before how Spring is my most favourite season; with new growth comes the hope that the year will get better and better. I simply cannot wait for Spring to be fully sprung!<br />
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Easter is early this year and children everywhere are very excited about a visit from the Easter Bunny - supermarkets and local shops have piles of eye catching Easter Eggs everywhere. I'm sure they have probably been there for weeks but I am only just recently noticing them because for the last week or so I have been very focussed on Easter...<br />
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In 2013 a new story was added to the Larry the Liger series: <i>the Easter Liger</i>. I love this story, and I love them all, but in this story there is a message about not judging people or animals without getting to know them and I think even grown ups will benefit from the message...<br />
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I am so proud of the Larry the Liger series; each story is poignant to me and has elements of things I felt as a child. Larry the Liger is half lion and half tiger and, despite his size, is a liger cub. Like human <i>cubs, </i>animals have to find their feet and this is harder still for Larry as he was abandoned outside a Zoo so doesn't benefit from being around his natural parents or peers.<br />
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I wrote a lot in the couple of years around publishing <i>the Easter Liger</i> as the words were well and truly flowing. I hear of singers forgetting the lyrics of their songs and I totally relate! A few weeks ago my Kindle had to be reset and I was pleased when all my eBooks were recovered. I noticed <i>Larry the Liger - the Easter Liger</i> in my books list. He jumped out at me, his cover was so bright and cheerful. So I decided to have a read...<br />
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This is going to sound a bit strange but as I read I found myself really enjoying the story. I know - I wrote it right? But 2013 seems such a long time ago and I had forgotten all the magic and love that went into the stories. I felt prouder still of Larry and how far he had come in his journey throughout the series; a remarkable liger cub who has taught me a thing or two! Hopefully he can bring you and your children some joy too...<br />
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The eBooks are all selling incredibly well and <i>the Easter Liger</i> has enjoyed a recent surge in sales. This book is Number 9, as I write, in the Kindle Children's chart in the Zoos category. So we decided to put it into print. The only other <i>Larry the Liger </i>story in print is <i>the Winter Surprise </i>and we are looking forward to seeing how<i> the Easter Liger</i> will be received in print format.<br />
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I am really pleased to share the links with you below along with a review, and <i>Larry the Liger - the Easter Liger </i>is available in both paperback and eBook formats on all Amazon territories. It is a lovely story with an unwilling Easter Bunny and a very willing Liger... Happy reading and maybe this year a healthy gift will be on the cards for your children? Happy reading. The Spring journey has begun....<br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Larry the Liger - the Easter Liger:</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960">http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Japan <a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960">http://www.amazon.co.jp/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">France <a href="http://www.amazon.fr/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960">http://www.amazon.fr/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Italy <a href="http://www.amazon.it/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960">http://www.amazon.it/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Germany <a href="http://www.amazon.de/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960">http://www.amazon.de/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Spain <a href="http://www.amazon.es/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960">http://www.amazon.es/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Mexico <a href="https://www.amazon.com.mx/Larry-Liger-Easter-/dp/1530183960">https://www.amazon.com.mx/Larry-Liger-Easter-/dp/1530183960</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">India <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960/"> http://www.amazon.in/Larry-Liger-Easter/dp/1530183960/</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">and all other territories</span><br />
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<i><b>Praise for the Easter Liger: <span style="color: lime;"> </span></b></i><br />
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<i><a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal a-color-base" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1CHXVZCA2P053/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1530183960&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=266239&store=books" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; text-decoration: none;" title="5.0 out of 5 stars"><span class="a-icon a-icon-star a-star-5" style="background-image: url("http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/AUIClients/AmazonUIBaseCSS-sprite_1x-a45c662e707240b03417f6ca8b97bcb486f27428._V2_.png"); background-position: -5px -368px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 400px 650px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: 18px; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; width: 80px;"><span class="a-icon-alt" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-size: 1px; height: 1px; left: -9999px; line-height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: auto; width: 1px;">5.0 out of 5 stars</span></span></a><span class="a-letter-space" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; width: 0.385em;"></span><a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal a-color-base" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1CHXVZCA2P053/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1530183960&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=266239&store=books" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(196, 85, 0) !important; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="a-size-base a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important; line-height: 19px !important;">Charming</span></a></i></div>
<span class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(85, 85, 85) !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="a-size-normal" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="a-color-secondary" style="box-sizing: border-box;">By </span><a class="noTextDecoration" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A3RQXYV8SG0AZN/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066c0; text-decoration: none;">E.L.S.</a> </span><span class="a-color-secondary" style="box-sizing: border-box;">on 8 April 2013</span></i></span><br />
<span class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(85, 85, 85) !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="a-color-secondary" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="color: #111111;">Charming, charming, charming, charming! Even now, I'm smiling just thinking about this sweet story. It's absolutely adorable!</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111;" /><span style="color: #111111;">Told in a very English voice, the adventure begins with Larry meeting an unusual animal with long ears and a white fluffy tail that he had spied hiding in a hedge. He learns that his new friend, Rory, is called a rabbit and is an escapee from the Easter Market Farmyard, where loud children covered in sticky chocolate pick him up and pet him, dirtying with his beautiful, soft fur. Larry is justly horrified. When Rory is captured and returned to the dreadful Easter Market Farmyard, Larry plots a rescue.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111;" /><span style="color: #111111;">This is a perfect book to read with a young child, as I'm sure the other Larry the Liger books are, too. In fact, as I was reading this story-- wearing that big smile-- I'd stop periodically to share funny excerpts with my family. Though it is a charming tale (did I mention it's charming?), like any quality children's literature, there is a lesson. In this particular story, the lesson is tolerance and appreciating the differences between us all.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111;" /><span style="color: #111111;">Goes without saying, I highly recommend Larry the Liger. This series will be a great addition to your child's bookshelf.</span></i></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-62377523067975211942015-12-08T14:02:00.002-08:002015-12-08T14:02:48.297-08:00Elves (and books) on the shelves...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg1-_lxlwVpDIyGXSLj4mellFdyxKAtolnwtpVZuBVEgHu-n_u9HmzYS84Qvgy2cvHUkymeFC3CxjEnR7XTif32s1RrtX-pM0rMsTNBiE1It0AKoIW-eFiQA0GH2dYLyaKUKy7HseWzDa/s1600/12351561_10153484215898369_540844884_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg1-_lxlwVpDIyGXSLj4mellFdyxKAtolnwtpVZuBVEgHu-n_u9HmzYS84Qvgy2cvHUkymeFC3CxjEnR7XTif32s1RrtX-pM0rMsTNBiE1It0AKoIW-eFiQA0GH2dYLyaKUKy7HseWzDa/s640/12351561_10153484215898369_540844884_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEUXbbKY0GNWmKXitz7S-7I_dedPEnPa1UdOVhstHsm-h6GV6KfxEs7ycAer1ySVEVF0DmyGxzPUeMxP9JtCPtmrsAve84jA4gsvAQwgD6bewNiUvAjnHfti8os7XNyevahgoZqjp8sJi/s1600/12351640_10153484564968369_699908671_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEUXbbKY0GNWmKXitz7S-7I_dedPEnPa1UdOVhstHsm-h6GV6KfxEs7ycAer1ySVEVF0DmyGxzPUeMxP9JtCPtmrsAve84jA4gsvAQwgD6bewNiUvAjnHfti8os7XNyevahgoZqjp8sJi/s320/12351640_10153484564968369_699908671_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the first time in a few years I am feeling very festive! It is a hard time of year for many and also for my family. Despite the sadness that inevitably comes with the start of December for me, I definitely have a seasonal, warm glow about me and I think this will be the best Christmas we have had for a while. We have decked the halls with all things Christmas and it makes me very happy. The girls helped with some lovely paper chains (with a little help from their Granny and Grandad on a recent visit) and it really does look a lot like Christmas in our home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KHI1KGzXCNCt2_xz48PdOJZ1dT1DhAbqzRuTL0KruPMn9XuX9EGo1TBMGNQkIQ35WzRE8LyTMC-LGJ2_2l71uIffPy8RV8TC_HN54yUgUtOeTSulfPacBe7P4zqk_9opuoZea3FKOwPU/s1600/12333832_10153472810823369_1986086356_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KHI1KGzXCNCt2_xz48PdOJZ1dT1DhAbqzRuTL0KruPMn9XuX9EGo1TBMGNQkIQ35WzRE8LyTMC-LGJ2_2l71uIffPy8RV8TC_HN54yUgUtOeTSulfPacBe7P4zqk_9opuoZea3FKOwPU/s320/12333832_10153472810823369_1986086356_o.jpg" width="320" /></a>I have also been working on a new venture. This year I decided to get an elf for the girls, to make the build up to Christmas more fun. It also means an added bonus of the elf being Santa's eyes and ears as he reports back to the North Pole every night. I wrote a poem to introduce our elf and got some great comments from friends which prompted me to make them available to all. My elf letter pack was born. I added a goodbye letter and a special 'North Pole' stamped envelope so the children who receive the welcome letter truly believe! I love the elf letter packs and it has been a pleasure to help families bring some magical fun into their homes too. Orders are still coming in which is great and it's still not too late to start the elf fun. Full details of the packs can be found on my Facebook page, click here for a look. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/rachaelphillipsauthor">www.facebook.com/rachaelphillipsauthor</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrB_BYVDyffa2C8ssSIdXRcWFloDzHeUSuLoy2RfyjLKiwOwje_ZFYfnp3tqU5A6qxfitsOCP9qwBAKqaQVXlykkxnLqWsYW1RmGctP0nC43AFT8MR8-nyY_GPZf7thV9fO0QrAD1qSDM6/s1600/1510674_865077633561256_4177792733852845228_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrB_BYVDyffa2C8ssSIdXRcWFloDzHeUSuLoy2RfyjLKiwOwje_ZFYfnp3tqU5A6qxfitsOCP9qwBAKqaQVXlykkxnLqWsYW1RmGctP0nC43AFT8MR8-nyY_GPZf7thV9fO0QrAD1qSDM6/s200/1510674_865077633561256_4177792733852845228_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>It has been a great year for book sales. This year I introduced all books in my new series: 'Things with...', a series of four illustrated, rhyming books. So far there are <i>Things with Wings</i>, <i>Things with Wheels</i>, <i>Things with Eyes </i>and <i>Things with Legs</i>. These are all available in eBook and print formats. They are still new and finding their feet but I have learned from experience books take a good two or three years to become established. I look forward to these books matching my Anastasia and Larry the Liger sales! <i>Anastasia Sheer Elegance </i>(Anastasia Series IV) is particularly popular as are many of the Larry the Liger titles. <i>Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise</i> is also available in print, just like the <i>Things with...</i> series.</div>
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I can never forget how my professional writing journey began and I am so grateful I spent those hours of searching for freelance work and eventually finding a job for 'Children's Writer'. It all began Boxing Day in 2011 and gave me the chance, thanks to Fergus, to explore my passion for writing and use my overactive imagination. I wrote voraciously and easily spent 10 hours+ a day writing; I simply could not stop once the faucet was opened! A few months after, I slowed things down for the sake of my sanity and family! What an amazing time it was and a true journey... </div>
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I still write a lot but lately I have been working on the elf letter packs, and, among other things, commissions of poetry and readings. I have been privileged to write poems for funerals, charity events and weddings. Poetry is my current favourite thing and I would be happy to work with others on important speeches, readings and poems in general. Please ask if this is something you feel I could assist you with.</div>
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It is hard to explain the passion I have for writing and the way the words flow from me is magical... a bit like our elf, Tiny :) <br />
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Since I started writing this blog in 2012 I have had over 17,680 views of it! I want to thank all of my followers and regular readers for sticking with me; I really appreciate your support. </div>
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I may not get a chance to write before Christmas so I will take this early opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas time and a peaceful, healthy and happy end to this year, 2015. I will try to pop in before 2016, a leap year no less, commences.</div>
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The seasonal countdown has begun, enjoy the journey...</div>
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All my books can be found by clicking below:</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-With-4-Book-Series/dp/B0161X61XO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449610187&sr=8-1&keywords=Things+with+series+Rachael+Phillips">Things with... series</a> </i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_gnr_fkmr0?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ALarry+Liger+Rachael&keywords=Larry+Liger+Rachael&ie=UTF8&qid=1449610274">Larry the Liger series</a></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Anastasia+series+Fergus+Wilson+and+Rachael+Phillips&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AAnastasia+series+Fergus+Wilson+and+Rachael+Phillips"><i>Anastasia Series </i></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-35410408148007432172015-10-02T11:09:00.000-07:002015-10-02T11:09:06.843-07:00What do you do all day?! A ramble about adapting to change...So what do I do all day now I have all this free time with both my girls in school? A question being put to countless numbers of stay at home parents whose youngest has just started school; you can spot us a mile off...<br />
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If you, like me, have days when you are in a supermarket alone during office hours but excluding lunch time, take a look around at the customers. Where I live the demographic is mainly: elderly/retired individuals; mums (and sometimes dads) with baby/ies, toddler/s, both; limping people who are currently signed off as sick; and, finally, the category on which I am focusing, the mournful looking women (and sometimes men) with a wistful, faraway look in their glazed eyes who spend a good five minutes looking at the choice cuts on the 'butcher' counter (now they have time)...<br />
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Yes, while we all focus on preparing our children for school we really should be focusing on preparing ourselves! Amy has adapted remarkably well, as it seems have all the other children. All parents are quickly discovering that four year olds can exude an air of confidence and arrogance, with rolling eyes thrown in to ensure we are under no illusion that we are their sole care provider...<br />
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Gyms are packed to capacity, not with new members but with all the parents who have simply not had the time, and no longer have the excuse not to go. Countless new, small businesses spring up on Facebook offering a variety of useful services. Job vacancies stating 'term time only' or 'part time hours' are inundated with applications; HR staff everywhere nod knowingly to one another...<br />
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I started writing this blog earlier today and stopped to collect the girls from school. Ironically, while I was there, a mum asked me, 'So what are you doing with yourself now Amy is at school?' I answered her and told her about the blog post to avoid any unintentional offence! <br />
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In my case I am definitely feeling I have more time and I am adapting to it... slowly. I am working on things for the charity I volunteer for, Bromley Brighter Beginnings. I am still gathering material for my latest work in progress, a book relating to pregnancy (if anyone fancies contributing let me know!) I will work harder to market my other books. I am aiming to do a spot of decorating now the sticky hands are bigger and more occupied with reading books and doing homework instead of preschooler pursuits like decorating walls with non-washable colouring implements. The school day provides an opportunity for a coat of paint to dry at least! I will have exams to invigilate in the future and, who knows, a possible new career to get my teeth into...<br />
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So here I am, at my laptop, reflecting on the last eight years since I stopped my career in HR to be a full time mum, having moved to an area where we knew no one and feeling too unsure to entrust anyone else to look after my first born child. Eight years on and I have self published over 40 books and been busy raising two happy, intelligent girls. I have built a network of lovely friends and childminders, on hand to help me with childcare or grown up time. I will never regret the day I gave up my career as I have grown and achieved so much on my journey as a mum, a writer and a volunteer. And, yes, as a stay-at-home mum with little ones at home I was often asked then too, 'What do you do all day?!' <br />
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While I, and most mums I know, had been craving more 'me' time, now it is here it feels a bit empty and strange. I am not one to sit around for too long though so I am embracing my latest journey and looking for my next adventure. I might see some of you there...<br />
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This post is dedicated to all the hard-working, stay-at-home parents who are adapting too. Enjoy the journey, it has only just begun...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-47371389158721970142015-07-17T02:48:00.003-07:002015-07-17T02:48:51.752-07:00Flying high with emotion!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi all. This is a quick post as it is an emotional, and busy, day today! My youngest daughter leaves her Preschool so I will shortly be attending her Leavers' Ceremony. I am donning large sunglasses to hide evidence of blubbing! I can't believe this chapter in Amy's life is over....</div>
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I wanted to remind you all that the first book in the <i>Things with... </i>series is<b> free</b> from today! It is free until 21st July so please download a copy. You can download a free Kindle reading App if you don't own an e-reading device and it is great for downloading books, magazines and all sorts of things!</div>
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<i>Things with Wings</i> is an illustrated rhyming book with extra things with wings to find on each page. </div>
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The series is lovely and designed to encourage your child to engage with the world around them. Reading is wonderful and sharing a picture book with your child is priceless. I hope you enjoy your free read.</div>
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I am off now to get emotional. Wish me luck!...</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>Things with Wings:</b></i></span></div>
<i style="color: #cc0000;"><b>UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PLZS3OE">www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PLZS3OE</a></b></i><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE">www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE</a></b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>and all other Amazon territories.</b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-55030568449240529912015-07-13T02:21:00.001-07:002015-07-13T04:51:46.223-07:00Come fly with me... for free!It is a busy time, what with preparations for holidays, the end of school year collections, arranging final play dates and attempting to get done all those things that may prove challenging with the littlies at home for over six weeks!<br />
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It is hard to believe another school year is coming to an end. Even my 7 year old thinks it went quickly! What a great age to be with the excitement of juniors to look forward to, and for my 4 year old the start of school in September. They are both <b>very</b> excited. I have been extremely organised this year and bought all the uniform in readiness for September. I now have the joyful task of name-labelling each and every garment...<br />
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To mark the end of the school year, the start of a well earned break for all those children and hardworking teachers, and the release of <i>Things with Eyes,</i> I am running a free eBook promotion of the first book in the <i>Things with... </i>series, <i>Things with Wings.</i><br />
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<i>Things with Wings </i>will be <b>free</b> to download from Amazon from Friday 17th July through Tuesday 21st July 2015! This rhyming book will encourage children to engage with the world around them. There are lovely illustrations and an extra <i>thing with wings</i> to find on each page! A great book to share on long journeys and when you are in need of a positive distraction for your children. Trust me, I know how hard travelling with children can be! A loaded up tablet, kindle or smart phone can help immensely as part of your holiday activities and travel distractions. The links can be found below. If you would like to share this promotion I would really appreciate it! <br />
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I hope you have some lovely things planned for the school holidays and I hope I have helped a little to keep your children amused. Happy reading and enjoy your journey into the <i>Things with...</i> series, for free!<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Things with Wings:</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PLZS3OE">www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PLZS3OE</a></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE">www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE</a></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">and all other Amazon territories.</span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-32913313461724673252015-07-10T23:44:00.001-07:002015-07-13T04:52:22.785-07:00Eyes down for a full house....It has been a while since I last added a post and I will attempt to recall what I have been doing for the last few months! It is great to see my blog receiving regular views despite the lack of input on my part! It's been a busy few months... <br />
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I started a new part time job earlier this year, at a different local school, still invigilating exams. The work is seasonal so I work for a few weeks then have a few months off in between. It is a stressful time for students when they come to sit their final exams. I truly hope they all achieve what they set out to. It's a privilege to witness such a crucial time in their lives. The rest of the exams team are lovely and this job is working well alongside my main role as mum of two young children. <br />
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I have also begun volunteering for a local charity called <i>Bromley Brighter Beginnings</i> (BBB). I was inspired to join their amazing team since following their Facebook page and seeing the great work this charity does. It is fantastic to see how they help local families, often in dire need. They help tens of families per month, who are referred to them via health visitors, social workers, midwives and other local agencies, and provide them with things many of us take for granted: baby clothing; baby supplies; moses baskets and cots; pushchairs; crucial personal items a mum needs after giving birth; and much, much more. If you are in the Bromley area and want to help or wish to help with a donation it would be much appreciated. Here is the link to the Facebook page where you can check out current appeals: www.facebook.com/pages/BromleyBrighterBeginnings/ Why not become a supporter and join the Facebook page? Even the smallest donations help enormously. The website is here: <span style="background-color: white; color: #006621; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">www.babypacks.org.uk/</span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The difference being made to families in need is extraordinary and the supporters who donate so readily are wonderful; every one is appreciated.</span><br />
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I have also been busy with my beautiful girls. Ella received an amazing school report and Amy achieved her ASA Level 3 in swimming with Flippers Swim School. Amy starts school in September! We went along to her introductory session recently and it was lovely to finally find out who her teacher will be and which of her friends from preschool will be in her class. Ella is very pleased with her teacher for next term; a sporty man with a whistle permanently hanging from his neck. Ella said he is fun and she is looking forward to next term, which is all that matters really. It has been an amazing journey being a full time mum and I have to come to terms with the end of Amy's preschool journey and the beginning of her journey into full time education, while Ella joins upper school/juniors. Both girls are very excited and I am feeling a tad emotional these days as it is all change. No more spending a lot of time with my youngest; it will take some getting used to...<br />
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Otherwise, I have finally got round to adding the final book in the <i>Things with...</i> series: <i>Things with Eyes</i>. <br />
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This is the fourth book in the series and the final one, unless I write more. Des Campbell has done yet another fabulous job of illustrating my thoughts and ideas. If you aren't familiar with this series, they are illustrated rhyming books with facts about lots of different things, creatures, animals, objects and more. The books are a lovely way to engage a child in the world around us. I received a fantastic review for <i>Things with Wheels </i>and wanted to share:<br />
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"Daddy H reviewed <a class="title" href="http://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/books/book-detail-page?ie=UTF8&bookASIN=1505261163" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #004b91; outline: 0px;">Things with Wheels (Volume 2)</a></div>
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5 out of 5 stars <span class="reviewTitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">For every parent who has a preschooler through a 2nd ...</span> </div>
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For every parent who has a preschooler through a 2nd year student of elementary school, this book is a MUST HAVE for your home library. I home school and use a guided reading series, and we worked this into our repertoire."</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This review is from Amazon.com and it is great to see that one of my books is helping children to learn about a variety of things with wheels to promote their wider learning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Things with Eyes</i> is my 46th book! I can't believe how much I have written since my journey began 3 1/2 years ago. I have also written numerous poems, some for commissions. I don't think some understood how I could write so much, however so much has changed in the time since my journey began and it is the emotional journeys in life that spurred my writing on, and probably kept me going...</span></div>
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Well, it is almost time for the schools to break up for the long summer holidays so I shall be busy being a full time mum and hopefully making memories for my girls to cherish. Don't forget to load up your tablets, Kindles, smart phones and other e-reading devices with books to keep your children amused in a positive way during long journeys. </div>
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Feel free to comment on how you intend to spend the summer holidays, I may well be looking for inspiration! Here's to a summer of fun, sunny days, happiness, good health and memories to cherish! </div>
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My next journey has begun... </div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Things with Eyes is available now in eBook format: </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011BSA4LE">www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011BSA4LE</a></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011BSA4LE">www.amazon.com/dp/B011BSA4LE</a></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">and all other Amazon territories</span></i></div>
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<i style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Now also available in print! </b></span></i><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><i>UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1515033945">www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1515033945</a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><i>US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1515033945">www.amazon.com/dp/1515033945</a></i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"><i>and all other Amazon territories and Createspace.com</i></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-15872728011978310132015-03-20T05:55:00.000-07:002015-03-20T05:55:33.884-07:00It's got legs... (what solar eclipse?)Hooray! I am finally back on my writing horse and am working on new things (literally!) which is wonderful. I think I have been in hibernation this winter. The sights of daffodils and blossom have awakened me. Spring is my most favourite season, especially when it is sunny. Not the best day to expect sunshine what with the eclipse and all that. Sadly West Wickham decided not to take part and filled the sky with clouds instead! It's a shame as I slept through the last one in 1999 (heavy night..slept in...those were the days). Apparently it looked a bit like this!<br />
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Bring on the new growth I say. My girls are shooting up much like the flora of the season. They continue to get bigger and before I know it September will be here and my youngest will be starting school. What will I do with all those extra hours? Well, I will write, write, write and continue my seasonal work at a local school. I am not one to sit back, wondering what I should be doing, so I imagine I will end up embroiled in a new challenge to fill any gaps. <br />
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For now I will continue to work on my <i>'Things with...' </i>series of which there are now 3 books! <i>Things with Wings, Things with Wheels</i> and now <i>Things with Legs</i> are all available on Amazon. <i>Things with Legs</i> is coming soon in print too. <br />
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I love the illustrations Des creates: I am very thankful I found him. And to think it all started with Larry the Liger. He is a talent and a very patient man! I think this book is the first where I have not had issues with formatting the book ready for publication. Each new series brings with it new challenges and lots to learn. I am pleased I have persevered with it all. I hope Des is too! <br />
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Des is currently preparing the illustrations for <i>Things with Eyes </i>which I am really looking forward to seeing (pardon the pun). Then it will be a complete series, however I may consider producing more if they prove popular. Sales are steady and borrows have increased which is a sign of the uptake of Amazon Prime. I am happy the books are out there and are being read. It's always fab to hear feedback and a girl at Ella's school loves to tell me, every time she sees me, that her younger sister loves hearing her read <i>Things with Wings</i> aloud. They enjoy looking for the extra thing with wings in each picture.<br />
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Engage them in books young, I say, and be happy you have helped your little ones understand the world around them a little more. Amy is preparing herself for school it seems by wanting to write words, and her joy when she reads a word she knows is contagious. I guess there was little chance I wouldn't have two avid readers on my hands!<br />
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Spring is here and it's official after 28th March weekend when our clocks will 'spring forward' in the UK. I am looking forward to more daylight and, hopefully, lots of vitamin D. Bring on the spring journey....<br />
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<i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Things with Legs:</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">UK www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UTR7HQO</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">US www.amazon.com/dp/B00UTR7HQO </span></i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-41018121584746503602014-12-17T12:28:00.002-08:002014-12-17T12:28:58.972-08:00'Tis the season...'Tis the season... of preparations! I have been busy preparing for the big day and also for Ella's 7th birthday. December is a busy and expensive month! Ella's party is booked for Sunday so this week I have been making up lovely, sweet filled, cellophane cones with ribbon. I have also been working on ways to promote the print and eBook versions of <i>Things with Wings </i>and <i>Things with Wheels</i> books along with the print version of <i>Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise</i>. It is hard to find the time with Amy only doing part days at preschool. Luckily it is still relatively easy to hide the, yet to be wrapped, presents...<br />
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'Tis the season... to be jolly and I have been trying my best to do that for the girls. I have decked the halls - it really is looking a lot like Christmas! I got the tree from <i>Anthuriums </i>which is a local business in Coney Hall, West Wickham, here in Kent. They have some beautiful things in their shop. A recommended place to visit <a href="http://www.anthuriums.co.uk/">http://www.anthuriums.co.uk/</a><br />
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Here are some sneak peeks of my efforts from our home:<br />
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I have also been baking festive treats for the school cake sale and for the girls to decorate which was actually great fun and I enjoyed it much more than I expected! I do love a bit of creativity!<br />
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'Tis the season... to remember those who are no longer with us. I think of my Dad often especially at this time of year. I know he would want us to be happy and smiling so I am doing my best. On 19th December it will be 2 years since we lost him to Mesothelioma: asbestos cancer. It is hard to believe it will be 2 years since we last saw, hugged and spoke to him... It will also be Ella's 7th birthday. Oh how I wish the two weren't on the same day but I will reserve some time to think of my Dad before being fun and happy mum for Ella. She is looking so grown up and asking more challenging questions! I am sure my Dad would have loved her growing character and humour! We all miss him dearly...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5kNjbMwa5QP0BG5eUnGCxiZcVN3ZMDcY3vJVhNAou9-Ge8-Ya8pW53HxulDo1PibmOYUVKtzjsEZUGf80hlKGLf1QeHBMt-48B_UVWyERJa0EVge4zx8dqjAhjGCziJdahWnqv_BGxbL/s1600/Ella+and+Dad+black+and+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5kNjbMwa5QP0BG5eUnGCxiZcVN3ZMDcY3vJVhNAou9-Ge8-Ya8pW53HxulDo1PibmOYUVKtzjsEZUGf80hlKGLf1QeHBMt-48B_UVWyERJa0EVge4zx8dqjAhjGCziJdahWnqv_BGxbL/s1600/Ella+and+Dad+black+and+white.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>'Tis the season... to be thankful. Since losing Dad I have been much more aware of how difficult this time of year is for many people. When Dad passed away I was very fortunate to have a loving husband to comfort me and friends and family near and far who offered kind words and a helping hand. It is difficult to be away from family at such times so I am thankful for those who have helped me through it. My girls were a fabulous distraction and I am very thankful to be mummy to such lovely, happy and intelligent girls. I am thankful for Ella's progress at school and so proud . I love she shares my passion for reading, writing and all things creative. I am thankful Amy sleeps better at night now she is 4 years old and has such a fun personality. She is a very popular little girl at preschool. Long may it all continue! I am thankful for the summer success with the books. Anastasia and Larry the Liger both had bestsellers in the kindle chart in their relevant categories. I am thankful mostly to have a happy and healthy family... <br />
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'Tis the season... of kindness. This year I really felt a need to help others who were alone or had very little. The Christmas season highlights loneliness and harshly reminds many of how little they have. I think of those who are homeless or have young children and little or no money. This year I decided to donate to two charities who do important work for such people. I donated to <i>Crisis</i> <a href="http://www.crisis.org.uk/">http://www.crisis.org.uk/</a> instead of sending out Christmas cards to friends on Facebook. They help homeless people and do some amazing things at Christmas and all through the year. I still sent some cards out to those who are not on Facebook but it was my wish to help others this year. My true friends know what they mean to me and were understanding about the lack of a card. I also donated some toys and baby equipment to a charity called <i>Hestia</i> who help out those who are struggling in many areas of life (unable to add a link as it wasn't working properly however please contact me if you want to find out more). I think back to my childhood Christmases and how my parents always made it special and exciting. If only we could make Christmas happier for everyone...<br />
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'Tis the season... to be around those we love and we will be spending some time with our families this Christmas which I am looking forward to. New memories to be made, lovely food, silly games, wine and song... hopefully, will be on the cards. Family is so important and I hope I am instilling this in my girls so they will value and look after one another when their mummy and daddy are gone. I hope they continue the special Christmas traditions we all love at this time of year. Stockings at the end of the bed on Christmas Eve to be filled by Santa. Main present: in the lounge which we all enter together on Christmas morning so we can all see if the big fella has been. Leaving a mince pie for Santa, a carrot for the reindeer and a glass of milk (yes, we are very sensible!), going to church on Christmas Eve for Christingle... <br />
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'Tis the season... of magic. I remember the magic of Christmas as a child and I am so grateful I was lucky enough to have that. I am so happy both my girls still believe in Father Christmas and also understand the true message of Christmas. I love that both their school and preschool Christmas performances are based around the Nativity. How lovely it is to see all the children working together and having fun... mostly! A child's reaction to the magic is why I love to write for children. I love their reactions to the books. I love that Ella's class erupted into chaos, vying to point out the extra thing with wings in <i>Things with Wings</i>! Apologies to the teachers! I loved making the Portable North Pole (PNP) videos for the girls and seeing their reactions to Father Christmas saying their names. I really enjoyed making the new grown up video for Jason and seeing his reaction when Father Christmas told him 'how remarkable' I was, he he...<br />
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'Tis the season... to relax, hopefully, and enjoy not enduring the madness of the school run in the morning, getting everyone out of the house on time and remembering everything, and the rushing to before and after school classes and clubs. I am looking forward to chilling out with my girls once school and preschool break up; watching Home Alone, The Nativity, Polar Express and other festive gems. I am looking forward to Christmas Eve and hearing all about Ella's and Amy's visit to Daddy's office in London. I wish his workplace luck, I truly do, he he... I am <b>really</b> looking forward to having all four of us together for Christmas. I can't wait for Jason to finish work on Christmas Eve and having a few days off. How precious that time is...<br />
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'Tis the season... of Christmas. Hooray! It is 8 sleeps until the big day and I can't wait! I wish you all a magical, peaceful and happy Christmas, and here's to a healthy, happy and successful 2015. The Phillips' 2014 Christmas journey has begun... <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-23644123230797600402014-12-02T02:58:00.002-08:002014-12-02T03:00:59.088-08:00It's that time of the year...I had such a busy week planned out. I was going to work exam invigilating, I was going to work on marketing the books. I was going to do a major tidying operation of the house as it is in chaos. I was going to organise where I am with everything. I was going to start the task of preparing the next book for kindle and print....<br />
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The best laid plans, and all that! Amy has been ill since the weekend and mostly requires me to sit with her and get her various things every few minutes! I am jumping up and down, feeling confused, wondering when I will get anything done that I had planned. I had to let down the school I was meant to be invigilating at; another reminder how being a full time mum makes re-entering the <em>working outside the home</em> market difficult with young children. I do, however, feel quite grateful that I am here with her and that she is being comforted and looked after. I am lucky to be able to do that.<br />
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So I am going to accept the mess of the house. I am going to ignore pages of <em>artwork </em>and random songwriting sheets scattered in every room of the house. Ella's latest is a song she made up called <em>Espanasho. </em>A self confessed made up word and it is actually quite funny. One of the lines 'Spanish is good but English is better' is a little worrying and I really do wonder where she gets these things from! I am happy to have creative girls though - Ella wants to be my illustrator one day...<br />
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I can finally, today, say Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise is now available in print on Amazon. It looks really good and is a lovely chapter book for readers. Written to encourage a child to see the images in their mind, as many of my favourite books did as a young reader, it is a heartwarming story of friendship and the importance of being with family and friends at Christmas time. If you want to take a look the links to the book will be at the end of this post. Here is the cover, an image I am sure most will recognise from my Facebook page.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8dkJM_KZzu47Pd6ON7pTk3Xlqm7A0MT4AN7bSQO6wfRb_EJhCYozj30JsohXQGyr8oryn65Xs96z-eghRlCfbd6Z2f5CYl6l_jPadwhA4E-k67OEfTaED_8D6JMiAVueCdJE5OqFwnTh/s1600/Larry+the+Liger+-+The+Winter+Surprise+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></div>
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Things with Wings has been well received as a print book which is great. It also looks amazing on the Kindle. I am very excited about Things with Wheels, which is the second in the series and is going to be ready in print hopefully sometime this week. I am just awaiting the print proof. I love Des' illustrations. He really brings the rhymes to life and has an amazing ability to interpret what I want and create an image beyond my expectations. If you haven't seen the <em>Things with...</em> books yet, ebook or print, then I really recommend you consider it. Feedback so far has been fantastic. These books are great for children of any age as the images, and the extra thing to find on each page, will hold their attention. Don't dismiss these books for confident readers either as they are fun books the whole family can enjoy. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aPSvwNXY0c44IkNrl8Oy-m5FhZYRFjdW5qYxmiS7sV6YctYQpdOrUDaO3sTCseCAv4-WQZHfhsBnSPs3VDhp63EhPV2DChZrEi-x4tzZq_nmgaVVOpduXlndCAB8DoR80TIEAPk1HWOB/s1600/Wings+cover+final+for+Createspace+with+extra+space+around.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aPSvwNXY0c44IkNrl8Oy-m5FhZYRFjdW5qYxmiS7sV6YctYQpdOrUDaO3sTCseCAv4-WQZHfhsBnSPs3VDhp63EhPV2DChZrEi-x4tzZq_nmgaVVOpduXlndCAB8DoR80TIEAPk1HWOB/s1600/Wings+cover+final+for+Createspace+with+extra+space+around.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvCx21SG5tM4NzU8Zs-izB-HgVs_F50diGyjQHxd3i6ilKlgEccyzHaUeTVzmHbJCqRJvIxQGRS38vv32oYOrgyrqZegb4kn5nfyXYQl2waY9fs49UZ_0AdgqPWnSXmJxL0fb6GPQ9KZI/s1600/wheels+cover+trim+added.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></div>
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Right then, back to nursing duties. I will add the links below. If you fancy sharing news of the books I would really appreciate it. Wishing you all a great week and hoping the sickness lurgy leaves you and yours alone! <br />
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The journey into the print world has begun...<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1502591774">Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise UK</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1502591774">Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise US</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/150325318X">Things with Wings UK</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/150325318X">Things with Wings US</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QAMWZ2S">Things with Wheels ebook UK</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QAMWZ2S">Things with Wheels ebook US</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/rachaelphillipsauthor">My facebook page</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-31807855813422903582014-11-23T10:11:00.001-08:002014-11-23T10:11:41.024-08:00It has landed...Finally I have managed to produce a print book that looks great! I had issues with Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise so had to remove the print option however this will soon be available again in print. <br />
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<em>Things with Wings</em> is now available to order in print from Amazon! It is also being sold in other book stores however I do not know which ones are selling it at the moment so Amazon is the place to go. <em>Things with Wings</em> is a lovely illustrated rhyming book all about things with wings. It is written in a fun way to hold the attention of fidgets young and old! The illustrations by Des Campbell are fantastic and he has written a guest blog post which you can take a look at to show his illustration process. <br />
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<em>Things with Wings</em> is the first in the <em>Things with...</em> series and the next in the series is coming soon: <em>Things with Wheels.</em> I am very excited about finally entering the realms of Createspace to create a print version of <em>Things with Wings</em>. It has been a stressful learning journey that I would not have been able to achieve without Des' assistance. A lot of work has gone into creating a picture book and hopefully this will be apparent when you see it! The layout is slightly different to the kindle version as it is mostly double page spreads so the illustrations are nice and big. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUIlgwK5B38aor0jgfxLjdQy3fOItTXeXubneZPSRK5d7vQG-oSu-WOknNbxPSZv67wcPd87-slw-ESa6kqa3L5x2Km87cYPnJCuKN-mMxSN9WL37veHg-xnvo7dOL2iVqGfp_8MzSck2/s1600/Amy+Things+with+Wings+content.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUIlgwK5B38aor0jgfxLjdQy3fOItTXeXubneZPSRK5d7vQG-oSu-WOknNbxPSZv67wcPd87-slw-ESa6kqa3L5x2Km87cYPnJCuKN-mMxSN9WL37veHg-xnvo7dOL2iVqGfp_8MzSck2/s1600/Amy+Things+with+Wings+content.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
I am very proud of my new series and can't wait to hear what people think of the illustrated rhymes. <br />
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<em>Things with Wings</em> will make a fantastic stocking filler so why not check it out. I am hoping to get the Winter Surprise in print very, very soon - it is a lovely, heartwarming seasonal story. It really is a magical time of the year.<br />
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The journey is moving on...<br />
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<em><span style="color: blue;">Things with Wings can be downloaded as an eBook or ordered in print from all Amazon territories. Just edit the following link for your country.</span></em><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Wings-1-Rachael-Phillips/dp/150325318X/ref=sr_1_2_twi_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416766056&sr=1-2&keywords=Things+with+Wings">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Wings-1-Rachael-Phillips/dp/150325318X/ref=sr_1_2_twi_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416766056&sr=1-2&keywords=Things+with+Wings</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-90473173375969079202014-11-19T05:49:00.000-08:002014-11-19T05:49:28.410-08:00A guest blog by the very clever Des Campbell, Illustrator and custard cream fan"<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Hi, my name’s Des and I’m the illustrator for the <em>Things with...</em> series of
books that the talented (I think<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that’s
what it says, I can’t read her writing) Rachael Phillips has written. I’ve been
asked to share my process for bringing an illustration to life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Before I go to bed at night I leave out some paper, pens and
some colouring pencils and elves appear and produce a completed illustration
ready for the morning when I wake up… oh, wait. That’s how I get my shoes
repaired. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cobblers</i>, you cry!!! Easy,
tiger. It’s just a story!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Well, I thought it was just cartoonists that like to read
about how cartoonists do stuff but if you’re the sort of person who doesn’t get
out much and enjoys this sort of thing then prepare to have your socks blown
off. What’s that? Quickly, go and put some on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Having read through the text for the book and enjoyed a few
cups of tea and a sizable quantity of custard creams I produce a series of very
rough ideas. I then draw these up into something that matches what I can see in
my head and get these emailed to Rachael. Two cups of tea and rather a lot of
custard creams later, Rachael responds that the sketches are wonderful and I
can go ahead on the finished artwork. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaRalvSlqzZFX6da-2opYdnp1HrFXaUf5lYbh48JtzFREaOAXLh1ikakxc-zqQSdwdAVipYcKTCukHo3FJR6ZQlaoAQfs8xYn-LE1sff3BTPymDtQZ1OlUdJRiY1JtGAilR35h8pSGPdq/s1600/wings+ideas+bat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaRalvSlqzZFX6da-2opYdnp1HrFXaUf5lYbh48JtzFREaOAXLh1ikakxc-zqQSdwdAVipYcKTCukHo3FJR6ZQlaoAQfs8xYn-LE1sff3BTPymDtQZ1OlUdJRiY1JtGAilR35h8pSGPdq/s1600/wings+ideas+bat.jpg" height="180" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZpdiVf3pLQBMvy_Be8IQufjZnztgQynkb50hCLIiyGhhJqK9fZ3zV8PsAsi5wT4K27gpoLFf3JvA1xCSuXbaIiIpLN8QQ11rzdrv07LxlJimFGNBRRDMwvSdjLUzB2SUpFImHjds8lpr/s1600/wings+bat+rough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZpdiVf3pLQBMvy_Be8IQufjZnztgQynkb50hCLIiyGhhJqK9fZ3zV8PsAsi5wT4K27gpoLFf3JvA1xCSuXbaIiIpLN8QQ11rzdrv07LxlJimFGNBRRDMwvSdjLUzB2SUpFImHjds8lpr/s1600/wings+bat+rough.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The sketches, having been scanned into the computer are then
brought into my favourite computer program in the world, (until they invent a
custard cream program) Corel Painter. The process for all these illustrations
is the same so for this example, bats, the sketch is enlarged to the size of
the finish artwork. I then “ink” over the sketch using a Wacom tablet. No
brushes or pens were harmed in the making of these illustrations, the inking is
done digitally using a couple of “brushes” in the program that mimic actual
real media. One big benefit of inking this way is that I can separate
foreground and background elements, which is a huge plus if I then colour the
lineart in a different colour.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PtXMFCqqgSoNV9JncfkPHn0WaD9VEWg_iAwVbzzkeRbqk9XtVD811eJo0By1JiyZGFjQ6jV0bAtg5IFpgdg1mh0bAPGUb4dw5mnMxB8_ESb46Vk9IKCxfHxiu2Tmo5MKOj8uQk551qOC/s1600/wings+bat+inks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PtXMFCqqgSoNV9JncfkPHn0WaD9VEWg_iAwVbzzkeRbqk9XtVD811eJo0By1JiyZGFjQ6jV0bAtg5IFpgdg1mh0bAPGUb4dw5mnMxB8_ESb46Vk9IKCxfHxiu2Tmo5MKOj8uQk551qOC/s1600/wings+bat+inks.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">After more tea and custard creams (you can see a pattern
forming, can’t you!!) I then add the colours, using different “layers” for the background,
bats, and effects. The moon, added towards the end, is just a circle coloured
in a colour very similar to a custard cream now that I think about it!!! I then
added a soften filter to give it that moony look. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifIB8_bYy23cBCZFBuQa3eJyCblP8n6WGIf4fEB3-F9ixWO2oFYlFl7WdYuLjeItMNr1lMKW_7q6f48VD_f-99tp5yKbV4FxpOWLNoRpkDABiAZbhPC6OypohMk_D-Qv15HUzsdYnx7oA/s1600/wings+bat+all+flats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifIB8_bYy23cBCZFBuQa3eJyCblP8n6WGIf4fEB3-F9ixWO2oFYlFl7WdYuLjeItMNr1lMKW_7q6f48VD_f-99tp5yKbV4FxpOWLNoRpkDABiAZbhPC6OypohMk_D-Qv15HUzsdYnx7oA/s1600/wings+bat+all+flats.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtrEVp7Mxq8a8-Th4-5G0kieyJ1JOm9x0kEAd-bE1-iZVK-8iP_wXAKKd6OpSIcRqVxik79ezQLrj-zRuoVM1S7W2XYAKOlVL4LDjBaztpgWuewVZupEU-jAcQqGko9sgjJFbfoKT7cS5/s1600/wings+bat+coloured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtrEVp7Mxq8a8-Th4-5G0kieyJ1JOm9x0kEAd-bE1-iZVK-8iP_wXAKKd6OpSIcRqVxik79ezQLrj-zRuoVM1S7W2XYAKOlVL4LDjBaztpgWuewVZupEU-jAcQqGko9sgjJFbfoKT7cS5/s1600/wings+bat+coloured.jpg" height="130" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">All the shading, shadows and highlights are added next until
the illustration has a more painted look. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJxh_sVNHFJaB2hcZeorUJRSm3_VbBdadCyHiU07TEBxjfQVwxM-wRjafRsVFobEC9XnGi5oxK1a7oSwl4a4w4dQYt4kDQTYhFlIB-ODIL-7qVHkkddJrIUdALvIz9ZQo5LoltMcDMEdi/s1600/wings+05+shaded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJxh_sVNHFJaB2hcZeorUJRSm3_VbBdadCyHiU07TEBxjfQVwxM-wRjafRsVFobEC9XnGi5oxK1a7oSwl4a4w4dQYt4kDQTYhFlIB-ODIL-7qVHkkddJrIUdALvIz9ZQo5LoltMcDMEdi/s1600/wings+05+shaded.jpg" height="134" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_Myq5XuI2ccLHnnQmBhawmmLElh5q9yXLSyK2Ld8czo6xj-3r0znZmZetvO8VhMDPJ3SGYSIl4qL45sDqTQgIoL1XGenSXfBAWKO4KR_JrI2M8zSs9rjeVBF1uKmP6GWP_T-mFmbAnQ2/s1600/wings+bat+effects+added.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_Myq5XuI2ccLHnnQmBhawmmLElh5q9yXLSyK2Ld8czo6xj-3r0znZmZetvO8VhMDPJ3SGYSIl4qL45sDqTQgIoL1XGenSXfBAWKO4KR_JrI2M8zSs9rjeVBF1uKmP6GWP_T-mFmbAnQ2/s1600/wings+bat+effects+added.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Once I’m happy with it (I’m never
happy, no illustrator ever is) I “flatten” the image and send it off to Rachael
who, I’m sure, thinks I’ve trained a monkey to do these illustrations but then thinks,
life is too short, it’ll do!!!</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">After eating so many custard creams I start to feel guilty
and watch Silence of the Lambs on DVD to cheer myself up. The above process is
repeated for each illustration and people with shares in biscuit manufacturers
jet off to Vegas to spend all the extra money I’m providing for them!!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">So there we have it. Anyone still awake, please turn the
lights off and put the empties out for the milkman. Time top put the kettle on… </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Des Campbell"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span> <span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>If you want to see Des' fab work in the completed book you can download 'Things with Wings' </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PLZS3OE"><span style="color: blue;"><em>www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PLZS3OE</em></span></a><span style="color: blue;"><em> Print version coming very soon.</em></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Cambria;"><em>Des also created the cover artwork for all the Larry the Liger stories! </em></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Cambria;"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-86566452933266260782014-11-14T09:20:00.002-08:002014-11-14T09:20:52.713-08:00Things with... excitement!It has been a while since I wrote a blog post but I have been very busy making preparations for something exciting... <br />
<br />
It's a double whammy for news today! I have finally ventured into the realms of Createspace and <em>Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise</em> is now available to order from Amazon as a print book. It is also available at other stores and I hope to arrange for local libraries to lend it too! In case you aren't familiar with this story it is a lovely winter's tale where we find the liger cub wondering who he will play with as all his friends go inside for the winter. There is a surprise in store for little Larry which makes for a magical ending to this seasonal story. Not sure it can compete with the Sainsbury's Christmas Ad though! It is available now on all Amazon territories IN PRINT (in case you missed it!!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRJv4m9cAG6sxKe8xtBHljrEXRofEPQz6ymGnPfOSOL6oVJD_3IJKiONzHGZ55mA6q6pA6qNWzmR-8mudiNLbWnW02eyYlZnFci4Nd8rWZWqf2W_jIAsTTe691DLKfbuLplwC5yJvGylJ/s1600/Larry+the+Liger+-+The+Winter+Surprise+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRJv4m9cAG6sxKe8xtBHljrEXRofEPQz6ymGnPfOSOL6oVJD_3IJKiONzHGZ55mA6q6pA6qNWzmR-8mudiNLbWnW02eyYlZnFci4Nd8rWZWqf2W_jIAsTTe691DLKfbuLplwC5yJvGylJ/s1600/Larry+the+Liger+-+The+Winter+Surprise+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GY15HIY">www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GY15HIY</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE">www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE</a><br />
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The second bit of news is brand new excitement as I am finally unleashing my new series of illustrated rhyming books on the world! I wrote the <em>Things With.</em>.. series when my first child was a baby and she is now almost 7 years old so they have been a long time coming, you could say. I am very proud of these rhymes and they mean a lot as my late Dad got to read them. Sadly he only got to read one of the ten Larry the Liger stories...</div>
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<em>Things with Wings</em> is the first illustrated rhyming book in the series and is available to download as an eBook from Amazon. I am working on the print version and will let you know as soon as this is available. It will look fantastic in print as it is beautifully, and humorously, illustrated by the talented Des Campbell, who also illustrated Larry the Liger.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfPbJ5ylSqL6wLtjndp63YJ8ldaR-wG37HKoI02lv6h9NJq1g4tM5BovhbcVxO5W_P_nnGtP3fp41vUoXEzh5Pic8oR-16qCEuzKuvApO-pLq-S_ifoQor8CgM_ehFUIiLirVHGEDT3Ll/s1600/wings+cover+final+800x2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></div>
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With <em>Things with Wings </em>you can share a rhyming adventure learning all about winged things. The illustrations and rhymes are great fun for any age group so it makes for a great book to read to the children. Each illustration has an extra thing with wings to find so it should engage most children... and adults!</div>
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I am very happy to have finally got <em>Things with Wings</em> published on Amazon. I really hope you check it out and I would love to know what you think. The next in the series are coming soon along with the print option. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PLZS3OE">www.amazon.co.uk/dp<strong>/</strong>B00PLZS3OE</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE">www.amazon.com/dp/B00PLZS3OE</a> and all other Amazon territories</div>
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In other news I have been planning parties and making party bags. I have been preparing party games and buying party food. My youngest daughter, Amy, was 4 on Wednesday and it is her party tomorrow. She is very excited and I can only hope all my planning pays off and makes it a seamless 1 1/2 hours! My eldest daughter, Ella, is 7 in December so I have been buying lots of sweeties to make lovely sweet filled, cellophane cones with lots of ribbon! I am enjoying being creative once again.</div>
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What a great way to end the week. I hope you will join me by reading my new creation in <em>Things with Wings</em> and why not order the print version of The Winter Surprise too. Happy weekend everyone.</div>
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My next journey has begun...</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-42053015613178562252014-09-22T08:45:00.001-07:002014-09-22T08:45:50.471-07:00At long last...<div class="MsoNormal">
"Well at long last Anastasia was NUMBER 1 in horses on
Amazon through the weekend and until the early hours of this morning! Rachael’s first book, <em>The Horses of Boughton Lodge,</em> has made it after
about two years and eight months! It ousted “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell
and that is some achievement indeed! Well done to Rachael!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Horses is the most difficult category to conquer in my
opinion, for what it is worth. It really is so competitive!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was a schoolteacher with Primary children there was a
Story Time period every day. The book most sought after was Black Beauty and I
can envisage my Primary School colleagues, years after my retirement, are now
reading Anastasia. Not just one but 17 of the first 32 listed. The list runs for
100 books but Rachael has the following positions 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31 and 32. That is some going!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Beauty is as Beauty does! You may have heard it somewhere
before dear reader.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am delighted for Rachael’s success and I know if her late
father had still been alive he would have been so proud of her. I am so very
proud of her and I do wish her well in her next venture as a solo
author.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Fergus"<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-30263856999049135722014-09-14T12:08:00.003-07:002014-09-14T12:08:41.704-07:00Fergus writes... about a fantastic journey, inspiration and the world of writing
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It has been a fantastic journey
with Rachael and I am delighted she is to revisit her previous work and have it
illustrated. Rachael and I have been together now for approaching three years
and based on the latest figures, from a couple of days ago, she has the top
aggregate sales figures for all her books for animals on Google. Rachael has 44
books and the gentleman who was the leader had, I believe, half Rachael’s sales
but for just one book. Rachael’s total sales based on last week are double.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What have I contributed to
Rachael’s success? Well practically nothing as far as Larry is concerned. The
Story starts before Rachael was born, back in 1967 in the Basel Zoo in
Switzerland. I was about 18 at the time and working as a Courier taking school
children on holiday from England to Austria but doing the return run from Basel
to Innsbruck where they were shooting The Sound of Music at the time.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having a half day to kill I
treated myself to a visit to the Basel Zoo where I found a Liger! I thought a
spelling mistake! I spoke to a lady zoo keeper who knew the history. 'His father
was a Lion! His mother was a Tiger!' she said. Where did he come from? Bohemia
was the answer. Hence the Mad Professor from the Prague Zoo!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That’s my contribution full stop.
The rest is all Rachael!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From 1967 until late 2012 I
carried the idea around in my head for about 45 years! Rachael was working on
Anastasia The Epic when I visited her and to be honest I was too scared to
mention it in case she was not receptive. However, I plucked up the courage; how
wrong can you be? Larry was born on 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> December 2012 and is now
part of the considerable collection of Rachael’s books on Amazon.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps a few words of
encouragement might help would be authors and here I am targeting mothers with little
children at home. Many mums want to get into print. That is very healthy but a
few words of caution might assist. Identify a story that is going to sell! That
is the businessman in me coming out. Is the product marketable?</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Acid Test is sales!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We started with Anastasia as a
young girl. She is still 16 and has been for the past 2 years! If you are
marketing a series then the cover has to be easily identifiable.</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you are writing horsey stories
for girls then you will have considerable competition. “Black Beauty” – what a
great name! Anna Sewell sets the standard. “Polly Rides to Town” will never
compete with “Anastasia and the Palomino Foals”, “Anastasia and the Russian
White Stallion”, “Anastasia and the Puppy Farm”. You must capture the reader in
the title. Then you must recapture her in the first sentence. ”A magnificent
Palomino pony stood outside Polly’s house”. What a great start! Compare with
“Polly was preparing her picnic to ride to ….” I have fallen asleep already!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take time to consider the market.
Horse books for young girls is an extremely competitive market? Could it make a
film or TV Series? Have that in the back of your mind? Is it merchantable like
Larry the Liger?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your family must come first? Do
you have enough time? Ask yourself this? Will it interfere with family harmony?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Neither Larry nor Anastasia have
a bad thought in their heads. They have old fashioned values of good and bad!</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you write books you must
write books people wish to read! Rome was not built in a day! It has taken
about three years for Rachael to get to where she is today.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Children must be literate and
numerate. That is the key to a successful life.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you produce a book that gets
children reading you will have done a considerable service to the education of
primary children.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fergus Wilson</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></em> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-63411683381594526092014-09-12T06:39:00.001-07:002014-09-12T06:42:22.341-07:00It's been a while! School holidays, reading and somewhere beneath the sea...It certainly has been a while since I last wrote a blog post for which I apologise to those who read my blog! Bizarrely, while I have been away people are still reading older posts which is great and it is nice to see there are regular readers and new ones too.<br />
<br />
So what have I been doing for the last few months? I honestly cannot account for all the time because it is all a bit of blur if I am honest (mummy brain - all mums will understand this!). I have been writing bits and bobs but certainly not writing as voraciously as I was before. I suppose I have been <em>keeping my hand in.</em> The school holidays with young children make it difficult to focus on anything for too long but I have been jotting down ideas and writing some poetry. I have also been setting the wheels in motion for a new project or rather an old one revisited! <br />
<br />
A few years ago I wrote a series of poems for children but after numerous rejections from agents (seemingly the only route to decent publishers at the time) I put them on the back burner (not literally as that would be silly especially as they are on my laptop!). However, since mid-May Anastasia and Larry the Liger ebooks have begun to sell and sell very well indeed. There were always some sales but never at such a consistent level and I know most of you will have seen my Facebook page posts (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/rachaelphillipsauthor">www.facebook.com/rachaelphillipsauthor</a>) about this.<br />
<br />
When I worked with Fergus on the Anastasia and Larry the Liger series' it was the first I had heard of self publishing on Amazon. I was unsure of whether this route to market would be a success however I was willing to put in the hours of formatting, cover creating and uploading to try it out. Then the many hours of marketing on social networking sites and websites followed, often so many it would cause arguments in our house as I was spending almost my entire weekends writing and marketing. Something had to give so I backed off a little and harmony returned to the household (well most of the time anyway!). School and preschool visits were a pleasure; sharing Larry the Liger with children and seeing their reactions was fab.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XV96texGHDjILN_PESJryCnxHJito0QZEN2a8d5MDwwZiHFujED-GuFsFoVImCq4l_KiaRbVdz0v76VJhyphenhyphenM5MF7UeMY4i0iGOMZeQhsGPNjhaSZ4HLl9liVYDKiFrX_eQheCvakJSY2/s1600/liger+colour+final+cropped+for+mugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XV96texGHDjILN_PESJryCnxHJito0QZEN2a8d5MDwwZiHFujED-GuFsFoVImCq4l_KiaRbVdz0v76VJhyphenhyphenM5MF7UeMY4i0iGOMZeQhsGPNjhaSZ4HLl9liVYDKiFrX_eQheCvakJSY2/s1600/liger+colour+final+cropped+for+mugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8XV96texGHDjILN_PESJryCnxHJito0QZEN2a8d5MDwwZiHFujED-GuFsFoVImCq4l_KiaRbVdz0v76VJhyphenhyphenM5MF7UeMY4i0iGOMZeQhsGPNjhaSZ4HLl9liVYDKiFrX_eQheCvakJSY2/s1600/liger+colour+final+cropped+for+mugs.jpg" height="136" width="200" /><br />
</a>I have recently instructed the extremely talented illustrator, Des Campbell, who also created the Larry the Liger illustrations, to create the visual interpretations of my poems. <br />
The preliminary sketches are just brilliant and I know I have found the perfect illustrator. He interprets what I want and brings to life the words even better than my own imagination could! I know the illustrations will bring joy and fun to children and to adults who read the books with them.<br />
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So what has inspired me to venture into picture books? Well, during the long, school summer holiday period we went on a road trip and camping adventure that took us through four different countries. I knew the long car journey would be tough for a 3 and 6 year old so I loaded my Kindle with all things suitable for the girls. I made sure Larry the Liger was on there for Ella and some picture ebooks for Amy as she can't yet read. The Kindle Fire is such a great device for reading and is wonderful for viewing images. The Kindle Reading App can be downloaded to any tablet, smartphone, iPad and pc so the potential reach for ebooks is phenomenal! I highly recommend it. <br />
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I was very pleased to receive an email a few weeks ago about the new Kindle Kids Book Creator App. Having never uploaded an ebook with images inside I was unsure how to go about it. It isn't as simple as inserting an image as the text and images are uploaded separately however I won't bore you! So the new App is just what I need hopefully and I look forward to trying it out. I will let you all know how it goes and if it is as easy as it sounds!<br />
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As for the last few months well I can say this: I am amazed at the Euro Tunnel! The journey was so quick and was over before I knew it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWuY-nrCo8JMmRK92jj_oV4hwYdC7EmdRNoqMc1G9SXZwudh3J5tyBHb7Eho52WFBf6uaKy6q8zexDRpd7SgzhlztBAWEmfygPBEk2V710mhDscbhVPwBfXy7sKlsZYWjXQ9i3T1g5_2V/s1600/20140727_105231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWuY-nrCo8JMmRK92jj_oV4hwYdC7EmdRNoqMc1G9SXZwudh3J5tyBHb7Eho52WFBf6uaKy6q8zexDRpd7SgzhlztBAWEmfygPBEk2V710mhDscbhVPwBfXy7sKlsZYWjXQ9i3T1g5_2V/s1600/20140727_105231.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><br />
What a great way to travel: under the sea! Jason shook his head every time I said <em>amazing</em> which was quite a lot! We were leaving England and arriving in France in a flash and soon driving through France, Belgium and Holland. I can also say that 5 nights camping isn't for me but I would do a shorter stint because the girls loved it. It was great to camp in a foreign country along with people of a variety of nationalities. Ella made some lovely friends even if they couldn't communicate effectively! Despite language barriers they still managed to play hide and seek, have fun in the playgrounds and collect pine cones in the woods. It was rather idyllic in many ways.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4g8z0Hprt1-3rjFlEqivmvez8ShWz_VF3I1rPyck8pZowjsPJCSdg6rG4BPVGACedLrQh3bCvU1eeEz3JDEZn4LZ1UHdvb0eW5dsNHw-XGjkwv7rHSZqzY7apZj5zy2UPnsSdKZ3Af3G/s1600/Charlie+and+the+Chocolate+Factory+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4g8z0Hprt1-3rjFlEqivmvez8ShWz_VF3I1rPyck8pZowjsPJCSdg6rG4BPVGACedLrQh3bCvU1eeEz3JDEZn4LZ1UHdvb0eW5dsNHw-XGjkwv7rHSZqzY7apZj5zy2UPnsSdKZ3Af3G/s1600/Charlie+and+the+Chocolate+Factory+cropped.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><br />
I also had the pleasure to take Ella to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the West End. She loved it, as did I, although the music is certainly not as memorable as either of the movie versions. The staging was amazing and it was a visual treat and yet another inspiration for visual books! <br />
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Schools and preschools are now back in session which means I have some time once again to do what I love: writing. My head is brimming with ideas and inspiration from our summer which is exactly how it should be.<br />
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The journey, and the next chapter, has begun....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-80694877147861273022014-06-16T13:12:00.000-07:002014-06-16T13:12:49.554-07:00World Cup WonderThe World Cup has well and truly begun! If you are a football fan you will be glued to the screen for every game and I can visualise many parents trying to find ways to amuse their children during the matches. It's been interesting in our household to watch the girls asking their Daddy questions about the teams, etc. Ella, my eldest daughter, approached me earlier with a pouty, sad face saying, "Portugal didn't score 1 and Germany got 4! And we've got Portugal at our school!" The schools in our area, and probably around the country, have been allocated a team to watch out for during the World Cup. Maybe it's the Education Authority attempting to get our children interested in the 'Beautiful Game' because, let's face it, in many households they may not get a choice!<br />
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Now I personally am not really watching yet but I am sure that if England do well I, like many other English people, will 'jump on the band wagon' so to speak and suddenly take an interest. I used to be an avid football supporter and knew the dates of every fixture, every team member, what strengths each player had, etc. But for some reason I lost interest and I'm not sure when that happened...<br />
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So with the build up to the start of the World Cup recently something happened and it wasn't what I expected. Maybe it was the thought of endless nights of football being on the television absorbing the attention of many. Or maybe it is just a coincidence. But I suddenly felt really inspired...<br />
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To those who follow me closely on my blog, twitter or my facebook page you will have noticed my lapses with the world of social media and blogging. I don't know why this happened but I do think I needed a little time out. So I have been a bit like Czechoslovakia in the 2014 World Cup: absent! Maybe the players were too busy reading about Larry the Liger in Prague to bother training hard enough to qualify... who knows?! I have been gathering my thoughts after completing a series of ten Larry the Liger stories. I have written so many stories over the last three years, with the Anastasia stories too, I think mentally my brain needed a little respite break. <br />
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I think I also needed to work outside of the house as my writing journey has kept me within these four walls. So recently I have been working in a job that is very, very part time, helping out with exam invigilating at a school. I was hoping for inspiration and was looking forward to working with real people around me again! It's been a positive experience and I look forward to doing it again in the future.<br />
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So back to my point about the build up to the start of the World Cup, well I really wanted to share more of my writing for children again. I had done a reading of one of the Larry the Liger books to a preschool in a nearby town and they listened wonderfully and enjoyed the stories and some asked me, 'Where are the pictures?' despite me having large Larry poster boards to pique their interest. I explained the images were in their heads and many got this concept and described some things well. I think it started a little cog in my mind that began to whirr from that moment on. My stint of working outside the home also made me realise that I enjoy the world of writing and sharing stories for children.<br />
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I wrote some children's poetry a few years ago which I only ever shared with family or close friends. I read through them once again recently and realised I had to share them and they had to be picture books. Now, don't get me wrong, I wrote Larry the Liger stories as chapter books because I wanted to spark the imagination of the reader with the descriptions and this has been received well with young readers. When I read to a local primary school last year they loved the stories illustrated purely by the text. It was magical to see. The poetry I am speaking of now, like Larry, would also be enjoyed by children of all ages because the poems encourage awareness of the world around us. With Larry his image was burned in my mind from the lovely covers illustrated by Des Campbell and I know my eldest daughter could visualise everything as she read the stories and that is Larry's gift.<br />
<br />
But... to produce a picture book would be wonderful and do you know what? I may well to do it! I am in talks with Des about working together again and I have such a good feeling about it. I will obviously let you all know about this new writing journey and I am really looking forward to sharing news with you all... <br />
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As if my renewed motivation wasn't enough Larry the Liger has been selling well, very well indeed! He is currently number 1 through number 8 in the chart on Amazon for Children's books>Animals>Zoos! Maybe it's because parents everywhere are downloading the stories to keep their children occupied during the World Cup or maybe it is just Larry's time to shine. Whatever the reason it feels grrrreat (sorry!) So all that effort, all the hard work I put into not only researching and writing those stories but also the hours of marketing are finally paying off. <br />
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It is a wonderful feeling and for those of you who aren't sure what that might feel like... well it's a bit like how many would feel if England win the World Cup! My writing journey is continuing and I'm taking a gentle bend in the road in my stride. Good luck World Cup teams. Come On England! And Go Larry!<br />
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(While spell checking this post it did strike me as ironic that the blog spell checker does not recognise the words 'blog', 'blogger' or blogging'!)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-29910092056244099932014-03-29T06:25:00.005-07:002014-03-29T06:27:55.513-07:00The Evolution of a Poet-like Species - Guest blog by Lorna Riley<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><u>Poetry is for you</u></em> </span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong> </strong>by Lorna Riley</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You
know those hedgehogs on Madagascar that aren't actually hedgehogs? Even
though they look like hedgehogs and act like hedgehogs. And probably
smell like them too… </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk58DqzY8hbqcC8jSIF80bGALtacLhMTPweMQ7yH5cUi0wjwCutgV24rOAUt1pF94UlrSB2FuxTNUA_Pul2dildF95YhFyk2JaooxOX2ssu0nuagOl3rgwnPjx4SAIMvWtpN-4UmqwZyRa/s1600/tenrec+lorna+riley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk58DqzY8hbqcC8jSIF80bGALtacLhMTPweMQ7yH5cUi0wjwCutgV24rOAUt1pF94UlrSB2FuxTNUA_Pul2dildF95YhFyk2JaooxOX2ssu0nuagOl3rgwnPjx4SAIMvWtpN-4UmqwZyRa/s1600/tenrec+lorna+riley.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But,
they're not hedgehogs at all, they're tenrecs - a whole different species
altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I'm a tenrec poet.
Although, I wouldn't be offended if you ever mistook me for a real one,
quite the opposite. But, I promise you, I'm not. I evolved on a
completely different island, cut off from the world of poetry since I left
school; occasionally coming up with the odd ditty that I didn't take very
seriously, whenever the fancy took me. Until, I decided to start writing
down a story that had been milling around in my head for quite some time.
Just to see what happened. That story turned into an 80,000 word
novel, which wasn't bad. It wasn't Thomas Hardy, but, considering the
fact I'd never done it before, it wasn't bad. Anyway, ever since then, I've
been well and truly bitten by the writing bug and I couldn't stop now, even if
I tried. And, actually, I have no idea how I ever managed to get through
life without it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So,
when my gran saw an advert for a free writers' day at the local library, she phoned
me up to tell me all about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I
went along. Several local authors were there, offering their advice
and insights into how to get published. Unbeknownst to me, a local poet
called </span></span><a href="http://longfella.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Longfella</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> had also been invited. He shared
a number of poems, including <em>A Girl
Like, Y'Know,</em> which you can watch by clicking on the following link: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3xOq9dv9oA">A Girl, Like, Y'Know by Tony Walsh, Longfella</a> <em>(some strong language so please check with an adult if you are under 16 years old)</em></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Which
made me cry like a colicky baby at bedtime. He also performed one
called <i>Poetry is for You, </i>which was particularly significant
because I took him at his word. And he's right, you know. Poetry
isn't just for the higher echelons of the intellectual superiors. It’s
for you. And me, too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
story doesn't quite end there, though. At that writing day, I also made
two new friends - Tara and Sarah. A few days later, Tara sent me a
message to tell me about an alternative open mic night at </span></span><a href="http://www.snowgoosecafebar.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">The Snowgoose</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> called </span></span><a href="http://www.macc-speakeasy.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Spe<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlt383446307;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlt383446306;">a</span></span>keasy</span></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlt383446306"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlt383446307"></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. Where you can share
almost anything, including poetry. It all sounded a bit daunting to me,
but I figured I would just go along and see what it was all about. Now, I
don't know what you imagined when I described Speakeasy, but I'll tell you what
I imagined - a room full of women with flowery skirts and dangly earrings,
giving off an aura of intellectual prowess. I couldn't have been more
wrong. They were, and are, the loveliest bunch of ordinary people (women
AND men) from all sorts of backgrounds who invited me warmly into their group. Not a flowery skirt in sight. And, nowadays, I only need half a
pint to get up the courage to share what I've written!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, I can’t recommend the experience
highly enough, should you ever fancy giving it a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, one day, </span></span><a href="http://lornariley.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/in-beginning-there-was-cat.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">when a poem popped int<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlt383452501;">o</span>
my head</span></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlt383452501"></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> completely of its own accord, I decided to let it
take me on a journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is how my
picture book for 3-6 year olds, </span></span><a href="http://lornariley.blogspot.co.uk/p/about-sir-nibbles-famouse-cupboard.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Sir Nibbles, The Famouse Cupboard Raider
Extraordinaire</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, was brought into
being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But,
no matter what, don’t ever be fooled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
may act like, look like and possibly even smell like a poet, but I'm a tenrec
poet. That's all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><u>About Lorna Riley</u></em></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></em></span></u></b> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lorna Riley was an average mother of two… until one fateful day when The Stories, mischievous little creatures that they are, crept into her brain whilst she was sleeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she’s never been the same since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sir Nibbles, The Famouse Cupboard Raider Extraordinaire, is Lorna’s first foray into self-publishing and, with the help of the fabulous illustrator </span></span><a href="http://johnwillbalsleyillustration.tumblr.com/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">John Balsley</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, it should be ready later on in the Spring.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you’d like to say hello, here’s Lorna's </span></span><a href="http://lornariley.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">website</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and she can also be found </span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/lc_riley"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">twittering here</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sir Nibbles is on </span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sirnibbles1"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Facebook</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and is due to have his own </span></span><a href="http://www.sirnibbles.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">website</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> later on in the Spring, too.</span></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-49674311710921696562014-03-24T15:05:00.000-07:002014-03-24T15:05:17.860-07:00In readiness for Easter... a taste that is not chocolate!Spring is here and it is my most favourite season. Watching as the blossom magically appears on the trees and those regal daffodils raising their noble heads to nod politely to all that pass; it can't be beaten. I love seeing the new growth and that's not just limited to flora and fauna. Children apparently grow the most in the Spring and looking at my girls I can totally believe it - they are definitely shooting up and blossoming much like the other beautiful offerings from mother nature all around.<br />
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Spring has been lovely so far. My beautiful Mum has been staying with us for the last week. It has been so, so lovely to have her here, for the girls to spend time with their Grandma and for me to spend time with my Mum. These times are very precious and even more so since losing Dad. The best moments have been the ones I am not supposed to be included in; the ones where I can indulge as an observer. Listening or watching from another room while my Mum plays with the girls or shows them a video of one of them as a baby she has on her phone. They adore their Grandma and it's been such a great start to Spring. Sadly she goes home tomorrow but we will be visiting her very soon and taking her away with us to Brixham for her 65th birthday. Brixham is very special for Mum as it is a place she enjoyed often with my Dad. It will be a privilege to look out over the boats with Mum just as she did with Dad for his 65th...<br />
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To honour such a wonderful season, and to share some Spring positivity with you all, Larry has decided to roam free! One of the Larry the Liger stories will be free for two whole days so make sure you catch him! Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th March <em>The Magical Sports Day</em> will be free to download from Amazon. You don't need a Kindle to read it either as Amazon have a host of free reading Apps for almost any platform, so go and get a taste of Larry before all that chocolate appears magically in your homes! (Then magically disappears just as quickly!) As Spring is so magical it seems appropriate to share a story with a touch of magic! Larry is a very, clever liger for choosing it...<br />
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Not only is a Larry the Liger ebook free but I am also going to be releasing, tomorrow, a very limited number of copies of The Easter Liger in print, for sale, via my facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/rachaelphillipsauthor">www.facebook.com/rachaelphillipsauthor</a> so check out the page and give it a like if you like! Please be aware there are a very limited number of copies of The Easter Liger so I will have to work on a first come, first served basis so please look out for the details which I will release tomorrow on my Facebook page. I look forward to sharing Larry in print! It is actually really, really exciting! He he!<br />
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Enjoy the Spring everyone and the chance of new growth. I wish you all a season full of new opportunities, a bloom of happiness, and bluebell carpeted tidings of comfort and joy.<br />
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Happy Spring! <br />
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Links to The Magical Sports Day are here:<br />
UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DPWAAZA">www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DPWAAZA</a> <br />
US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPWAAZA">www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPWAAZA</a> and all other Amazon territories.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-3664718817974050862014-02-11T11:03:00.000-08:002014-02-11T11:03:11.847-08:00A Lost Liger has been spotted...Hi everyone I wanted to warn you all that a big cat has been spotted in the mountains in Prague. Some are saying it looks like a lion and some are saying it looks like a tiger but I am inclined to think it may be a liger!<br />
<br />
You can find out all about this lost liger in Larry's latest story which is now available on Amazon to download! In Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger, Larry runs away and ends up in an unknown place with unknown animals. I hope you will join him on his final adventure where he aims to help children the world over learn about staying safe and being kind to others.<br />
<br />
I love Larry and I hope you all do too. Go and catch that lost liger before the poachers get him....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ID6YSTM">http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ID6YSTM</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ID6YSTM">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ID6YSTM</a><br />
and all other Amazon territoriesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-46769433935068153552014-02-09T06:15:00.000-08:002014-02-09T06:15:14.949-08:00Running awayIt is something most people have thought about at some point in their lives: running away. Who knows how many Reginald Perrins there really are. As an adult sometimes the pressures of life and the responsibilities it brings can make some yearn for freedom and to get away from it all. This is why that two week holiday/vacation is so important to so many.<br />
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I often wish I could be a child again - free to play and have fun as most children should be. Free of the burdens that adult life can bring. But then I recall times as a child when I wanted to run away too...<br />
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My mum often regales me with her recollections of me attempting to run away. She says how well I must have been brought up because my small vanity-style case was always packed with clean underwear, slippers and clean nightclothes oh and my toothbrush! I'm not sure where I thought I was going, so ill prepared, but I was very young and never made it past the garage at the end of the garden...<br />
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I asked my mum why she never ran after me and she laughed and said, "I could see you from the kitchen and I knew you would always come back!" Which I did! I can't recall why I ever decided to run away but it would have been something very insignificant, I have no doubt, as I certainly had no cause to run away.<br />
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Sadly there are children who feel they have no other choice than to run away. Their home lives are possibly unbearable as they have to deal with treatment no children should...<br />
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According to The Children's Society, <em>Make Runaways Safe </em>campaign, 'every five minutes a child in the UK runs away from home'. They also state that 'over 100,000 children in the UK run away every year'. These are alarming statistics. It is encouraging that there are such campaigns doing such wonderful work to help our vulnerable young.<br />
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With each Larry the Liger story, I touch upon issues children often have to deal with including bullying, fitting in, making friends, accepting others, starting school, understanding dangers... <br />
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The final story: Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger, finds Larry making a decision because he feels he has no other choice. He feels unwanted and unsafe so he runs away. Just like that. Just like countless numbers of children do each year the world over...<br />
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In The Lost Liger, Larry finds himself in strange surroundings and realises the animals he meets do not always have good intentions towards him. He also wishes he had not run away but he has no idea how he can go home. The story follows the young, liger cub as he tries to cope with being away from home.<br />
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I hope this story will help children understand the realities of running away. I also hope children will learn there can be great dangers 'out there'. This story is suitable for children, and adults, of all ages. It has no real violence but very mild threat to highlight some of the dangerous situations Larry faces so far away from those that love him.<br />
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Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger is coming very soon. I hope you will all share news of this new release with families and friends everywhere. I would love to think the Larry the Liger series creates an opening for families to discuss sometimes delicate subjects. We can all help our children learn and we should all do our best to keep our children safe from harm...<br />
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Happy reading everyone and I look forward to saying "Larry the Liger - the Lost Liger" is now available on Amazon to download. I promise it will be very soon :)<br />
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You can download the other Larry the Liger stories here:<br />
<a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/c4totfu">http://www.tinyurl.com/c4totfu</a> UK<br />
<a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/bnxc42r">http://www.tinyurl.com/bnxc42r</a> US<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">You can support the great work of the <em>Make Runaways Safe</em> campaign and the Children's Society here:</span> <br />
<a href="http://makerunawayssafe.org.uk/">http://makerunawayssafe.org.uk/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-49932637320319349362014-02-04T09:27:00.000-08:002014-02-04T09:27:29.662-08:00Goodbye my Larry, goodbye my friend...The time has come and I have to say I am feeling quite emotional about it. I have almost finished the final Larry the Liger story. A lot of love went into bringing the little liger to life and I am proud to say I wrote the ten stories.<br />
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It's always amazing how a simple idea can turn into something wonderful. I had a good feeling about Larry ever since Fergus suggested we write about a liger cub who was abandoned outside a Prague zoo: Larry the Liger - his father was a lion, his mother was a tiger! The stories pretty much flowed from me and Larry's character grew and grew, as will he! Once I had the illustration for Larry by the talented Des Campbell I really felt like I knew Larry. He became one of my children and got lots of attention from me when I was able!<br />
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I think, as a writer, once you feel that flow and the writing comes naturally then you know you are onto a good thing. I had a spell of writer's block last year but that wasn't Larry's fault and once I sat myself back in position with my bacon crisps the magic returned once again. To feel the words flow from your finger tips is a gift from somewhere unseen. It makes me truly appreciate the opportunity I have had to work with little Larry.<br />
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So the last story in the Larry the Liger series, number ten of ten, is nearly ready but I need to do some final editing as it is a little longer than I would like for a short, chapter book but then this final story (currently unnamed!) will be published to Amazon for download. I am very excited and also sad that this is the end of Larry's journey. <br />
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I can honestly say, "Larry it has been a true pleasure and I will miss you very much. Should the world beg for more then we can pick up where we left off."<br />
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Release date coming soon - watch this space. Share the Larry love. His journey is coming to an end...<br />
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<a href="http://www.larrytheliger.co.uk/">www.larrytheliger.co.uk</a><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-31855954611076972612014-01-21T10:04:00.001-08:002014-01-22T07:01:27.215-08:002014: well hello there!A delayed Happy 2014! We have said farewell to 2013 and I have been racking my brains to try to remember how I spent those 365 days! It all seems a bit of a blur...<br />
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2013 for me was a period of adjustment and acceptance. Adjusting to life without Dad and accepting he is no longer physically with us. It is hard to believe Dad was gone a year on 19th December 2013. We had all those first milestones since Dad's death to contend with and I am assured each special date will become easier to bear. I truly hope so and will have to take others' words for it...<br />
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2013 was the year I turned 40. Another thing to adjust to. Turning 40 definitely had an effect on me! That, and no longer having my Dad, converged into deep thinking and over analysing. Thankfully I have accepted my new, middle age and am embracing it. Yes, I know, I am still young, blah, blah, blah... but sometimes it takes certain things to become defining moments and it certainly doesn't hurt to stand back and take a good look at yourself so long as you don't overdo it!<br />
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So what did I discover? I overanalyse. I worry about things too much. I worry, far too much, about what others think of me. I am a day dreamer. I complain too much. The list was growing until I realised that all the negative, self focus was doing me no favours whatsoever! I began to look at the more positive traits I possess (there are some honestly!) and realised this is something I need to do more often. I spend so much time worrying about my family, others, and numerous, other, insignificant things, that I often overlook someone very important... me! Yes I am important and realising this has made me feel much more focused on doing positive things with a more positive outlook. <br />
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I am determined to embrace 2014 and use the convenient timing of a New Year to kick myself up the rear and stop messing about dwelling on things I cannot change. I am determined to spend time on those that lift me and bring out the best in me because sadly often the issue with how you feel is the effect of those around you...<br />
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I'll share some of my positives from 2013. Writing eight Larry the Liger stories and self publishing them on Amazon with some great reviews received. Being invited to a local school to hold an Assembly all about Larry the Liger. Watching my youngest start preschool and take to it like a dream :). Watching my eldest daughter go into Year 1 and thrive under the pressure of proper school work :) - hard for children of this age as Reception is still a little like preschool and Year 1 is a bit of a shock for them I feel. Spending more, quality time with my family as we never get this time back. Performing in New Wickham Court Players' spring production of 'Small's Talk' and the panto 'Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood'. Admiring my mum for getting out and about as a new widow and learning to make choices alone (she made some really good ones I might add). Spending some quality time with my mum and catching up with family at Christmas time - so valuable and lovely. There have probably been many more positive things but at this moment they are tucked away in my memory for me to say, 'oh, yes, that happened!' just after I publish this blog!<br />
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So how has my 2014 been so far? I have been working on the final Larry the Liger story, number 10 in the Series. I began this story a while ago but ended up writing the Winter Surprise as I couldn't seem to finish it. With fresh eyes and a rested brain the words are flowing once more and I am very excited about the final story. Each story can be read independently of the others but there are recurring characters which make the entire series lovely to read too. <br />
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For those who haven't met Larry the Liger: his father was a lion, his mother was a tiger! His adventures begin when he is abandoned outside Prague Zoo. With great reviews I can safely recommend these stories to you all. They are short, chapter books so will appeal to independent readers but are equally lovely as read-to stories, for younger children, too.<br />
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I really cannot wait to share the final Larry the Liger story with you all and thank everyone who has read the stories so far. I hope you enjoy the final story as much as the other nine. It will be available for download very soon.<br />
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So here's to a positive 2014! May your year be filled with happy moments, wonderful memories and lots and lots of time to read. Larry's journey is almost complete...<br />
<br />
UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=larry%20the%20liger%20">http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=larry%20the%20liger%20</a><br />
US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=larry%20the%20liger%20">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=larry%20the%20liger%20</a><br />
and all other Amazon territories.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-43553192186357707652013-12-17T10:06:00.000-08:002013-12-17T10:06:20.587-08:00The magic of the seasonChristmas is coming and there's a bustling atmosphere wherever I go; everyone rushing to get everything just right for Christmas. There is a lot of excitement in our house with a three year old and a nearly six year old (Ella is 6 on Thursday 19th December!). Amy, my youngest, thinks Father Christmas isn't coming as she's been waiting ages for her Peppa Pig bike to come down the chimney! We aren't allowed to put anything in front of the chimney in case it blocks Santa's way in. I sneakily move my flowers back when she's not looking.<br />
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I have had the pleasure of seeing both of my girls' Christmas Concerts and they both did a fantastic job. Ella as a sparkly angel dancing around and Amy standing up to sing 'Dear Father Christmas' song. Both were a nice balance of traditional, Christian focus and modern-tradition reference. Well done girls!<br />
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Amy turned 3 in November and she had a little party to celebrate with two friends from pre-school. They had a lot of fun. On Sunday we had a party for Ella's 6th Birthday ahead of her actual birthday. There were more children and it was a little bit more loopy but they all had fun and that is what it is all about.<br />
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It's an emotional time for me as it's almost a year since Dad passed away from Mesothelioma. We lost him 5 years and 25 minutes after my first born Ella came into the world. It's going to be a day of highs and lows. I am not sure how the day will be but I will be a brave mummy and smile a lot for my Ella. She deserves a lovely birthday especially because I wasn't here for it last year.<br />
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Some days I feel low and others I feel ok. Sometimes something happens that just brightens my day and the Christmas Concerts definitely lifted my spirit. Today I found three fantastic, new reviews for some of the Larry the Liger stories and they have made my day. If you ever wondered just how important reviews are then imagine the little face of a hard working writer when they read them! Mine was a beaming and very chuffed one :D<br />
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I will share the reviews and hopefully you will get the urge to get yourself some Larry love too! Seasonal greetings one and all. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a New Year full of the best life can give. Enjoy every moment as you just never know...<br />
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<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_52b08ef52f9ad2455670538">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /> <em>"5.0 out of 5 stars 'Worth a read', <br /> This review is from: Larry the Liger - The New Home (Kindle Edition) <br /> This story is a lovely story I highly recommend this book and the rest of the series of larry the liger amazing books for children."<br /> <br /> "5.0 out of 5 stars 'Cute',<br /> This re<span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span></em><span class="text_exposed_show"><em>view is from: Larry the Liger - The New Friend (Larry the Liger Series) (Kindle Edition) <br /> This is a lovely story of friendship definitely worth getting to read to your children I love it as an adult."<br /> <br /> "5.0 out of 5 stars 'Lovely Lovely Lovely', <br /> This review is from: Larry the Liger - The Easter Liger (Larry the Liger Series) (Kindle Edition) <br /> Its a lovely story about not to judge a book by its cover and continues the magic of easter for children highly recommended to buy and read."</em></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-10839812821944613172013-11-27T14:03:00.000-08:002013-11-27T14:03:22.579-08:00My message of goodwillI am so pleased to share the latest Larry the Liger story with you all. Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise is now ready for download from Amazon. <br />
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This book is a joy to share because it was mostly written after a spell of serious, writer's block. I began to write it a few months ago but then something halted me and I could not write... at all. It was one of the most frustrating periods of my life because I knew I could do it but nothing would come... not one, single word.<br />
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So I sat back and allowed being a mum, and also my rehearsals for the local pantomime with New Wickham Court Players, to distract me from it and I would even avoid turning on my laptop because the sight of it annoyed me so much. <br />
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In the last few weeks something changed and I felt the words bubbling up inside me desperate to escape so I gave the laptop a warning look and took up my usual writing position. I began to type and I could not stop. I had to of course because I have two, young children to look after but whenever I could I would get back to the story and not for one minute did I even have to really think about the way the story was going to go because it just did... go!<br />
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When I finally finished the story I knew it was a good one. Yes I am entitled to say that because the story literally came out of me and I do wonder if there is an angel somewhere very pleased they got me to write it for them!<br />
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So what will you think of The Winter Surprise? Well the only way to find out is to read it and I am pretty certain it will warm your cockles and bring a smile to even the meanest person out there.<br />
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The Winter Surprise is all about Larry facing the changes the winter period brings for the other animals. He faces a period where potentially he will have no one to play with. Even the school is closed. One of Larry's friends decides that something must be done to cheer their sad, liger friend and preparations begin.<br />
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The ending is seasonal and festive; it will make you believe in the wonder of the season and the importance of goodwill. It makes a humorous observation of just how distracted we all are at this time of year. This is my message of goodwill as told through Larry the Liger. This book is for children of all ages right up to 110!<br />
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So what are you waiting for?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GY15HIY">www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GY15HIY</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GY15HIY">www.amazon.com/dp/B00GY15HIY</a><br />
and all other Amazon territories.<br />
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Winter seasonal greetings everyone :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135770211287733978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333381366161047670.post-63697188551646683432013-11-27T02:32:00.000-08:002013-11-27T02:33:32.742-08:00A winter surprise<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Fergus writes:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">"What is the collective
noun for a Group of Ligers? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I wish I knew!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Larry was lonely in
Rachael’s latest A Winter Surprise with no siblings to keep him company. I
think I’ll ask Rachael? What do you think? Is it a Pride of Ligers? No that’s
Lions. Is it a Society of Ligers?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It is becoming
contagious. I find myself say 'My father is a Scot and my mother English! I am
British!' </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Fergus."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, Fergus you are right Larry does indeed feel a little alone in the upcoming release, The Winter Surprise. His friends are all preparing to have their long sleep and Larry wonders who he will play with. There is a surprise in store though and everyone will have to download the ebook to find out what happens.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As for a group of ligers: some say a pride, some say a streak or ambush, however I have decided that for Larry, should he ever find others like him, it will be called a legion of ligers. What does everyone else think?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Larry the Liger - the Winter Surprise is coming soon and is full of seasonal wonder for you and your little ones. Here is a sneak preview of the new cover :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Enjoy the journey...</span></div>
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