Today I travelled to the wonderful bookstore – Hunting Raven Books in Frome. I performed an author reading for the first of their Sunday readings. Such a brilliant time reading and speaking with my young audience!
Author reading
Category: Uncategorized
Author event in Nanjing, China
I had the pleasure to present The Heavy Bag to an audience in the beautiful children’s bookstore, Tales on Moon Lane, in China. I spoke about my author’s journey and my Chinese translator, Bella Zhang, performed a theatrical version of the Chinese adaptation to the audience.
The Heavy Bag audio book
The singer and actress, Collette Cooper, has recorded an audiobook version of The Heavy Bag which is now available on Audible. All proceeds are being donated to Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine appeal!
Die Schwere Tasche has a new Publisher
The German adaptation of The Heavy Bag has been acquired by German, Berlin-based children’s publisher – Horami. Horami are reformatting Die Schwere Tasche, in text and brand new illustrations. This edition will be available in German, Vietnamese and English bilingual.
Un Sac Très Lourd – French edition
The Heavy Bag has been acquired by the French children’s publishing house – Editions Prunelle. The book will be published in March and available across mainland France.
Library recommended status!
I started the week with the amazing news, that my current children’s book – The Heavy Bag – is to be published in french by children’s publisher Editions Prunelle and have ended the week with some equally exciting news from Denmark!
My Danish publisher has informed me that – Den Tunge Rygsæk 🇩🇰🇩🇰 Straarup og Co has been given the ‘lektørudtalelse’ title which means it will be recommended by libraries to schools and families across Denmark
Recommendation:
“A really nice picture book about the heavy feelings you can have when you lose a close family member, such as a grandfather. The book is full of expressive illustrations, and especially the large backpack and the whole metaphor around it makes an impression. Will be good as reading aloud for large kindergarten children or school children in the smallest classes, who have just lost one of their grandparents. The book can provide an entrance to talk about the difficult”
I am so incredibly proud and happy that the book is being recommended because it means it will reach as many children as possible!
Book Prunelle – French deal
I am very happy to announce that a French version of my children’s book The Heavy Bag will soon be published by Éditions Prunelle
The Heavy Bag will be published in France this year by Book Prunelle. I am so beyond happy to see my book translated into French as I have lived and worked in France so this feels extra special!
Je suis très heureuse de vous annoncer qu’une version française de mon livre pour enfants The Heavy Bag sera bientôt publiée aux Éditions Prunelle
Elefantro Bookfair
I presented my book at the Elefantro Bookfair in Bucharest. Of course, Covid restrictions were in place so I was asked by my publisher Curtea Veche to make a short film in English to introduce myself and my book. The pronouncing of Ghiodanul Cel Greu took some practice! But, it was so much fun feeling connected at such a wonderful book and author event!
Storytown – Corsham Book Festival
I was very honoured to be invited as one of the local authors to take part in the Storytown book festival
We spent the day with local children and their families, talking about their favourite books! What an amazing way to spend the day … deep in talk about literature with some very clever young minds.
A few future authors were definitely in the room that day! This is what author events and book festivals are all about – igniting something in young readers and writers.
Foreign Rights
Foreign rights have been a way for my children’s books to carry my stories around the world, at a time when borders are closed, restrictions are in force and businesses have been affected to the point of closure. I feel incredibly lucky that the book and publishing community has somehow managed to carry on, under difficult circumstances but nevertheless, carry on!
So, I want to give the biggest shout out to all of those foreign rights managers who have taken a chance on a little known author, in a very small corner of the UK.
The Heavy Bag: Danish – Straarup og Co, Swedish – Isa Bok Forlag, Romanian – Curtea Veche, Turkish – Gergedan Yayinlari, French – L’editions Prunelle, Netherlands/Belgium – Van Driel Publishing.
The Slow Superhero: UK – Ventorros Press, Russia – NIGMA, Netherlands/Belgium – Van Driel Publishing.
