Author Archives: simon

New Book From a Fellow Author, 365 Silly Jokes for Kids

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365 Silly Jokes for Kids

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I’m delighted to share this posting by Tracey West, a fellow author from my publishing company, Magic Oxygen.

It’s always wonderful to announce the birth of a new book, but this one is exceptionally close to my heart.

I have just had the most demanding but incredibly rewarding task of creating a new book, 365 Silly Jokes for Kids.

Much of the raw written material for it was amassed at the funeral of Martha Mickshik, a sweet little dot who sadly lost her brave battle for life at the tender age of 7 in 2006.

Martha had a brain tumour and many associated illnesses and as a result, spent countless weeks in hospital while she endured surgery and treatment of one kind or another.

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NaNoWriMo and beyond

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Well, it’s almost the end of November and I am happy to say that I managed to complete my novel in time – all 50,508 words of it. I have no doubt it’s going to need serious redrafting but at least it’s written and not just in my head. And hopefully I haven’t driven everyone too crazy.

printed text

So after the frenzy of writing, I am going to take my own advice and dust off a few of my favourite rereads this weekend. I can drink tea and eat chocolate just as easily when I’m reading as when I’m writing! These are the books I may indulge in.

Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint – a magical collection of short stories set in an imaginary North American city.

Green Angel by Alice Hoffman – the most beautifully written story of loss and recovery I think I’ve ever read.

Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery – the classic tale of an orphan taken in by a brother and sister, and how she changes their lives. The sequels are favouites too.

The Wood Wife by Terri Windling – an otherworldly tale set in Arizona.

I daresay that as I look on the bookshelves for these I’ll find others that tempt me in. What a lovely thought.

And from old favourites to a new book out for Christmas. You will see an advert for it on my website; it’s called 365 Silly Jokes For Kids and has been published to raise funds for Martha Care, a small but incredibly valuable charity that provides support and advice to parents of children admitted to hospital in crisis with injury or long term/teminal illness. Please buy this book and help them to continue supporting families going through their worst nightmare. Many thanks.

Izzy

Do you reread books?

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stack of old books

I was thinking about this the other day. Why reread a book? There are so many other books out there, fantastic books, amazing books, new ones by your favourite authors, other ones recommended by your friends that will take you somewhere new and exciting, perhaps one that grabs you from the bookshelf in the library or bookshop and insists that you read it because it just looks so interesting.

Yet many people have a favourite book or two ( or three or four) that they go back to more than once. I certainly do. My Mum in law Betty did too. She read voraciously but every year or two she would reread Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wax Fruit by Guy McCrone, just because she loved the stories and the way they were told.

For me, rereading my favourites is like a comfort blanket. I can disappear into a story and a world that I know really well and leave reality behind for a bit We tend to do that whenever we read, but having something familiar and beautiful, even if it’s not all sweetness and light, is so uplifting.

So today, make yourself a nice cup of tea, dust off an old favourite and allow youself some time to indulge

Izzy

Secrets

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Man saying hush!Does everyone have a secret? A big one, a little one, one that makes no real difference or one that could change someone’s life?

Maybe it’s not really yours, but one you’re keeping for someone else. Other people’s secrets can be the really tricky ones, the ones that lay heaviest on you.

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NaNoWriMo update

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Hand writing with pencil

Picture by Caleb Roenigk

NaNoWriMo has been such a great experience so far. It’s been so great having a deadline because it’s made me sit and write EVERY DAY, despite having all the usual things to do as well. If nothing else, it’s taught me that I can make the time if I try hard enough, so I won’t be able to use the ‘too much else to be done’ excuse any more! Continue reading →

Masks

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Venetian carnival maskThey’re fascinating, aren’t they?

Decadent Venetian carnival masks, eerie African death masks, elegant eye masks on wands, and let’s not forget the superheroes and their disguises. Masks can be beautiful, frightening, plain, ornate, but all of them have that strange draw.

They seem to tap into something quite primal in us, eliciting an emotional response even before we’ve even fully processed the image. It’s not fear exactly but a combination of unease and awe. Continue reading →

NaNoWriMo

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Heavily edited book with pen

Picture by Nic Mcphee

Just in case you’ve not heard of this, November is National Novel Writing Month. And it’s not just a celebration of the novel and writers and a stimulus to start one or finish one or even read one.  No. As if the thought of writing a novel isn’t daunting enough NaNoWriMo is the month when you write THE WHOLE THING! IN 30 DAYS! Madness… or is it? Continue reading →

Halloween

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Halloween GraveyardHurray! It’s Halloween! Today is a day when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest and magic is all around, so keep your eyes open and you may just luck into some. Although its modern celebration is with dressing up and trick-or-treating, traditionally it’s a day to honour ancestors and those we love who have passed on. In Mexico they celebrate the Days of the Dead, when loved ones can come back to spend time with their living relatives. In pagan traditions it’s called Samhain and is widely regarded as the end of the old year and the beginning of the new.

So after you’ve carved a scary face on the pumpkin, and the trick-or-treaters have emptied your cupboard of sweeties and apples, take a quiet moment to light a candle and remember those who have gone before. Wishing you all a lovely Halloween.

 

Candles

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CandleCandles have a magic all their own. From the time before electricity and gas when they were the light in the darkness, they have come to symbolize so many things for us now, love, reverence, remembrance, hope. They are used in celebration, relaxation, meditation and probably a few other -ations that elude me now, not to mention their importance in romance and their supreme usefulness during a power cut. Candlelight has that mystical quality that is comforting and a little eerie at the same time, so lovely as the darkness covers us earlier, and the clouds blanket us from brightness. Here is an ode to the candle, a spooky little poem in the run up to Halloween. Continue reading →

Wonder

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Magic happened to me last week – ‘When Joe Met Alice’ is officially available for download! That may not seem very magical to a lot of people, but actually the fact that you can press a few buttons and have virtually any book you choose on your device ready to read in a matter of moments is nothing short of miraculous. Magic is seeing the ordinary through different eyes and accepting the wonder of it. So next time we see a beautiful view, or light pouring through the trees, or our loved ones smiling at us, let’s allow ourselves that moment of wonder. Here’s one of mine, in a poem.

Toad - By Walter Siegmund (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsTOAD

Tucked behind the log pile and
Hidden in the hedge,
He had backed into a fallen flowerpot.
That was how I saw him.
His earthen skin,
Well disguised amongst roots and branches,
Stood out against the terracotta.
Crouched so still
With limbs drawn beneath him,
He might have passed for a rock,
Except for his eyes, obsidian, brilliant,
And the slight shiver of his breath.
He knows more than he’s telling,
That toad, old as stone.