Following the success of the Meet Your Author event at Cambridge Central Library in February we are doing another one!

The event will follow a similar format; a raffle, craft activities, picture book readings, quiz based treasure hunt, with the addition of workshops. In line with the Summer Reading Challenge the theme of the event is SPACE. 

Helen Moss and I will be running an Out of This World Adventure Story Building Workshop. If you don't know Helen Moss or her books, click on her name and check her out - her stories are brilliant fun. 

Lots of fun for all the family - FREE to come along. The workshops are charged at £1 but this can be redeemed for a raffle ticket (amazing signed book bundles and all kinds of goodies on offer).

If you'd like to come along it's on SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2-5 PM AT CAMBRIDGE CENTRAL LIBRARY. 

For those of you who haven't guessed, or didn't know, my books are not traditionally published. In summary, this means that I have paid a publisher to produce them, the publisher has not paid me.

It's been a life-long dream of mine to become a professional Children's Author and for me, this means being traditionally published. In order to do that you have to have an agent. Agents get, on average, 10-40 submissions every week. It's hugely competitive.

When Jarred Dreams was doing well in that first competition, I was really hopeful that I would win the prize of being published with Bloomsbury. When that didn't happen and I found myself back in the 'slush pile', fighting for agent attention, I decided to self-publish the book and worked hard for sales and recognition.

It made enough money for me to go on to self-publish EATS and then Thirteenth Wish, but with all three books I have tried to get agent representation and failed.

When I wrote my fourth book, unlike the others, I knew I wasn't going to self-publish it. Like all things, self-publishing has its limitations, the biggest one being distribution. I have no regrets and I'm proud of everything I have achieved. To be able to hold my books in my hands has made me extremely happy. To hear what readers think, and to go into schools, well... that's been incredible.

But with book 4 I was on Mission Agent! I entered it into all the competitions I could find that I was eligible for and submitted it to several agents. I then signed up to the SPARK scheme with Write Mentor and was lucky to get Emma Barton-Smith.

Emma is wonderful, my SCBWI friends are fantastic, my critique group members (KXC: Annie, Nicky, Zena, Az, Sue and Sarah / Brixton: Asha & Priscilla) are the best, as are my St Albans writing group (particularly Anne, Jonnie and Sally). I've had great support from Librarians, Teachers, Heads, Course Tutors, Literary Festival people, Storytellers and lots of others in this wonderful network of Children's Literature, but none of them can launch me into the world of traditional publishing.

There was no interest from agents or the competitions. I either had nice rejections or heard nothing and then Mslexia happened and EVERYTHING changed. I expected a similar experience to Jarred Dreams, where being a finalist fizzled out into nothingness, but this has been a whirlwind.

Part of the prize of being in the final five was going to a Show Case event at Hachette offices with lots of other writing competition finalists. Here I met many agents and editors and people who were genuinely interested in me and my writing. I was no longer bogged down in the slush pile, they were interested in me!

I've just returned from an amazing weekend where I learned all about the fantastic craft of oral storytelling. Here I am pictured with some of the masters of the trade.

I was lucky enough to attend the course, run by Michael Harvey (pictured directly behind me) and organised by Andy Copps (far left back) designed for people who have been practicing the craft for some time and wanted to develop their skills and understanding.

Being a writer, I was coming in from a different angle, but I found I loved being able to tell my stories by physically embracing my characters. It felt natural to me and it was very helpful of many levels. I used the story I am currently writing (Lion) and brought the scenes to life by telling them  to others.The process helped my understanding of what needed to be highlighted and what was not as important. 

Beyond thrilled to open my postbox today and see that the marvellous books that I helped create during the Catching Words Project had arrived. Five different classes, five very different stories, all weirdly wonderful and all a total joy to help bring to life.

The Catching Words Project is available to any KS1 and KS2 class based in or around London and, because it is subsidised by the Man Charitable Trust and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, it's inexpensive for schools to take part.  

In summary, the class work with a poet, a story teller and a writer to play with words and ideas. The process is overseen by a Discover Story Builder and celebrated with the presentation of their own class book at the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford, East London.

You'd not be surprised to know how rewarding and worthwhile the Catching Words Project is for everyone who takes part (just look how excited I am) not least the children themselves.

To find out more about the project and how you might get your school involved please visit the Catching Words Project page on the Discover Children's Story Centre Website: Find Out More

I'm delighted and honoured to be asked back next year and can't wait to create more magic stories. Love, love, love Catching Words. 

Just a very quick blog post to say that there's an interview with me that has just been published on NFReads. Here is the link if you would like to take a look:  Interview with Camilla Chester

I went to the Katherine Rundell talk with my very good friend Sarah, but was delighted to see some of my SCBWI friends there too. We had to get a group photo. Can you spot Andy Shepherd author of the Boy Who Grew Dragons series?

​Fantastic evening and one I will always remember.

The above photo is genuine proof that I'm a finalist. I think I probably needed to point to the bit about my book just to convince myself that it's true and here I am sharing it with you. It is a wonderful thing and I can't wait to see where it might lead me next. Now off you go and get your face masks on.