Blog of Camilla Chester - Children's Author

Judith Kerr

23/5/2019

Just taking a moment to think about Judith Kerr as she died today.

Feel free to look back over my old blog posts as it is not that long ago that I visited the superb Judith Kerr exhibition that is currently running at The Discover Children's Stories Centre in East London. If you get a chance to visit I really recommend it. It seems particularly important now, especially if, like me, you have been touched by the amazing contribution that Judith made to the world of Children's Literature. Imagine how poorer the world would be if Mog had never been in it.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit was a book that I remember vividly from my own childhood and I still own a copy of When The Tiger Came To Tea that both my own children adored (as did I).

Thank you Judith for all your wonderful stories. We will miss you, but your characters will live on.

Words and Pictures

14/5/2019

I have an article in Words and Pictures this week, all about a masterclass I attended on world building that was run by Penny Thomas, co-founder of Firefly Press.

If you would like to take a look please click on this link: Words and Pictures

Back Home!

30/4/2019

Finally back from my amazing adventures. I wrote NOTHING whilst I was away, but I've had loads of advice, help and support from some amazing people in Singapore.

The first picture is Marian Mariano. She was my sister-in-law, Nicola Harayda's (pictured with Marian in the photo below) helper. She lived and worked with the family in Singapore for many years, becoming a close friend.

Marian's help with the fourth book has been so valuable and I'm very grateful to her for everything she has given me. She is a kind, warm, generous person, full of life and I hope that she will stay in touch even now she is off on her own new life adventure which has taken her away from Singapore.

Nicola has always been supportive and encouraging of my writing and without her help this fourth book would not have come to life. The idea stemmed from a trip to Singapore two years ago and I've been playing around with it ever since. Nicola is one of the very few who has read the book in its' current draft. I was quite nervous of her opinion, but thankfully she loved it.

Nicola also told me all about HOME, an organisation in Singapore that helps migrant workers. Through HOME (Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics) I met Karien Van Ditzhuijzen (pictured left below). Karien used to manage HOME and is an author. She read the story and has given me some excellent advice to improve the book and make it more authentic. I'm very grateful to her.

I visited the HOME office and met with Desiree Leong (pictured below to the right). She is a Legal Consultant at HOME and helped me with some of the details of the book.

The trip was still a holiday, I saw and experienced all kinds of amazing things in the three countries I visited, but I wanted to share how useful it was too in terms of making the new book as good as it can be. For me the research was interesting, fun and amazingly useful, even if I've left the rewriting until I got home. You know what I will be doing over the next few weeks. Watch this space!

Off to Singapore

31/3/2019

I'll be quiet on my blog for the next few weeks as I am off on another adventure. This time it is back to Singapore, a country I have visited a few times, as I have family there.

For those of you who have been part of any of my recent school visits, you will know that my latest book (not out yet) is set in Singapore. It is difficult for me to tell you anything else about the book as it is currently doing well in a competition and it is important that I remain anonymous. The results of the competition are to be announced in June, so watch this space and keep your fingers crossed for me!

Part of the Singapore visit will be to check details and make sure the new book is authentic and accurate. It is also to see family and visit the amazing sites of Singapore.

It is an incredible place to visit, I love it. We're also going to Vietnam for a few days AND stopping in Dubai for a few nights on the way back to the UK. What an adventure!

I'm hoping to bring back even more characters and story ideas.

To make you all even more jealous of my travels here are some pictures that I took whilst on my last visit to Singapore a couple of years ago. The first is one of my favourite places: Gardens by the Bay, as featured in David Attenborough's Blue Planet series.

Writing Retreat

27/3/2019

,I have just returned from a SCBWI Writing Retreat here, at Holland House, near Evesham in Worcestershire. Gorgeous isn't it?

The long weekend gives a chance to relax, think, write, attend workshops and have a one-to-one with a professional in order to talk about whatever you are writing at the time.

The house was gorgeous, the food amazing and although I didn't write that much, I laughed so hard I cried! I learned a whole heap of useful stuff from the masters.

Love the SCBWI tribe - a quirky, wonderfully supportive and creative bunch. A special thanks to Susan and Phillipa for organising. Definitely be back next year!

What Am I Reading?

19/3/2019

It has been AGES since I've blogged about what I am reading and, as usual, I have reads lots of books. The children's books I've read that you might be interested to know about are: The Boy Who Grew Dragons trilogy by Andy Shepherd, The Confidence Code for Girls by Katty Kay, The Last Chance Hotel by Nickie Thornton, The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper, Artemis Fowl (the first one) by Eoin Colfer, and Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll. I've also read a few adult books.

More recently I have been reading Young Adult (YA) novels because, whilst I wait to see how my Singapore book does in a competition, I'm busy planning out an idea for a teen romance novel. Some of the books I have been reading to help with this are: Trouble by Non Pratt, The Secret History of Us by Jessie Kirby, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, How I live Now by Meg Rosoff, Girl Missing by Sophie McKenzie, Margot and Me by Juno Dawson, You Don't Know Me by Sophia Bennett and A sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood. They are all very different to one another and not just because they are set in different times and places.

Reading lots in this genre is helping me think about the differences in writing for an older audience. I'm going to have to learn to: slow down, get inside my characters heads more, not over-explain and watch the language that I use to make sure I'm not patronising my readers. Tough learning curve, but I'm going to give it a go and step out of my comfort zone.

Quick reminder that I don't, as a rule, review books I have read on my blog, but I do usually review on Goodreads. If you'd like to know my thoughts on a book head on over to Goodreads, find the book and look for my review. Obviously well known books get lots of reviews so you might have to do some digging to find mine. Happy reading everyone!

Feedback

17/3/2019

It is amazing to receive lovely feedback about a visit. Here is what Tess Hackett, the English Subject Lead at Springmead Primary School had to say about my visit to the school on World Book Day:

Q1: Would you say the children benefited from the author visit and if so how?
The children benefited hugely from the visit. The excitement in the air was obvious on the day and we have seen a follow-up effect in the classrooms, with children reading and talking about the books that they bought and discussing the stories that they wrote in class the next day based on the ‘Box of Wonders’.
Q2: Would you recommend other schools invite Camilla to visit, why?
Yes- the children greatly enjoyed the assembly and workshops and were thrilled to meet a ‘real author’. We have been able to follow up many aspects of Camilla’s talks, including the importance of editing and the joy of the writing process.
Q3: Would the children like to say anything to Camilla about her visit?
‘It was the best World Book Day we’ve ever had!’
Q4: Do you have any other feedback for Camilla?
Thank you for all of your hard work on the day. The children really enjoyed themselves and now have a better understanding of the writing process (and lots more imaginative ideas too)!

If you're interested in finding out more, please visit my Author Visits page. All you need to do is Contact Me, I'd love to hear from you!

Catching Words Project

15/3/2019

Can't tell you how much I'm enjoying working on the Catching Words Project with the schools in East London.

Being part of the Discover Children's Stories Centre in Stratford feels like an honour and a privilege, particularly as there are so few story centres in the UK. The ethos is all about inspiring creativity with words.

These pictures are from my visit to the centre yesterday. Even though I was there to deliver a session to teachers about inspiring children in their creative writing in school, I learned just as much from my fellow artists, Paul (Poet) and Genevieve (Story Teller).

The photos are of the Judith Kerr exhibition that is running at the centre at the moment. Such a thrill to look around as I'm a huge Mog fan. It reminds us all that you don't need space aliens and superheroes to craft a great book for kids. Simple stories about every day life are like magic if they're done well (Okay, I do have to admit that it isn't every day that a tiger comes to tea!)

It's not expensive to go, so if you can I would strongly recommend a visit and if you're a school local to London check out the Catching Words Project - it is fantastic. The feedback we are getting is brilliant.

World Book Day

9/3/2019

For those of you not in the know, World Book Day always falls on the first Thursday in March and it is the busiest time of year for Children's Authors. Here I am on Friday last week, ready and waiting to start my assembly at the fantastic Skyswood Primary School in St Albans.

On World Book Day itself I had a wonderful time with all the children at Springmead Primary School in Welwyn Garden City. It is tradition to dress up as characters from children's books so in the photo below you will see me as Lucas Larks from my book, EATS.

The other author is my SCBWI friend, Anita Lehmann who was entertaining the KS1 children whilst I was busy with KS2. We met during break and lunch. It was good fun to share WBD with a friend. Did you dress up for your WBD this year? I saw lots of great costumes.

If you're thinking of inviting me to your school, please take a look at my Author Visit page for more information.

Where Am I Next?

20/2/2019

I hope you're all having a lovely half-term holiday. It was quiet yesterday at the story-time session at Bill's on Chequers Street, St. Albans but the good news is that if you were away and wanted to come they have invited my back for another session.

Catch me at Bill's on Tuesday 26th February 4-5pm.

The event is totally FREE and even though my books are aimed at 8-12s the session is open to all ages.

The idea is for families to come in for hot chocolate and cake and listen to some stories whilst they are there. I have a whole collection of different books to read from and stories to tell, something to suit all tastes, so do come along and say hello, it would be great to see you!