Camilla Chester - Children's Author
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Competition Open!

18/4/2022

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You can now enter the competition to become a dancer at the book launch of Call Me Lion! All the information is on my book launch/competition page and you can watch the video all about it below,  which is now on YouTube.

​Don't forget that you do not have to enter the competition to get tickets for the launch. They are now available on Eventbrite - the link to which is on my book launch/competition page too. 

Good luck if you're entering!
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Gorgeous Reviews of Call Me Lion

15/4/2022

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SCBWI Writing Retreat

22/3/2022

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You have to know by now that SCBWI is the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

I've been a member of SCBWI British Isles for over seven years and a volunteer for the last five. Every year there is a SCBWI writing retreat which is held in this beautiful house near Evesham in Worcestershire. 

It is always a magical experience to go and surround myself with children's writers and each time I come away with something different.
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This year two brilliant authors  attended as our speakers and supporters, Jo Nadin (left) and Sara Grant (right). Both gave very different but equally inspirational talks and critiqued our work too. I've now got lots of ideas of where to go next with my writing.
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The most amazing part of this retreat is how I came away feeling part of something important. We're all trying to do something incredible; to write powerful, inspirational stories that get into the hands of children. We want them to feel motivated to read more and maybe even write their own stories. We want our books to help children understand themselves and others better, to show and feel empathy. It is incredibly important work because well-read children lead fuller and happier lives. The retreat reminds me of the bigger picture of what we are all trying to achieve and I feel very privileged to be part of something so wonderful as the SCBWI British Isles. 
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Farm Research

13/3/2022

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It's time to return to my City Farm Series that I write for 2Simple (the school resource company) and so off I went for some research on a working farm.

A weekend away with this friendly bunch meant   feeding pigs, checking sheep and having a go at hand milking (which is not as easy as it looks). I even got up close and personal with Daffodil, the week-old calf. Adorable!
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The other amazing thing was that the farmhouse was full of books. Animals during the day and reading at night - my kind of heaven. Of course I added mine to the vast collection as a thank you for the incredible weekend.

Now... back to Cate and her next exciting adventure.

BTW...If you want to find out more about the writing I do for 2Simple as part of their Serial Mash Scheme, then please visit their website: 2Simple
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Cover Revealed!

18/2/2022

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Did you manage to make it all the way to my blog page without seeing this image? I very much doubt it as I have literally splattered it all over the place. 

Designed by Becka Moor at Firefly Press and illustrated by the talented Irina Avgustinovich, the cover for Call Me Lion was officially revealed on Twitter by Vicky Bishop, Teacher, Blogger and Reviewer. 

If you're on Twitter you can see the Tweet here: Cover Reveal

As you can tell I'm thrilled. This is totally how I imagined Lion and Richa. The warmth of the heatwave and the joy from their dancing is bouncing out of this stunning image.

If you would like to pre-order the book which is out on June 16 you can do so by asking for it in your local bookstore, or by visiting Waterstones. 

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Proofs Have Arrived

16/2/2022

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Very excited to say that my two proof copies of my new book, Call Me Lion, which is out on June 16 with Firefly Press arrived on my doormat this weekend.

Even though this cover is beautiful it's not the finished article. This is called a holding cover.  The actual cover will be revealed on Twitter on Friday morning. I'll share it here but do look out for it if you're on Social Media because it's an absolute stunner and I'm in awe of the illustrator Irina Avgustinovich. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the publishing process, these 'proofs' are a trial run and very few are printed. It is for us to check for any final errors and for early readers, like bloggers, librarians and booksellers to take a look at the story to see if it's something they want to shout about. They are also called ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies). 
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This means that reviews of the book may start to come at any time. In fact I spotted the first one on Goodreads today. It's absolutely magnificent because it's 5 stars and says all wonderful things about the book. You can read it here: Call Me Lion Goodreads Review.

This book didn't just come from me. It tells an important story that we could all benefit from remembering but it's full of wonderful dancing and a happy dog to make sure it's fun too. I hope you will enjoy it as much as this reviewer did when it's your turn to read it.

Thanks so much everyone!
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9th Harpenden Cub Pack Visits

3/2/2022

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I've been busy this week doing author visits to both cub packs of 9th Harpenden.

Author visits are hands-down my absolute favourite thing about being a children's author. It's fantastic to meet readers and do fun stuff like quizzes and games and activities. 

It's also totally brilliant to hear their story ideas, from flying elephants, to aliens with laser beams it's all wild, adventurous and exciting. 

So a huge thank you to both Elbrus and Everest packs for inviting me to meet you all. 

​It was a blast!
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Boot Camp

25/1/2022

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Last weekend I attended my second SCBWI Debut Bootcamp. This time instead of being held at Goldsmiths Uni it was all online. Strangely that seemed to make it more tiring!

The event is run by SCBWI BI which, most of you will know, is the organisation I volunteer with that helps support and inform Children's writers and illustrators at all stages of their journey.

It was a jam packed weekend, which either reminded me, informed me or reassured me about all the things I need to be aware of about launching a children's book into the world.

Call Me Lion is due to be published on 16 June 2022. The cover reveal will be sometime towards the end of February and there may be all kinds of exciting things happening leading up to the launch which I will share with you all here and on social media. If you want to find me on Twitter or Insta I'm @camillacauthor. I'm not hugely active as it fries my brain to spend too long on my phone, but I do dip in and out. I'm also on Facebook and Linked-In. 

Always the best thing about events is meeting with fellow writers. I feel like I have a whole new group of people now going through the same exciting adventure as me. Everything is much better when you don't feel alone.

Onwards!
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What are you reading?

21/1/2022

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Lazy morning reading in my PJs. 

This book is FABULOUS!

What are you all reading?
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

26/12/2021

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This festive photo represents the best thing in my life to have come from the pandemic. These wonderful fellow women writers are from top left; Sarah Broadley, Mandy Rabin, Me, Suzie Wilde, Susan Bain, Charlotte Teeple-Salas and Kitty Kettle (we're missing our eighth member Linda Nelson) and represent the most supportive, encouraging and writing friends ever! 

When the first lockdown cancelled our writing retreat we started meeting daily via zoom. We still  try to meet every day to talk writing and motivate one another, but over time this has spilled into general friendship and support.

Instead of gifts this year we made personalised bookmarks for one another, which is what we're waving in the photo. 

Here's to 2022, may it be filled with stories that we create for you, our readers.

All the best and I'll see you on the other side!
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