Visit to Sheet, Petersfield

I've got some wonderful pictures to share with you from my visit to Sheet village and Petersfield in Hampshire. 

I'd been invited by my good friend Suzie Wilde - author of the Book of Bera trilogy (book 3 out in the autumn with Unbound) whom I met through SCBWI. Suzie and I are both in a zoom writing group which began in lockdown and is still going strong.

Suzie kindly put me up overnight. I met her lovely husband Richard and her beautiful black lab, Rain. (I was also treated like a Goddess which I lapped up).  

The visit began with a radio recording with Shine Radio at  One Tree Books which is an Award-Winning Independent bookshop in the centre of Petersfield.

Here I am with Suzie in One Tree Books showing off my Call Me Lion necklace which was a gift from another SCBWI friend, Debbie Edwards. The other photo is me, Tim (the owner of the bookshop) and John (the radio show producer) outside One Tree Books. Poor John has been lumbered with the big box of Call Me Lion books that Tim had ordered for both the shop and in preparation for the school visit.

The radio recording went smoothly, so I am told, although it felt alarming to walk straight in after a fairly long drive. I was reassured that John's editing skills would ensure it would all sound fantastic. Tim was a great interviewer and if you would like to hear the radio recording then you just need to visit the Shine Radio website and click on the Talking Books programme. Or click here: Talking Books July 2022

The next day was the chance to do my very favourite part of being a Children's Author - a school visit.

It has been the one thing that I have missed most about living through the pandemic and to do a visit all about Call Me Lion to Sheet Primary where they were due to put on their own production of The Lion King felt absolutely perfect. Especially when I saw a Lion on the wall of their library

I did workshop work with two different classes, signed books, ate a school dinner with the Y5s and best of all I had the entire school up disco dancing! Teachers, kids, governors - even the chef came out of the kitchen to join in! It was totally magical.

Obviously it's all about the summer holidays now (which you will know is when Call Me Lion is set) so school visits are not happening again until the new term, but if you would like to get involved please do get in touch. I would love to visit your school and will if I can. Until then - keep dancing everyone!