Issue 19 – May 2022

Editor’s Letter

This month, I’ve been working with a variety of children’s story authors. Sandra Gordon has finalised her book: Teddy and I’ve also been working with Nathalia Tolesano on two picture books she’s written while on maternity leave with her first baby, Louise Shaw began writing her 5-8 year old early readers in 2007, about a community of fairies, which is partly autobiographical, she’s finally been brave enough to think about publishing these and we’ve begun editing the first of what will likely be around ten books for this age range. I continued working with Danny Fuller on his second round of edits for his memoir, Marked for Life: Tattooing Through the Golden Age and finally, I began to investigate recording a monthly podcast where I hope to speak to and unlock secrets from different areas of publishing. Please let me know if there are any professionals you’d like to me speak with to help you with your writing? 

Happy writing,

Lesley

Contents: Writing prompts, book reviews

Writing Prompts

He groaned loudly as he came into the lounge to find Love Island playing and a roomful of her friends …

Looking through her ankles during a downward dog pose at her local gym, she couldn’t believe the scene that was unfolding just beyond her stretch class …

Was it the jalepenos that were making him feel so unwell? His throat closed and his tongue swelled; through blurring eyes he caught sight of his girlfriend watching him with an expression that could only be described as bitter …

Book Reviews  

Paddington’s Finest Hour, by Michael Bond

I adore Paddington, so I’m afraid my review will be incredibly biased!

I’ve subsequently discovered that this was Michael Bond’s last Paddington book, which he wrote at the grand age of 91. The illustrations were done by my favourite Paddington illustrator, R. W. Alley, whose Paddington is delightfully whimsical and has the most lustrous black fluffy ears. Seven new Paddington stories are included in this volume, which includes all of Paddington’s friends and nemisis, Mr Curry, alongside the Brown’s and Mrs Bird.

The stories are hilarious and a brilliant example comes when Paddington is sent off in the rain to post an important letter for Mr Brown. He gets back to the car where the family are huddled, trying to keep warm and to distract a police officer who’s suspicious about why there’s a bear in the car and opens the umbrella in the car – soaking every member of the family.

Paddington gets his own back on Mr Curry after he has his plants stolen from his rockery in advance of the garden show competition. This shows that while Paddington is often naive, which is a huge part of his charm and gets him out of so many sticky situations of his own creation, that he’s got the measure of Mr Curry and is able to get his revenge in a wholly wide-eyed and innocent way – go Paddington!

Did I love this book? Hell yes. Could you tell?

The Shadowing, by Rhiannon Ward

I loved this new gothic tale from author Rhiannon Ward, which tells the story of Hester who’s determined to get to the bottom of her sister’s death. Sarah’s family are Quaker’s and her strict father rules the family with a cast iron hand. He doesn’t want Hester’s sister’s name spoken in the house and it’s clear that she’s left the family home in disgrace. Hester sees visions of her sister and of dead people and her sister seems to be urging her to uncover the truth about the section for fallen girls in the workhouse.

The story is fast-paced and believable, Rhiannon’s research is impeccable and the story is grim and you’re left with a sense of life being dismissed if the circumstances surrounding someone’s life leave them in poverty.