It’s here! David and the Kingmaker, the latest book from your charming Crafty host, Fiona Veitch Smith, has arrived from the printers and is ready to ship to bookshops. It looks absolutely gorgeous. As usual, my illustrator Amy Barnes has done an incredible job. I did a reading of the book on Sunday to a lively group of under 7s and their parents. They loved the antics of the sheep and were wide-eyed when Young David was chosen to be king.
I know everyone says it, but this book and its prequel, David and the Hairy Beast, will make great Christmas presents. You can place an order through any bookshop in the world (that’s right, anywhere on planet earth) or, if you want it quicker, you can order directly from the Crafty Publishing website.
If you are in the Newcastle upon Tyne area on Saturday 26 November, Amy and I will be giving a talk about our creative process and how picture books are written and illustrated. Click here for directions and details.
The Crafty Writer is proud to announce the launch of its new publishing wing, Crafty Publishing. Some ‘how to’ books based on the popular Crafty Courses are in the pipeline but for now we’re launching with a stunning children’s picture book called David and the Hairy Beast, the first in a series of six.
David and the Hairy Beast
David’s dad gives him a very important job to do. But can the shepherd boy overcome his fear of the Hairy Beast to save the flock?
Written by Fiona Veitch Smith.
Illustrations by Amy Barnes.
Drop by Crafty Publishing now to order your copy.
An orphanage helper shares a book with a young readerA friend of mine is a humanitarian aid worker in Banja Luka, Bosnia. In one of her recent newsletters she mentioned that she had started a book club at a local orphanage. I thought Crafty readers would be interested to hear how books and the love of reading are helping to touch lives. And if you are touched enough to give financial aid to this worthy project, all the better! So without further ado, over to Belinda: Continue reading ‘Book club at Bosnian orphanage’
I’m very pleased to be working with publisher Nick Rose and composer Mike Roberts on the musical version of Myro the Microlight. Mike is currently working on a cantata (a performance ‘package’ for school choirs)and I am helping write the narration. There is already a lively CD to accompany the Myro books so children can sing along to their favourite stories. For more on the Myro series visit www.myro.com.
It’s great to be working on a new project. Illustrator Amy Barnes and I are working on a series of children’s picture books about the life of the biblical King David when he was a boy – the Young David books. So far I’ve written three out of six titles. Check out Amy’s stunning illustrations to get a taste of the project so far. 
If you would like to learn more about how to write picture books, check out my series of articles on writing for children, and specifically the article on writing picture books.
Myro the Microlight, a series of children’s picture books on which I’ve worked as a writer for the last five years, has been launched. From sheep rescues and bush fires to supersonic plane crashes and meetings with a broken-down Tiger Moth, not even the sky’s the limit for this high flying hero.
I’ve been proud to work with a team of very talented people headed up by series creator Nick Rose and am thrilled that the first six books are now on the shelves.
The stories are about the adventures of Myro, a little microlight who moves to Australia from Britain. They’re aimed at boys and girls from 3 – 7 and are both educational and entertaining.
Apart from the books, there is a cd of singalong Myro songs and we’ve just started work on the pilot of a DVD series (I’m working as the screenwriter). Children can also have fun with the interactive website and join the Myro Club.
Writing for Children
If you would like to learn more about this topic, check out my series of articles on writing for children, and specifically the article on writing picture books.
In my creative and non-fiction writing classes there are always people who want to write stories about animals. Here’s a contest for you.
The Angel Animals Network 2010 True Story Contest is now accepting submissions of true stories of animals helping children, parents, and families deal with difficult situations and circumstances. Animals featured can be dogs, cats, horses, gerbils, rabbits, ferrets, or any house pet or animal in nature. They can be family pets or therapy, assistance, or service animals.
The stories can be written by parents or guardians of children or by the children or teens themselves. Stories can also be written by adults who recall a special animal from childhood or teen years who helped them through a tough period.
This contest hopes to find real-life stories that demonstrate animals comforting and helping to heal children during everyday ups and downs or traumatic events such as divorce or other losses. The stories can depict how children and teens de-stress with animals while learning valuable life lessons. The deadline is 15 September 2010. For more details visit Angel Animals.
That’s the tagline for the first part of my SF mystery story, The Dreamsavers, appearing in this month’s edition of Aquila magazine. So if you have children in the 8 – 13 age bracket, why not order a copy now? The second part will be out next month. Aquila have published a number of my other short stories including The Wheelchair Wonder and the two-part Murder in the Deep.
Whether we like it or not, stories in the form of books and broadcast programmes are commercial products. This crossover between art and commerce is perhaps most evident in children’s stories and their subsequent product ’spin-offs’. As writers we need to be aware of what those spin-offs may be and whether or not we are comfortable being used to flog them to children. The Crafty Writer asked Dr Dan Acuff, a marketing consultant for companies such as Nickelodeon, Disney, Hallmark, Warner Bros., Scholastic and Lucas-Speilberg, what a writer needs to consider.
Continue reading ‘Commercial exploitation of children’s books’
There’s a new writer in the world of children’s fiction and her name is Kelsey Drake. Kelsey’s first published book is Scordril, a novel for the 9 – 12 age group. It’s the story of a lair of dragons who are under attack from the sinister ‘night dragons’, wielding an ancient and dangerous magic. But what the readers of ‘Scordril’ may not realise is that Kelsey Drake is actually two people: Eleanor Patrick and Sue Brownless. The Crafty Writer asked Eleanor and Sue about their experience of co-authoring and self-publishing their first novel.
Eleanor Patrick
Sue Brownless
Continue reading ‘Co-authoring: when two become one’
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, editor, author, playwright, screenwriter and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you to become a better writer. 
