Author's Published Works Outgrow her Bookcase!

We are delighted to celebrate with the very lovely Anita Loughrey Super SCBWI Volunteer, organiser of London* and much published author!

A few weeks ago Anita revealed on Facebook that the Loughrey household had a furniture issue. Namely that Anita's published works had outgrown her bookcase. If that's not something to celebrate I don't know what is. Over to Anita...


'This month I celebrated two deliveries of new books. The first was from Ransom publishing and contained the second series of Starstruck books co-written with Steve Rickard under the pseudonym of Cathy West. They are aimed at fourteen year old girls with a reading age of seven. There are six new books in the new series – Bollywood, Hip-Hop, Street Style, Street Theatre, Star Singer and Stand-up Comedy.

The second parcel was from Harper Collins and contained the Science Around You teacher resources written for the Abu Dhabi Education Council and are closely matched to their science curriculum. The ADE resources include two teacher folders, two pupils' books, two homework books, two practical books and two digital resource packs aimed at Year Two (6-7 years olds).

The piles of books sat on my desk for several weeks because there was no room on my bookshelf to put them. I had mixed feelings – I am very proud that I have written so many books – there are 68 in total, although some are now out of print. But, the thought of having to clear a shelf and maybe even tidy my study gave me a headache. I was moved into action though because I got another commission and I needed room on my desk to start it. So after much deliberation, I decided to clear the bookshelf above the original bookshelf. The shelf to be cleared was full of Writers’ Forum magazines, which contain my monthly column on Research Secrets. I have written this column since October 2008 and so the shelf contained 61 copies of Writers’ Forum. Most of these magazines have been put in the attic and I have only kept this year’s in a magazine holder on another shelf, which contains, ‘Magazines I have written for’.

The New Bookcase!

I have measured my published books on the two shelves and they are not quite a metre long - they are 91cms. However, this does not include the Adventure Passport project, which is due for release at the end of September. I am thinking I may need to clear another shelf.'

Adventure Passport due for release this month!

Congratulations Anita!

We wish you much strength, emotional and physical, to face yet another round of tidying up.

Aahh, the trials of publication!

*We think Anita probably could organise London but at the moment she does a brilliant job with the SCBWI London network and their amazing socials.

Let's drink a toast to Lydia Syson, and celebrate with Gladiators and Summer Explorers

Don't you just love to sip at something cold and fizzy on a hot day? I'm so excited to crack open the champers and celebrate this week's sparkling SCBWI successes. First, a huge Hip Hip Hooray for Lydia Syson who, with her editor Sarah Odedina, was Highly Commended for A World Between Us at the Branford Boase Award ceremony on Thursday. You can read about Lydia’s book here if you missed it. And then raise your glasses to Marnie Riches and Cath Howe whose books have just launched.

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Cath Howe thrilled everyone at the SCBWI retreat with a reading of her funny yet creepy mystery, so I was delighted to hear she has just published two books of plays, Summer Explorers and Curious Cases with Pearson. Any drama teachers among you might want to check them out. 

The Summer Explorers book has two plays about the same group of children on a seaside holiday. In the first they use a metal detector on the beach with interesting results. In the second, they are in the cottage late one evening and creepy things happen. Curious Cases is about a boy who wakes one morning to discover he has grown giant feathered feet! His family are pretty horrified and rush him to the local doctor. 

Cath says: “There is definitely a creepy thread in my writing!! And I love trying to get the dialogue really natural. The complicated bit was trying to make sure all the parts were pretty equal.” 

 Cath Howe is an author and teacher working in South West London writing for, and working with, Key Stage 2 primary age children. Her first two books were published in 2012 by Pearson in their Bug Club, The Curse of the Highwayman and The Highwayman’s Revenge, and she has been known to dress as a highwayman for school visits. She has won prizes for stories, poems and monologues and also runs workshops in schools on everything to do with writing and performing, teaches gifted writers, coaches children for auditions, develops plays and scripts for festivals; everything about being inspired and creative. The plays are for reading aloud, as part of Pearson's Bug Club. 

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@Marnie_Riches

And now for a big Hurrah! for Marnie Riches who has just published Gladiator Clash, the first in a six book historical fiction series for 7+ called, Time-Hunters. The book will share its book birthday of 4th July 2013 with three others in the series: Knight Quest, Viking Raiders and Greek Warriors, all published by HarperCollins Children's under the pseudonym, Chris Blake. This romp through history follows the adventures of ten-year-old Tom, Isis, a young Egyptian princess, and her mummified moggy, Cleo, as they collect six amulets on a thrilling treasure hunt through time.

 The blurb reads: Join two brave heroes on one incredible treasure hunt through the most exciting moments in history. 

Marnie grew up on one of the roughest council estates in Manchester. Fortunately, with the gift of a good brain and the ability to talk rubbish in several different languages, she ended up with a degree from Cambridge University in German and Dutch. She has been a punk, a trainee rock star, a pretend artist, a wannabe renovator of houses and a professional fundraiser. Now she writes funny novels for children and crime thrillers for adults. She is represented by AM Heath.

So while you're relaxing in the sun this weekend, please raise your glasses and say an extra big cheers to Lydia, Cath and Marnie!

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Tania Tay is an ex-advertising copywriter and has been published in Sable LitMag. She is writing MG and YA fiction, and is on the editorial team at Words & Pictures.