This week we’re celebrating the launch of two wonderful picture books. Alice Hemming’s The Black and White Club and Julie Fulton’s Dorothy-Jane Was Ever So Vain - the third in her popular Ever So series - were both published by Maverick in September.
First let's raise our glasses to debut author Alice Hemming and toast the future success of her picture book, The Black and White Club. It’s set in a wildlife park, where the penguins have set up a club for black and white animals only. George the giraffe feels left out so he starts his own club, which turns out to be a lot more inclusive and a lot more fun.
Alice says "This book was inspired by my experiences of forming secret clubs as a child. Great fun if you can join but not as much fun if you're on the outside. I am delighted that Maverick matched me with the illustrator Kimberley Scott, who has produced some amazing, colourful and funny illustrations."
You can catch up with Alice at her website here. Alice is known to some SCBWI friends as Alice Thorp but writes under her maiden name of Hemming. She lives in Hertford with her husband and two small children. She writes for children of all ages, but is mainly writing picture books. She originally joined SCBWI in about 2004 as an illustrator but that is on hold at the moment while she concentrates on her writing. She enjoys being part of the fantastic SCBWI picture book critique group, Eureka!, who are helping her develop future projects.
Next, congratulations go to Julie Fulton whose third book in the Ever So series, Miss Dorothy-Jane was Ever So Vain was published in September. And here's a link to the charming trailer for the Ever So series if case you haven't seen it...
Julie tells us how the Ever So series came about: "Mrs MacCready Was Ever So Greedy started out life as a nonsense verse, something to offer as the week’s homework at writing class, nothing more. It sort of popped up out of the ether. Constant, year-long nagging from the tutor and classmates persuaded me to submit and I’m still startled every time I remember it’s now in print. A radio interview, where the presenter suddenly began making up other fun titles (not necessarily usable in children’s literature), coupled with my Mum’s insistence that the ‘Ever So’ series sounded good, made me experiment with writing more. So far, so good, but I do wonder when usable character traits may run out...’
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| @Joolze |
Julie grew up on the likes of Dr Seuss, Hillaire Belloc, Edward Lear & Spike Milligan, so it's little wonder she enjoys writing silly, rhyming stories like the Ever So series. She now lives in rural Worcestershire where, apart from trying to find more time to write her picture books and MG novels, she teaches music, reads, gardens, dances and sings. It keeps her out of trouble, usually. You can catch up with Julie at her website here.
Please join me in wishing every success to Alice and Julie for The Black and White Club and Dorothy-Jane Was Ever So Vain.
Tania Tay is an ex-advertising copywriter and has been published in Sable LitMag. She is currently writing a YA romantic thriller, and is on the editorial team at Words & Pictures.
This weeks Celebrations may inspire pre-published authors to come along to a SCBWI event soon...
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| @alexthepink |
I was extremely excited to find out that fellow retreatee Alex English, arrived home from last month's inspirational SCBWI retreat to some fantastic news. Waiting on the doormat was a contract for her first picture book, The Yak that said Yuck. It will be published by Maverick in the UK in 2014.
Debut SCBWI author Alex English studied maths at university and worked as an actuary for several years before swapping sums for puns and retraining as a journalist. She has a passion for obscure animals and is thrilled that her yak will soon be coming to life. She lives in south east London with her husband and young son and is currently beavering away on more picture books and young fiction. She’s also one of the regular contributors at Words & Pictures. So hip hip hooray for Alex and The Yak that said Yuck – what a brilliant title, I can’t wait to read it!
A SCBWI workshop bagged Ruth an agent and a publishing deal!
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| @writingruth |
If you’ve joined SCBWI but never attended an event, then Ruth Fitzgerald’s story will encourage you to come along… Ruth has been a SCBWI member for three years but only plucked up the courage to go to an event last year. She was very glad she did go though as it was there that she met agent, Gemma Cooper, from The Bent Agency, and one of our helpful agents in the Ask an Agent column. Gemma loved the sample Ruth read out at the workshop and immediately asked to be sent the rest of the manuscript. Soon after, Gemma became Ruth’s agent and has also become a great advisor and friend. In May, it was announced that Gemma has sold Ruth's middle-grade novel Emily Sparkes and the Friendship Fiasco to Little Brown Young Readers in a four book deal. Woohooo!
The novel centres on eleven year old, Emily Sparkes who thinks she has an awful lot to put up with having a new baby at home and zombie parents but the very worst thing is that her best friend has moved away. The story follows Emily's increasingly desperate attempts to get a new best friend in time for the school trip. Ruth loves tea, charity shops and chickens. She lives in Suffolk with her family. She is currently studying for an MA in Creative Writing with Manchester Metropolitan University.
What an amazing story, let’s all say a huge hurrah for Ruth!
That’s it for this week and don’t forget to send in your good news to celebrations@britishscbwi.org so we can say a big woo-oop woo-oop with you!
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.
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| Steve Hartley |
I'm thrilled to report the launch of a brand new series from Steve Hartley; breaking news for Anne Marie Conway; shortlistings for Sam Hepburn and a series deal for Julie Fulton!
The first in a new series for age 7+, Oliver Fibbs: Attack of the Alien Brain by Steve Hartley was published by Macmillan Children's Books in January. The second book, Oliver Fibbs and the Giant Boy-Munching Bugs will be published in June. Oliver Fibbs is described as an ordinary boy with an extraordinary imagination, quite frankly that sounds just like Steve Hartley!
Steve was one of the deserved winners of the 2009 Undiscovered Voices competition. As a result, he got an agent, then a publishing deal, and in 2010 the first books in his Danny Baker Record Breaker series were published. Eight books later, Steve and his huge pink pants and giant bogey are in great demand for school visits and festivals - and adult writers’ workshops!
If you ever get a chance to go to a writers workshop with Steve Hartley - go. Funny, warm, full of energy and with an amazing feel for character it's no surprise that Steve's books are doing so well.
A huge hoorah for Anne-Marie Conway author of Butterfly Summer the first in the Star  |
| Anne Marie Conway |
Makers series. Despite a very strong shortlist, I'm delighted to announce that Butterfly Summer has WON the Oxford Book Awards. The next book in the series, Forbidden Friends, is due to be released on May 1st.
The Star Makers series is for all children aged 8+ who love to sing dance and act! Butterfly Summer is a dark and mysterious novel for slightly older children, and Forbidden Friends tells the story of two girls who become best friends but discover that a secret that binds both their families in the most tragic way might keep them apart forever.
Anne-Marie lives in London with her husband and two boys and spends her time writing, teaching dance and drama at a local primary school, and running her own theatre club for children on Saturday afternoons. Sounds like excellent research Anne- Marie. Well done!
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| Sam Hepburn |
Sam Hepburn also has a new book coming out. Sam, who worked for many years as a documentary maker for the BBC, has also published two teen fantasies under the name Samira Osman - Quicksilver and Serpent's Gold - and was longlisted for the Waterstones and Branford Boase awards in 2010. Her writing has been described as "Smart entertainment deftly done" by the Financial Times and "Superbly constructed and vividly depicted" by Daily Telegraph.
Her new book, teen thriller Chasing the Dark was bought by Chicken House after Sam won a one-to-one with Barry Cunningham at the SCBWI 2011 conference and will be published on 3rd June this year. Fantastic SCBWI news indeed - and it's available to pre-order . I know because I've already ordered mine!
Julie Fulton rounds off this week's amazing SCBWI success stories. Her first picture book  |
| Julie Fulton |
‘MrsMacCready Was Ever So Greedy’ has done so well that Maverick Books have requested a series. The second tale came out this February – ’Tabitha Posy Was Ever So Nosy’ and the third is due for release at the end of September – ‘Miss Dorothy-Jane Was Ever So Vain’.
After that they’re aiming for a book every September, to fit in with illustrator Jona Jung's busy timetable. Julie says 'The fourth looks like being about a rather lazy boy. It's very much a work in progress at the moment.'
Julie lives in Worcestershire, where she reads, gardens, goes narrow boating, looks after her friends’ dogs, dances and sings, though not necessarily all at once or even in that order. She works as a music teacher but she now feels able to mention her writing when asked what she does. I'm not surprised Julie - I'd be shouting it from the roof tops, A Scooby Writer's Future Is Brighter!
Don't forget the Brand New 2014 Undiscovered Voices Competition launched this week - event report here. I'm looking forward to celebrating masses of success so get entering - you have nothing to lose, even if you don't win you WILL get your work under the noses of a tip top selection of judges.
Do it!
Kathy Evans is Celebrations Editor for Words & Pictures. She is South East Network Coordinator with Mariam Vossough and is represented by Sophie Hicks at Ed Victor.
First let's raise our glasses to debut author Alice Hemming and toast the future success of her picture book, The Black and White Club. It’s set in a wildlife park, where the penguins have set up a club for black and white animals only. George the giraffe feels left out so he starts his own club, which turns out to be a lot more inclusive and a lot more fun. 
Tania Tay is an ex-advertising copywriter and has been published in Sable LitMag. She is currently writing a YA romantic thriller, and is on the editorial team at Words & Pictures.
