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.

SCBWI Celebrates TWO Branford Boase Shortlisters, Double Deals and Exhibitions Large and Small.

The Branford Boase Award is a unique prize dedicated to rewarding excellence for first time novelists AND their editors. So I’m doubly delighted that SCBWI members Wendy Meddour and Lydia Syson have been shortlisted alongside their editors - both of whom have also given their time and talent to the SCBWI British Isles Annual Conference. There’s another double celebration for John Shelley and if you’re in Somerset, Mike Brownlow has good news!


London member Lydia Syson and her editor, Sarah Odedina of Hot Key Books, have been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2013  with A World Between Us.  I wondered how they felt about their nomination and about working with each other:

Lydia Syson
@lydiasyson

 Lydia: 'When Sarah took me on I felt as if I'd been blessed with the fairy godmother of editors - I still can't believe my luck! Her passionate support for her authors carries through to everybody in the Hot Key team, so you feel as though you've joined a family rather than a publishing house. What I value most is the way she identifies and nurtures what makes each author unique. She helps you discover who you are as a writer, and then have the confidence to be that writer.'

 Sarah : ‘ It is an honour to work with talented authors. Authors whose stories transport readers, introduce them to other lives and other places and allow the reader to reflect on their own. Editors really are only as good as the authors they work with and working with Lydia has reinforced that belief for me. In A World Between Us the reader is held in Lydia's very safe hands as we enjoy a passionate and wonderful story about friendship, love and political passions set against the drama of the Spanish civil war. It is a sophisticated novel with immediate appeal, and Lydia makes that sophistication look easy. To be short-listed for this years Brandford Boase Award beside Lydia is something to be really proud of.’

 Lydia has also been shortlisted for the WeRead Book Award - I think 2013 is going to be a great year for her!

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Wendy Meddour
@wendymeddour

 I only posted about Wendy Meddour’s new book two minutes ago and here she is again celebrating A Hen in the Wardrobe reaching the Branford Boase shortlist - top work Wendy! Wendy worked with Janetta Otter-Barry of Francis Lincoln and it seems like an award winning match.

 Wendy said, ‘Janetta was the perfect editor for my 'cross-cultural' debut: A Hen in the Wardrobe. She loved the story and gave me the freedom to write what I wanted, but also, the comforting knowledge that I knew she wouldn't let me go wrong. In other words, I trusted her completely. Only skilled editors can make you feel like that and I've been very lucky to work with her.’

Janetta is also thrilled to be on the Branford Boase shortlist, ‘ It’s the first time I’ve ever been on it – I believe this award plays a vital role in encouraging the development of talented new authors like Wendy at a critical time in their writing careers. I loved A Hen in the Wardrobe on the first reading (it made me laugh and cry!) - and I hope that my editing has helped to bring out the wonderful humour and characterisation that make the novel so special. Wendy has been a joy to work with – responsive to editing suggestions, but with a clear vision for her book.

 I wish all four of them the very best when the award is given, I’m  glad I don’t have to make the decision!

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 There’s good news for John Shelley too. John, who illustrated The Stone Giant - Michelangelo's David

John Shelley
@Godfox

and How He Came To Be   sold the Japanese rights to Komine Shoten for this US picture book due to be published by Charlesbridge in the US next February 2014.
 ‘ This is tremendous news for me,’ John said, ‘as it will be the first time I'll have a book out in both English and Japanese editions - until now I've had books in Japanese (but no English edition) or books in English (but no Japanese edition), so I'm dead chuffed that finally, after over 40 books, I'll have an illustration 'presence' in both languages at the same time.'
   In addition, from this September-November there will be the first major exhibition of Michelangelo's work in Japan.  In an unprecedented agreement , the Japanese co-edition will actually be published in August or September this year, months ahead of the 'official' First US edition.Clearly timed to co-inside with the Michelangelo exhibition,  John's book it to be vigorously promoted as "the" children's book on the artist. At an exhibition on such an enormous scale, that is great news indeed !

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Mike Brownlow
@mikebrownlow1

And talking of exhibitions, Mike Brownlow is showing his work in picture books at the Bruton Museum in Somerset – it runs until the end of May and there will definitely be Robots.  What a week for our amazing SCBWI'ers - HUGE congratulations to you all.

 Now I need a cup of tea and a sit down while I daydream about awards – one day…one day….

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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.

Hip Hip Hooray for a Winner, a Wonderful Deal and a Write Now Longlisting!

Andrew Weale
@andrewweale

Congratulations  Andrew Weale, Clare Furniss and Martin Stewart! This week I go undercover to bring you the Underpants of Shame - happily, none of this week's featured  celebrants  are actually wearing this hideous garment. In fact I hereby award them  the Giant SCBWI Hat of Wonder!

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Andrew Weale is the author of five picture books. These include the ultra scary pop up Spooky

Hazy undercover shot of
 Underpants of Shame....

Spooky House that has just won the 2013 Red House Children’s Book Award. His counting book, A Quiet Day in the Jungle, has also been shortlisted for the 2013 Sheffield Award. As well as writing, Andrew is a professional actor and singer and has worked with star names such as Alec Guinness and Kevin Spacey. He is now a lecturer on children's writing at Winchester University and gives popular visits to many schools and festivals around the country. At the Imagine Festival this year, he did a highly successful event with star illustrator Ben Cort to promote Nora. Grown ups and children were warned to join in the fun, or suffer the eternal humiliation of The Underpants of Shame. Happily, Andrew need not wear them himself and neither shall Clare Furniss.

Clare Furniss
@ClareFurniss

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 The Year of the Rat, a YA novel by debut SCBWI author Clare Furniss, will be published by Simon and Schuster in the UK and the US after they won an eight way auction for the title. It's been quite a month for Clare as she only got her agent, Catherine Clarke of Felicity Bryan Associates (who she first met at a SCBWI agents party), four weeks before the two-book deal was made! 

Clare's success is especially heartwarming as, along with Rebecca Colby , Clare was the recipient of British SCBWI's Margaret  Carey conference last year. Both writers went on to get agents and book deals very soon after. The Year of the Rat will be out in the UK in 2014, and will also be published by Hanser in Germany and Bompiani in Italy. Clare studied at Cambridge and worked for several years in political media relations. She now lives in a very untidy house in Bath with her husband and three small children and is completing an MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. Sharing the Hat of Wonder with Clare and Andrew is Martin Stewart.

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Martin Stewart’s novel, The Marionette, has been longlisted for Pan MacMillan’s Write Now

Martin Stewart
@isleofbrona

Prize! The Marionette’s protagonist, Fin dreams  he meets his terminally ill grandfather as a young boy. As his granda’s health worsens in the waking world, the boy in his dreams starts telling him stories; and something is happening to the broken, rotting, marionette… Yikes! 
Martin lives in Glasgow. After fuelling his love of writing on the University of Strathclyde’s MLitt course he- much to his surprise- found himself teaching English. He loves writing about family and horror; building stories with the bones of folklore and a modern voice.

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Finally a big HOORAH to SCBWI members Wendy Meddour and Lydia Syson who, with their clearly wonderful editors,  have both made the Branford Boase shortlist .  I'm thrilled that two of the seven shortlisted authors are SCBWI members.
Take care of that Hat you fabulous people, I think we might be needing it again! ( You can keep the Underpants Andrew, we won't be needing those...)

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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.