Camp NaNo success!!

So, as you may or may not know, I took part in Camp NaNoWriMo this month! Back at the beginning of July I set myself a 30,000 word goal - that's less than a thousand words a day... Easy right?! I won't lie - I panicked a little somewhere in the middle when I ended up working out in Buxton for eight days, not getting back to the house till gone nine at night, it wasn't leaving much time to fit in the words I needed to be achieving. However, we did get a lot of downtime during the day when events were taking place, time we had been wisely using to read. What looks better than a bookseller reading the books they're selling?! Well, one day I decided to use that time to write. It was a solid, reasonably undisturbed hour to just write. And you know what?! I wrote over 1500 words in that hour...

After that, I quickly got back on track as I was easily achieving my goal of 1000 words a day, and more. Which led me to today - three days before the finish line and I made it! I achieved my goal!

Now, I didn't quite achieve what I set out to do, as I set out to write the first 30,000 words of what will be the newest novel in my Hidden World Series, however, when I hit some plot issues and couldn't get my head around them, I switched to a project that I've had in the background for a while now, as well as a side project of a children's book and another idea for a Hidden World Story. All in all, I started three books and continued with Unveiled, which is the side project - this was the one that I did the most work in, which is why it went on the certificate.

So, now I have options. I generally use the month after Camp to get some heavy editing done. There are several of my projects at this stage so I think it is time to take a step back from the writing process and get some serious editing done this month before taking stock of where I'm at come the start of September!!

Hopefully, there is more than one story to come out of Camp this year :) I'll keep you posted!!

Back to normal...

Well, after a week in Buxton working their International Festival as a part of the Waterstones pop-up Bookshop, I am now back home, and enjoying a well-deserved week off!

I got back from Buxton on Sunday evening, and without a word of a lie, was fed, showered and in bed for half nine!! I was knackered - eight days of over ten hour shifts, some fantastic events, meeting authors, late night signings and the heat, I was more than ready to sleep... and sleep I did! I managed to see Monday morning - just - and then proceeded to enjoy a girly day with my mom and sister - going out for some lunch and then going to watch Mamma Mia in the cinema (a fantastic film btw - go see it) - it was grand.

Back to the grind Tuesday morning though, and the half six alarm was most unwelcome I can tell you! But I only had two days to get through. It was actually quite nice to get back to the shop and to see my colleagues and the regular customers and get back to some form of routine - all be it just for one day. The following day saw our annual stock take, and having done the two in Meadowhall over the last few months, I knew what to expect. It was warm, it was sticky, and I counted and scanned lots of books! Finally leaving at one in the morning, heading straight for bed, safe in the knowledge that I had my week off to look forward to...

Now, I am a couple of days into that holiday and loving the free time. I have read a book, I have written a few thousand words, I have plodded around the house and made dinner, plus I got to enjoy the sunshine from my beautiful, clean conservatory! My plans for the rest of the week (Weekend unincluded due to the descent of two tiny humans and a gig tomorrow evening) is to spend some more time reading - I plan on making a dent in the to-be-read pile - some writing - I need to finish my Camp NaNo target and then set about with some editing and proof reading!! And most of all, to enjoy spending a few days without having to think about going back to work. It has been well-earned and I am going to make the most of it before returning to my little Heaven surrounded by books!!

If anyone wants to come round for a drink, or even for lunch - all you have to do is ask :)

Buxton International Festival

In Buxton right now there is the annual festival that celebrates everything awesome!! Opera.Music.Books - what a great way to spend the summer weather!! Waterstones runs the pop-up bookshop and supplies the book events with the relevant books for the author talks and signings... which means that some of us get to spend some time out in Buxton representing the store!

One of those lucky people was me!! I was so excited when I found out that I was going to be going to the festival and helping run the shop and some of the events - especially when I found out that one of the authors going was Adam Kay, author of This is Going to Hurt; Diaries of a Junior Doctor - a book I read only a few weeks ago... There will be fan-girling that day!

But anyway, I popped over there one day during set up, then went back after the festival had started. The weather had to be a bonus, it ensured that everyone was in high spirits, it was great for walking around Buxton in and shopping the stores and places involved in the festival, plus the bookshop is right next door to the pub - buy a book - go read it in the sun with a pint - sounds pretty perfect if you ask me!!

And if being next door to the pub wasn't good enough, on the other side is the stunning piece of architecture that is the Opera House! A beautiful building that never fails to make me smile when I walk past it... We have got to hear some of the rehearsals, see the costumes being sorted and peeked at some of the scenery back stage from the doors! What can I say, I'm nosy and they leave the door open.

During the down time between events and lunch hours etc, I have found myself drawn to the area around the bookshop, which has included the Opera House, and the local park. One lunch time, I went out to the park with one of the girls that I am working with for ice cream and to stretch our legs. We found the stream and sat to watch the ducks swimming around and the little waterfall splashing away in the sun. We even had an intriguing discussion about what the doorway under the bridge could have been for... a strange place for a doorway if ever I've seen one! I think the final decision was possibly for sacrificial virgins to prepare for their moment... what can I say - us book nerds are a little odd!

The ducks were hella cute though!

The bookshop looks well cool - a selection of books and related products were chosen to fill the shelves, as well as the books linked to each of the events and author signings happening...

Some beautiful children's books, a selection of fiction titles. A history section, popular science and of course, some themed books on the anniversaries of the Suffragette movements, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Byron!

This was me sneaking photos when there was no one in the shop yesterday when the weather was a little duller. I think the clouds put some people off as it was a lot less busy when the sun went in. It gave us some time to rearrange the shelves and get the event stock ready to go though - always things to do for a bookseller... and if the worst comes to the worst, then we can always squeeze in a little reading :)

While the events are on, one of us has to babysit the pile of books ready for the signing afterwards - what better way to promote books than by reading one?!

I can't think of a better excuse to read than that haha!!

Needless to say that I am absolutely loving it - I'm back home for a few days now, then back up there for the week to see the festival through till the end... I'm sure I will have more stories by then :)

And if you find yourself with a free day - why not come on over and check out the festival and the local shops (including a beautiful second-hand bookshop called Scrivener's) - remember to call by the bookshop and say Hi though!!

Till next time,
V x

Top 5 children's classics!

Just a short one today, but after reading a proof for an upcoming children's book (more on that closer tot he release date) it got me thinking about my favourite children's fiction titles - both from when I was a kid, and the ones that I still love. So here they are!

• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - My all-time favourite and has been for as long as I can remember. I remember watching the Disney version of this and reading it not long later and have loved Alice and all the quirks of Wonderland ever since! It is a long-standing classic that both adults and children alike love, and one that will live on for a long time to come!
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - I remember reading this in my last year of Junior School as a class project and we then went on to design our own gardens and keys etc. It is one of my most treasured memories from school and I have loved The Secret Garden ever since. I even remember bringing a copy home and reading ahead of where the teacher was at school becasue I was dying to know what happened next!
• Charlotte's Web by E B White - Another one that I remember watching the film first (something I prefer not to do these days) and then going in search of the book at the library. I haven't reread this in a  very long time, and am now wondering whether I should :)
• Matilda by Roald Dahl - I was never a Roald Dahl fan, which no one could ever understand when I was such a big reader and book lover, but I just never got on with his stories. However, Matilda did always hold a place in my heart purely because of her love of books! It's the only book of his that I would ever consider rereading!
• Mary Poppins by P L Travers - I discovered this one late really, but fell in love with Mary Poppins the way every young girl once did and have seen the film version more times than I care to admit!! I recently bought a copy of this for the bookshelf at home in the hopes that the young un's might pick it up.

So there you have them in a nutshell - my top 5 children's classics - have you read them? If not, what's in your top 5?? Drop some comments and let's see what we remember reading and loving as a child!!

Vanessa x

Grimm & Co

Okay, so anyone who follows me on social media will have seen some of my posts recently about my trip to Grimm & Co on Friday morning! If you haven't, then go look! No I'm kidding, everything you are going to want to know is in this blog post!

Let's start with who they are!! Grimm & Co are a Rotherham based writing charity for young writers - in their own words - "We run innovative, energised, exciting and artistic activities that unleash imaginations and help young people to unlock and realise their potential. We publish, perform or present writing - we give a reason to write! We start, and finish, with the children's own imagination. In a nutshell, we champion the writer in every child." I genuinely couldn't have put it better myself!

I learned of Grimm & Co's existence only a few months ago from a colleague at work who wholeheartedly champions their work, and well, everything about them, and from the amazing things she had to say about them, I could see why. Having now been to Grimm & Co and seen the magic for myself, I am officially jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak, and joining in!

On Friday morning, I went down to Rotherham with a friend and fellow writer who was intrigued by the idea of such a magical place designed to inspire children, and we were lucky enough to have a tour from the lovely Siobhan. She took us for a look around and showed us all the fantastic corners of Grimm & Co, and told us about some of the fantastic work they do with the young writers of Yorkshire. The place is amazing - there are no words that could do justice to describing it - I urge everyone to go down there and see the magic for themselves - I promise you that you won't regret it!!

I didn't take many photos while I was there, I wish I'd taken more, but I was distracted by the beauty and too curious about everything and kept forgetting! The one I am glad I got was this one though - the giant's book case. What a beautiful collection of books, and it now has me wondering whether I would like a wooden stair case at home so that I can put my own favourite books on the steps like this!!

One of my favourite parts of Grimm & Co is the Library of Forgotten Books, a small library full of books that have been forgotten about! How sad :( yet a beautiful collection, particularly children's books that you'd forgotten about until browsing through the stacks!




At the end of the tour, George nearly tripped over himself saying yes when Siobhan asked if we'd like to go down the beanstalk! He'd been eyeing up the helter-skelter like slide since the moment we had walked in, and had already asked me whether I thought we'd be allowed down it! Look at his face!! Haha...

While we were there, we also got to meet the inspiring, founding director, Deborah! She bubbled with excitement about everything she told us, and her passion for her job and for the work that Grimm & Co do with budding writers shone, making it hard to not get excited along with her!

I also got to meet Louise, who introduced herself as the woman behind Twitter, the voice I'd been speaking to while tweeting them for the last few weeks. Obviously that is not her official title; as Communications and Fundraising Coordinator she has a lot more to do that tweet people! It was great to put a face to the name though :)

Having our photo taken I realised that my tattoos fit perfectly with their message about storytelling, so we had to retake the photo to include them - as awkward as it looks standing like that, I think it turned out pretty well!!









I have loads more I could say, but I honestly believe that the magic is in going to look for yourself... Here are the links to their site and social media, but get yourself into Rotherham and go see them, take the kids (it will blow their minds) and sign them up for some of the workshops to get their creative juices flowing! It really is amazing!

Grimm & Co website
Facebook Page
Instagram Feed
Twitter Account
YouTube Channel

Check them out - like their accounts, share their posts - the support will mean the world to them, and it will help tell people all about them! The world needs to know that they are here!!

(Image taken from Grimm & Co website)

Camp NaNoWriMo

So, here goes nothing. Camp NaNoWriMo is once again upon us; the virtual writer's retreat where we set some writing goals and then get on with the writing! Simple!

The project: A rough draft of book five of The Hidden Novels
The goal: 30,000 words
The time limit: 31 days

Check out my Camper's profile and see what all the fuss is about by having a nosey around the site - maybe join in the fun and games?!

For those of you who are wondering what the hell I am on about with the acronyms - NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month - every November, writers across the world, traditionally published and the indie crowd, set out to write 50,000 words in just 30 days! It's a great boost for productivity and incredibly rewarding at the end of the month when you have so many words that you didn't have before. Camp is a virtual writing retreat held a few times a year where campers can set their own goals and work towards them... hence my 30,000 word target. I find that expecting myself to write a thousand words a day around a full time job, a family and some resemblance of a social life is not a lot to ask for. The 50,000 words in November pretty much take up my time and I focus on not a lot else! Haha, don't expect to make plans with me in November - but I do take December off normally, taking a break from pretty much all things writing in reward for achieving target and to enjoy the festive season!

But back to camp. Campers are put into virtual cabins on the site where we can chat and encourage the others in with us. It's a great community and there is always someone there to give you a nudge when you need it most. I have been doing NaNo for a few years now and have done each camp and found them most productive!

Now, bearing in mind that July holds my birthday, two music festivals and ten days in Buxton for a book festival, things could get interesting - but I have faith. I'll check in later in the month for you to see how I am getting on - but for now, here's a sneak peak at the unedited opening for book five!

~~~

The whispers came in that indescribable moment when you're falling asleep but are still conscious.  That moment when you're neither awake nor asleep.  That moment actually had a name, one I'd learned just a few days ago when I'd been trying to explain the whispers to a friend.  Hypnagogia, that was what they called it.  My mom had called it lucid dreaming when I was a child; she convinced me that it was just my imagination creating the images and the voices, and that it wasn't unlike dreaming, apart from the fact that I could control it.  My father, well he hadn't been so nice about it.  When I turned thirteen and still talked about the whispers that came at night, he started calling them hallucinations and actually recommended taking me to a doctor about it.  My mom stood up for me, continuing her claim that I just had a good imagination and that I wasn't hurting anyone with my stories. 

Parents.  What did they know? 

I knew that the whispers weren't in my imagination, and I knew that they weren't hallucinations.  I didn’t know what the whispers were, that part I still hadn't figured out yet, but I knew that they were trying to tell me something.  Something important. 

~~~