Turning a negative into a positive

Over the last weekend I finally published my new children's fiction book 'Billy and the Sparkling Socks' to Createspace. There were a few problems I had to sort out in the process, from discovering they don't accept 2-page spreads to cover problems, but I got there. But when I looked at what it would now look like according to their fixed PDF version, it didn't come out as I really wanted. How? I have small illustrations at the start and end of each chapter, and a few of the end ones appeared on separate pages. I tried to fix it by working it out but soon realised that it had to be like that. I wasn't happy with that as it wasn't ideal looking to me. But then I got thinking...the extra blank pages and space would be ideal for children if they wanted to draw their own socks or rainbows in the book, although the book is mainly for reading not drawing in. It has given me an idea for the rest of the series.

Cover reveal, I hope. Here is a link to the cover for Billy on Createspace. (Hope it works).

https://tsw.createspace.com/title/6528252

I really like it, and I hope children do too.

It is the first in a number of series of children's books about children with Asperger's and autism who find magic that teaches them how to be more confident and communicative.

Me and reading

Reading has been one of my favourite hobbies since I was a child at primary school. I remember being part of a reading group at school. We sat round a table in a separate room, reading our books, usually Janet and John. I can picture it now. I think it must have been in the library because I can visualise books on movable shelves at the side of the room. We would read out loud, and much to my parents' shock this carried on into home. lol. I had to read in another room when I did read. Thankfully, it didn't last and I soon read books silently to myself. I read Mr Men, Noddy, to Secret Seven and Famous Five, to horsey adventure books. Later on I went to the library and remember reading Catherine Cookson and Lena Kennedy.

I still read a lot, but both adult and children's fiction because I now write mainly for children. I also read women's magazines because I want to write stories for them, too. Oh, and yes, I do read silently still. The only time I would read aloud is when I read my stories for consistency, and then I have to be on my own.

So, do you remember reading at school? What did you read?

Me, Asperger's and parks

I remember when I was little and used to go to the park with my family. I only went on certain play apparatus. I hated going on the roundabout because I feared that I would get off at the wrong time and fall and hurt myself. I never could judge when to get off. It also made me dizzy. I hated going on slides, too, cos of the heights, and again falling and hurting myself. The one thing I didn't mind was the swings, but I didn't want to go too high because of the height and the fear of falling. We used to have a swing in the garden. First it was a normal swing but later on it became a tyre, which was fun. It all went old and rusty, and we got rid of it years ago. There was one thing I do remember I liked in parks, which you don't see nowadays, do you remember the drinking taps? You either pressed or pushed on a button or lever and the water would spurt out, and you would have to put your mouth under it to catch the water. I liked that. Probably against hygiene rules now, though.

So, when you were little and visited parks, were there apparatus that you avoided? Why? Be interested to know.

These memories will appear in a memoir I plan to write later on sometime.

Writing goals - the latest

So, how are my writing goals going.

If I remember last time, I said that I wasn't going to write pocket novels anymore, and that is still the case. I am sticking to writing magical realism for adults, and my children's books as well as short stories for women's magazines (womags).

I have finished the third book in the new children's series of books called 'The Rainbow School'. The first one, Billy, is still with my illustrator to do the cover and internal chapter headings. I hope to publish it this month so I can order copies in time for its book launch on 1 October.

Later this week I shall start planning and writing the final story in my adult magical realism series 'Geraldine's Gems'. I've already visualised some scenes so have an idea what happens in it and how it will end. I hope to get that all done and published by end of November, esp for Xmas.

Short stories - they are still a work in progress. My latest efforts need more thought and effort put into them, esp how the characters move from scene to scene or stage directions as they have been called. I have put them aside for now and have been working on another story intended for Woman's Weekly. It is the story I wrote the start and end to at the last workshop with WW I went to about writing stories with a twist so this is a warm twist in the tale.

Once I have finished that one, I am going to rewrite a story that WW rejected last year, turning it into a twist story, then will be a story for Take a Break's Fiction Feast. After that we shall see. I won't be having 5 published this year, which was my goal, realistically I will now aim for just one. I have one story still with TaBFF, so we shall see.

So, they are my goals for now. Hope yours are going as well as mine.