Create a new Sammi story for Christmas

 

Come and help me create a new Sammi squirrel story for Christmas on Saturday. I will be reading one of my picture books, then asking help to create a Christmas Sammi story. Let's have fun. Or just come and say hello here.

 

This will be my second and last Christmas Fair this year. Do come along if you are near the Sydenham area on Saturday. Thankfully, there will be no more storms outside as it is forecast to be cold and dry. There will be handmade jewellery, handmade cards, as well as my books. If you buy one of my books you will get a free magnet. Each child who visits Santa will receive a gift. 

Come and say hello to us all.

Hope to see you there.

Happy May Day holiday

 To all of you who read this from the UK, Happy May Bank Holiday. The sun might not be out but at least it's not raining, yet. 

Sorry I've not been on here recently but life gets busy when you're a carer for your parent who's bedbound and has dementia, and has their own health matters to deal with including lots of appointments to attend. Thankfully the appointments seem to have decreased at the moment now that I've been out of hospital over a year. Where did that year go?

So, what have I been up to? Well, I have recently published a children's colouring book to go with my Rainbow School children's series. It's an A-Z of Autism and you can find it here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rainbow-School-Autism-Colouring-Book/dp/1915114012.

Also, I have had a short story accepted for an anthology about modern magic in life. My first story in an anthology and I am super excited about it. It means that my writing has merit with someone else. I will let you know when that comes out. It won't be yet as there will be edits to work on and then a contract to sign.

I am also working on my memoir still about having endocarditis. I am reading through it to make sure there aren't any more things I can remember to add in it. Then I will check through it with my diaries and calendars. I hope to have that out by September. The cozy mystery I hope to have finished and ready to publish for Christmas.

Meanwhile I am going to Sydenham library most weeks to take part in craft lessons, and have copies of my books with me. So, if you are near there on a Thursday lunch time, then come and say hello.

I think that is my current news for now. Any more and I will let you know, sooner than later.

National Autism Awareness Week - What I am up to

It is National Autism Awareness Week this week, so I will be raising awareness of Asperger's/autism and what it means for the person with it. I things planned this week to do this. Here is what I will be up to.

I shall blog during the week about living with autism as a child and as an adult. Children with autism grow up to be adults with autism, it just doesn't disappear.

On Thursday 29th I will be at Sydenham Community Library from 10.30am to 12nn raising awareness of it. I will be selling my Rainbow School books and leaflets about Asperger's and autism. The library will have on display other books about Asperger's and autism, as well as posters promoting my event.

I will be tweeting a lot about Asperger's and autism using relevant hashtags.

So, watch out for my posts on FB and my tweets.

My autism event and an interesting question

Yesterday as part of World Autism Awareness Week #WAAW2017 I did an event at my local community library to raise awareness of the condition. I was helped by my friend John Caritas. My author friend, Amanda Lilywhite (Hi, Amanda) came with her autistic daughter and her father as she said she would. We got talking about autism and other things.

Amanda's daughter asked me an interesting question, which I replied, I don't know. She asked me, Why do I have a different autism than her (she has normal autism). I then said it could be genetics as I believe that it is in the genes of our families. (I think I got mine from my dad). I did try to explain using an image of the rainbow, that at one end there is me with Asperger's who can do things for myself which she probably can't, going along to the far end where people can't do things for themselves and have what is called classic autism. This got me thinking about it. I wonder if people are born with different levels of autism in relation to how much autism there can be along their family lines. So, if a child was born with both parents being autistic; one with Asperger's and the other with autism, the child would be more autistic, than say a child born with just one autistic parent.
What would your answer have been? Why do you think people are born with different levels of autism?

Anyway, Amanda bought a copy of Billy from me for her daughter, which I signed. They had to go after a while because of her daughter being autistic. Later on John walked round the library and found a couple of other parents to meet me so I could tell them what I am doing about raising awareness. They had heard of autism, but didn't know about it being Awareness Week. I gave them my handouts about ASD and what it involves for children then adults, and meltdowns and shutdowns. I also gave out cards promoting Billy.

At noon I packed up to go home. I gave the librarian copies of my cards and handouts, because she wanted them as she had told me that people do want to know about it. I might speak to her about this when I see her again in a couple of weeks time.

After this, I decided that my passion is to raise awareness of autism more not by giving talks but by writing guides on various topics to do with ASD such as anxiety and bullying, and maybe sell this together. Yesterday made me realise that people do know about autism but aren't aware of what it all involves, so I want to work on that in all ways I can with my writing.

Raising awareness of autism

It's National Autism Awareness Week this week. So I am going to be popping up in lots of places to raise awareness by mentioning different aspects of autism and Asperger's Syndrome, I will blog more than once on here but there is one big event I will be doing this Saturday.

I am going to be holding a raising awareness event at Sydenham Community Library, SE London, this Saturday 1 April (no it's not a joke) from 10.30 am - 12nn. I will be handing out hand-made leaflets about autism, answering questions about Asperger's (to the best of my experience and knowledge) and selling my book 'Billy and the Sparkling Socks'. If you can come and say hello, or even better, ask me a question, please do so, esp if you are autistic or know someone who is.

Let's celebrate National Autism Awareness Week. #WAAW2017

Me, Asperger's and Library Events

Last Saturday I took part in the local community library's grand sale. I was hoping to sell a book or two of mine. I set up a table in the library, next to an older woman who was selling her hand-made jewellery. I got chatting to her about selling. Then came along a younger woman who started talking to me about her writing and asked me to have a read of what she had written. I agreed. Seeing her with the main librarian I know, I realised she had been the lady that had already been mentioned to me. In a break, I read what she had written, and said she had good ideas (she writes fantasy for teens) and needed to write more for me to have a good read of it. I have since decided I do like what she has written, it will be fun to help her write it and want to be her coach. It being a warm day, I later decided to join the jewellery lady outside, which is by a park. We got chatting again outside, and I also chatted to the lady opposite me who was selling home-made natural salts.

So, how did this affect my Asperger's? Well, I think it helped me. I got talking to others whom I hadn't met before, because we were all selling things and trying to get customers. It helped me get out of the house and meet people. Inside the library wasn't too bad, although when children came in it did get a bit noisy but outside where it's more open and bigger was better.

I did sell books - the main librarian returned from a break at her house, and bought a copy of each of my paperback for the library.

I will probably take part in their Xmas fayre in December, if they still have one.

Me, Asperger's and Library Events

Last Saturday I took part in the local community library's grand sale. I was hoping to sell a book or two of mine. I set up a table in the library, next to an older woman who was selling her hand-made jewellery. I got chatting to her about selling. Then came along a younger woman who started talking to me about her writing and asked me to have a read of what she had written. I agreed. Seeing her with the main librarian I know, I realised she had been the lady that had already been mentioned to me. In a break, I read what she had written, and said she had good ideas (she writes fantasy for teens) and needed to write more for me to have a good read of it. I have since decided I do like what she has written, it will be fun to help her write it and want to be her coach. It being a warm day, I later decided to join the jewellery lady outside, which is by a park. We got chatting again outside, and I also chatted to the lady opposite me who was selling home-made natural salts.

So, how did this affect my Asperger's? Well, I think it helped me. I got talking to others whom I hadn't met before, because we were all selling things and trying to get customers. It helped me get out of the house and meet people. Inside the library wasn't too bad, although when children came in it did get a bit noisy but outside where it's more open and bigger was better.

I did sell books - the main librarian returned from a break at her house, and bought a copy of each of my paperback for the library.

I will probably take part in their Xmas fayre in December, if they still have one.

Me, Asperger's and Library Events

Last Saturday I took part in the local community library's grand sale. I was hoping to sell a book or two of mine. I set up a table in the library, next to an older woman who was selling her hand-made jewellery. I got chatting to her about selling. Then came along a younger woman who started talking to me about her writing and asked me to have a read of what she had written. I agreed. Seeing her with the main librarian I know, I realised she had been the lady that had already been mentioned to me. In a break, I read what she had written, and said she had good ideas (she writes fantasy for teens) and needed to write more for me to have a good read of it. I have since decided I do like what she has written, it will be fun to help her write it and want to be her coach. It being a warm day, I later decided to join the jewellery lady outside, which is by a park. We got chatting again outside, and I also chatted to the lady opposite me who was selling home-made natural salts.

So, how did this affect my Asperger's? Well, I think it helped me. I got talking to others whom I hadn't met before, because we were all selling things and trying to get customers. It helped me get out of the house and meet people. Inside the library wasn't too bad, although when children came in it did get a bit noisy but outside where it's more open and bigger was better.

I did sell books - the main librarian returned from a break at her house, and bought a copy of each of my paperback for the library.

I will probably take part in their Xmas fayre in December, if they still have one.

Why I like doing talks

Yesterday afternoon, I gave another talk at Sydenham Community Library about ebooks. This one was about how to get discovered as an author. Only one lady turned up this time, and only because she worked as a volunteer there. But I had to persuade her to come as she was feeling down after a bad week and was thinking of putting her writing on hold. I said why and to go for it. It was saying this that made me realise that I like giving these talks. So it was just us two. While I was doing the talk, I was getting ideas on how the lady could start writing what she wanted if she didn't feel up to writing a whole novel yet. The more I talked, the more ideas I got and told her. The lady writes non-fiction about her past life. The ideas I gave her were blogging as it's free, writing letters to magazines if she read something that struck a chord with her (this is what I have done and been successful with) and finding magazines that dealt with nostalgia and travel that are connected to what she has written. I was with her an hour, talking about discoverability and how she can start writing again. By the end of it, she had found it useful and I had come away feeling that I had helped her back on track with her writing. This is what made me realise that I like helping people, esp other authors if they want ideas or that little push to get on with things.

I went to say goodbye to the other librarians. I listened to them talking. One of them was giving ideas on how they could promote my talks in the future. There was another lady there, whom I believed had something to do with a reading group there. Plus, she mentioned she was a part-time teacher. Out came my business cards and I gave her one. Another good contact made. Although whether I shall hear anything from her I don't know.

So, if you are an author, esp an indie one and new to publishing, and need that little push with ideas or help getting discovered, come along to one of my talks (listed on my website www.julieaday.co.uk). Or sign up to my newsletter at

http://forms.aweber.com/form/25/1466306025.htm where you can get tips on writing, marketing, news on my ebooks and events. Or pop along to my Aspiepreneur blog at www.hopewithjulie.wordpress.com where I will soon be adding freebies to help authors with their planning.

A buzz after stress

After a few stressful days last week when my mum fainted in our utility room, went pale and blue in the face and I had to call paramedics, I had a buzz on Saturday when I gave my latest talk about publishing ebooks. (Mum is getting better day by day she tells me). Anyway, my latest talk was about platforms, pricing and royalties.

I got there early, even though there was a lot of traffic due to gas works going on locally. I had a chat with the boss of the library. I introduced myself at the desk, and the volunteer I spoke to said that she wanted to come to my talk as she is interested in writing. My talk was booked for 2pm. I found a nice cosy corner in the library, where there were sofas and chairs. I set my goodies up and sat. I was told one lady had come and was getting tea. I chatted to her for a few minutes, finding out she only lived a few roads down from me. Then I began my talk, chatting about what platforms there are for digital and print. Then the lady volunteer joined us and I recapped what I'd already said. I was asked questions about how to publish an ebook, what is needed to be done. What the platforms involve and how to get to them. My talk lasted half an hour. Then I had questions, which I did my best to answer as both the ladies wrote non-fiction with diagrams etc. Not my forte. I gave them the chance to sign up to my newsletter, which they both did. I await confirmation from Aweber for that. I also gave them a feedback questionnaire about the talk (an idea I got from an ebook by Joanna Penn). It was all good. The comments I got are 'clear, direct, well-structured' and 'simplistic'. Both said there wasn't anything that could have been done better. The one question I was keen to see answered was about attending if they had to pay a fee of 50p before hand. They both put yes. So I am now thinking I might do that.

After a stressful few days making sure my mum was going to be OK, I had a buzz at the library, esp when both ladies said they found it useful and were thinking of coming to my next one. Hurrah. For someone with Asperger's, I find that I get a buzz and enjoy sharing my knowledge of ebooks and all it entails.

My next talk is on Saturday 21 March at 2pm at the same place: Sydenham Community Library. It is going to be about discoverability as an indie author. So, if you want to find out ways on how to get readers to find you, come to my talk to find out more.

How my library talk went in April

On 26 April I gave a talk at Sydenham Community Library to a group of adults about 'The 5 Steps to Publishing an Ebook'.  I was going to do a report on here, but Debbie Young of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) offered me a slot on their blog and I said yes. It went up last Saturday, and you can read it here http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/reaching-readers-with-library-talks/#comment-236975.

As you can read, I considered it a great success. So much so, that I plan to do it again with another library whom I've yet to approach about it, and I intend doing a follow-up about what you need to know when publishing your ebook.

If you know of any library in the SE London area that might be interested in an author giving this talk, please let me know. Am keen to do this again, as I so enjoyed it.

So watch this space for more news on more talks.

If you would like to receive a newsletter from me about my ebooks, talks and more, please let me know either on here in the comments or through messaging me on Facebook.