Hollie and Figgs

INTERVIEW WITH MULTI-AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR JULIE HODGSON

2019-06-03T09:01:00.001-07:00

Julie Hodgson is a multi-award-winning author of young adults and children’s books. She has travelled all over the world to tell her stories. It helps that she can speak three different languages  Julie lives in Portugal with her husband and she runs a successful bookshop, story-telling sessions and a radio show for children. She has been writing professionally since 1989 when she was a columnist for the Times newspaper in Kuwait.
“Julie this all sounds very exciting and it makes me want to ask you lots of questions about your work and your writing success.”

So here goes.

1. Why did you decide to settle in Portugal? Where did you live before?

I was in Scotland before we moved to Portugal, on a whim because the weather was so beautiful in Lisbon when we came for a birthday in January. I have actually moved to many places around the globe, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Malta, Sweden, to mention a few.

2. What did you do before writing and becoming an author?

I worked as a columnist for the Times Kuwait.

3. When, how and why did you begin your writing journey?

I wrote my first Poem at the age of 9, loved reading, and Dickens was never far from my hands, I loved a Christmas Carol, and wished I could write like Charles Dickens. I had done some charity writing and blogs and it went on from there.

4. What has been the main influence behind your books?

The classics have been a strong influence, I loved reading the hardback versions of The Strand magazine, published in the 1800's, just wonderful old-fashioned writing. Dickens, Conan Doyle etc. Life is also a huge influence… I am often people watching, taking in their characters.

5. Any favourite books/ authors? And why? Also have you got a favourite from your own books?

Steinbeck, Dickens, Keats, Stephen King., As a teen I loved and read most of the classics, even a book called The Pigman by Paul Zindel, one of my first American style stories. My English teacher showed us some really cool classics. With Stephen king, he takes me to places nightmares walk, and I love the way he depicts even the most gruesome of scenes, from a writer’s perspective it is genius! I also love reading them as it’s such a different genre from what I write.
One of my favourite books I wrote was Jodie and the Library Card, the reason why was that a girl in 2075 with a voracious appetite for books, and having them banned would be my worst nightmare! I just fell in love with her charm.. I often take a character from people I know; I based the character of Jodie on my daughter.

6. Are you self published or traditionally published? And what made you take this path?

I am both; I love the self-publishing path the best as you have FULL control. I am with a Portuguese and Swedish Publisher.

7. You are incredibly talented and have many achievements. What would you say is your best achievement, and why?

That’s very kind of you to say so! (blushing) I think it is when my first book was published, and it was launched, I loved the feeling of achievement. The feeling has never gone; I get so excited when I see my book in print.

8. I see that you have a personal assistant and an agent. When and why did you decide to get them?

As I visit many schools, it’s always good to have someone at your side to handle, mail, and appointments. I have had one for about 12 years now. My agent is Swedish and also a friend which helps my writing journey.

9. How much time do you spend writing?

About a couple of hours a day, depending on the project, I do tend to get lost in the computer and come out the other end, thousands of words finished.

10. Do you have another job or is the writing sufficient to support your lifestyle?

I have a dream job; I own my own bookstore.

11. Do you market and promote your books? How are you finding this? Any tips?

Visiting places, school, university’s, shops, is a great way of advertising your book, if people can actually meet you, your book sells well. In fact, in my own shop I sell more copies of my own books than regular shops. They also love getting them signed. Book-fairs are a good thing too. For online purposes, I use, twitter, and Linkdin, also many outlets for online newspapers are a good thing, Entering book competitions offers high exposure and an online presence, having a website or blog is a must, as many people follow it.. I don’t usually pay for adverts, but its a good idea to offer free copies to your local newspapers, and when you go and visit schools, make sure the media is there. Most papers have an online edition. that is a better thing as it “stays” on the net for a long while.

12. It’s hard for children’s authors in the UK to get paid for school visits and workshops. How are you finding it in Portugal? It would be useful to know a bit about this.

Yes, I agree, I usually do this well in advance and they order copies of the book, I have had fees paid, but feel schools should be free as they have low budgets, and that’s not the child’s fault.

13. What are your plans for the future?

I will carry on as I am doing, writing, enjoying that when I can, meeting people and running my shop.

14. Have you any advice for someone who would like to start writing?

Never give up! Never! Take criticism as a guide, and not to heart, listen to your inner soul, and enjoy what you do. Attend writing seminars as often as you can to meet fellow writers. It’s a fun thing and you meet wonderful people along the way.

15. Have you any advice for someone who wants to get their book published?

I have always used the book, Writers ad Artist guide, by A.C Black; it is a mine of information… I have used this book since before the internet came… It has everything including tips to write a forwarding letter. Book seminars are a great way to meet future publishers too…

Julie, it has been a pleasure to interview you and read your answers to my questions. I am really interested in your book Jodie and the Library Card. I like that it is based on your daughter and that is also in the future.
I always love to read how authors begin their writing career and how they build on their achievements.

I wish you even more success with whatever projects you create.

Julie’s social media details

Website: www.juliehodgson.com

Twitter: @redragdolly

Facebook: @JulieH1962

INTERVIEW WITH CHILDREN'S AUTHOR JOSIE DOM

2019-05-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Josie is a children’s author from Halstead in the UK. She has been a support throughout my writing journey and I asked her if she would like to be interviewed about her own writing journey and her children’s story-book series in the making –Lum.

Lum is a book character in a children's picture book. It is aimed at children aged 0-7years and contains life-lessons and morals. For example anti-bullying and learning to cope with fears.

1. What made you decide to write a children’s story-book?

When my children were little, I found myself making up rhymes and stories for them. I read a lot of books with them, because we all loved story-time together, and found myself thinking maybe I could do this too.

2. What is your background? And did this influence your writing journey?

My working background has not influenced my journey. I have always worked in office-based roles – administrator, PA, Office Manager, although knowledge of computer software and the ability to type does help. Going back further to my own childhood, I was a writer then but never imagined (or I think even understood) that children could grow up to write books. My background as a Mum has been more of an influence because it has opened me up to the world of children’s books again.

3. I see you are self-published. What made you decide to be self-published?

After writing a number of stories, I wrote Lum and this was the story that I felt was ready to become a book. With that in mind, I researched publishers and sent my manuscript off to a number of them. After getting a few negative replies and quite a few didn’t respond at all, I continued to research the publishing world. Which is when I came across self-publishing as a concept. Self-publishing was becoming more widely accepted. I also discovered that traditional publishing companies did not work with unknown authors on the marketing and therefore all of that side of things would be my responsibility whether I self-published or was published traditionally. That was the clincher for me and I plunged in!

4. Did you think about approaching an agent? Going to a traditional publisher?

I did think about going to a traditional publisher, but I did not have the confidence or understanding to find an agent.

5. What has your self-publishing journey been like?

It has been a learning journey. When I published my first book, Lum, I did everything myself including the layout of the book using Adobe InDesign. Although I managed it and a book was produced, I was ready to tear my hair out! When it came to publishing my second book, Lum’s Mum, I found Matador who although more expensive took on all the tasks I had not enjoyed the first time around and that made the whole undertaking much more enjoyable. I also took the opportunity to publish the second edition of Lum through them at the same time.

6. Is there anything you would change about your writing journey?

I don’t think I would change anything about the journey, but if I could go back in time I would give myself greater confidence so that the journey was more enjoyable. Lack of confidence in my writing and marketing abilities has held me back.

7. What has been the best part?

There have been a few wonderful highs: being named as a SmallBiz100 in 2018; being selected as a winner in the Fenwick/Colbea competition and then this year having the opportunity to have a pop-up shop as a children’s author in Fenwick for one week; running a workshop and hosting a story-time at the Essex Book Festival this year.

There have also been lots of little wins as I went along: seeing my stories in book format; going into schools to read my stories to children; having cuddly toys made to accompany the books.

8. What has been the worst part, if any?

The need for continual marketing! And the nerves!

9. How do you find the marketing and promoting part of being a self-published author?

Marketing can be hit and miss! It’s something I’m still working on. If something doesn’t work then I’ll try something else. I use Facebook, Instagram and LinkdIn. I contact schools directly, send out press releases and look out for local gigs, festivals, book fairs etc. I see it as a work-in-progress.

10. Where did you get your inspiration from for your Lum story-book?

Lum started as a rhyme to encourage my children to clean their teeth instead of larking around in the bathroom. After I’d said the rhyme, and we’d all laughed and actually done the job in hand, I wrote it down with the thought that there was “a story in there somewhere” (which is a catchphrase of mine). The next day I woke early with the story in my head and rushed downstairs to find pen and paper to write it out. As I wrote it, the story changed a little and Lum redeems himself instead of being chased away.

11. How did you come up with the name Lum?

The original rhyme had Mum in it, and I needed to change Mum to a character for my story, so literally just found a name that rhymed. I did check to see if it was an obscure word but couldn’t find anything. Just recently I separately met two Scottish ladies whom both informed me that Lum means chimney in Scotland.

12. The story contains morals, how important has this been for you to include? And why?

I think at the time that I wrote the story and the ending changed, it was subconsciously important to me that Lum the bully could improve his ways. However, I did not set out to write a story containing morals, and I think that is better as otherwise children feel preached to and no-one likes that. This way, the story is enjoyable and if you look a little deeper you will learn a valuable life lesson.

13. I see that you visit schools to share your book. How are you getting on with this? Any special moments you would like to share?

The actual visits are always a joy! Special moments have been seeing the excitement the children have when meeting a real author; getting spontaneous hugs from children who have enjoyed hearing my stories. I like to add a little extra to my visits by getting the children involved in creating art or crafts based on the stories and instigating a Lum treasure hunt with stickers as a reward for every child.

14. Have you got any advice for anyone wanting to get their story-book published?

Do not underestimate the amount of time you will need to market yourself and your book. If possible, get some feedback from readers in your target age-group.

15. Are you working on any new books?

I have approximately 10 stories written and waiting in the wings for illustrations and then publication! My next book will (hopefully) be Brave Brian about a boy who finds a rhino in his local park and returns it to Africa. I will return to Lum stories again as there will be seven stories in his series. I have written two and a half of those. Aside from that, I am always thinking of and writing new stories. Whether any of them will become books is another matter, but I enjoy the writing of them.

16. What are your future plans?

World domination! Haha! Seriously though, I would just like my books to reach a wider audience and my plans involve making that happen: lots of marketing, lots of school visits, going out to meet people and, of course, lots of writing.

I would like to say thank you to Josie for her honest answers to my questions. I hope you find them as interesting as I have. Isn’t it great to read how other authors have approached their writing journey? It all helps to inspire others on their own journey. Let me know in the comments if you have been inspired by Josie’s interview.

I wish Josie well in her future writing and for her Lum series of children’s books.

Josie’s social media links and contact details.

Website: www.josiedom.co.uk

Facebook: @JosieDomAuthor www.facebook.com/josiedomauthor

Instagram: @JosieDomAuthor www.instagram.com/josiedomauthor

THE REAL FIGGS 17TH BIRTHDAY

2019-04-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

The real Figgs has just turned 17 years old. He was born on the 12th April 2002. In human years that would make him 84 years of age which means that if he was human he would be an elderly gentleman. I remember the day we first met him. He was only a few days old. The tiniest grey kitten sitting with his mum Blissy and his siblings. We were given the opportunity of giving him a home and we jumped at the chance. He stayed with his mum for a few months before he came to us. And would you believe that his mum is still alive today.

We don't see him like an elderly cat at all as he is still very active and has the cutest kitten-like face and sparkling green eyes just like our magical cat Figgs.

But, last year we had to take him to the vets as he was struggling to walk, was very unstable and lost one of his wisdom teeth. We were very worried about him, but like a miracle he made a full recovery. We have however, noticed a decline in his hearing and during a visit to the vets he was diagnosed with having high blood pressure and is now on regular medication for it. Our feline friends like humans can get ill especially as they get older so it's really important to keep an eye on their mood, eating, sleeping and toileting habits. An early detection of any disease is vital for their treatment and recovery.

Tiggs, the real Figgs is a very important part of our family. He helped Holly when she wasn't well and he is always around to give love, comfort, play or just to look good :) and he continues to be the main inspiration behind the Hollie and Figgs books.

I wanted to share some videos and photographs we took of him on his very special 17th birthday.

He was given some catty birthday presents. He had special organic food, treats and a cute toy. Wish him a very happy birthday and send your love his way and he will send a big 'meow` back to you.

AN INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CAROL THOMAS

2019-04-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

I first met Carol through Twitter in December 2016 after I noticed that her debut book had been published through the same self-publishers I had approached to publish my first book.

Since then we have been in touch regularly, and Carol has been a great support and knowledge base for me on my writing journey.

I offered to read and review her debut book ‘Crazy Over You` a romantic novel, and Carol offered to take my children’s book to review with her children. After writing her first book, Carol went on to write a children’s story-book called ‘Finding a Friend` a rhyming story about a little pup who needed a home.

Since we first met Carol has been offered a publishing contract with Ruby Fiction an imprint of an award-winning independent publishers ‘Choc Lit`. Carol’s latest romantic novel ‘Maybe Baby` has just been released!

I asked Carol if she would be interested in an author interview for my blog. She agreed! So here are my questions and Carol’s answers.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Annette, and for all of the great support you have given me over the last three years – wow, that has gone quickly!

1. When did you first realise that that writing was what you wanted to do?

I had done a little creative writing in college and kept notebooks as a result, but it wasn't until a friend published her first book that I felt inspired to start my own. I was taking a break from teaching in 2012 and decided to seize the opportunity and write. Crazy Over You was released three years later.

2. Where do you get your inspiration from for your romance novels and the children's book?

My contemporary romance novels are set in my local area, on the south coast of England. Within them I explore modern relationships, of course, there is the love interest between the leading couple, but I also address relationships between friends, family, colleagues and so forth. I like to ground my books in reality and record situations and snippets of conversations to thread into my stories. My husband is much more romantic than I am and so his actions have inspired some of those of my heroes ;-)

My children’s book was inspired by my son’s love for our dog, Benson, who died aged almost sixteen when my son was two. They were great friends, and I thought how lovely it would have been for them to grow up together. Finding a Friend came to me, almost in one go, as I was looking at a picture of the two of them together.

3. What are the good bits and the not so good bits about being an author?

When everything is going well, and I am lost in the flow of writing, it is a wonderful feeling. It is also amazing to reach the point of publication, to see your book complete and to know others are reading it. And if in paperback, nothing beats holding it in your hands.

The not so good, would be the days when the ideas are not flowing, and the dreaded fear that it is all going horribly wrong creeps in (this usually hits me around thirty-thousand words) and I have to write through it.

4. What have been your best success stories?

Pitching one-to-one to an editor for my novel The Purrfect Pet Sitter and gaining a publishing contract with Ruby Fiction, as a result.

5. What have you found challenging?

I am a busy mum with three of my four children still living at home, finding the time to write and focus for an extended period has proved a challenge. I have overcome this by taking hotel mini-breaks, and, most successfully, going on a writing retreat to Umbria, with Sue Moorcroft. She was very inspirational and has an amazing work ethic.

6. Is there anything you would have done differently?

I used Matador Publishing to publish my first book in 2015. They did a great job and produced a very professional product for me, of which I am very proud. At a point when I knew little of publishing, the process taught me a great deal and helped me establish my author platform. I saw it as an investment in my writing career.

I then used Matador’s services to produce my picture book, Finding a Friend, but at that point, my knowledge had increased and, as I intend to keep my children's books self-published, I should have used a more cost-effective option. I have subsequently switched to using KDP and other avenues for Finding a Friend.

7. Do you write as a full-time job?

Writing is my primary “job” at the moment, though my hours are part-time due to other commitments. I also volunteer at my local Cancer Research UK shop one afternoon a week. I am a primary school teacher and may well return to it in the near future. But for now, I am focusing on my next novel.

8. What is the best part of your working life?

My time is flexible, and so I get to indulge in a good amount of family time – while my children are young, that is special.

9. What has been the best novel you have read?

I don’t have an overall stand out favourite as I tend to have different preferences at different times and for different reasons. Currently, I read contemporary romance and romantic comedy novels. I enjoy the escapism and like to analyse what I think has worked well, or not, to inform my own writing. With this in mind, I’d recommend any book by Mhairi McFarlane.

10. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Eek, I’ll be fifty then! Hopefully I’ll be travelling more, still writing and have a good amount of successfully published novels in my back catalogue.

11. Have you any plans to write more children’s stories?

I have two other children’s stories written awaiting illustrations. I just need time to dedicate to getting them ready for publication.

12. What advice would you give to new writers?

Stay fit, you’ll be sitting down a lot! Become an observer and keep notebooks. Threading real-life situations into your work will give it a good grounding in reality, enabling readers to connect with it.

13. How do you manage your social media advertising/promotion? And is this something you enjoy doing?

I greatly enjoy connecting with readers, other writers and book bloggers. Online promotion is necessary but can be time-consuming. I know I need to be better at sticking to allocated time for this and not letting it eat into my writing time.

14. Is there anything that has surprised/shocked you in your writing career?

I was surprised to discover how supportive and encouraging the online writing and blogging community is. I remember feeling very nervous the first time I contacted a book blogger, but she was welcoming and supportive and remains so, four years on. The connections I have made online have been invaluable.

15. How did you get signed by Choc Lit / Ruby Fiction?

I read many Choc Lit books and followed the publisher and authors online. When I saw that they were hosting a romance panel with the opportunity to pitch to an editor in my local area, I signed up. I was terrified, it was out of my comfort zone, but I knew it was an opportunity not to be missed. Pitching went well, and so I was asked to submit my completed novel. The book then went forward to the Choc Lit reading panel. This is a group of romance readers who decide which books should proceed to publication. The Purrfect Pet Sitter made it through and so I was offered a contract. My recent novel Maybe Baby was also published by Ruby Fiction.

16. What are the three main differences between self-publishing and being published through an independent publisher?

Reaching a wider audience – within a very short period of being out, The Purrfect Pet Sitter outsold my self-published novel, Crazy Over You. Having the backing of a publisher gives the book a bigger push.

Less control –I don’t have the final say on the title, cover, blurb or categories. (I don’t mind any of these things, they are just differences.)

The pressure is increased to get the next book out – my publisher expects a certain output of novels to keep the momentum of my sales going.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog Annette. I really appreciate it. X

Maybe Baby is available in audio and as an ebook, buying links:

Amazon: http://getbook.at/MBAmazon

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/maybe-baby-35

Ruby Fiction: https://www.rubyfiction.com/dd-product/maybe-baby/

Website and Social Media Links (if required):

http://carol-thomas.co.uk

http://facebook.com/carolthomasauthor

http://twitter.com/carol_thomas2

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/carol_thomas2/

https://www.instagram.com/carol_thomas2/

Blog:

http://carol-thomas.co.uk/blog

INTERVIEW WITH POPULAR CHILDREN'S AUTHOR JUDE LENNON

2019-02-20T09:49:00.001-08:00

I had the pleasure of connecting with Jude Lennon a popular children’s author and story-teller through Book Connectors a Facebook group.

I was particularly interested Jude’s fees for school visits. There isn’t much written about it on the internet especially for authors in the UK. I have been visiting schools for over a year and have been doing so without payment, but as they take up a lot of time and effort think it only right to ask for something. Have you been constantly told that schools just don’t have the budget for author visits? So how do some authors get paid and others don’t?

Anyway, this was my motivation for contacting Jude.

I checked out Jude’s website and her books which all look amazing. There is so much to the work she does!

Jude describes herself as a storyteller and author and she runs a storytelling business the Little Lamb Tales where she not only visits primary schools she also runs writing courses and retreats. Jude was a primary school teacher for a long time before branching out into storytelling and writing. She has a plethora of children’s books and has been Amazons No. 1 bestseller amongst other accreditation.

I asked if Jude would be interested in a brief interview and she agreed, so here goes.

Are you traditionally published or self published? Can you say a bit about why you chose the path you did? I'm self and Indie published. I chose this path having spoken to several authors who had been offered traditional publishing deals only to find that they lost control of their book. It also means that any money made from book sales comes to me rather than being split between agent, publisher, book shops and then finally the author.

Has being a teacher helped you with your writing journey? If so how? Definitely! I was always writing for the children in my classes and sometimes for the children in other people's classes. Having worked in Early Years and KS1 (3-7 year olds) for 18 years I feel I've got a really good understanding of children's books, what children want from a book and also what adults like in a book.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Anywhere and everywhere! The first book I published The Dragon of Allerton Oak was inspired by a walk in my local park. Some books have been inspired by songs, by nature or by a snatch of conversation overheard. I'm also in a writing group and we write around a different theme each month. These different themes have offered a wealth of inspiration.

Have you come across any problems on your publishing journey? If so, can you say what it was and how you overcame it? Self-doubt is never far away from anyone in the creative sector and I find the way to overcome this is to listen to the positive feedback, to the comments from children who've enjoyed my books and to the teachers who have got in touch to say how useful they've found them. The other big issue is marketing. Not many authors love marketing - it's writing we love. Marketing and actually selling books is really hard work and you sometimes have to think outside the box. This has led me to approach some local shops and ask if they'd be interested in stocking my books. The result - my books are in a pet shop and a beauticians.

What is the key to your success? Hard question! I think the years in education have helped in this area. When I go into schools everyone comments that they can tell I used to be a teacher because of how relate to the children. Equally my organisation skills and ability to adapt my author visits for multiple ages help to reassure schools when I visit. Many of the schools are returning customers.

How many schools do you visit in a year? With a combination of the schools I visit for the Slow Down for Bobby assemblies (I wrote two books for The Bobby Colleran Trust charity and now deliver assemblies on their behalf two days per week), Author Visits, Patron of Reading schools and Storytelling I would say I visit roughly 200 schools in a year.

What has been the highlight of your writing career? Writing the two books for the Bobby Colleran Trust has been a real highlight. I was honoured and privileged to be asked by his family to write a book that would be both a lasting legacy and a way of conveying the important road safety message. The other highlight has been working with Hal's Books on our Awesome About Autism series. Working with Will, an autistic teenager, we have created a character that other autistic children can relate to. Will has grown in confidence since the beginning of the project and he is now looking a the very real possibility of a career in illustration because of it.

Have you had any problems getting schools on board and paying you your fee? If you have can you say what it was? Unfortunately, the creative sector always face this problem. Many people expect us to work for free or very little money. I don't think people realise the preparation involved in working in schools. Also writing is highly prized in the education system so those who write for a living should be highly prized too. Generally the schools who contact me expect there to be a fee and if they don't have the budget I suggest asking the PTA or other funding groups for help. Luckily for me, the schools I've worked with have valued the service I offer and have paid accordingly.

Have you any advice for new children’s authors wanting to do school visits? Or new children’s authors in general? I actually run workshops for authors who want to run successful author visits. In that I cover what to do before, during and after the visit. Essentially organisation, being professional and interacting with the children are key. There is also good guidance on pricing visits on the Society of Authors website.

Have you travelled outside the UK to promote your books? Not as yet but I did travel to South America last year and two of my mascot (book characters) came with me. Whilst there I did research for my most recent book Tales from the Travel Pouch. As the lambs have their passports they would be more than happy to travel outside the UK to promote!

How do you market and promote your books and what have you found to be the best way? So many ways. You have to keep trying new things. The most successful ways I've found are - paying for professional PR (I use Lorna McCann PR), social media, book events and independent book shops. But there are so many things you can do. The one thing I would say if people are promising to get you more page likes, book sales etc for large sums of money avoid these at all costs!

Where do you see yourself in five years time? I'd love to still be doing what I'm doing now. Only 2% of writers actually make a living from writing. I'm so fortunate that all my living comes from books and writing related services so if I'm still doing that in 5 years I'll be very happy.

I would like to say a big thank you Jude for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. They have been extremely helpful for me as a relatively new author and I hope that they have been for anyone who has read this interview.

Jude has a new new book due to be released in April 2019. It is part of a series of books about a young boy with autism. The first book Hal And The End Street is available to buy on Amazon.

I wish her continued luck in her writing journey.

Jude’s website is www.littlelambpublishing.co.uk

HOLLIE AND FIGGS ANIMATION - COMPLETED

2019-02-01T07:56:00.005-08:00

I can't tell you how proud and amazed I am to see the final animation come to life. It's still taking time to sort out the new website which will house the animation and theme tune, but I am almost there and I can't wait to share it.

Maisie Grant my animator who created the Hollie and Figgs animation has been a dream to work with. Throughout the whole process she has been accommodating, informative and professional.

The theme tune created by musician and DJ Danny Davis goes so well with the animation. Again Danny has been extremely helpful and very professional throughout the whole process.

These guys are now graduates in their field of work. If anyone would like their contact details I will list them at the end of this post.

The animation is only just over a minute long, but in that time the story of Hollie and Figgs unfolds and their friendship is truly evident.

When I wrote the first book with my daughter Holly drawing the initial illustrations I would never in my wildest dreams have thought that one day I would be working with illustrators, animators and musicians. It's like a dream and an honour to work with such lovely people, who I am proud to list as Hollie and Figgs' team members on my website.

Here are some of the later stages from the animation with some added colour.

I hope to share the new website with the completed animation this Sunday 3rd February 2019.

You will be able to watch it on the website or on the Hollie and Figgs You Tube channel. feedback will be very welcome :) Cant wait, I am so excited!!

Animator maisie Grant can be contacted at maisiegrant@hotmail.com or via her instagram page

mgrant_animation

Musician Danny Davis can be contacted on dansipad2@gmail.com

or through his website www.leicestermax.com

Illustrator Beth Hilliard is contactable on awkwardbirdillustrations@gmail.com or through her Instagram page bethan_hilliard

They all do amazing work so why not check them out!

HOLLIE AND FIGGS ANIMATION - PART 3.

2018-10-22T06:32:00.003-07:00

This is my third blog post all about the making of the Hollie and Figgs theme tune and animation.

In the last post, I shared some of the initial animatics.

Maisie Grant, my animator has kept to her word and updated me on a weekly basis.

I have no idea how the finer details of the animation are put together, but I will show you what animatics Maisie has been sending me.

To be honest, I haven't had to ask her to change very much at all. It's like she was meant to work on the project and knows just what I want.

Since my last contact, Maisie has been perfecting the black and white animatics before adding the finer detail and the colour.

Here are some of the black and white animatics I haven't yet shared.

I asked Maisie about the second animatic where Figgs comes out his basket as he tends to merge into the basket. But Maisie reassured me that it will be fine further along down the line.

You can start to see the story unfolding. Maisie has been working from the original illustrations created by illustrator Andy Wintrip and Beth Hilliard, and her interpretation of the characters is exceptional. She has also created the whole animation herself, with just a short brief from me. I can't wait to show you the next instalment when colour is added. OMG, it's then you can see the characters come to life fully. And on top of that, the music adds another fun and lively dimension to the whole animation.

Please check back next week for the next post in this series.

Any enquiries can go through me or you can message these lovely creators through their social media.

Animator is Maisie Grant

Instagram: mgrant_animation

Music by Danny Davis

Facebook: Leicester MAX Records

Illustrator Beth Hilliard

Instagram: awkwardbirdsillustrations

Thank you to all the H&F team. I am so proud of you all.

HOLLIE AND FIGGS ANIMATION -PART 2- THE NEXT STEP

2018-09-21T12:45:00.003-07:00

I'm so excited to reveal how the Hollie and Figgs animation is progressing. Maisie Grant my animator has been sending me animated videos showing the progress, on a weekly basis.

Before starting the work, Maisie emailed me and highlighted the animation process. She said,

"Just to give you an idea as we've not really discussed in detail, here's a list of the processes I'll work through, which I will update you on at each stage for you to review, in order to create a final animation that you are happy with:

- Storyboard

- Animatic (A slightly more detailed storyboard with the music added to give you an idea of the timing of the animation - this will be the best opportunity to make changes based on your feedback before I start to animate)

- Animation & Colour

- Final Editing

I would estimate the whole process would take between 6-10 weeks to complete depending on the number of changes made throughout etc. "

Maisie plans to use Adobe Animate CC, and I will then be using Adobe After Effects to edit it all together.

So in a short period of time, the whole Hollie and Figgs animation will be finished and the music added.

Maisie and I set up a contract that we were both happy with and then she started work.

I sent her the lyrics to the theme tune so she could create an animation that would fit them. I envisaged a cute animation showcasing Hollie and Figgs friendship and their magical journey. And that is just what she sent me. Take a look at the storyboard. It's even better than I envisaged.

Click on the videos below to see the Hollie and Figgs animation storyboard unfold.

Here are only a few of the animatic videos. There are ten animatic scenes completing the one-minute animation. I will share the rest in the next Hollie and Figgs Animation- Post 3.

It's all coming along great thanks to Maisie! She's already added colour and more movement and I can't wait to show you how it's progressing. It will certainly be very special and something to be proud of. And when the music is added it will definitely come to life and I'm sure that anyone who watches it will be extremely impressed.

Let me know your thoughts so far.

Maisie Grant is a motion graphic designer and animator. She can be contacted at her email address:

maisie.grant@hotmail.com

Her new Instagram page is www.instagram.com/mgrant_animation

There you can see some of her amazing animations.

Otherwise, check out her website www.maisiegrantanimation.wordpress.com

HOLLIE AND FIGGS ANIMATION - POST 1 - MEET MAISIE GRANT.

2018-08-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

I decided that an animation to go along with the Hollie and Figgs theme tune would go down well with young readers/ H&F fans. I must admit I love the idea myself. I never thought that I would be commissioning an animator to help bring Hollie and Figgs to life :) But why not? They are such adorable characters and I know children will love it.

It also meant that I could help another young person gain experience in their creative field and I hope to springboard their career by showcasing their work. So I sourced out an animation student from my local university. Unfortunately, she couldn't commit to the work and so, introduced me to her friend Maisie Grant.

Maisie is now a graduate animator having achieved a first class honours degree in animation. She is now my animator and the newest H&F team member,

I haven't actually met Maisie yet, but I have spoken to her online and she kindly sent me links to some of her work to check out.

https://maisiegrantanimation.wordpress.com

I particularly liked the animation 'Weather Dependant,' as I could see Hollie and Figgs being created in the same 2D style.

I was very excited about the possibility of commissioning Maisie and so I asked her to create a trial mini animation of Hollie and Figgs as I wanted to be sure that she was the right person for the job. She animated one of the original illustrations from Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow and here it is. I was very impressed!

Maisie then sent me another mini animation that she'd created with Hollie holding Figgs.

This time she got the colours and the composition just right. I couldn't believe that I was watching Hollie holding Figgs in the air. I couldn't stop watching it :) This is when I knew that Maisie was the right person for the job.

My idea is to follow Maisie on her animation journey, sharing steps along the way.

I plan to do this in a series of blog posts. This being the first.

I hope you like my post and if you would like to follow the animation process with me you can. All you need to do is leave me your email address at the bottom of this post or email me at hollieandfiggs@gmail.com and I will send you updates, or you can check back here at a later date.

If anyone would like to contact Maisie for any animation work you can by emailing her at maisie.grant@hotmail.com

EXCITING NEWS AT THE HOLLIE AND FIGGS HEADQUARTERS

2018-08-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be sharing some fantastic news with you guys. When I first started this project I had no idea where it would take me. All I knew is that I wanted to make my daughter feel better physically and emotionally. Her self-esteem and confidence had vanished. The main comfort in her life was her immediate family, but mainly our cat. I focused the project on her invaluable friendship with our cat and based the main characters on them both. You may know that my daughter Holly created the initial illustrations for the first book.

I hadn't planned to develop the book into a series. But on taking the story into schools and seeing how well children responded to it gave me the inspiration to write a second story and now I am writing the third. (to be released next year).
Financially it isn't viable as it is costing a lot more than I am making, but it isn't all about profit. It's about helping young children to believe in themselves, their dreams and their abilities.

Like, who would have thought that I would be writing children's books? And who would have thought that now my daughter would be running her own online business and be very successful at it?

Holly no longer has time to dedicate to the project. She is physically and emotionally a lot better and as I said is now running her own online business. I would like to think that the Hollie and Figgs project has helped build her confidence. I know that she is very fond of the characters and the stories are very meaningful for her.

I really didn't think about the impact that doing this project would have on me.
I suppose I have suffered alongside Holly as you do when your child is suffering from any illness. This project has meant so much to us both.

By taking the stories into schools I hope to continue to have a positive influence on young children. Let's face it there is so much pressure for children to succeed and they face many challenges they are not old enough to understand. So Hollie and Figgs is a light relief, yet it holds many positive messages, not only in the script but in doing and achieving something out of the ordinary.

I managed to find an amazing and talented young lady Beth Hilliard who was an illustration student at my local university. She has now worked on the second book, Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow and has started work on the third book in the series. I have been full of admiration for her artwork. Beth is now a graduate illustrator and I am sure she will be extremely successful.

It became apparent to me that I could help promote young peoples work through my project as well. It's also great to talk to primary school children about different jobs they could aspire to have, like being a writer, an illustrator, a musician and an animator and I can demonstrate it through the Hollie and Figgs project.
I now have a talented musician Danny who was a music student and now runs Leicester Max Records. He has created an adorable theme tune for Hollie and Figgs. See where I'm going with this?

What is missing? Well, I really needed something to go along with the theme tune, something visual for children to watch whilst listening to the music.
Ah, Lightbulb moment, an animation!!

So back to my local university to see if there was anyone who would like to join our growing team of creative young people. I was introduced to Maisie Grant who is now a graduate animator. I am more than impressed with her work. And she is now working on the animation for the Hollie and Figgs theme music.

In order to showcase all our work, that's everyone who has and is working on the Hollie and Figgs project I am having a new website designed which should be ready to share very soon.

I will also be sharing details of the animation process. Check in to Hollie and Figgs on FaceBook as well to keep up to date.
I have no idea where this will take me, but knowing that I have asserted some positive influence over young people in a world that can and is very challenging fills me with pride and pleasure.

Story-time at Lutterworth Library in Leicestershire

2018-07-02T08:23:00.001-07:00

I've recently been visiting local libraries. It's great to have the opportunity to share my Hollie and Figgs books in the hope that I attract more young fans for our characters and storybooks.
Lutterworth Library has its own car park which is really useful and is situated in a busy part of the town.
Libraries are great places and I reminisced about all the times I visited my local library when my two girls were young. I can remember the coloruful book train where they would sit for ages whilst reading their favourite book.
The age group that my books are aimed at 5-8 years generally love to read books and/ or are creative with their imagination. I would like to think that their enthusiasm continues far beyond their age.
It was a very hot day 🌞 I set up our plush characters and Claire Lister the librarian hid the laminated characters ready for the character hunt.
I had a smaller audience on this visit. But what was really pleasing was that all the children knew everything about Hollie and Figgs as I had already visited their school with the first book, Hollie and Figgs: Magical Adventures. They remembered the names of the magical kingdom, characters, and the whole storyline. 🤩 Makes me proud! Their mums were pleasantly surprised that they'd remembered as much as they had.
I really enjoyed reading the second story to them as they were genuinely interested in hearing what came next and learning all about the new characters and new adventure.
Here are some photos I took on the day. You can see that Hollie and Figgs loved having their photo taken too.

Abby

Adam and his two twin sisters.

Adam

The children were all from Bitteswell Primary School in Leicestershire and ranged from six to nine, a great age group to appreciate the story.
I also played the H&F theme tune which they loved. I can't wait to get some animation to go along with the music. I'm sure I will share it with the world when it's complete:) Thanks again to DannyD @leicsmaxrecords for creating this beauty!!
The children really enjoyed the character hunt but didn't have time to do any colouring in, mainly because we were chatting and taking photos.
I enjoyed chatting with Abigail's mum who has a creative imagination and is also a budding author. I hope she pursues her dream of getting her work published professionally.
Thank you to the staff at the library particularly Claire Lister for helping me set up and supporting my visit. And to the children, our H&F fans and to the parents who brought them along to join in the fun.
The special golden wishes card was received well and I hope that the children use their cards wisely and make some good wishes as one day their wishes may come true.

Story-time at Blaby Library in Leicestershire

2018-06-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Beatrice with plush Hollie.

I had arranged to do a story-time and activities at three Leicestershire Libraries. The next will be at Lutterworth Library on Saturday, 30th June 2018 at 11.30am.

This post is about my visit to Blaby Library last Saturday.

Blaby Library isn't as big and equipped as Wigston Library, but it has a welcoming atmosphere and some great resources.

Librarian Claire Bradshaw supported me and helped me set up.

We had about ten children ranging from three to seven years. It was really nice to see dads with their children as I often see mums come along to these type of events.

As always, children loved our Hollie and Figgs characters. The theme music always goes down well. I can't wait to get the animation to go along with it. Again many thanks to Danny from @leicestermaxrecords. Every time I play it, it not only makes me smile but the children as well which makes all the work worthwhile.

After I read the story we did the character hunt which gets the children active and parents can join in too. There were about twenty-five laminated characters to find around the library. Then the children did some colouring in.

Claire had printed out some Hollie and Figgs black and white colouring in pages. I just love to see how creative children can be.

There was a family of three children who attended with their mum and dad. One of the children called Beatrice was very taken by the story and characters. She came with her sister Phoebe and her younger brother.

Here she is with Figgs.

Here is her picture that she gave to me. This is an illustration taken from the second book, Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow. I love how she has captured the rainbow and colouerd the characters in so beautifully.

I want to say thank you to all the parents who brought their children along.

Everyone went away with a sweet treat and a special golden wishes card.

Claire thought that the session at Blaby was lovely and the children had a lovely time.

Thanks again Claire for your help.

Remember to share your experience and keep up to date with Hollie and Figgs on their very own Facebook page and Instagram page.

Story-time at Wigston Library in Leicestershire.

2018-06-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of reading the second book in the Hollie and Figgs series, Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow story to an audience of children and their mums/ grandmas etc at the Wigston Library in Leicestershire.

Wigston Library is great for kids as it has a good sized designated area so I was able to hold some activities like a character hunt and colouring in. Along with the story time I

played the Hollie and Figgs theme tune which I personally love and children seem to love it as well.

I had a mixed age group ranging from 3 to 8 years. Parents were a little older :)

Around 20 children in all.

First of all, I was met by a mum whose daughter Imogen had written a story for me. I was very touched that she wanted me to have it. It was a story about a fairy who gets captured by a witch. There's a happy ending as Lala the fairy gets rescued and lives happily ever after :)

It was so nice to see one of Hollie and Figgs' biggest fans Tabatha, who is just 5. The first time we met was at Waterstones Bookshop when I was doing a storytime and book signing. She was very taken by the characters and story and it was so lovely to hear her enthusiasm and how she remembered a lot of the details from the story. Just what a children's author wants to hear :)

It's important to me that my books have a positive influence on young people and knowing that the stories and characters are remembered is just fantastic.

Also, there was a young girl called Hollie and her sister. Their mum told me how excited Hollie was to meet me and hear the story as they had found the first book Hollie and Figgs: Magical Adventures at a local environment park cafe. I left a copy to be found and shared as a part of the Book Fairies Scheme. So as you can imagine I felt very pleased, but also proud.

I would like to share some photos and pictures some of the children wanted me to have.

Here is Hollie with her sister. I'm in the middle of course :) and Hollie and Figgs wanted to be in the photo too.

Here is a photo of Hollie and Figgs with Ananye and her friend.

Before the children left, I gave each one a special golden wishes card so they can write down their very own wish and keep it safe. In the story, Hollie wished that Figgs could take her to magical lands and her wish came true. You never know, wishes can come true and it's really important to hold onto your dreams.

Ananye wished that people would take care of animals instead of pollution. I was very taken by this as Ananye is only 8 years of age and it's really great and reassuring to hear young people thinking about animals and their environment. Well done Ananye.

What a lovely smile. We had a great conversation about tooth fairies and here the wish is to be a fairy.

Some of the children's colouring pictures.

Tabatha's colourful picture of Hollie and Figgs on the magic carpet.

A beautiful and colourful picture of Hollie holding Figgs.

Here is Hollie thinking about Princess Lulubud. A lovely picture by Jocelyn.

Julia's blue starry picture of Hollie and Figgs.

How colourful is Figgsy? Another lovely picture by Hollie. Not Hollie from the book, Hollie Allen who's seven years old :)

This is a picture of all the characters. Can you spot Figgs?

It was a pleasure to talk to the children and parents. Sally White, librarian at the library said of my visit,

"Both children and parents were really engaged by Annette and the story.

The children loved the story and Annette and she was happy to chat with the children and have photos taken. The character hunt was a great success too.

Parents spent as much time as the children talking with Annette after the story, no one seemed to want to leave."

Thank you Sally this is so nice. The children were very engaging and the character hunt went down really well too.

Thank you to Claire for organising the event, to Sally for her help on the day and to all the children and family members who came along to join in the fun. I hope to see you all again very soon.
My next library visit is at Blaby Library, Leicestershire, on Saturday, June 23rd at 11am.
Details are on the Hollie and Figgs Facebook page. Why not pop over there and take a look!

Barnes Children's Literature Festival 2018

2018-05-15T12:29:00.002-07:00

Another Barnes Children's Literature Festival whoop!

If you are not aware Barnes is a district in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames and it has hosted a children's literature festival yearly in May for the past four years. It's the biggest children's literature festival in London and is growing in popularity and success. The main events run over a weekend and have some amazing children's authors and illustrators presenting their work. There are also fun workshops and activities for everyone to get involved in.

On the website, it states "We at BCLF want to get children excited about literature, literacy and creativity whilst giving them the tools to create their futures because we believe that kids can live their dreams through the power of reading and that the future is theirs to write."

Its a real buzz and hive of activity in various venues around Barnes. I visited Barnes for the first time last year and fell in love with the place. Barnes itself is worth a visit. You get a sense of an English village, art inspired with a relaxed atmosphere. It has its own village green, and pond where there is a plethora of wildlife. We saw some swans with their cygnets - so cute. A short walk from the green is the River Thames.

BCLF is not only an event for children to enjoy but parents and adults alike. In fact anyone with a love of children's literature. I'm saying that because that's just me!
I couldn't resist seeing Harry Hill this year. He is one of the funniest comedians and as a family, we love to watch his antics on TV. He is also a children's author and has just released his new book based on himself as a child called Matt Millz. Harry didn't disappoint! Tickets were sold out and he captivated his audience straightaway with his humour and pranks.

The children loved to join in with his funny joke competition. We had water splashed on us, a leaf blower set on us and much more. Everyone was in hysterics.
It made me think about what children like/ respond to, and what they, in fact, need in a world that's not allowing them to just be 'children' and grow up gradually.
Harry also read some of his story, which was really funny and also didn't disappoint.

I bought his book and had it signed, oh and had a photo for my album :) I bought one for me to keep and another book as a giveaway. I can't wait to read the whole book and I will write a review about it afterwards.

Then I attended Pippa Goodhart's presentation of her 'You Choose' books. Pippa is an author who has written more than a hundred books. I actually contacted Pippa some months back and asked if I could interview her. I was introduced to Pippa's books through a cashier in Sainsbury's who told me about a local author called Pippa Goodhart who wrote a book that was her son's favourite. Pippa agreed to the interview and so I set about brainstorming some questions. You can read the interview here
http://www.hollieandfiggs.co.uk/2017/12/interview-with-childrens-author-pippa.html
When I saw that she was presenting at Barnes, I had to meet her.
Pippa talked about her early life and how she began writing books. Then she shared her 'You Choose' books. My two girls would have loved these when they were younger. They are so colourful, full of fun and interactive. Pippa also read one of her books called 'Chapatti Moon'. I just love this one.

I got to buy one of her books and meet her in person which was really nice.

Whilst I was in the queue waiting to have the Matt Millz book signed by Harry Hill. I met a lady called Susana Goncalves. She told me that she is an educational psychologist in London and we chatted about children's health and wellbeing and how very young children are having too many pressures placed on them. She was very interested in my books and the work I am doing in schools to help inspire young children. You know when you meet someone and you feel like it was meant to be. Anyway, we exchanged details and I hope to follow up the meeting.

I can't wait to see who will be attending next year. I will certainly be there again and hope to see more authors next year.
I hope you enjoyed my post.
Let me know if you have attended the festival and what your favourite bits were.

AWARD WINNER

2018-04-16T03:22:00.003-07:00

Hollie and Figgs: Magical Adventures is award-winning! How great is that?

I entered the Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards and won a bronze award. Whoop! It was really exciting to be named a finalist, but when the awards were announced I was more than happy :)

TWA, as they are called, is run by an award-winning author called Edward Trayer, his pen name is Billy Bob Buttons. On his website, he says that -

"I wanted to offer other independently published authors a very different award to what was presently offered on the internet. I wanted authors who enter to feel 'involved' and I wanted them to know we will judge their books thoroughly."

Edward has a panel of six primary schools who judge the books that have been entered in the children's category. So the books are read by readers they are intended for and the reviews are sent directly to the authors.
That is why I am particularly happy to share my award achievement and the reviews I have received.

REVIEWS

They can be accessed on Goodreads and Amazon. But for your convenience and my pleasure, I decided to share them with you here.

Title: Hollie and Figgs Magical Adventures

Author: Annette Sharman

Star Rating: 5 Stars

Number of Readers: 23

Stats

Editing: 10/10

Writing Style: 9/10

Content: 9/10

Cover: 10/10

Of the 23 readers:

23 would read another book by this author.

23 thought the cover was good or excellent.

23 felt it was easy to follow.

23 would recommend this story to another reader to try.

13 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.

10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.

23 felt the pacing was good or excellent.

23 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ comments

'Very fun, sweet story. The magical land is well-imagined, and the characters are lively, perfect for young children to follow.’ Primary teacher, aged 32

‘I liked the ‘helping hand’ element of the story. The cat is wonderful, and well-illustrated too. The children in my class read this over and over.’ Primary teacher aged 43

‘I liked that Figgs took her on an adventure. Moving school is difficult. This might help children.’ Girl, aged 7

‘Change is difficult for children, so books like this are important. The story meanders a little too much but my two children still enjoyed it.’ Parent, aged 28

‘I love my cat so I know how the girl feels. I like the drawings very much.’ Boy, aged 7

To Sum It Up:

‘A delightful story, full of wonder. A Bronze Medal Winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

This is my first children's storybook in the Hollie and Figgs series and reading these comments has spurred me on to write more.

Thank you to everyone who read my book and liked it enough to give me an award. It makes all the work very worthwhile indeed.

I would like to thank my daughter Holly for her initial drawings and inspirational ideas, both my daughters for their advice and constructive criticism, to the illustrator Andy Wintrip who brought my daughters drawings to life, Jane Hammett the editor, Troubador Publishing and everyone on Kickstarter who made it possible to bring the project to life.

Book release and Story-time at Waterstones in Leicester

2018-04-02T06:06:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to hold a Hollie and Figgs event in none other than one of the UK's largest book retailing chains - Waterstones!

The next Storytime and Book signing event is

Sunday 8th April 2018 starting at 2pm until 3pm in the Waterstones Bookshop Highcross, Leicester.

You`ll also get the chance to hear the brand new Hollie and Figgs theme song!

As well as the storytime event, I will be holding a book signing for anyone who buys one or both of the books!

If you do buy a book you will also receive some sweet treats, special Hollie and Figgs printed balloon and a downloadable PDF pack of colouring pages from the book!

Following my first storytime event at Waterstones Leicester, one mum left this on my Hollie and Figgs Facebook page:

'Thank you for taking the time to introduce my daughters (and me) to Hollie and Figgs' magical world. They both enjoyed the experience and asked several times already to read the books!'

Oh.. and Did I mention that the first story Hollie and Figgs: Magical Adventures is award-winning achieving a bronze award in the Wishing Shelf Children's Book Awards?

How Hollie and Figgs came to be.

Hollie and Figgs series of children's books began as a family project to help my daughter when she wasn't well. I wrote the first story Hollie and Figgs: Magical Adventures and my daughter created the characters and the initial illustrations. I decided to get it self-published and hired a professional illustrator to develop my daughter's drawings ready for printing.

The stories are also based on my daughter and our cat, who was and still is a major comfort to her.

The books are about friendship and magical adventure with a young girl and her talking magical cat.

At first, Hollie is unaware that Figgs can talk and is magic until he reveals his true abilities when she feels sad and lonely after moving to a new school.

My daughter Holly suffered from school phobia among physical health problems. So it has been important that the stories include life lessons, morals, and a happy ending.

I decided to take my books to primary schools where I share the books, our story and help to inspire and promote children's work. It's proving to be very popular and children love the stories and characters. My plush Hollie and Figgs props go down very well :)

Promoting and inspiring young children/adults have become a main part of my work now. I`ve worked with a fantastic student illustrator Beth Hilliard from my local university. She illustrated the second book in the series Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow and also created this adorable book trailer.

More recently a student musician from a local college Danny Davis has created a theme tune for our books.

My plan is to play the theme song when I take the Hollie and Figgs books into schools - I have a feeling that the children will LOVE it!

My books don't have to be enjoyed by JUST children either!

They hold a story within the story and also include morals and life lessons which are great for a meaningful classroom discussion.

They are fun, colourful, and give the reader a feel-good factor - Something everyone can enjoy!

The books also include various props that go along with the story.

My daughter Holly designed one of the props for the first book - The special invitations to a princess's ball.

You'll have to discover what the other props could be as you read the story!

However, the props are only available if you purchase the books directly from myself, and not through Amazon, Waterstones online and the publishers' website due to them being limited edition!

If you're wanting one or both of the books that include the props,

email me at hollieandfiggs@gmail.com.

I will then promptly email you back with clear instructions on how to purchase to make sure you don't miss out!

Thankyou for reading!

Annette x

Don't forget: I will be at Waterstones in the Highcross Leicester at 2 pm on Sunday the 8th April.

You're all invited to come along and hear me read from the book!

Check out my Instagram to see photos from my previous events to get a taster of whats in store

Hollie and Figgs Theme Tune

2018-03-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

I am so happy to share with you Hollie and Figgs theme tune.
I had an idea to create some music and lyrics that I could to take into schools along with my books.
What I've noticed during my school visits is that children are all different, some children prefer to draw whilst others prefer to read; some like to write and others find it hard and prefer not to. Music is yet another element that comes into play. Music education in primary schools is extremely valuable and is said to aid social and educational development. By linking the book with the music it helps to bridge the gap and make the whole experience even more exciting engaging for the children.

Who created the music and lyrics?

I approached a local music college and asked if there was anyone who would like the opportunity to work with me to create a music theme for my books. I also love to work with students in order to help promote their work.
I was pleased when I got a reply and a student called Danny Davis offered to take on the challenge. It wasn't really his type of music, but he has embraced the opportunity and has done it justice.
He created the music, wrote the lyrics and arranged for a singer to sing the vocals.
It has been a new experience for me as well as I have never done anything like this before. To get some inspiration, I listened to some theme songs like Totoro, Adventure Time and Dora The Explorer, all of which were my daughter's favourite TV programmes when she was growing up.
You have to admit that Danny has done an amazing job and has been a great addition to the Hollie and Figgs team :)
If you would like to check out his work, you can it's DannyD at www.leicestermax.com
He is contactable if you have any work you would like him to do.
My next plan is to get a video of both our characters Hollie and Figgs so they can be enjoyed whilst listening to the theme tune. Can't wait!

International Women`s Day 2018

2018-03-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

International Women's Day is on 8th March every year and is an important day whereby women all over the world can celebrate achievements they have made culturally, socially, politically and economically.

It has been a fight for women to get the same recognition as men in all areas of their life. And in 1909 women began the campaign for better pay at work and for voting rights organised by the socialist party in America. Then a year later at the International Women's Conference in Copenhagen, it was suggested that women have an International Women's Day and in 1913, March 8th was recognised as the day of celebration and reflection of women's achievements and past suffering.

Unfortunately, women are still being paid less than men in the workplace and there is still work to be done at addressing inequality issues. There are still many global issues relating to gender inequality.

Many countries around the world have made IWD as an official holiday. And did you know that the USA designate the whole of March as `Women's History Month?` Amazing :)

Recently, more women have felt able to speak out about sexual harassment in the workplace which has helped to empower and inspire all women. Take a look at Westminster. Not all abuse or bullying involved women, but female MP`s have now felt able to disclose abuse and the situation is being taken seriously and dealt with, as in the past women felt too fearful to speak out in a male orientated environment.

I wanted to write a post in celebration and share my thoughts, experiences, and inspiration.

My first job was in mental health nursing in the 1980`s. There was considerably more male managers than females and especially more male psychiatrists. I am not sure what the ratio of male to female psychiatrists there is today. But it was a male-dominated world with female nurses doing what was asked of them. I always felt a sense of inferiority, but that could have also been my age:)

I remember a time that I worked on a secondment as a student nurse in a female gynecological ward. The consultant was male and every morning the nurses were ushered into the sluice room so they didn't make the ward untidy whilst the consultant did his rounds. The ward sister seemed to pamper to his every requirement. Not sure if a female consultant gynecologist would have done the same.

Even in the 1980`s inequality was felt. And generally speaking, women are still earning less than men in the workplace today.

But take stock, and look back in history at some famous influential women, and there is certainly a fair amount and they go back a long way.

Queen Elizabeth 1 (1558-1603) Queen of England. She was a major European power in politics, the arts and commerce and helped England go from poverty to one of the most important nations in Europe.
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) an author who produced the first literature for juvenile girls. Her most famous was Little Women. She went on to have 270 of her works published.
Clara Barton (1821-1912) who helped to treat injured soldiers on the battlefield in the English Civil War. She went on to become the founder and first president of the American Red Cross.
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) who went on to fly across the Atlantic Ocean opening the way for other women to follow their dreams to fly.
Ella Fitzgerald (1918-1996) Won 12 Grammy Awards and was one of the greatest jazz singers of all time.
Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) was an Indian leader and a very influential figure for Indian women all around the world.
Joan of Arc (1412-1431) A national French heroine. She led the resistance to the English invasion in the 100 years war. She believed that it was her mission to lead France to freedom from the English.
Mother Theresa (1910-1997) The founder of a religious group of nuns in India. She devoted her life to aiding the sick all over the world.

These are just some amazing and inspirational women that have paved the way for other women to follow suit. They have instilled confidence and shown great strength of character. Fabulous role models :)

Now I am retired from my job in nursing I write children`s storybooks. When I was younger I lacked confidence with books and reading always filled me with anxiety.

Since then, I have grown in strength emotionally and mentally and truly believe that anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

My new path has led me to do things I have never done before and out of my comfort zone.I am learning new skills and becoming acquainted with a new industry - the publishing industry and getting to grips with social media and marketing. (again seen historically as male-orientated.) I am also finding out that I am good at things I would have never thought of.

Being retired doesn't mean that I have to stop learning and being creative. I just have more time to do the things that I love doing and I LOVE TO LEARN and experience new things.

Who inspires me?

My daughters are a great inspiration. They keep me youthful and their hunger for life and success drives me too. I would love to think that they feel the same way about me :)

Here are just some famous female authors who have influenced me in my recent children`s books.

Enid Blyton (1857-1968)
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943)
Jacqueline Wilson (1945-present)
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
J.K.Rowling (1965-present)

There are so many inspirational women out there today who continue to fight for women's rights all over the world. I would like to say a BIG thank you to them for making the world a better place for women and continuing to fight for equality.

I wish you all a very reflective, inspirational and creative International Women`s Day.

With love from my charcaters Hollie, Figgs and Princess Lulubud.

Interview with children`s author Pippa Goodhart

2017-12-15T10:23:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I met a cashier at my local Sainsbury's store and we got talking about my impending book signing. She was very interested and mentioned the name of a local author who wrote children's books as well. She said that her son who is now an adult, had a favourite book as a child written by this author whose name she recalled as Pippa Goodhart.

I love to connect with writers as the profession is still very new to me. I was intrigued and so I decided to search for Pippa Goodhart on the internet. I found her website which is colourful, inviting and full of information and details about her many children`s books. Some you may know like her series of Winnie the Witch books.

Her web page is www.pippagoodhart.co.uk

I managed to message Pippa through her FaceBook page and she agreed to be interviewed by me. I feel very privileged that she took the time to answer my questions and share her publishing/writing experience. I have also learned something about the industry as well as about Pippa`s experiences, influences and plans for the future.

THE INTERVIEW.

How long have you been writing for?

I began when I was at home with small children in the 1990s, so I’ve now been writing for a quarter of a century!

What is your favourite children’s author and why?

I have lots of different favourite authors of different kinds of books to suit different moods and occasions.

What is the inspiration behind your books?

Life, I suppose. I’m interested in things and explore them through stories.

You have written some amazing books including the `Winnie the Witch` series. What is your favourite book and why?

My favourite of my own books is ‘You Choose’, for a number of reasons. I felt very sure that it was a good idea, but had to battle to get it published … and then it slowly grew and grew, and has now sold over a million copies. It’s the book children bring to show me in the tattiest condition; loved to bits! All thanks to Nick Sharratt’s wonderful cornucopia of pictures, of course.

I can see that you have written one adult novel. Will you be writing more books for adults?

I wrote that because I was able to get an Arts Council grant to pay for writing time, on condition that I was writing something in a different genre from my usual work writing. I wrote it in the person of an old lady, and enjoyed that! I don’t have any plans at the moment for more writing for adults, but you never know.

What book are you working on now?

Today I’m working on an early reader version of ‘The Little Mermaid’, written to commission.

What `s the best part of writing for you?

I love the playing around with ideas, before the hard work of writing and rewriting even begins.

How did you get your first book published?

I wrote it for a competition, which it was runner-up in, but didn’t win. So I sent it to an agent, and she took me on and sold it.

What has your publishing journey been like?

Interesting, challenging, rewarding.

How long does it take for you to complete one of your children’s storybooks?

That varies enormously. One of my historical adventure stories might take two or three years, partly because I do quite a lot of research, partly because they are of novel length, and partly because I need to write other books at the same time or we’d starve! A picture book, if I’ve got a strong idea, might only take a week or two.

Have you had any bad experiences with your publishing/writing journey?

I’ve had the usual suddenly being dropped by a publishing house, having books given what I feel is the wrong cover, disappointments over books dropped out of print before they’ve had a chance to make their mark, etc etc. But I’ve had many more positive experiences.

To what do you attribute your success?

Hard work and making the most of opportunities, and doing those things because I love the job. I do realise how lucky I am to make a living this way.

Have you any future plans you could share with us?

I’ve got a new historical novel for 8-12s coming out next July. Its title still isn’t fixed, but possibly, ‘The Boy Who Found Dragons’. It’s set here, in my village, in the 1860s when they were digging for coprolites and making discoveries about evolution. And the first of a new series of Winnie the Witch chapter books will be coming out next Christmas. Lots of writing projects in the pipeline, and more teaching of writers.

Two more of Pippa's newer books. You can buy her many books from Amazon.

I particularly love the sound of `Chapatti Moon.`

Thank you, Pippa, for this interesting and honest interview.

Interview with two mums/children`s book authors

2017-12-05T08:50:00.002-08:00

Recently, I visited a primary school to read my Hollie and Figgs story. I met a lovely young girl there called Annie. She was taken by my story because there`s a character called Annie in it.
She was very proud to tell me that her mum`s an author too. Then Annie`s teacher went on to tell me about Annie`s mum, Lindsay and the Hattie B and Doodle Girl series of books she has written.
I just had to get in touch with Lindsay after I heard about her and her books. Like me, she is a mum and her books are inspired by her children.
I managed to make contact with Lindsay and she was more than happy to be interviewed.
I got together some questions for her and her writing partner and friend Suzanne. It sounds like they have a great friendship and working relationship and bounce ideas off each other.
I also wanted to ask these ladies about their achievements and how they managed to get where they are now. I love the illustrations, especially Doodle girl by their illustrator Marnie Maurri. Now, these inspirational mums are bringing out some adorable merchandise. How great is that!

Lindsay and Suzanne

How many books have you written? Had published?

Over the past eight years, Suzanne and I have written many stories. However, published so far, we have between us, eleven titles on the shelf which we are immensely proud of our achievements.

Hattie B Magical Vet was our first series of books. We were the creators of this series of six titles and is translated into nine different languages and recorded as an audio book for the libraries under the pseudonym, Claire Taylor-Smith.

Doodle Girl was our second series of books which we are the authors. We teamed up with the fabulous illustrator, Marnie Maurri and were snapped up for a four-book deal.

Suzanne is the author of two beautiful bedtime lullaby books illustrated by Charlotte Cooke. ‘Littlest Dreamer, A Bedtime Journey’ and ‘Littlest Dreamer, A Bedtime Adventure’ which are stunning books which include bedtime reward stickers for the little ones.

Where did you get the inspiration from to write the stories?

Our inspiration comes from everything around us. Mainly our children but we never close our eyes and ears to any opportunity. Hattie B came from a game that my daughter, Harriet, used to play as a little girl. She loved her soft animal toys, and especially her toy horses. As she was so horse-mad, we had lots of unicorn and Pegasus toys. Harriet was always keen and still today, on becoming a vet when she was older. She would play for hours with her toys, wrapping them in toilet paper as bandages and sprinkle talcum powder over them as a fairy dust to make them better. As this was such a sweet little game, Suzanne and I asked ‘Where do poorly mythical creatures go when they are feeling unwell?’ Obviously, a magical vet! Our ideas then went from there.

Doodle Girl was seeing Marnie’s wonderful work on Facebook of the Doodle Girl character. We approached Marnie and asked if we could write the stories for her to illustrate. Fortunately, Marnie jumped at the chance and we are so excited about her future.

Littlest Dreamer came from a very personal reason and a family bereavement making these stories incredibly special.

The ideas that seem to work better for us, is when we have a personal connection.

You jointly write the books with Suzanne Smith. How did you meet?

Suzanne and myself have been friends for years. Our husbands are childhood buddies who grew up in the same village. It was when we were on maternity leave with our second babies that we found we had a combined creative streak. Our publishing path has taken many different routes, but a journey that we are enjoying greatly.

How do you share the work?

We work brilliantly together as we have a relationship that is very supportive but open. We work on our own stories and together dependent upon the project. However, we will always seek each other’s approval and advice before any work is submitted. This could see us working at the same desk or working from our homes and just keeping in contact via email. Communication is key. Having Suzanne working alongside me, makes for an often lonely authors world so much more enjoyable.

Have you got a favourite story (yours) and why?

My favourite story as a little girl was ‘Chicken Licken’. I could retell this story off the top of my head, as I made my mother read it over and over again. As I was growing up, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis, quickly became my escapism. The magic, the new world and the characters just grabbed me and never left.

A favourite story of our own would have to be ‘Hattie B Magical Vet, A Dragon’s Song’. It was such a lengthy process from idea to an actual book in our hands, with plenty sweat and tears in-between, and being our first ever book published, will always be special. Each of our stories, as I mentioned, all have a personal connection and mean different things for different reasons.

How have you found the publishing process?

Very long….! It is a rollercoaster of emotions, from the excitement of a new idea, to getting the story right then comes the inevitable criticisms and often rejections to the jubilation of a yes. However, this is only the start of the journey. We have found it frustrating but very rewarding in the long run and the desire to publish more becomes very infectious.

Having our books published and on the shelves, was definitely not the end of the process. It is arduous work trying to drum up the interest of readers, schools and libraries. It was almost quite a shock that we still had most of the hard work to do once the books were out. The marketing budgets of even the largest of publishers are only really reserved for those books that will inevitably sell well as this makes good business sense. This could be for many reasons, a well-established author or illustrator or more recently, a celebrity! So, for people like Suzanne and myself, the promotions are very much down to us. However, our publishers are always on hand should we need any advice or support. Having a good relationship with your publisher makes the process so much more of an enjoyable process.

Any advice to give to a new writer?

My advice to any writer is, stay true to your style and write what you believe in. Even though, some would look at our number of books and think we are very successful – it never seems to feel that way. I still struggle to acknowledge myself as a writer and always strive to do and be better. It’s a very long journey to publication, but a fabulous feeling. Never, ever give up! If it’s what you believe in, go for it!

Any pitfalls/ surprises you have experienced on your writing journey?

Pitfalls would have to be the timescales. It took three years from contract to a physical book on the shelf. This was after a delay in publication for twelve months – we were quite shocked when we were told of the delay – understood the reasons why – but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

Do you do your own marketing/promoting? If so how do you find it?

Yes, we do all of our own marketing which is a long and constant commitment. Schools are always the best arena to promote our books, but even trying to get into schools can be tricky. They have their own busy agendas and curriculums to fulfill and having an author in, albeit invaluable, can take up time from other subjects. However, a day in school is just amazing, seeing the children ignite their imaginations is always exciting. So often, we hear ‘I don’t have an imagination.’ Or, ‘I can’t write.’ Just offering a spark of creativity sees many of the children instilled with a love of reading, writing and the whole idea of using their imagination – just wonderful!

Our best social media forum for promotion is Facebook. We have a lovely following on our Mums Creative Content page but also an incredible fanbase on our Doodle Girl Adventures page. Our followers are incredibly supportive.

What are the best aspects of writing children`s storybooks?

The best aspect of writing for children, is the research. So, plenty of reading children’s books, watching Kids TV and films, playing the games on the consoles that are popular at the time. But more so, the escapism. Leaving reality behind to dance with fairies or grapple with a dragon, has to beat any job, right?!

Suzanne and I use our own children to test our new ideas, they are definitely our biggest critics and supporters. We love nothing more than challenging them with our ideas and seeing how they can interpret the thoughts. We have some very random conversations over the dinner table – but so much fun!

Where do you see yourself/ your books in 5 years time?

We have just begun a new approach with Doodle Girl and starting to add her to products. Our vision is for our designs and catchphrases to become licensed merchandise. We always saw Doodle Girl (as her name suggests) as doodling materials, like pencil cases, art boxes but also as her character has a very classy design and lends herself very beautifully for greetings cards, stationery and gifts for an older audience. Recently, we have just launched a few products on our Facebook page which have been in high demand and literally flying out the door which is fabulous.

Over the next five years, who knows what will happen. But it is our hope that Doodle Girl will become a brand in her own right with an agent to manage the license agreements. We have everything crossed!

How did you find the publishers you are with?

With Hattie B, we were attending the Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield (A huge recommendation for anyone in the children’s media business). There were various seminars taking place throughout the three-day conference, but one was ‘Meet the Commissioners’ for publishing. We thought we would go along and hear what they had to say. There were representatives from Walker Books, Nosey Crow and Penguin. The Publishing Director of Penguin ran out of time and invited people to speak in the café bar after the session. The queue was huge, and we were right at the back. Anyhow, we waited patiently and was greeted by the lovely Eric Huang. We said, ‘We are working on this thing called ‘Harriet, the Mythical Vet’…’ and he stopped us, told us he loved it and was to send it to him by the end of the week. Being a Puffin author was something that we had only dreamed of, and this meeting was the gateway to making it a reality. It wasn’t quite as easy as just a two-minute conversation, but that’s where it started.

Off the back of Hattie B Magical Vet, we managed to secure an agent who then represented ‘Doodle Girl’ with Simon and Schuster on a four-title deal and ‘Littlest Dreamer’ for two books. We feel incredibly lucky, honoured that we are working with such high-profile publishers but moreover humbled to be amongst such fabulous authors.

Thank you to Lindsay and Suzanne for sharing their creative journey and publishing experiences with me. I wish them well and luck in their future plans.

My new book. Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow

2017-11-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

If you would like to own your very own Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow book you can.

Click on the links below:

Amazon

Waterstones

Troubador Publishers

If you would like a signed copy for Christmas along with a special limited edition prop (you will only get the prop if you buy the book from me) a candy cane treat and some downloadable PDF colouring in pages from the book, all in time for Christmas, email me at
hollieandfiggs@gmail.com

The book is great quality and retails at only £7.99 It has 64 colourful pages with 18 charming full-colour illustrations children will love.

If you would like to connect with me you can by emailing me,
Or click these links below

Twitter @Annettesharman
Facebook Hollie and Figgs
Instagram @Hollieandfiggs

Children love to see their work featured online. If you would like to send it to me. I love to see what creations children come up with and will try to feature as much of their work as I can.

When my children were younger this is something they would have loved and totally got on board with. It's so important to help keep children`s imagination and creativity alive.

About the book.

I am so happy to announce that I have been working with a very talented student illustrator from the local University (De Montfort University in Leicester) Beth Hilliard.

She has taken the images from the first book and kept the charm and style of its illustrations. This to me was the most important part of creating the second book. I didn't want to lose my daughter's initial creative imagery.

Beth has been very professional and reliable throughout the whole process and I have already commissioned her to illustrate the third book in the Hollie and Figgs series.

Yes, there will be another Hollie and Figgs story and this time I will definitely get it published a little earlier. It also has a Christmas theme, which I am really excited about and will be released for sale in time for Christmas next year.

Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow.

Without giving too much away. Hollie and Figgs set off for Princess Lulubuds ball, but all doesn't go as planned. The rainbow in Hippogoblin Land has gone missing! Without it, the king has no magic and Hippogoblin land will be doomed to darkness and misery.

After visiting schools and talking to numerous children I generated ideas of what storylines and characters they prefer. I took some of their ideas and developed the storyline accordingly. I have included some rhyme and repetition that I know children love, magic, adventure, cuteness and a sprinkle of devilishness, but nothing too scary, I promise:)

The story involves new lovable characters, contrast and subtle conflict in the storyline which is reflected in the illustrations. Every page has something to keep any child interested and wanting to page turn and know more.
A sneak peek of one of Beth`s amazing illustrations in the book.

Here Hollie and Figgs arrive at the palace on Smudgers a new lovable character. You can see the royal family including Princess Lulubud and a new cute character called Thomasin who`s from Chippogoblin Land.

Why is Hippogoblin Land looking dreary? Where is the magic rainbow? Why does Princess Lulubud look sad?

There are new morals included in the story. This time I have addressed issues involving problem-solving, jealousy and forgiveness. Hollie and Figgs` books are also a reminder that our lovable pets offer their friendship, trust, and comfort.

It`s a great story to generate a lively classroom discussion. Using the story and characters to open up discussion is a great way to address issues children find hard to talk about. The story itself will be enjoyed by both children and adults alike :)

It has a happy ending and leaves the reader wondering about Hollie and Figgs` next adventure.

Also, there is a special treat inside the book; a prop that goes with the story and I know children will love it.

I wonder why there is a gold envelope with a miniature tiara and green bow tie?
All becomes very clear when you read the book :)

About the Hollie and Figgs project.

The origins of Hollie and Figgs arose through my daughter's illness some years ago. I had an idea to help her and build her confidence by creating a children`s storybook whereby I write the story and my daughter illustrate it. It`s also based on my daughter and our cat. It became a labour of love and a family project. We had a lot of positive feedback about the story and my daughter's drawings so I decided to get the book published in the hope that it would help her confidence even more. I had a professional illustrator turn her pictures into charming illustrations fit for printing.

It`s been an exciting journey and has taken me into schools where I share our story, read the book, open up discussions on the themes in the story and do creative activities with the children.

My daughter is a lot better now and is developing her own business which is truly remarkable after she has suffered from various illnesses for several years.

I decided to continue the work as I see the benefits children`s stories have on young children.

I also decided to employ a student illustrator as my aim is also to help enable young people.

My aim is to write stories children will love, inspire them to believe in themselves and their dreams. The more I write and think about the potential of children's stories reaching out to children the more motivated I feel.

Thank you for reading my post.
Let magic and dreams fill your life :)

Glenmere Primary School Visit

2017-11-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

Scarlett`s drawing and description of Matilda.

I visited Mr Mattews (Kieran) class (Year 3) Glenmere Primary School in Wigston Leicester.The class has 27 children aged between 7 and 8 years of age. It was a Friday afternoon session and the children responded well to being read to. We had a lively classroom discussion about pets, moving schools and friendships. I am always amazed by how honest children are and how eager they are to get creative.

This time I suggested that they think of their favourite book characters, or make up their own book characters or they could use Hollie and Figgs.

Above is Scarlett`s drawing of a very famous book character Matilda by Roald Dahl. This is one of my favourites as well. In fact, a few children decided to draw Matilda. So as a book character she is obviously quite popular. Other popular characters included Willie Wonker (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) by Roald Dahl, Harry Potter by JK Rowling, The BFG again by Roald Dhal and The Twits again by Roald Dhal. I think this class are big Roald Dhal fans :) Other children drew their own characters. I shall describe some of them besides their work.

I felt very honoured to see that one child drew a character from the new book Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow which will be released in December this year. It was one of the Polygrogs. Sound evil? Well, they are, just a bit ;)

Another child drew Figgs who she described as the `best cat ever.` I love this :)

Here are the children`s creations.

My very own Figgs top right. Aaron created a Cat Saver inspired by his grandmother who saved a cat.

Rhys has created a colourful picture of Danny.

My favourite Hermione from Harry Potter top left drawn so beautifully. The Twits next to it. I love the detail in the drawing.

Jessica has drawn Matilda bottom left.

I spy with my little eye the BFG bottom right by Ava. She has also drawn Matilda bottom left. Willie Wonka again top left by Samuel and then Alfie's story writing top right.

Bottom right is a famous mythical creature from Harry Potter, Dobbie.

Rayhan has drawn Willie Wonka top left.(How popular is he?)

Sienna has drawn Hollie and her pet dog with an evil fox. Bottom right are characters called the Fox Busters.

I spy Harry Potter top left. Isla has drawn characters called Sofie and the Pets. Another Willie Wonka bottom left and then Scarlett's Matilda with her beautiful handwriting.

Look at that amazing cat face in drawing 1 by Nyla. Then we have the Polygrog from the second Hollie and Figgs book. Aaron`s drawing is on the bottom left and then there are characters made from food, pizza, carrot, and a lollipop.

I wanted to say a big thank you to Kieran, (Mr Matthews) for inviting me to share my storybook with your amazing class of talented children. I really enjoyed my time and am proud of what the children created.

My visit to Church Langton Primary School

2017-11-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Georgina`s goldfish that makes gold and her character Rosie.

It was an absolute pleasure to visit this year 4 class (8-9 years) in Church Langton. The class teacher Tessa (Mrs Bladon) was very accommodating.
I like to start by introducing myself and then talk about how I came about writing the Hollie and Figgs story. Children love the props, in particular, the candy canes which gets a lot of attention. Unfortunately for them, they are not allowed to eat them:)
The story of Hollie and Figgs is always received very well. I don't read the whole story as I like to have enough time to have a good classroom discussion on the themes in the book, get to know the children a little and hold an activity session.
I decided to do a different type of activity to what I have done before. It was inspired by an activity I did as a child and one my children loved to do.
When I was younger I loved making up different characters from people I knew, teachers, family members and people I saw on TV or in the street. Hollie and Figgs are based on my daughter and our cat. Even the characters in the book show some resemblance to family members and people I know. This is always a good starting point when creating your unique characters for stories:)
You can exaggerate certain characteristics which is great fun to do.
The children loved to get involved, but some preferred to draw and others write, and some like to do both. My aim is to get them to use their imagination and to translate their ideas in whatever medium they feel most comfortable with.
I really enjoyed seeing their exuberant interest and excitement when creating their own characters and everyone joined in which was amazing!
Some children drew our own characters Hollie and Figgs. It always makes me proud that I have created these memorable characters that children love.

Tessa said that the children would be going on to develop their characters into a story of their own. Exciting :) I hope to share some of their work on my website.

The Children`s Creations.

Roxy decided to draw Hollie and Figgs and did an amazing job. Lottie drew a character based on her sister Lulu. Lulu is sporty and always happy. She also drew a dog called Bella who is magical and always makes everyone happy. Her character Lulu made me think of my little Hippogoblin princess, Princess Lulubud, who was in fact based on my sister who I call Lu :)

Elena drew a lovely picture of a character called Mollie who loves to eat pizza and likes to dress her best and loves makeup. She also drew Max who likes to hang around with Harvey who is 15. Elena also drew Harvey who likes to hang around with Max:) I like how she has made them look different and has put a lot of detail in her drawings along with some written description of their personalities.

Georgina spent a lot of time perfecting her goldfish. And she did an amazing job and her goldfish can make gold! Now that's a great storyline in the making!

Hayden drew his favourite animal, a tiger! Madison drew a purple and green monster. Bbrrrr :)
In fact, all the children got involved and thought about what characters they would like in their very own story.

Here is their work:

These lovely pictures were drawn by India, Roxy, Oscar and Evie.

Look at Harry Potter by Barnaby. (Top left) I love how he has captured his face and the infamous scar. Then there is Jack's picture, Hayden`s tiger and Lottie's drawing.

Imogen, Piper, Eva-Jean and Madisons wonderful and imaginative pictures.

Alastair, Eve, Mia and Elena`s amazing and detailed drawings.

Elena, Alfie`s story, Jessica and Chloe's lovely black and white picture.

Alfie really got into story writing. He wrote all about Jake and Spike who were his main characters. Jake was moving house, but he was worried about moving to a new school. What an imaginative lovely piece of story writing. Well done to Jake.

More amazing drawings by Lily, Georgina, Amiya, and Syon.

I would like to thank all the class for joining in and making my visit fun and enjoyable. I am so happy that you liked my story. Hollie and Figgs send a big hug to you all.

MY NEW KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN - How to fund, Watch my trailer & more!

2017-10-24T08:12:00.001-07:00

Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow is an exciting, fully illustrated storybook about friendship and magical adventure between a young girl Hollie and her adorable, magical talking cat Figgs! A story with a moral and life lessons.
"A delightful story with a sweet ending," The Wishing Shelf book review.

It`s a story inspired by my daughter when she was ill. Its also based on her and our cat.

I need help to fund this campaign. Getting funds means that it will enable me to continue to take my book into primary school whereby I help to inspire young children!
All you need to do is click on the links below and it will magically transport you to my funding page. Any amount is very welcome.

Check out the official 'Hollie and Figgs - The missing rainbow' Kickstarter funding campaign here:

Watch the official book trailer

The book trailer was made by my talented student illustrator Beth Hilliard

I am so so proud and excited about my new venture!
The first book Hollie and Figgs: Magical Adventures introduced the main characters and the first adventure and the fact that Figgs is magic and can talk.
The second book goes on to develop the magical adventures/plots and characters even more. There are more life lessons, twists and turns in the plot, magic and new characters. This time I have introduced boys to the story :) And there are 18 colourful illustrations your child will love. Along with props in the book.

I have included the first book in the rewards for you to enjoy. It leads into the second story, Hollie and Figgs: The Missing Rainbow, but isn't absolutely necessary in order to enjoy it.
Backers will be able to enjoy surprise, Hollie and Figgs merchandise, exclusive and limited edition postcards, bookmarks, A PDF versions of the book, beautiful quality hard copies fully signed by both author and illustrator, the first 'off the press' copy of the book (Signed), and a special edition watercolour painting of our main character Figgs..... And more!
I will also be personally updating my backers throughout the whole the process!

It would mean so much to me if you were able to help fund my project!
Head over to my Kickstarter project to read more about my story, School visits, check out the goodies you can buy, and to help fund the publication of the book!

Official Kickstarter project link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1010570823/hollie-and-figgs-a-fun-childrens-book-by-annette-s/

School children`s story. Hollie and Figgs: The Forbidden Mountain.

2017-09-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

I am more than proud of this project. Before I start I would like to thank the children from the schools I visited. You have all been truly amazing. I will include children's names into the post who have contributed, but if I miss anyone out my sincere apologies. I will do my best to make sure everyone is included. Also, it`s been hard to include everyone's ideas however good they are.

When both my children were young I would often write the beginning part of a story and let them finish it. They loved it! It was always exciting and enlightening to see what they came up with.

I decided to put this to the test on my school visits and to get 7-8-year-old school children involved in this story writing project of mine. My plan is to share the story on my website and to read it out on the Hollie and Figgs YouTube channel so that the children can see/hear their story in all its glory.

First of all, I set the scene by discussing with them our characters and reading the first story I wrote Hollie and Figgs: Magical Adventures. They loved our characters. Some chose to draw pictures relating to the book and others joined in with story writing.

Some children chose to work together on the plot and others on their own. You can't really distinguish the boy's contribution to the girls. Although there may be a draw to the monster element for the boys and the princess and the sparkly element for the girls.

I read the beginning of the story and then went to Gilmorton Primary School where they followed on from it. I have been astounded by the children's interest, creativity and imagination. I had contributions from Angie, Will, Molly, Rosa, Niamh, Erin, Isabel, and Dhanya. I went through all of their work and put together a plot. To be honest it wasn't that difficult.

After Gilmorton`s contribution, I went to Ullesthorpe Primary School who came up with quite a lot of script for me to go through. I had contributions from Daniel, Bethany, Tina-Marie, Poppy, Agnes, Sophie, Imogen, Joseph, Holly, Felix, Allegra, Grace, Sophy A, Greta, Alicia, Olivia G, and Michael who came up with the idea of the spinning Figgs. Love it!!

As you can see there were a lot of contributions from Ullesthorpe so it was more difficult to include as much content to make the story flow. But I think I have done a good job if I say so myself :)

After Ullesthorpe I went to Claybrooke Primary School where Harri, Leah, Grace, Jess, Amelia, Ollie, Mia, Harry, Harvey, April, Lucy, Gabriel, Keaton, Jess, Georgia, and Isla wrote some of their ideas. Grace introduced Demma the flying unicorn and Ollie said that Figgs` nose lit up the cave. What an ingenious idea!!

I then went to Dunton Basset Primary School where Max, Lilia, Mckenzy, Freya, Imogen, and Sam contributed. It was in this class that the Puzzler was imagined and Freya had Hollie drawing pictures of Figgs as they were falling down a hole.

Finally, I visited Stoke Golding Primary School who contributed the story`s finale. Ellie, Hugh, Kara, George and Holly, all contributed. Kara introduced the rope ladder and the final sentence of the story.

Well, here it is. Please read and comment below. It means a lot not just for me, but the children who have contributed and created this. They should be proud of themselves and I hope that this project helps them to feel that they can be creative and gives them the confidence to follow their dreams.

Let me know what you think of the storyline and the project. Remember this has not been professionally edited and I have tried to be as authentic with their work as possible.

Primary school children’s story.

Hollie and Figgs: The Forbidden Mountain

Hollie has already been to Annie`s home and met Jasper her dog. He`s a scruffy terrier and very mischievous. Hollie doesn’t think about the time she felt unhappy and lonely anymore. She has her best friend Figgs and her new friend Annie.

Annie has rosy cheeks and long, ruby red, curly hair. They both love to dress up and Hollie`s mum allows them to use her makeup and some of her clothes. Figgs watches as they play and will often join in.

They pretend that they are at a royal ball and set a table with flowery cups and plates just like the ones in Hippogoblin Land. Hollie`s mum makes special cakes when Annie stays and they pretend that they are apple daisy cakes just like the ones Hollie had in the magical kingdom.

"What do you think to this?” Hollie said as she turned to Annie giggling, “I am a princess and you can be the queen. Figgs can be our butler and can serve us tea and cakes.”

Hollie dressed Figgs in a red velvet jacket. He never seems to mind being dressed up. In fact, he enjoys the fuss and joining in the fun. “Figgs you look very grand. You look more like a king than a butler.” Hollie set to work at making Figgs a golden crown fit for a king and placed it on top of his head, which made Annie chuckle.

Then, Hollie could hear her mum call out, “it`s bedtime now girls!”

Hollie removed Figgs` velvet jacket and golden crown cuddled him and popped him onto his bed. Then Annie and Hollie changed into their pyjamas. “I wish my mum would let Jasper sleep in my bedroom,” Annie said as she stroked Figgs`s soft grey coat. Then they all settled down for the night.

They chatted and giggled for what seemed like hours. “Hollie, I wish we could go on an adventure like you and Figgs did in your story.”

“I know it would be amazing Annie.”

The girls were drifting off to sleep when they heard a voice coming from the bottom of Hollie's bed.

“Come on you two, you want an adventure don’t you, so let’s go on one.” They both looked down and there was Figgs looking up at them with his sparkly green eyes, cute pink button nose, and wore the cheekiest grin.

Annie looked puzzled but excited and very tired. A voice then said, “Hollie it`s June 14th Princess Lulubud`s ball. Don’t you remember? You can bring Annie along too if you want.”

Hollie looked at Annie and beamed, “Let`s go!” They both jumped out of their beds as quickly as they could and squished themselves together on the small round rainbow rug with Figgs.

Gilmorton Primary School

In a puff of smoke, they whooshed out of Hollie`s bedroom with Annie`s hair flowing in the wind. It wasn’t long before they could see Cloudland and Fairyland beneath them. Then, the rug suddenly stopped. Figgs looked very worried and said, “Oh no we may get stuck here forever!”

Annie turned to Hollie and said, “Are you thinking what I am?”

She giggled, “let`s slide down the rainbow.”

But Hippogoblin Land was too far away, at least thirty to forty strawberry candy floss clouds away. So they all hopped onto the clouds and then whooshed down the rainbow.

“How cool is this!” Annie said.

When they arrived in Hippogoblin Land the girls were already dressed for the ball in shimmery ball gowns and diamond jewelry. They were a little confused about it but knew it was magic.

They burst into the palace ballroom where they could hear lots of shouting, “The guest of honour is missing! Princess Lulubud is missing.”

Ullesthorpe Primary School

Hollie and Annie were very worried about Princess Lulubud. Annie twisted her ruby red curls and sighed and her pink rosy red cheeks turned pale. They looked everywhere, but couldn’t find her.

The king stood up and shouted, “The ball is over start searching guards!” The guests plodded out the palace and went home.

Suddenly Hollie started to cry and salty tears ran down her soft cheeks. She remembered that Princess Lulubud has a cat called Poppy and for a moment Hollie thought that she may have taken Poppy to where she lives.

They knew they had to do something.

The whole kingdom was worried and began to search for the princess. Figgs then said, “I never thought I would have to use this,” he tapped his golden collar and a white screen appeared out of nowhere. Figgs started talking to it and asked it where abouts the princess is. They could see a picture of the forbidden mountain on the screen.

In a flash of light the king’s faithful servant, `flying cow` appeared. He was green with blue wings, a pink tail and has ice cream blobs for his ears. Hollie, Annie, and Figgs leaped onto his back and off they went to the forbidden mountain. First, they came across Gum Land where there were strawberry, cherry, watermelon, and orange flowers. Then they spotted a sticky mess at the end of a path. They all gasped in horror.

As they approached they could see something inside trying to wriggle free, `Is that where the princess is being held? `They thought.

But it wasn’t the princess.

The path suddenly disappeared and then they came across the rainbow forest nearby a sherbert stream. Figgs suddenly started to dance and he kept dancing and dancing and at the same time chopped down all the trees until they came across a blue path leading to the Forbidden Mountain. There they saw a monster creature in a long black silk dress. Figgs spun around and around and his tail hit the creature. It suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Then, Hollie turned to say something to Annie but she wasn’t there. She had disappeared!

Claybrooke Primary School

Hollie and Figgs saw fairy dust come down from the sky and a unicorn appeared out of nowhere. They climbed onto its back and then suddenly wings appeared and it began to rise up until it was in the clouds. The unicorn told them that its name was Demma and that it isn’t safe in the Forbidden Mountain. Figgs had an idea that the princess and Annie could be held in a nearby cave. Demma flew them up to the cave and Figgs with his amazing tale broke through a rock at the entrance. As they entered Figgs lit the cave with his pink nose and then they saw a monster who said that they must solve a puzzle if they were to ever see their friends again.

Dunton Bassett Primary School

They were really scared to go inside because the monster looked vicious. But they have to save the Princess and Annie. The monster called himself the `Puzzler. ` He told them that they had to answer a question and walk on the right letters on some stepping stones across a lake inside the cave. He asked them, `what is pink, cannot fly and likes mud?` They found the question easy and made their way across the lake spelling the word P.I.G. as they walked on the stepping stones.

They heard spooky noises all around them and came across a mysterious tunnel that went on for miles. Then suddenly they fell down a trap door. Hollie drew pretty pictures of Figgs on the muddy walls as they fell deeper and deeper into the hole. Figgs landed on top of Hollie, but they didn’t hurt themselves. Then they heard footsteps getting louder and louder. As they walked closer to where the footsteps were they saw Annie and the princess.

Stoke Golding Primary School

Hollie asked, “Annie, Princess what happened?”

Princess Lulubud replied, “I don’t really know. All I can remember was the monster knocking me out cold.”

Hollie turned to Figgs, “How are we going to get out?”

Figgs twitched his small, pink, button nose and a rope ladder appeared in a puff of purply-pink smoke.

Princess Lulubud then Annie and then Hollie climbed up the ladder. Figgs was last. Up they went one by one, with Figgs checking that the girls were fine and rolling up the end of the ladder behind them. Figgs warmly whispered We`d better get going or we`ll be late for the ball!”