HAPPY CHRISTMAS

I've now finished my visits to Waterstones shops until after Christmas. The shops are very busy and have lots of extra stock to carry at this time of year. Shoppers don't have time to stop and chat!
I would like to wish a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS! to all my friends at Waterstones and to all the lovely children (and their families) I've met throughout the year.
Thank you all for your support. I hope the children have enjoyed reading my books and others will enjoy them this Christmas and beyond!

Visit to Waterstones Wilmslow

On Saturday 17th November I will be at Waterstones Wilmslow from 11am until 3pm. Please call in and say hello. Signed copies of my books will be available to buy.

Visit to Warrington Waterstones

On Saturday 10th November I will be making my last visit to Waterstones in Warrington before Christmas.  Please call in and say hello. There will be signed copies of my books available to buy.

Half Term Spooky Fun !

There will be lots going on in Waterstones stores during half term. I'm off to Golden Square, Warrington on Monday 22nd October. I will be there from 10 am.
On Wednesday 24th you will find me at Birkenhead from 11 am for more ghostly fun.
On 31st October I will be at Knutsford from 12 noon.
Come along to Waterstones. Join in with the fun craft activities, listen to the spooky stories and try the competitions!

Visit to Waterstones Warrington

Please come along to Waterstones in Golden Square, Warrington on Saturday 22nd September.
                           
    I'll be there signing my books between 11 am and 3 pm.

I look forward to chatting with children about books and writing.

 There will be a competition too!

Visit to Waterstones Wilmslow

On Saturday 15th September I will be at Waterstones in Wilmslow.
 I'll be there from 11am until 3 pm.
Signed copies of my books for children will be available to buy.
Children, please come along and tell me about your favourite books and your writing. I'm happy to answer questions about what I do.

Why not try my competition and win a small prize?

Visit to Waterstones Knutsford

On Wednesday 29th August I will be at Waterstones in Knutsford from 11am. Please come along and say hello. There will be a competition and signed copies of my books for children will be on sale. I'm happy to read stories too and I love chatting about books and writing!

Visit to Waterstones Macclesfield

I am looking forward to visiting Waterstones in Macclesfield on Saturday 25th August. I'll be there from 11am until 3pm. There will be signed copies of my books for children on sale.

I love to chat about books and writing. There will be a competition too! Please call in and say hello.

Visit to Waterstones, Birkenhead

On Saturday 18th August I will be signing my books for children at Waterstones in Birkenhead. I'll be there from 11am until 3pm. I look forward to chatting about books and writing. Please call in and say hello!

Visit to Waterstones Warrington

On Saturday 11th August I will be visiting Waterstones in Golden Square, Warrington. I'll be chatting about books and writing. Signed copies of my books for children will be available to buy. There will be a competition too! Please come along and say hello.
Time - 11 am until 3 pm.

Visit to Waterstones Altrincham

On Saturday 28th July I will be visiting Waterstones in Altrincham. I will be there from 1pm until 4pm.I'll be signing my books and chatting about books and writing. Children - have a go at my competition! There will be puzzles and pictures to colour too. Please come along and say hello!

Lovely Feedback!

I enjoyed my day at Waterstones in Macclesfield. Thank you to my friends there for making me so welcome.

It was very sunny and warm outside so the shop was a bit quiet at times.
I was pleased that the children I met enjoyed taking part in my little competition.
Later on I received an email from one mum. She was kind enough to send me some feedback. Her son was pleased with his signed copy of 'Watchman William - Ghost Detective.' So much so that when she went to switch off his light at bedtime he pleaded to be allowed to finish the chapter he was reading! She said he was animated telling her about the characters in the stories.
I really appreciated hearing some feedback about my stories.
 Thank you Ruth!

Visit to Waterstones Macclesfield

I am looking forward to visiting Waterstones in Macclesfield on Saturday. I'll be there from 11am until 3pm. Please call in and say hello. I love to chat about books and writing. There will be a fun competition too and signed copies of my books will be available for sale.

Visit to Waterstones Knutsford

On Saturday 23rd June please come along to Waterstones in Knutsford.
 I'll be there from 1pm.
 Can you match the characters from my Watchman William books to the clues? Have a go at my competition and win a prize!
There will be signed copies of 'Watchman William Ghost Detective' and' Watchman William Balloon Trouble' available to buy.

Hello Wilmslow!

On Saturday 26th May I will be visiting Waterstones in Wilmslow. It's a good while since I was last there and I'm really looking forward to it. Please call in and say hello!

I will be there, signing my books, from 11am until 3pm.

Pick up a free bookmark. There will be puzzles and pictures to colour too.

Waterstones Birkenhead

On Saturday 19th May I will be at Waterstones, Birkenhead. Looking forward to meeting new children to talk about books and writing. Please pop in and pick up a free bookmark and sticker!
I'll be signing my books for anyone who fancies a copy!
11am - 2.45pm

Visits to Waterstones

I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone at Waterstones Warrington and Waterstones Altrincham. My visits to the stores were most enjoyable and I met some lovely children. Looking forward to coming again.

On Saturday 19th May I will be at Waterstones in Birkenhead. There should be plenty of time to pop in to say hello before the Royal Wedding and the Cup Final! I'll be there from 11am.

VISIT TO ALTRINCHAM WATERSTONES

What does it cost to say thank you?

As a retired teacher and a writer of books for children, I feel very strongly about the importance of encouraging children to read. I often see posts about schools struggling to stock their libraries.
Last year I decided to donate a few books. I picked out ten schools at random. They were from different areas of the country. I sent each school a copy of one of my books as a gift for their library enclosing a note to explain. The packages were addressed to the head teachers. That was it - no strings. Only one acknowledged me.
A few months ago, I was approached by an ex pupil who told me that her child's school was struggling to stock their new library. I sent five books to help out. I received a lovely thank you from a year six pupil on behalf of all the children.
Recently, I donated five books to each of two schools attended by relatives of mine. The children, aged six and eight, were excited to take them in. Almost three weeks have passed and I have not received any acknowledgement from the schools.
Thirteen schools, twenty-five books, only two schools said thank you !!
It saddens me to ask what sort of examples are children being set these days?

What's Your Story Chorley?

Lovely day in Chorley yesterday. The sun shone, the town was alive with people enjoying all the events. I enjoyed watching the dancing and following the bench trail. Well done to all the children involved.
Congratulations to all the contributors  who performed and presented, making it a great day for all, and to all those behind the scenes who gave their time and effort.

Thank you to all the lovely people who came along to my talk in the library. It was great to meet you!

Visit to Waterstones Warrington

On Saturday 5th May I will be visiting Waterstones in Warrington.

I'll be in the store from 11 am until 3pm. Please call in and say hello.

                         

                                               BOOK SIGNING

                              FREE BOOKMARKS AND STICKERS

                                                   PUZZLES  

                                         PICTURES TO COLOUR    

                                             ****************

                                            LISTEN TO A STORY

                                                ASK QUESTIONS 

                                          PICK UP WRITING TIPS    

                                                     
                                           ******************

WHAT'S YOUR STORY CHORLEY?

checkoutchorley.com/whatsyourstory/

WHAT'S YOUR STORY CHORLEY?

Visit to Forget-me-not Toys and Books

On Saturday 17th February I will be at Forget-me-not Toys and Books in Culcheth. Please come along and say hello.

I'll be there from 10.30 am until 2pm

Mary, Maisie and the Missing Master Chef / Conflict at Cockleshore Castle

Mary and Maisie have been cooking for a long time - over 350 years! They're both ghosts at Cockleshore Castle where they haunt and entertain the visitors together with their ghostly friends.
When a famous master chef holds a cookery course at Cockleshore's Grand Hotel, Mary sees the opportunity to spice up her menu. While she sneaks in to learn some new recipes, Maisie makes friends with Charlie, the master chef's daughter. At first things seem to be going well, but a series of fishy events mean that  the cookery course could be a recipe for disaster...

When you've finished this exciting story, just flip the book over for the concluding part of the 'Ghosts of Cockleshore Castle' series : Conflict at Cockleshore Castle.

There's trouble at Cockleshore Castle and it looks like sabotage. But why? The ghosts are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Septimus, Edward and Horace discover the truth : the sabotage means that the castle could be sold to Elmer J. Wutherington who has horrible plans for it - and for the ghosts. What will become of them?

With the help of friends they've made, they hatch a plan to thwart Wutherington... but will they be able to save the Cockleshore Castle? 

Horace and the Stowaway / Edward and the Book Crooks

Horace has been a ghost for over 400 years and he haunts the castle at Cockleshore Bay with is ghostly friends.The only thing is - he misses the sea.
One day, Horace goes to explore one of the ships that visits the bay but accidentally ends up on a cruise! Soon, Horace discovers he isn't the only stowaway on board, and with the help of his new friend William, sets out to discover what this mysterious stowaway is up to...

When you've finished this exciting story, just flip the book over to enjoy Edward and the Book Crooks

Together with his ghostly friends, Edward, the librarian,

entertains (and scares!) the tourists at Cockleshore Castle.
One day he notices tourists behaving suspiciously in the library, and with the help of his new friend, Hannah, decides to investigate. It turns out that they're book crooks and it's up to Edward to stop them...

Septimus Smythe and the Spectre Detectors

Septimus Smythe is a ghost with a problem. he is the star attraction at the castle where he haunts, but lately, things haven't been going too well for him. He's been getting stuck in walls, reappearing at the wrong time and removing his head has been getting harder and harder!
The other ghosts decide that Septimus needs a holiday to rest and recover. With the help of his new friend, Jack, Septimus is getting better and better at haunting. But then the Spectre Detectors arrive and threaten everything...

The Ghosts of Cockleshore Castle

Five stories in three books telling of the adventures of the ghosts who haunt Cockleshore Castle. Read about -
1. Septimus who loses his haunting skills and goes on a working holiday to recover. What will he do when the Spectre Detectors arrive?

2.Horace, the shipwrecked sailor who ends up on a cruise to Majorca and solves a mystery.
3.Edward the ghostly librarian who calls on the other ghosts to help him scare some thieves.

4.Mary and Maisie, the cook and the kitchen maid who go off on a cookery course to find some new recipes and encounter some fishy goings on.
5.Elmer J Wutherington who has evil plans for the ghosts and the castle. Will Septimus and his friends survive?

Further Adventures of William and Thomas

'Back at the Manor...'

William and Thomas are at it again - solving crimes, uncovering mysteries and munching their way through a seemingly endless supply of Ginger Nuts!

What is the true meaning of the secret message?                 

Who has stashed a locked trunk in the old shed? What's inside?

Who is stealing pedigree dogs?

How will William and Thomas survive their adventure in a runaway balloon?

Can you help them with their crazy enquiries?

A Ghost Detective

'I'm William and I'm wearing these clothes because I was a night watchman at the time of Good Queen Bess. I'm a ghost you see!'

With his young friend Thomas and a great detective for inspiration, William sets out to investigate mysterious happenings in and around Hardleigh Manor, all with a little help from his readers...

Can William stop the bicycle thief? Who is causing the sabotage at  Hardleigh Hotel? Floods, false trails, enormous exploding marrows and suspects upended in pig swill - all in a day's work for William!

Loaded with clue summaries, suspect lists and lots of action, readers can pitch in with the detective work and help William and Thomas in their efforts to become great detectives.

Visits - PLEASE READ

I have received quite a number of enquiries from my loyal supporters who would like to know when I might be visiting their local Waterstones store next.
I've spent many an enjoyable Saturday in Waterstones, promoting my books and chatting to children about other books they enjoy. (I'm not precious about mine!). They talk to me about their own writing too.
Well, I'm afraid that for the foreseeable future it has to stop. Waterstones has changed their policy. They will be having different events that don't include people like me.
So thank you everyone for the happy times.

. My books are still available to buy/order at Waterstones so I hope you will continue to support me.

COMPETITION

Would you like to win a signed copy of 'Watchman William, Balloon Trouble'? Just like and share my Facebook post to enter. The winner will be announced on Monday 12th February.

Happy New Year!

Here we are at the beginning of 2018. May I wish all of my friends and supporters a healthy and happy year.
I enjoyed the opportunities I had to promote my books in 2017. I visited bookshops, schools and libraries and made lots of new friends. It's good to know that so many children enjoy my books - I really appreciate the feedback.
I completed another book towards the end of the year. My agent will send it off to try to find a publisher so fingers crossed for me please!! It's not a ghost story this time. 'The Final Clue' is a time slip story about some children who travel back to 1940 to solve a mystery - that's all I'm saying at the moment!


I've started another book too - more news about that to come...