When schools closed in March, and students suddenly engaging in remote learning, I decided to read my novel, ALIENATED: GROUNDED AT GROOM LAKE, on YouTube, chapter-by-chapter. A type of “virtual class reader.” It’s a fun, funny middle-grade story, perfect for fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson. Star Wars, and Men In Black. All of the […]
Today is World Book Day, a day to celebrate books, reading, and our favourite characters. It’s a chance for children to relish in the imagination that reading emboldens. And despite competition from TV, games, and tablets, reading endures as an entertainment art form. But it’s getting more competition. As evidenced by January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, […]
This evening I’ll be participating in the weekly twitter discussion, under hash-tag #UKMGchat. It’s organised by the awesome Miriam & Lorraine for the benefit of all book-loving twitter folks around the world. I usually miss out because the 8 pm (British time) start time coincides with putting my kids to bed, and I have to […]
Halloween is a time to celebrate the scary and play with our fears. For one night, we can place aside our real fears (Ebola, climate change, school shootings, terrorism) and focus on ghosts, ghouls and zombies. But it’s only one night a year. What about the other three hundred and sixty four nights? Fortunately, we’ve got books. […]
I’m thrilled to share I’ve now entered the future of storytelling and have joined wattpad! And to get started, MetaWars 1.0: Fight For The Future is now live on wattpad! Now, if you don’t know wattpad, it’s like a global camp fire for storytelling. It’s been referred to as the youtube of writing. I think that’s […]
London’s first annual Social Book Week is almost upon us. It’s a celebration of the social side of reading – sharing stories, authors, and ideas. The overall theme is: the book that changed me. For me, I was a very reluctant reader as a boy. I couldn’t find anything in book form that was as […]
Last night I was fortunate enough to be invited to the kickoff party for the Southbank Centre’s Imagine Festival – a two-week celebration of reading and storytelling sponsored by The Book People. Three iconic authors were invited to speak to the assembled great and good of children’s publishing. Michael Rosen rightfully articulated the need to […]
