Friday 2 October 2015

September 2015 Newsletter

It’s that time of year again. We had our induction week at the university last week. It’s always good to meet the new first years and to welcome back returning second and third years. This year there were very few who didn’t come to the event. Most of them also seem to have logged on to our Virtual Learning Environment, Blackboard, have used their student email and have accessed the library.

I’ve particularly enjoyed teaching my first lecture and my first seminar – on Introduction to Children’s Literature. I really enjoy that interaction with the students and the material.         

Books and short stories  

I was about the start the eleventh edit of Girl in a Smart Uniform but last Saturday, as part of one of our SCBWI North West events, I had a critique from Amber Caravéo  from the Skylark Literary Agency. I had been toying with moving the opening chapter to the part of the novel where the main character’s brother dies. I think, though, I need to add more in about Gisela and cut back Eberhardt’s part.
Yes, there’s plenty of work to be done.  However, I’m very pleased that the opening chapter is now so strong.         
I’m still writing my chapter on war in my book on children’s literature. I’m now rereading Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. I’m including it as a young adult novel about the Holocaust and World War II. It’s actually probably neither. As Death tells the story, it’s certainly a little spooky. There is much debate about who the target reader is for this novel.         
Well last month I had four stories accepted. This month I’ve had four rejected. C’est la vie. Certainly for a writer it is.
I’m still getting a lot of visits to my Spooking Facebook page and I still wonder why. Maybe I’ll never know.
 

Bridge House

We’re now putting Snowflakes together.  I’m busy creating a book trailer. This is always good fun. We’ve started looking at covers as well.
Don’t forget we’re already planning the celebration in London. Note for your diary: 5 December. Those writers in the anthology will be given first refusal on tickets. The CafeLit4 people will follow, then other Bridge House and CafeLit writers and finally anyone. We’re hoping to get between 50 and 100 people there. We’re making the event free this time but there will be a cash bar. There will be books on sale, too – Snowflakes and The Best of CafeLit 4. There will also be a few other Bridge House titles on sale.
And look what else we’re very proud to be involved with: http://www.shelaghdelaneyday.org/writing-competition/
You are allowed to be quite creative about your connection with Salford by the way.


CafeLit

Remember, we’re always open to submissions. Find out how here. We’ve now put together The Best of CafeLit 4. This is currently being proof read. It will be a slightly slimmer volume than usual; this time we have more pieces of flash fiction. Our 100-worders are in fact very popular. 

Creative Café

We’re always looking for new cafés. I’ve now added some resources for café owners. We’re also continuing to look for reviews of existing cafés. If you visit one of the cafés in the project and would like to write a review of between 250 and 350 – nice, too to have a couple of pictures – send it to me here.    

School Visits

As I said last month, I am now limiting my school visits to these associated with The House on Schellberg Street project. I’m still offering visits on this for a donation towards the project. I’ve devised a whole interactive workshop for this. It would be a real asset for any school teaching the Holocaust at Key Stage 3. Even if a school can’t afford a donation, I’d be happy to run the project.
Here’s some further news about the Schellberg project.
Query for a school visit here.
I am giving my voice a bit of a rest. I think it’s a little worn out after 41 years of teaching.

The Red Telephone

I’m just finishing what I hope are the final edits on Kathy Dunn’s The Demon Magician. We’ve now set a release date for 31 October. We’re currently looking at covers.  
There will be a new call for submissions once this has gone to print which shouldn’t be too long now.
I’d like to remind you of our new enterprise -  something between a mentoring system and an online course. Though publication is not guaranteed, we will at least look at your full book if you’ve attended one of the courses. We’re offering it for free to a few people at first. We’ll refine as we go along based on feedback from our clients. We’ll then continue to offer it at a discount for a while before going to full price when we’re completely happy with it. We’re not sure what full price will be. Again, we’ll be guided by our current clients. Find out more here.    

Looking Forward

I’ve now booked for the NAWE conference in November, where I’ll be delivering a session on Build a Book in An Hour and a Quarter. This is based on the school workshop that I do on Build a Book in a Day. The emphasis here though will be on kick-starting inspiration for adult writers, coupled with a knowledge that the work will get out there.
Then the following week I’m off the SCBWI –BI conference in Winchester. This will be a little like going home. I did my MA in Writing for Children there. At this conference I’ll just sit back and listen though I shall be looking for copy for Network News in Words and Pictures.         
There’s another conference in November as well. Three weekends running ….! Gulp. Booking hotels and trains is actually quite stressful at times but I’m more and more reluctant to drive these days. I find train journeys good for getting work done.

Giveaway

This month I’m giving away a copy of Making Changes, the first publication from Bridge House. The first person to message me via Twitter - @gilljames – gets the book.
  from the Skylark Literary Agency. I had been toying with moving the opening chapter to the part of the novel where the main character’s brother dies. I think, though, I need to add more in about Gisela and cut back Eberhardt’s part.
Yes, there’s plenty of work to be done.  However, I’m very pleased that the opening chapter is now so strong.         
I’m still writing my chapter on war in my book on children’s literature. I’m now rereading Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. I’m including it as a young adult novel about the Holocaust and World War II. It’s actually probably neither. As Death tells the story, it’s certainly a little spooky. There is much debate about who the target reader is for this novel.         
Well last month I had four stories accepted. This month I’ve had four rejected. C’est la vie. Certainly for a writer it is.
I’m still getting a lot of visits to my Spooking Facebook page and I still wonder why. Maybe I’ll never know.
 

Bridge House

We’re now putting Snowflakes together.  I’m busy creating a book trailer. This is always good fun. We’ve started looking at covers as well.
Don’t forget we’re already planning the celebration in London. Note for your diary: 5 December. Those writers in the anthology will be given first refusal on tickets. The CafeLit4 people will follow, then other Bridge House and CafeLit writers and finally anyone. We’re hoping to get between 50 and 100 people there. We’re making the event free this time but there will be a cash bar. There will be books on sale, too – Snowflakes and The Best of CafeLit 4. There will also be a few other Bridge House titles on sale.
And look what else we’re very proud to be involved with: http://www.shelaghdelaneyday.org/writing-competition/
You are allowed to be quite creative about your connection with Salford by the way.


CafeLit

Remember, we’re always open to submissions. Find out how here. We’ve now put together The Best of CafeLit 4. This is currently being proof read. It will be a slightly slimmer volume than usual; this time we have more pieces of flash fiction. Our 100-worders are in fact very popular. 

Creative Café

We’re always looking for new cafés. I’ve now added some resources for café owners. We’re also continuing to look for reviews of existing cafés. If you visit one of the cafés in the project and would like to write a review of between 250 and 350 – nice, too to have a couple of pictures – send it to me here.    

School Visits

As I said last month, I am now limiting my school visits to these associated with The House on Schellberg Street project. I’m still offering visits on this for a donation towards the project. I’ve devised a whole interactive workshop for this. It would be a real asset for any school teaching the Holocaust at Key Stage 3. Even if a school can’t afford a donation, I’d be happy to run the project.
Here’s some further news about the Schellberg project.
Query for a school visit here.
I am giving my voice a bit of a rest. I think it’s a little worn out after 41 years of teaching.

The Red Telephone

I’m just finishing what I hope are the final edits on Kathy Dunn’s The Demon Magician. We’ve now set a release date for 31 October. We’re currently looking at covers.  
There will be a new call for submissions once this has gone to print which shouldn’t be too long now.
I’d like to remind you of our new enterprise -  something between a mentoring system and an online course. Though publication is not guaranteed, we will at least look at your full book if you’ve attended one of the courses. We’re offering it for free to a few people at first. We’ll refine as we go along based on feedback from our clients. We’ll then continue to offer it at a discount for a while before going to full price when we’re completely happy with it. We’re not sure what full price will be. Again, we’ll be guided by our current clients. Find out more here.    

Looking Forward

I’ve now booked for the NAWE conference in November, where I’ll be delivering a session on Build a Book in An Hour and a Quarter. This is based on the school workshop that I do on Build a Book in a Day. The emphasis here though will be on kick-starting inspiration for adult writers, coupled with a knowledge that the work will get out there.
Then the following week I’m off the SCBWI –BI conference in Winchester. This will be a little like going home. I did my MA in Writing for Children there. At this conference I’ll just sit back and listen though I shall be looking for copy for Network News in Words and Pictures.         
There’s another conference in November as well. Three weekends running ….! Gulp. Booking hotels and trains is actually quite stressful at times but I’m more and more reluctant to drive these days. I find train journeys good for getting work done.

Giveaway

This month I’m giving away a copy of Making Changes, the first publication from Bridge House. The first person to message me via Twitter - @gilljames – gets the book. 

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