Some
people want to be footballers when they grow up. Well, I always wanted
to be a writer. I used to write poetry and short plays for my youth
club. Later, I wrote for children's television and for the stage. Now,
I'm concentrating on books for young people.
These are some of my book covers:
I write for all ages. Can you tell from the covers which age group the books are intended for?
I'm
going to concentrate on Crossover this time; I'll tell you
about my other books later. Crossover was trialled in two
South Wales primary schools: Brynhyfryd School and St. Thomas School.
It was most helpful for me being able to discuss my books with
children BEFORE they were printed (the books, not the children).
There's quite a story behind the cover of Crossover, as some of you may know if I've visited your school. The original cover had two huge eyes on it ....... and I hated it. Click here to see the original cover. What do you think of it? Some people prefer this cover, boys often say "cool!" when they see it. Why do you think I hated that cover?
In case you've not read Crossover, here's an excerpt from the book:
From below, in the garden, there came a wailing sound, as if the wind was a hungry child. The sound grew louder, then died to a whisper. Then a purple light darted across the window, and the wailing grew loud and urgent. Holly and Rowan went to the window and looked out onto the night garden: it was alive, with moving black shapes. At the bottom of the garden, where the moonlight shimmered the surface of the fish-pond, cats came. They ran along branches and dropped onto the damp grass, eyes glowing.
'Where do they all come from?' whispered Holly.
This is what St. Thomas School said about Crossover - 'A magical adventure story that grabs your attention'.
Why not get hold of a copy of Crossover and tell me what you think of it? Why do you think I insisted on having a different cover? I'll send a poster to everyone who contacts me.
Some of you may know me already, because I've visited quite a few schools in South Wales. Or maybe yours is a school I'll be visiting soon. In the next few months I'll be visiting Cilâ and Brynmill primary schools.
Recently I have run workshops for the opening of the new Pontardawe Library and will be judging a Design a Book Cover competition. Details of the book cover competition for local schools are available from Pontardawe Library.
Next time I write to you, I'll tell you about the story behind another of my books.
