The dark is a good setting for a scary beast

A review of David and the Hairy Beast by 6-year-old Alice Grant. “I liked David because he was really brave. I liked the jobs of the brothers and sisters, especially Abigail. The setting of the book is in the dark, the dark is a bit scary and so it’s a really good setting for a scary beast. I love this book.”

Thank you Alice!

If you want to know what Alice is talking about, you can order your own Hairy Beast here. Crafty Publishing are offering free UK postage up until Christmas Eve. And if you ask very nicely, I will sign the book to you or your loved one.

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King’s Cross Theatre Award

I’m very proud to have been selected for the long list of the King’s Cross Theatre Award for my play, A Proper Spectacle. Unfortunately I didn’t make the final cut to the short list but am well chuffed to have been in the top 18 out of over 300 plays. The King’s Cross Award is one of the leading UK theatre awards for new writing. I wish the shortlisted candidates all the best for the rest of the process and thank the Courtyard Theatre, London, for all their hard work in managing the award. http://www.thecourtyard.org.uk/content/25/writers-group

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Creative writing in prison

Very chuffed to hear that 10 men in a prison in Maryland, USA, have been working through my free Crafty Writer Creative Writing Course with the help of the prison librarian http://creative-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/. I put this course up online five years ago after I stopped teaching it at the Centre for Lifelong Learning in Newcastle. Really happy that so many people have been helped by it – although I do sometimes get frustrated with people asking obvious questions like ‘where is the course’ and ‘how much does it cost’? Sigh 🙂

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Books are my Bag

I will be attending a Books are My Bag party at Forum Bookshop in Corbridge this Saturday with fellow Crafty Publishing author Tony Glover. Drop by for coffee, cake and a chat. If you live too far, keep an eye open for a Books are My Bag party in your area and let’s keep paper books on shelves! Forum Books is where I bought my first book with my own pocket money when I was seven. It was a Nancy Drew.

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Article in Newcastle Journal

There was a lovely article about moi, my company Crafty Publishing and one of our authors, Tony Glover in last week’s Newcastle Journal. It was the lead article in the Culture Section. Those of you who know me well might notice though that it says I was a journalist in Cape Town in the early 90s when you all know I was a care-free student still at Rhodes at that time. My mistake, not the journalist who wrote the article – I wasn’t clear enough in the interview. Not surprisingly as I was rushing off to a book launch at the time. So for the record: I was a journalist in the late 90s. And my daughter was born in 2005 in England and didn’t travel with us from South Africa in 2002. Still a great article though! http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/crafty-idea-sees-north-east-5751799. Tony and I also had a brilliant time at the launch at the Literary and Philosophical Society of the print versions of The Peace Garden and Cars Just Want to Be Rust. Pic of us below in ‘serious author’ pose …

Fiona Veitch Smith and Tony Glover at the launch of their novels for Crafty Publishing at the Literary and Philosophical Society, Newcastle upon Tyne. Photo by: Ruby Glover.
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