Merry Christmas to all snail and snail book lovers out there!  True to form, three days before the arrival of the snow, down went the snails deep into their dark, dark peat.  They made their front doors of snaily slime.  The slime dried and turned a pearly white.  The doors finally closed.  The snails have gone to sleep.  Not for them the joys of Christmas shopping!  Not for them the stomachs full of Christmas pudding!  Not for them the aching bellies!  No!  They have retreated into a land of dreams and of warmth; a land where there is nothing but cucumber and cuttlefish and where a woman sits close by, pen in hand, watching and waiting, waiting for a new story  – a story for the New Year.

Thank you all for your support this year.

With love to you all.

Sarah

BINSTED

Looking forward to seeing Years 3,4,5, and 6 on January 19th. If the weather continues to be mild I may bring some visitors in with me when I come in ….. visitors of a rather slippery nature! You have been warned.

HERNE JUNIOR SCHOOL

I’m also looking forward to a visit to Years 5/6 in January at Herne Juniors in Petersfield. We’re going to talk about how we as a family began to write and the problems many children have with planning stories. I may have a visitor or two with me. With a bit of luck we’ll talk about the lifecycle of snails and one or two might still be awake. If the snow comes in the meantime you can be sure they’ll be snoring their heads off by January.

ROPLEY VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS FAYRE SNAIL WINNER

9-year old competition winner Phoebe will take delivery of her snail this week – just in time before it goes into hibernation. Or will it?

SLITHERING NEWS

I have friends who have friends who have African land snails and their snails are asleep! Are mine so active that they do not wish to sleep? It can only mean that we are in for a mild winter – they do make the most excellent weather vanes.

SELBORNE ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL

We have just finished a good weekend in Selborne. People were very interested in our books and we sold many copies of The Secret Scroll. There seemed to be good awareness of the school book. Many people said they had read about it in the press, whether in the Alton Herald, the Petersfield Post or the Alton Post Gazette; others had seen our bit on ITV News on Friday evening’s Meridian broadcast. ITV gave the piece a beautiful treatment – all Once upon a Time and soft focus kind of treatment – and we shall be for ever grateful to Kim Hewitt and Rachel Hepworth for working with us on getting this out before Christmas.

WATERSTONE’S

We took a group of children into the Alton branch of Waterstone’s on Saturday. It was fun, if a bit daunting, for them. Selling to a ‘cold’ audience can be quite frightening, but their charm won many people over and, operating within the children’s book section of the store, we were allowed much freedom to ‘sell’.

What do I mean by a ‘cold audience’? I don’t mean they were horrid or literally quite cold; I mean the children had to speak to other children and adults whom they did not know or who had never heard about the school’s writing project. It was a good lesson in selling and I think it showed the children how hard it is to try to interest someone in a book they have never heard of. The children all did very well. We sold eight books and the store kept seven to sell on. Those books we sold were all signed by the children and I know that gave them a bit of a buzz.

‘I feel like I’m famous!’ said Karyee.

‘Can we do the film of the book now?’ asked Jonathan.

Jonathan from Newspaper Group was the last child to leave. He was lucky enough to find out where our books were going to be placed on the bookshelves and to see the ‘Signed by the Author’ stickers go on. Jonathan and I share a secret here, but I am sure he won’t mind me telling you: it wasn’t just me who got to sign those extra copies, was it Jonathan –  Jonathan did too!

Our school project is coming full circle: fourteen months ago at Newspaper Club some children asked if I could help them to write and to publish their own fiction book. That book has now been published.  It’s sitting on its shelf in Waterstone’s. People are ordering if from the internet; people are buying it at craft events; people are walking into bookshops and ordering it direct. It’s almost come full circle. The question is, what do we do next?  More of that later.

FOLLOW OUR TRAIL ……

Where am I this week? Where can you buy madaboutsnailbooks? We’re going to be popping up somewhere, so watch this space.

HOT NEWS!

We’ve just heard that Newsround has been in touch with the school about The Secret Scroll project. Now the children might get a mention on national TV!  What a wonderful Christmas present that would make indeed. 

INTERESTED IN WRITING PROJECTS?

If you are interested in hearing more about our school writing projects then please email Sarah Lucas on sarah@madboutsnailbooks.com

ALTON CONVENT SCHOOL

There were so many entries for the colouring competition, and they were all so incredibly good in many different ways it was a tough one to judge so my daughter Amy came to my rescue. Special mentions go to the following: Aerin for beautiful neat colouring; Daisy for her use of glitter; Imogen for her beautiful border; Joanna for her fluffy bobble on the snail’s eye; Charlotte and Harry for their beautiful use of colours; Sophie for her very original and unique design; Olivia for her great colouring of the snail’s shell and for her beautiful presentation; Nina for her gorgeously bright picture and Isabella for her abstract design (Amy’s words not mine) of the title.

And so, with many, many congratulations, 2nd prize is awarded to India for her beautiful colouring, with 1st prize going to Eshana. We thought Eshana’s colouring was fabulous, highly creative and absolutely stunning, with a clever twist. Well done Eshana, India and everyone who took part! 

The winning entry by Eshana

WOOTEYS

Hello to Wooteys. A copy of Snails Don’t Burp! and Snail Park are being delivered to Mrs. Page in the Library this afternoon. Please let me know what you think of the story lines, the Supersonic Rock Scruncher in Snails Don’t Burp! and if anyone likes the character of Laura Crust in Snail Park. Do you like her name? And what about Bill Bracket? Will he ever fall out of love with Amy?

I’m looking forward to picking up your colouring competition entries next week and to announcing the winners in time for Christmas.

ROPLEY VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS FAYRE

Congratulations to 9-year old Phoebe! You came 1st in the colouring competition and have won a real live snail. I know you are out and about finding a suitable tank and will take delivery of your snail this week. Well done for your pretty colouring!  Let me know what name you give your snail because we are trying to keep a family tree.

Sorry to the girls from Perins. I know you desperately wanted a snail – maybe next year? Amy says Hi to Emily. ‘Keep on diving! I might be back at swimming one day!’

SLITHERING NEWS

It is with some amusement I have to report that our snails have not yet gone into hibernation. The cold snap has not sent them burying down into the dark, dark peat just yet, but I suspect it is only a matter of hours! Snails are very sensitive to temperature change and I can only think that they are very hungry after their recent school trips. They are tucking into cabbage leaves as I write this blog, so I guess they could be getting ready for their big sleep or just waiting until the snow arrives …

FOLLOW OUR TRAIL ……

If anyone wants to come and say hello to us we’d love to see you this weekend. We can be found in the Village Hall of Selborne at its Arts & Crafts Festival on Saturday and Sunday from 11.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. We take a quick ‘dip out’ of it to go to Waterstone’s in Alton from 12.00 midday on the Saturday, just for an hour or two. We’ll be in store with some of our little authors from Selborne Primary School, promoting the very special book, The Secret Scroll! If the snails are still awake they’ll be with us in Selborne. Come and wish them a good and long hibernation if you’re passing.

Christmas orders for Snail Trail, Snails Don’t Burp!, Snail Park and The Secret Scroll are available up until 24th December and can be delivered to anyone free of charge within five miles of Newton Valence. Just go to the website and look under Book Shop to place your order. Alternatively visit Waterstone’s in Alton or pick up the ‘phone and call me direct on (01420) 587351.

A pink snail, Gary from Spongebob Squarepants, is also available, price £4.99 and is a common purchase with our first book Snail Trail.

The madaboutsnailbook series is aimed at 5-11 year olds with shortish chapters for bed-time reading and language suitable for primary school children. The series has been recommended for the shared reading scheme in primary schools and is a popular choice in libraries and bookshops. 

Sarah is a member of The Society of Authors, NAWE (the National Association of Writers in Education) and has a profile on ContactAnAuthor.co.uk.  She is currently working on a programme of workshops for primary school children for 2010 to address the problems children experience with writing.