The Ilkley Literature Festival was great fun.  Thank you to all those who came to see our snails and to hear our family story. We had a lovely audience who took part in the colouring competition, holding the snails, looking at them and asking questions.

I was the only person who nearly dropped a snail (on its head and from a great height!) and luckily nobody managed to fall off the stage at the Wharfeside, even if one or two of the children wanted to stay and we had to coax them off!

A massive thank you to the organisers of the Festival, to Kitty and Connor and the stewards, to Rachel who managed to track me down for another book for Ruthie, and to Lucas and Joe for winning the colouring competition.  Hope you enjoy your baby giant snails.

Best wishes to you all.  Hope to see you back in Ilkley some time soon!

Sunday’s children’s event at the Ilkley Literature Festival fringe, Inspiration in a Tank, will feature a massive TWELVE INCH mollusc called Bob.  The giant African land snail, who likes nothing better than to feed on cucumber and melon, is eight and a half years old and possibly nearing the end of his glorious life.

If anyone has never seen a giant African land snail and lives in the area, come and take a look.  Even better, COME AND HAVE A HOLD!   The event, which is free and for children of all ages and their parents, might not be for the squeamish.   It’s on at 5.15 pm, Sunday 9th October, Ilkley Playhouse Wharfeside.

The snails are doing really well and getting ready for the Ilkley Literature Festival in October .. flexing their muscles, preparing for the children.  In the meantime, it’s an exciting time for schools as we prepare to visit two primary schools, both St. Mary’s, one in Chiddingfold, the other in Frensham. 

With these misty mornings and the sun still warm, Bob and Gary, the giant African land snails, are busy eating their way through cucumbers and cabbages.  Hibernation is a long way away.  Have you ever seen a giant African land snail eat a lettuce leaf?  Have you ever heard one crunching on cuttlefish?  They are extraordinary molluscs.  Go and see one today.  Ask at your local pet shop if they can get one in.  Apart from making the most amazing pets, they are great for inspiring writers.

To the children at St. Mary’s, cover your ears and close your eyes, then try and think what it might be like to get from your classroom out into the playground without being able to hear or see.  Why?  Because snails are quite blind and rather deaf. Ever wondered why they move so slowly out on the garden path?

If you’re in Ilkley for the Literature Festival, then come and see us on Sunday 9th October at 5.15, Ilkley Playhouse Wharfeside. You’d be amazed what you can learn from a snail.

Bye for now.

Sarah Lucas
…. is appearing at the Ilkley Literature Festival
Fringe with her interactive session, ‘Inspiration in a Tank’
for children and grown-ups. Ilkley Playhouse Wharfeside,
Sunday 9th October @ 5.15 pm. Hand wipes will be provided.

Sarah’s new book, Slime in Time, will be ready in November. Watch out for details of the launch date.

 It’s a spooky, Halloween tale where all is not as it seems ….

LOCAL AUTHOR TO APPEAR AT  ILKLEY LITERATURE FESTIVAL FRINGE

 Yorkshire-born author, Sarah Lucas, is appearing at the children’s weekend of the Ilkley Literature Festival fringe in October.  With her performance, Inspiration in a Tank, an inter-active session for parents, carers and their children, she tells the story of how she and her family moved into a village to be given an unusual welcoming present – a baby giant African land snail sitting on some peat in a fish tank with a stick of cucumber and a piece of cuttlefish.

With daughter Amy, then a 6-month old baby, Sarah began to write fictional stories about the snail who was given the name Grumpy.  When Amy was six, the family test-drove their first story with younger brother George, his daddy, reading the story out loud at bed-time. 

Given the thumbs-up, the story went to the public.  As part of Sarah’s fundraising efforts for the village, The Mysterious Case of the Newton Valence Snail Trail was offered as a home-produced product to villagers at £10.00 a copy in December, all in aid of raising money for the local church.

In January, people came back for the next story.  And the next.  Then the next.  On it went. 

Amy drew the illustrations and together, she and her mother discussed plots and wrote stories.  Snail Trail was published in 2007, Snails Don’t Burp! followed in 2008, then Snail Park again in 2008.  Slime in Time is to be published this autumn, a story that deals with fame and friendship and the choices children can have to make.

Sarah, who is a regular visitor in schools, co-wrote The Secret Scroll, a UK first in published collaborative writing and a project that involved twenty gifted and talented schoolchildren over a period of fourteen months.  She has also worked on a short story project in a primary school called Listen!  I am a Short Story.  Read Me! with sixteen children.

‘I’m thrilled to be appearing at the Ilkley Literature Festival,’ Sarah said.  ‘I can’t wait for children to see what inspired us as a family to write.   If you love snails and would like to hear our story, come and see what I have in my tank.  Everyone can have a look – and a hold!’

Sarah, who was born in Pudsey but spent most of her life in Horsforth, attended Featherbank Junior and Otley Prince Henry’s Grammar.  She is a member of the Society of Authors, NAWE (National Association of Writers in Education) and IBBY UK (International Board on Books for Young People).

If you have a child who enjoys snails and likes things that creep along very, very slowly, then Inspiration in a Tank, is a must for you.  Sarah is performing at the Ilkley Playhouse Wharfeside on Sunday 9^th October at 5.15 pm.  Email her direct at sarah@madaboutsnailbooks.com and confirm your attendance or ask any questions (hand wipes will be provided on the day).

Sarah’s youngest chid, George, holding Grumpy, the snail who inspired the madaboutsnailbook series

See you all at the fringe!

Calling all watercress lovers, do come and see us on Stand 8B in West Street on 15th May if you’re visiting the ALRESFORD WATERCRESS FESTIVAL in Hampshire.  We’d love to see you and have all kinds of snail-related things to show you – giant African land snails Bob and Gary, Little Slimy, their relation, soft snail toys, snail eggs, snail shells, free colouring sheets for the kids etc.

There’s a Snail Race at 11.00 am on the stand.  See who’s going to win – Bob, Gary or Little Slimy. Come and take a bet.  Have some fun.

If you’d like your madaboutsnailbook signing, I’ll be there to sign books and there are a few copies of The Secret Scroll, the book I co-wrote with twenty gifted and talented primary schoolchildren from Selborne Primary, remaining.

Want to write?  Want some tips?  Are you interested in a school visit? Want some information on giant African land snails and how they fit into the topic of mini-beasts in school?  Just drop by for a chat, pick up some information or come and see the giant African land snails on the stand.  We’d love to see you.

And if you want to know how e-books are affecting the paper book industry, drop in for an informal chat.   There’s good news for everyone on all fronts.

Bye for now.
Sarah

FROXFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL

Thank you to the teachers and children at Froxfield for making me feel so welcome at my school visit.  The children were particularly careful with the snails and asked some very interesting questions. Look forward to receiving any competition entries for the chance to win a signed copy of a snail book, or a baby giant African land snail

GURU NANAK SIKH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Thanks for the competition sheets.  Amy and I will be judging these in the next few days. They look great but who will be the lucky winner?

LONDON BOOK FAIR

What an inspiration this was!  It was brilliant.  There was some great industry news about trends in book buying and marketing, and the ever-present threat of library closures which will have such a massive impact on children of every age.  Please do your most to support your local library and add to the voices to keep our libraries open.

Philip Pullman was on the panel of one of the seminars I attended. He said some extraordinary things, some very practical things, including something about how much children’s authors earn.  He said: ‘Some children believe that authors live in Wendy houses and spend all their money on sweets.’  Of course all the grown-ups laughed at this, but this is a cute and funny perception that some children have of writers who work with children.  Interesting!

He was on the panel talking about the importance of prizes in children’s literature.  He said that the Carnegie Award is probably the best award from a writer’s point of view because most of the judges are the librarians.  Thus the people who are judging work direct with book demands over the counter.  It’s another way of telling the government that libraries should not be closing.  Children (and a whole host of other people) need their libraries.

EASTER SNAIL HUNT

This is taking place tomorrow in Alton. I’m very excited about it, not least because the date’s been in the diary for some time and now it’s actually here!  It’s going to be great fun.

There are some special bug bookmarks for anyone who purchases more than one madaboutsnailbook.  They are one-offs, probably NOT to be repeated.  Come and get one.  Come and join in the snail hunt. Come and check out Bob and Gary, though it appears today that Gary is a little sluggish.

Talking of slugs, we have a new puppy (I know what you’re thinking: ‘And the connection is ….?)’  She’s going through toilet training at the moment and has a special place in the garden up by the trampoline. Do you know if you go out at night when it’s dark, just how many SLUGS there are out in the garden?  Take my word for it, there are loads of them, all taking advantage of the dark to come out and feed. And that’s true about African land snails.  They tend to feed at night, though more during the twilight hours in semi-darkness, and probably for the same reasons as slugs – there’s less chance of being spotted.

What’s the difference between a snail and a slug by the way?  Email me ASAP if you know the answer to: sarah@madaboutsnailbooks.com. The first correct answer will get a prize. No.  Not a puppy. No.  Not a slug.  A postcard for the new book, Slime in Time which is due out …

SLIME IN TIME

Nearly there!  This book should be out in November 2011.  It’s a race against time as Charlie drops a bombshell and the Americans look as if they’re about to pull the plug on the film.  In all the fighting and chaos that ensues, Amy stumbles across another mystery as her best friend finds strange goings on next door.  Bill Bracket plots and schemes and the vicar loses yet more hair.  Can the girls pull together for one last time and give Newton the fame it so desperately needs?

Writing has got to be the most enfuriating, mind-boggling, crazy, fantastic job in the whole wide world.  I absolutely love it!

Bye for now.
Sarah

PS What do you think.  Should a puppy be appearing in a future snail book?

Hurry to Waterstone’s now for your free snail hunt bookmark. There’s only a handful left …..

SS PHILIP AND JAMES PRIMARY SCHOOL,
NORTH OXFORD

I had a great time with early years and years one and two last week. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome.

We made snail trails and drew pictures, though only once the snails had been released from their tank! Thanks for listening so nicely to our family writing story and for taking great care holding Gary, the eggs and the shell of old Grumpy in his glass jar.

Everyone at school had written and presented their own stories or poems and laid them out on tables in the corridors for any visitor to see. You even had a sheet on the back for comments, which I thought was a brilliant idea.

I’m looking forward to receiving all your colouring competition entries and to picking out the best one with Amy. The winner will get a baby giant African land snail to take home and take care of.

Thanks to Michelle for making all the arrangements, and to all the lovely teachers for being so enthusiastic. Hope to see you all soon.

WATERSTONE’S EASTER SNAIL HUNT

Can you find all the snails?

Come and join us on Saturday 16th April between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm for a snail hunt at Waterstone’s in Alton High Street.

There’ll be balloons and goodie bags, as well as the chance to see Bob and Gary, our six year old African land snails.

Come and see the baby snails. Come and hold one of these lovely molluscs (wipes available). See what it looks like when a snail’s walking upside down …. and if you’d like to buy a madaboutsnailbook, I’ll be there to sign it with my purple smelly pen.

By the way, if anyone has a snail they no longer want, we’re happy to take it back and pass it onto another good home, all free of charge.

For another freebie, why don’t you go into Waterstone’s between now and the 16th and grab yourself a free madaboutsnailbook bookmark?

See you all in Alton on the 16th!

Sarah

Just a few days to go until we visit Phil and Jims for Book Week. Bob is awake and ready, though Gary is still fast asleep. I have some sweet baby giant African land snails to bring, as well as some slightly larger ones for the children to take a look at.

I’m going to be telling you all about how we as a family began to write, how the present of something very small in a tank inspired us. You’ll get the chance to have a look at what’s inside the tank. I’ll be talking about the lifecycle of snails. You’ll even get the chance to draw some swirly patterns, make snail trails and see some snail eggs. It’s going to be loads of interactive fun!

See you all on Thursday.

Sarah