CALLING ALL INSPIRATIONAL TEACHERS!  
 
Would you like to spend a day with me and fellow children's author Mark Robson - and learn some tricks which will make your pupils BEG to get a story writing lesson?  
 
The MARK'S & SPARKES seminar - GET A WAY WITH WORDS - is at The Rose Bowl (home of Hampshire Cricket Club) near Southampton on Monday 20 February.  
 
 
 
We have seats available for teachers, librarians, heads of literacy and anyone else involved with inspiring young people to be the bestselling authors of tomorrow.  
 
Join us for fun and games and leave with a head full of exciting ideas and a goody bag full of brilliant books and posters for your school.  
 
For more information click on EMAIL (bottom right) and ask! And to find out what other teachers thought of our first seminar in Daventry last year (see above), click HERE  
 
 
ALI ON EGGHEADS - CRACKING STUFF!  
 
 
It was a loooooong wait, but at last, a year after we recorded it up in Glasgow, our episode was played out. If you missed it on BBC2 on Friday 6 January, sadly it's no longer available on iPlayer. Somehow... you'll find a way to go on.  
 
DID we BEAT the Eggheads? DID Ali get the Books round?! DID she slap CJ?!  
 
Um... well... we didn't win, but Ali DID win her round, trouncing the florally shirted CJ on Arts & Books. Huzzah!  
 
 
HAPPY JANUARY, by the way. 2012 is going to be fantastic. (I've decided!)  
 
Hope you all had a top Christmas & New Year with lots of new books or shiny book tokens to spend in the sales/on line... speaking of which...  
 
The audio version of UNLEASHED: A Life & Death Job is now out.  
 
Scarily, for the first time, it's one read by ME.  
 
To hear a sample, click HERE  
 
 
DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN 2012!  
 
I know there's an amazing virtual world to be played with on PS3, X Box, Wii etc... but don't forget there's an amazing ACTUAL world out there too. Consider making 2012 the year you get out and discover it.  
 
One way to motivate yourself, if you're at school, is through The Children's University. I'm proud to be chancellor of the Havant branch which encourages kids to get out and do interesting stuff. Click HERE to go to The Children's University website and find out more.  
 
Want more of my ramblings? Click on MONTHLY MUSING over there on the left...  
 
I'VE ADOPTED A BOOKSHOP!  
 
In these tricky times many bookshops are struggling - whether they're independents or big chains. The authors and illustrators at Trapped By Monsters (click the top right link for more info) wanted to show our support - and so we created  
 
 
 
 
What does this mean? Well, we're not going to be painting the spare room, having a social services check and then tempting the nervous bookshop into the house with a plate of Pop Tarts... we're just getting involved with our adopted bookshop a bit more than average.  
 
For me, for 2011-2012, it's the Hayling Island Bookshop in Hampshire.  
 
 
 
So if you want to buy one of my books and have it personally signed to you you can click the link below and go through to Colin and Marie at the Hayling Island Bookshop and they will sort it all out. It may take slightly longer than places like Amazon... but only because I might be travelling to events around the UK. You'll rarely have to wait longer than a few days (unless you're on the other side of the world - then it may take a little bit longer!).  
 
Click HERE to go the bookshop website where you can send an email.  
 
So YOU get a signed book out of it and I get my book in your hands and The Hayling Island Bookshop gets a bit more business. Everybody wins!  
 
Booksellers and authors - you can find out more by going to www.trappedbymonsters.com and clicking on ADOPT A BOOKSHOP at the top of the home page.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Follow the trails