Elizabeth Kay's Blog, page 6

For Christian Diaz

Hello Christian - you sent me a very nice letter, with a lovely picture of a sinistrom on it. However, I can't read your address to send a letter back to you. I think it's Chicago, but I'm not sure. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the books, but there are no plans for a fourth one. I hope you have a happy new year! (And if someone who knows Christian reads this, please could they tell him? Thank you!)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Aquila

I've written a new two-part story called Carla and the Cuddlecrunchie. The first episode appears in December 2010's issue of the magazine Aquila. If you haven't encountered it, you ought to see if your school keeps it in the library. It's a very good magazine, with lots of interesting articles and suggestions for things to do.

Email Problems

Someone posted previously to say that they couldn't email me via the site. We've checked, and it seems to be working perfectly okay. Go to The Divide page, then to Contact Me.

Galapagos

I have just come back from an absolutely amazing holiday in the Galapagos Islands. Snorkelling alongside turtles and sea lions and marine iguanas is something you don't forget in a hurry. The animals have no fear of man, and come right up to you. The landscape is dramatic - particularly South Plaza Island, with its weird red vegetation!

Banham Zoo

Banham Zoo is situated near Thetford, in Norfolk, and has a lot of really nice animals.

Perseids

The Perseids are a meteor shower that happens every August, and is best seen from the Northern Hemisphere. It's caused by debris from Swift-Tuttle, a huge comet that swings through the inner part of our Solar System every 133 years and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel.
Wh en Earth passes through the debris, specks hit our atmosphere at 140,000mph and disintegrate in flashes of light. Some of the meteors are more spectacular than others - a fireball is when it's brighter than a star. span

Pamukkale

I've just come back from week in Turkey. I've been there many times, but this time I managed to visit Pamukkale, a place I've always wanted to see. The name means 'Cotton Castle', and the natural terraces are formed from a sedimentary rock called travertine, which is deposited by the hot springs there. The ancient city of Hierapolis was situated here, and there's a big amphitheatre nearby.

Duckling time!

It's that time of year... lots of tiny webbed feet dashing about, carrying fluffy little bodies. This was taken at the Wetland Centre, in Arundel, last weekend. It was a lovely sunny day, too.

The Tree Devil

The Tree Devil, my next children's book, is due to be published at the end of April. It features a genetically-engineered monster which can blend into the background, much the same way that an octopus can. It has been created by Dixon Fisher, an unstable scientist, who believes that man should be eradicated for the good of the planet. Tree devils are dedicated predators, and they'll only eat human beings. Can Rick and his friend Jack find out what's really going on, and put a stop to it...