Trevor Forest's Blog, page 6
September 9, 2012
Stanley Stickle Hates Homework competition results
The lucky winners of the 6 signed copies of Stanley Stickle Hates Homework have been drawn. They are:
Leslie Lordan, Geraldine Finnegan Gaul, Carol-Anne Rouse, Jo Skehan, Phyllis Fersuson, Chrissie Richardson.
Full results can be seen here. https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Trevor-Forest/190915454279435 Thanks to everyone who entered.
Introduction to Magic Molly’s Christmas
This will probably end up being a short story or a short book. I haven’t decided yet.
Here’s the introduction.
Chapter One
‘Molly Miggins if you aren’t downstairs in five minutes flat you’ll find yourself on cleaning duty.’
Molly turned onto her back and studied the ceiling.
‘Molly Miggins…’
‘I’m already up,’ yelled Molly.
Mrs McCraggity’s head appeared round the bedroom door.
‘Don’t tell fibs young lady. Now hurry up, we’re going Christmas shopping today and I’ve got a lot to do before we set off.’
Molly leapt out of bed. How could she have forgotten? She rushed through to the bathroom and showered in record time. Four minutes and fifty-nine seconds later she presented herself at the breakfast table, hair dripping wet, with a sheet of paper in her hand containing her Christmas present list.
Molly studied the list while she ate her Wheaty Flakes.
•Mum. Something for her hair… No! She always wears her witch’s hat. Maybe a witch’s diary with all the year’s full moons in, or maybe a new winter scarf, or something else.
•Dad. A new pair of white gloves for his magic act, his old ones have holes in. Maybe a new, yellow sparkly hat band for the top hat he does the rabbit tricks with. The one he has now is just boring grey.
•Mrs McCraggity. A new mug to replace the one I broke when I practiced warming her tea up with a microwave spell.
•Granny Whitewand. Some green, gunky, face cream or some glue stuff for her teeth to stop them rattling.
•Jenny. A Skeleton Bones, boy band CD.
•My cat, Mr Gladstone. A tweety bird on a stick toy, or some catmint.
•Aunt Matilda. A Skeleton Bones, boy band DVD.
•Aunt Matilda’s pet rat, Wilberforce. A small box of cornflakes.
•Sally Slowspell at school. A copy of the photograph I took of Henrietta Havelots when her spell exploded in her face. Put it in a frame.
•Henrietta Havelots. NOTHING!
•Security Parrot. Some Millet, but I might melt some chocolate to cover it in if he’s good. BUT! I might try to make a spell that sticks him inside a cuckoo clock if he isn’t.
September 8, 2012
Magic Molly The Mirror Maze FREE!
Magic Molly book one The Mirror Maze available for FREE https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/219741
Ebook format for Kindle, PDF Nook Sony Reader etc.
Artwork copyright Marie Fullerton
Win a signed copy of Stanley Stickle Hates Homework
To enter click this link and follow the instructions. Good Luck.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=4535149106594&set=o.190915454279435&type=1&theater
Copyright Marie Fullerton 2011
August 30, 2012
Magic Molly book 4 The Creepy Castle chapter Two
Another sneaky peek at the next Magic Molly book.
Chapter Two
An hour later Molly and a now wide awake Granny Whitewand climbed into Mrs Miggins car and they set off for the post office.
Granny Whitewand looked at Molly and smacked her lips. ‘I wouldn’t mind a nice hot mug of tea while we’re in town.’
‘You had four cups for breakfast, Granny.’ Molly was amazed that anyone could drink so much tea.
‘They were little cups,’ said the old witch. ‘I’m awake now, I need a proper drink.’
Molly frowned. ‘We need to get back as soon as I get my licence so we can start my lessons.’
Mrs Miggins laughed. ‘Granny Whitewand loves her tea, Molly. We’ll go to that little café opposite the post office. They do lovely cakes there. You have the rest of the day to practice flying.’
Molly put her elbows on her lap and stuck her chin in her hands. ‘If she can stay awake long enough between cups of tea,’ she muttered. Granny Whitewand was very old and she needed a lot of what she called forty winks. Molly knew she needed a lot more than forty, she counted once, when Granny Whitewand was asleep in her chair and gave up at nine hundred.
Mrs Miggins parked up in the car park behind the post office and helped Granny Whitewand out of the car. Molly ran in front and held the shop door open.
The post office counter was so high that Molly couldn’t see over the top of it. Mrs Miggins took a pen from her bag and asked for a learner’s broom licence. A woman, with a thin face and pair of tiny spectacles perched on the end of her nose took a form from a pigeon hole and slid it under the glass dividing screen. Mrs Miggins filled in Molly’s details and passed it back. The woman examined it and picked up an inky stamper. She tilted her head back and looked around the post office.
‘Is the applicant present?’
‘I’m here,’ said Molly.
The women leaned forward and looked over the counter.
‘You’re a bit short for flying.’
Molly was indignant. ‘I’m just the right height for my age.’
The woman looked at the form again.
‘I see you’re only nine, this is very unusual, we don’t usually issue licences to girls under twelve.’
Molly reached up and slapped her new spell book on the counter.
‘I’ve got the spell; I’m a grade three witch. The Magic Council keeps giving me tasks.’
The woman examined the spell book as though it might be a forgery. She checked Molly’s name and address in the front of the book and then made a big fuss of checking the academy’s official stamp. Eventually she seemed satisfied.
‘This is very unusual but everything seems to be in order. Who will be instructing the applicant?’
Mrs Miggins began to explain but Molly butted in.
‘Granny Whitewand is going to be my instructor; she’s fixed up my broom and…’
‘Granny Whitewand, repeated the woman. She filled in a line at the bottom of the form and looked back through the glass.
‘Is she present?’
Molly looked around. Granny Whitewand was fast asleep leaning against the birthday card stand.
Molly tugged at her sleeve.
‘Granny Whitewand, we need you to sign the form.’
Granny Whitewand’s head snapped back. ‘Eh, what?’
‘My broom licence, we need you to sign it.
The old witch shuffled forward towards the counter. The post office official looked at her over her spectacles.
‘Is she capable of giving lessons, she looks a little past it to me?’
‘Plastic? Who she’s calling plastic?’ Granny Whitewand leaned on the counter and fixed the woman with a stern eye.
‘I might have to get my supervisor to look at this,’ said the official. Molly might be too young and this lady might be too old.’
The woman turned and walked briskly through a door at the back of the shop. She returned with a smug look on her face.
‘You’ll have to come back in half an hour. Mr Stickitt says he will need to make a few phone calls to check your credentials.
Mrs Miggins put her pen back into her bag.
‘Very well but I can assure you that everything is in order. I am the High Witch at the academy.’
‘That’s as maybe,’ sniffed the assistant. ‘But we have to check these things, we can’t go handing licences out willy nilly, or anyone could get one.’
Mrs Miggins led a very disappointed Molly out of the post office.
‘We may as well go for that mug of tea while we wait.’
Granny Whitewand smacked her lips. ‘Mmm,’
‘I don’t want tea, or cake, can I just have a walk around to look at the shops?’ asked Molly.
Mrs Miiggins nodded. ‘All right, Molly, but only for fifteen minutes. Meet us in the café. I’ll save you a bit of cake.’
*****
Molly wandered along the street looking into the shop windows. There wasn’t anything she was really interested in, she just didn’t like the idea of sitting in a stuffy café where old people would pat her on the head and call her, ‘cute.’
As she passed an alley at the side of the cycle shop she heard a ‘pssst,’ sound. She turned to find the wizard from the Magic Council appearing out of a cloud of mist.
Molly turned on her heels and began to hurry away. Whenever she saw the wizard he always wanted to give her a new task.
‘Molly Miggins, daughter of a witch,’ said a deep voice.
Molly tried to keep walking but her feet wouldn’t move. Eventually she gave up and turned back to the alleyway.
‘Yes, that’s me, but I don’t have time for any tasks at the moment, I’m getting my learner’s broom licence and Granny Whitewand is with mum in the café and…’
The wizard held up his hand for silence.
‘You will have time for this task. It shouldn’t take long… No more than an hour in fact.’
Molly wasn’t convinced.
‘No sulking dragons? No sniffing witches, no jelly ghosts?’
‘None of those things,’ agreed the wizard.
‘And I won’t have to go to the void again?’
‘Not this time. This is a nice easy task.’
Molly looked at the scroll in the wizards hands suspiciously.
‘What do you want me to do this time?’
‘The Magic Council merely require you to go somewhere and bring someone back with you.’
Molly’s suspicions were aroused again. She didn’t trust the wizard. Nothing was easy with him.
‘Where is somewhere, who am I bringing back and why can’t they come on their own?’ she asked.
‘So many questions,’ chucked the wizard. He held out the scroll to Molly. She took it reluctantly.
‘We are making an exchange with the Grey Academy on the edge of the void. All you will have to do is meet the girl at the Halfway house and bring her back with you. She can’t come on her own; she has to be accompanied through the portal. You will leave this package behind.’
The wizard handed Molly a sealed parcel.
Molly still wasn’t convinced.
‘Why me? Surely you have other witches who could do the job.’
‘You were chosen for the task, Molly Miggins. It’s as simple as that.’
Molly sighed. She knew it was a waste of time arguing.
‘So,’ she said. ‘All I have to do is go through a portal and bring back a junior witch. Does she know I’m coming?’
‘I didn’t say she was a junior witch but she knows you are coming and she will be at the Halfway House, waiting for you.’
Molly nodded. ‘Okay, I’ll go and get her. What’s her name and when do I leave? Please don’t say it’s today, I have my first flying lesson.’
‘Tomorrow will be fine, Molly Miggins. Meet me at the park gates at nine o’clock in the morning. The girl’s name is Ameera. Meanwhile you can find out all you need to know about the Grey Academy from your Witcher computer program.’
The wizard smiled. ‘I think you’ll enjoy this task Molly Miggins. You’ll like Ameera. Now I’d better be off.’
‘Before you go, could you have a word with the people at the post office, please? They are being awkward about my flying licence.’
‘Are they indeed?’ said the wizard.
Molly nodded. ‘They say that I’m too young and Granny Whitewand is too old to teach me.’
The wizard marched across the road and stormed into the post office. A minute later he came out again.
‘I think you’ll find that your application was successful, Molly Miggins. Go and find your mother.’
The wizard vanished in a puff of smoke.
When Molly returned to the post office she found a very different atmosphere. The counter assistant couldn’t be more helpful. She had even filled in the rest of the form and all that was required to issue the licence was Granny Whitewand’ signature. The old witch signed it with a shaky hand. The assistant stamped the licence and handed it over to Molly.
‘We didn’t need to do a background check after all. A gentleman from the Magic Council came in and verified all the details. Please accept our apologies and tell the wizard that your form was processed without further delay. Mr Stickitt really doesn’t want to be turned into a purple slug.
Molly walked out of the post office with her licence held tightly in her hands. When she got outside she held it up in the air and shouted.
‘Look out birds. I’m on my way.’
August 29, 2012
Magic Molly, book four. The Creepy Castle
Here’s a sneaky peek at the opening chapter of Magic Molly book four, The Creepy Castle. (The Creepy Castle is a working title the book may be called something else by the time it’s finished.)
Chapter One
‘Molly Miggins, if you aren’t down these stairs in five minutes flat I’ll feed your breakfast to the birds.’
Molly lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. She wasn’t too worried. She knew that sparrows don’t like Wheaty Flakes, she tried to feed some to them when she was little.
‘Birds don’t like Wheaty Flakes, Mrs McCraggity,’ she shouted. ‘Anyway it’s Saturday and I always…’
Molly stopped herself mid-sentence and leapt out of bed. It was Saturday and that meant she was going to have her first flying lesson.
Molly showered in record time and raced down the stairs to the kitchen. She pulled back a chair, threw herself onto it and poured a generous helping of cereal into her bowl.
‘Is Granny Whitewand up yet?’ she spluttered through a mouthful of Wheaty Flakes.
‘I haven’t seen her,’ said the housekeeper.
‘We’re going to test out my new broomstick today.’
Mrs McCraggity put a rack of hot toast on the table. ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s not polite.’
Molly swallowed another huge spoonful.
‘It wasn’t full, I swallowed most of it before I spoke.’
‘Don’t be cheeky, young lady. You know what I meant.’
‘Are you coming to watch me fly, Mrs McCraggity?’
The housekeeper thought about it for a moment. ‘I will if I get time. I’ve got a lot to do today. Don’t you need to get a broom licence first?’
‘A broom licence?’ Molly’s spoon stopped half way to her mouth. ‘Why do I need a broom licence?’
‘You can’t fly without a licence, Molly. Someone will have to take you down to the post office to get one.’
The door opened and Granny Whitewand shuffled into the room.
‘Morning Granny Whitewand,’ said Molly.
The old witch yawned a jaw cracking yawn, sucked her teeth back into place and hobbled towards the table. ‘Good morning, Millie.’
Molly sighed. Granny Whitewand always got her name wrong.
‘It’s Molly, Grandma,’ she reminded her.
Granny Whitewand sat down at the table and hung her walking stick on the back of Molly’s chair.
Molly turned to face her grandmother. ‘Mrs McCraggity says junior witches need a licence before they can fly.’
‘She’s right,’ said Granny Whitewand.
‘Bother,’ said Molly.
Mrs McCraggity placed a china cup and saucer in front of the old witch and poured milk and tea into it. Granny Whitewand splashed in four spoons of sugar and stirred it absent mindedly. ‘Something quite important is happening today, but I can’t think for the life of me what it is.’
Molly looked up from her bowl with a big smile on her face. ‘I’m having my first flying lesson.’
Granny Whitewand drank her tea with a loud slurp.
‘Are you, Millie? That’s nice.’
Molly rolled her eyes to the ceiling. ‘It’s MOLLY, Grandma.’
‘So you keep saying,’ said Granny Whitewand as though she knew better. ‘Who are you going flying with? I might pop along to watch.’
‘You, Granny,’ said Molly. ‘You promised to fix up my broom and give me my first flying lesson.’
‘Did I?’ Granny Whitewand slurped at her tea again. ‘Broom? I can’t remember anything about a broom.’
‘The broom I bought back from my last task?’ said Molly patiently. It was all in bits, remember?’
‘Granny Whitewand thought for a while.
‘No, I can’t remember. But I saw a broom on my bedroom floor this morning. You can have that one if you like.’
‘That is my broom,’ replied Molly, testily. ‘You fixed it up yesterday.’
Granny Whitewand made a squelching sound as she sucked on her teeth.
‘Did I?’
She finished her tea and leaned forward to pour another one.
‘Do you know, I think you’re right. I must have been working on a broom yesterday. I woke up in a bed full of twigs this morning. It wasn’t very comfortable I can tell you.’
Mrs McCraggity refilled Granny Whitewand’s cup. ‘Molly hasn’t got a broom licence yet.’
‘Of course she has a licence,’ said Granny Whitewand. She looked at Molly from under the brim of her hat. ‘Haven’t you?’
‘Er, no. I haven’t actually got one yet,’ said Molly.
‘Well then, you can’t fly and that’s all there is to it,’ said Granny Whitewand. ‘You’ll get arrested if you don’t have a proper licence.’
Molly was getting seriously confused. She was about to reply when her mother came into the kitchen. Molly’s mum was a High Witch and taught at the Witch’s Academy.
‘Good morning, everyone.’ Mrs Miggins sat down, poured herself a cup of tea and took a slice of toast from the rack.
‘Mum, I’m supposed to be having a flying lesson today but I don’t have a licence.’
Mrs Miggins nibbled the corner of her toast. ‘I’ll give you a lift down to the post office later on, Molly. Granny Whitewand will have to come with us if she’s going to be your instructor.’
‘Eh, what’s that?’ Granny Whitewand cupped her hand to her ear.
‘I was just telling Molly that you’ll have to sign her licence application as you’re her instructor, Granny Whitewand.’
‘Am I? It’s the first I’ve heard of it.’
Molly shook her head; Granny Whitewand was hard work at times. She got up from the table and put her bowl in the sink. ‘When are we going, Mum? I can’t wait to get started. I want to be solo flying by next week.’
‘You’ll only get a learner licence to start with, Molly, you’ll have to be accompanied at all times.’
‘That’s not fair,’ said Molly. ‘I can fly it; I flew by myself on my last task.’
‘I’m aware of that, Molly but it’s the law. You can’t go out on your own until you pass your test. There’s more to flying that sitting on a broom you know. You have to be able to fly safely and not be a danger to other flyers. Someone will have to be at your side until you pass your test.’
Mrs Miggins finished her toast and got up to return to her study.
‘Make sure you bring your latest spell book with you, Molly, the one with the FLY spell in it. You’ll have to prove that you’re capable of casting it because you’re only nine and you’re supposed to be twelve to get a learner’s licence. I’ll be ready to go in about an hour.’
Molly walked back to the kitchen table to make sure that Granny Whitewand had heard, but she was fast asleep in her chair.
August 25, 2012
Magic Molly now on Smashwords
All three Magic Molly books are now available on Smashwords. As soon as they get through their premium filter they will be available for Nook Sony Reader, Ipad, Kobo Kindle and PDF so they are now ready for download for all e-readers. https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TrevorForest
The books are already available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback formats. See Here
August 19, 2012
Win a signed copy of Magic Molly The Yellow Eye
Here’s your chance to win the proof copy of Magic Molly book 3 The Yellow Eye. The book will be signed and posted to the lucky winner after a free prize draw on 31st August 2012.
To be in with a chance of winning. Simply ‘like’ the Trevor Forest author page on Facebook and leave a message with the name of the entrant. You can find the page here. TREVOR FOREST FACEBOOK PAGE If you have already liked the page just leave a message.
The lucky winner will be announced on Facebook. on the evening of the 31st August 2012.
The proof copy is a full copy of the book, sent from the printers, so that the author can check for typos and other errors. It has the word proof stamped inside the back cover. The bottom cut of the book is not quite even, other than that, it’s the same as the retail book on Amazon. So, in reality, the winner will have the first ever paperback copy of Magic Molly book 3 The Yellow Eye. Cool, hey?
August 18, 2012
Lovely new review for Magic Molly The Yellow Eye
Here’s a lovely review of Magic Molly book 3 The Yellow Eye. thank you June Gundlack
August 17, 2012
Magic Molly book 2 Gloop now in paperback
Magic Molly book 2 Gloop is now available in paperback from Amazon. FREE delivery. You can find it here. http://amzn.to/NsOsxI
