Alex English's Blog, page 3

Yak cake!

I’ll be reading and signing copies of Yuck said the Yak at Barton’s Bookshop in Leatherhead from 10am to 3pm tomorrow, Saturday 22nd November. There will also be colouring in, stickers and of course, the YAK CAKE!

If you and your little ones fancy eating a slice of this handsome chap, then please drop by to say hello!

 

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Meet the Yak at Barton’s Bookshop

I’m going to be signing copies of Yuck said the Yak at Barton’s Bookshop in Leatherhead on Saturday 22 November.

I’ll be there (with my yak) from 10am to 3pm for book reading, colouring in and other yak-related antics.

And of course, there’ll be cake!

Please do bring your children along, it will be lovely to meet you.

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Yuck said the Yak reviews

Yuck said the Yak is now officially published and out there in the world. It’s so exciting to finally see lots of readers enjoying it. We’ve had quite a few reviews and here are the latest:

Read it Daddy said it is ‘an awesome and fun tale’ and particularly loved the texture of Emma‘s illustrations (I’m a huge fan of this too – the yak is a shaggy beast, just as he should be!).

The Book Bag said it is ‘a great, fun book for young listeners.’

Madhouse Family Reviews gave us 5 out of 5 stars – hurrah!

Storyworld said the illustrations are ‘funny, colourful and exciting’ and the story is ‘a treat’ and ‘highly recommended.’

So it’s clear that readers are saying ‘YUM!’ to Yuck said the Yak!

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Yuck said the Yak is available for pre-order

Yuck said the Yak by Alex English & Emma Levey has gone to print (eek!) and will be published by Maverick Arts Publishing on the 28th September.

It’s now available for pre-order from bookshops including Hive, Foyles and Amazon.

So what are you waiting for?

Now I’m off to plan the launch party…

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Meet my character – Alfie

Alice Hemming, fellow Maverick author and writer of Bibble and the Bubbles, invited me to take part in a character blog tour. Here’s a little bit about Alfie, the lead character in my forthcoming picture book, Yuck said the Yak.

1. What’s your character’s name? Are they a fictional or historical person?

My character is a little boy called Alfie. He’s fictional but is named after my nephew.

2. When and where is the story set?

The story is set in the present day at Alfie’s house.

3. What should we know about him/her?

Alfie is imaginative, friendly and loves cooking.

4. What is their main conflict? What messes up their life?

One day a yak comes to stay. But he’s a very rude yak and doesn’t like anything that Alfie offers him.

5. What is their personal goal?

Alfie wants to find out what the yak likes to eat.

6. What is the book’s working title? Can we read more about it?

The book’s title is Yuck said the Yak.

7. When will it be published?

It will be published on the 28th of September 2014.

Now over to fellow Maverick author, Steve Howson, who will be publishing his answers next Monday.

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Welcome to the Writing Process: An Author/Illustrator Blog Tour

Fellow Scattered Author (and illustrator), Teresa Flavin, invited me to share a bit about my writing and illustrating process as part of the ‘Welcome to the Writing Process: An Author/Illustrator Blog Tour’. Check out Teresa’s blog here!

What am I currently working on?

I am finishing the final edits on my next picture book, PIRATES DON’T DRIVE DIGGERS. It’s a rhyming picture book, so it’s taken a lot of work to get it shipshape.

I’m also working on a novel for 9-12s involving talking cats, pizzas and water witches.

Finally, I’m getting ready for the release of my first picture book, YUCK SAID THE YAK, in September.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

A tricky question! My picture books tend to be wacky and funny (I hope!). I like to write about unusual characters, so you are much more likely to find a yak or a porcupine in my books than a bunny or a bear.

Why do I write what I write?

I love children’s books and always have, but I only started writing picture books after learning about them on a writing for children class at City Lit (before that I’d always thought you needed to be able to illustrate as well as write). I have two young sons and I love reading with them and seeing them enjoy stories.

How does my writing and illustrating process work?

It often starts with an idea or a title just popping into my head. I love wordplay and rhymes. I also like to think about the sorts of things that pre-school children can identify with, so I often get ideas from my own children or others when I take my sons to toddler group. I keep a notebook just for picture book ideas and make sure I write EVERYTHING down so I don’t forget anything. Once I’ve decided which idea I’m going to work on, I do a big brainstorm before planning out a dummy of my story. When I’ve finished the first draft, I usually run it past my critique group and rework it a couple of times before it goes out to my editor.

Once the text is all finished, my lovely publisher Maverick and I decide on an illustrator. For YUCK SAID THE YAK, I teamed up with the fantastically talented Emma Levey, who somehow managed to illustrate my yak exactly as I had imagined him.

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The cover for Yuck said the Yak is here

The cover for my forthcoming picture book, Yuck! said the Yak, is finally ready. The illustrator is the lovely Emma Levey, who has done a fabulous job bringing my yak to life.

Alfie does not seem too worried when a Yak appears at his house on a bicycle but when the Yak says “Yuck!” to everything that Alfie offers him he thinks him very rude!

Yuck said the Yak will be published by Maverick Arts Publishing in September 2014.

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10 Top Tips for Picture Book Submissions

My lovely editor at Maverick Arts Publishing, Kimara Nye, has produced a video of her top ten picture book submission tips.

Children’s publishing is extremely competitive and Maverick receive thousands of picture book submissions every year. There’s always a bit of luck involved, but there are also lots of ways to make your manuscript stand out from the murky depths of the slush pile.

My biggest tip is to join SCBWI. The events are brilliant, and the camaraderie keeps you going!

To find out more about submitting to Maverick please go to…  www.maverickbooks.co.uk/submissions

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