Claire Fayers's Blog, page 7

Spring Surprises and Magic Mirrors

Spring has certainly had a few surprises up its sleeve. Snow, for starters. Since when did we get snow in Cardiff? Sadly, a lot of World Book Day events had to be cancelled. But even a snow cloud has a silver lining and I was able to finish off the proof-reading on Mirror Magic in super-quick time while my garden bees were enjoying the white stuff.

The snow melted in time for me to do my school visits, and I am so glad! I had terrific fun leading assemblies and creative writing workshops. We designed our own maps, created heroes and villains and invented wild and wacky stories. An interesting fact – in every class, no matter where the school is or how old the kids, someone will call a villain Geoff. I have no idea why – there just seems to be something particularly villainous about that combination of letters.

And so to Mirror Magic. Some of you may remember me shouting excitedly about Unwise Magic last year. Since then, the book has had a make-over with a new title and a new cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know about you, but I think it looks even better than before. I am so lucky to have the Macmillan design team and illustrator Becka Moor. I’ve just seen the final proofs and they are so pretty with swirls of magical mist along the page bottoms. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. You can pre-order Mirror Magic on Amazon

 

 

 

There’s a Storm coming!

Some time ago, I was feeling a bit fed up and frustrated with writing (it happens to all authors) and I really needed to write something just for fun. Something that would never be published or ever see the light of day, something I didn’t have to try to get right because no one but me would read it.

For some reason my mind went to this.

The Wild Hunt Johann Wilhelm Cordes

Odin’s Hunt, or the Hunt of Arawn of the Otherworld as we’d say in Wales. I wasn’t interested in Odin, though, but the hunting hounds. Particularly, the youngest and newest hound in the pack, who couldn’t quite keep up.

I wrote until my fingers ached and then I felt better.

That would have been the end, except that a couple of months later I was talking to my agent about new ideas, and just as in Cinderella when the Prince asks ‘Don’t you have any other daughters?’ I replied ‘Well, I have this one other thing, but you really wouldn’t want to see it, it’s far too untidy.’

And, just as in Cinderella, it was love at first sight.

So I set to work, tidying the chapters, inventing extra characters, writing the dreaded outline (outlines are my least favourite thing because I’m terrible at deciding what will happen in a story until I’m actually writing it.)

While I was doing this, a few friends suggested I should apply for a Literature Wales bursary. I almost didn’t, but I’m glad they persuaded me into it because…

In even better news, Storm Hound has sold to Macmillan and will be coming out in 2019.

I am so excited. Storm Hound began as something just for me and now I’ll get to share it with you. I really can’t wait!

In the meantime, I have Unwise Magic to look forward to in June. I’ll be leaking bits and pieces over the next few months so keep a look out.

 

Merry Christmas and Future Plans

I had a lovely message this week from a young lady called Eleanor. Hello Eleanor! (I’m waving madly across the internet to you.) She wanted to know when the next Accidental Pirates book will be out and as a few people have asked me the same thing, I thought I’d answer the question here.

There is good news and bad news.

The good news is I WILL write another pirate book. I promise. I want to know what happens to Peter, Brine and Tom and whether Marfak West can ever been properly heroic.

The bad news is it won’t happen for a little while. There are two reasons for this. First, I’ve had some other ideas for stories which are so exciting, I have got to write them down straight away! You can read about my next book, Unwise Magic here and I’ll have news about another super-exciting standalone story soon.

The second reason is because of you: Eleanor and all other readers who want to know what happens next. You see, the third pirate book will finish the story, and right now the Onion is adventuring all over Eight Oceans. Those oceans are full of potential extra stories. While the big story remains unfinished, you can invent your own islands full of new adventures, new villains for Cassie and the crew to fight, new heroes. Have a look at the resources section on this website if you want some ideas to get you started.

I will be writing some extra short stories myself (I’ve promised my friend an evil fish-bird story and I think I have an idea for it!) Keep an eye on this website – you can subscribe to it, and you can also follow me on twitter and facebook – if you want to read them.

So, the Onion will continue to sail, and her adventures will be many. And one day I will bring those adventures to a close, but not just yet.

Eleanor, thank you for taking the time to write to me. When you’re an author the very best thing is hearing from readers and your message had me smiling for the whole day. I hope you have a very happy Christmas with lots of new books to read.

Digging for Nuts

 

 

As I walked through the cemetery this morning, squirrels were everywhere.

This set me off musing that writing is a bit like scrabbling about in your imagination for nuts.

Sometimes they are nuts we buried ourselves – a childhood incident, a snippet of dialogue that came to mind and we noted it down to use some day. Other times, we dig up other people’s – a conversation overheard, something catches our attention on the TV or radio. They might have lain forgotten for years waiting for the right story.

One of my favourite new sci-fi series this year is Sylvain Neuvel’s Themis Files. A giant, metal hand is discovered in a pit and soon people are searching for the other parts of the giant. In book two, one of the characters tells a story of Larry, the tragic squirrel. A passing fairy spotted Larry scrabbling about in Central Park and gave him the gift of a perfect memory so he could remember exactly where he’d buried all his nuts. Larry promptly starved. A lot of his nuts had already been dug up by the other squirrels, who, like all squirrels, dug randomly, sometimes finding their own buried stores, sometimes stores belonging to other squirrels. Larry’s magical memory meant he went straight from one of his hiding places to the next, and a lot of those hiding places were empty.

I read this book on holiday and my motto immediately became ‘Don’t be Larry.’ Don’t rush from attraction to attraction but make time to wander randomly. It made for a fun holiday – we’d never have discovered the mushroom museum without it.

It’s also good advice for writing. Allow your story space and time to wander. Don’t be in such a rush to finish that you accidentally starve it. Make time to bury nuts too – collect ideas.

This month, I’ve been having fun visiting schools and helping children gather up their own ideas. And, while waiting for the final edits and proof-reading of Unwise Magic, I’ve been excitedly digging about in my imagination for a new project – more about that soon!

Happy digging, everyone.

 

 

 

Unwise Magic Spot the Difference

Welcome to Wyse, last town in Britain where magic still works. Please make the most of your time here as the world may be ending soon.  I am The Book, by the way, and if you knew what was coming, you wouldn’t be reading this. You’d be running for your life.

But while we await almost certain destruction, let’s have a little quiz to keep you entertained.

Look at the two book covers below. On the left is the brilliant new cover of Unwise Magic, expertly drawn by Queen Victoria’s own favourite artist, Becka Moor. (That last bit may not be 100% true, but it should be.)

On the right is a subtly altered cover which has been played with by fairies, or Claire Fayers or someone.

You have five minutes to spot all 12 differences and then the world will probably end. If for some reason it doesn’t, you can look forward to Unwise Magic next June.

The Book of Unwyse Magic – making the world stranger since 1842.

Festival Report

Festivals are like buses: You wait for ages then two come along together.

I was doubly fortunate to be appearing at Bath and Cheltenham Children’s Literature festivals on the same weekend, and quadruply fortunate that I was on stage with two terrific authors.

At Bath, I had Stephanie Burgis, who is already a friend of mine and we’d spent a few days on retreat together at my house a couple of months ago. Her new book The Dragon With a Chocolate Heart is one of my favourite books this year and you should all read it. Here we are together, having a great time talking about dragons, Wales, fairies and all things bookish with our lovely chairperson, Sarah. Our next books both have fairies in and both are due out next year so, who knows, we might be back for another joint chat.

The highlight of Bath was the giant red chair in the writers’ room. The perfect place for a quick read before going on stage.

 

Then, Sunday, and on to Cheltenham.

 

I had a little trouble finding the writers’ room because it was labelled ‘VIP entrance’ and I had to be coaxed through. Inside, I found Katharine Woodfine and Sibeal Pounder. Sibeal and I have the same agent and we’ve met up several times, so it was fun to catch up. Also, Sibeal’s latest book, Bad Mermaids had me laughing out loud all the way through so you should read that one too.

Here we are, giggling about something. We did a lot of that.

 

 

So now it’s back to writing, and I’ll have exciting news about my brand new book with fairies soon! Keep a look out.

A big thank you to Macmillan Kids Books, all the festival organisers, Stephanie, Sibeal, and my lovely husband for taking the photos.

Talk like a (Welsh) pirate

What’s the literature-loving horse to got to do with talking like a pirate, you may asked. Nothing. I just like it. Thank you to my sister, Ruth, for sending it.

Onward! It’s talk like a pirate day! Or, in Welsh, Diwrnod Siarad fel Mȏr-leidr!

Here are a few words and phrases for all would-be Welsh pirates. Have fun! Pob hwyl!

Mȏr – Sea. You might know the Welsh folksong, Ar Lan y Mȏr (On the Sea Shore.)

Mȏr-leidr – Pirate. The Welsh means ‘sea thief’ which I think sounds dashing and romantic.

Morio – to sail. You might be detecting a pattern of ‘mor’ words. Let’s not have any mor.

Llong – Ship. Every pirate needs one.

Cleddyf byr – short sword. The closest thing I could find to cutlass. Every pirates needs one of these, too.

A few creatures you might meet:

Siarc! – Shark!

Octopws – Do you really need that one translated?

Octopws mawr – Big octopus

Octopws dirfawr – gigantic octopus

Teimlyrau – Tentacles

Parot – Parrot (you don’t need me to tell you that one, either)

And some phrases you may or may not want to hear:

Sh’mae! – Ahoy there!

Wel, Duw Duw – Shiver me timbers

Cerdded y planc – Walk the plank

Finally, courtesy of the Family Bookworms What do pirates say when they’re really pleased with something?  “Arrrdderchog!”

The Leaves That Hung But Never Grew

As it’s Folklore Thursday over on twitter, I thought I’d share an odd little tale.

Earlier this year, my husband went on a conference at Gregynog in mid-Wales While he was there, he spotted this on the wall and, naturally, he snapped a photo to show me:

Naturally, I was compelled to hunt down the folktale. The original book by John Sampson is out of print, but, luckily, the story appeared in another collection of Gypsy folk tales, selected by Dora E Yates, and a copy existed in the Cardiff University library. As I no longer work there, I recruited a friend to borrow it for me. (Sorry, Cardiff University, I promise you can have your book back soon.)

I love these stories because they are so much like first drafts. Everything and anything is thrown in. The boar magically transforms into a young gentleman who tells the girl the magic leaves are under the witch’s pillow. (The girl has been making the witch’s bed for a week and never noticed them What sort of a housekeeper is she?) The girl steals them and the young couple flee, pursued by the witch’s daughter. Hold on, I didn’t know the witch had a daughter. Well, she does now.

The couple escape with the help of the usual magical tricks, courtesy of the enchanted leaves. But instead of living happily ever after, they are obliged to part. I have no idea why. I doubt the storyteller did, either. The young man promptly forgets the new love of his life and she, instead of looking for him, goes back to the rich lord with the magic leaves.

At which point we find out some unspecified person is offering a large reward for the leaves and the lord wants the money for his daughter. I didn’t know he had a daughter, either. Where do all these daughters keep coming from?

Then it’s as if last orders have been called at the pub and the storyteller needs to wrap up quickly. After a ludicriously ineffective attempt on her life, the daughter uses the magic leaves to bring her young gentleman back and the two run off to London to marry before coming back to Wales and keeping a mill by the sea. Where they presumeably live happily ever after.

And what became of the little dwarf and his wife from the first page? No one knows – they’re never mentioned again. That’s another story waiting to happen.

 

Downloadable resources for schools

Teachers, librarians, workshop leaders, would you like some free classroom resources to download?

You would? Excellent! Click on the links below.

Kids, you’re also welcome to download these and have a try at them. Let me know how you get on.

The Legend of You

Have you ever wanted to star in your own story? Here’s your chance. In the first part of this task, you’ll think about how stories begin, and what kind of stories you like best. In the second part, you are setting off on a quest wehre you can try out your own storytelling skills and turn yourself into a legend.

Design your own island

If legends aren’t your thing, maybe you’d like to design your own pirate hideaway. Instead of writing a story, you’ll be drawing a map and describing what you find there, using as many exciting words as you can think of. Compete with your friends – who can invent the best island?

pirate quiz

How well do you know your pirates? Try this quick, fun pirate quiz to test your knowledge. (Warning – page two of this quiz contains the answers. Do not read until you’ve done the quiz or I’ll make you walk the plank.

Pirate joke quiz

Why are pirate jokes funny? They just arrrrrrr!  These jokes and punchlines have become mixed up. See if you can sort them out.

Onion wordsearch

A simple wordsearch with words taken from The Accidental Pirates. How many words can you find?

 

 

New website launch giveaway!

Ahoy book lovers! To celebrate the launch of my new website, I am holding a giveaway. Hop over to twitter, follow me if you don’t already and retweet my giveaway tweet (it’s pinned to make it easy to find.

You can win this lovely bundle of goodies:

A signed copy of Journey to Dragon Island

A Welsh notebook and pen for your own writing

A Welsh sheep coaster for your cup of tea while you’re reading

A Welsh dragon bookmark for keeping your place

The competition is UK only, and ends at 1pm Monday 28th August. Good luck!