I’m so excited that VIII has recently been included on the longlists of two major prizes: the CILIP Carnegie Medal, which is judged by librarians (read more about it here) and the UK Literary Association Book Award, which is judged by classroom … Continue reading →

I have a new book out! It’s a 127-pp non-fiction biography of Winston Churchill, aimed at (upper) junior and senior school readers. I’ve blogged about it today at The History Girls – take a look here. Recommend on Facebook Tweet … Continue reading →

Yesterday was the last full day of my VIII tour (today just involves getting back home to Bristol). So it felt a little like the last show of a theatre run – it had something of the same sense of … Continue reading →

Liz Scott (my PR aide & all-round helper on this tour) & I had a caffeinated start to the day. We arrived admirably early at our first event… or – let me correct that – ridiculously early. So, having notified … Continue reading →

This morning, I still had a souvenir of last night’s FCBG meeting (see yesterday’s blog here) on my hotel room desk: Somehow I had managed not to eat it overnight, but what a treat I had in store. It was … Continue reading →

My weekend behind the green door (see Friday’s post here) was lovely, & as relaxing as it could be in a house where more than half the inhabitants (my daughters & my cats – a deadly team) think that nearly-almost-six-o’clock … Continue reading →

An extra photo from my visit to Chantry High School, Ipswich, last Friday morning. Here’s me with Mr. Moseley, the long-suffering but very kind history teacher who had to sit through my talk twice: Recommend on Facebook Tweet about it … Continue reading →

I admit it, I’m knackered. Any nutritionists reading this will be glad to know I’ve been boosting my energy levels whilst on the road with only the healthiest of snacks… Three talks were on the schedule for Friday. The first … Continue reading →

Today has been a game of three halves. Yes, somehow it was stuffed with more than was surely possible – and yet it all worked wonderfully. And this was thanks to the brilliant organisation of Jayne Gould from Ipswich Children’s … Continue reading →