Everything seems to be about social networking these days, or so I'm told! With that in mind I have at long last set up an Author Facebook Page and a Twitter account. I will be using these to send out updates about my books, but it won't be a replacement for my blog or website as a whole.

If you are interested in receiving news about my forthcoming projects or finding out about offers and promotion as they occur, then please 'like' my page or follow me on Twitter. 

Here are the links:

https://www.facebook.com/RuthWhenhamBooks

https://twitter.com/RuthWhenham

I recently sent my book, Birthday Cake Disaster, to Lakeland in the hope that they might be interested in stocking it. It was always a long shot but you don’t know until you try so...

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a friendly e-mail from the Director of Buying to say that he thought my book was lovely but that Lakeland do not currently carry story books as a line. He also said that would be very happy to bear me in mind if this situation changes.

It was of course a rejection, but a nice one!

It has been a year since I left my old life as a Clinical Audit Officer and embarked on a new path; writing children’s books, becoming an OU student and volunteering at the Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB). It was a big decision to take and I really didn’t know how or if it would all work out. It hasn’t all been plain sailing but it has been a brilliant year.

Volunteering at the CAB has definitely taken me out of my comfort zone. It is a front-line role with nowhere to hide and when people have been waiting an hour to see you, there is no doubt that you feel the pressure to find them some answers and help, in short - to be worth waiting to see! It gets easier the more you do (as your own knowledge builds) and it is undeniably fascinating (as issues range from debt, immigration problems, relationship issues, disputes at work and much more besides) but most of all it has been very rewarding. 

Becoming a student again was very enjoyable. I was studying Creative Writing, with the focus on short fiction and poetry. The workload was high and it was definitely a challenge but I loved it, and I learned a great deal along the way. It has definitely helped me to become a better writer and equally as important, sparked my interest in writing more serious poetry. Before then I had only been inclined to write more humorous rhyming prose. I am quite sad that the course has finished now but it does give me more time to concentrate on my main project - writing children’s books.

So, how has this been going? Well, I have self-published three books so far and also written a series of three pirate books, currently being illustrated and due for publication in the near future. My next project will be a sequel to My Crazy Purple Pen. I am very happy with all the books and excited about the pirate series. This has probably been the most fun set of stories to write so far. Have I hit the best-sellers list yet? No. Am I making a living from writing children’s books? Not yet! Do I still think it is worth carrying on? Yes, absolutely. Keep writing, keep marketing and keep going. 

The fifth member of Captain Silyvoice’s pirate six-man crew is Gappy Gunther. Please take a look!

Gappy Gunther only has three teeth. This doesn’t bother him at all. He is always smiling and fortunately his favourite food is soup, octopus flavour in particular. Gappy Gunther is an extraordinary whistler. He can whistle any tune you can name.

A new addition to my poetry corner; a different style, darker in content than previous efforts but surprisingly fun to write! I just enjoyed using the imagery.

Acorn

Small, smooth, shining; beauty
understated.
An acorn becomes over time
unrecognisable.
Lost beneath its new bark skin.
Forgotten.

A woman sits beside a lake,
the shell of who she was
Upon the water, a shape
reflected. She stares.
The girl she knew just isn't there.
Her energy is spent.

Wart-like protrusions
deface.
Discoloured leaves shrivel.
The wizened oak stoops.
Scavengers await
the feast of decay.

My new pirate book (the first in a series of 3 adventures) is progressing well and I have been using my blog to give a taste of what's to come. The illustrations for Lyrical Len (complete with his nose job), Bob Bob and Big-bellied Ben have already been unveiled. The latest addition is Lofty Lightfoot, illustrated by Emma K.L Hunt.

Lofty Lightfoot
The tallest of all the crew, Lofty is surprisingly light on his feet. He can trip the light fantastic with the best of them (that’s dance to me and you) and is always cart wheeling and back flipping his way around the deck.