The Ruth Whenham book collection is now available at Marston Vale Country Park Forest Centre and Fairies n Frogs in Ampthill. The full list of local stockists is available here!.

It’s been two years since I left my office-based career in the NHS well and truly behind me.  One of the first pieces of writing I completed at that time was a poem entitled Office Tick-tock. I was reminded of it again recently when, out of the blue, I received some lovely feedback from a poet in Louisiana. I thought it was due another brief moment in the spotlight of my blog.

Office tick-tock

Chit-chat, tappity tap.
Skirts flirting with shirts.
Geeks gazing at datasheets
 - the office is a buzz.

Kettles whistling, printers whirring,
'Go Slow' in the corner's stirring!
Footfall in the corridor.
We've all heard that clip-clop before.

Big bellied boss blusters in.
Brainstorm this.
Blue sky that.
Create, debate, update, regenerate.

Projected, rejected profit profiles.
We couldn't give a fax a-budget!
Everyone knows that management fudge it.

Tick-tock, as one we watch the clock.

Quick as a flash, people dash.
Files are filed.
Switches are switched.
Teacups flung, coats unhung.

Desks deserted.
The buzz, buzzed off.
Until tomorrow...
Tick-tock, tick tock.

The Day My Teacher Came to Tea ebook is FREE to download until end of tomorrow. You can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0957442319

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0957442319

Please post your reviews on Amazon. They are important to authors in so many ways.

Enjoy!

I was very excited to walk into Waterstones (Bedford) and see all five of my books on the shelf. Only problem is that they are tucked away at the bottom under "W". So, what did I do? What any self-respecting author would do -  rearranged them (just a little!) to increase their visibility, then left!

So, the next time you happen to be passing Waterstones, please do pop in and take a look at my books, and before leaving could you give them a little shuffle on the shelf too!

The lovely 'La Dolce Vita' on Mill Road in Cranfield (Bedford) is now stocking the Ruth Whenham book collection. Hooray! This unusual shop comprises a floristry service, fresh wet fish counter, a selection of exotic meats (crocodile, ostrich etc), fruit, vegetables, cakes and gifts. It really is a lovely place to visit for something a little bit different.

I have recently answered interview questions set by the team who run the excellent book recommendation site, Goodreads. The link to my answers on this site can be found here. Alternatively, you can read them here on my blog.

There is the facility on Goodreads for readers to ask questions too. It would be lovely to receive some questions - friends and family included!

Here is the interview.

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

My most recent book is Captain Sillyvoice Takes to the Stage, the second in my Captain Sillyvoice series about a gang of unlikely pirates. 

About ten years ago, when my son was small, I would make up bedtime stories. These were often adventures in which he’d become magically transported to an interesting time or place, such as the jungle or space - all the usual stuff! Anyway, one such adventure featured a terribly nice pirate crew, led by the affable Captain Sillyvoice. The stories became a firm favourite. Firstly, a silly voice could be used and secondly there is fun to be had from a gang of pirates who are rather unsuitable for pirate life. 

I'd been thinking about writing a series of books rather than another one-off story, and it struck me that I could return to one of my very first character ideas - Captain Sillyvoice. It seemed like the perfect starting point.  I figured there must be loads of different storyline possibilities, and indeed, there are!

My third Captain Sillyvoice adventure is due for release soon.

How do you get inspired to write?

This varies enormously. Sometimes an event or the memory of something that’s happened in the past can spark an idea, as can listening to a joke or hearing a snippet of conversation. Once an idea has formed then it will often develop in my head over a couple of days or weeks before I put pen to paper. This was the case with 'The Day My Teacher Came to Tea' and 'Birthday Cake Disaster'. Sometimes though you just have to force yourself to sit down with a blank page and write something. Anything, as long as it gets you thinking. With my first book, 'My Crazy Purple Pen', I used the smart purple pen I was holding in my hand as the starting point for my jottings. I hadn't anticipated writing a whole story around it, but that’s what evolved.

What are you currently working on?

My third Captain Sillyvoice adventure is currently being illustrated. There’s a lot of work involved in making sure that the pictures complement the text. Fortunately I work with a very talented illustrator, Emma K L Hunt, who usually manages to interpret my illustration notes brilliantly, and is able to bring her creativity to the party as well.

I have recently written a Christmas picture book with a fun storyline about Santa's reindeers. I am very excited about this project because it is going to be a little bit different in style to my previous books.  This is currently being professionally edited.

My other ongoing project is a sequel to my book, My Crazy Purple Pen. I have the outline of the story worked out and a draft of the text but there is much work still to do. Watch this space...
 
What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
 
1. Write because you love it, not because you think it's a path to fame and fortune! The reality is that very few manage to achieve that. 

2. Don't expect people to buy your book, simply because it's available on Amazon or other book websites. They won't. They won't even know your book exists unless you do something to make them sit up and notice you. To be a writer nowadays is also to be a marketing/sales/PR person, and this takes a lot of research, work and time.

3. It’s never too late to start writing. It took the dark approach of my 40th birthday to make me take the plunge. Two years on and I am very happy that I did!

What’s the best thing about being a writer?
 
There are so many things but here is my shortlist. 
• Creating a story and developing an idea is satisfying and totally absorbing. Once you get immersed in your writing it's amazing how quickly the time just flies by. 
• Holding a copy of your book for the first time and thinking, "I wrote that!", is the best feeling. 
• Being a writer is a complete business enterprise. You have to learn to become an 'expert' in internet marketing, website design, distribution options, cost analysis, understanding publishing contracts and much more. In my experience, this variety makes the job of being a writer even more interesting.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I have been most fortunate because story ideas for my children's picture books have come to me quite easily so far. However, when I studied Creative Writing with the OU I did struggle with writer's block on occasion. A couple of the tips that I was given there did prove useful.

One thing you can do is to open a random book at a random page and read the first full sentence. From there, see if you can develop a story or an idea. Secondly there is the free association technique. This is where you write down the first things that occur to you, and just let your mind wander and see what ideas this triggers.

Firstly, a big thank you to all my friends and family who popped in to see me at my author book signing event in Bedford Waterstones yesterday. It was lovely to receive all your support, not to the mention the box of Maltesers (Deborah) and the Costa Coffee (Rachael and Helen).

The day went extremely well for me. It was really good to chat with customers, find out which books appealed most to the children, and of course sign books and make sales. The staff in Waterstones told me my sales figures were very strong for a one day event, despite the fact that I found myself trying to talk one particularly enthusiastic customer out of buying so many books.

 "Are you sure you want all the books in hardback? That is going to be quite expensive."

Fortunately she was not dissuaded from her decision!

Interestingly, I found that the spread of sales across the titles was very even, although Birthday Cake Disaster proved to be the most popular (just!).

For those of you who are interested, there are currently signed copies of all my titles for sale in Bedford Waterstones.

A lot of people seem unaware that you can read eBooks on your computer, phone, tablet or iPad. You do not need to own a Kindle or Kobo. There are free apps you can download. It is really very easy to do.

Here are some useful links:

Amazon Reading Apps 

Kobo Reading Apps

For those with an iPad the app Interactive Touch Books offers a lovely selection of interactive stories for children, featuring animations, sound effects and optional narration. The books here offer great value at only $0.99 -$1.99 each.

I love traditional print books but eBooks have a lot to offer too, especially for young children. Here are some of the reasons to start your eBook collection.

• eBooks are usually much cheaper to purchase than print books
• Interactive eBooks are available, offering a different reading experience for children
• Tablets/computers can be loaded with numerous different books for your child to read on holiday. (No need to take a box of books on long car journeys).

If you are tempted to check out the eBook option then you might like to try My Crazy Purple Pen, which I have made available for FREE from Saturday 5th July until Wednesday 9th July.

If you have an iPad you may also like to check out my latest interactive touch book, Birthday Cake Disaster, which has recently been selected as a featured book.

Please let me know how you get on!