Jammy pieces.

On the First of December, we're holding The Ancient Secret of Cloven Hill book launch in Forres's Anderson's School's gym hall.
Many, many moons ago, we used to dangle from the wall bars there for some of the P.E hour. Our teacher was a grey haired lady with a whistle, firm voice and divided skirt. I don't recall her footwear but we were often instructed to take ours off, including socks. I often wonder what level of athleticism was needed for then having to tie knots in ropes usually used for skipping.
This time, the accompanying juice and jammy pieces at the launch also suggest a less than calorie-killing activity. All the school pupils will be there and hopefully many will buy the book. Proceeds will help Marlyn Somers in her next big challenge.
 She heads up the charity Uganda Aid Person to Person, and will be there and able to tell the assembled about the orphanage she supports.
As you'll see below, showering facilities are basic and provision of better is Marlyn's next challenge. --
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INSPIRATION IN MANY FORMS.

My young friends and I are close to completing our childrens' book. It's got a new title- not so different from the old, but it's now to be called, The Ancient Secret of Cloven Hill. 
Inspiration has come from visiting the Witches' Stone, Nelson Tower atop Forres's Cluny Hill, and of course from the children themselves.
I did not expect help with the blurb though. They're are a bit of a nightmare to write so, imagine my delight when, with all but a flourish, Ms Anne Reid, one of the teachers handed over a little beauty.
'I think this'll save you a job,' she said. And she's right. What do you think?

One magical story with lots of adventures and weird people with a funny number of toes. There's Big George, Morag who is cheeky, Rosie who bosses Burns her brother who says 'Ruggabug' instead of swearing and Picker who is scary.
It's all about thinking and teamwork and sneaking out at night.
Read this amazing book!
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Cluny Hill is lovely but best not visited at night.

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Nairn Book Festival.

I was asked to give a talk on 'Telling Tales'at this year's Nairn Book Festival. It was in the Nairn Museum's  meeting room which is well appointed and conducive to chat. I could not have wished for a kinder audience nor a better interviewer than Kate Ashton.
Belinda came too. She was my old doll,a constant companion and a great listener. She stars quite a bit in the book and here she is, still listening, whilst Mabel of the Nairn Book Shop tells her she's moving her shop across the road to premises boasting bigger windows.

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Eating my words.

I'd be the first to admit to protesting against the lengthy and expensive measures taken to build Forres's Flood Alleviation measures at Chapelton, just outside the town. In Norman Thomson's admirable book, A Forres Companion there are two photographs. One shows the scheme in normal weather whilst the other illustrates flood conditions and the containment provided by the dam.
Five years after the scheme was completed, Forres remains safe whilst those August flowers cloak the area in  an extravagance of colour. Bats, badgers and otters wait for dusk before taking their place in what has now become an enchanting wildlife haven..

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Waiting for Harley.

Two of the Primary three pupils who've been involved helping write The Secret of Cloven Hill have been busy with their drawing pencils. Eva's colours have transferred well but I'm having a problem putting Harley's on the screen. Maybe a  quick turn round the block will help to avoid a contribution to the swear box we talk about when discussing the book's plot.

Ah! Found him. Forres folk may recognise the setting.Thanks, Harley-- --
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Get the picture!

My writing partners have been hard at work. Pictures instead of a thousand words comes to mind but their descriptive words are pretty effective too.

  Burn's sister is called Rosie. She doesn't believe in monsters.

She's got green eyes, a big nose and gappy teeth.

   

She loves to do hand stands.

She can .                                                                                       do very good back-kicks.

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 She doesn't like peanut butter because it tastes like a wooden spoon she  accidentally ate.

                   s                
She doesn't like creepy-crawlies and you might think she's kind to her brother, but think again.

               

She dislikes putting money in the swear box.

     

She does the most unnecessary kicks.

                She loves to run and skip and do cart wheels. She is very kind to her dog but not her brother.

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An election!

If you've been following Primary 3's adventures helping with The Secret Of Cloven Hill, you'll be breathless with anticipation wondering whether the hero's name Burns should be changed to Burnsie. There couldn't have been a better day to find out.
'Right,' says  teacher, Miss Reid taking up a white board and big black pen. 'This is how things are done democratically, like today's election.'
So we get a clever wee spiel about such matters, then, the pupils place their vote and it's marked on the board.
'So, it's Burns and not Burnsie,' she concludes. A show of hands gives Macrae the surname vote and I'm a bit surprised but glad it's so easy to fix that with a word- processor.
Next week, I'm hoping to show some of their work on this blog if we get the necessary permission. What fun!

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A little help from my friends.

We've got a  first name for The Secret of Cloven  Hill's hero. As the book's set in Forres ( maybe not quite the same but remember Macbeth?) I'd to explain that  amongst a lot of suggestions the two Hanks put forward, might not convey a Scottish touch. The worthy class-teachers and I spoke about Charles Dickens and his genius for names. The kids liked Nicholas Nickleby- but that  didn't fit the bill either.
So, we've come up with Burns. There were loads of other names and drawings of what he could look like. The six toes appealed and I see someone's now drawn a picture of him labelled Burnsie- we'll have to put it to the vote next week to see if that'd suit him better.
Tanya, our Forres Gazette editor came to take a photograph. Posted on a wobbly chair, she achieved balance whilst capturing a, hopefully, creative moment of the kids then shouting,'don't try this at home,' hopped down then headed back to her office with the day's hot news. Wonder if there'll be a sell out.
Next week, it's a surname and what  Burnsie saw out of the window. Stay tuned if you pardon the cliche.
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My Editors- all forty-five of them..

Some time ago, I promised an update on my children's book but Telling Tales.Growing Up On a Highland Farm took over. Now that it's finished, I'm getting back to the Secret of Cloven Hill. A work in progress title.
I'm very lucky. Two teachers at the Anderson's School in Forres have a writing hour every Thursday for two Primary Three classes and seem happy for me to go along to 'try' out the book on them and to ask for their advice and suggestions.
 I've been very impressed at the way, working in groups of three, they've come up with some great ideas and artwork whilst giving each other a say and place.
Neither were  prompted by sharp elbows or tongues, and already colour and personality have been added to the first character.  It's all very exciting and I hope that when John, my front cover friend meets them, he'll get the same buzz.

Post Book Launch.

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Book launches come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and atmospheres. The numbers and ease of organising the celebrations for Telling Tales  exceeded all my expectations.  Having a catering, fiddling husband  who organised background music with some friends, sure helped as did the local newsagents, 'The Washington'. Before the event, they gave the book a full shop- window display. They also dealt with the event's happy book sales.
Local folk made their way up into the newly refurbished Tolbooth Court Room, where, in days of old, felons were summarily dealt with. The assembled may well have had their own miscreant history but  all that was gone at the event. Friendly, cheerful chat and a mischievous banter were exchanged in kinder, more convivial feeling surroundings.
Although I wrote the book, recalling a free, adventurous childhood, times change and often for the better, I imagine that my own words-smith ancestors would have loved word processors. Even email.
And The Tolbooth in all its revived state still carry hints of a savage past. The man -trap displayed on the way to the cells is a reminder of the days when this form of entrapment was considered an acceptable aid to the law.