Author, Speaker, Tutor
World Book Day is almost upon us and I’m super excited! When I daydreamed about being a published author, school visits were one of the things that occupied a lot of my procrastination time (school visits and book launches…true fact that) . Continue reading “World Book Day 2017!”
I feel like I should have a little birthday tea. One year ago today, my first book was born. After more than 15 years of trying, I became an actual, real life published author. My debut YA novel More of Me was released by Usborne to U.K. readers.
The birth was celebrated by many of my amazing friends. The tribute below was lead by Candy Gourlay and Amanda Lillywhite, who encouraged enormous numbers of people to do this to their faces and post it all over facebook and twitter.
I was so moved by this, it’s amazing, don’t you think? And then very many of them turned out for my launch parties – the first hosted by Daunt Books, the second, by Waterstones. You can see loads of pictures here but this is one of my favourites, because it sums up all the support, kindness and squidging I’ve had along the way:
I think it’s traditional to talk about the highs and lows of having a first bookbaby- and at some point I will be doing a post on that for SCBWI’s Words and Pictures – I’ll link to it when it comes out. But not here. Here, in the spirit of new motherhood, I’m going to celebrate my book’s first birthday by inviting a few pregnant friends over…I think I may be taking this metaphor a bit too far…Basically, I’m going to celebrate my book’s birthday with the
During this last year, I teamed up with four other SCBWI debut authors, my fellow Lost and Founders, and they all have new books out this year. I’ve read one of them, Olivia Levez, The Circus, and loved it. Sue Wallman’s See How They Lie, Patrice Lawrence’s Indigo Donut and Eugene Lambert’s Into The No Zone, I couldn’t quite get my hands on yet but I will! I will! I’m so happy for them, they give me hope! I’m still writing my book 2 ( slacker).
I also want to mention Peter Bunzl’s Cogheart – this book was Usborne’s lead debut in 2016 and made a huge and deserved splash. It’s middle grade with a strong story, wonderful characters and a gorgeous steampunk feel to it. If you haven’t read it, do – I can’t wait for the follow up, MoonLocket, out in May..need to get working on my dress ups for that event…
Fellow Slushpiler Teri Terry has a new series launching in May this year, Contagion – I’ve not read it yet but she is consistently good, I loved Book of Lies released this year and I can’t wait for this creepy looking series!
I am also desperate to read Candy Gourlay’s new book but I don’t know when that’s going to happen – come on Candy, you have readers waiting!! ( I keep nagging int he hope she’ll give me a sneaky peak…sigh…)
I’ve just realised I could go on forever with this list…especially as I want to give a heads up to some brilliant SCBWI authors who have recently been signed to an agent or publishing house and I know are going to produce amazing books: Em Lynas, Sheila Averbach and Lucy Van Smit get on with it gang, I await new treats!
There are so many more, it’s going to be another exciting year for books and hoorah for that. Now it’s nearly time for cake, but first I must say:
And now….CAKE!
I can not believe Book Witch has included me on her 2016 Best Books Pile. I need to have a lie down so I shall do that and share her blog instead of writing my own. THANK YOU BOOK WITCH!!!!
Yes, there were good books, even in a year like 2016. Let’s not lose [all] hope, shall we? In fact, after careful consideration, there were more serious contenders than I could allow through to the final round. Sorry about that. During 2016 I seem to have read and reviewed 154 books. Before you gasp with […]
The last few days have been unbelievable – first the Carnegie nomination and now this…you guys did this, you awesome, wonderful, lovely, amazing folk – THANK YOU.
More of Me has WON the Edinburgh International Festival First Book Award and YOU made it happen.
There are not enough thank yous in the world but here are some:
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Here’s a bit of what I officially said:
I am stunned to have won this award – when I saw the calibre of the other authors I thought I didn’t have a hope. So often children’s fiction is seen as the poor cousin to adult books – yet in it, we tackle some of the hardest subjects in the most innovative of ways. I am so proud to hold the banner up for YA fiction.
You can read the rest here.
Or in The Book Seller !!
And if you want to read it for yourself, well, Amazon’s the easiest route but you can also use Hive or Waterstones or go to your High Street book store or library.
Oh and…
Wow! In a weekend you smashed all our follow targets so – true to our word – the WORDS, will all be revealed.
Signed copies of all of our books including:
Sue Wallman’s Lying About Last Summer – one of Zoella’s Book Club choices for autumn 2016!
Olivia Levez The Island – star reviewed in Publishers Weekly.
Eugene Lamberts The Sign of One – shortlisted for AM Heath’s Irish Children’s Prize
Patrice Lawrence’s Orange Boy nominated for the 2017 Carnegie Medal
Kathryn Evan’s More of Me – winner of the EIBF First Book Award and nominated for the 2017 Carnegie Medal
Meemee – a little blue cousin of Peepee from More of Me.
A mug and hot chocolate
A torch ( for reading under the covers)
A bag of Hotel Chocolate buttons
A lovely Books Are My Bag tote – donated by Waterstones Islington
Post cards and books marks and temporary tattoos
And everything packed up in a cardboard Paddington case with a Lost and Found luggage label for you to use as a book mark!
We will deliver your prize to anywhere in the UK.
Put these words into a saying that makes sense – think about the title of our tour!
LOST… NOT… IS…. ALL
Send your answer and your name to me via my contacts page.
For extra chances to win – for every friend you refer, you get an extra chance to win – just send us your name again , with your answer and the name of the person you referred – when we pick up their name, you’ll get to go in the draw again! As many times as you like!
We will put all the entries into a hat ( literally) and make a random draw. the name of the winner will be revealed on 10th November just before our Waterstones Guildford Tour Stop. If you’re there and you’re the winner , we can hand it over there and then!
Good luck!
By Kathryn EvansIf you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals. This is because the nominees and winners are chosen by librarians. Only librarians. And I have haunted libraries all my life.
I’ve blogged about it in the past, this is my post from 2015. I even shadowed the shortlist last year – something I highly recommend – great books and you learn SO MUCH and get to hang out and chat about some of the best books in the country.
It all starts with a list of nominations. It’s usually a very long list and this year is no exception – it is a very long list. But there is one tiny difference this year.
I am on it.
It means so much I feel like I’ve won already. I will always be a Carnegie nominated author.
I think I might go and have another little cry.
Congratulations to all the nominees for both the Greenaway and the Carnegie. I am beyond honoured to be on the list with you.
To celebrate the launch of the Lost and Found tour and the debut of these fabulous books:
There are things you don’t even think about when you’re longing for that first publisher to take an interest in your writing. One of those is foreign rights sales – and they come as such a lovely surprise when they happen. Continue reading “More of Me Goes Global!”
Whoa! What a twitter backlash there’s been to that hashtag! So many haters! But there were some who genuinely seemed interested in answers so, here you go, all opinions my own, all facts as accurate as I can make them: Continue reading “#IAmAFeminist”
I have had some amazing reviews for More of Me. The Book Bag, Lovereading4kids, Serendipity Reviews, Guardian Children’s books all rated it highly: one of the book sellers in my local Waterstones is pushing for it to be book of the month. Generally it’s been really well received. There’s been some not great reviews too – one on a website I love, Luna’s Little Library. It smarts a bit, but there you go, not all books/characters appeal to all people. I am so grateful to them, for not only taking the time to read but also to share their thoughts with others.
I say that , but the poor reviews, the “meh” reviews, stick in you like a glass splinter – and for a while, I googled reviews obsessively – even, despite stern advice from other authors, checking out Goodreads ( as a reader I’ve always hung out on GR so it’s hard to let that one go!) I worried endlessly about letting down my publisher, my agent – my family – all the people who have invested in me and my book. My mood could swing up or down depending on what someone had said about More of Me. It was ridiculous. I was ridiculous.
And then I had this message – not a public review but sent directly to me, and perspective was restored:
Picture this, I receive a book for Christmas, called Slash, an autobiography of the greatest man on earth). 457 pages on, it’s the 16th May. I finally finish the book – you could say I am a slow reader, aha! I haven’t read a fiction book in years – biographies of people I love have become the norm. Your book, a gift, is sitting on my shelf still unread. I have a choice between More of Me and the Beatles. Out of guilt, I pick your book to read (best decision ever made) and within minutes, I’m hooked. 17th May arrives and I am having a super bad day at school but your book was there to get me through it, I was in it with Teva! In the bus, I’m reading it, ignoring my gut feeling that everyone is looking at me, no one reads these days, it’s not “cool”. I get home and only have a few pages left. What is happening? Am I actually choosing to read a book over playing the guitar or watching something on Netflix?
Your book has brought me back to my childhood of actually wanting to read, it was incredible! I can not thank you enough, your book was amazing, HF Age 15
I am still tearful reading it. Because this is what matters. Making a difference to one girl, on one day and maybe for a bit longer. This is the ONLY reason to cry at a review. Everything else is petals on the wind.
More of Me is available in all UK bookstores – and if it isn’t, you can ask them for it!
