…a copy of my very first typed manuscript!

I had this one made into a book for my nephew in Melbourne, Australia, as his grandparents were visiting at the time and wanted to take it home with them.

At that stage (July 2016) it had only 12,000 words which I later increased to incorporate other ideas I was planning for a second book to make for a more substantial children’s novel.  It now stands at over 35,000.

My nephew Baillie still has the original copy and when he came to visit last year I was able to present him with the full published book.  He was absolutely delighted and didn’t set it down until he had read the full book which he announced that he loved even more than the first one.  Thank you Baillie for being one of my very first beta readers!

I am thrilled learn that Greenisland Primary school held a contest for the best review on my book and that it was won by the lovely Carys whose prize was a specially designed mug.  The other children received bookmarks as runners up.  Well done to you all – I hope you enjoyed it, and a special thank-you to Mrs Stocker who arranged the contest.

My daughter and I took my grandson Clark to see Santa in Altrincham (pronounced Alt-ring-ham – strange English pronunciation!).  Unfortunately he didn’t seem to be too interested.  Perhaps next year…

Although it was bitterly cold, we stayed for the switching on of the Christmas tree and town lights.

and met a dog who looked a lot like Loopy.  The only difference was that this one was on a lead – Princess Lucinda Bubblegum would not be seen dead on a lead!

We had a great evening and one of Santa’s elves even gave us some mulled wine and hot chocolate with mallows – yummy!

 

I was privileged be offered a stall at yesterday’s Greenisland Primary School Christmas Fair – what fun it was!  It was all very festive and reminded me that Christmas is only one month away.

There were loads of other exciting stalls and you can see a glimpse beside me of some African handmade goods brought back by one of the teachers who is currently working out there. She said it is a fantastic opportunity and so great to take part in such a marvelous educational programme.  We all wish her well.

 

There was a kaleidoscope of colour and the lovely lady at the donut stand next to me gave me 4 gorgeous chocolate sprinkled donuts to bring home.  I rewarded her thoughtfulness with a Cora ROMhat mug – I hope she liked it as much as I liked the donuts!

Some of the local children came along to see Santa Claus and below you can see Nathan and Raven on their dad’s knee whilst Gabriel shares Santa’s chair and William pulls a few faces.  They all had a great time.  Nathan said he liked the blue slushy the best.  I think M’Granny would have to agreed with him there – all very handy in case any rogue Skorbots turned up.  Thankfully it was right beside my stall.

I sold loads of books and chatted to many lovely people who were really interested in my story.  I even found out that many of the adults had been enjoying my adventures, even a grandfather!  I was very pleased as the book has something for everyone.  One lovely lady who had previously bought a book for her 9 year old daughter came to buy 3 more for friends and a young girl bought one as a Christmas present for her school teacher!  Another lady whose daughter is also called Cora was very excited to have a signed copy.

 

 

I gave away many free badges and books marks like this one to the children.

I hope everyone had as good a time as I  had.

Hello again everyone.

Chloe has been drawing some pictures of where Loopy and I came from and how we arrived on your planet.  Things you will read about in my story.

This is the planet SLOI which stands for the Super Loop of Information.  Chloe didn’t colour her pictures in but in real life the planet looks orange and the rings are iridor which is a colour that does not appear on the human spectrum so to a human it can appear as green or blue or violet.  The rings are made up of information.

This is the space capsule that Loopy and I arrived in.  It circles above the Earth but can’t be seen because of its invisibility shield.  It is flown directly by Loopy’s direct link to the Super Loop Operating System (SLOS) through her WooFi collar.  If you look closely at her collar you will see that it actually looks like a miniature of the planet SLOI.

The picture on the front cover of my book is taken from the top of the capsule which is clear and Loopy and I are almost thrown against it as we are rocketing through space towards the Earth.  We saw loads of shooting stars on our journey.  One had a trail that looked like it said Elaine Abrol. I wonder who that is.

 

 

https://www.carrickfergustimes.co.uk/news/sci-fi-adventure-is-novel-first-for-carrick-psychologist-1-8623533

The local Carrickfergus paper has picked up news of my book.  As indeed they should! After all, my adventure begins in Carrickfergus.  That’s where I first arrive with my sidekick Loopy.  We arrive just outside the amazing Norman castle.  If you’ve never seen it you really should.  Apparently it’s the best kept Norman castle in Europe.  From there you can see the coast and Carrick harbour.

Loopy and I also visit a park there for a short rest and a snack.  It’s called Legg Park.  A strange name for a park but I think it must be a man’s name.

Just after we leave Legg Park we meet Chloe and Skippy and that is so funny.  Skippy is so cute but she really is a bit dim.  Chloe is only 8 and she is such a sweet girl.  It would be really nice if Skippy and Loopy could become friends but I’m not sure if that’ll ever happen.  Skippy calls Loopy Princess Lucinda Bubblegum as she behaves like royalty and always sticks around me.  Well, so she should.  She’s my bodyguard.  She’s the one with the special powers.

 

For those who would like to hear more about my friends Andy Ryan and his gran, I’ve written short story called The Space Hopper.  It’s only available on kindle but I can guarantee their antics will make you laugh out loud!

It is available to download from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk

I am a 13 year old girl from the planet SLOI (Super Loop of Information) light years away from the Earth.  We are a highly technologically advanced species.

My uncle who is the Great Galaxian sent me to Earth.  He says I need to find out what humans are really like.  You did something really bad which destroyed my life.  You only think about yourselves.  You are a selfish, thoughtless, race.  That’s right, isn’t it?

This is me with my best friend Loopy – she’s smart – her collar is linked into the Super Loop Operating System (SLOS) the most powerful technology in the universe!  Oh yes… and she talks… a lot!