One Fine Day in Hay

I wrote a guest blog post for Kirsty at the Overflowing Library about my day with Jenny Valentine and Annabel Pitcher at the Hay Festival.  Read all about it by clicking here.

Quick Bank Holiday Blog

This is a quick bank holiday blog post to say that the book giveaway from my last blog was won by...

S T E P H A N I E   C O A T E S of Brighton.

Thank you to everyone who entered.  You provide me with hard evidence that somebody reads these words.

Sophie Someone will be available to buy in an attractive blue paperback edition from any bookshop from 5^th May. 

What else do I have to tell you?  Oh yes, my plans for this summer? 

Well mostly I will be watching Euro 2016 and writing an MA dissertation about something I don’t understand in the bits in between – but as well as that, I will be doing a few book related things.  You can find me at the HAY FESTIVAL on June 3^rd where I will be talking about FAMILY SECRETS with Jenny Valentine and Annabel Pitcher.  Or come and see me in my (once) home town of Felixstowe at FELIXSTOWE BOOK FESTIVAL on June 25^th - where I’ll be talking about all things related to writing for children and teenagers with writer Ruth Fitzgerald and literary agent Hannah Sheppard.

I also have more events planned for the summer which will be announced very soon so if you fancy coming to say hello please keep an eye on the news page of my website.  By the way, I’ve smartened my website up a bit so that it now contains slightly less felt-tip.  Admittedly, it still looks fairly basic but when you consider that...

a) I manage my website all by myself and

b) I am very pre-digital

             ... you will understand that my website is actually nothing short of a miracle.

            Please feel free to peruse it and then tell me how good it is.

           www.hayleylong.org

 Speak later. 

Hay Festival and Shenfest

Oh I’ve been having fun!  Most of the time, being a writer means sitting alone in silence staring at a computer screen but sometimes, I get let out of the house.  Last week, I was lucky enough to be at the famous Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye.  [Anyone who reads my blog / twitter / facebook will know I was ever so slightly excited about this.]  I was on the Starlight Stage talking about Young Adult fiction with superstar authors Malorie Blackman and Melvin Burgess and also Jonathan Douglas of the National Literacy Trust.  Apart from being massively excited to meet all of them, I was extremely glad they were there and I wasn’t on my own because I was SO NERVOUS I might have spontaneously combusted otherwise.

But anyway it was great and I learned that:

-          Malorie Blackman is blates lush and extraordinarily clever (I'm sure I already knew that really)

-          Melvin Burgess is both of these things too and has a NAUGHTY STREAK (deffo knew that)

-          So do I (have a naughty streak).  I hope Malorie doesn't mind but I've 'shared' a lovely photo from her website because the camera on my phone is made from a fairy liquid bottle cut in half and glued to an empty loo roll.

After the event, I got to meet my fellow (almost won a) Costa author, Dave Shelton.  Him of the beautiful book, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat.  And we are now Hay Buddies as well as Costa Buddies :-)

And then I went to Banbury in Oxfordshire and met students from the North Oxfordshire Academy and the Warriner School as part of the Shenfest festival.  And I learned that those kids from the Warriner School don’t like a secret -  they prefer to get stuck right in with the spoiler :-)  Ha ha.  Me too!

Anyway, if you want to hear me chatting with Mal B and Mel B and JD, click here.  And if you live in the Felixstowe area, you can come and chat to me in Felixstowe library at 3pm on Sunday 16^th.  It’s only THREE QUIDS and that INCLUDES COFFEE!

Hope you’re enjoying the bits of sunshine.

The Hay Festival

This is just a quick post to tell you that I shall be at The Hay Festival on Thursday 30th May.

WHOOP!

For anyone like me - who LOVES books - this is a bit like going to Heaven.*

Not only is Hay-on-Wye a beautiful little town in the Brecon Beacons but almost EVERY shop is a book shop.  In fact, there are so many books, that whenever I've been there, I've got a bit overwhelmed and entered a state of Choice Paralysis because there are just WAY TOO MANY books to choose from.  There's also a fantastic record shop called Tom's Record Shop which sells some nice heavy vinyl.  Then, on top of that is the festival.  It's the highlight of the Book Calendar and to be invited to appear at it is very exciting.  I was last there way back in 2005(?) and I was honoured to be sharing the Green Room with none other than Jacqueline Wilson.  I didn't talk to her though.  I was far too nervous and I'm socially awkward ;-)

This year, I will be sharing a panel with the amazing Malorie Blackman - you know her, Noughts and Crosses etc - and the equally amazing Melvin Burgess - you know him, Junk etc.  They're a couple of YA heavy weights.**  We'll be talking about Young Adult fiction and answering any questions that you may have.

Visit the Hay site to find out more details by clicking here.






I can't wait :-)

In the meantime, don't forget there is still time to enter the What's Up With Jody Barton? audio book giveaway - just see the previous blog post.

Speak again soon, Hx

* But without the inconvenience of being dead.
** I shall be adding some lightness.