Can't believe how quickly May and half of June slipped by, so there's lots of little things & a couple of bigger things for the blog this time.

Here's a big hello to the people I visited yesterday: HUTTON CRANSWICK PRIMARY SCHOOL, near Beverley. I had a lovely time and I hope you did too. Year 5 & 6 began some fantastic stories, so hope you enjoy sharing them with each other.

I had a good time telling stories at HARROGATE'S PUMP ROOM MUSEUM at the end of May, which felt good after all the bits & pieces of research & thinking about the tales I'd done. Now I'm looking at stories for a couple of summer events - and getting ready for a very special visit to the Reception Class at ALDERSBROOK PRIMARY SCHOOL this coming Friday.

What else? I've heard that: my story for the Stripes WINTER MAGIC anthology has been accepted; my advance copies of FLORENCE & THE DRUMMER BOY (Hopscotch Histories) arrived at 9am today; I've had delivery of the colour proofs of IN THE DEEP DARK FOREST (Franklin Watts); I've put together a very early synopsis for a new long novel - though I haven't yet heard back about my ideas, and I'm waiting to hear who the illustrator will be for A BOY CALLED MOUSE (Bloomsbury 2010.)

I've also been blogging on AN AWFULLY BIG BLOG ADVENTURE, a blog shared by several children and teen writers, where you'll find all sorts of incredibly readable and interesting posts. And some of mine . . .  ¶ 9:15 AM