Friday 10th February 2012 - The RoNAs Shortlist

The Romantic Novelist Association awards shortlist was announced today and, this year, had a brand new category - Young Adult Romantic Novel. I'm completely delighted to tell you that My So-Called Phantom Lovelife has made the list!

The winner will be announced at a glitzy champagne reception in March. You can find out more about the other categories and shortlisted novels at the RNA Awards website here.

In other news, my entry for the Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing (run In association with the RNA) made the final ten but sadly not the final five. I'm really pleased to have got as far as I did (under my pen name of Holly Hepburn) and wish the shortlisted writers good luck. And, since the Harry Bowling prize is awarded at the RoNA ceremony, I'll even be there to see who wins!

Fingers crossed for My So-Called Phantom Lovelife! I think I might need some killer new shoes...

Wedneday 2nd November - Tears And Laughter And Happy Ever After

Those of you who have been reading this blog since the beginning (anyone??) will know that my first foray into writing was with short stories, specifically for the womens' magazine market. I scored my first 'hit' with a short story called Crocodile Tears, which was published by My Weekly back in 2008 and have had lots of stories published, both in the UK and internationally, since then.

These days, I tend to concentrate on writing for younger readers but I'm delighted to be part of a new anthology of short stories called 'Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After', with lots of other ace writers. We're all part of a short story writing group (some, like me, are - ahem - slightly lapsed members, it has to be said) and, between us, we've had hundreds of stories published. And what better time to let you know about this anthology than just before National Short Story Week (7th - 13th November)? See below for a short blurb about the book, which will be available in e-book format very soon.

‘Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After’, a vibrant collection of wonderful stories from some outstanding UK writers.


Twenty-six stories that encompass the dizzying heights of happiness, the heartbreaking depths of sadness and every emotion in between.

• A housewife with a surprising secret
  • A beekeeper with a problem
    
  • A most unusual undertaker
    
  • Angels, ghosts, aliens
  
  Find these and many other intriguing characters in ‘Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After’.
  
  
  The writers included in this book have had hundreds of short stories published in women’s magazines, won or been placed in dozens of competitions, published novels and written non-fiction for many UK magazines. The idea for the book came from the successful ‘A Story A Fortnight’ writing group which brought the writers together in a project which has inspired and supported them in their short story writing.
  
  So, if fab short stories are your thing (of course they are!), watch this space for more details about Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After!
  

Monday 31st October 2011 - El Día de Brujas!

Happy Halloween! Or El Día de Brujas (Day of the Witches) as it's known in Spain. The Spanish version of My So-Called Afterlife, Mi Chica Fantasma, is published today and Maeva, my publisher, couldn't have picked a better day. The title translates as My Ghost Girl - here's hoping Spanish readers fall in love with Lucia on the spookiest night of the year!

Thursday 27th October 2011 - My So-Called Haunting Trailer

Finally - after searching through every box we have from our house move - I have found the brilliant trailer for My So-Called Haunting, made for the Bolton Book Awards by St James' School - 'Team Haunting'! The gorgeously haunting music, Samson by Regina Spektor, fits perfectly with the mood the students wanted to evoke, don't you think? I hadn't heard anything by her before but will definitely be checking her music out now.

I especially love the way the trailer focuses on Skye's vulnerability and her struggle to come to terms with the problems being psychic brings. Anyway, have a look and don't forget to tell me what you think!

Tuesday 25th October 2011 - National Short Story Week Podcasts

I'm very excited to have taken part in these National Short Story Week podcasts, hosted by the most excellent Sue Cook as part of her The Write Lines show. There are three programmes in total (I'm in the children's fiction one, obviously!) and they're all entertaining and chock full of valuable advice for aspiring writers.

So if you have a bit of spare time, settle down for a listen. The link to the podcast I did, with Chris Priestley, Joe Craig and Jon Mayhew, is below - I'm the squeaky voiced one. Enjoy!

Catching Up - Sunday 25th September 2011

Well. It's been a long time since I updated things here. You might be forgiven for thinking I've been twiddling my thumbs but anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that while I've done a lot less writing than usual this year, I haven't exactly been lazing by the pool. So, in order to bring you up to date, here's a whistle-stop tour of this year's highlights:

• Hay Festival in June - I did three events at the fabulous Hay on Wye Literary Festival and had a blast. Saw lots of fab friends and made a few new ones. Developed a mild crush on Dara O'Briain after seeing his show.

• Portsmouth Book Award - I visited Portsmouth in July to attend the awards for their book awards and My So-Called Afterlife was narrowly pipped to the post by Paul Dowswell with Auslander. St Edmund's Catholic School performed the amazing Ghost Rap (based on MSCA) and have very kindly recorded it for me. I absolutely love it - have a look and let me know what you think!

• Bolton Book Award - I also travelled to the Bolton Book Award, where My So-Called Haunting was narrowly beaten by Steve Voake's Fightback (I know, I know - always the bridesmaid...). I have a book trailer to show (made by one of the schools) but it needs a bit of copyright tweaking so that will have to wait until the next post!

• RNA Conference - I went to my very first Romantic Novelists Association Conference and had a most elegant time - it was completely brilliant and I loved meeting up with so many friends, especially the very lovely Cally Taylor.

• Stunt Bunny: Rabbit Racer was published in August - Harriet comes up against a new rival on Superpets! - Tornado Taz, the world's first agility cat. The usual suspects cheer Harriet on but there's a familiar enemy lurking in the background...

• All change, please! - August also saw us moving house and we're now in leafy Hertfordshire, instead of East London. So far so good but I still haven't unpacked all my books.

• Lucy Goes Dutch - My So-Called Afterlife hit the Netherlands, titled Het Geestige Leven Van Lucy Shaw. I tried my hand at a bit of Dutch - let's just say I'm not exactly fluent!

• National Short Story Week - I recorded a podcast with Chris Priestley, Joe Craig and Jon Mayhew, hosted by the brilliant Sue Cook. It should be online in early October so if you have a burning desire to hear my slightly squeaky voice, you'll be able to fulfil that ambition :)

And that about brings us up to speed. The fourth Stunt Bunny book, Medal Mayhem, is in the bag (out Feb 2012) and I'm working on a couple of new projects. More news here soon - hopefully, it won't be such a long gap before I post again!

Monday 23rd May 2011 - Rabbit Awareness Week

It's National Rabbit Awareness Week from 23rd - 29th May and Britain's Best Loved Bunny, Harriet Houdini, has asked me to blog on behalf of rabbits everywhere to make sure their owners know how to keep them healthy and happy.


I was really horrified to discover that although rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK, they're also one of the most neglected. It's a depressingly recognisable story - a pet bunny goes home as a child's present and, after the initial excitement, ends up stuck in a hutch in the garden day after day, with little food and dirty water. The mere thought makes me want to cry. Often, they are seen as a low-maintenance pet but that's not true - they need exercise (sometimes as much as a small dog) and love and attention, just like any other pet.





Dizzy

As regular readers of my website will know, I'm the proud owner of five rabbits and can vouch that they're by no means an easy option to keep. Each of them has their own distinct personality, and has different likes and dislikes. Dre, for example, doesn't care much for carrots but he loves dandelion leaves so I think I'm the only gardener in the world who welcomes weeds onto the lawn. Dizzy is the youngest and although she's mostly friendly, she has occasional mood-swings and I know this is because she needs to be spayed. This is something all owners should consider, by the way, as it prolongs your rabbit's life and helps to deal with aggressive behaviour. Ronnie and Roxie are VIPs - they're the inspiration behind the Stunt Bunny series and live together in a deluxe double decker hutch. All of my rabbits live inside the house so I try to make sure they get some outdoor exercise. This is my biggest bunny challenge as they fight if they are mixed together! Despite this, they are all sociable animals and like nothing better than a tickle behind the ears.



You can find out more about Rabbit Awareness Week here. As Harriet keeps reminding me, 2011 is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit so there's never been a better time to make your bunny bounce with happiness. You never know, you might have a Stunt Bunny in the making, too!