Children’s Workshop – Waterstones, Ringwood, 29th May 2015.
I had a terrific morning last Friday; my publisher arranged for a filming opportunity at Waterstones, Ringwood, a bright, colourful and welcoming bookshop with a terrific café that has locally made cakes and biscuits including a gluten free selection – yum!
The children really enjoyed my talk about mythical creatures, and made up some wonderful combinations of their own. Tiger, aged 7, drew a lion goblin, which had wings as well as a unicorn horn growing out of its head. All the pictures can be seen in my last blog, below, and also in the "Goblin Gallery".
I had a terrific morning last Friday; my publisher arranged for a filming opportunity at Waterstones, Ringwood, a bright, colourful and welcoming bookshop with a terrific café that has locally made cakes and biscuits including a gluten free selection – yum!
The children really enjoyed my talk about mythical creatures, and made up some wonderful combinations of their own. Tiger, aged 7, drew a lion goblin, which had wings as well as a unicorn horn growing out of its head. All the pictures can be seen in my last blog, below, and also in the "Goblin Gallery".
In my talk I describe the Nixies, powerful water demons who lurk in dangerous pools of water. In one of the drawings Orlando is shown swimming with a rubber ring. I’m really pleased that Jude, aged 10, wanted to look after him. Orlando was pleased too, and took great delight in posing for a number of sketches which the children took home.
Some questions I was asked were: ‘Can you earn a living as a writer?’ ‘How long did it take you to write your first book?’ And, ‘Why do the Icelandic people still believe that “The Secret People” help protect them from earthquakes when nowadays everyone knows about the movement of the tectonic plates?’
Some questions I was asked were: ‘Can you earn a living as a writer?’ ‘How long did it take you to write your first book?’ And, ‘Why do the Icelandic people still believe that “The Secret People” help protect them from earthquakes when nowadays everyone knows about the movement of the tectonic plates?’
I visited Iceland last year. Whilst the Icelanders know about the tectonic plates, they also like to keep their traditions and folktales alive - because remember that folktales are a way of passing important information down through generations and not everything in them is just make-believe. The same can be said of Norway. In dangerous and inhospitable places local people are more aware that science can’t explain everything - for example exactly when a volcano will next erupt - so perhaps they don’t want to take even the smallest chance that elves, fairies, and magic aren’t real. Also, wouldn’t it be a shame if we forgot all those stories about trolls, mermaids, ogres, dwarfs, and elves – I wouldn’t have anything to write about!
For more photographs of the event and more sketches, follow the link to my publisher Little Knoll Press. And remember, the video will be coming soon.
For more photographs of the event and more sketches, follow the link to my publisher Little Knoll Press. And remember, the video will be coming soon.
You can watch a VIDEO of this workshop by following this link – WATCH HERE!
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