New pages, new reads, a new writing challenge

It’s Monday, which means another mini-blog! I hope you enjoy this week’s writing challenge, as well as the latest updates from me:

Writing challenges get their own page:

I’ve created a page for my weekly writing challenges - so you can now browse them all in one place to find one that captures your imagination. I’ll be keeping it up to date every week when I add a new one - but keep an eye on this blog to be first to catch the latest.

What I’ve read, what I’m reading:

Last week I finished the most incredible book: When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten. The story follows Clara who’s been having a difficult time with her best friend, and who can’t remember things about last summer. All she knows is, she used to love to surf, but now she’s afraid of the sea... The adult audiobook I’ve just started is The Martian by Andy Weir, which I’m loving listening to as an audiobook. I’m finding a few parallels between lockdown and Mark Watney’s experience of being alone on Mars!

Writing challenge #4:

We watched Spirited Away this weekend (man I love that film!) and the idea of there being a spirit in/for everything - based I think on the Shinto religion - gave me an idea for the next challenge. So here it is. In Spirited Away there are river spirits, stink spirits - even a radish spirit! Take any object you can see or imagine (a tree, an armchair, your favourite mug) or something you can’t (like a smell you love) and imagine it as a character. What would they look like? What sort of personality do they have? How do they behave/talk/move? Write all about them! And please share: I’d love to hear all about your character.

Stay safe and well everybody, and have a brilliant week.

Mentoring, reading and writing challenge #2

Hi everyone. I’m hoping to update my blog each Monday with a writing challenge for children (and adults!) during lockdown. Would you be interested if I collected them on my website on the resources page too - and maybe even recorded some videos to go with them?

Mentoring and chats

A reminder that if you’re an aspiring author - particularly if you’re a writer underrepresented when it comes to publishing - I’m offering free mentoring sessions (as well as one-off chats). Details are on my FAQ page.

What I’m reading

I’m well into the children’s book Once We Were Witches by Sarah Driver this week. It’s filled with beautiful turns of phrase and the story is dark and intriguing. I can’t wait to see where it takes me - and young Spel - next. Meanwhile the adult read I’ve got my eye on is one I got for Christmas: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. It’s a beautiful-looking book and I’ve heard great things, so I’m excited to get started.

Writing challenge #2

Like many others, I woke up on Sunday to find a snowy wonderland outside my window. As I crunched through it with my family (pre 7am!), marvelling at my transformed street, I thought about how snow has a magical ability to change even the most familiar landscape. So, here’s my writing challenge. Imagine you’ve woken up to find that - joy! - it’s snowed. You rush outside but, wait a minute, this isn’t your neighbourhood… the snowfall was enchanted, and you’ve been transported somewhere new. But where? Another country? Another world? And what do you find when you explore? Forests? Caves? Strange creatures? Write all about your adventure, and feel free to share it with me too! I’d love to know how (and if) you find your way home…

FAQs, current reads and a writing challenge

Hi! I hope you’re staying safe and well. I have a few updates for you this mini-blog Monday:

I now have an FAQ page:

Yes, sorry, I know it’s taken me ages. But my spangly new FAQ page hopefully answers some of your most burning questions - be you a reader, teacher or a writer. Aspiring authors, do check out the bottom of the page too, because I’ve added details about mentoring sessions if you’re interested.

What I’ve read and what I’m reading:

Are you someone who likes to read wintery books in winter and summery books in summer? I do sometimes, but this month I’m doing the opposite. I’m listening to the audiobook of Sharna Jackson’s High Rise Mystery, a thrilling murder mystery set in a heat wave! I’ve been loving it and can’t wait to see what intrepid sleuths Nik and Norva discover. My latest adult book read has been the sci-fi novella All Systems Red by Martha Wells. I’ve enjoyed the voice of ‘Murderbot’, who is very self-conscious and more interested in watching the futuristic equivalent of Netflix than doing much else. Hmm, sounds familiar… !

A writing challenge:

Okay, here’s something to take your mind off the home learning for a while. In Glassheart, many of the characters have a ‘second skin’, which means they can transform into an animal. For example one character - a spirit - transforms into a hare, and another turns into a wren. If you could choose a second skin, what animal would you transform into, and why? What will you do in your animal form? Where will you go and what will you see? If you like, why not write a story all about your transformation.

Stay well everybody.

Katharine

Library adventures, learning resources and BOTM!

Hi all,

And a Happy New Year! It’s not been the greatest start, and I know we’re all facing our own challenges. I’m currently home schooling and for that reason - and to look after my health a little better too - I’m not on social media as much at the moment. However, I’m not out of contact. Whether you’re a teacher with requests, a reader with questions or a human who’d just like to say hi, I’d love to hear from you.

Aside from that, here’s a brief rundown of what’s been happening and what’s coming up:

• Before Christmas I did a Library Adventures Live! event where I explored all the stories that made up the stories that went in to Glassheart, which you can still watch here.

• There are Nevertell-based learning resources and other activities on my website, and I plan to add more over the coming weeks - so please watch this space.

• And finally: Nevertell is Children’s Book of the Month with QBD Books in Australia! This was a wonderful surprise and has genuinely made my January.

For now (and because it wouldn’t be a mini-blog if I went on any longer) that’s all. I hope to update my blog - and website - more frequently in the coming weeks, so I promise you’ll hear from me soon. But remember, you can always get in touch first :)

Stay safe and well.

Katharine

Glassheart's November blog tour and more - in one place

To celebrate its release this month, Glassheart went on blog tour. It’s been a whirlwind of excitement for me, and was just fantastic to have the opportunity to write guest posts on everything from the war stories of my grandparents to the folklore of Dartmoor. So, I thought I’d collect the whole tour here for posterity (with a few added extras thrown in for good measure).

HUGE thanks, of course, to everyone who invited me on to their gorgeous blogs and who have given glowing reviews to Glassheart. You are all truly generous and brilliant. Here’s the tour:

Discover how war stories influenced Glassheart with My Book Corner/@MyBookCorner

Hear about some of the awesome folklore of Dartmoor with Library Girl and Book Boy/@BookSuperhero2

Read how I tried to turn Glassheart into its own folktale with A Little But A Lot/@eenalol

Here’s my top 5 magical adventure books with Books for Topics/@BooksforTopics

Learn about putting the glass in Glassheart with My Shelves Are Full/@erinlynhamilton

Read this Q&A with The Teacher Bookworm/@primaryteachew

Here’s a gorgeous review of Glassheart on What I Read by @richreadalot

And a wonderful instagram review with Books for Boys/@books_for_boys

Some very special extras - and a review in The Observer!

Read about my love of old photos and thoughts on inspiration with Books & Beyond/@SarahForestwood

This is a lovely review and Q&A from Quills and Stardust

This gorgeous review from 11 year-old ace reviewer Margaret on Books Up North

And finally, check out these lovely words from Kitty Empire/@kittyempire666 in The Observer! Still totally blown away about that one.

Glassheart's book birthday, #SignForOurBookshops and ICYMI

Well. It’s been quite a week. But I invite you to block out the rest of the world with me for just a moment while I give you a run down some book news:

Glassheart’s book birthday

Yup - Glassheart was published yesterday, and I’m thrilled that it’s making its way out into the world. I’m proud of this story and I hope you’re going to love your adventures across the wild moors with Nona, Castor and everyone she meets along the way.

#SignForOurBookshops

I’m so pleased to be taking part in this brilliant initiative dreamt up by author Holly Bourne to support bookshops. Over the coming weeks I’ll be signing book plates to send out to bookshops and, if you’ve bought your copy of Nevertell or Glassheart from one and would like it signed - either for yourself, or perhaps to make a Christmas gift extra special - please do get in touch so I can post them to you.

This was me the day before England’s second lockdown at Storysmith books, signing their lovely stack! They do click and collect in Bristol and also post UK-wide.

In case you missed it

And finally, in case you missed it, fancy a sneak peek of Glassheart read by yours truly? Yes? Well then, here I am reading the first chapter, and trying very hard to look like a professional. Enjoy!

Sit down with your favourite warm drink and enjoy this lovely reading from 'Glassheart' by Katharine Orton, read by the author herself. If you loved 'Neverte...

A round-up of the week

With Glassheart coming out next week (5th November - ‘remember, remember’ etc) this week has felt pretty epic! Here’s a round-up of what’s been happening:

• I did an online ‘start your own adventure story’ workshop with the fabulous Storytale Festival, alongside lots of other authors, illustrators, poets and performers. I loved checking out all the events with my kid - and they’re all still up on the Storytale YouTube channel to view.

• Glassheart was revealed as one of the November picks for the LoveMyRead children’s subscription box. And - get this - the curators are none other than Frank Cottrell Boyce and Malorie Blackman! I was blown away to learn that they’d read my book and liked it enough to say lovely things about it, AND to put it in one of their ace subscription boxes. Fantastically, for every 12 month subscription they get, LoveMyRead donates a book to a school.

• I got to chat about writing and publication with the lovely Green Ink Writing Group.

• A shed-load of cool Glassheart bookmarks arrived (what do you mean I can’t keep them all?). And finally;

• This ‘sneak peek’ of the first few chapters of Glassheart was put out by the wonderful folk at Walker, and I got to do an author Q&A for it.

And now… I need a rest. Phew! It’s been brilliant seeing Glassheart turn up with people and amazing to see some great reviews rolling in too. I’m excited to see what the coming weeks will bring.

Storytale Festival - 24th-28th October

Bristol’s very own Storytale Festival has gone online this year and is running a series of fabulous, short and free recorded events for children of all ages – from pre-schoolers to teens. So whether you’d like to start your own adventure story with yours truly, use writing prompts to think about the stories that aren’t being told and create wonderful characters with poet Malaika Kegode, or craft your own jellyfish from recycled materials with Sam and Rachel from Uh-Oh books, it promises to be a great way to start the half term holidays. I can’t wait for my workshop and hope to see you there!

Take a look to discover what’s on.

Storytale is also running a fundraiser for the festival that you can contribute to here

Pre ordering Glassheart, 'throwing open the doors' - and that cover!

Last week got off to an exciting start for me when Scott Evans, aka The Reader Teacher, unveiled the cover of my new book, Glassheart. I’d seen the artwork taking shape for a while and felt so happy to finally be able to share it with everyone else. As with Nevertell, Sandra Dieckman’s cover art continues to bewitch.

Glassheart is now up on Netgalley for all those with access, and available to pre order from Waterstones, Hive Books, Amazon, Foyles and more - probably your local independent bookshop too if you’d prefer (I’d just pop in and ask, or drop them a message).

This stage of the process - with a cover and a proof out there - can feel strange. It’s a bit like throwing the doors open to invite everyone in to your home, but not really knowing what they’ll make of it. Will they think it’s odd? Will they agree with your choices? Will they love it? Of course I always hope for the best, and Glassheart has already had some wonderful comments and reviews, which honestly fills me with joy.

So tell me, what’s your favourite part (or parts) of the cover? Mine without a doubt are the suggestion of little eyes when you look closely at the dark shapes on the ground, and most definitely the toadstools. I loved the toadstools so much in fact I even worked in a couple of mentions of them throughout the book!