• How-to-use-a-sketchbook-smallI did a lot of sketching during my recent trip to Amsterdam. I had a wonderful time. Talking with my friends in the evening, as we discussed what we’d seen that day, I was drawing away happily when I realised that everyone was watching, but they were involved in the drawing and the conversation continued even though I was, i suppose, not 100% concentrating on the conversation. But no one felt I was excluding myself or that they were excluded. We agreed it was a good thing to do for everyone.

    So, let go of your inhibitions and draw, your friends will want to be involved helping you remember things and probably wanting to be drawn themselves!

  • My-Amstrerdam-SketchbooksmallI went to Amsterdam the week  before last and did a lot of drawing in my sketchbook. There’s not a lot about Amsterdam in the book but there is a lot about the people and their bicycles as well as inspiration from the art galleries and museums.

    Have a look inside and see what interests me when I visit another country! You’ll also see me drawing in a bar having supper in the evening!

  • DragonGoldFrontcoverI have been so busy this year, I seem to have quite forgotten to add a blog post about my latest book, Dragon Gold.

    At 153 pages, this is the longest book I’ve ever written and one of the very first published by Wales’ very first children’s book publisher – Firefly Press.

    Harri would like to know what it feels like to win, just once. Ryan always wins everything. Harri has no chance because Ryan’s Dad does everything for him! He has no chance, that is, until someone walks into his mum’s shop. Someone almost invisible!

    So what would you do if your school had a competition to make a dragon – and you had a dragon? A real, fire-breathing very unpredictable dragon? But you can’t tell anyone…Harri-Square

    This story began forming in my mind as I went round schools and would notice the children’s entries for making competitions. Some were amazingly brilliant – especially for five year olds. It’s so obvious when parents do the work for their children.

    Then I remembered helping my son on a couple of making projects and how I would anxiously wait to hear “how I had done”! I thought about how easy it would be to get a little over involved in one’s children’s school work and so, Ryan’s Dad appeared on the page.

    Mr Davies, Harri’s teacher, was great fun to write. I knew that he sounded just like Rob Brydon, the comedian. All I had to do was think, “How would Rob Brydon say this?” and the writing flowed. I was in the green room at the Hay Literature Festival recently, when Rob Brydon himself walked into the room. Without thinking, I pressed a copy into his hands – I hope he enjoys it!

    I set out to write a single story but, I suppose after 27 years of writing series books, I know there is a lot more to come. I’m writing my synopses for the next two books. I think it’s a trilogy, but knowing me I’ll leave it open to go on afterwards.