Celia's diary

I've been meaning to keep the blog up to date, but failing dismally. My excuse is that I've been travelling about for the last few weeks visiting schools, bookshops and libraries promoting Sovay. I was going to have a kind of roll call of where I've been and who I've met as I went along, but the list just kept getting longer and longer, and would have ended up looking like a telephone directory. Hence, the world's most useless blogger. Anyway, I'd like to say 'Hi' to everybody I've met in the last few weeks.

One other thing, I'm always astonished that people are brave enough to ask questions, I know I wouldn't have the courage, but if you had a question, and were too shy to ask it, here's the place.

Sovay is being published next week - which is very exciting. The launch is tomorrow and after that I will be out and about for a week or so promoting the book. I'm going to be in Norfolk at the Norfolk Children's Book Centre on Monday. I will be talking to pupils at Thorpe St Andrew High School and attending an evening event at the Aylsham Lodge Hotel. There is another school event on Tuesday, at Northgate High School, Dereham and then I'll be in Heffer's Book Shop, Cambridge, to meet girls from St Mary's School. I remember that they really liked Pirates! when that was published, so I'm hoping they will like Sovay, too.

I'm going to be at Kent College, Tunbridge Wells on Wednesday, then back to the Midlands for an evening event in Birmingham organised by the Federation of Children's Book Groups.

In between the events there are interviews and signings, so it will be a busy week. I'll let you know how I got on!

Sovay is not officially published and in the shops until the beginning of June (although you can order in advance on Amazon), but I've just received my advanced copies, which is always a thrill. Very handsome it looks, too.

When I'm working on a book I keep a noticeboard on the wall in front of my desk and I pin up pix to do with the novel I'm writing. This is the noticeboard for Sovay. When I've finished, I take a photograph before clearing the board in preparation for the images I have been collecting for my next book. The noticeboard looks quite different now, but I thought you might like to see some of the images that inspired me while I was writing Sovay. You might also pick up some clues as to what the book is about!

Sorry about the blog silence. I didn't quite get to grips with that part of my web site, but I hope to put that right now. I've been up dating my web site with the help of a friend of Rhiannon's, Mo Holkar, and between us we hope to keep you informed. We've been busy putting up info about my new book Sovay, which comes out at the beginning of June, and we hope to add some more to The Stone Testament area before the paperback comes out in July.

Other than that, I'm not doing too many visits at the moment as I'm busy writing a new book. I don’t want to say too much about that right now as it is early stages, but I'll tell you more as time goes on.

Hi, this is Rhiannon here. I've been helping Celia put her website together and the very newest part is this weblog. As Celia's web designer I'm able to log in to post messages but most of the content will be written by Celia herself.

If you'd like to comment on a post or ask a question, please feel free. You don't need a Blogger account to comment.

I hope you enjoy the updated website!