I believe in magic so therefore catch it and trap it in books!

I like to combines skills of illustrations and words to draw children into the magic world of stories and reading.
 I believe in magic, so therefore try to get it down in a book, a bit like trapping it in a bottle so when you open the top out it pours. You have to catch it of course. This is the hard part.
How do you catch it? If you cannot see it!
Well I have always been a believer in thinking.. just because you can't see it, does not mean it is not there!
It is in all of us, but to release your potential you have to enjoy your art as a writer or illustrator, or whatever field you are creative in.
But once you have mastered this magic trick then you are hooked! The magic soon comes after this point. Keep a pen and note pad to hand at all times, so when the magic thoughts come.. trap them! and write them down straight away!

I have been writing a long time, around the time when I started reading to children as an auxiliary nurse and a nanny. I loved helping children in the classroom with their art, and soon decided to put the two together - writing stories with illustrations for children.

Eventually I started working with the elderly, and found that they loved art and painting as well, so my stories are not just for the young but everyone, aged one to one hundred.
As you can imagine my first series of children's stories are a little bit magic. They leave readers with that magic feeling after reading them. If you love owls and you love cats, then you are going to adore (hopefully) these fully illustrated books. All the illustrations in the books are hand drawn and painted.
The very first book in the Teeny Pheeny Tales series is very appealing, as it is the introduction of the main characters, Mrs Phoenix and Teeny Pheeny, (Pheeny coming from the word Phoenix) and the owl folk of Boohoo Village. This series brings you teeny bits of teeny magic. The owls are almost living and breathing as they're very endearing, funny and even a bit grumpy! It's all about the owls!
I have four daughters and two special cats (who turn up in the stories)I am currently illustrating more sketches and starting on her next children's amusing stories about cats... but I can't give away too much about that just yet!
The next book in the Teeny Pheeny tales will be out at the end of May, so if you love this first story you will not have long to wait for the follow up.

'Follow' said the pied piper, and they did follow

The following has been re written as it is under contract soon and the books are to be print published. Find out when that all is and everythign about Teeny Pheeny and the Author here https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarenEmmaHall

The


                       A little peek into the Book World of the magic Owls. 

In a quaint little cottage in Boohoo Village 
there lived a beautiful owl called Mrs. Phoenix. 
It was a very owly sort of a cottage as you can imagine,

 with a large roof and two owl eyes for windows.
 The roof was made of feathers.
 And because it was so magic, even the rain couldn't get in.

To get there you have to go down the garden path of course,
 turn a sharp right at the first hedge, 
walk on till you can't go any further, otherwise you'll bump into the fence. 
If you're too big it's best if you could try to climb 
over the fence, but if you're small enough you can always try to squeeze 
yourself through the gap that nobody ever fixes.

You will also meet some funny and unusual owl characters in the world of Boohoo village. 
 One of them goes by the name of Lord Snoots, 
(who has a blog to himself.)

Lord Snoots, the Sooty Owl, is as black as the night, and wears spectacles on the end of his owly beak! He is a good friend to Mrs Phoenix, and it is a very special day for him, in this first book of a series about Teeny Pheeny. 

Children will endear to him quickly, as he is lovable, funny, and sometimes grumpy. 
A bit like a daddy or Grandad.

and Teeny Pheeny? Well you will have to wait until the book is out until you know about this little character. The newest addition to Boohoo village. This book is all about Teeny Pheeny
 after all and he is a very special owl indeed.


The colourful pictures below is on the front of the new book. 
The pencil sketch is also in colour  on the new book,
 but you will have to check it out to see it!

 Details of what I get up to daily is on my twitter page linked below   https://twitter.com/KidLiterature also https://plus.google.com/u/0/112611950486257406926/posts
and will be putting web site up soon :) A new childrens literature website where we promote your books! Kid Literature facebook page

There is also a series of these stories to follow on from Hello Teeny Pheeny! 

If anyone require a proofreader, please get in touch with https://twitter.com/ProofreadJulia

What a proofreader can do for you? 

http://juliaproofreader.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/what-can-a-proofreader-do-for-you-faqs/

I have a cat. I have a cat that is an owl.

I have a cat.
I have a cat that is an owl.

I have a cat. He is a famous cat. He is extra special. Not least because he can open doors with his shoulders! He has muscles like he-man. I can't even open some of the doors he can manage. And not least because he can go to sleep on top of a flat screen tv, and especially not because he begs like a dog for cat treats and even his plain old cat food, then will cuddle you in after eating.
No he is special because he is one of the stars of my book, in my chidren's series of stories.

With a difference. Sooty (Lord Snoots) is a cat. Sooty (Lord Snoots) in my book is an owl!
We gave him the nikname Lord Snoots due to the way he sits and looks at us waiting to be served very regally.
Did you know there was such a thing as a Sooty Owl?
No I didn't either.
Until I did some research on owls (I thought I knew everything there was to know about owls as I love them so much)
He was going to be Lord Snoots the snowy owl, now it has changed to Lord Snoots the sooty owl!
Quite a transformation from white to black, but very apt for my sooty cat, and I certainly enjoyed creating this character and bringing him to life.
Sooty agree's. I couldn't have done it without him.
Sooty should have been a fluffy soft teddy bear, due to the way he loves cuddling in.
Cats are meant to be strangers in your own home, unlovable, selfish creatures, or so I've heard. Not ask for cuddles like a puppy!
I do have photo evidence of course. I also have another cat called Tipsy. That's another story.




Obviously Sooty has his very own book underway, and he is a cat in that one, but I must get this series of magic owls out first, before starting another project.
The books have been written and edited and are waiting patiently for me to put the final touches to the illustrations and format it all to e-book form. About the illustrations, that was the easy part! The hard part was after. I love art and drawing. I used to make my own cards and scrapbooks, so I thought it would all be so exciting to do.
But I didn't realise how much time and effort goes into it all. Deciding on what pictures to use. How would I colour the backgrounds? would they be left pencil sketches?  Maybe the odd one, but mainly coloured with water paints or pencils, what about brilliant art pens? So a combination then? I couldn't decide at the time, then when I did I would change my mind, then change it back!
 How would I get it onto the computer and adapt it to the size and again colour I was after?
So many decisions and I didn't want to spoil it by rushing. Sometimes I left it for days and with a clean head went back to it, as you do when you write a book or a chapter. When you read it again you see it with new eyes.
I did love the time when the children drew owls in the baltic museum in Newcastle and then pinned then up on the board, that was great fun. So plenty of photo's taken that day.
Then I became aware the place had gone mad with owls. These crazy owls, you will see them everywhere you go now. I got a text to say -'What have you done? the world has gone owl mad!'
'Don't be silly' I said until I came across the newest range in wilkinsons and every other shop I go into!  Not real ones I might add,no,the stuffed variety.Not the real stuffed variety, the plush stuffed! Well you know what I mean.
It is true though, when you are focused on a subject you see it everywhere you go! If it was elephants, then that is what you would find in the isles at asda. If it was pigs, well you get the picture :)

So I am at the stage now where I am being asked when is the book ready to go out?
November I say!
I am still fiddling with my errors.
Today the printer broke, on the same week the boiler died on us, and the stair carpet man didn't come on the day he said he was going to. (The only day I had off work)  instead he came knocking at the door today just as I was in a mad rush out the door going to work.
I need more time! But I have wrote a blog about that, so will just leave time alone. I wish It would do the same for me, from time to time anyway.

Enjoy My cat pictures.

Chocolate has an evergreen Mother and a cocoa Father

Chocolate has an evergreen Mother and a cocoa Father

What could I possibly blog about today that could enhance your day?
I might start a blog about ~Why is it that there are no 'nice' roses in a roses tin anymore?  
 (we are talking chocolate here)
 Gone are the days of the real chocolate boxes, you remember the ones with tassles on the edge of a swanky satin covered box. I don't remember ever buying a box like this, but I do remember my Mother keeping some useful items in it long after the last liquid centred cherry one vanished. 



I did however go out to buy a box of Black Magic last Christmas, for old time's sake, and was horrified to see how all the chocolates have changed beyond recognition! They may still all be covered in dark chocolate, but I'm telling you that's where the similarities end. 
How dare they get rid of the liquid cherry ones! But when I posted this on facebook last year, I was even more horrified to discover that the liquid cherry ones had long gone. That was the only reason I bought them, and the only reason I used to love looking into a Black Magic box every christmas when I was young. Am I out of touch or are Nestle? 
They also got rid of Mingles as well! Who are advising these businesses! 
Bring back Mingles and bring back Liquid cherry Black Magic! 



Charlie and the Chocolate project.

When talking to children at school about chocolate, and reading them Charlie and the chocolate factory, (of course) which was a lovely chocolatey  introduction before going onto learning about  cocoa beans. Class 6 were asked to write something about chocolate, did they like it? What was their favourite chocolate etc.
 One lovely picture showed a lovely brown splodge with the title, 'I love chocolate, but not nutters.'
Another lovely child wrote, 'People all over the world love chocolate, they have enjoyed it forever, and maybe even longer.' 

I never forgot those little gems. 

Once onto the cacao pods in the classroom we talked about how they got here.  
Teacher- 'Columbus took some chocolate beans to Europe in 1502, and then he did something he had never done before, what do you think that could be'? 
Teacher looks around to find a willing child with their hands stretched high. Nods at one child. 
Child-'He died.' 

I suppose cacao trees are only interesting if you happen to be interested in them. 


It has only took me several minutes to write this so it's going up now before I forget or fall asleep, no doubt to be added to tomorrow morning! 

Quickly writes 'Chocolate' at the top of my to do list..
At least I know I'm going to get something ticked off tomorrow.. Yawns