June update

I must admit I am feeling very guilty about not updating my blog enough recently. I think a lot of us have been feeling guilt since we’ve been in lockdown – guilt that we’re not able to give the children enough attention, guilt that everyone else seems to be coping better than we are, guilt that we can’t help others as much as we’d like to… so apologies from me for being so poor at updating the blog. I have been very busy…

I have been homeschooling an 11 year-old and 8 year-old, which has been very interesting! We have been studying some interesting topics such as Amelia Earhart, the local area, what it means to be a good friend and great inventors… we have also been reading a lot and it’s been enjoyable seeing what kinds of books my children like best.

One of the best books I have read with my 11 year-old is Wonder by R. J Palacio, my daughter found it so interesting and we are going to watch the film together soon.

Work-wise I have been very busy too, it seems that a lot of authors have been using lockdown as a perfect chance to focus on their writing and it has been a pleasure to welcome lots of new authors to the Calico Editing team.

Judging has also began for the Romantic Novelist Association awards, of which I am a judge for. It has meant that I have been enjoying reading lots of different books and judging them. It is always very insightful being a judge and seeing the huge difference in novels despite it being in one specific genre. Judging these awards also means I get to read books I may not otherwise have come across.

In June, we have had the pleasure of seeing some of the books we have edited come to publication. Three of these books include:

Best In Me by Natalie McDonald-Perkins 
This is a wonderful story which gives children from all different backgrounds and abilities the confidence to be themselves and to be happy in their skin. The take-home message from this book is that everyone is special no matter who they are. It was a pleasure working with Natalie and seeing her unique take on giving children confidence. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Me-Natalie-McDonald-Perkins-ebook/dp/B089S91K18

Yogi Superhero Adventures in Nature by Anna Smithers.
This is a gentle introduction to yoga and mindfulness for children all based in a nature setting. It provides children with some easy-to-follow techniques to help them to relax and be calm as well as some simple yoga poses. The illustrations help to show children the poses as well as introduce them to nature. This is a follow-up book from her first book. We have also been working on another nature-inspired book by Anna and always enjoy working with her, it’s inspiring to see how authors care so much about the wellbeing of children. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yogi-Superhero-Adventures-Nature-mindfulness/dp/B08BTZ2GPY

Let’s be the Best of Friends by Emma Alexander
I first began working on this book last year and I loved it from the first time I saw it. The whole concept of the book is helping children to be safe around dogs – whether they are over-confident or anxious. It uses simple rhyme to explain how children should interact with dogs in a variety of scenarios – whilst they’re eating, if they’re in the park, if they’re sleeping etc. It is such an important book, educating children in a very gentle, age-appropriate manner and it was a joy working on. The illustrations, by award-winning Lucy Smith, are a beautiful addition to the book. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Best-Friends-Emma-Alexander-ebook/dp/B08BNQ78LF

We are enjoying seeing the reviews coming in for these books, it is always such a rewarding feeling knowing that children are enjoying the books which we have worked on and knowing that an author’s dreams are coming true.

There are also quite a few books which we have worked on that will be being published over the next couple of months, these include books from both traditionally published authors and self-published authors – we will be sharing these as much as possible over our social media.

In July, we will be working with several new authors, working on a ghostwriting project and also proofreading the final stage of a young adult book. We are almost fully booked for July already and are very grateful for all of our authors, illustrators and publishers who are keeping us so busy.

If you wish to contact us to enquire about our services or to tell us about a book you have written and would like us to review, feel free to contact via email calicoeditingservices@gmail.com