… And just like that, they’re back at school!

Apologies for the lack of updates over the last few months – with the children at home over the summer, the husband working from home and lots of things going on, it has been impossible to find the time to update you all on news from here.

It has been a very busy summer. I have celebrated the publication of Gill Paul’s latest novel Jackie and Maria, which was published in August in the US and Canada and is going to be published this week in the UK, NZ and Australia! So far, it has received some incredible feedback, including praise from Dinah Jeffries and Hazel Gaynor. It was a pleasure working with Gill on this novel and it is wonderful to see people devouring it. As well as working on this book with Gill, I’ve also been helping her on her NEXT book, which will be published next year. This one has a very magical feel to it as it tells the story of Lady Evelyn as she goes with Howard Carter to be the first person to step into Tutankhamen’s tomb, but overall, this book – even at early manuscript stage – totally moved me; it’s packed full of emotion and will be a real tear-jerker.

I have also been busy working with award-winning illustrator Lucy Smith on several publications – one being a debut children’s story by Emma Alexander, and another being the follow-up book in the Autism with Lola series by Jodie Isitt. Emma’s book, Let’s Be the Best of Friends, helps to teach children the importance of respecting dogs, not being overly friendly or overly cautious, how to approach them, what to do, what not to do… all told in rhyme and beautifully illustrated by Lucy. Jodie’s second book – Lola’s Wobbly Lunchtime – shows the reader how Lola struggles with sensory overload at lunchtime and how her teacher and friends help her to cope with it. This book isn’t published yet, but it will be very soon and I’m looking forward to getting to share it with you.

Bear with us Productions have several manuscripts with me at the moment and it is a pleasure to work on them – they work with a wide variety of authors and help them through their publishing journey. They provide illustrations, formatting, advice and… I take care of the editing. I have worked on a manuscript by Gary Rapson and his little boy Max who has diabetes and wanted to write a story about a superhero with diabetes. This story is super-cute and exciting and I really enjoyed working on it. The book will be available later this year, but here is a sneak-peak at the illustrations.

I was overjoyed to give a developmental critique of Kath McGurl’s latest novel, which will be published later in the year. I love working on historical fiction and this manuscript was a joy to read – lots of research, atmosphere and emotions – and, because part of the story has a health-related issue, I was able to provide insight and advice to help strengthen that part of the plot. I am really excited about this book and think it will fly up the charts once it has been published.

There are lots of other books which we have been working on and sharing on our Facebook and Instagram pages, including Stacy Bauer’s festive novel, Amanda Wilson’s young adult book, Miro Tartan’s outdoor activity book and much more…

Here are some books we have been working on and enjoying over the summer: