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Welcome to my site!

Some of my books

I write books for all ages, for young children to teenage and adults. I have also written a book on writing - Writing for Children - for both aspiring and newly published authors.


While I spend quite a lot of time visiting libraries, schools and festivals talking about my books and running creative writing workshops, I do manage to find time to write, too!

You can download the free story: Hamish McHaggis and the Aberlady Gala Mystery.

Latest News:

Hamish McHaggis Competition Winner

We had a lovely morning on 1st December in Looking Glass Books in Edinburgh, when Sally J Collins and I told Hamish McHaggis stories and drew the winners of the ‘Where would you take your Hamish?’ competition, with the help of our young audience.

looking glass books event

And, of course Hamish came along too!  Here he is with a wee Hamish, and Sally!

sally with Hamish

  

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Lauren Peattie was the lucky winner of the Hamish competition. Her picture was drawn from all the many entries.

Pictured here with Fiona from Longniddry Library, receiving her prize of a cuddly Hamish, a signed book (she chose Hamish McHaggis and the Search fro the Lost Prince)  and other Hamish goodies.

Well done, Lauren!

 

 

Miriam Jeavons, from Newington Library in Edinburgh, took Hamish to Fairyland and was runner up winning the Hamish McHaggis Activity and Story Book.

Here are some of the Hamish McHaggis entries…

From Prestonpans Library

Hamish Prestonpans 3Hamish Prestonpans 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamish Prestonpans 4 Hamish Prestonpans1

From Longniddry Library

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And from Gullane Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Where would you take your Hamish McHaggis? A competition.

hamish toy (2)Ever since the Hamish McHaggis toy arrived earlier this year I’ve had some lovely photos sent to me of Hamish with his new friends. Hamish seems to get everywhere!

So I decided it would be fun to run a competition with a bag of Hamish goodies as a prize.

Just yesterday I heard that someone had spotted a little girl in Adelaide, Austrialia, Telling her wee Hamish what knitting is all about

Let me tell you more about the competition and below that you can see some lovely pictures of other  little Hamish fans with their Hamish.

 

The two winners will each get a Hamish cuddly toy,  Hamish goodies including a Hamish McHaggis book which will be dedicated  and signed by both myself and the illustrator Sally J. Collins. 

There will also be some runner up prizes of signed copies of the Hamish McHaggis Activity and Story book.

 

In conjunction with Looking Glass Books in Edinburgh we are running the competition for young Hamish Competition poster 1Hamish fans.  All you have to do is download and print out this picture of Hamish

 

There will be a list of participating libraries on the lookingglassbooks facebook events page    you can also enter the competition by handing in your entry there, The libraries will also will be putting up displays of the entries. (NEWS all 12 East Lothian Libraries are taking part- keep watching to find out more!)

All the information about the competition is also on the poster.

Once you have coloured in Hamish you can decide where you would take him.

and….

Either draw and colour in the background of the picture with where you would take Hamish,  and then take a photo of your picture.

OR  cut out Hamish and take a photo of him in your favourite place.

Then click on the link below and upload your photo onto the competition page of the website Lookingglassbooks facebook events page   before midnight the closing date of St Andrew’s Day – 30th November 2013. Winners will be drawn on Sunday 1st December at a special event in the Looking Glass Books Bookshop, Quartermile, 3 Porters Walk, EH3 9GG  Edinburgh.

As promised here are some lovely little Hamish fans with their own Hamish.

libby and Hamish 2

Little Libby in New Zealand is a great Hamish fan. He goes everywhere with her!

libby and Hamish to the music

When her grandparents came to Scotland this summer they were under strict orders to get another Hamish for her, just in case he got lost or worn out!

 

 

 

 

 

Wee Matthew from West Lothian in Scotland likes to take Hamish to bed with him, to ensure he has sweet dreams.

Matthew and hamish

When Zoe was visiting from Northern Ireland she was delighted to spot Hamish in Waterstones window in Princes Street, Edinburgh

Zoe and Hamish princes street waterstones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is the lovely Eilidh who loves her Hamish so much that when she was going to be a bridesmaid

hamish 1

at her auntie’s wedding she had to take Hamish along. He is looking very smart in this photo with his tartan bowtie!

eilidh nursery

And doesn’t Eilidh look gorgeous in her bridesmaid dress!

 

 

 

Hamish decided he just had to get his photo taken with the bride and groom!

 

 

hamish2

 

 

 

Sheonad, Eilidh’s mum, has a great blog.
Do drop by and have a look.  www.touchandtickle.blogspot.co.uk

Eilidh has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and her mum Sheonad is working to raise awareness of the condition.

 

 

 

 

 

SO where would you take your Hamish?hamish toy (2)

 

Remember to enter the competition before St Andrew’s Day (30th November ) 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Check out my blog BOOKWORDS for more info http://writingthebookwords.blogspot.co.uk/