This year will be the nineth year running that I’ve entered at least one children’s book manuscript (often more than one!) into the Bath Children’s Novel Award, so I thought I’d write something about it this month. I’ve previously been longlisted for it, but will continue in my quest to get shortlisted by entering again this year. This award offers a fantastic prize for the winner – £5,000, in fact – and all types of children’s books, including Young Adult, Middle Grade, Chapter Book and Picture Book texts are eligible to enter, with no residency, nationality or age requirements for the entrants.

I’ve always been interested in ancient history and the lives of humans in the prehistoric period, and have recently been looking through my collection of worked flints, picked up at various times from beaches and fields around the UK. Although I’ve never been lucky enough to find a hand axe or an arrowhead, I have found various flints that experts have told me were made to be used as scrapers and perforators, likely used in the preparation of skins, wood or other soft materials.

A few weeks ago, my laptop stopped charging. I tried a different charger, a different socket, plugging it in while it was off, plugging it in while it was on … but nothing worked. Eventually I admitted defeat and took it to the repair shop, keeping my fingers crossed that it would be a simple (and cheap) fix … and…

The Undiscovered Voices Competition for children’s writers is open for entries again! This is a writing competition that is open to non-agented children’s writers who are either British Isles or European-based, and who are members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). The competition only runs once every two years and is free to enter, so if you’re unagented and a member of SCBWI, it’s definitely worth it.

I’ve seen a huge amount of writing posts and articles lately that are focused on encouraging writers to keep striving for traditional publication – to keep writing and never to give up – come what may. But as the number of competent writers increases, and publishers become even more focused on books that are guaranteed to sell in large numbers (let’s not get started on celebrity authors), it’s becoming clear that, for many of us, traditional publication is a dream that will simply never be realised.

A few days ago, leaving the dog at home (again, I know!), I set off for London to see Kylie Minogue’s Tension Tour at the O2. It was a great concert, and it was lovely to hear so many songs from the different stages of Kylie’s career. I can remember her rise to fame in the 1980s. Since then she’s gone through several different eras, but she seems to have only added to her fan-base along the way, with new generations appreciating her music and style, demonstrated by the vast age-range within the audience at the show.

A couple of weeks ago I had a short break in Lisbon – a city I’d never visited before – and I really enjoyed seeing the sights in the city and the surrounding area. I was very impressed by how clean everywhere was, and by the ancient churches, lovely squares and cobbled streets, and, of course, by the castle that loomed above it all.

Since the pandemic we’ve had several short breaks around the UK – with the dog, of course. Some of the places we’ve stayed at have been so dog-friendly that not only have they allowed dogs, they’ve positively encouraged them, offering cosy dog-beds and blankets, clean food bowls and sometimes even treats. The dog has had a great time, as you can imagine.

I quite like browsing through – and occasionally buying, when they’re cheap enough – old books. A few years ago I bought a book that was printed in 1624; the snappily titled ‘Of Supremacie in Affai…