Category: Children in Need

orange maple leaves in a fall
Blog, Children in Need

A New Release, Supporting Children, and NaNoWriMo 2023

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This week I’m celebrating my new release, supporting Children in Need, and getting ready for NaNoWriMo2023.

Dive into Leo and Sara’s World with Royal Passion!

Thanks to everyone who picked up a copy of my new release Royal Passion on Tuesday. I hope you enjoy reading Leo and Sara’s story! If you missed release day, don’t worry – you can grab your copy of Royal Passion here.

Help A Good Cause: Children in Need

Pudsey bear, The Children in Need mascot. A yellow teddy bear with a spotty eyepatch.

On Friday 17th November, the BBC will be holding its annual Children in Need event. It’s a heartwarming day of charity events and giving, showcasing the generous spirit of people across Great Britain.

The “Children in Read” auction is part of this. Authors from every genre donate their books. There’s fiction and non-fiction, and categories include books for every age. My recent release, “The Wishing Tree,” stands as Lot Number 614 in the auction, so here’s the link. Every bid counts, so please make an offer here!

Autumn in Gloucestershire

Autumn finally arrived in Gloucestershire this week! The last few mornings have been misty.The valley now dazzles with golden beech trees, while the blueberry leaves began their colour transformation just last week. And guess what? A spirited mistle thrush has chosen our yellow-berried holly tree as its domain. You can either spot it serenading from the treetop or bravely defending its territory.

Red leaved Acer at Westonbirt arboretum.
Acer at Westonbirt Arboretum ©Christina Hollis 2023

Are You Ready for NaNoWriMo 2023?

Can you believe November is around the corner? With it comes the thrilling NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge. Are you participating? I’m excited to kick off a brand-new project next Wednesday as my NaNoWriMo 2023 endeavor. Stay tuned! I’ll be sharing an exclusive sneak peek in my November newsletter. And here’s the fun part: I’m still brainstorming a title for this new venture. So, I thought, why not turn it into a contest? Share your title suggestions in my newsletter, and you might just win a gift token for your creativity!

Be a Part of the Adventure!

Sign up for my newsletter here, and be the first to embark on new adventures, contests, and exclusive content!

Blog, Children in Need

It’s Children in Need Time Again!

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Friday 18th and Saturday 19th November 2022

As usual, I’ve donated a signed book for JumbleBee’s Children in Read fundraising auction for the BBC’s Children in Need charity. A copy of my first non-fiction book, Struggle and Suffrage in Bristol, is entered as Lot 215. For further details, click here and scroll down to find Lot 215.

The successful bidder will get the warm glow of satisfaction that they’ve helped support a good cause—as well as a signed copy of my book.

STOP PRESS! Congratulations to S (no more clues as I think it’s intended as a present!) who made the winning bid for a signed copy of my book. Thanks for your generosity, S.

Please give generously!

Blog, books, Children in Need

The Need to Read…

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Remember how exciting it was when Father Christmas left you a new book under the Christmas tree?

If you love to read and you’re a generous soul who likes to give to charity, visit the Children in Read website. Each year Paddy Heron organises an online auction where readers can support the BBC’s Children in Need charity. Bid for a book, and the money goes straight to charity.

Visit the Children in Read site — it’s a great place to pick up Christmas presents, while at the same time making a difference to children’s lives.

I’m donating a signed copy of Struggle and Suffrage in Bristol. To find out more, click here

Blog, Children in Need, Children in Need, Struggle and Suffrage: Women's Lives In Bristol 1850-1950

Children in Need, Part II

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Thank you to everyone who put in a bid for a signed copy of Struggle and Suffrage in Bristol during the Children in Read part of the charity fundraiser. Children in Read raised an amazing amount of money — over £21,000!

The winning bid for my book came from a village only a few miles across the fields from where I was born in Somerset, which made me quite homesick.

If you’d like to read an extract from Struggle and Suffrage in Bristol, just click on the image entitled My Current Release at the top right of this page. Pick up your own paperback or kindle version — and it would make the perfect present for anyone who loves the city of Bristol.

Imagine being towed along at high speed behind him!

The very generous winner will be receiving their signed copy of Struggle and Suffrage in Bristol as soon as I can harness Alex to a dog-sled and slither down our frosty valley to the local post office. Good job I’m only joking about the sled—the idea of being towed at high speed through the forest undergrowth in search of a meaty treat behind our confirmed scavenger is terrifying!

It’s minus 2 outside at the moment, and since I broke my ankle a few years ago I’m as nervous as a kitten on slippery ground. I only leave the house to walk Alex, feed the hens and wild birds, and check the greenhouses. The rest of the time I enjoy the glorious sight of the Gloucestershire countryside locked in frost through the window.

The grass has become needles of ice, and a white lacework of cobwebs is draped along the hedges and gates. Luckily I’ve got the fruit trees clustered around the greenhouse heater. The photo shows what happened a couple of years ago when the greenhouse was unheated.

Thank you again to everyone who took part in Children in Need