Hi all,
How are you all doing? I sincerely hope you and your families are all managing to stay safe and well.
It's been a couple of months since I last posted an update, and wow, what a strange time that has been for everyone! I'm in New Zealand, where things are comparatively pretty safe, as we have a strict lockdown in place. Because I'm immunocompromised, I was asked to start self-isolating early, which makes this about day 26 for me (I've lost track, like many of us).
As I live alone, it's just been me and my dog in our "bubble" for that 26 days. That was quite stressful at first, as I'm used to being able to access help with my disability/health problems when I need it, so I've been getting a bit creative to take my mind off things, and thought I would share some of the things I've been doing.
Cover Reveal and Launch - Reactive
Some of you may remember I was planning to release a children's novel this month. With everything going on, I've had to delay this, so I decided to bring forward launching my novella, Reactive instead. Making the cover for this one has been a great distraction from everything that's been going on.
A prophecy…
A new student…
A pot plant growing out of control…
One of these things could save Toby. The trouble is, which one?
When Toby arrived at this school six months ago, learning magic seemed like a dream come true. Now he'll be happy if he and his classmates just get out of here alive.
With teachers, other students and their own magic against them, will Toby and his friends escape from the dangers they face? Or will he be the one they need saving from?
The ebook is on sale for 99c at all ebook retailers now (the paperback and large print editions will be released later in the year.)
Reactive is novella length, with short, punchy chapters - perfect if your concentration span has been affected by the stress lately, and, like me, you've been finding it a bit hard to focus on reading.
Online Storytimes
I normally do fairy storytimes for a local bookshop on Friday mornings. While the bookshop is closed, we've taken these online, so if you have young children, or just enjoy children's books, you can find the videos on The Children's Bookshop Facebook page, with new ones being added every Friday. The page is public, so you should hopefully be able to view these even if you don't have an account. So far, I've read The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo by Elaine Bicknell, Jenny No-Knickers by me and Ian Garmonsway, and I'll be reading a book called Bella's Fringe by Marie Munro this coming Friday, New Zealand time.
I hope you and your little ones enjoy the videos. I know many parents are having a really tough time at the moment, so I hope this can bring you a few minutes of fun, if nothing else.
Creative Writing Classes
Finally, I've taken my creative writing classes business, Brain Bunny Workshops, online, and have been teaching distances lessons. With kids unable to attend regular school at the moment, there's been a lot of demand, and I'm currently fully booked. It's been so lovely being able to connect with kids, and help them express their creativity during this difficult time. It's also been great to see how well virtual lessons have worked, and I'm hoping to keep this option long term, especially for students who live outside Wellington and wouldn't normally be able to access classes.
That's all my news. Stay safe everyone. If you do check out Reactive, or my online storytimes, I'd love to hear what you think, and please do feel free to drop me a line to let me know how you're going.
Best wishes,
Helen
P.S. A quick request:
Reviews
Reactive was originally a part of the Realms of Magic project, which has now ended. If you read it there, could I ask that you please consider leaving a review either on the Reactive Goodreads page, or over on Amazon? This would be a HUGE help to me, in reaching new readers. Thank you!