A visit to "Germany - Memories of a Nation by the British Museum"

When I was invited to a viewing of the exhibition “Germany – Memories of a Nation” in the British Museum, I was looking forward to a German breakfast and some exhibits representative of Germany’s history over the past centuries. I couldn't have been more wrong...

Entertain the littlies this summer

As the summer holidays continue we invite you to throw a bit of a party and celebrate the release of an UnBEARably funny new book by superstar author illustrator Emma Dodd.  

The Entertainer by Emma Dodd

Aaron Blecha – Ten Monsters In The Bed

Ten Monsters in The Bed, illustrated by the super Aaron Blecha, is a humorous play on 10 Green Bottles/10 in a Bed, where 10 monsters are squished together on a bunk bed.

On each spread, a monster gets pushed out and tumbles to the floor. Readers can press the characters to hear the fun sounds they make; plenty of snoring, burping, sniffing and farting!

Aaron invited us to have a sneaky peek at a few early stages of the Ten Monsters in The Bed book design, check these out!

Character Development:

Templar Publishing celebrate 10 Year Anniversary of Classics with Robert Ingpen

After 10 years and several beautiful editions of classic children's books, Templar Publishing are pleased to announce the release of the stunning new illustrated edition of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. 

With over 70 unique illustrations, the original artwork is from multi-award winning illustrator Robert Ingpen. 

A classic tale, beautifully told, Pinocchio joins other popular titles in the list such as The Jungle Book, The Secret Garden and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Over 130 years old, the story of a wooden puppet full of tricks and mischief who wants more than anything to be a real boy has transcended time to become a true classic in children’s literature. Turned into the hugely popular Disney film in 1940, there is also a live-action film adaptation in production from Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro starring Robert Downey Jr, proving that Pinocchio is an enduring classic with ongoing appeal for all.

Robert Ingpen is a prolific writer and illustrator who has contributed to over 100 books. He has received the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration, and has previously worked for the United Nations. He lives in Australia with his wife Angela and has four children and four grandchildren.

*WIN* To celebrate the release of this stunning new edition of Pinocchio and celebrate 10 years of Templar Classics, we are giving away 5 copies of the book. 

For your chance to win, answer the question below as a comment:

What does the word Pinocchio actually mean?

A. Pinenut/kernel

B. Wooden Puppet

C. Real Boy

D. Chocolate Pudding

Entries must be made by 5pm on Sunday 9th March - Good luck!

Click HERE to order Pinocchio now...

Whizz your way through the Summer Reading Challenge with Fleeced!

Templar Publishing are thrilled to announce that Fleeced! by Julia Wills has been selected for this year's Summer Reading Challenge.

Set up by The Reading Agency charity, The Summer Reading Challenge takes place every year during the summer holidays. It is completely FREE and allows children to read six library books of their choice, collecting stickers and other rewards along the way.

In addition, children can now track their reading all year round, find new books and take part in competitions and games. There is also advice for parents and carers alongside videos from authors and celebrity recommendations. 2013 saw a record 780,000 children participate with the challenge hoping to improve on this in 2014 by at least 50,000. 

The theme this year is Mythical Maze, perfect for Julia's fantastic novel about a heroic ram called Aries. 

Here she tells us a little bit about her inspiration behind the book...

We are recruiting: are you our next Junior Editor?

Award-winning children’s publisher seeks ambitious Junior Editor, fellow doodler and general book sniffer.

The Chosen One (see above) will work across novelty, non-fiction and picture books, looking after a range of titles.

Working with us in Dorking is an unrivalled experience; we look out of the windows at lush rolling hills, venture into town to be greeted by a majestic (and massive) chrome cockerel and have our very own award-winning vineyard to rival the Champagne region! If that doesn’t tempt you, nothing will.

If you’re already an editorial junior wishing to climb your career ladder, this is an incredible opportunity. We consider quality and innovation the main focus and we have a fantastic future ahead of us – full of hard work, good books and great laughs.

A track record of editing children’s books, excellent proofreading and project management skills, creativity and a drive to explore new ideas are essential.

If you consider yourself worthy of the position and wish to join a dedicated, professional and friendly team – please apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to Libby Hamilton, Managing Editor, at libby.hamilton@templarco.co.uk.

P.S.  Must be able to wiggle an After Eight Chocolate from your forehead, into your mouth. No hands allowed. Get practising. 

Emily Diamand's Close Encounters

Emily Diamand, author Ways to See a Ghost, publishing July 2013, introduces us to the paranormal and why it has captured her imagination since childhood.

When I was twelve, I used to spend a lot of time looking at the stars. This wasn’t because I was a budding astronomer (I couldn’t have spotted Orion if he’d been waving) instead, I was scanning the sky for movement. I don’t mean the red and white flash of aeroplanes, the slow glide of satellites, or even the bright streak of a meteorite. I spotted all of those, and dismissed them. What I wanted was something else; something that, by rights, would be accompanied by the eerie strains of the theremin.

I’d watched Close Encounters, so I knew that if you were in the right place an alien space ship would suck you up in a beam of blinding light. I hoped my garden was that place. I’d seen E.T. too; I didn’t have a very big wardrobe in my bedroom, but I was pretty sure I could hide an alien in there, if push came to shove. And when it got to the tearful farewell at the spaceship, there was no way I’d be waving them off. E.T.’s aliens weren’t exactly fast on their feet; I knew I could beat them up the ramp, no problem. Star Trek, Blake’s Seven – I didn’t mind who it was, as long as they’d whisk me off for a tour of the galaxy.

Of course, you don’t have to believe in aliens to appreciate UFOlogy. As a writer, I love the wonder. Every UFO story has the sudden transition from the mundane into the fantastical, that so echoes traditional folklore - our ancestors were cursed or blessed by fairies and sprites, while people today are abducted by aliens, but the themes can be similar in both types of close encounter. And while explanations range from the subconscious re-workings of films, to cold-war paranoia, to the decline in formal religion, I hope there might also be the possibility that at least some of the tales are true.

It’s decades since E.T. and Close Encounters were released, and a long time since The X Files unravelled its last mystery, yet UFOlogy in the real world is thriving:

In 2012, the UK government released the last of its previously secret UFO files, after claiming to have been overwhelmed with freedom of information requests http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos/ 

In April 2013, a group of former members of the US congress held ‘citizen hearings’ into evidence about the existence of UFOs and alien contact http://www.citizenhearing.org/witnesses.html

There are ongoing claims that alien activity is behind mysterious attacks on livestock in parts of the US and UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/ufo/7555431/Unexplained-sheep-attacks-caused-by-aliens-in-UFOs-farmers-claim.html 

And into these fascinating waters drop counter claims that much UFO-lore is actually the creation of US intelligence agencies, as a cover for the testing of spy planes http://www.miragemen.com/.

My kindly aliens never came, but I still love a good UFO story. That’s why, even though the title of my new book is Ways to See a Ghost, it’s as much about the world of the UFO enthusiast as it is about ghost hunters. With a young teenager as narrator, there had to be a little scorn for the adults involved, but I admire all the Mulders still working out there. And if you’re reading this, Doctor Who, well I’m still waiting… 

Olive and the Bad Mood written and illustrated by Tor Freeman – Reviewed by Holly Surplice

Olive and the Bad Mood
By Tor Freeman

Olive and the Bad Mood by Tor Freeman is something that grown-ups & little people can all enjoy & relate to because lets face it, who doesn't get in a bad mood from time-to-time?! My nearly four year old was totally engrossed in the story and loved the unusual and abrupt approach of the grumpy Olive! She really enjoyed pointing out when Olive was being unkind, and sympathising with the other characters.


The fantastic use of white-space in this book makes it clear to see what is going on and really emphasises the main character's journey through the book which makes for a really lovely page-turning experience. The very clever visual description of a bad mood is brilliant done, and I love how contagious that little black cloud above the head is! Even without reading the words, this picture book has such clear visual narrative that it is one that non-readers can enjoy 'reading' by themselves which I always think is a wonderful thing.


For me, I found myself reminded, in a really great way, of Richard Scarry's Busytown books which I loved as a child, there is just something that is so funny about the characters that Tor has created for these books that I'm sure will lead them to be classics too. This very clever & witty book with universal appeal to both girls & boys is a great addition to any bookshelf, and has the bonus feature of teaching a very important lesson, what ever happens, you must ALWAYS share your sweets!

This review was written by Holly Surplice Follow her on Twitter @HollySurplice

GP by very talented Holly Surplice!

Visit Tor Freeman's blog here http://www.torfreeman.com/ 

Find out how to draw Olive HERE  

Alex Gutteridge on shedding a tear...

To coincide with the publication of Last Chance Angel this month, we asked Alex Gutteridge to tell us how she ended up writing a tear-jerker

I have to confess to being a bit of a weeper and wailer, to the extent that I tend to avoid films, plays and books which I suspect will make me cry. So no-one was more surprised than me to find myself writing a book which, by its very nature, could be construed as a tear-jerker. In Last Chance Angel, Jess is knocked off her bike and ends up in a coma. On the point of death she is given a few days’ grace and the opportunity to return to earth for the purpose of visiting her friends, in invisible form.

This has not been an easy book to write and it has taken quite a time and many drafts to get it right. But from the very beginning it was an obvious choice to use the first person, not just because it made it easier for me to place myself in Jess’s situation but, by seeing life and death from only her point of view, I hoped that my readers would also closely identify with Jess’s character and predicament. Sometimes, when writing Jess’s story, I did find myself close to tears and, strange as it may seem, I was pleased when that happened. It confirmed that I was absolutely on the same wavelength as my character and for me this is at the heart of every story I write. I knew what Jess was thinking and feeling and how she would react in any given situation. This means that if your plot takes a sudden twist or turn, and this does happen to me because I’m not a planner, you are better equipped to deal with it and to retaining the authenticity of the story.

Indisputably tension heightens emotion. Throughout the book the clock is ticking down until Jess’s date with death. But that tension would not work, that emotion would not be ignited unless my readers care about what happens to Jess. But life is all about finding the right balance and I applied that principle to Last Chance Angel. Too much heartbreak would, I have felt, made the book extremely heavy going and probably made readers switch off. The addition of humour varies the tone but I also hope that these lighter passages contrast with the darker chapters, thus adding to their intensity.

In conveying tension and emotion dialogue is vital. You can say so much through a conversation but often it is in the pauses, the things left unsaid which tug at the heartstrings. In the conversations between Jess and her beloved Gramps I called upon my own memories. My own grandfather died over thirty years ago but I still miss him very much indeed and the tenderness, patience and wisdom which he showed to me has definitely contributed to the character of Gramps in this book. Writing those passages proved to be both comforting and painful.

So are there any boundaries when writing something which could prove upsetting? For me one of the boundaries I imposed upon myself was not to describe Jess’s medical condition. Not only did I consider graphic description to be unnecessary but also to be inappropriate. In some cases less is more. This applies too to language. There is always a danger of making subject matter like this overly sentimental. I have tried to avoid that as, in my opinion, sentimental writing does not necessarily access deep emotion. In fact it can have the opposite effect.

I never deliberately set out to write something that would upset my readers or try to make them cry and to be honest if that had been my aim I don’t think I would have succeeded. Instead my focus, when writing Last Chance Angel, was purely to create an interesting story about friendship and how well we really know people. Pivotal to this was my main character, Jess. I have spent so much time with her that I love Jess almost as if she was a real person. So when someone says to me that this book has brought tears to their eyes I take it as a huge compliment because it means that they love Jess too. As an author what more could you want than that?

Emily Diamand at Templar Towers

This afternoon we had the lovely Emily Diamand visting us to talk about the marketing of her new book Ways to See a Ghost. 

The book is not released until July, but without setting of any spoiler alarms we can promise you an exciting paranormal adventure where horror meets ghost story in a contemporary setting.

Eyes open in July everyone!

Illustrating 'There, There' – By Ivan Bates

Illustrator Ivan Bates tells us about the process of illustrating There, There, written by Sam McBratney.

There There is my fifth book with Sam and he always makes illustrating very easy to enjoy. With faultless pace, tender emotion, and characters you want to embrace (often literally) he has consistently given me all the things I need to turn little seeds of ideas into blossoming pictures, and There There was no different.


My part of the story began with those bears. Hansie simply had to be seen. He started off as a doodle but the little fellow just wouldn't stay still. He kept flowing out of the end of my pencil and onto the paper, insisting that I do more. He knew that I liked drawing ducks, (believe me, I've drawn hundreds) and he wanted to follow and play with them on the drawing pad, so I let him. It wasn't long before that little scribble had turned into a duck-walking, ditch-falling, cuddle-getting, bouncy little bear.


Dad bear, however, started life as a hat. An old straw one, that was a bit frayed at the edges, a bit like the one I can just about remember my grandfather wearing, when I was very young. He gradually appeared from underneath this hat, all tufty and brown, complete with his slightly scruffy sports jacket and glasses, as if almost by magic. It was certainly a less conscious process than some characters I’ve created, in the past. I could easily imagine him trying hard to set veg in his garden - not always very successfully. In fact I'm pretty sure that it was Mum bear who really knew what to do and was not surprised when Dad got into a scrape himself, hence her expression when picking out the thorn from his foot.

Characters often live alongside you, when you’re illustrating. Before any final art is done, they have already lived a full existence in your head and you’ve imagined them in all sorts of funny situations. It is as if the book is just a snapshot of what you know they're like and what they've been up to, all along. Small and inquisitive Hansie bounces along in his haphazard way, while enormous Dad is watchful, (he’s always close by) patient and most importantly, is always there when he’s most needed.

And it was capturing the emotion in those 'most needed' moments that was perhaps the key to the whole book, for me. There are few feelings that compare to comforting and cuddling your child. It is almost as if, for that time, the rest of the world doesn't exist - just you and them. And that was what I tried to show in many of the illustrations. If the reader can share and enjoy that same feeling of intimacy, from my art in the book, then I would consider that to be a success. I mean, who wouldn't feel good having a long, gentle hug from a big Daddy bear?

Meet Justin Richards

Author of The Wolfstone Curse, Justin Richards, popped into the office, and so we took the opportunity to ask  him the important questions...

How do you take your tea/coffee? 
JUSTIN: White, no sugar, and often! I ha

ve a little sign up in my office that says: 'No coffee - no workee'

Who should we be following on Twitter?  
JUSTIN: Apart from me, of course - @JJCRichards - and @TemplarBooks I'd suggest Mr Ripley's Enchanted books - @EnchantedBooks

What super power would you have? 
JUSTIN: The ability to streeeettttttcccch time, so that I can get more things done!

6 things you couldn't live without:
JUSTIN: Well, my wife and two sons for starters - is that three or can I just say 'Family'? I think I can. And I'm assuming nourishment and shelter are sorted or it'd be a boring list of Food, Drink, Clothes, House, Health, and Vampire-Killing stakes.
So: 1 - Family
2 - Doctor Who
3 - Laptop
4 - Bacon sandwiches
5 - Coffee (see above!)
6 - Imagination
 
What would your last supper be? 
JUSTIN: It's be a million separate courses, with a long break between each - I mean, like, hours between each course. Really.

What's the biggest secret that you're willing to reveal on our blog? 
JUSTIN: Well, I did once kidnap someone. But that was an accident.

Follow Justin on Twitter @JJCRichards
The Wolfstone Curse is publishing July 2013 - preorder your copy here

The Shadow Lantern Book Launch: Much Deserved Thanks!

Teresa Flavin is on the blog today telling us all about the launch of her latest book, The Shadow Lantern.

On the eve of May Day, with spring finally in the air in Glasgow, forty-five guests and I assembled in Waterstones Argyle Street to celebrate Templar’s publication of The Shadow Lantern, the final adventure in The Blackhope Enigma trilogy.

After a busy day preparing chocolate cakes and chilling down the beverages, it was wonderful to stand in front of a table heaped with copies of The Shadow Lantern, a vase of flowers and a cool lantern-style planter brought by a friend. I was flanked by ‘Watson’, the skeletal star of the new book trailer who attracted quite a lot of attention throughout the evening!

Having held my two previous launches at studio spaces, it was a pleasant change to have this one hosted by Waterstones and to be surrounded by shelves of books. My lovely agent, Kathryn Ross of Fraser Ross Associates Literary Agency, spoke first, saying lots of things that were so nice my face went crimson. By the time it was my turn to speak, I had to rely on the notes I’d made on an index card to remember all the people I wanted to thank. Besides Kathryn and Waterstones, I thanked Templar Publishing and Candlewick Press for their continuing support and enthusiasm for my books. I really am pleased to work with both these fantastic publishers.

I also thanked The Scottish Book Trust and Creative Scotland for awarding me a four-week writer’s residency in Finland last spring. I wrote much of The Shadow Lantern while living on Suomenlinna, a stunning and historic fortress island that is a World Heritage site. I was fortunate to meet a number of Finnish authors, illustrators, artists and publishing professionals who enriched the experience even further.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of promoting my books has been making video trailers (watch the trailer at the bottom of the post) and building new websites. I had a lot of friends and colleagues to thank for their expertise and help with filming, editing, sound engineering and website development. My final thanks went to my dear husband, who has encouraged and supported me throughout my writing journey.

It was great fun to read a particularly dramatic excerpt from The Shadow Lantern. Some years ago, the idea of reading my work aloud to an audience would have made me very nervous, but now it is one of the chief pleasures of doing events. I also love signing books; it gives me a chance to speak with everyone, especially young readers, and thank them for choosing my books.

We ended the evening stuffed with chocolate cake and fizzy drinks. When the last guests had left, I could do nothing but smile; the trilogy was happily finished and launched. At that moment my mind turned to the future – and the excitement of writing the next book.

Follow Teresa on twitter: @TeresaFlavin

Lucy Serocold: Two weeks in Editorial

Hi, I’m Lucy, a Classics graduate from London. I’m hoping to get a job in publishing, so over the past two weeks the folk in Editorial have kindly allowed me to join them for proof-reading, researching and generally being helpful. I’m very much hoping they’ll let me come back again in the future (hint hint), which is why today I’ve been bribing them with pistachio & lime cupcakes…
(nb. the cupcakes were devine!)

I started off last week with a proof-reading test, using a list of the BSI marks to get familiar with them. This was pretty straightforward, but the second part of the test was much harder: a ‘style test’ to put the information from the test into a format suitable for 5-8 year olds. I found it surprisingly tricky to get the information across in a way they’d understand, as well as being engaging and fun. It’s quite a wide age range to bridge for reading level as well as level of understanding. All in all, a very useful insight into the writing side of the editor’s job, as Templar pride themselves on using their editors’ writing skills as well as honing others’ work. Katie’s example was much better than my attempt – practice obviously does make perfect!

Luckily, for most of the rest of my time I managed to stick to the editing side: I was given lots of proof-reading and tweaking text for books. Being a pedant, this was perfect as it’s the kind of thing I find weirdly enjoyable. One of my jobs was altering the text to make it suitable for different markets: I ‘Americanised’ (or should that be ‘AmericaniZed’?) Penguin in Peril, a gorgeous new picture book, which has recently come out in the UK. Highly recommended, and not just by me!

http://booksniffingpug.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/top-secret-sneak-peek-penguin-in-peril.html

http://paperrobinstudio.com/2013/03/07/book-of-the-month-penguin-in-peril-by-authorillustrator-helen-hancocks/

With Penguin being a picture book, there wasn’t too much to do to make it suitable for subway-riding, movie-watching Americans, but the following week I was presented with the daunting task of ‘Anglicising’ a whole YA novel! Thankfully a freelance proof-reader had already done the hard work of marking up the manuscript, but while putting her corrections into InDesign I discovered a fair few things which had been missed. This just proves that the more different pairs of eyes checking a book, the better. I’m pretty confident I got the majority of the changes such as ‘defense’, ‘-ize’ verbs and expressions like ‘in back’ (which to me just sounds ugly), and as a bonus, I got to read a cracking story as well.

My other major task was picture and sound research for various projects that are in the pipeline (the details of which are all under wraps for now: I even had to sign a confidentiality agreement!) Picture research and fact checking was fun, broadening my own knowledge of a huge range of topics. I particularly enjoyed the sound research, as I got to listen to all kinds of crazy wild animal noises while watching the work of the office going on round me – a great juxtaposition of worlds!

Another ongoing job for any intern is assessing the slush pile. It’s good fun as you get to see the range of writing that people consider publishable – some of it’s good, and some so bad it’s funny. Doing the rejections can be a bit sad, but enlivened by seeing how far some of the letters are going (people send stuff from Australia!), as well as making the discovery that ‘Universal Postal Union’ coupons don’t work at the post office any more. (Readers who are submitting work from abroad, take note!) Templar is usually quite strict about only sending letters to people who enclose a SAE, but we made exceptions for the UPU coupon people, since they really had tried to pay for the postage.

With the help of the lovely George (see his post below), I also categorised a large stock of books from the archive. These are all now sitting happily on some shelves outside the main studio, so that people can wander past and pick up a book for inspiration. It was fascinating to see the range that Templar publishes, as well as how some topics for children are timeless and keep coming up again and again. I also started a ‘reference’ section, with encyclopaedias and anthologies on topics ranging from Ancient Egypt and animals to pirates and poetry. We enjoyed displaying some of the books to attract attention, as well as assembling the concertina books to show off their structure.

Overall I’ve really enjoyed the past two weeks, and can’t believe how quickly the time’s gone by! I’ve loved getting to know everyone here and feeling like part of the team, and hope to return for another placement in the future…(I’ll bring more cake!)

Guest post from Don Calame

Author of the hilarious Swim the Fly, Beat the Band and Call the Shots books, Don Calame joins us today on the Templar blog to talk about where he gets his inspiration from

“Oh, I’m going to have to use that in a book some day.”

I can’t tell you how often that thought occurs to me as I bumble around in my daily life. It can be distracting sometimes. Intrusive even. All the little details, the strange characters, the snippets of conversation one overhears. I should probably be one of those writers who carries around a notebook to jot these nuggets of gold down.

But I’m not. So I don’t.

Instead I figure that the true gems will stick somewhere in the brain to be mined when I am looking for that telling detail I need for a character in a story.

And then, of course, there are those times where actually forcing yourself to pay attention to the particulars can save you an aneurism.

Case in point:

A man stands at a checkout at the supermarket. That man is me. I’ve dashed in to grab some milk. Trying to get home before breakfast guests arrive. I am already running behind. Going to be cutting it close.

 The cashier is chatting with her present customer. But not just chatting, like, “How’s the weather out there?” or “Baking oatmeal cookies today, are we?” No, this is a full on conversation like the one you might have at a dinner party. Or at the coffee shop. Or with your psychotherapist.

Cashier says, “Oh, no, my cat’s just got sick. The vet bills were enormous. Kidney stones if you can believe it. Who knew cats even got those? Took them three visits to diagnose. It was so stressful.”

Lady with the green knitting needle stuck in her straggly white bun responds, “We had to put our little Millie down last year. It was terribly sad. She was a tuxedo cat. Sweetest thing.” Her groceries are all rung up and bagged. Her tiny tattered red coin purse is in her bird-claw hands. But she’s not opening it. Not even making a move to open it. She’s just going on about her pets, and her children’s pets, and her grandchildren’s pets. How the animals are mostly all related. What they all died of. She’s laying out her entire family’s pet ancestry and the cashier is nodding and listening attentively. As if this were her job. As if she were some sort of grief counselor.

Instead of a cashier at the grocery store.

And all I want to do is buy a bottle of milk before the sun sets. The glass of the container sweating, getting slick in my hand. My blood pressure rising. My teeth gritting. I look back over my shoulder at the bug-eyed, overall-clad guy behind me who’s shaking his head. But neither of us say anything. Because this is the country. Small town friendly. Where this kind of thing is supposed to be quaint.

Instead of infuriating.

I take a deep breath. And go into writer mode. I can use this is a book someday, I tell myself. Or maybe a blog. What are the details? Study these people. Who are they? Why does this old lady not want to go home? Why does this cashier not notice the line of red-faced people backing up at her station? Why does the fact that Neil Diamond’s Heartlight playing over the supermarket speakers make this entire situation seem that much more surreal?

And why are all of us in the line being so damn polite?

But it saves me. This shift. Saves the cashier, too, if I’m being honest. Not that she has any idea she’s been spared a nasty scowl. A sarcastic word or two. Some passive aggressive bill counting and coin slamming.

It’s these kind of situations—the ridiculous ones, the insane ones, the ludicrous ones—that make some of the best writing fodder. Even if you don’t have the wherewithal to recognize it at the time. These are the gems that stick.

While I was writing my latest book, Call the Shots, I scoured my memory for just such occasions. Situations and experience I could tap for inspiration.

Call the Shots is the story of three teenagers who are trying to film a low-budget horror film and so I brainstormed any and all of my personal escapades—and humiliation
s—that I might foist onto these kids.

There was the time I was hired as a videographer for a sixtieth birthday party where the guest of honor was universally despised by everyone in the room.

There was the time in high school where I agreed to go out with a slightly unhinged girl who liked me—but who I had no interest in—simply because I was the only one of my friends who didn’t have a girlfriend.

And then, of course, there was a bird soiling incident.

All of which I mined for their respective revealing details and then fictionalized for the purposes of the story. It’s the easiest way I know how to make a scene come alive. To feel true. Even if it’s just one small thing. Like a knitting needle in the hair. Or an interminable conversation about pets.

It’s all usable grist.

Things you might use in a book some day.

Watch Don's video trailer for Call the Shots
 

Easter reads!

Escape from the cold biting winds this Easter to a more regent time with Stephanie Burgis' Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson series. 

All three adventures are currently only 99p on Kindle - what better way is there to spend a bitter Easter weekend than to curl up with Kat's magical story?

Book 1: A Most Improper Magick

Book 2: A Tangle of Magicks

Book 3: A Reckless Magick

Read more about the series in this guest post with author Stephanie Burgis:
http://templarpublishing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/stephanie-burgis-guest-post.html

Guest blogger! Daphne finds herself in Me, Suzy P

Today we'd like to welcome Daphne from Winged Reviews onto our blog!

We asked her which character she is most like in Karen Saunders' Me Suzy P and here is her fab answer!

I was thrilled to be asked to write a guest post on Me, Suzy P on the Templar blog. As I've tweeted before, Templar are my go-to publisher for books that I know are fun, well-written and I'm going to enjoy.

One of the reasons I loved Me, Suzy P by Karen Saunders is that she wrote such heart-warming and realistic characters. I saw a little of myself in the characters in the book (both good and bad), which is why I loved it so much.

In Suzy, I saw my bored teenage self. When I was 13, I had someone who I was perfectly happy with, but when someone better came along I jumped ship. Thank goodness I now have more sense 15 years later!

In Harry, I saw my mischevious side, the prankster who took pleasure in teasing my loved ones.

In Milie, I saw the supportive best friend who loved and was there throughout all the bad break-ups and new guys.

In Jade, I saw the snooty girl, who gossiped about others behind their backs (something I'm not proud of).

In Amber, I saw the slightly crazy bride-to-be, panicking over each wedding decision (although not, thankfully, dressing my bridesmaids in lime green)!

In Danny, I saw someone who didn't give up, who found someone perfect and fought to win them back.

To read more about these amazing characters, pick up Me, Suzy P now! To quote my own review: I absolutely flew through this book. I salute you, Karen Saunders, for making me laugh and giving me a true taste of teenage woe.


Me, Suzy P is still 99p on Kindle until the end of March!

Be sure to check out Daphne's blog, or follow her on Twitter @wingedreviews.
Keep up to date with all Karen's news on Facebook or her twitter account: @writingkaren

Gemma O'Neill on St. Patrick's Day

 In the aftermath of St. Patrick's Day, Oh Dear Geoffrey author, Gemma O'Neill talks to us about her St. Patrick's Day traditions and how growing up in Ireland has influenced her work

Hello there! It’s my pleasure to be a part of the Templar blog again and this time it’s to tie in with St. Patrick’s Day. Incase you didn’t know, I’m actually from the tip of the North Coast in Ireland!

I absolutely love St. Patrick’s Day. It’s one of my favourite days of the year, if not my favourite. It’s right up there with Christmas, Easter and birthdays. Since childhood it has always been an eventful one. I always used to go to Portstewart (my neighbour town) with my family to watch lots of very brave people jump into the sea dressed as leprechauns, shamrocks and all sorts of other wonderful costumes.

As an adult it has always been a whole long day to catch up with my oldest friends at the local pub. It means a lot to me and it’s definitely a lot more special than the average day. It begins with Irish stew, we’re all dressed in green and it’s one of those days you really don’t have to feel guilty about taking a break from work.

Apart from when I studied Illustration in Falmouth I’ve lived on the North Coast of Ireland my entire life. It’s a really beautiful spot and I’ve always spent a lot of time outdoors because of that. If I could live on the beaches I would!

The outdoors and nature have definitely had a really huge influence on my work. Even as a child nothing made me happier than rolling out the blank side of wallpaper the full length of the garden and drawing all day long in the sunshine (if we were lucky enough to have sunshine!) Designing and crafting mini zoos strangely took up a big part of my childhood too.

My art teacher at school must have shared my interests in nature as he set lots of nature based projects. I worked on an African themed project the year before my GCSEs. Then my GCSE projects focused on local harbours and packaging design with a bird theme. Nature also dominated my A-levels and my art and design foundation year focusing on forests and the seaside again.

If I’m outside I’m actually a lot more likely to have a camera in my hand than a pencil. I’d much rather be exploring, but a camera still manages to capture what I see, without losing too much time. I really enjoy taking photographs though. It wasn’t until my degree that I realised all the textures I’ve been focusing in on with my camera all these years are the very textures I use subconsciously in my illustrations!

 I recently moved to Portrush, just across the road from one of my favourite beaches, so I don’t see nature taking a back seat with my work anytime soon. Infact, the sea is playing a big part in a current project! I’ve been very lucky to be able to move to one of my favourite places and it’s my first home away from home outside of university too! It’s also the first time I’ve had a proper little illustration studio of my own.

I’m so excited to see the work I produce in such a lovely part of the world over the next year.

Visit Gemma's website or follow her on Twitter @GemsONeill to keep up to date with all her projects 

Claire McFall's Favourite Teen Titles

To celebrate World Book Day, we've asked Ferryman author, Claire McFall, to give us her top five favourite teen books

 So... my top five favourite books. Wow. This was hard! There are way too many books to choose from. Old favourites, new favourites, I-read-you-a-million-times-and-still-love-you-favourites... but I was only allowed five so - with just a teeny tiny bit of cheating – here are mine:

1. Noughts and Crosses Malorie Blackman  

I can’t help it, I cry. Every time I read the ending. I’ve actually taught this novel a couple of times with classes because I love it so much, but I discovered it at University. It made me laugh, squirm, bawl... feel. The concept of reversing racial roles is really interesting, and the way that Blackman shows the changing ideas through the generations (especially if you follow it up with the rest of the series, which you should!) is fantastic. But mostly, it’s just a great story. The characters are real people and the twists and turns of the plot mean you will be up at 4am to finish it. But it’ll be worth it. And then there’s Callum. I can’t help it: I love him. Oh poor Callum. I may have to cry again now.

 2. Harry Potter – All of them! JK Rowling

 

This is cheating because there are seven of them and this is meant to be a top five, but oh well! I’m a little too old to say I grew up with Harry... but then I still don’t think I’m a grown-up, so maybe I did! I’ve read the whole series at least ten times. The world J K Rowling created is so real... I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve day-dreamed my way into it. I would, of course, be a kick-ass auror with awesome skills. Maybe I could get a job at Hogwarts, because, okay, apostrophes and inverted commas may not be quite as important as potions and transfiguration, but witches and wizards need to be able spell in both senses of the word!

3. Goodnight Mister Tom Michelle Magorian 

Everyone should read this book. In fact, I think David Cameron should declare it a new law. Not only is it rich with WWII detail, but it just warms your heart. Willie is sent to stay with the terrifying Mister Tom during the war a thin, sickly, abused little boy. Only Mister Tom isn’t scary – he’s the granddad every child ought to have! I first read this book when I was at school, then I studied it at university, and I’ve taught it too. But mostly, I just read it because I love it.

4. Crossing the Line Gillian Philip  

This is a brilliant book. I read it with a class a couple of years ago as part of the Royal Mail Book Awards. It was one of those where I read it and thought: Man, I wish I’d written that! The main character, Nick Geddes, just grabbed me from the very first page. He’s a big, brutish thug with an absolute heart of gold. The narrative is really interesting, intertwining the present with the back story so that your understanding unfolds with the action.

5. The Famous Five – Five Go off in a Caravan Enid Blyton 

Okay, so this book totally doesn’t go with the rest of the list, but I don’t care. I LOVED the Famous Five books growing up. And when I was done with them, I read my way through the Secret Seven before going back to the Famous Five. There were corny VHS tapes in my local library too (Julian, Dick and Ann... George and Timmy the do-o-og. We are the famous five...Yup, I still know the tune). This was my favourite of all of them, though. They went in a horse drawn gypsy-style carriage (how cool is that!), on their own with no parents, gallivanting about the countryside rounding up baddies. Can you imagine mums and dads doing that nowadays? Mine certainly wouldn’t have let me! Oh, but I dreamed...