My week as an intern

This week, Templar's editorial team have been lucky enough to have the very lovely Katie with us. Below, she shares her thoughts.

My time as an intern at Templar has been short but sweet. During this week I have learned a lot about the world of publishing, which I’m sure will help me next year when I begin studying English Literature at university.

Everyone has been so lovely to me. I have been allowed to help with many different things including testing games and puzzles, proofreading ozalids and learning that there is more to editing than most people think – it’s not all correcting typos.

I would have loved to spend even longer here, as clearly there is so much more that I could learn; but unfortunately everything must come to an end and I am so grateful for what I have seen and done. Thank you, Templar Publishing!

The Paper Watch Project

Templar Publishing is proud to announce that The Paper Watch Project is now live! Find out more about the project and how it came about through the eyes of our intern, Sarah Yewman, who created the blog and the auction pages.

Our lovely logo courtesy of Emma Yarlett

by Emma Block

What is 'The Paper Watch Project'?

The Paper Watch Project is Templar's creative charity initiative. A one-off opportunity to bide on a unique piece of art (in this case a paper watch) created by illustrators all over the globe, in aid of charity. We have over 80 beautifully designed watches up for auction over the next 10 days, by some of the country's best loved illustrators. So get over there and take a look.

The Paper Watch Project.

Benji Davies - beautifully packaged

Why Breast Cancer Care?

After shocking news that 2 inspirational members of the Templar team were diagnosed with breast cancer, the company set about raising funds for Breast Cancer Care.

Who's involved?

James Brown

Hoping for possibly 10 volunteers, we ended with almost 90 illustrators willing to give their time to our initiative. You can see the illustrious list here. The project is one of many fundraising ideas and is the brain child of the lovely Emma O'Donovan, aka my boss/The Book Sniffer. Before I started work here, I loved the concept of this project, so creating the site and auction pages was a real treat!

Leilah's sock alien

How do I bid?

Pop along to our Auction page.

Choose your favourite (good luck with that one!) then simply click on the link underneath the image to place your bid. Simples!

NB each watch has a minimum bid of £15 and 100% of the proceeds go directly to Breast Cancer Care.

I can't tell you how much fun I've had and how honoured I feel to have played my part in this fabulous project. Please go and place a bid. These watches are a one-off opportunity to bid on a unique piece of art and all in the name of charity.

Pony Detectives readers do their own detective work

It's great to see so many Pony Detectives readers coming up with their own fabulous questions for author, Belinda Rapley, and we're lucky enough to have her answers to these probing questions here.

Question 1 - If you had a dream pony or horse, what would it be like?

Fab question! Well, Zano is kind of my dream horse (I have to say that, don't I?!), but if I could have another dream horse, it would be gelding, just like Zano. I'm quite tall, so I'd like him to be about 16.2hh, skewbald (brown and white patches - my fave!), and he would be an amazing jumper! I've worked in a showjumping yard before and I love jumping - coloured poles and cross country fences - everything and anything, even just popping over a log on a hack. Zano can't jump, because he has arthritis in his off fore fetlock (check out my blog for more of an update on this!), so I really miss it. But, more than anything, my dream horse would have to be a real sweetie, love me spending lots of time grooming him, and would be willing to become my very best friend. That way, just like Zano, if anything happened which meant he couldn't be ridden, we'd still have a really lovely time together. How about you? Have you got a dream pony, too? 

Question 2 - Will you write any other books about horses or not?

I would LOVE to write more pony books! I dream of ponies and horses, and most of my ideas involve a horse or pony somewhere, whether they're the main animal in the story or not. Basically, I love ALL animals, and I can't imagine writing books without animals in. I've got a fab idea for a new pony book that I'm working on at the moment - watch this space! Also, I got Scooby, my Labrador, about 5 months ago and he's just so adorable - he's like an overload of fun - he's inspiring me to think of doggy tales, too!

Question 3 - How many rosettes have you won?

Ooh, I've got a little stash of rosettes upstairs, in one of my pony 'memory boxes' - that's where I keep all the stuff from old riding holidays, old piccies, newspaper cuttings and that kind of thing. I didn't have my own pony when I was younger, so I didn't get to ride at shows - I just went to watch, so I haven't got as many as lots of other people. I used to look at pictures of riders in pony books with walls full of rosettes and wish that I could have that one day! Me and Zano are starting to get there - we've been to a couple of shows and won rosettes in each class we've entered. One judge described Zano as 'drop dead gorgeous' in the foreign breeds class - and I had to agree, ha ha! (Okay, I'm maybe just a teensy weensy bit biased?!). We haven't had much chance to really get going at shows yet though, because Zano's had so many things wrong with him, but I'm hoping that we're heading at a slow clop-clop towards the end of the long road to his recovery. Then, it'll be full on getting him back to fitness, and if - fingers crossed - he stays happy and sound, we'll be off to lots of shows. Mind you, after everything he's been through, just having fun at a show will feel like a result. A rosette would be the cherry on top!

Question 4 - I have read your latest book,and its great! Why did you make Pixie shy and quiet?

Yey! I'm so glad you liked Puzzle! And I love your interesting question! So, why did I make Pixie shy and quiet? Well, she's been through quite a bit; her dad's disappeared and she's lost her confidence at Compton Manor, and that has made her a little less sure about herself. It's made her unsure about others, too, and she's worried what they'll think of her. So it takes a while for her to relax around the Pony Detectives, and to trust them. I thought that if I was in Pixie's situation, I'd be pretty shy, too, and that's how her character developed in that way. And, she's quiet because of the big secret she's carrying around with her, which is weighing on her mind. I can't say too much about that bit, because I don't want to give Pixie's secret away for anyone reading this who hasn't yet opened the pages of Puzzle, the Runaway Pony! I really liked Pixie, and I loved writing her character - I think she's really sweet, and her quietness and shy nature contributed to that. 

Please keep your questions coming in and don't forget to visit our Pony Detectives website for more information about the series of books.

The Last Page

Editorial intern Andrew is just finishing off his last day of a six-week placement. Here he shares his final thoughts...

The end is nigh – and much more peaceful than the beginning. After the mania that surrounds the build up to Frankfurt Book Fair, the calm that followed was surprisingly eerie. It was great to see the day-to-day pace of everything and know that somewhere over the sea the true publishing storm was raging and I could help out from a relatively safe distance.

Having, cut, stuck, coloured and cross-worded to my heart’s content, the last few weeks have now introduced me to creative meetings, proofreading, research, submissions and the post–room.

The team have been great at allowing me to be involved in all elements of their work and it was fantastic to sit in and hear the feedback from the fair.

It’s exciting to know I’ve had a sneak peek at what is to come (I won’t spoil it for anyone, but trust me, young readers won’t be disappointed). There will be a part of me excited to see them begin to appear on the shelves, knowing not only their quality, but also the hard work that has gone into creating them, and each book will be tinged with the happy memory of having been a part of it.