A Mammoth Book Deal! 

A bit of exciting news! After 18 years of writing I have found a home for my wee mammoth book with Simon and Schuster! Coming out next February in hardback.


A massive thank you to my agents Lauren Gardner & Callen Martin of Bell Lomax Moreton and the team at @simonkidsuk. Plus all my writer friends and family who have been cheerleading me through the years!

Going out of your comfort zone

Going out of your comfort zone

Sometimes you need for the sake of sanity and progress to push yourself out of your comfort zone. It is easy to stay firmly where you feel safe, and my safe is writing books for children and doodling – mostly mammoths. But recently I’ve pushed myself out of the realms of comfortable – with a little nudge from another mammoth mad person who shares my first name – and into the world of paleo art.

This has in full disclosure included some of my more usual style illustrations of cute cuddly mammoths including making a Top Trunks display boards based on extinct Proboscidea, and comic strips on how poo fossilises and turns into coprolite. But also into something I haven’t done since studying fine art at university or perhaps my art foundation course, which is nearly three decades ago, creating accurate drawings. In this case studies of fossils and what the animals the fossils came from would have looked like when they were alive.

 

The work is considerably more intricate and time consuming, than crating cuddy mammoths, but it is as enjoyable as it is frustrating. I cracked out the good pencils rather than my usual wax crayons and got started. It was a learning curb. I found it easy to get so focused on the details, that I would forget to step back to ensure it was working as a whole, so I had to remind myself to do this at regular intervals.

 

I also felt mammoth amounts of imposter syndrome, with my brain constantly telling me that’ I am no good’. And that ‘I shouldn’t be doing it’. it got so bad that I ventured up into the attic and got down a framed print, that I had brought for my son when he was doing his GCSE art, saying ‘An expert in something was once a beginner,’ and put it beside me whilst I worked. It was to remind me that although I may have a degree in fine art, have been a professional artist, and have a lot of people who are very fond of my mammoths, I am only starting out as a paleo artist – and that I shouldn’t be too harsh on myself.

 

In general I think that the finished pieces vary in quality, but I am proud of them, especially some of the later ones which shows improvement especially considering I only embarked on this endeavour in August

So my point is that this has shown me just how important and healthy it is to explore places out of your comfort zone.

Interviewing Your Protagonist – (and other synopsis wrangling adventures!)

The synopsis = every writer’s nemesis! Fitting your story on one, single spaced, twelve point, Times New London font, page of text. WITHOUT fudging the margins. Whilst communicating all the plot points, story arc, character development and if well executed retaining some of the book’s voice. It is awful, time consuming and often very frustrating to create.

Drawing by my daughter CIRCA 2013!

 

A few months ago I came to the point of the dreaded synopsis writing. Usually I do a reverse snowflake – I write it all out and then cut it down. I start by halving each paragraph and then each sentence until it fits on to the page. But this time it wasn’t working so I tried a new technique.

 

Upon advice from one of my agents Callen, I interviewed my protagonist. I initially found it a hard concept to wrap my brain around, So I started by creating an image of me and my character together in a chat show style setting and  then went about conducting the interview. I was sceptical as my main character isn’t a lover of talking about herself or doing public speaking. I know this as she’s interviewed in the manuscript, and she tends to lock up and say very little.

However I was in for a surprise, for I hadn’t taken everything into account. Usually my main character is interviewed with her friends as a group, including her bestie who is very confident and verbose. However on a 1-2-1 situation, she really opened up when recounting her version of the adventures that take place in the book. FOUR AND A HALF A4 PAGES worth of opening up! I was left with a way too long synopsis, but I also learnt a lot more about the character in the process which was great.

 

But this then left me with 3 synopsises - A blurb type single paragraph synopsis. A one-page synopsis of an older draft and this epic four-page interview synopsis. I knew that between the three I could sow a ‘Frankenstein style’ synopsis together by adopting the Roald Dahl literal Cut and Paste editing method – and resorting to scissors and glue. Then I used my tried and tested of halving each paragraph until it was right. 

Taking the plunge and tackling the synopsis from an interview stance has taught me that when you are stuck and blocked, then a change an approach can work wonders.

September - Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month. A guide to spreading kindness…

September - Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month. A guide to spreading kindness…

I just learned that September is the official ‘Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month’! Now I firmly think writers and other creatives within the business should be treated well all year around, but what a lovely thing, to think here is a official month dedicated to our welfare!

Every month I try to support other pre-published writers by sending them postal affirmations, (read more here), but here are some tips on other ways to be kind to writers and editors, many of which don’t cost a penny!

Ways to be Kind to Published Writers

• Buy their book!

• Load out their book from the library (they receive a small sub od money for each time the book lent.)

• Leave a review online. (you can review a book on Amazon, even if you didn’t purchase it there).

• Do a shout out on social media.

• Recommend it to a friend.

Ways to be Kind to Pre-Published Writers

• Ask about their WIP Work in Progress.

• Give them time to write.

• Ask if they need anything to assist with writing: highlighters, post-its, caffeine, chocolate, hug.

Ways to be Kind to Editors (and Agents)

• Thank your editors and tell them how grateful you are for their help whipping your manuscript into shape.

Ways to be Kind to Writers – Published and Pre-Published, Editors, Agents (anyone in the industry)

Send them…

• Cake.

• Chocolate.

• Caffeine.

• Wine!

• A kind word.

Beads of Submission - Signing with an Agent!

 

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about my endeavour to receive one hundred rejection in 2024, and in order to a have a constant visual display of my progress I was putting beads in a jar. A blue bead for every submission, and a pink bead for every full manuscript request, long-listing or short-listing etc. By the point of posting, I’d already added my first pink bead.

There is great news the pink bead has changed into a special bead made of actual mammoth bone. Why? I am delighted to say I’ve signed on Lauren Gardner and her assistant Callen Martin of Bell Lomax Moreton, with my mammoth book!

 

However, looking at my jar, it looks wrong, as it only has a bead for every submission I’ve made with this manuscript in 2024, which is misleading as I’ve been subbing this book in previous years. So I went back to my spread sheet to tally up the real submission statics and therefore added them to the jar.

 

Ashley Grimes Mammoth Whisperer in all its forms, has been subbed 42 times and received 6 full manuscript requests and I offer.

 

In addition, it was subbed to 15 competitions, and not so much as a long-listing or honorary mention.

But this is still only part of the story, as I started writing when my youngest was coming up to his first birthday – he is now driving and sitting his a-levels! So, to get to this point I’ve written 8 (completed) novels, I novella, I chapter book and countless picture books, all of which have been subbed and therefore I have a massed a huge pile of rejections. I haven’t tallied all these up, as counting isn’t my strong suit (dyscalculia), but I am delighted to have reached this milestone.

I am very much looking forward to working with Lauren and Callen.

Writing - So Much More than the Pursuit of Publication

Sometimes as a pre-published author I get tunnel vision, believing success is only one thing – getting published. But it is so much more. It just takes a wide angled lens to appreciate just how much more.

When you are on submission and the rejections are rolling in or worse, there is a void of rejections as is the modern way, and everyone seems to be getting contracts but you, it can seem as if success is binary, in print or failed. This is the time to take a step back and admire the view. Due to this exact reason and also not helped by a spell of bad health, this is what I have recently done.

I have done this before and posted about all the ways that writing has enhanced my life and my family's in multiple ways - read more here. But this time I wanted to do it specifically for my current project/submission ‘Ashley Grimes Mammoth Whisperer.’ To see how writing the book has embellished by life, and it is a really lovely view with lots of accomplishments to feel good about.

Firstly, I have rekindled my original love of illustration, as a direct result, as I started sketching the characters and settings. I am now working on developing a portfolio.

Space mammoth - illustration by me - crayons, ink, ipad. 

 

I had an article of non-fiction about Mammoths and climate change published in the amazing children’s periodical The Changeling Magazine, along with one of my illustrations. Read more here.

I’ve also been invited to do library and museum events to talk children and adults alike abut mammoths and their theoretical use to help combat climate change.

 

I’m now sometime referred to as Mammoth Lady or Mammoth Aunty (not actually by my a nephews or nieces!) which I love. Also, often people think of me when they stumble across a mammoth and send me photos/messages, which I adore. Who doesn’t like seeing a mammoth in the wild? Or send me mammoth things they've made - I love a surprise mammoth post!

A selection of handmade mammoth surprise post!

I have had the privilege of messaging, meeting, and making friends with some lovely equally - possibly even more - mammoth obsessed people than me. Like Beth Shaprio, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who wrote the book, ‘How to Clone a Mammoth,’ who very kindly checked the science in my manuscript. 

Also, thanks to my longest friend Vicky Stowell – thank you, Sally and Nev Hollingworth, who are the amazing paleontologist's who found the Mammoth of Graveyard near Swindon.

Me (middle) With Sally and Nev Hollingworth - (photo by Nev (thanks Nev))

Lastly it was Sally and Nev who invited me to do something that I always wanted to do, go on a planetology dig. When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted to be a paleozoologist or anthropologist, but I was not permitted to take science and I was told by school I would never me allowed to do any scientific endeavour but to stick to art due to my dyslexia and dyscalculia. Of course at that tender age you believe it. So going to the dig was amazing. Full of lovely generous people. Although I personally didn’t find any bits of dead mammoth, I did help plaster a mammoth tusk ready for transport. Which was a real honour! 

Me helping with the plastering - thanks to Sally H for photo.

So, when the rejections are rolling in, and my lack of perceived achievement gets me down, I have to think - if I gave up writing what else would I miss? The answer is - a lot. A lot of awesome stuff!

Me at the dig! Thanks Sally H for the photo!

Submission Impossible? 100 Rejections in a Year!

I’ve made the decision that this year 2024, I’m really going to knuckle down and submit like I have never submitted before. In the past I’ve always approached my submission process with a tad less dedication than the writing itself. After spending hours (far too many to calculate) researching, plotting, world building, writing, revising and editing, (and repeating several times over), the submission always start with an enthusiastic flourish and then after a first dozen and half of rejections, I lose confidence, and everything just peters out.

This year though, I believe my manuscript is in really good shape, and the feedback from peers and professional has been encouraging, so my aim is to be more tenacious in 2024. With that in mind I have set myself the target of receiving 100 rejections before we next sing Auld Lang Syne.

 

To achieve this, I’ve built in dedicated time in my weekly schedule and have implemented some measures to visually show progress. In addition to my spreadsheet, I’ve got a glass vase and some crystal beads. With every submission I will add a blue (stripped agate) bead to the vase, and with every full manuscript request, long-listing, short-listing or honorary mention, I will add a pink (tigers eye) bead to the vase. This will mean that I will see the vase gradually filling up throughout the year.

I am hoping that having this visual tactile log of my progress will also serve as a stimulus to keep me motivated and continue the endeavour of reaching my target.

If by a miracle I get signed along the way I will think of a something extra special to add to the vase.

 

**Edit** since initially writing this I’ve added my first pink bead! Fingers crossed!

Writing like a Mammoth

For the novel I am currently submitting, Ashley Grimes Mammoth Whisperer, I had to write convincing and authentic fauna, in particular mammoths.

For context here’s the elevator pitch…

Ashley Grimes Mammoth Whisperer

Ash must save the herd of woolly mammoths that have been cloned to help slow global warming, from an evil big game hunting obsessed billionaire. By overcoming the difficulties of her dyslexia and dyscalculia and combining her skills in understanding mammoth behaviour with her friend’s, Ruby’s escapologist skills and Jack’s technical whizzery, the three children endeavour to save, a village, Ash’s dad and of course the mammoths!

Writing real and convincing animals can be difficult but is much easier if you have experience of keeping them or observing them in the flesh. This can be easy or tricky depending on the animal, dog – easy, Komodon Dragon – tricker, but a species which has long been extinct is impossible.

This can be avoided by cheating. And yes, I initially tried to cheat, but having my main protagonist be able to talk to the mammoths. The problem was it undermine the concept and stood the book in a weird position of being too old for a Chapter Book, and too young for Middle Grade. Upon several lovely folk’s invaluable feedback, who suggested that I take out the Doctor Doolittle element (you know who you are and thank you so much), I made the decision to rewrite. This time with no anthropopeia in sight.

 

It was the right course of action and improved the manuscript immeasurably, putting it firmly in the desired middle grade age group, but initially starting the task was daunting. What so I know about how mammoth behave? Oe how they interact with humans? I had obviously already done some research, but this edit meant that it had to greatly upped – mammoth style.

I do have animal husbandry experience – birds of various types, parrots, pigeons, even rheas. Reptiles – iguanas, chameleons, geckos. Fish. Small mammals – rodents, dogs, cats, sheep, alpacas. Yep, yep yep.

So how then to work out how a long dead species would behave? It had to be two-fold firstly – find out what is known about mammoths and their interactions with out ancestors. Secondly looks at mammoths closest living relative, elephants and more specifically Asian Elephants.

 

As I couldn’t afford a trip to India to meet actual elephants, then visiting a safari park to observe them from a distance would have to do. Plus watching every documentary, I could find on either elephants or mammoths.

 

The next one was the biggy. I may not been able to stretch to a trip to India but I could justify investing in books. I researched books, and brought any I could on elephants behaviour, mannerisms, culture, society and interactions with humans.

 

This was fascinating, as I read biographies of Jumbo and then the autobiography of his keeper. Books on animal husbandry and zoology, general elephant behaviour. Guides on being safe around elephants on safari. I also looked for any books on paleozoology and evolutionary biology about mammoths. In addition, I also looked at neanderthals and their interactions with fauna, and mammoths specifically.

Whilst I did this I was armed with many colours of highlighters and matching tag post-its. Why? Well, I love my emotional thesaurus for writing that I use all the time when writing in order to show characters emotions rather than tell, so I decided to create my own thesaurus of mammoths behaviours.

 

So anything of certain grouped behaviours or reactions, say anger and aggression, was highlighted one colour and a corresponding coloured tag put on the page. I also created a key, so I know which colour was which group of behaviours. This meant that while I was editing, I could find all the resources I needed for certain behaviours in my attempts to create an authentic and believable representation of the mammoths.

 

I also did the same for mammoth/human interactions,

It was a lot of work, but I believe the books is much, much better as a result. And if I am ever lucky enough to so a sequel at least I already have the resource at hand.

Magazines, Manchester, (a) Museum, Mammoths and Me!

After such a long gap in posting the proverbial blog bus comes with two posts in quick succession. The last few months have been busy.  Busy in the best of ways (covid aside), with lots of small things to celebrate.   The mammoth library event that I covered in last week’s post, and now this small bundle of celebration worthy things that cumulated in one magical mammoth day, in Manchester!

So being a pre-published writer/illustrator I’m always on the trail of seeing my work in print. I try to grasp all the opportunities I can. Subbing to agents, editors, pitch contests, feedback giveaways and when it came up in the summer to the submission window open to neurodiverse creatives for The Changelings Mini-Mag.

The Changeling project was founded my writer Emmy Clark and has produced the Changeling Annual, for middle grade readers full of fascinating stories, articles, activities, and vibrant illustrations, all by neurodiverse writers and illustrators from across the globe.  The Mini-Mag is the first periodical. The project has a close relationship with The Museum of Science and Industry of Manchester.

I was very honoured to have my ‘Rebuilding Mammoths’ article and accompanying illustration picked to be included in the first edition which has the theme of ‘Rebuild’, to tie in with the museum ongoing building work.

There was further excitement on receiving the virtual proof copy of the Mini-Mag, and seeing the amazing diversity and quality of the other features was humbling.

I was even more delighted to be told that over the half term, the Changeling Team alongside staff at the museum were running some workshops inspired by my article. So, when I was invited, not even wild mammoths could keep me away.

They asked if I could make a video of me reading my article, for them to play at the beginning of the workshops, of course I said yes! Then I had to quickly learn how to film and edit! I set up my room with a backdrop and balanced the iPad-and-the-pea style precariously on top of a table and boxes. To ensure I didn’t forget what to say, stuck on the wardrobes A3 sheets with my text printed on it.  Then complete with props I filmed. And filmed. And filmed. Until I eventually had an ok version. Lastly I edited in illustrations, and a video before sending on to the Changeling editor to do a final cut – who added subtitles and music.

On the day, my husband, son, and me, left at 6am and travelled up to Manchester. We arrived to rain. Lots of rain! Us being soft southerners hadn’t dressed accordingly, so by the time I got to the museum, my jean’s had a tide line up to my knees, my shoes were waterlogged and I looked like a drowned rat.

This made my nerves kick in. But I shouldn’t have worried, The Changeling Team, Emmy, Jenn and Alex were lovely and made me feel incredibly welcome.

The team were super organised and had all the activities prepared and everything set up by the time I arrived. Which gave us time for a lovely chat, before the whirlwind began.

Across the two workshops more than 45 children with their accompanying adults attended.  First came the video, it was weird and uncomfortable watching myself on screen, a very squirming kind of torture. Then the grand Mammoth Mask Making commenced.

While the creativity was happening, I circulated around the room, with a mammoth tooth I’d brought along, and talked to children and their adults about their amazing masks, but also about general mammoth and cloning facts.  

In both session I had parents initiate conversations about mammoth cloning and their proposed use to help slow (or slop the acceleration) of global warming. The discussions evolved to cover how the same technology is being used to help try save endangered species, and how inspiring the next generation to look to STEM and use their imaginations is so important for their future and that of the planet.

There were lots of smiles, and some truly momentous mammoth masks, in a rainbow of colours and styles.  The Changeling team were in their element, encouraging children to be creative, and by giving each child attending a free copy of the Mini-Mag – encouraging them to foster a love of stories too.

When the workshops were over and everything cleared away, I think we were all pretty tired. But the best was to come, as I was given a copy of the physical magazine. Seeing one of my mammoths in print alongside my article was a delight.

So, I send my heartiest of thanks to The Changeling team; Emmy, Jenn and Alex and to the lovely museum staff. Plus, a Big Mammoth Thank You to all the children and adults who came to the workshops and made some truly marvellous mammoth masks!