Fairy Tale Lands - Not as far away as you think! Movie Locations.

Yesterday whilst walking the dogs in Black Park (Buckinghamshire), we stumbled on an old building, which I thought was odd I hadn't noticed before, but just as I was questioning my sanity I noticed that the aged stone was in fact actually plywood.

The building is a setting for the upcoming Disney Movie adaptation of Cinderella staring Helena Boham Carter, Cate Blanchett and Hayley Atwell (due for release in 2015). It turns out that Black Park woodlands is no stranger to film crews with Tim Burton using it for ‘Dark Shadows’. It also featured in many of the Harry Potter films, and provided the setting for the fairy tale forest in the 80’s Fantasy ‘Willow.’ 

So this accidental find got me thinking; with such a wealth of fairy tale movies at the moment, what other locations have been picked by producers and directors (with a bit of dressing, a tad of CGI and bucket load of imagination) to become fairy tale wonderlands.

It turns out that The National Trust which is mostly associated with costume dramas has been doing rather well out of the Hollywood Fairy Tale fascination, with…

Snow White and The Huntsman – that chose their Frensham Ponds as a major location.

Then, Disneys live action take on Sleeping beauty, Maleficent starring Anglina Jolie in the title role, has been filming at yet another of their properties, The Ashridge Estate

‘Jack the giant Slayer’ filmed at another of the National Trust's treasures, The Cheddar Gorge.

However the Tommy Wirkola directed,’ Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters’ opted for the Grimm’s homeland of Germany, for all of the on location filming.

Bourne Wood’s in Surrey has had a fair amount of fairytale action with both t Bryan Singer, ‘Jack the giant Slayer’ and last year’s ‘Snow White and The Huntsman’, transforming it into a fairy tale forest.

The really great thing about this, is that many of these locations are in the uk, and so we can actually visit experience and be inspired by these the fairy tale settings! 

Independent Booksellers Week 2013! – Celebrating some of our Favourite Indy Bookshops!

This week is Independent Bookseller Week 2013! 29th June to the 6th booksellers, publishers, authors, illustrators, and customers will be involved in events across the nation designed to promote and celebrate Indy bookshops.  Press here to read about some of the IBW events across the country. 

In a world where the internet is ever reaching, and small indy booksellers are competing in the shadow of giant on line companies, IBW is a way of celebrating these little book-havens and shouting to the world that indy bookselling is still very much alive.

‘Independent bookshops are far and away the best, I don’t buy in larger chain bookshops, I like the independents. It’s the people in the independent bookshops, they’re so knowledgeable, and they pick better books.’  

Janice Markey, Teaching Assistant, Book-crosser, Book lover.

So in the spirit of Independent Booksellers Week, here are some authors favourite Indy Bookshops . . .

Just Imagine Children's bookshop in Chelmsford - Julia Jones

Recently discovered Just Imagine children's bookshop in Chelmsford, owned and managed by the redoubtable Nikki Gamble.

Julia Jones is an author and owner of Golden Duck (UK) Ltd.

Leaf Old Cross in Hertford - Alice Hemming

My favourite indy bookshop is Leaf - a children's bookshop and café which has recently opened up just around the corner from me at the Old Cross in Hertford. Leaf offers a full range of titles for 0-18 yr olds as well as serving fantastic coffee, tea, milkshakes and home-made cakes in a family friendly space. They also do book readings, craft activities, book clubs and they are offering 10% off all book purchases and putting on extra free craft activities this week for Independent Booksellers week.

Alice Hemming is a picture book writer. Her first book, The Black and White Club, will be published by Maverick in September.

Mostly Books in Abingdon – Sally Poyton

Mostly Books is a family run indy bookshop that started as a labour of love in 2008 when it won the prestigious New Bookshop of the Year Award. Mostly Books is full of friendly staff who always greet you with a smile, that are very knowledgeable about their stock and spend time to help you find the right books. MB’s is more than just a bookshop; it stretches out to the community with a huge calendar of author events, and books groups. It also has great tie with local schools bringing authors to meet the pupils, helping to inspire the next generation of writers.

The Norfolk Children's Book Centre - Paeony Lewis

The Norfolk Children's Book Centre is in the middle of nowhere (off the A140 between Aylsham and Cromer), but they'll always give you a cup of coffee. What I like is that they have books you won't find in many other booksellers. Yesterday I bought a glorious American picture book called Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. 

Paeony Lewis, is a children’s author of picture books. http://www.paeonylewis.com

Scarthin Books in Cromford - Mel Rogerson

Derbyshire has its fair share of indie bookshops, but Scarthin Books in Cromford, is one of the best. Spread over three ramshackle floors, it's impossible to leave without finding at least one gem amongst the shelves of new, old and rare books. My favourite place in the belly of this organic beast is, of course, the Children's Book Room. Packed full of brilliant titles, from picture books to YA novels, it has a magical air that only true, well-worn bookshops can bestow. And if all this literary loveliness gets too much, there's always a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake waiting in the cafe on the other side of the corridor. Scarthin Books is more than a shop, it's a door to other worlds. Long may it exist! 

Mel Rogerson used to make books for a living, but after moving back home to the Peak District, she now writes and reviews them for fun. A fan of all things hidden, Mel loves hiking through secret dales and hunting for lost villages. She's also partial to maps, oatcakes and tiny things. Mel is joint features editor for Words and Pictures, the SCBWI British Isles blogzine.

The Thatcham Bookshop - Anita Loughrey

The Thatcham Bookshop has a surprisingly wide range of books and they will order anything else in.

Anita Loughrey is an author of children’s books she also writes for The Writer Forum Magazine.



Finally we finish with a newly opened Bookshop! Last weekend children book author Julia Jones OPENED Between the Lines Bookshop in the village of Great Bardfield Essex. Must surely be the newest bookshop in the country! It’s great to see that in a financial downturn that indy bookshops are still opening. Good luck Between the lines!

So why not have a look to find out where your local Indy Bookshop is, and what events they're running this week! Follow this link to find our your nearest Independent bookshop; Independent Bookshop Directory.

What don't you leave a comment and tell us about your favourite independent bookshop!

Giving my creativity a boost (or at least that’s my excuse) . . .

 Giving my creativity a boost 

(or at least that’s my excuse) . . . 

A while ago I wrote a blog called Dachshund vs Straitjacket [to read press here]. Silly title as it may be it was about the creative mind [well mine at least] working best whilst walking, and the benefits of doing this whilst walking a hound.

I find movement untethers creativity from the shackles of to-do-lists, nagging worries and all the other stodgy thoughts that clog up the brain. When walking my mind is free to meander wherever it wants, and that this is where my best ideas come from.

Apparently it not just me researchers from the University of Utah have done studies which have proven walking does boost creative thinking, and that on one of their test groups the volunteers creative performance was improved by 50% after a four-day hiking trip. [To read full article press here]

However the University of Utah said nothing about talking to one’s self whilst walking. This is what I do. I think out story lines, and talk it out loud, trying out dialogue and sometimes even arguing with myself. Now this was all well and good when I had a dog to walk, as passers-by assumed I was talking to the dog. BUT when my four legged friend passed away three years ago, people I passed on my walks would speed up or cross the road and avoid eye contact with the strange woman who was talking to herself. I’m sad to say my walking habits changed and not to the benefit of my creativity.

Missing my creative walks, and after much debate and discussion I have found a solution, one which will stop me from having strange glares, when I'm talking on my rambles through the countryside.


Here is the solution . . .