News and Events

50-visit landmark reached

1/9/2017

Between sessions today, I realised that today's school visit was my 50th since starting down this fun, challenging, and often sticky path of basically making stuff up as I go along :-)
Here's to the next 50.

If you are a school (or a library or bookshop for that matter) and would like to book me for an author visit, please take a look at my visits page for more information: http://www.leylandperree.co.uk/author-visits.html

The Magic Custard Factory RELEASE DATE CONFIRMED!

11/18/2016

It's official. After three years' wait The Magic Custard Factory finally goes on sale from December 1st 2016! That's just two weeks away from me writing this.
I know Stuart (McGhee) will agree that this one has been a real battle at times, but we like to think it will be worth the wait. Check out the sample here and gaze in wonder at Stuart McGhee's amazing cover art below.

Introducing S.O.C.K-in-a-box

6/18/2016

This week saw the launch of a project I have been developing over the past few years. Starting life as a class activity I use when visiting schools, "S.O.C.K-in-a-box" (originally called "Brain-in-a-box") is an inventive classroom resource that encourages creativity through the building of story outlines from a deck of 140 cards.
The name-change was for a number of reasons. Firstly, Brain-in-a-box sounds kind of gruesome.
Secondly, S.O.C.K is an abbreviation of Story Outline Construction Kit - which is exactly what the tool is.
Thirdly, S.O.C.K-in-a-box is a metaphor for creativity, playing dress-up and make-believe, The box illustration gives a vital clue to this concept.

Imagine, as a child, coming across an old dusty trunk in the attic. You open the trunk and find it full of oddments, bric-a-brac, junk....and an odd sock
(so THAT's where all the odd socks go!). You pull out the sock and what do you do? Immediately make a sock-puppet, that's what! You have created a character and a scenario, something to react to, possibly a setting, some form of conflict your sock character is facing. You are story-telling as its most basic form. Now, what else is in the trunk...
This is the very foundation of S.O.C.K-in-a-box. Pulling a random sock (or a sword, a crown or a rocket ship for that matter) from a box of miscellany is a metaphor for drawing an idea from your brain, toying with it, developing it, combining it with other ideas, to create a story. And guess what? That's exactly what writers do.

iS.O.C.K-in-a-box is essentially an ENORMOUS dusty old trunk simply crammed with characters, places, time periods, objects, emotions, plot devices and themes, that can be combined to produce virtually limitless possibilities. Even by laying out just six cards (one card drawn at random from each of the six card categories) you will have created one of
5.9 BILLION possible outcomes of story outline.
Now tell me that's not cool.

S.O.C.K-in-a-box is now available to buy from the Resource Store.

NOTE TO TEACHERS: If you are interested in inviting me to your school for a S.O.C.K demonstration, please do get in touch.

World Book Day 2016

2/13/2016

My diary has started to fill up for this year's World Book Day, with author visits to Exwick Heights and Gulworthy Primary Schools in the Southwest, to name a few. I still have some availability dotted about in World Book Day week and the following week, so if you are in need of an author to visit your school, feel free to make an enquiry through my Contact page.

Or, why not reserve a visit for another time in the year, perhaps to coincide with your school summer or Christmas fairs?
Author visits are for life, not just World Book Days!

Exciting Developments!

4/23/2015

It's been a good long while since my last update, but that doesn't mean that I've been idle!
Over the last six months or so, since the closure of my previous publisher, Ghostly Publishing, I have teamed up with fellow ex-Ghostly author, Katy Krump, to form a new publishing alliance, GLUE Publishing.

GLUE is far from being a traditional publisher and its intention is to give some control back to the author when it comes to publishing their books, and allowing them to reap greater rewards for their efforts. Both Katy and I hope it will be successful and we have some great books lined up for release over the next year, not to mention (though I will) the republication of some of my existing books (and Katy's) under the GLUE banner.

GLUE officially launches tomorrow (24th April 2015) at 8.30pm GMT on the GLUE Facebook page. You are most welcome to join us for chit-chat. Exciting times ahead!
Click here for the event link.

Publisher news

12/7/2014

It is with a degree of sadness that I can now reveal that Ghostly Publishing, the publisher of my three most recent books, closed their doors to business as of the end of September 2014. What this means for me as an author is that I have to work extra hard now to re-sell those works to other publishers who may want to take them on.

I am lucky that I do hold a limited stock of these books, so I can continue to sell them at school visits and events until the stocks eventually deplete.

But change also brings opportunity, and I have plans in the making to re-launch the following titles in the coming year:

The Great Reef Race
Which Witch is Which?
The Unpleasant Tale of the Man-eating Christmas Pudding

At the time of Ghostly's closure, my collaborator and illustrator, Stuart McGhee, had just finished the first draft storyboard for what was to be our Christmas release "The Magic Custard Factory". Obviously Ghostly's departure has put this on hold temporarily. My focus next year will be to re-release the above three titles with an exciting new publisher (keep checking this page for further details), and then for Stuart and I to reacquaint ourselves with those naughty custard-making imps.

So you see, the toppling of Ghostly Towers was not all doom and gloom, and I foresee some exicting times ahead with the re-release of your favourite stories in multiple formats, some all-new stories and ... well, who knows what else?

Leyland

Ernesettle Community School Christmas Fair

12/5/2014

A special "thank you" to the staff at Ernesettle Community School for inviting me to sell and sign books at their Christmas fair. I had lovely time meeting lots of kids with sticky, smiling, painted faces. And I shifted a few books too, which is always nice :-)

Penzance Literary Festival 2014

7/19/2014

Author Workshop at Sir Robert Gefferys School

7/10/2014

On 10th July, Leyland will run an all-day author workshop with the children of Sir Robert Geffreys School. Details to follow...

Book Event at The College of St. Mark and St. John

6/7/2014

On 7th June, Leyland will be joining other local authors at the College's book event.
Details to come at a later date... TBC