A break for Christmas and a chance to reflect...

Wow... what a year! With Christmas around the corner and a New Year to look forward to, I'd like to take a few minutes to reflect on a very eventful 2012.

I finally completed the Pathylon trilogy for my Bradley Baker series of children's adventure books and sales of all three titles have surpassed our expectations.

 



And I am really pleased to be working on a fourth BB adventure, which will be published during the summer of 2013.

 

 

It's been a busy year with lots of fabulous school visits and repeat visits to showcase my Bradley Baker books and help to inspire many thousands of children that I've been privileged to meet. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers and students for allowing me to present at the following schools (listed in no particular order);

 

Combe Pafford, St Margarets, Cockington, Torre, Ilsham, Westlands, Galmpton, Brixham, Eden Park, Redhills, Sidmouth, Whipton Barton, Bowhill, Ellacombe, White Rock, Canada Hill, Teignmouth, Our Lady and St Patricks, Sherwell Valley, Kings Ash, Shiphay, Harbertonford and Torbay.





 

 

 

I'm also really proud to be associated with some tremendous organisations linked to the welfare of children in my home county of Devon. My duites included judging competition entries for short stories with the vInpired Team and helping to honour young writers in Torbay.

 

 

 

 

I'm also honoured to have been appointed Vice Chancellor for the Children's University in Torbay and I look forward to continue my work with the area representative Emma Gorman to advocate the extra-curricular activities during 2013.

 

 

It is also a privilege to be associated with ‘Families for Children’ as an ambassador. My day to day activities allow me to network and share information about the charity’s main task, which is to find and support adoptive families for children who need them.

 

‘Families for Children’ is a Voluntary Adoption Agency that believes the best place for children to grow up is within their family of origin. Where this is not possible, they endeavour to find adoptive families for children who need them and place a high value on offering these children and families on-going support. They recognise the diverse society in which we all live and seek to meet the complex needs of children, whilst valuing and respecting their culture, identity and personal history.

Details about the charity and its logo will also be featured at the front of all future print runs of the Bradley Baker series of books.
 

There is so much to reflect upon... and most of which is contained in this blog thread. For now I'll leave you with my favourite photo of the year; this one was taken at Crealy Adventure Park and pictures Callum and his oldest brother (two lovely young lads who have benefited from the love and support provided by their adoptive parents and the team at 'Families for Children').

 

Have a great Christmas everyone... and thanks for following me and my blogspot during 2012. There's already lots of events and activities booked in my diary for 2013 so I hope you all continue to follow my exploits next year.

 

 I sincerely hope you and your families have a lovely time over the festive period and I wish you a very happy New Year... where ever you are this wonderful world of ours!

 

Catch up again in 2013!

Regards DLJ





Sidmouth Success and another great interview!

What an absolutely wonderful visit to beautiful Sidmouth in Devon... the children and teachers at Sidmouth C of E Primary provided a fabulous welcome during my author visit to their school. The amazing adventures of Bradley Baker were showcased... leaving an audience of 360 students totally enthused and inspired. Whilst loading the #Bradmobile and preparing to leave the school, one of the teachers quickly ushered me back inside and into her classroom to present me with a group of 20+ children sat at their desks in free play time... and guess what??? They were avidly writing away and devising their own stories IN THEIR OWN TIME!!!

I asked the children why they were sat writing... they all answered in an excited and unified voice; "YOU'VE JUST INSPIRED US, DAVID!"

Wow... what a brilliant feeling... job done I'd say!

oooOooo

I also enjoyed an interview with Suzan Collins this week, as a guest author on her latest blog... if you missed it on Facebook, here it is again, please enjoy!

Interview with David Lawrence Jones

Welcome David…

 

Can you tell me a little about yourself?
I was born in a mining village called Ravenfield near Rotherham in South Yorkshire.
I started to pen Bradley’s adventures following the 2000 millennium celebrations and after a number of rewrites I completed the first one in 2001, which was then published in 2009. In 2011, the second book in the series was published, which is called ‘The Amulet of Silvermoor’ and takes Bradley back down the plughole on another amazing adventure (this time through a disused coal mine), which eventually leads him back into Pathylon. I have just finished writing book three in the series, which is now published and titled ‘The Pyramids of Blood’.
I am very proud of the Bradley Baker adventure series and there are scenes in the books that describe landmarks about Devon and my own birth place in Yorkshire. Silvermoor, the abandoned coal mine in the second book is actually the colliery where my father and I both worked… “Silverwood”. Also the main character in the series Bradley lives in a fictional village called Ravenswood, which is based on my own childhood village of “Ravenfield”.
I now reside in Torquay, Devon with my wife and two youngest children Benjamin and Harriette. My older children (Lindsey and Samuel) still live in and around Ravenfield. Samuel has secured a placement at Sunderland University and Lindsey has now forged a career in retail.

What was the first story you wrote?
The Bradley Baker series was originally planned as a one off story and was titled “The Amazing Adventures of Bradley Baker – Pathylon”… the first book has since been renamed and I am currently writing the fourth book in the series.

Were you inspired by someone or something?
As a youngster, I was a reluctant reader but I discover books by Enid Blyton called the ‘Secret Seven’ and read the series back-to-back… this is what inspired me most to write adventure stories for children.

What do you like about writing a story?
To have so many children enthused & inspired about my books and witness their hunger for reading increase is absolutely brilliant! And as long as my Bradley Baker adventure books continue to inspire children to read… I’ll keep on writing!”

Can you tell us about your newest book?
“Bradley Baker and the Pyramids of Blood”… The boy hero returns in another exciting adventure… this time, Bradley must confront a dear friend who holds the key to release him from the effects of the kratennuim that is transforming his body into an evil creature. We meet some new characters in the third adventure, including “The Shadow Druid” and “The Witch of Rekab”. Bradley is joined again by his two friends from Sandmouth… Musgrove and Sereny, who follow their troubled friend back into Pathylon and try to help him reverse his imminent transformation into a Werebeast. The three intrepid adventurers will also be united with an American boy called Jefferson Crabtree from New York and together they all face more daunting tasks, as they fight new strains of evil that threaten the arcane world…

How did you come up with the story?
When I was 8 years old, my parents moved across the road from number 127 to number 152 Braithwell Road (what’s the significance of this I hear you ask???). Well… 127 had three bedrooms and 152 only had two and this is where my thirst for storytelling and writing really began!
You see… the problem was, I had an older brother called Philip (not a problem really… it was more of an uncomfortable situation back then because when the we lived at 127 we had our own bedrooms… when we moved across the road we had to share one… gulp!)
Anyhow, when bedtime arrived, Philip would pester me to make up stories before we went to sleep. The children’s books I have since written and had published follow the exploits of a young Bradley Baker and his time in the parallel world of Pathylon. The idea for Bradley Baker’s character and the plots were extracted from original stories I wrote as a child and narrated to my brother.

What genre best fits for the book?
Children’s adventure/fantasy – fiction… aged 7 to 14 yrs

Are you working on something new at the moment?
I am currently writing book four… called “Bradley Baker and the Gullfather of New York” which see the main protagonist mature into a truly memorable character.”

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
Always keep a note pad handy to jot down any ideas that come into your head. Keep believing in your idea… no matter how many people say no to you and never give up on your dream!

What is your writing routine?
It’s fairly well organised… I tend to utilise my creative time to best effect. I write for hours when the creative bug bites and I have the perfect place to work. My writing shack (as I call it) is a small brick built building raised up onto a spacious decked area with the most delightful stone steps leading through trees and a vertical cliffside. I feel like I’m travelling into a parallel world when I go to work and this inspires me to be even more creative.

Do you have an editing process?
This is a two-way thing. I pen the manuscript and carry out the usual spell checks and grammatical corrections utilising the computer’s review tools. But the real editing begins when I start to dissect the plotlines and condense the descriptive elements of the stories.

What do you enjoy the most/least about writing?
I enjoy the way my characters take over when I’m writing and lead me to places and plotlines that I hadn’t planned. I don’t have a least… I love what I do!

How important is it for you to share your writing?
Very important… I love to meet young readers, to introduce them to the characters I have created and to champion the delights and rewards of reading. Literacy has never been a more important issue and I try to create the books that children love to read.

Where can people go to read your work?
The books are available worldwide online. Most Waterstones stock the book within the UK… and if they have sold out, they can order the books within days. Many independent bookstores now hold stock and some local libraries have the books too.

Where can people find you on the internet?
There are a number of sites online where me and my books can be found. The sites I tend to recommend include my official author site; www.bradley-baker.com … I also offer links to my Facebook page; www.facebook.com/thebradleybaker and to connect with me on twitter; @DavLawJones

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?
I guess the best place to go is the official website to find out more information; http://www.bradley-baker.com

Thank you David x