First of all, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I’ve had an amazing response to my call for 100 word stories. I’ve already had over 150 entries (in less than 3 days!), I’ve been RTd and shared and favourited and emailed. I NEVER expected to have so much support, so many people wishing the project well and so many offers of help.

Almost all of the entries and support have come from people not at all involved in the short story world. They’ve come from published, unpublished and ‘first time ever trying to write a story’ writers. It shows that writers do, quite simply, want to write. And the entries have all been amazing. The song choices add a level of fun and depth to the writing. I’m truly excited about what we’re creating together.

Again, thank you ALL. And, KEEP THEM COMING. I’m very much open to advice and help and anything, really.

BUT.

It’s a known fact that I am a bit rubbish and a bit indecisive when it comes to titles. And that’s why I’m asking for help, today, again. I need to look at trying to get a front cover designed and that means I need a title.

So, could you throw some ideas my way? Please. The main points are:

• The stories are all flash fiction of 100 words or fewer.
• The stories are all inspired by a piece of music or a song.
• I’d quite like the cover and content to be influenced by vinyl – so 33/45RPM could be a theme. I may go for 78 stories being included or 33 or 45.
  
• This is going to be an eBook.
• There is a fun element to this writing.

So… any ideas?

Either leave a comment or tweet me (@Caroline_S with the hashtag #XboxMoreThanGames to ensure I see it).

In our house Christmas isn’t Christmas without local pantomime. So, as part of our Christmas countdown every year we try to see a local show and clearly we’re all expert in what we expect from our Christmas pantomime viewing. We want to shout ‘BOOOO’, we want Benny Hill type running, we want in-jokes about local football teams, we want ghosts, we want smoke machines and we especially want camp (lots OF CAMP!). We want to be screaming out ‘Oh no it isn’t’ and ‘He’s behind you’ and possibly to partake in a bit of audience participation in the form of a song (with actions).

So this year we journeyed up the road to New Brighton (on the Wirral) for the Floral Pavilion’s performance of Aladdin and, oh yes, our expectations were fulfilled.

Andrew Agnew, who is best known as the Crime Busting P.C. Plum (Balamory), was utterly perfect as Wishee Washee. He stole the show. Seeing his dance moves to ‘We Built This City’ might actually be my highlight of 2011. And the interaction between him, PC Ping and PC Pong was both sleek and amusing. (I will NEVER look at P.C. Plum in the same way again…)

Abanazar was especially evil as Dean Sullivan (Jimmy Corkhill in Brookside) took on the role. His performance was effortless and I am possibly a little bit scared of him now. And the frocked-up Dame was played by the super-talented Anthony Williams. He was also director of the performance, which (in my eyes) makes him a bit of a wizard. His performance of ‘Born This Way’ (with Andrew Agnew providing a rap) was utter genius. And his legs in tights and a short skirt were a lot special. It is utterly unfair that a man can look THAT good in a short skirt and tights.

So, the almost three hours that we spent in the theatre were utterly Christmassy hours. There was thigh slapping, river dancing, powerful songs, jazz hands and the stage settings and changes were without flaw.

I’ve been to a few pantomimes at the Floral Pavilion but this one was streets ahead of the others.

For me, having Littlest grab my hand when a ghost appeared on stage (He’s behind you!) and me giggling at corny jokes and ogling a semi-naked genie and thoroughly enjoying innuendo, well that’s what pantomime is all about. And when P.C. Plum (yes, I know that’s not his name) was sending out birthday wishes and kisses, I reckon one was especially for me (a girl can dream!).

So that, for me, is the start of Christmas. It’s about embracing a good honest British tradition, it’s about having family fun and (most importantly) it’s about laughing together.

If you’re local and get a chance, do catch a performance of Aladdin at New Brighton Floral Pavilion. It’s running until Monday 2 January 2012 and all details can be found here.

One year, I was little, my aunt bought me a pop-up ‘Hansel and Gretel’ book. It twisted around to a carousel shape and tied together with a pink ribbon. It was my most treasured possession and still is, being one of the few things I have from my childhood. I know that it was responsible for my absolute love of pop-up and fairy tale. I also know that I’ve passed on these loves to Littlest.

I happened upon Tango Books on Facebook and now have, in my pop-up collection, new (and utterly delicious) pop-up books.

Look at this delicate take on Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Princess and the Pea’. There are six double pages of perfect pop-up.

The illustrations are beautiful, they’re simple which is needed in the often crowded pop-up page. And the retelling has an elegance that nods to the original story, but carries a freshness of its own. This is one of my most favourite fairy tales and I love  this retelling. Littlest read this to me last week, pointing out details in the pop-up and spending as much time on the illustrations as on the words.

Then there’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’, based on ‘Briar Rose’ by those Brothers Grimm.

Again there are six stunning pop-ups, covering six double pages. The retelling of the story, again, has a simplicity, but it is utterly enchanting and delicate. The colours are sharp and crisp, perfect for this fairy tale.

There is something truly unique about reading and interacting with pop-ups. You slow down your reading, you slow down when turning to a new page, almost giving the pages respect, you absorb tiny detail, you savour each word. There’s a need for gentle fingers and a patience of sorts.

Reading pop-up books, I think, sums up why I love storytelling and fairy tales so very much.

And, look at the beautiful pages:

In a world where publishing is turning increasingly digital, beautiful pop-ups are the books that need to survive. These are the books that are given as gifts, as beautiful objects, that will last a lifetime.

I think they’re magical.

So, my ebook, the one with 99 chapters, the one with 11 different endings, the one that was written to be a digital project, well it now has a front cover. And I’m sure some of you will recognise that Becky Adams (who designed the front cover for ‘Like Bees to Honey’) has been working her magic again…

Yesterday I finished the first draft of novel 4, let’s call him The Drowning of Arthur Braxton. I told Twitter, I told Facebook, and everyone was amazingly supportive, so many got that it was a big deal for me.

You see. Fifteen months ago, I had a conversation with a friend. I’d stopped writing, I was all set to give up. It was a real ‘should I stop this dream’ moment. That friend helped me to write again, short story writing was magic.

And now. Today, somewhere, in amongst my utterly emotional head, there’s a tiny shrill of euphoria dancing alongside an echo of ‘I told you so’.

Regardless of what happens next: This is what it feels to be happy.

After a few final tweaks, I’m thrilled to finally show you the finished front cover of ‘FREAKS!’. Ta da (da-da-da-da)!

Now, I know that this front cover is slightly different to any of my other front covers, but that’s because this project is absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever written before.

‘FREAKS!‘ brings together 50 illustrated and rather short stories. The stories contain weird and (I think) wonderful people. The 50 illustrated short stories are flashes into the lives of people who don’t quite fit into society, people who have real or imagined super powers. Some of them are people I’d quite like to have as friends.

As most of you know I wrote the 50 stories with the Willy Wonka of the short story world, Nik Perring, and then the  Darth Vader of the illustrating world, Darren Craske, interpreted them in his own unique way. This front cover gives you a taste of what’s inside, as 5 of the characters are coloured and shown in all their glory.

The publication of ‘FREAKS!’ is still months away, as publication is April 2012, but seeing the finished front cover was, I guess, on a par with seeing a scan picture of your new baby. I really and truly can’t wait to finally hold the actual book. 7.5 months to go, and counting…

(Also: Read Darren’s take on the cover. Read Nik’s take on the cover. I am very much feeling the love for them both)

Some of you may recall my ‘Disraeli Avenue – why a charity won’t get its money’  blog post from September 2009. If you don’t, let me recap (and this time I’m naming names):

“The houses on Disraeli Avenue all looked the same, the same shape, the same size but behind each coloured front door there was a story, a secret, a need. Bill Williams is lost, Aunty Maggie longs to be young and attractive, Crystal is searching to find out more about Adam. Tales of debt, infidelity, incest, love and loss all combine and weave into a mosaic of working class life. As the characters featured within Caroline Smailes’ debut novel In Search of Adam are given individual voice, the flashes connect into the making of Disraeli Avenue.”

In January 2008 I released an ebook called Disraeli Avenue. The actual ebook was free, but there was the option for a voluntary donation to be made to my chosen charity. We (you amazing people!) raised over £1500 for One in Four, a charity that offers support to survivors of sexual abuse. That money paid for a carpet in their group therapy room and other very much needed items.

Then in September 2008 I was contacted by Bluechrome publishing to release a limited edition, signed paperback of Disraeli Avenue. The agreement was that ALL profits from the book (as in, I would not receive a penny from any sales) were to be given to the charity One in Four.

The books were printed, signed and sold. People were amazing, beyond supportive.

From January 2009 I tried contacting Anthony Delgrado, of Bluechrome, begging him to pay the money due. He said he would, he’d been ill, but he’d write a cheque. At that time I thought he was a friend. I trusted him and I was wrong to do so. Anthony and his partner Fiona ran the company. They both disappeared (website disappeared, emails bounced, phone unanswered, letters returned) with the money from Disraeli Avenue and with the royalties for the other books that they had published (and are still selling on Amazon).

People who know me well know that I struggle with injustice. And this injustice and theft has been eating away at me since. One in Four, as a charity, would have benefited hugely from that money. They are a small charity where every penny makes a difference. I don’t trust easily, but I did trust Anthony. I was an absolute fool. But worse than that I felt that I had let down the charity and those who had chosen to support the publication.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not naive. Businesses fail, people lose out on money, but it is the disappearing, the lying (the continuing to take money from book sales right up until the end) and the absolute lack of dignity that leaves a nasty taste. Why did Anthony Delgrado not hold up his hands and apologise? If he was ill, why didn’t his partner Fiona step up and explain their circumstances? Their behaviour was and is cowardly, simple. But that’s life. There will always be people like that in the world.

Anyway.

Enter The Friday Project, HarperCollins and Scott Pack (on a white horse, like the man in the Old Spice advert).

I am thrilled to announce (almost 2 years on!) that have now been SIGNED for Disraeli Avenue to be released as part of Scott Pack’s brainchild The Library of Lost Books. As told by Scott:

“With the backing of HarperCollins I have just launched The Library of Lost Books. This is an ebook and print-on-demand imprint that will, over the coming months and years, reissue some wonderful ‘lost books’ in the hope and expectation that they can find a readership.

Print-on-demand, for those who don’t know, is a way of making books available without having to print thousands of them upfront and store them in a warehouse hoping for orders to arrive. POD technology enables you to print one copy at a time as and when someone places an order.

So, if you order a copy of one of the LoLB titles from Amazon it will be printed just for you, probably that day, and then be dispatched to you from either the printer or Amazon’s warehouse. Same goes for any online retailer. If you are a bookshop and order some copies from HarperCollins as normal then stock will be printed for you and sent within a couple of days. Simple really.

POD books are pretty high quality. You can’t get the fancy finishes – embossing/shiny bits – that you find on many paperbacks but apart from that there is little difference really. And it is the insides you are really bothered about anyway, I hope.”

As, before, my royalties will all go to One in Four.

Some of you will realise why this feels so VERY right.

More, soon.  I promise.

I don’t tend to do personal memes but this one’s got me thinking, so if you could indulge me for a while…

There are only a few books that I’ve ever read twice, but there are films that I’ll watch over and over again. There are certain films that I always watch when I’m feeling low and it seems that films have always been my escape, more so than books. Films give me easy visuals and the ones that force an emotional reaction are my favourites. Maybe I’m lazy, but when I’m low I’ll always turn to film, rather than book. It’s really rather simple.

And so, as stolen from the wonderful Mrs Lister, I’ve pulled together a list of my favourite films. I couldn’t manage 10, so here are my top 11 (almost) beloveds:

Elf: “[phone rings, Buddy picks it up] Buddy the Elf, what’s your favourite colour?” I love the innocence of this film. It, quite simply, makes me happy.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s: “I’m not Holly. I’m not Lula Mae, either. I don’t know who I am! I’m like Cat here, a couple of no-name slobs. We belong to nobody and nobody belongs to us. We don’t even belong to each other.” An exploration of struggling with being needed or wanted, for the right reasons. This film defines beauty.

Pretty in Pink: “May I admire you again today?” Everyone needs a Duckie in their life. And Andie’s line, ‘I just want them to know that they didn’t break me,’ makes me cry every single time.

X-Men (all of them): Wolverine, super powers, leather, mutants, dark and light. Genius. Enough said.

Betty Blue: An exploration of sexual attraction, passion, love, obsession and mental illness. It’s a bit pretentious, in that many students had the poster on their wall because it was seen as cool, but for me it was never about the cool factor. This film influenced me, it matched my connection with darkness and wonky love. This is explicit storytelling that doesn’t shy away from extremes. Love it.

Brief Encounter: I hate the film ending, but absolutely adore the scene in the railway station café. This is my ‘cup of tea, lying on the sofa on a cold, grey afternoon’ film.

Truly Madly Deeply: Juliet Stevenson is amazing. This film makes my stomach twist and Juliet’s portrayal of grief is utterly convincing. The clip I’ve linked to makes my cry (and this film is the reason why Nina is called Nina in ‘Like Bees’).

It’s a Wonderful Life: Best Christmas film ever.  “You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.” Sometimes it’s good to realise all that you have.

Star Wars (original 3): Epic storytelling at its absolute best. Darth Vader is my favourite and I wish George Lucas was my dad. (Although Jar Jar Binks, what’s that all about?)

Toy Story (all 3): An emotional roller-coaster in animated film. The first film was about when I started my journey into motherhood and the third came out just as Eldest was becoming a teen. These films are ace.

E.T.: He’s lost, he’s alone, he’s such a long way from home. He NEEDS me. I don’t think I could ever love/be friends with anyone who didn’t love ET. Simple. (This is where I lose many friends, yes?)

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So, any of you care to share your top 10 films? Oh go on. I wanted to include at least another 5 (Tarantino!) but rules are rules…

Last night we ventured out to watch The Birmingham Stage Company’s adaptation of ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton.

If you don’t know the story (seriously, read the book), it’s a fabulous tale of a young boy who makes a marvellous new medicine to cure his grandmother of her nastiness. But when his grandmother drinks his special new potion, the most incredible things start to happen and the wickedness of Dahl delights.

The audience last night was packed full of lively children and the performance was more than I hoped it would be. This brand new adaptation by David Wood brings life to Roald Dahl’s words with a modern twist and clever props.

Children and adults interacted with the action on stage, as we rubbed our hands to warm the pot of medicine and shouted out the magic spell to help the medicine whizz and pop. The staging was simple, the cast perfectly small and energetic, yet the entire performance was flawless.

Children’s theatre with a wicked sense of humour, I can’t recommend this production enough.

Last night there was a genuine enthusiasm in the audience, something I’ve never experienced before in children’s theatre. In our current climate where we’re being told that children aren’t reading books, it was refreshing to hear a small boy behind me. He was possibly 6 or 7 and he quoted lines from the book in time with George. In the interval, the adults in front of us turned to Middlest and asked him what he liked best about the book, telling him how they’d read it when they were small. And as we walked out of the theatre George’s voice blasted out telling the children not to try the recipe at home! It was about then that I gave Littlest a little wink and suggested that we try blowing up grandma. Oh, I love Roald Dahl.

‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ is showing at the Floral Pavilion with two shows a day until Saturday 16 April. Tickets are £12.00/£10.00 and can be booked online or by calling 0151 6660000. And, if you’re not near the Wirral and do get a chance to see this adaptation of’ George’s Marvellous Medicine’ (the tour information can be found here), then I’m very sure that you won’t be at all disappointed.