TATUM FLYNN
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Tatum Goes Places (Gasp!)

30/9/2015

 
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Usually, the lesser-spotted Tatum can be found hunkered down in her batcave scribbling wildly, with occasional pauses for prosecco, evil cackling or when the cat climbs on her lap and all work must cease because as we know cats rule the universe. But with Halloween fast approaching, I am actually venturing out of my lair to Go Places. They will be Places Involving Books and Sundry Fun and I can promise much entertainment if you come and hang out with me and my fellow scribblers. Also, no carnivorous carousel horses. Well, probably. Here's where to find me over the next few weeks:
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Saturday 3rd October: YAie
Where? Twitter

YAie is a brilliant online kidlit festival organised by lovely Irish book blogger Shelly Moloney-King and featuring such luminaries as Sarah Rees-Brennan, Cat Valente, Sarah Crossan and many more, including little old me. Writers will be discussing various bookish topics all day, with my online panel title 'Writing Practices: Getting It Down'  happening at 5.45pm GMT, which sounds like it might be about non-procrastination haha because I am so good at that.

Full schedule for the day here.
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Wednesday 28th October: YA Shot
Where? Uxbridge Waterstones

YA Shot is a gigantic one-day kidlit festival run by the amazing Alexia Casale, featuring live panels all day long with numerous authors, at both Waterstones Uxbridge and the nearby Hillingdon Library, just west of London. I'm going to be doing a panel with the fantastic Abi Elphinstone and Nigel McDowell titled Weird & Wonderful: The Familiar and the Fantastical in Middle Grade Fiction from 3-4pm and even if I'm boring I can guarantee those two will be a blast, so do come heckle us! The three of us will also be signing books from 12.45pm - 1.30pm.

​Full schedule for the day here.
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Friday 30th October: Halloween Spectacular
Where: Chiltern Open Air Museum

Now we're talking - Halloweeny stuff! The COAM in Buckinghamshire (but still reachable on the Tube!) has both indoor and outdoor spaces with loads of fun stuff happening for kids, including spooky walks through woods (will I be brave enough to do that?? let's just say I'll probably need a friend for company...) and yours truly reading from The D'Evil Diaries and answering any questions your little minions can think up (wait, except for that one how dare you that's private) plus signing books. The event starts at 5pm and I'll be doing two readings/Q&As over the evening, exact timings tbc but probably around half five and half six. Please come so I am not standing there talking to a room full of ghosts...

​Full info here.
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Saturday 14th November: Hampstead and Highgate Literary Festival
Where: South Hampstead High School

The festival runs from the 13th to the 16th, with tons of fabulous authors of both the kidlit and adult persuasion. I'll be doing a writing workshop for any budding writers aged 8-13, from 4pm-5pm, and whilst most of the festival requires tickets, the Young Readers' Afternoon is free, yay! Here's the details:

Make Your Own World! All stories have to take place somewhere, and the best tales have a setting which really comes to life. Learn how to create your own city as a backdrop for your stories. Man-eating libraries, poisonous gardens, ice-cream trees, flying cats - what will you imagine? Remember it's your world, so you can do anything with it!

​More info here.

Following all these shenanigans I shall then retreat to my lair never to be seen again except for the occasional smoke signal. *publicist elbows me* Um, well, possibly till after Christmas. Or earlier. So I really hope to meet some of you at the events listed. Don't leave me standing there talking to ghosts. No one likes to see a grown author cry.

The Joy of Summer Reading

21/7/2015

 
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How is summer reading different to winter reading? I’m not sure. The danger of dropping your book in the pool? Getting sand between the pages? Smudging the print with sweaty fingertips? Falling asleep to find a book-shaped tan mark across your middle? Using a paperback to fight off wasps? (Don’t bother. Wasps are evil and will always win. Just run.)

I think perhaps people expect you to read more FOR FUN in the summer. For pleasure. But then shouldn’t books always be read for pleasure? I think so. If you’re not enjoying a book, throw it out the window, that’s what I say. (Er, unless it’s a library book, obviously.)

All the same, you maybe don’t want to read snowy Christmas tales in the middle of August. So here are some recommendations for wonderful summery reads (all suitable for 8+) that’ll keep those blue skies sparkling above you (or knowing the English summer, let you imagine them).


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My Family and Other Animals, Gerrald Durrell
: the Durrell family decamp to balmy Corfu, and young Gerald spends his days poking around the island wildlife with often hilarious results. A classic.

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The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
: one of my absolute favourite series as a child, full of charm and magic and carefree summer days.


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Hatchet, Gary Paulsen: want a bit more action with your hot weather? 13-year-old Brian gets exactly that when his plane crashes in the middle of nowhere, leaving him to fend for himself with nothing more than a hatchet...


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Holes, Louis Sachar: Camp Green Lake doesn’t have a lake – instead it has blistering heat, terrifying lizards, disgruntled child prisoners, evil grown-ups and a little touch of magic. A masterpiece.

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The Fox-Busters, Dick King-Smith
: another childhood favourite. Chickens fighting back against foxes? A recipe for hilarity.


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Journey to the River Sea, Eva Ibbotson: want to travel all the way to the Amazon for your summer? You’d do worse than make the journey in the company of orphan Maia and the wonderful characters she meets in her new home. 

The Wonderful World of YALC

20/7/2015

 
It was boiling. it was busy. it was bookish. It was brilliant. Here's my 2015 YALC in pictures.
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Olympia or Pandemonium? The lower reaches were as packed, smelly, noisy and labyrinthine as the capital of Hell, but I think a liiiiiittle more fun was being had. Probably.
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The YALC panels were fantastic. One of my favourites: the very entertaining opening panel, on horror, with Dawn Kurtagich, Darren Shan, Lou Morgan, Will Hill and Matt Whyman.
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Much excellent cos was played.
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There were lots of ace workshops. Here's Dawn Kurtagich and I with Anna McKerrow at Anna's fab Writing with the Tarot workshop, where she inspired me to write about voodoo shops, the cost of magic, and how everyone's scared of clowns.
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I found a Blade!
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...and Nikki Sheehan found a dude to act as pretty good promo for her forthcoming book Swan Boy.
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There comes a time in all con-goers lives when they must slope off for a mojito or three. With Kat Ellis, Dawn Kurtagich, EM Castellan, Mareike Nijkamp, Luna, Sarah Benwell and Lucinda Murray.
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Can't imagine why I bought this the next day.
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Favoruite purchase? Favourite purchase.
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Tatum out. See you all again next year!
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    Tatum Flynn is the author of devilish MG fantasies The D'Evil Diaries and Hell's Belles (Orchard/ Hachette Kids), and several unfinished To Do lists.

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