How To Write To Me (Or Any Other Writer)

Here is my pin board, full of post:

I get lots of lovely fan mail from all over the world from readers. And I write back to every single letter.
But how do you write to me?
First you open one of my books and find my publisher’s address. They're called Walker Books.
It's on the page that has all the publication details – see the highlighted bit below (it's pretty small!).

So if you want to write to me this is the address:
Sarah Webb
c/o Walker Books
87 Vauxhall Walk
London
SE11 5HJ
England

In fact, you can contact any author in the world through their publisher - Jacqueline Wilson, Derek Landy, Judi Curtin. I can't guarantee that they will write back, but if your letter is nice enough, I'm sure they will.

So now you know. And I'll be expecting lots of lovely letters very soon!

Yours in books,
Sarah XXX

A Fairytale of Hong Kong - the International Young Readers Festival

Me talking to students in Hong Kong

 

Earlier this year I made a decision – I’d say YES to as many things as possible. YES to going to new plays and gigs; YES to reading at book events and festivals; YES to visiting as many schools as I could; YES to travelling to new places and having new experiences. So when the Hong Kong Young Readers’ Festival asked if I’d attend their festival for a week, I took a deep breath and said YES.
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It took a lot of organising. My parents very kindly offered to take my youngest two children during the trip (the eldest is 18 and said he’d stay at home and mind the rabbit and the house) and I booked the flights rather nervously. I love visiting other countries but I’m not a great flyer and it’s a twelve hour flight from London to Hong Kong. Luckily my partner said that he’d travel over with me.
On Thursday morning I arrived home from what can only be described as a whirlwind tour of Hong Kong – 9 events in 5 days.
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The first events I did were nursery rhyme sessions with young children and their mum and dads. Here I am doing an action rhyme in the Hong Kong Central Library with some parents and toddlers.
Then I did lots of writing workshops and school visits, travelling all over Hong Kong to talk to students of all ages.
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They were all lovely students and really interested in Ireland and Irish culture. I had great fun chatting to some of the girls after the events and finding out about their schools and what they liked to read. They told me that most people in Hong Kong have a Chinese name and also an English name which they pick themselves.
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We also squeezed in time for some sightseeing. Hong Kong is full of skyscrapers and at night they are all lit up. It’s quite a sight!

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I had an amazing time. If you ever get the chance to visit Hong Kong, do go! And don’t be too surprised if a Chinese girl pops up in one of my books some day soon.
Hong Kong is the kind of place that says YES to life every single day – it’s fast, busy and crowded but the people are very kind and friendly and the whole trip was a brilliant experience, one that I’ll never forget. I’m so glad I said YES!

Win Some Fab Amy Green Goodies to Celebrate World Book Day - 7th March

World Book Day is on March 7th and schools, bookshops and libraries all over Ireland and the UK will be celebrating books and reading.
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I'll be at a big event in Dublin with my writer friend, Judi Curtin on the day. I can't wait.
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To celebrate the day I'm having a brand new competition. You can win a silver necklace, an Ask Amy Green pink leather luggage tag (see the picture) and lots of signed Ask Amy Green goodies.
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You can enter on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/askamygreen or if you are not on Facebook, you can email me - sarah@askamygreen.com - with COMPETITION in your email and your address.
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Best of luck,
Sarah XXX
Enjoy World Book Day!

Winners of the Ask Amy Green Young Editor Competition

I am delighted to announce the winners of the 2012 Ask Amy Green Young Editors Competition.

The winners are:

Iseult from Galway
Sophie from Tipperary
Ellen from Waterford
and Niamh from England

Well done to all of you! And thank you to everyone who entered. There was such a high standard this year that I decided to have 4 Young Editors instead of 2.

They will help me edit Wedding Belles in 2013.

Sarah XXX

What It Takes To Be A Writer - For Bláthnaid

(Originally posted on the Girls Heart Books Blog)

I got a lovely letter in the post week from a girl called Bláthnaid, age 11. Unfortunately she didn’t give me her address so I couldn’t write back. She asked me a very good question:
What does it take to be a writer?

So here goes. This is for you, Bláthnaid, if you’re reading!

This is what it takes to be a writer:

1/ Imagination
You have to see story ideas in everything – the building site down the road, the old woman who feeds the birds in the park, the librarian with the sad eyes. You need to ask yourself ‘Who are they? Where do they live? Do they have family? What’s their story?’

2/ Curiosity and Empathy
You must be fascinated by the world around you and especially by how people tick. You must try to understand how people feel – this is vital. It’s called empathy. And you must use this to create characters so real that they leap off the page. The more you understand and care about your characters, the more your readers will also care.

3/ Courage
Being a writer isn’t easy. You have to explore things that scare or upset you and write about them. You have to use all your experiences - even the unpleasant ones – to inform your work. And don’t be afraid of making your readers cry – strong emotions are good. But make them laugh too!

4/ Tenacity or Sticking Power
If you want your story or book to get published, you may have to wait a long time. You may have to write a lot of stories or books before you get published. But if you stick at it and put passion, enthusiasm and heart into your writing, you’ll get there.

5/ Hope
You have to believe that you WILL get published one day and that readers WILL like your story or book. You have to have faith in your writing and write no matter what, as often as you can.

Hope this helps, Bláthnaid!

Yours in writing,
Sarah XXX

Strange Questions About Cheese and Tractors

I was at a book event last weekend where the lovely Irish author, Eoin Colfer was talking about his Artemis Fowl books. At the end of his brilliant, highly amusing session (and if he’s ever at a festival near you, go, go, go!) he asked for questions from the audience.

Eoin Colfer

One young lad put up his hand and asked ‘Mr Colfer, do you have a girlfriend?’ Everyone rolled around the place laughing. ‘I have something even better,’ Eoin said. ‘I have a lovely wife.’ Then Eoin said it was one of the funniest questions he’d ever been asked.

It got me thinking about questions and what was the funniest question I’d ever been asked at a book event. There are a few that stand out.

1/ What’s your favourite type of cheese?

This was asked by a boy (always the boys!) at a school event in Cork.

And my answer was: Emmenthal

2/ What’s your favourite kind of tractor? Yes, a boy again – this time from Carlow.

And my answer was: A John Deere – he liked this answer as his dad had one!

But the question I am most often asked is this:

3/ Where do you get your ideas?

It’s a very hard question to answer. Ideas come from all over the place – memories, old diaries, travelling, things that have happened to me, good or bad, books, movies, songs, sunsets . . . I could go on. When I turn the tables and ask the audience the very same question they mostly say ‘My head’, which is also a good answer!

So a question to all the writers out there – what’s the funniest or strangest question that YOU have ever been asked at a book event?

And readers – if you could ask a writer ANY question at all, what would it be?

Yours in books,

Sarah XXX

PS The YOUNG EDITOR Competition has just opened - if you’d like to get involved in working on my next Ask Amy Green book with me, Wedding Belles do enter!

What's In a Name? Why Book Titles Matter

Book titles matter. They must be memorable, intriguing and above all, they must say something about your book or story.

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Think of Wuthering Heights, Bleak House, Pride and Prejudice, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, War Horse . . .

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Name titles are also good – when the name is perfectly chosen of course - Matilda, Skulduggery Pleasant, Charlotte’s Web, Judy Moody, Artemis Fowl, Huckleberry Finn . . .

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But how do you find the right title for your book or story? And how do you know that it is the right title?

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Coming up with a good title isn’t easy, especially with deadlines looming. Ask Amy Green – I love this as a series title. It’s simple and it has a nice ring to it. Amy is my Everygirl, an average 13 year old girl that readers can identify with I hope, so I gave her a name that I love (my daughter is called Amy) and a surname that lots of girls have – Green. She’s an agony aunt and likes to solve problems, so I though that ‘Ask’ was appropriate – as in you can ask her anything and she will try to help.

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I also like the individual book titles very much – especially Boy Trouble, Summer Secrets, Bridesmaid Blitz and Dancing Daze (out in September) – which each give a good flavour of what the book is about. I like the title Love and Other Drama-ramas, but it's not my favourite – and boy did we have trouble with that title!

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It was originally to be called Party Drama-ramas but as the book changed, the title had to change too. I would have liked to get more of Bailey’s story into the title (the book is largely about his struggle to find his place in the world), but it was really difficult. I quite liked Mystery Male as a title, but it wasn’t quite right.

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Other titles we tried were Dates and Other Drama-Ramas (too like Cathy Hopkins great Mates, Dates series), Double Drama-rama (too vague), Dublin Drama-rama (again a bit vague). So we decided on Love and Other Drama-ramas which we were all happy with (my editors, Annalie and Gill help me with titles if I’m stuck). And the book is about love – family and romantic - and the problems it can cause, so it does fit nicely.

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I love the title DANCING DAZE - the new Amy book, out in September. And if you read the book you'll find out why! ;)

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So, in short, make your title simple, memorable and make it say something about your book. When I’ve cracked it 100% myself, I’ll let you know! What’s YOUR favourite book title and why? I’d be most interested to know.

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Yours in books,

Sarah XXX

(A version of this post first appeared on the Girls Heart Books blog)

Summer Holiday Reading 2012

I’m off on my summer holidays in July and I can’t wait. To me, holidays are all about three things: reading, sailing and kayaking, and eating. OK, four things! Five if you count hanging out with the kids – building sandcastles, paddling, rock pooling (I can happily spend hours poking around rock pools with my 9 and 6 year old), camping, messing around in boats. I feel lighter just thinking about it.

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For me, reading plays a huge part of any holiday. Usually life is pretty busy and I don’t have all that much time to read. So for the few months leading up to my summer holiday I put aside books that I’d really like to read. All kinds of books.

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Here is a photo of my book pile for summer 2012!Novels, reference books, short story collections, books about writing, YA books, books by friends . . . it’s all in there. Every year I re-read two old favourites, Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Both books mean a lot to me, and I read them every year, along with Harriet the Spy.

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Do you have a favourite book that you read over and over again?

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And what’s in YOUR summer holiday reading pile?

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Yours in books,

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Sarah XXX

Book Festivals and Why I Love Them

Me and Some Amy Green Readers at the West Cork Literary Festival

Every year I’m lucky to be invited to lots of book festivals. This year I’ll be at Listowel Writers’ Week in Kerry in June; Dalkey Book Festival in June; Kilkenny Arts Festival in August; and Mountains to Sea Book Festival in Dun Laoghaire in September (all in Ireland). There may be one or two more on the cards also, including some UK events.

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Why I love festivals so much:

1/ I get to meet YOU – readers! There’s nothing like meeting readers in person, it’s such a thrill.

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2/ I get to hang out with my writer friends like Judi Curtin, Oisin McGann (lovely Irish fantasy writer), Don Conroy (nature writer and novelist from Ireland), Cathy Cassidy and loads of other cool wordsmiths. Plus I love hearing other writers talk about their work, it’s fascinating.

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3/ I always learn something new - fantastic books to read, how other writers organise their writing lives - are they morning writers or evening writers; do they have any lucky writing charms; paper or laptop etc.

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4/ My mind fizzes with new book ideas after book festivals. There’s nothing more inspirational than being surrounded by world class writers. So far my favourite festival talk ever was one given by Patrick Ness about writing with joy – it was spoken from the heart and very moving. If he’s ever at a festival near you, go! You won’t regret it. He is a truly gifted speaker.

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5/ Book people are MY people and it’s lovely to be with my tribe, especially children’s book people, who truly rock!

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Have you ever been to a book festival? Was it fun? Who did you see?

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Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

PS Check out the original version of this post at the Girls Heart Books blog - www.girlsheartbooks.com

New American Bridesmaid Blitz Cover

Look what just arrived this morning - a big box of Ask Amy Green books all the way from America. It's the American editions of Summer Secrets and Bridesmaid Blitz.
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I love seeing foreign editions of my books - they look so different. And I'm very lucky to have readers in America, New Zealand, Poland, Italy and lots of different countries around the world, as well as in Ireland and the UK. And I love getting emails and letters from them too!
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Books really are magic. I write a story, and then you read it and create images in your head from the words on the page. Maybe the images you imagine are a little different from the images that I imagined when I was writing the book, but that's what makes reading such an interesting experience.
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I couldn't live without books! How about you?
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All the best, Sarah XXX

What's In a Name - Naming Your Characters

Hi There,

If you like writing or are interested in how writers name their characters, read on! And check out the cover of my new book, Dancing Daze, out in September - pretty cute, isn't it? I love the tiny ballet shoes!

Names are VERY important and I always put lots of thought into choosing them. Here are some of the names I’ve chosen for various characters in my books and why I picked that particular name:

Amy Green – My daughter’s name is Amy (Amy-Rose to be precise) and she loves the fact that Amy Green shares her name – big mummy points here. It’s one of my favourite girl’s names and it’s a name lots of girls can identify with – most people know an Amy. I added Green as I wanted a surname that again, is well known, as Amy in the books is my ‘every girl’ character, a girl that readers can hopefully relate to. Being ‘green’ also means helping the environment and Amy Green loves helping people.Her nicknames are: Ames, Green Bean, Beanie, Greenster and Bean Machine.

Remember to give your own main characters nicknames – most of us have them in real life!

Amy Green’s best friend is called Amelia Starr or ‘Mills’. She’s just that, a star, and most Amelias I know are shortened to Milly, so I thought Mills was a little bit different.

Clover Wildgust – Clover is a little bit crazy and she powers around the place like a tornado. I chose the name Clover as it’s a bit unusual but not too whacky to be unrealistic, and Wildgust is a name I found in a graveyard in Ireland. I thought it suited her perfectly as she’s just that, a wild gust of wind! Clover is always just Clover, she doesn’t have a nickname.

Graveyards are excellent places to find unusual names, or names that are particular to that region. If you are setting your book in West Cork for example, the names would be different to a book set in Dublin city, especially the surnames. I’m sure it’s the same in London and Devon for example.

Other names I’ve used (in Ask Amy Green) are Seth Stone (Amy Green’s solid as a rock boyfriend), Bailey Otis (Mills’s surfer/musician boyfriend – there’s a famous old song called Miss Otis Regrets), Nina Pickering (who never stops picking on people), and Sophie Piggott (who is a total pig!).

Funny, clever names are more memorable than ‘ordinary’ names – like Mary Smith for example, unless you are using the name to make a point eg ‘Mary Smith was a very ordinary girl, with an extraordinary secret . . .’

Some writers are brilliant at naming their characters:Derek Landy is a naming master in the horror genre – Skulduggery Pleasant, Melancholia, Ghastly Bespoke. Darren Shan also creates brilliant names – Lord Loss and Larten Crepsley.

I love Cathy Cassidy’s names too – Dizzy, Ginger, Scarlett.And Jacqueline Wilson’s – Lottie, Floss, Hetty Feather. And what about J K Rowling’s names, genius! Hagrid, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore. And Roald Dahl – Matilda, The BFG, Charlie Bucket. What are your favourite character names?

Happy writing and reading,

Sarah XXX

All I Want for Christmas . . .

Hi All,

This was first posted on the Girls Heart Books site - do check it out for a great read!

Not long now until Christmas! And I for one can’t wait. Every year I ask my friends and family for one present, and one present only – book tokens!

Walking into my local bookshop – Dubray Books in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin – and knowing I can treat myself to those hardback books I’ve been gazing longingly at all year makes me so happy.

In case some of you also get book tokens for Christmas, or are looking for a brilliant read over the holidays, I’ve collected together a few of my favourite books of the year below.

I read a lot of books which are supposed to be for children or teenagers as they’re so darn good! I was a children’s bookseller for years and now I review children’s books for The Irish Independent, but to be honest I’d read them anyway. I like strong characters, clever, original plots and a sense of hope, all of which I get in books for young readers.

My Book of the Year: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I love, love, loved this wonderful book. Part time-travel novel, part family and friendship drama, it’s original, compelling and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s set in New York too, and I love books set in NYC. It’s a cracking read.

I also loved Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landy, a fantasy-horror adventure about a skeleton detective and his teenage side kick. It’s a hilarious, rip roaring read and I’d highly recommend the whole series. If you like something a little different, this book is for you.

Eva’s Holiday by Judi Curtin is just perfect for girls who like warm, funny reads. Eva loves fashion and hanging out with her friends, so when she has to spend the whole summer in a cottage down the country, she’s not happy. But soon she finds out that there’s more to life than clothes and having the right friends.


And I also adored Marshmallow Skye by Cathy Cassidy, the second in her warm, sweet Chocolate Box series. And finally another wonderful book is The Real Rebecca by Anna Carey is the story of Irish teen, Rebecca and her ultra embarrassing mother.

What will YOU be reading this Christmas?
Happy Christmas to all! May 2012 bring you many wonderful things . . . including brilliant books!
Yours in books,

Sarah XXX

Winners of the Young Editor Competition

Ta, da! I can finally announce the winners of the Young Editor Comp. It was so hard to judge - we got so many great entries. But the Irish winner is Yazmin from Shankhill, Dublin and the UK winner is Anna from West Sussex, England. They will be helping me edit the next Amy Green book, Dancing Daze. I can't wait to work with them. I hope it gives them an insight into how a book is written and edited!

As there were so many fab entries, we also have 3 runner up prizes - which will go to Abby, Tasha and Keelin. Well done to everyone!

And we'll be holding another Young Editor Competition next year as it was so popular - so keep reading!

Best,
Sarah XXX

The Ideas Shop Hits Navan - Sarah, Judi and Oisin

On Thursday 13th October we arrived at the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan to be greeted by the lovely Maedhbh from the library services. After tucking into tea and toast in the café with fellow Ideas Shop writers, Judi Curtin and Oisin McGann, we all set up our props and waited for the 350 school children to take their seats.

They came from all over Meath, a lovely mix of schools. As we waited nervously backstage, they spilled into the front seats, grinning, and we sneaked a few peaks through the black curtains at their faces. Waiting backstage for an event to start is scary and I’m always jingling with nerves – will I be OK, will the audience laugh at the right places, will they ask any questions? On this occasion there was nothing at all to worry about, the Meath audience were completely engaged and watched and listened eagerly from the very beginning.

We each spoke first about growing up and what inspired us to be writers. We had a Memory Box on stage – a great big wooden box filled with all our memories. For me it was books I loved as a child, my tutu and ballet shoes and ballet fuzzy felt; for Judi one of her old dolls (very unloved as she pointed out!), old books and diaries; for Oisin an art kit, books, and his special memories of driving diggers and playing in building sites. Oisin lives in Meath and he was a big hit, especially with the boys!

Next we spoke a little about how we write a book – I talked about research and the role that plays in my work, and meeting the elephants in Dublin Zoo; Judi explained how a book is like a Russian Doll, full of different parts (or dolls) that all fit together to produce a story; and Oisin drew a very fab skeleton which he covered in clothes and explained how you add things to the ‘bones’ of a story, a bit like dressing the skeleton.

And finally we al talked about how books live on through our readers – YOU! Which was followed by a lively question and answer session and a super signing.

It was a real pleasure to meet so many fantastic young readers and thanks to CBI, and most especially Maedhbh and her team for organising the event so beautifully. And look out for me, Judi and Oisin – we’ll be doing some more Ideas Shops very soon.

Sarah XXX

Amy Green Signed Copies and T Shirt Competition

Hi Amy Greensters,

Just to let you know that I've been madly signing copies of the new Amy Green book all over Dublin this week. If you are looking for a signed copy try any of the Dubray shops (Dublin), Hughes and Hughes in Dundrum, Eason shops in Dublin or The Exchange in Dalkey.

There's also a very special Amy Green T-shirt available at the Eason shops and you can win one over on my Facebook site .

Talk soon, and don't forget to enter the Young Editor Competition!

Best,
Sarah XXX
PS The pic above is from the West Cork Literary Festival - hope you like it!

Getting Strangled by Darren Shan

I had great fun at the Mountains to Sea Book Festival last week - I'm only just recovering. I got strangled by Darren Shan - see the pic! I went for dinner with Cathy Cassidy and Judi Curtin - two brilliant writers that I adore, and fab women too! We had a lovely evening.
I also listened to fantastic talks by Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Derek Landy and lots of other great authors.
Have you ever been to a book festival? If you get the chance, do go! It's most inspirational. Now, back to work on Amy 5!
And don't forget to enter the Young Editor Competition before the end of October and you could be helping me with my plot dilemmas very soon!
Best, SarahXXX

My Young Editor - Kate

My lastest blog for Girls Heart Books

Back in 2008 when I started working on the book which became Ask Amy Green: Boy Trouble, I had a dilemma. My main character, Amy was and still is thirteen (it’s been a long, dramatic year for Amy!), but it had been a long time since I was a teen. Maybe things had changed, moved on. Maybe girls weren’t as boy, fashion and friend obsessed as I had been at thirteen. I decided that before I went any further I needed to find out how modern teens thought, and most importantly felt about everything. Which is where Kate came in.

Kate was in my son’s class at the time – 6th class at Glenageary/Killiney National School – and was and still is a huge reader. She is smart, funny and chatty, and I asked her to gather some friends - Emma, Sinead and Isobel - and meet me in a coffee shop to talk all things teen. It was wonderfully interesting and informative, and I came away knowing for sure that although, yes, a lot of things had changed for girls since I was a teen, a lot of things were exactly the same. A lot of the hopes, dreams, aspirations, fears and worries sounded so familiar I could almost taste them.

It was both helpful and inspirational – they are such great girls! And it made me realise how cool Irish teenagers are and how much I wanted to write for them, give them the kind of books they deserved: funny, smart, immersive books set in Dublin. Most of the books Irish teens read are set in the US or England. We are a small country of four million people (smaller than Birmingham!) and this year I’m delighted to report that this year many other new Irish authors have started to write books for teens set in Ireland.

Above is a picture of Kate and Emma and if you’d like to find out more about them check out my Amy Green Fanzine here.

Kate is now sixteen and is heading towards important exams, so I’m looking for some new young editors. She’ll always be part of the Amy Green team of course, I couldn’t do it without her!

So I’m holding a competition to find some new young editors in September – when the new Amy Green book, Love and Other Drama-Ramas is out – I’ll put the details up on the Girls Heart Books site, so watch this space!

Hot off the press - the cover of Amy Green 4: Love and Other Drama-Rama

Hot off the press - here's the cover of the brand new Ask Amy Green - out in September - hope you like it!
And don't forget you can find other Amy Green fans on Facebook - www.facebook.com/askamygreen - check it out! And stay tuned for more news in early September.

Best,
SarahXXX

The 21 Books I'm Taking On My Summer Holidays!

Summer Holiday Reading

This is the pile of books I’m taking on my summer holidays, whittled down from a much larger selection. I’ve been collecting them for months and I can’t wait to get stuck in. The best popular fiction, a Patrick Ness short story collection I’ve been meaning to read for ages, some fab sounding teen fiction that’s coming out in the autumn, some non fiction, including Moneyball, about baseball (I love good sports books and films), and a couple of research books for my next adult novel and Ask Amy Green book, which is called Dancing Daze and will be out in 2012.

The problem is, I only have three weeks to read all these books! But I love having choice. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for anything too heavy, other times I want to get my teeth into something a bit more challenging (which is when I’ll pick up one of the teen books!). Different books for different moods.

My idea of a blissful holiday is this: quiet beach, sitting in the shade, reading while my children play in the sand or sail.

What books have you packed?

Yours in writing (and reading!),

Sarah XXX

I’m off to West Cork for most of July, so see you in August. Have a great month, hope you too get some good reading time in.

New Amy Green Covers - Italian and American

These lovely covers are the Italian and American versions of the first Ask Amy Green book, Boy Trouble. There is also a Polish edition I will post a pic of soon - aren't they lovely? Very different.

And stay tuned for news on the brand new UK and Irish covers.

Best, Sarah X