Wishing everyone a beautiful and happy May 2015
Welcome to the merry, merry month of May! Let the rumpus begin. Let the days warm. Let leaves unfurl and blossoms charm and bees hum in the garden. Let fancies turn to love. Let poems flow, inspired by our word for May, which is FLOURISH.
The poetry lamp is lighted.
David
Wow! Amazing opportunity to submit a piece for a fantastic publisher.
I was delighted to read in a Writing Magazine tweet this week that the publisher David Fickling Books – until recently featured on my list of publishers accepting unsolicited manuscripts – is opening its doors to unagented writers for two weeks in May, and it looks like this could be a regular occurrence.
The submissions window is taking the form of a competition called ‘Master of the Inkpot’ (shades of Terry Pratchett or JK Rowling there). Every submission will be read and a shortlist drawn up. The top five will be featured on the website and the winner invited in with a view to publication.
Guidelines for entry are very exact so check and double check the requirements. Picture book submissions should, unusually, include illustrations. Any reading age is considered including adult. And luckily for me, they are happy to reconsider material previously sent if it has been reworked (I’m…
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As the clock ticks, the time is edging closer to the start of spring. Millie is pacing in her small office, preparing for the official change of season.
Do you remember Millie? She works in Father Christmas’ workshop and has the important job of preparing magic fairy dust that makes reindeer fly on Christmas eve.
A pretty little girl, half elf and half fairy, she has sweet pink wings that flutter whenever she is nervous. In the final countdown to spring, her wings make a slight humming noise, as she worries if she has everything ready.
A mixture of colourful jars and bottles are lined up neatly along her desk. Her brow is creased as she taps them gently whilst muttering concentrated little reminders to herself. There are jars to help her collect fresh morning dew; a round, fat bottle to capture rain from the first warm shower and a tall, slim bottle with a swan-like neck to gather pollen from daffodils. These are all very important ingredients that can only be collected in spring but are needed to help make the magical dust.
Tonight marks the first night of spring, so Millie has one, very important task to do. She needs to fly really high, to the edge of the sky, so she can collect fluffy, moist clouds that have bathed in the moonlight. She is lucky as there is plenty in the sky tonight and the moon is bold and bright.
A little beep sounds from the corner of the room and her alarm clock starts to buzz. It’s 10:46pm and officially Springtime. She bashes the top of the clock, knocking off the reminder, grasps the wire handle of a powder blue mason jar and dashes out of the room toward the grand hall at the heart of the workshop. It’s from the grand hall a few friends will wave her through the large doors and she will take off, into the night, in the search for glistening clouds.
Joanna Goodwin 