Children's Mental Health Week: A message from HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

I wish there had something like this in Singapore. When I was a child, a student in schools, there was nothing like that here.  So I hope people in the UK support Place2Be. 

The Writing Year

It's barely been two weeks into the new year and I've already broken several resolutions. Oh well, I guess I can start over for Chinese New Year, right? Anyway, I'll try to be better at  from now on.

Firstly, I hope to be more disciplined with myself when it comes to writing. The beginning of the year always reminds me of the first school. For one thing, I get anxious about the year ahead and for another, I regret the the things I didn't accomplish the previous year. So my new year's resolution is to be much more time efficient and productive this year.

Speaking of the first day of school, Emma came back  from the UK in time to help me with the final proofing of Sebbie's First Day of School. Thanks, Emma.

Final Proofs for Sebbie's First Day of School

Emma's book Princess Petunia's Dragon is now available at Kinokuniya, MPH and all good bookstores in Singapore, so go grab a copy now! It's a brilliant book, really brilliant...a real fire-breather of a book. Stop reading this blog and buy a copy.

Emma at Kinokuniya with Princess Petunia!

Sarah's back safely from Cambodia and is hard at work on the third book in her pawtastical Purple Paw Print series and it should be out by May, just in time for the Asian Festival of Children's Content, right, Sarah? Sarah's  award-winning books are so much fun and unpredictable too. Kid's love them and I can't wait for the next one too!

Another book I'm terribly excited about is Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs by Catherine Carvell, which will be published in March. I was there when it was being written and I was lucky enough to be there when Catherine was crafting the story. It's hilarious and it's a green book too.  And by that I don't just mean it's an environmentally friendly book, I mean it's literally green - look it's got a green cover!   

And finally, Kristina Thornton and Michael Csokas's The Wee Adventures of Shabu Shabu: The Jade Legend has been a hit with kids here in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Japan and the USA since they launched it at the Asian Festival of Children's Content this year. The imaginative duo also have a top app for the book on itunes so buy it now for hours of entertainment for yourself or the kids in your life.

Now the sequel's about to hit to bookshelves. so get ready to order your copies of the next guaranteed blockbuster from Csoka and Thornton, The Wee Adventures of Shabu Shabu: The  Silk Route.

The working cover of book (NOT THE FINAL COVER)

Mark my words, Emma's, Sarah's and Catherine's, Kristina's and Michael's books are bound to be a best-selling award-winning must-have books of 2014.

That's it for now. I'll blog more tomorrow when I should actually be writing my next book! 

There's Soup on My Fly Tickets!

Blow A Kiss Excerpt

Here is an excerpt from my book Blow A Kiss, which was a finalist for the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award last year and which has been selected as one of ten books from Singapore to be displayed at the ILFA Congress in Helsinki. If you would like to download the ebook version please click on this link: Ilovebooks.com

Back to School

Summer's almost over. Well, it's over for some kids who are already back to school. I remember when the first day of school was fast approaching - I dreaded it. I didn't want to go back.  Come to think of it, I didn't want to go to school at all, ever - period!

Well, in that respect my nephew Sebastian was pretty much like me when I was a kid. He cried when he found out he would have to go to school, he cried every minute when he was at school, and he cried when he realized he would have to go back to school the very next day.

Sebbie's First Day of School was the very first book that I ever wrote and I think it's pretty much about what both of us experienced on our respective first days of school. The book sold really well, but my publisher decided against a second print run - go figure!

Can you remember your very first day of school?   Did you go through a gamut of emotions  - fear, anxiety, excitement? Are your kids about to start going to school? Are they getting anxious about it? If so, let's talk. Maybe we can compare notes to figure out the best way to make the first day of school a positive experience.

Anyway,  I have a few copies of SFDOS available so if you're a parent with a kid struggling with first school day blues, let me know and I'll send you up a copy. Talk to you soon, D