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Book page markers – make some today!
Why book page markers? An upcoming event where we will have a book stall made us think about a small craft activity that we might offer. It needed to be book related, family-friendly and cheap to do. We decided that we would take along materials to make these book marks. They are the ones that…
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10 ways to fight Blue Monday
Blue Monday – a fake media construct? Blue Monday used to refer to washing, but in recent years it’s the day that the newspapers tell us that we are all supposed to be at our most miserable. The combination of weather, dark days and debt culminates specifically on the third Monday in January, we are told. For…
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How a writing workshop led to comedy editing gold
Halloween Writing Workshop I went to a writing workshop on Halloween. It was my birthday so I decided it would be a fun way to pass the day. It was a flash fiction workshop at the University of Leicester, held in the David Wilson Library. Our hosts were Simon Dixon, the Special Collections librarian and…
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Making a creepy doll ghost for Halloween
It’s nearly Halloween, and you know what that means, right?* Spooky decorations are needed, that’s what. It’s definitely more fun if you can make your own, and when you have a terrifying infant in the house already, it seems a shame not to incorporate it. Baby wanted a ghost friend, so here is how I…
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Spotted! A monster in Birmingham’s canals.
Why we did it We wrote a book about Birmingham, a book about the unkillable gods who live there (of the tentacled and untentacled variety). Dreaming up ways to get our efforts in front of the maximum number of people is something that we like to do. There’s no escaping the fact that Amazon do…
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Five habits of successful writing partners
Iain and Heide have been writing collaboratively for nearly 5 years now and they’ve learned a thing or two about how to play nicely together . Don’t sweat the small stuff If you’re super-prepared collaborators, you will have worked out some ground rules about how the collaboration will work. If you’re really canny, you will have…
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Birmingham Readers Map
Birmingham Readers Map Local authors Heide Goody and Iain Grant Birmingham Readers Map Local authors, telling stories about places that matter to you Have you ever wondered whether there are books featuring places in your local area? Birmingham Readers Map is a google map that shows you where stories are set, in and around Birmingham.…
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How Arthur C. Clarke and a cocker spaniel were responsible for this book and this cake
It was 1985 or thereabouts. I was ten or maybe eleven, and my school friend Chris Ives gave me a book with a big chunk bitten out of one corner. Why? Well, his family belonged to a mail order book club. I don’t know if those things really exist anymore but, as best as I…
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A Hard Day’s Write
Join Heide Goody and Iain Grant… in a vintage phone box! They have recently been made writers in residence of this spectacular venue, so they are inviting you to join them in a writing marathon. It will coincide with the launch of their latest novel Godsquad which continues their bestselling comic fantasy series. A Hard…
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Three Elephants – An editor’s reflections on the Circ novel
We at Pigeon Park Press are very excited about the upcoming novel, Circ, written by ten different authors as part of the Ten To One project. You can get your own tickets for the launch (and claim a free e-book on the night!) by going to http://www.birmingham-box.co.uk/event/circ-can-ten-people-write-one-novel/Between now and the launch on 28th November, we…