Reagan -The White Horse Boy

Ever wondered about why people took so much effort to carve out White Horses on the sides of hills? Or why thirteen of them were clustered within a 20-mile radius of a certain village in what was ancient Wessex?

Reagan has to do a lot more than just wonder; his life depends on identifying the site for the next White Horse to be built. His talents for reading ley-lines, recognising patterns and understanding the secret geometry of crop circles lead him on an exciting journey around the countryside. He can't tackle this mammoth project on his own, and pressure mounts as a series of increasingly dangerous accidents raise the stakes, ending with a mysterious illness plaguing the villages' children.

Luckily, the universe sees fit to help by offering the services of a spirit guide and a master trainer with a warped sense of humour, who infuriates the nearest thing they can find to an expert, the blacksmith, Reeve. But every step forward takes two steps back as the council leader withholds several key clues, and Reagan's debilitating headaches lead to discovery of the fate of several prior "Chosen Children."

Find out more about the characters in Reagan here.

Bella Italia

Lake Como is a gorgeous piece of Paradise, filled with snow-capped mountains, colourful villages and fabulous vistas. Menaggio was Magnificent (the town and the Grand Hotel), even did some line dancing to the Eagles "Get Over It." Beautiful Bellagio (no dancing fountains, but you can see where Vegas got the inspiration) was only a couple of stops away on the ferry; the next one down is Villa-tastic Verenna.
After 3 hours in Monastero, we hiked up a mountain trail worthy of Cader Idris, only to find a further four flights of knee-crippling stairs to hit the top of the tower. The views were well worth it, and the ghosts were great fun. A 12th century church and spectacularly ornate graveyard made Gravedona worth a visit, and Como Cathedral has rich detail which makes York (and Canterbury) pale into the shade. The purple rose? That's what the cute maid did with my nightie - a different, more complex sculpture greeted our return to the sumptuous room every day. And don't get me started on the food: not a pizza all week, but every dish was so exquisite, it even got Bri raving about the porcini mushroom lasagna - and he normally hates pasta.

Beltane Deals

Phew, what a month!
To celebrate May Day, Archer is at the knock-down price of $1.99/£1.38 for a couple of days. You can buy it here:US /UK

 I cannot tell you how excited I am: not only is the 6th book, Aurora, about to wing its way to my fabulous editor Hannah Sullivan, but I've had a total breakthrough on the way the whole story wraps up in the 7th book. The words are just pouring out.

To celebrate this, I'm putting the 1st three books at a fraction of the cost for all three ($14.97/£10.80):
US $4.99: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CXN4YNK/ or in the
UK £3.42: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CXN4YNK/.
That's like, 66% discount on the normal price - or buy one, get TWO free. I'm gonna let this one run for a week while I immerse myself in Italian culture, food and wine (but not necessarily in that order).

April Showers

Goodness, this year's flying by. How did it get to be halfway through April already?
It's a pretty damp one over here, but that's so good for business as it makes it much easier to sit hunched over a hot keyboard, tussling with the edits on the first draft of Aurora.

It never gets any easier, this editing lark, but it gets a whole lot harder when the sun is shining and I can't use my lap-top outside.
I have to say, it's good that the Hengist books finally get a female protagonist, but goodness me is this story travelling down some dark paths. And so far the 7th book is the darkest of all. Who knew Archer's father would have ... nope. You're not catching me out like that. I'm as excited as the rest of you to find out if the story will finally end @ #7. Guess I know what I'll be doing in Italy next month ... have notebook, will travel.

It's a Billy Bargain!!!

For the next couple of days, you can save over 70% on the price of the first three Hengist books.
$14,97 => $3.99

Grab your copy now, before stocks run out. Oh, hang on a sec, it's electronic - the stocks won't run out. Duh!!!

Buy US or in UK only £2.77 - a proper steal.

Here's what people say about it:

"Archer is a boy after my own heart. A little shy, wickedly clever (when words are necessary), and loyal to the bone. I think the best part of this book is how human and endearing all the characters are."

"Rip roaring adventure for readers of all ages, Rory proves a fitting sequel to Archer. There's a whimsical element to this one that delights with its cocky confidence and a bemused view of the modern world by a boy out of his own time."

"This is an incredibly charming series. As much as I loved golden boy Archer, Reagan is the one who stole my heart. I was a 'geeky teen' so I could be biased, but it seems to me that the heart and wit and adventure, that are the author's style, are in full force in this third book."

"These books transition from one to the next so well I feel like they aren't even different books. The characters just pop right off the page. Reading these books is like watching a play in my mind. I can hear their voices and see their faces as I read page after page. Jacky Gray is a great author, truly does bring the characters to life."

500 words soon mount up ...

... when you're judging a class set of them.
I'm proud to say that in my 4th year of being a first round judge for this phenomenal competition, the standard of entries has risen tremendously. This time, my shortlist was anything but, with eleven stunning examples of the best of British children's writing.

Really was a toughie this year, but I think I'm pretty much there now. I'll be glued to the website to see if one of my darlings made it through to the final stages. Good luck, my lovelies.

Ciao Bella

This is not real; just a mock-up!!!

So there am I, helping my lovely student Izzy wrestle with quadratic equations which just didn't want to be factorised, when my gorgeous daughter rings me up from Italy.
Ok, it was no big surprise. I'd spent a coupla hours driving her to Stanstead airport this morning, but it was still a shock she got there so quickly.
Back to rattling round a big house for 3 months with just me, Bri and Sasha (collie-cross).
Never mind. Easter's coming early this year ...

P.S. Don't kill me sweetheart, those copper highlights really weren't this bright.