New Beginnings

I walk through a park on my way to work. Most mornings, I find the park lake partially frozen, and that the only sounds are the cries of angry ducks, and the footfall of joggers. Recently, I have instead been greeted by the sound of children's laughter, and water that glitters as it moves beneath the sunlight.

It seems half term is upon us, and that spring is struggling it's way into the world, bring with it the hesitant bloom for the first few daffodils.

It's a time for new beginnings, and for me to share with you my new projects.

• Editing an anthology for RASP. - The anthology will be called Disobedience, something I know more about than most people might expect. It's a difficult task, but one that is incredibly rewarding. 

• Helping to set up a mentoring scheme for dyslexics. - It will be connected to several UK Universities, but that's all I can say for now. I am really excited by this, and the potential this has to support young dyslexic people. 

• Making changes to dysbooks.com, and working on some more short films to compliment and replace some of the text.

• Casting for Dysbooks' introductory short film.

• Continuing my novel in progress. - Not exactly a new project, but a vital one. The novel isn't very good right now, but the main thing is that I finish it, then I have something to work with, and to reshape into a more coherent and elegant form. I'm over the half way point now, but there is still plenty of plot to go. 

• I am considering entering some short story competitions, and I am going to add something about these to dysbooks.com in the near future. If there is any other information or resources you would like to see on the site please let me know. 

I run children's events at the bookshop where I work, and It's been very busy with half term, and I have been running a few special events. I ran one of these on Wednesday and ended up with blue thumbs from all the balloons I was blowing up to give away as prizes. It's wonderful to see young people having fun, and one of the best parts of my job.

I'll have more news for you soon, along with something about the Dysbooks' Book Club. Please get in touch if you would like to join, either in a blog comment here, or by sending an email to: sarah@dysbooks.co.uk

National Libraries Day 2013

Today is National Libraries Day, a celebration of libraries and librarianship across the UK. In honor of this I am going to be blogging about my own experiences of libraries, and why they are vital to our communities.

When I was young, every week, without fail, I would go to my local library with my younger brother. I wasn't very good at reading because of my dyslexia, and I found reading very frustrating, but I always got excited about these visits.

Normally, my grandmother would take us. We would walk with her up from her house and across a railway bridge; if we were with my mother we might have tried to run ahead, but not with Nanny Glen. She was a school teacher, and once told me that if you taught children you had to be able to command their respect the moment you entered a room, something she was highly adept at.

The library itself was a squat building at the end of the High Street, with the children's section located at the very back. Once through the library doors, we would rush to it, fighting over who was going to sit on the giant ladybird-pillow, in our quietest voices. It was a brightly colored area, separated with a wall from the adult sections. This was covered in children's artwork. There were bright wooden boxes of picture books to rummage through,  and small chairs for us to sit on.

We were always allowed to choose our own books, so we always had books to take home that we really wanted to read. My grandmother felt this was very important, especially as I was having such a hard time developing my reading skills. She got us to hand our books to the librarian ourselves, along with our library cards, which I remember being extremely proud of. The librarian would ask us about the books we were checking out, which made my brother and I smile shyly, secretly delighted by the attention.

My mother spent a lot of time at work, and had a very stressful job. My brother and I spent much more time with Nanny Glen, and Grandma Amber, as a result, but every night without fail she would sit with us both and read us to us from the library books. It was also a great time to talk about school, and the little things that matter most to children, like my decision to start collecting rocks. My father had made it very clear he did not want me bringing anything living or dead in from our garden, or anyone else's garden, so this was a rather big confession. I swore my mother to secrecy, and she helped me find a cardboard box to put them in, and to hide under my bed. It later transpired my father knew about it all along, but felt less strongly about me hiding fossils in my room than earth worms, or buckets of mud and leaves.

These are some of my best memories, they are a large part of my childhood. My mother helped me to learn to read using library books, and reading from them to my younger brother was one of the few times we both got along. When I could finally read fluently, I decided to read all the books in my school library, starting with Crime. This didn't quite go to plan, though I did discover some of my favorite writers along the way, in an anthology of fantasy and science fiction, as well as a love of classics. In later years I volunteered to help run a reading scheme at my local library, and I got to experience the pleasure of helping others to enjoy reading for the first time. I've come a long way since then, mentoring young people with dyslexia, through an English degree, and into a job as a Bookseller (something I had always wanted to do). None of this would have been possible without libraries...this is why I feel it is so important to celebrate libraries, and the people who run them, especially today.

Sarah
(Dysbooks Founder)


How have libraries and librarians positively influenced your lives?

Quick Reads 2013

Quick Reads' new books for 2013 are out this month, so today our blog is going to take a look at what Quick Reads is, and why the books they publish are great for dyslexics.

Quick Reads is a scheme set up to encourage adults who are reluctant to read to pick up a book. They publish books designed to be as appealing as possible to these adults. They are short, easy to read, exciting, and all written by popular authors. The books can be bought through High Street stores, and online, for just £1. Quick Reads publishes several new books once a year.

These books are perfect for dyslexic adults who want to start reading for pleasure. They are un-intimidating,  affordable, well written, and easy to read without being childish. If you like an author it is also easy to find other books they have written that are not published by Quick Reads. If memory is a problem, the shortness of the books means they can be finished before any of the plot or characters are forgotten.

This year the Quick Reads books are:

A Dreadful Murder by Minette Walters

A Sea Change by Veronica Henry

Doctor Who: The Silurian Gift by Mike Tucker

Love is Blind by Kathy Lette

Today Everything Changes by Andy McNab

Wrong Time, Wrong Place by Simon Kernick

The books can be bought through most High Street bookshops in the UK, and online in print, or as ebooks. They can also be borrowed from many libraries. For more details on availability visit the Quick Reads website: quickreads.org.uk

Interview with Helen Lawson

Following our recent review of 'The Spaceship Saga', Dysbooks interviews author Helen Lawson about her 'Read a Play' series. You can read our review of the first book in the series here.


How did you come up with the concept for 'Read a Play'?

I’m an advertising copywriter by profession and have always worked with words in one way or another. It was also a burning ambition of mine to be a published writer. I think I was always waiting for the right storyline, the right time, the right reason to start a book and really it was like a light bulb went on in my head when I thought of creating ‘Read a Play’ stories. They’re for our son after spending many nights trying to get him to enjoy reading. He didn't want to read little books any more, he wanted to keep up with his friends but his dyslexia stopped him and also knocked his confidence. After talking with a friend who works in education she explained there might be just too much text on the page and it overwhelms him. It was right then when I had to idea to chop it up into chunks like a play.

Are your books aimed at dyslexic readers, if so, are they aimed purely at dyslexics?

They’re not just aimed at dyslexic readers, no, any child can and does enjoy them from the feedback I’m getting. I just think the concept of only reading every other line and getting to finish the story before bed really helped with our son’s confidence. It really worked for him so I hope it works for other struggling readers, whether they have dyslexia or not. I know of a couple of very confident readers who have been acting the stories out and having fun with them that way, which I love. It also means they begin to put expression into their reading because they follow your lead. Hearing this is wonderful!


Have you always had an interest in writing?

I have always been a writer, yes. When I did Camp America at age 18 I wrote short plays for the children to perform and I used to write a funny poem to read out at the end of their week on camp about their experiences there. After that I went on to have a very varied career, including a stint as a radio producer and a restaurateur. At the age of 31 I became a copywriter, which reminded me of how much I love to write.

Who is your favorite children's author, and why?

As a young girl I read almost every Enid Blyton book there was. I just loved them. Oddly though I don’t think they've stood the test of time with me because when we read them now they feel very dated. I find myself changing the language a bit as I read it out. Roald Dahl, on the other hand, is timeless. I’m reading The Witches with our 8-year-old girl at the moment and every night as I go to tuck her in she gives my hair a tug just to check. It’s magical.

What was the hardest part of writing your book, and getting it published?

I got extremely, extremely lucky to get published so quickly. I’m still not quite sure how I managed it. I put a status update on Facebook asking if I knew anyone who knew anyone who worked in publishing and it turns out I did. I sent them the first draft of my first story, Football Madness, along with an explanation of the concept and I got a publishing deal 3 months later. The hardest part was trying to be patient. That’s not something that comes naturally to me. Waiting to get the actual book in my hands felt like a lifetime when actually it was only about 10 months.

What advice would you give to writers who are just starting out?

Keep writing. Keep plugging away. Talk to people. Try and find someone who knows someone who knows someone and keep going. Also, always go back to your work a few weeks after you’ve written it. Even if you think you’ve finished, you’ll find things you want to change and amend and you can do that better once you’ve had some time apart from your work.

Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself, or your work?

I really want to make writing ‘Read a Play’ books my career and see them on children’s bookshelves across the world. I love the idea that it makes parents and carers read together with children and I feel excited and very passionate about making this little idea work. I’m also still freelancing to pay the bills and even though I’m working on new stories it’s difficult sometimes to juggle work, children, writing and our two dogs. Fingers crossed someone somewhere picks it up and sees the potential not just in this idea but also in me and then I can realise my ambitions for ‘Read a Play’ books.

You can find out more about Helen on her blog:
http://readaplayhelenlawson.blogspot.co.uk/

'The Space Ship Saga' can be purchased through any of these booksellers:

Waterstones
amazon.co.uk
Foyles
Barnes and Noble

Review - The Spaceship Saga: and Other Stories

When I was young my mother used to read to me every night before I went to sleep, because I loved stories. When she found out I had dyslexia she decided it was essential she do this, especially as it was getting harder for her to get me practice my reading skills, partly as I found it so difficult, and partly because my school reading books were so dull. Her solution to this was to ignore the school books, and to wait until she reached a really exciting part in the story she was reading to me. She would then stop, and tell me if I wanted to know what happened next I would have to read it myself. Over the years she got me to read longer and longer sections, until she was no longer reading to me every night, I was reading to her.

There were other factors that contributed to my reading getting better, but this was an important part of how I overcame many of my reading difficulties, so when I came across 'The Spaceship Saga: and Other Stories' by Helen Lawson, I was very interested to find it had be written so it could easily be read this way. It is the first in a series of books for developing readers called 'Read a Play' where parents and children are encouraged to take turns reading together.

I was still unsure what to expect from the book, and whether it would be any different to reading a play, and if it would actually offer anything different to the huge range of books that claim to improve children's reading skills.  The book is marketed with the suggestion that each story can be read in one sitting, so I also wondered if there would be enough text for it to be worthwhile to use specifically to improve reading ability.

These reservations soon faded away as I began reading the first story. While it is very similar to reading a play, as the series title suggests, it's more of a blend between a play and a normal children's book. Each story lists the characters in it at the start, and they always include a narrator. It is the narrator's sections that are similar to reading a standard children's story, and it is through the narrator that character's motives and thoughts are conveyed, as well as all of the description. The parts where the character's speak are lively, interesting, and often funny. Every story could easily be read in one sitting, but there is plenty of text to read, the book is just written so it feels like you are reading less and at a faster rate, something sure to appeal to many reluctant readers.

I can easily see how it could really help children who are struggling with their reading, or who find reading off putting, but it's also a book all children within it's target age range (6-8) could enjoy.

The author Helen Lawson says she wrote the book after her experiences trying to help her dyslexic son with his reading skills, and reading enjoyment. She found that breaking each story into manageable chunks improved his confidence, and that he loved her amusing and surprising tales.

There is a good mix of stories and parts for male and female readers. Through swapping roles the stories have some re-reading value, and I can see them being enjoyed by siblings. All in all, it would be a fantastic addition to many children's book shelves, and I hope that the series continues.

I just wish this book was around when I was younger.

Sarah

(Dysbooks Founder)

We will be soon be interviewing Helen Lawson, but in the mean time you can find out more about her here: readaplayhelenlawson.blogspot.co.uk. You can buy 'The Space Ship Saga' through any of these booksellers:
Waterstones
amazon.co.uk
Foyles
Barnes and Noble

Update...

In my last post I introduced Dysbooks, and myself. This time I'm going to update you on all the magical things we have planned over the coming weeks, the biggest of which is work on our first short film. I've messed about with film making before, but this is the first time I've ever spoken into a boom, it was really intimidating, and my friend Laura kept laughing at my facial expressions as she advanced on me with it. I was really worried my cat was going to attack it, but luckily she contented herself with yowling during some of the takes. Thank goodness for editing software.

We only recorded the voice over today, next, is the storyboard, and recruiting people to be filmed. I'm going to be in some of it, as it's partly about my experiences with dyslexia, but I will need other people in it, too. Mark, Dysbooks editor, and my long suffering dyspraxic boyfriend, has declined the opportunity to be in my masterpiece. He helps a huge amount with Dysbooks, so I'm not going to try to force it on him.

In other news, this Feburary the Dysbooks' Book Club (or rather I, as I'm currently the only member) will be reading Spellwright by Blake Charlton.  I cannot tell you how much I hope you will join me, partly as it's not really much of a club if I'm the only one taking part, and because the book has a fantastic concept.

*Cue dramatic music*

In a world where people create magic by writing spells into their muscles, a prophesy is made. A wizard of great power shall come forth to prevent the Apocalypse, this wizard is Nicodemus Weal...or that's what everyone thought, until they realised he couldn't spell. This is something which can have deadly results, as well as preventing Nicodemus from ending his apprenticeship. Despite this, there are those who still believe Nicodemus is the chosen one, and who will do whatever it takes to control him and his abilities.

I had to buy this book, especially as the first page reveled the author was dyslexic, and not only were they a successful novelist, but they are a Yale graduate, and medical student. In short, really cool. It has been hard to resist starting the book early, especially as it's gotten some fantastic praise, and I messaged Mr Charlton via twitter telling him about the book club, and he gave me a lovely response.

We'll have our first author feature soon, and a review of their book. It's called The Spaceship Saga, and Other Stories, by Helen Lawson. It was inspired by her dyslexic son's struggles with reading, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Several people have asked about getting their books and writing projects reviewed. Our current policy is that if you send it, we'll review it. Just message me for details, through facebook, twitter, or the website. I'm happy to help with writing projects too, though I am hoping to turn this into a writing group, instead of individual email correspondence.

That's all for now,

Sarah

(Dysbooks Founder)