Tag: the-highland-cowgirl

New lives and new stories

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It has been a wild winter on the Isle of Harris, with one storm after the other – the perfect weather for curling up with a good book.

Now, we’re getting ready for the lambing season, which starts any day now. For our family, that means a bit less time indoors writing and reading, and hopefully some cute new companions. We usually have a theme for naming our lambs. Last year it was the planets (here is a picture of our pet lamb Jupiter). What theme do you think we should choose this year?

I have had a busy time with my author hat on too, and enjoyed a brilliant World Book Day. It started at Stornoway Playgroup. Next stop was Sgoil an Rubha in Point (Lewis) where I read the Highland Cowgirl and played a lasso game with the younger pupils, then introduced Rory and the Snack Dragons (and some paper dragon tricks) to the older pupils.

Finally it was home to North Harris, where the youth shinty club combined Highland sports and Highland stories for a World Book Day themed fancy dress training session. After all that running about, I checked my phone messages to discover that I had been sent pictures of some young readers (not the ones below) who had dressed up as Hanna, from the Highland Cowgirl, for World Book Day…that brought a huge smile to my face!

It is a while since I shared any book news, but I am working on a couple of projects which I am really excited about – with themes connected to our island life.

I hope to be able to share an update about them very soon…

Yee ha! It’s Showtime for the Highland Cowgirl

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We first met Hanna and her friend Calamity Jane the calf in The Highland Cowgirl, and now the pair are back for a new adventure in The Highland Cowgirl: Showtime, which is out NOW!

The Highland Cowgirl: Showtime

If you enjoyed the first story, and you love farming, dancing and being outdoors, I really hope this one will bring a smile to your face. It sees Hanna heading to her local Agricultural Show, where she’s competing in the Highland Dancing as well as showing off Calamity Jane in the cattle section.

The show is a lot of fun, but Hanna gets a bit overwhelmed – has she given herself too much to do and too many places to be?

This story is inspired by our own family’s experience of Agricultural Shows and Highland Games. Living in the west Highlands and now in the Western Isles, these events have been a fixture of our summers, and while the children always enjoy entering the various competitions, there is always a moment in where we find we’ve given ourselves too much to juggle. At our local South Harris Show this year one of my daughters almost missed entering her artwork because she was busy on the other side of the field registering her pet lamb!

As well as enjoying all the exhibits and entertainment, we have also had a wee book stall at some of our local shows this summer. It has been a lovely way to meet young readers. Thank you to everyone who has stopped and said hello, tried out our Highland Cow craft, or bought a book.

The Highland Cowgirl on a tractor like Hanna’s at Lochs Show

Picture books are a team effort, and I want to say a big thank you to Sarah Lovell, the illustrator, whose talents bring Hanna and Calamity Jane to colourful life, and to Jane and the Foggie Toddle books team, for their belief and vision. I can’t wait to see where our highland-line-dancing pair end up next!