Hay Festival Report

And so it was that Leaf went to Hay, to there perform some readings. And the readings were enterprising and successful and all involved wore smiles. Everything bar public transport occurred without drama; the books were nicely-received and a great deal of interest was generated in and around the Literature in Wales tent.

Thanks must again go to our writers/readers, whose charisma and (obviously) super writing made the dates as enjoyable as they were.

Below are some pictures of the Thursday event and Leaf Books adventuring throughout the festival site.

Hay!

Michele, Maria and Ruth.

If ever there could be a picture to so aptly explain...

Leaf Reader #1

An audience with...

Leaf Reader #2

So that was that. More pictures to follow I'm told. If anyone happened to find and read one the books we so elegantly hid throughout the festival trees, support struts, bushes, Guardian promo stands and so on - let us know what you thought. And we know at least most of you did because Matt sat next to one fellow having a good old look-through, while Sam, Ceci and Gav - who tactically decided they'd go different days to Matt - saw similar.

Cheerio

Rhiwbina Event and Hay-on-Wye Festival

Yesterday afternoon, three of our writers read a five minute snippet of their respective stories in the lovely Victoria Fearn Gallery, Rhiwbina.

A jolly crowd of non-rabble turned up to watch Ruth Joseph, Shelagh Middlehurst and Jo Verity read from Tea-Dance at the Waldorf Astoria, Sex with Leonard Cohen and Think Like a Bee.

Here's a nice photo of them.

In other news, we've just been confirmed for an appearance at the Hay-on-Wye festival. This'll mean a 15 minute slot in which to perform super feats of reading, and us whizzing around with The Books. More news/updates on this closer to the date (26th May - 4th June.)

UPDATE

The skip is still in custody.

Miscreant Skippery

Further to our last post, in which it was revealed that a gruff man outside was attacking the floor with a stupidly large implement of steel, today we can reveal that a new folly has beset our vision.

There is now - and there is little much in the way of explaining otherwise - a big yellow skip in a fenced enclosure. Said incarcerated skip is doing nothing but sitting there, with some pipes in it, and two men keep playing with the fence. I suppose it is a little bit like a miniature Belmarsh for naughty skips. It's also unnervingly close to our front door. If there are monsters in the skip intent on stealing us after departure for respective trains then we will simply have to fight them with sharpened Leaf Books.

Otherwise, we have seen two dogs wrapped in flourescent coats, an unnecessary amount of rain, six cars moving and nine cars remaining sedentary.

We are not moving until the ground-bashing water abates.

We are somewhat cold.

And slightly peckish.

Writing for Children competition winners should be announced soon.

'Yeah, by the end of the month,' says Sam.

Matt nods.

short short short short story competition

There is a man in braces outside wielding an instrument that flattens earth. We have mostly found this upsetting.

Elsewhere is a mechanical digger also doing things to dirt. We cannot see the digger but the vibrations and noise would suggest that we should be upset by that too. There are large black tubes sprawling from the ground like the limbs of some grotesquely toasted octopus. It's unfairly not clear why.

It is quiet in the office.

Except for the digger.

And our gentle weeping.

We have a new competition though: details are here on the website.

Leaf on the BBC

Ceci was on the news! Ceci was on the news! The Welsh news, to be fair, but the news all the same. Wales Today! On the BBC! With Leaf Books!

And then they cut to the weather. It was great.

"Hilarity"

It's snowing outside and looks really very nice.

Matt: 'How great is snow?!'

Ceci: 'It's snow great.'

I ask you.

Closing time

The submission window for our Writing for Children competition closed yesterday.

Not much else to report, though a few things will be announced in the next few weeks. Don't forget that our Winter Short Story comp ends 31st of March, with our Short Poetry comp continuing up until the end of July.

The new website is now fully operational too, with Paypal features and all sorts of other spangly things going on.

And don't forget to clean your teeth before you go to work, as I did today.

LEAF IN MEDIA BLITZ

Yesterday we had a lovely feature about us written in the Western Mail, which can be found online here. This morning Ceci and one of our writers - Shelagh Middlehurst - were interviewed on BBC Radio Wales. You can wrap your ears around that here.

A veritable media bonanza - loads of grins in the office today.

Matt.

Fame.

Look at me, posting away.

Today was tremendously exciting. The Western Mail (a charming and delightful publication) did a one-page spread (can you call it spread if it's only on one page?) about Leaf Books, and pretty dashed comprehensive it was too. So we bought all the copies in the neighbourhood and stroked them and sent them to people. Then, in the afternoon, a bright young chap from the BBC came along to interview Ceci for Radio Wales. 'Good Morning, Wales', to be precise, to be broadcast tomorrow morning at some dire morning hour. We were obliged to hastily summon one of our beloved and much prized authors, Michele Toler, who was brave and dutiful and answered lots of questions. And then, because evidently things weren't quite as absurd as they possibly could've been, another person rang from the BBC and arranged a second, live interview, with one of our eminent directors (Ceci again, who's good at microphones) and a second magnificent author, Shelagh Middlehurst. Also for tomorrow morning. It's all too much.

Today South Wales, tomorrow the world.

ARGH

Today, right, is incomprehensibly, ridiculously, obscenely busy. Not that it isn't usually, but today is extra-more-so.

And Barrie wanted a mention. So here's her mention.

Stands and things like that

Thought it'd be prudent to actually show off the book stands that we get very silly about. And must also say a thanks to John for his brilliant family of rulers which have today been launching elasticated rubber at my colleagues. I'm the child you see.

Also: next series of book arrives today. This is good.

Also also: New website still making everyone cry but will be up "any moment," according to Ceci who is sat rather comfortably with an enormous pile of invoices and a clever stamping machine that puts our address all over everyone's letters/wrists/cheeks.

Also also also: There are no satsumas in the building.

A very busy day

Today is a very busy day in the Leaf office. As I write only two people are in, running through submissions/writing emails/writing stuff for the new website/filling in stands for retailers.

"It's great," says Sam with an enormous grin.

We've also got the proofs for our second set of books arriving today, which is lovely. No doubt we'll then spend the rest of the day playing Twister over enormous sheets of laminate paper that'll furnish the entirety of the office carpet.

In other news, Matt just drank some Fanta that had been left on the side for a while. Sam thinks this Fanta was poisoned and that Matt might therefore fall over and die shortly. (He's also convinced that North Korea is after him.) It could've been Gav's though. "Sorry Gav, he says. "I only had a sip."

But what's most important is the remainder of the Christmas cake in the cupboard and who exactly will eat it.

Leaf forum

It's a bit like a party on your screen. Your web browser will love it too. You could even marry it if it wasn't merely a collection of boxes with writing in them. And if you really want, you could kiss it. But I wouldn't.

So yes, a link to the new Leaf Books forum has been added to the links section OVER THERE >>

They're here

The 'In Love' and 'Out of Love' Poetry books came back from the printers today. That was exciting!

They looked great. Hoping for fantastic Valentines Day sales. So if anyone wants to buy something for their beloved, or their not beloved get one of these. Only £2. Send Leaf a cheque, or wait with eager anticipation for the new web site to go up next week. Or maybe the week after.

a new competition

Short Poetry Competition

Leaf are looking for short poems (16 lines or fewer) on any theme. £2.50 per entry: cheques made payable to Leaf Books. The closing date for this competition is July 31st 2006. All selected poems will be featured in a Leaf Book. The overall winner will receive £200.

And then there was a blog...