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Signed Books
If you would like a signed copy of The Swan Kingdom, there is a simple and easy way to do it that does not involve trekking halfway across the country to find me and ask me. I will sign and dedicate a bookplate just for you (a bookplate is a piece of card with a sticky back which you put in the front inside cover of a book). Once you've stuck it into the book it will be 'signed'.
All you need to do is to write me a letter telling me how many bookplates you would like, and what you would like me to write on them (for instance - To Jane, Best Wishes, or To Daniel, Happy Birthday) although it's best not to ask for anything too elaborate, because the bookplates are fairly small. You send your letter to me through my publishers, like this:
Zoe Marriott,
C/O Walker Books,
7 Vauxhall Walk
London
SE11 5HJ
And you include a stamped addressed envelope for me to send your bookplate(s) to you. This last bit is very important because I can't afford to pay for envelopes and postage on all the bookplates I send out. At the moment I'm doing around five a week, and you can see how that would add up throughout a year (yes, I promise it's true - not all writers are millionaires).
On the other hand, anyone who writes to me is likely to get a few extra things included in the envelope - whatever nice bits and pieces I have handy. So it's worth writing if you would like your book.
School Visits
If you would like me to come and visit your school - firstly, thank you! I'd love to come and see you too. But unfortunately I can't arrange it myself. The first thing you need to do is to speak to your teacher about it, and send them to this website to they can check it out.
I'm fully CRB checked and I've been visiting schools for a while now, reading from The Swan Kingdom and other books, answering questions on being an author and talking about reading and writing. In accordance with guidelines from the Society of Authors I do ask for a fee when I visit a school, but this is negotiable depending on the size of the group I'm talking to, the time I'll be at the school, the distance I have to travel and also (perhaps most important) what money the school has available. I ask for my travel costs back as well.
You can email me on the link on the homepage (please leave the password in the subject line so I don't delete the email as spam) and I will be very happy to discuss visiting your school or library. If you run a bookshop and would like to arrange a signing, please get in touch with my publisher (address above) who will be happy to help you.
Below are some pieces of work done by students from Western Primary School on a recent visit there. The children said they didn't mind me typing these up, and I hope they won't mind me correcting their spelling in one or two places for the sake of clarity (sorry kids!). These pieces of description were written after I asked the children to imagine a house of coloured windows, in which every window led to a different world, and to write about the experience of going through into one of those worlds.
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Emily's Story
As I stepped through the magical window I felt my clothes change into a yellow t-shirt with an orange skirt. I also fet the warm air and flowers between my sandals. There were fields and fields of flowers like daisies and lilies. I kept on walking, marvelling at the scenery. I soon came to a cottage. It was beautiful. As I stepped into the cottage I heard birds tweeting and I could smell fresh apples.
A few days passed and I was beginning to see a downside. Although there were plenty of animals that were my friends and plenty of food I was quite lonely. So I went into the field that I was in the first time I came, and I looked up and shouted, "Wizard, please send me a person to play with and talk to!"
As I was shouting I noticed a strange smell...fire! I ran. I saw the beautiful cottage on fire and it was spreading. I was in so much despair for the poor world. The fire had spread to the magical flower fields. I shouted for the wizard to help. Then I woke in my own bed. It had been a dream. The wizard. Everything...
The Red Window by Liam
"This is the one!" I exclaimed. It was the ruby red window. As I ran excitedlt it sparked like a bright star. The one I had chosen was no ordinary world, it was built of flames, so red and hot. Flames so beautiful. It was like pumping blood, running in a stream. Even the houses were flames. The trees were burning away. All I smelled was burning fumes and smoke and I heard the laughing of children. When I looked into the sky there were no birds, instead there were phoenixes.
The Silver Window by Reannen
The silver window is an enchanted window because it has all the cold crystal you could ever see or have. It is a cold snowy world. One day me and Stephanie spotted the silver window. Stephanie said, "I wish I could live in there," but then I said, "You can."
She stared at me in the most strange way. But then she said, "How?"
I said, "Do you not understand? This is my home, remember, and I told you that it is enchanted and cold, and it has all the crystals you could have or see."
The Golden Silver Window by Lilly-May
I looked through. There was a golden sun shining over the silver horses and silver trees, glowing pleasantly. The smell of BBQ's fills the air. Smiling kids with golden hair play on silver grass. Half the sky is gold and one half silver. Black birds swoop in the air. And if you look very close you can see it, the house. It's made of silver bars. I could be rich! I thought, "That's the one."
The Red Window by Stephanie Bemrose
The red window is a strange world. All you can see and hear is fog, mist and martians. The floor turns into dust when you take your first step into this strange and freaky world. If you call your name a strange, mythical creature will take you to the martian leader. The martian leader is the only person who can take you back home.
I said to the martian leader, "I didn't mean to walk into this land."
"I know," said the martian leader. "But you're the chosen one. Please stay?"
"I can't," I said. "I have to go home."
And as if by magic, I was back home again.
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Apologies to Phillip and Bradley for not adding your stories to this page, but once I got home and tried to read your work without you helping me, I found it a bit tough to decipher your hand-writing and figure out what you'd written... |
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