Cathy Cassidy

THE CHOCOLATE QUEEN...

I’m back from the MOST amazing holiday in Egypt and Jordan… I saw the pyramids, the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings, rode a camel (see pic below), watched the sunset from a felucca boat on the Nile, saw awesome Petra and witnessed the start of Ramadam in Amman… wow! I also met some lovely people, ate fab food, soaked up some sun and promised to return…

I’m so excited now as CHERRY CRUSH is almost out… and the feedback so far is pretty incredible! With a big chocolate theme running through the book, as well as a heart-racing forbidden crush, I think you will love the story.

Very soon I will be off on my September tour… check the EVENTS page on my website to see if I’m doing a public signing near you. I will be in bookstores in Irvine, Dublin, Cardiff, Bluewater, Bromley, Norwich, Boston, Stockport and Coventry, as well as lots of schools in between… and there will be CHOCOLATE! There are dates too in Wigtown, Bath and Cheltenham… don’t miss out!

Voting is still open for the fabby QUEEN OF TEEN comp, and the ceremony is on 10th September… there is just time to cast your vote. Just go to QUEEN OF TEEN and vote for your fave, if you haven’t yet – every vote counts! Pity it isn’t called Queen of Chocolate, actually, I would be a winner for sure…

Grab your copy of CHERRY CRUSH, vote for your QUEEN OF TEEN and check out the tour dates on my EVENTS page… see you soon!!!

xxx

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

I’m off on holiday for two weeks… to sizzling Egypt! Woo hoo! I’ve just finished writing the third Daizy Star book, so it will be a well-earned rest! I can’t wait to see camels, pyramids, the Nile…

If YOU’RE going on holiday this summer, take a cool pic of yourself reading one of my books and take part in my photo comp! Send it in as a jpeg here – put PHOTO COMP in the ‘What is your picture of?’ field and tell me where the pic was taken. The best three pics will win a signed copy of CHERRY CRUSH. Cool!

I am SO excited about CHERRY CRUSH... early copies will be on sale at my event at the EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL on Tuesday 17th August… book your ticket on the link above and come along!

If you can’t get to Edinburgh, pre-order your copy of CHERRY CRUSH at amazon.co.uk and make sure you get your copy on September 2nd… I think you’re going to like it!

And finally… if you haven’t cast your vote for the QUEEN OF TEEN, there’s still time to do it… just click the link above and choose your fave author!

Happy holidays!!!

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MBFR SHORTLIST...

Don’t forget to buy MIZZ MAG on 8th JULY to see who which six lucky readers have been shortlisted for the 2010 MY BEST FRIEND ROCKS award… choosing has been tough, as the entries were SO brilliant this year!

All the judges have have their say, and I have spent a few days sifting through the longlist and whittling it down – in the photo you can see my cat Pepper ‘helping’! The shortlist will be announced in Mizz mag’s 8th July issue, so don’t miss out. Shortlisted readers will then be informed by mail, too, and I’ll see them for the fabby award ceremony at this year’s EDINBURGH FESTIVAL. Woo hoo!

If you live in the North West, see if you can come along to my event at the MANCHESTER CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL on Saturday July 3rd… I’ll have some exclusive taster chapters from Cherry Crush to give out!

For more info on my EDINBURGH FESTIVAL event or on the MANCHESTER CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL one, check out the EVENTS page on my website!

Last but not least, good news… Thanks to your brilliant nominations, I have been shortlisted for the 2010 QUEEN OF TEEN award. Yay! It’s time for you to get voting – and tell your friends, too! Just click QUEEN OF TEEN to cast your vote. It’s a pretty cool shortlist… scary biscuits!

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PUFFIN OF PUFFINS VOTE!!!

My fab publisher are 70 years old this year… woo-hoo! To celebrate, they are having a nationwide vote to choose the best Puffin book of all time, and at the recent Hay Book Festival I got to talk about my favourite shortlisted Puffin, the amazing ‘GOODNIGHT MR TOM’.

I have loved GOODNIGHT MR TOM since I first read it… it’s the story of deprived city boy William Beech who is evacuated at the start of WW2 and goes to stay with grumpy old Tom Oakley. Slowly, the unlikely pair get to know each other and both learn to love, trust and finally become a family.

The book has a truly shocking plot-twist that really pushed the boundaries of what you could talk about in children’s books at the time, and that made a huge impression on me. I realized that it was OK to write about difficult subjects for children – as long as it was done with warmth, hope and sensitivity. This is a book that has stayed with me always. I love it – and that’s why it’s my choice for Puffin of Puffins.

How about you? There are seven great books on the shortlist… take a look and cast your vote! Tell your friends, classmates, teachers and parents to vote, too… all ages are welcome! Just click on the PUFFIN OF PUFFINS link, check out the shortlist and choose your favourite. It’s not easy, because they are all brilliant! Voting closes 16th June…

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