Oh what a lovely launch!
October 26, 2021 at 12:17 am | Posted in Book launches | Leave a commentTags: Blacksmith Books, Bookazine Princes Building, Books about Hong Kong history, Books about Hong Kong history for kids, Charly Cheung, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
Thank you so much to Arti and Shonee Mirchandani and the team at Bookazine Landmark Princes Building for hosting the launch of my new chapter book The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah on Saturday! It was a fabulous event, and even though I couldn’t be there in person, I was there by Zoom for the whole launch and didn’t miss a moment!
Here are some slideshows of the event, from photos contributed by artist Charly Cheung and her friends, as well as my lovely daughters in Melbourne (who joined my zoom presentation) (you can see their faces on some of the pictures)!
First my publisher Pete Spurrier from Blacksmith Books started off by welcoming the lovely crowd which included some of my very dear old Hong Kong friends, as well as some fabulous young fans!
The launch begins, as Pete Spurrier introduces my new book! 
The dream team! Publisher Pete Spurrier at Blacksmith Books, illustrator Charly Cheung, and me! 
The kids had the chance to enter through our creepy secret tunnel – just like the tunnels in my book! 
The cobwebs, spiders and bats on the secret tunnel were pretty creepy! 
A lovely display of my books – including my Chinese Calendar Tales!! 
Pete, Charly, me on the screen, and my friends Shonee and Arti Mirchandani from Bookazine! 
An absorbed young fan…
Then I gave a talk by Zoom about the fascinating history behind the REAL Hong Kong mystery which inspired by story!
My presentation begins! 
Introducing the remarkable Sir Paul Chater, creator of the valuable Chater Collection which so famously went missing! 
Introducing the main characters in my story! 
A brief summary of the events preceding Chapter 6! (You can see my lovely daughters Annabel (second from top) and Bea (at the bottom) at the side of the picture. 
From Chapter 6: the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in December 1941 
The chapter continues as Maggie and Edmund decide to search for the missing Chater paintings… 
Some of my lovely listeners! Thanks so much for coming along!
Publisher Pete Spurrier then ran a fun quiz, where he asked the kids tricky questions about my presentation! The kids who got the right answers won some creepy spiders, snakes and bats worthy of the tunnels in my story…as well as upcoming Halloween of course :)!
Then illustrator Charly Cheung taught the fans how to draw an African Grey Parrot, just like Methuselah!
Finally, everyone lined up to have their books signed! I’d already signed a book plate for my lovely readers, and Charly added her signature, while the kids had a chance to chat with me at the same time!
Thank you so much to Charly and Pete for all the wonderful work they put into the launch, with some fantastic decorations and special effects! And a HUGE thank you also to Arti and Shonee Mirchandani at Bookazine, for their fabulous hosting of the event!
And if you’d like to buy your copy of the book, signed by both me and Charly, I believe that there are still some signed copies available at Bookazine Princes Building! Or you can purchase your own (unsigned) copy by clicking HERE!
FINAL REMINDER: Mwa ha ha! Do you love DARK MYSTERIOUS TUNNELS??
October 22, 2021 at 4:57 pm | Posted in Book launches | Leave a commentTags: Bookazine Princes Building, Chapter books for pre-teens, PRE-TEEN EVENTS, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
MWA HA HA! If you’re a fan of dark, mysterious tunnels (not to mention hidden treasure), then the launch of my new book The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah is the perfect event for you! Come and join us tomorrow at 3pm at Bookazine Princes Building for the most exciting pre-teen event in town! Click here to register right away!
And don’t forget to bring a torch…and that clipboard :)!
See you there!
Just 4 days to go till the most mysterious, exciting book launch for pre-teens in town!!
October 19, 2021 at 5:30 pm | Posted in Book launches | Leave a commentTags: Blacksmith Books, Bookazine Princes Building, Books for preteens, Charly Cheung, Hong Kong history for kids, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah, The Mystery of the Missing Chater Collection, World War 2 in Hong Kong
There are just FOUR more days to go until the most EXCITING, MYSTERIOUS book launch for pre-teens in Hong Kong!!
Learn about the HIDDEN TREASURE still waiting to be found in Hong Kong! Find out all about all the MYSTERIOUS TUNNELS still lying underneath the city! WIN some creepy prizes in our QUIZ! LEARN HOW TO DRAW a very funny, loveable PARROT with award winning artist Charly Cheung! WIN an original signed Charly Cheung drawing! TAKE HOME some fabulous activities! Get your book SIGNED! I can’t wait to see you there!
NB: Make sure you register for the event by clicking HERE !
NB: And make sure you bring a CLIPBOARD for the drawing lesson!
YAY! You are invited to the Official Launch of The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah!
October 14, 2021 at 9:52 pm | Posted in Book launches | Leave a commentTags: Bookazine Princes Building, Books about Chinese history for kids, Charly Cheung, Hong Kong history, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
Sound the trumpets! Beat the drums! And above all, get ready to have FUN! This is your official invitation to the Official Launch of my exciting new chapter book for pre-teens, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah (A Mystery in Hong Kong)!
If you love mysteries about missing treasure, adventures in dark tunnels, and above all, crazy rhyme-loving African Grey parrots, you’ll just LOVE hearing all about my new story at 3pm on Saturday, 23rd October, at Bookazine, 3rd Floor Princes Building!
I’ll be Zooming in to read you a fun chapter, and to fill you in on all the fascinating, fabulous Hong Kong World War II history behind the story!
PLUS you can learn how to draw that crazy rhyme-loving African Grey Parrot (a.k.a. Methuselah) from brilliant artist Charly Cheung (but only if you remember to bring a clipboard so you can draw on it!)
PLUS you can win some fun prizes in our QUIZ and Drawing Competition!
PLUS you’ll be going home with a tricky Maze and some Colouring-In to complete, and a great bookmark! Not to mention a signed book if you wish :)!
So make sure to save the date in your diary, and we’ll see you there!
At last! The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah is at the printers!
June 30, 2021 at 10:22 pm | Posted in Book launches, new books | Leave a commentTags: Blacksmith Books, Books about Hong Kong for kids, Charly Cheung, Chater paintings, Hong Kong mysteries, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
HOORAY!! At last my exciting, funny new chapter book for pre-teens has gone off to the printers! It’s looking just fabulous, thanks to our incredibly talented illustrator Charly Cheung, who has drawn more than 100 illustrations!!
It’s all about two adventurous kids living in Hong Kong: expat Maggie Magill and her best friend Edmund Ma, Maggie’s very funny African Grey parrot Methuselah, and a fabulous Hong Kong mystery which is real and has never been solved! Not to mention some spooky World War II tunnels, some very valuable treasure and an exciting helicopter rescue!
The publisher Pete Spurrier at Blacksmith Books tells me that it will take just two weeks to get printed – so all you lovely parents and kids who have been so patient with us over the last few months will get their copies by mid-July! At last!!
We’re planning a fabulous Hong Kong launch, so watch this space and I’ll let you have all the details as soon as possible!
And if you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, you can pre-order it now by clicking this link!
Oh what a lovely Launch!!
January 31, 2019 at 9:53 am | Posted in Book launches, Bookazine Exchange Square, Books about Chinese Zodiac, Bookshop event, Boxed Set, Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Fabulous fans!, Hong Kong events, RoomtoRead, Writer Ambassador | Leave a commentTags: A Dirty Story, Bookazine Exchange Square, Harry Harrison, Room To Read Writer Ambassador, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig
Phew is it busy at the moment!!! I’m so busy with lots of lovely school visits and book orders that I’m very late with my blog-posts! So, my lovely followers, you are going to receive quite a number today!
First and foremost, I want to tell you about last Saturday, and the wonderful launch of The Tale of Ping Pong Pig and our beautiful new Boxed Set of Chinese Calendar Tales at Bookazine Exchange Square! We had a fabulous crowd of fans there, old and new, including many old friends who had come to our launches at the very beginning of the series!
First we had speeches from Shonee Mirchandani of Bookazine, who with her sister Arti has hosted ALL my book launches ever since A Dirty Story back in 2004; then from my dear friend Jennie Orchard, who spoke about RoomtoRead, the wonderful children’s literacy charity for whom I am a very proud Writer Ambassador. 20% of the proceeds of sale at the launch is being donated by me and Bookazine to the RoomtoRead library in India that Bookazine is generously funding! You can find out more about RoomtoRead’s fantastic work in India here.
Then I was very pleased to talk about the series and all the wonderful people who have contributed so much to its success. First and foremost, that had to be Harry Harrison, our fabulous illustrator!
Then our designers e5 and printer KK Mok at Zhongtian Colour Printing HK Ltd, who sadly could not be with us.
Then Arti and Shonee of Bookazine of course!
Then my beautiful family – my daughters Bea and Annabel (who surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers so I cried :))
And my darling husband Philippe who has supported me in every way, through thick and thin, during the 13 years of writing and publishing the series. Here he is on the right with me, Jennie Orchard and Harry!
And last but never least, my fantastic fans, including kids, mums and dads, teachers and librarians, all over Hong Kong!
Next came my story reading of The Tale of Ping Pong Pig – our very last Tale in the series, out just in time for The Year of the Pig! The kids in the audience were such fun to read to, and they and their mums and dads enthusiastically joined in whenever poor little Ping Pong ran into trouble from her nemesis, the Minister of Most Important Things! Then Harry’s annual quiz for everyone from 2 to 102, with prizes of tiny pandas for the right answers…
And then a real treat! Harry showed everyone how he draws his characters…and then the kiddies joined in!
And finally, our traditional book signing, when it’s such a pleasure to meet our lovely fans!
My daughter Annabel got her annual finger signing from Harry and me of course!
It was such a happy, exciting and colourful event, and I’d like to give my warmest thanks again to Clemence Robine, who organised the event for Bookazine and who generously allowed me to borrow some of the photos on Bookazine’s FaceBook page. You can see more here!
Ping Pong Pig rides the radio waves!
January 25, 2019 at 3:32 pm | Posted in Book launches, Chinese New Year, Podcasts, Press, Radio interviews, RTHK3 | Leave a commentTags: Noreen Mir, RTHK3, Storm Whale, The 123 Show, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig
Photo copyright http://www.rthk.hk/radio/radio3/programme/1_2_3_show?lang=en
On Wednesday afternoon, I had a fun interview with the lovely Noreen Mir on the 123 Show on RTHK3! We talked all about the book launch this Saturday, the fascinating Chinese history brought to life in my new book The Tale of Ping Pong Pig and my recent adventures with Storm Whale! Click on this podcast link to listen in!
A Piggy Reminder!!
January 19, 2019 at 9:50 am | Posted in Book launches, Bookazine Exchange Square | Leave a commentTags: Books about Chinese Zodiac, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, The Year of the Pig
Ping Pong Pig is singing very enthusiastically at the top of her lungs today to remind you to register for her funny and fabulous Launch Party! It’s next Saturday at 2pm at Bookazine Exchange Square, Shop 305-07 One Exchange Square Central! You can just turn up…but it would really help planning if you would register first! Here’s the link! Just put Ping Pong Pig Launch in the subject box and say how many people are coming!
Here’s a reminder of all the fun we’re going to have!
Ping Pong Pig gets an early start to her Year!
January 17, 2019 at 6:07 pm | Posted in Book launches, Chinese New Year, Hong Kong events | Leave a commentTags: Bookazine Exchange Square, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, The Year of the Pig
Ping Pong Pig got an early start to her upcoming year this week! She’s visited three wonderful Hong Kong schools with me and all her fellow Chinese Calendar Tales beasties – and we all had SUCH fun! Keep visiting this page for all the photos and news – and don’t forget to register your name for Ping Pong’s funny and fabulous Book Launch at Bookazine Exchange Square on Saturday 26 January at 2pm by clicking on the link here!
Happy 2019! And a special date for your diary!
January 5, 2019 at 10:39 am | Posted in Book launches, Bookazine Exchange Square, Buying my books, Chinese New Year, Hong Kong events | 2 CommentsTags: Bookazine Exchange Square, Books about Chinese Zodiac, Books about the Year of the Pig, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, Year of the Pig
A very Happy New Year to all my lovely followers! I hope that Father Christmas brought everybody all they wished for, and that you look forward to your best year yet!
Speaking of which…here is the BEST POSSIBLE way to celebrate Chinese New Year, which is just around the corner, and of course the new Year of the Pig! Our annual launch party will be the BIGGEST and BEST ever, because this year, we’re launching our very last Chinese Calendar Tale in the Chinese Calendar Tales series, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig!
You’re going to love our feisty little Pig! She’s kind, she’s pretty, she loves to dance and sing…and she’s also VERY tasty! Everybody loves her, but the problem is, the mighty Yongle Emperor loves PORK even better! Come and listen to me read her funny, exciting story, set in Ming Dynasty China in the brand new Forbidden City, and then watch Harry Harrison draw his amazing pictures! And of course, you can buy your very own copy and have me and Harry sign it!
And this time, it’s a costume party! So if you come dressed up in a costume for your year of the Chinese Zodiac, you’re in the running for a fabulous new Boxed Set of Chinese Calendar Tales as first prize, worth HK$1199! Wow!
NB Please note that this year’s launch is at Bookazine Exchange Square NOT Bookazine Princes Building, as we’re expecting a big crowd!
All the details are on the invitation above, and don’t forget to RSVP on this link or by calling 2542 1133!
And if you want to purchase your very own copy of my new book to read Ping Pong’s story before her big day, just click here right away!
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