Up-to-date news from the author
Wednesday 3rd June 2020
Because of the current situation with Covid 19,Holly's Prize will not be launched at St John the Baptist RC Primary School in Normanton, or anywhere else public.
However, it will be launched on social media, via email and by word of mouth.
If you would like to buy a copy/copies please go to HOLLY'S PRIZE Launch on this menu (just below HOLLY'S PRIZE) and follow the links.
You will notice that £1.50 has been added to each copy towards postage. However, if I am able to deliver personally to the people in the Normanton area, the £1.50 will be donated to the school's fund and to charity.
Tuesday 19th May 2020
Another book published and now in print! Called "Holly's Prize", it has been written with 3 talented youngsters from St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School in Normanton, Yorkshire.
Two further books are in process of showing themselves to the world."Sara's Astonishing Story" has been written with the 12 year old granddaughter of some American friends. She is called Sara Donovan, and the book will be released in a couple of weeks.
"Garnett's Grand Getaway" has been written with a full class of 29 Year 6 youngsters from St Luke's CE Primary School in Lancaster, England.
It will be released in around three weeks.
WOW! How busy is that?
Friday 1st May 2020
Wow! What an amazing couple of weeks this has been! Here's me thinking not many people would respond to my offer of free books, when POW!
116 wonderful people asked if I wouldn't mind sending a book to their locked down child(ren).
Not only did I send a book, but I sent 205, country wide - from Glasgow to London - via Royal Mail, and I hand delivered personally to youngsters in the Lancaster/Morecambe area as well.
Why 205 from 116 requests?
Well, more than 1 child in each family meant, with only 1 book per family, some would have to do without or they would have to share.
Couldn't have that!
So, we had to make sure every child in every family that applied had a book of her/his own dedicated to her/him alone.
It's only fair.
Right?
From the huge number of grateful messages I have received, I can only conclude that this event has been an unqualified success.
My website now has more to offer -
CHILDREN'S HIGH QUALITY BOOKS AT HALF PRICE!
Have a look and see what you think.
www.frankenglish.co.uk
Saturday 25th April 2020
NEWS HOT OFF THE PRESS!
As the offer of FREE BOOKS to children has been so successful - almost 200 of my children's titles donated to children nation wide FOR FREE from Friday 17th April - that this offer will close at midnight of Sunday 26th April 2020.
To help schools and parents further at this time of difficulty, ALL MY CHILDREN'S BOOKS WILL BE HALF PRICE for the foreseeable future, from Monday 27th April.
Purchasers will pay £1.95 towards first class postage and packing, allowing them to receive books within 48 hours.
Visit the UK Readers - How to Buy
section to see what's on offer.
Saturday 28th March 2020
The following article was written recently by North East journalist, Clare Madden:
Yorkshire-born author Frank English began his professional life in education as a teacher, but has always been an accomplished writer and story-teller. He describes his books for children - the Magic Parcel Trilogy and the animal-based Mulberry Road series - as inspirational fantasies. He has also written adult material (more of which below).
His writing currently embraces three separate strands.
The first strand is the adult books, including his semi autobiographical 'Jack' series of 6 volumes. This follows the hero, Jack, from his boyhood in the coalfields of Yorkshire's West Riding to the pressures and conflicts of maturity.
The second (also for adults) is a new fictional direction: a historical novel about a family of farmers set in the Victorian North Riding, to be available towards the end of the year.
The third strand is his work for children. One aspect of this - the creative potential of creative writing with children - began as an interesting idea, and now has its own trajectory.
Dr English was intrigued by the breadth of imagination he found during his many voluntary writing workshops in schools throughout the north of England, following his retirement from the classroom after 40 years. Inspired by this, he initiated a collaborative writing project with an 11-year-old "apprentice writer" called Natalie Fothergill, from England's North East, featuring minor but impressive characters from his Mulberry Road series of 5 books. In what was to be the template for following collaborations, ideas about storylines and characterisation were exchanged via email with involvement and support from parents. Through discussion and revision led by Dr English, the narrative was crafted and their book, 'Juniper's Tale', was published later in 2018.
Two further initiatives with young apprentice writers followed: 'Honey' (2019) with Honey Gott from Brookhouse in Lancaster, and 'The Story of Lemuel Pecker' (2019) with Amy Elliott from Normanton, West Yorkshire (Dr English's hometown).
The next collaboration took things to a different level, as Dr English was invited to work with twelve Year 6 writers at a primary school local to where he lives. The youngsters grew both in creativity and confidence, and produced 'Josephine's Journey' (2019).
The school - St Luke's CE Primary School in Skerton,Lancaster - has invited the author back to work with the next Year 6 cohort (2019/20), but this time, to work with a complete class of 30 pupils creating a book together. An exhilarating and exciting challenge, the completed work - called 'Garnett's Grand Getaway' - is to be published and launched before the end of the summer term 2020.
Other collaborations with young apprentice writers include 'Holly's Prize' written with 3 youngsters from Normanton which is to be launched very soon.
Of great interest to the American market, is the work with a young apprentice writer in Santa Rosa, USA. She is a young lady of 12 called Sara Donovan, and the story is entitled 'Sara's Astonishing Story'. This draws on North American folklore and legend, and interweaves characters such as Paul Bunyan, the legendary giant lumberjack, and Edward Teach aka Blackbeard, the Bristol-born pirate who settled eventually in Ocracoke, North Carolina, and is set in the Californian south west with recognisable places and landmarks that will appeal to locals.
"There is joy and connection with the children as they talk through their ideas and writing, refining both as they become more confident," Dr English said.
