Come and chat to Tom Gates author Liz Pichon, Friday 10 June, 4-5pm

[RachelMumsnet]

Brilliant news for book-lovers as Liz Pichon - author of the HUGELY successful Tom Gates series - will be joining us for a webchat on Friday (10 June) from 4- 5pm, when she'll be answering questions from you and your kids.

Liz's Tom Gates series is hugely popular on Mumsnet and her books have been recommended again and again to parents of reluctant readers because of their brilliant blend of illustrations and text. Liz's latest offering, Tom Gates: Super Good Skills (Almost...) is the tenth book in the series.

Come and put your questions to Liz on Friday or post your questions in advance on this thread.

And don't forget... there's still time to get your tickets to join Liz Pichon LIVE at Mumsnet's Bookfest on June 25.

@Buzzardbird

DD is very keen to know when your next book is coming out as she has already read the last one, twice?

She luffs you very muchly.

STOP PRESS - next book is out October 2016 - if I can get a move on.

Thanks for the response. We are looking forward to the new book.

@Howmuchisthatdoggyinthewindow

Ah how lovely - my youngest son has adored your books. In fact he emailed you and you promised him a signed pic but it never arrived

He still loves you tho.

His question is- do you know children like those in your books or did you make them up and where do you get the story ideas from if so?

Oh no!…sorry about the picture.
I do try and answer all letters - but sometimes it takes a while. The answer about the children is YES. Especially Tom - who is basically very like I was as a kid. Enthusiastic but easily distracted, I often take things from my own childhood and squeeeeeeze them into the books (as you do).
I'll be doing more fan mail very soon so will keep a look out! x

@bletheringboys

Liz, thank you, thank you, thank you! I work in a library and am constantly recommending your books to the oh-so-difficult reluctant readers! They LOVE them! I've done loads of work around your books.

My son is also in love with you and wishes to be a top doodler when he is older.

THANK YOU! I'm really happy to hear that. Thanks to you too - keep up the great work in the library. I know my lovely publishers Scholastic are really great and making EXTRA material to use for lessons/events. They have loads of nice things on their website too. Recent additions include lots of videos of me making and drawing things from the latest book. Take a look - you'll be impressed by my FACE TUNE video. I know my family were…(!)

@ToomuchChocolatemeansBootcamp

My just turned 10 year old also loves your books and is now doodling too! His question is "please can you have a character called Jack?" (Because that's his name and he would love to be in your books!)

Ha! Ha! I can be bribed by lots of wafers. Or you could write your own story and put yourself in it. That's almost what I've done. Good luck Jack - Liz x

@MumtoIslagrace

Can you make a Tom Gates film please? (Isla age 9)

Hi Isla,

Who knows what's in the pipe line? I kind of see Tom as more of an animation but you NEVER know what might happen do you? Fingers - toes - and eyes crossed and lets see what happens. Liz x

Thank you Liz! Here's Jack's latest doodle he wanted to show you. Delighted to hear there will be a new book later this year, it's been great to see him enjoying reading.

Hi Liz,

My son (age 9) completely loves your books, has read them all about five times over.

He'd like to know your inspiration for Delia - he has an older sister who he thinks is JUST LIKE HER.

@FSLibrary

School Librarian here with 3 questions from our very enthusiastic Year 7s:

1. When you first sent off your book did you get any negative feedback and if so can you give us an example?

1. Who is your writing idol?

1. Did you enjoy English at school?

GOOD QUESTIONS!

1. The feed back I got for my first Tom Gates idea was more - "We like the idea but it's not quite there yet." It took me at least three goes at re working and re writing to get into the format I now have. It's very easy to give up. But if you think you have a story to tell - KEEP GOING.

1. Roald Dahl - My favourite book is The Twits. BUT I also love the pictures too. Quentin Blakes drawings bring everything to life and add so much more to the stories. Miss Trunchbull - I rest my case.

1. Surprisingly I did enjoy English at school. I loved writing creative stories and poems. I was just hopeless at spelling. I had an English teacher who didn't have TV, so I used to get story lines from stuff I'd seen and he never knew. I once wrote a story about a SHARK that terrorised a seaside town (he'd never seen Jaws either). That's somethingTom would do isn't it?

P.S Don't anyone copy that idea it might get you into trouble!
Liz x

@itsonlysubterfuge

My DD is almost 4, but loves your Picture books, her favorite is Fluffy and Scruffy we've read it loads of times and I just wanted to say you're a great author and illustrator, we really love your books!

THANK YOU! I honestly think I have the BEST job in the whole world. I would never have imagined when I was a kid at school EVER being able to draw pictures and write funny stuff for a living. Liz x

Liz, thanks so much for joining us today I've really enjoyed reading your answers. Looking forward to meeting you at Bookfest!

@origamiwarrior

Do you have any plans/would you consider writing Tom Gates books that directly address issues children are facing, e.g. bullying/cyber-bullying, family breakdown, exam pressure, gender identity etc?

Hi - I think there's elements of some of those issues in the books - like exam pressure, bullying, family issues. But I tend to avoid technology as it's always changing and I think it's more fun to include how to make things out of bits of paper! I try and add humour to what can be difficult situations and I've still got lots of stories to tell so you never know what will come up in Toms life in the future. Liz x

@Sucksfake1

No questions for you but DD10 loves your books. She has two sets of them one at mine and one of her dads.

From what I gather they are the most popular books in the school library hence getting her, her own.

HELLO DD10 - thanks for letting me know. Keep reading and I'll keep writing and drawing them Liz x

@TheSandmansSon

Hi Liz - I'd love to be an illustrator but I don't have any 'official' training or contacts in that world. Would you recommend joining an illustration agency, or just submitting work to editors and so on, to get a start?

Thanks!

You need to DRAW DRAW DRAW and keep drawing and keep going. By all means show your work to an agency - they might give you feed back. But be prepared to work at it! There are a lot of really fantastic illustrators out there. Good luck! Liz x

@addingtothenoise

Hi Liz, I read somewhere that you used to design album covers, can you tell us about one you designed?

Yes I worked for Jive records for a few years - A long long long time ago.
There were only two of us in the art dept which was in a portacabin. It was a glamourous life. I worked with lots of people you will have NEVER heard of. But the biggest acts were Billy Ocean, Sam Fox, and the LOVELY Ruby Turner. When I left they gave me this GOLD disc which is in my shed now and a good motto to go out into the free lance world with. Liz x

@ToomuchChocolatemeansBootcamp

Thank you Liz! Here's Jack's latest doodle he wanted to show you. Delighted to hear there will be a new book later this year, it's been great to see him enjoying reading.

That is an EXCELLENT drawing - Thanks Jack x

@spaghettiWeston

Hi Liz,

My son (age 9) completely loves your books, has read them all about five times over.

He'd like to know your inspiration for Delia - he has an older sister who he thinks is JUST LIKE HER.

I'm the youngest of FOUR so I do have memories of my siblings having traits of DELIA about them for sure. I probably did too! I wear sunglasses like Delia does. I also have three kids myself who are all older now - but I remember the teenage years very well. liz x

@dottyaboutstripes

Hi Liz, My son Arlo and I were lucky enough to meet you when you talked at the opening of the Cardiff Children's Literature Festival, it was a lovely evening and he enjoyed learning your doodling tricks and tips, which have been practiced over and over ever since! He says your new book, which he bought with his pocket money) is the best yet He'd like to ask if you will introduce a character called Arlo please (can you guess what his name is?!)

Ha! Ha! Thats the second name request I've had today and I said I'm open to wafer bribes - liz x

@TinaMumsnet

Hello everyone, We're so pleased that Liz Pichon has joined us a webchat this afternoon. Liz welcome to Mumsnet! There are a few questions already posted on the thread but I'd like to kick off with the questions we ask all the authors that join us:

What childhood book most inspired you?

What would be the first piece of advice you would give to anyone attempting to write fiction?

What would be the first piece of advice you would give to anyone attempting to write fiction?

And the best you've received?

Over to you...

I should have done this FIRST - now it's the last question.

I had lots of books that I loved - but the more unusual books was
The Bad Speller - By William Steig.
It made me laugh and the bad spelling was deliberate - perfect for me.

My advice would be WRITE and READ as much as you can. Always finish off your stories, read them allowed and keep going. I'm 52 and I wish I'd started writing earlier - but it's never too late to start.

Best advice I've received… that's tricky. I think when I started to do events I was SO nervous and used to find them really tricky. My husband told me to 'be yourself' which sound obvious but it was actually really great advice. I love doing them now and you can't shut me up. He might be regretting he ever said that.

THANK YOU Mumsnet and everyone who asked questions.

I'll see you on the 25th June at Mumsnet's BOOKFEST in London.
Bring a pen and paper!

And if you can't wait that long I'll be doing a SPECIAL event
Chequer Mead East Grinstead NEXT week Saturday 18th June.

Thanks again for all your support and to everyone who reads the books.
Better get back to BOOK 11 - coming in October if I get a move on.

Liz x

Thanks so much for joining us Liz, see you at Bookfest!!!

Thank you Liz. Calum loved your drawing and was SO pleased to have an answer to his question.