Bringing 2025 to a close
Merry Christmas, everyone! And if you read this blog, thanks for sticking with me. I joined way back in 2006, so next year it’ll be 20 years of LiveJournal! It’s odd, looking back that far, how much I’ve changed, my countries have changed, and even children’s book publishing is driven differently. (But I’m still coming up with Christmas card pictures, that hasn’t changed.)
This has been a busy year with Adventuremice. After the Kevin books, I went back to working less digitally, with real ink and paint on paper, and I’m enjoying that process very much. The only problem is that, since the books have so many full-colour pictures, I’m spending a LOT of time working at my desk, and I need to stand up and stretch more often or I’m going to be an old lady before my time! My husband, Stuart, has been helping me with the shop and some of the business side of things, and I’m very grateful to him.
My co-author Philip Reeve and I are currently working on the ninth and tenth books, and numbers six and seven launched this year, Adventuremice: Mice, Camera, Action! and Adventuremice: Mousehole to the Centre of the Earth. You can find free related activities on the website, Adventuremice.com!
Next year is full of events, which you can find out about on my website Events page here!
I’ve come up with one more teatowel design, which is selling in a couple local shops (Grace & Favour Home and MAKE Southwest). It features the ‘Huggable Rock’, which may not appear on maps, but definitely gets a hug every time I pass it, and works as a useful landmark (“turn left at the Huggable Rock”).
I thought it reflected the way that Dartmoor has lots of well-known landmarks, such as Hound Tor, Jay’s Grave and Bowerman’s Nose, but how families also create their own landmarks, that they talk about, miss when they’re away, and revisit.
Other news: earlier this year I helped out on the film set of Prairie Rascals, a Western romp, filmed on Dartmoor but set in Arkansas in 1871. Philip and Sarah Reeve have been making films, just for fun, and I love the way they bring together a community for a week or so while they’re shooting. This latest film is 50 minutes long and would make for great holiday viewing, if you’re looking for something to watch! (It’s not strictly family-friendly because there are shootings and some swears, but I think older kids will enjoy it.)
They’ve only just made it go live on YouTube, and you can see the ‘makings of’ documentary and Gwenevere on their Bonehill Films channel. (I don’t do any acting in either film, but I do make an ignomious appearance in Prairie Rascals at the 48:40 mark…)
To everyone who’s been reading Adventurmice, supporting me with online shop orders, taking part in the StudioTeaBreak drawing challenges, and generally being encouraging, thank you so much! Here’s wishing for light and peace in 2026.
crazycrone says: 