Guest Post by Jez Alborough

A CELEBRATION OF INSPIRATION, CREATIVITY & CONNECTION

Jez Alborough Announces the Launch of The CLUB.

I have been writing children’s books for over twenty five years and I launched my website in 2007 to provide information about all the books I have created. This also proved to be a wonderful way to connect with adult fans of my books from around the world, people whom I had previously only had contact with at author events. However I soon found that the quarterly newsletter I was writing was just too limited and slow a medium to do justice to this connection. I felt like a tree in springtime which needed to branch out a little and show some different colours. This is why I have created The CLUB – a place where I can ‘spread out’ and share more of me with you!

So what is it that I share in The CLUB? First, there is content which is aimed at lovers of children’s books; for example my Nat the Cat blog feature introduces my new picture book character and documents the creation of her first book from the initial idea to the final artwork. You can also read about where the ideas came from for all of my books in ABOUT MY BOOKS. There are articles about being a children’s book author (What I do All Day), reading to children as well as reviews of my favourite picture books. Finally there is the HUG CLUB section where you can download colour - ins, quizzes, imagination games and how to draw features for the children in your life.

Just Hatched -- March 2012!

I love tuning into the child’s view of the world where life is full of wonder and I can’t imagine ever not writing for children. However, one thing I have always slightly regretted is not having the chance to occasionally write for grown ups. The CLUB is a place where I finally get the opportunity to do this and take on a whole new world of subject matter beyond ducks, trucks and teddy bears! Between my blog, Articles and Features, I write about anything which interests me including current events, psychology, philosophy, education, language, creativity and most things in between.

Apart from all this, you will also find in The CLUB a recurring theme of inspiration. The graphic representation of someone being inspired by an idea is of a light bulb appearing above their head. I like that image because I see inspiration as a kind of light, illuminating the way, dispelling confusion and connecting us to something which is important in life. I’m sometimes asked what inspires me as an artist and I always answer ‘other people’s creativity’. As a story writer I appreciate the story telling in other art forms whether it be in music, films or television programmes. I believe that it’s important to share what inspires us because by doing this we are ‘passing on the light’ of those original inspirations. It’s a way in which we all stay connected by sharing the best in all of us. I hope The CLUB will be a place where you will find inspiration too.

Jez