An 'Out of the Smoke' Short Story Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence... Continue Reading →
What makes the perfect classroom? Ask twenty different teachers and they will give you twenty different answers. Some will prioritise seating; others, resources; my favourite kind of teacher will favour a well-stocked class library (of course!). But when it comes right down to it, all their answers will point in the same direction: the perfect... Continue Reading →
At 3.30 on Tuesday morning my alarm rang out. After considering turning it off and burying my head in my pillow, I dragged myself out of bed, washed and dressed, and proceeded to carry eight enormous boxes of books from our first floor flat to the boot of my car outside. By 4.30 I was... Continue Reading →
I was recently invited to write a short article for the book blogging website, 'Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books', about my experiences debuting in a global pandemic. It's been a long and very interesting year, and it was nice to have a chance to reflect on the process. Here's the first couple of paragraphs. You can... Continue Reading →
I've just come back to this website after a couple of years away. After finding the right keys and shoving the door open past the pile of letters on the mat, I've begun blowing away the cobwebs and taking off the dust-sheets, and I've realised that a lot has happened in the intervening time. Endever... Continue Reading →
I remembered being just sixteen, and kissing red-cheeked, fair-haired Callie Anders, who lived there, and whose family would soon move to the Shetlands, and I would never kiss her or see her again. This sentence just doesn't seem right to me. There are too many sub-clauses, the clauses don't seem to relate to each other... Continue Reading →
I'll say this for working at a school: the holidays are well-earned. It's quite popular these days to bash teachers and teaching staff for the amount of time they get off, but believe me: they deserve it. Imagine trying to do your job (whatever you do), with all of its paperwork, admin, on-line and off-line... Continue Reading →
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." The Bible: 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 15 A very happy Christmas, everyone. Ed
Matthew Wainwright, Children's Author 