News!!

September 2009,

I hope you've been watching Last Chance to See with Stephen Fry - it's been a brilliant series so far, but the best is yet to come this Sunday (September 20th, 2009, BBC 2 8pm) because he's going in search of Madagascar's aye-aye.

In an interview with the Radio Times he was asked if he had a favourite animal from his trip. Stephen said: "We met a captive aye-aye eyeball to eyeball - and what strange amber eyes they have - and watched a wild pair from below a tree as they tapped and sucked at a coconuts. They're astonishing, but spooky too. I think the Mme Berthe's mouse lemur takes a lot of beating for sheer, unadulterated cute."

Soon everyone will know what an aye-aye is and hopefully people will stop saying they're ugly!

The National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley, photo by Susan Humphreys.

 I've been very busy over the months since I was made redundant volunteering. I am now helping out with marketing at the fantastic Wildflower Centre in Knowsley and with education, events and activities at the brilliant Norton Priory museum & Gardens in Runcorn. I have dressed up as a Victorian maid, helped a potter who made an almost life-sized knight out of terracotta clay and have been pond dipping, identifying bumblebees by their bums and on bat walks and have branded children at a Tudor trial. I also helped out at Norton Priory's heritage open day which had a Victorian theme at Halton Castle. One of the attractions was an amazing curiosity stall by Professor Josiah Mace. It was great to see that this explorer's finds were popular with children (and adults!) as they included the sorts of things from the places Dr Midas visits including Peru. There were shrunken heads and giant chicken eggs, a strange skull and a werewolf's ear among his finds.

September 2009,

Recently I took part in a Cheshire Wildlife Trust workshop all about how to trap small mammals so that wildlife experts can find out what lives in a certain area.

A Common shrew - you can smell it even before the trap is opened (left) and a wood mouse is sexed, weighed and marked by having it's fur trimmed. Photographs by Susan Humphreys.

I helped empty traps and we found lots of wood mice and one common shrew who was really cute if a bit smelly! I now know how hard it is to pick up a mouse by the scruff of its neck and how to weigh one (you use a special scale and a plastic bag.) It must be brilliant to work with wildlife out in Madagascar and I'm sure they use similiar techniques to find out what lives on the island.

April 2009,

I recently visited Edinburgh Zoo for the first time where I got to meet this friendly bird! He's a lorikeet and he was very hungry! You can feed the lorikeets special nectar in the Rainbow Landings exhibit. I must admit to being a bit nervous when he came into land and his feet where not at all as I expected. I thought they would be hard and cold, but they were warm and soft on my hand. he had great grip and he sure knew how to use that beak when I tried to move the empty cup away! I'm going to have to double check how it would feel for Millie to have the vasa parrots in Dr Midas and the Pirates landing on her! They're not much bigger than a lorikeet but they are very different in colour!

 They also have an aye-aye at Edinburgh and I got to watch him running around his enclosure and drinking water. He was very popular with other visitors but I had to explain he was a kind of lemur. Most people thought he was a bush baby. They also have a special lemur walk-through but it was too cold for them to go outside - well it is Scotland! They have gentle, ring-tails and blue-eyed black lemurs too. The blue-eyed lemurs have really striking eyes.

March 17th 2008,

I have just returned from a short break in Stockholm, where I went to see the Vasa warship in the Vasamuseet. The ship is asolutely amazing, and incredibly big, there are six levels in the museum too so you can see it from every angle.
The ship sank in 1628 with the loss of 30-50 lives and was salvaged in 1961 and the ship on display is 95% of the original! There are also excellent displays all about the ship and life on board, including items found and a reconstruction of the deck and
Captain's cabin that I was able to walk through.

I got to learn lots of interesting facts and was able to double check things I have written about to make sure they were accurate.
I was also able to visit the Skansen Open-air museum, also at Djurgarden, and enjoyed seeing the Scandinavian animals and a few more exotic ones in the Akvariet (aquarium/terraarium) including these gorgeous grey gentle lemurs who were huddled up in their enclosure, they also have ring-tailed lemurs but as it was cold they weren't in their outside enclosure.

 It was also snowing heavily in Stockholm which was great fun, and I would really recommend visiting this beautiful, welcoming city.

March 15 2009,

I'm following in Dr Midas's footsteps! Yes just like my hero I am now working in a museum! I'm now a volunteer with the Harris Museum & Art Gallery in Preston. I help out once a week with their marketing, building up their profile and publicing the wonderful exhibitions they have, on social networking sites. So far I've set up a group and fan of pages on facebook - so why not take a look. The museum is in a wonderful Grade I building in the centre of the city.
Find out more about the Harris at www.harrismuseum.org.uk

March 2 2009,

Don't forget you can find out more about what I've been up to at my blog www.writersblock.merseyblogs.co.uk

April 29 2008:

Charlotte Anne Braden, a fellow children's writer and blogger, has kindly reviewed  Writer's Block.

"A blog I’ve run across and quite like is Writer’s Block by Susan Humphreys. Susan has a very eclectic site with some very interesting articles like the double nosed dog called an Andean Tiger Hound but she also includes lots of writing news, too. Her most recent is letting us know of a writing competition, The Commonwealth Short Story Competition and an article on the  Young Bond books. She also directs us to a poll by Bloomsbury asking us Who is the best villain in children’s books?Writer’s Forum magazine and announcing Writer’s Advice Centre Competition for 2008. Susan won the competition last year! WhoHoos for Susan!
"I think it’s a very clever and informative site. She’s great at using news to inspire her in her writing. She has inspired me to open my eyes and see what I can find to spark a story. I can’t wait to what she what will pop out of her hat for my next visit.
Take a look you won’t regret it. " Here is the link There also a review of http://www.writersblock.merseyblogs.co.uk/

Charlotte's blog is Butterfly Blues at http://charlottebraden.blogspot.com/

April 7 2008:

I've got Writer's Block - but don't worry that's the name of my new blog about writing. You can find it at http://www.writersblock.merseyblogs.co.uk/ or http://icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk/visiter/blogs/

February 14 2008 : I have posted a short story in the Johnson's Press competition called 'Earning Her Stripes.' If you would like to read it and vote for it (there are five categories to choose from ranging from utter rubbish to world class) then you need to register at authorvauthor.com and choose Lancashire Evening Post (LEP) as your newspaper choice. Deadline April 30 2008. Thank you. Susan.

December 7 2007:

Susan features in the January issue of Writers' Forum magazine in an article on the benefit of entering writing competitions. 'Everyone's a winner' is the latest 'The Kids' Book Doctor'
article by Louise Jordan, head reader for Puffin and founder of the Writers' Advice Centre.
Writers' Forum is available from WH Smith and Borders.


 
October 13 2007:

Susan has won first prize in a nationwide children's short story competition.
The challenge was to write a 1,000 word manuscript aimed at the writer's chosen age group (anywhere between 0 and 16 years of age) on the theme of diversity.
Susan's story Diversity for teenagers was about fifteen-year-old Jodie, and her dad. Together they happily run a seaside shop until a bigger, modern store opens opposite called 'Divers' City'.
The Writers' Advice Centre, a literary consultancy agency which specialises in children's publishing, were looking for an imaginative tale from an unpublished writer.
Louise Jordan, founder and manager said she also wanted a manuscript which the centre would feel happy to send out to publishers if that was the purpose of the competition.
The judges said: "This was a charming, excellently written story for older children which had an original take on the theme 'diversity.'
Susan wins £100, a critique of her story worth £75 and a copy of Louise Jordan's book 'How to Write for Children and Get Published.'
For more details about The Writers' Advice Centre and their 2008 competition visit www.writersadvice.co.uk

April 5 2007:

Children's writer Susan Humphreys proved she had the Midas touch after winning a nationwide novel competition.
Susan, 32, was one of the lucky few chosen after submitting the first 10,000 words of her unpublished book 'Dr Midas and the Pirates' to the prestigious Writers & Artists Yearbook 100th edition novel writing competition.
Susan, a section head and sub-editor for Liverpool Daily Post & Echo weekly titles, began her writing career as a journalist.
She said: "I've always loved writing and I dream of being a published author. I couldn't believe it when I checked the competition website and saw my name in the list of winners. I was so excited. I just hope this will help me find a publisher."
Contest organisers, publishers A & C Black set the challenge to mark the directory's centenary, with 100 winners each receiving a £150 critique of their work from The Literary Consultancy.
An A & C Black spokesman said there had been a massive response to the competition: "Entries were of a universally high standard, covering a huge range of subjects and situations. Each had something original to say; each showed enthusiasm and love for the written word."
Susan's critique by Sibyl Ruth, a poet, was extremely helpful and the redrafted first chapter is available to read on this site.
Susan has studied Malagasy wildlife at various european zoos to maintain accuracy in her stories and has been aboard HMS Bounty as part of her research into life at sea.

May 2009,

I am currently working on Dr Midas and the Khmers, and one of the main characters in it is Tomistoma, who wants to be an acrobat or high wire artist. So when I heard about a special free event in the Lakes called Walk to the Stars I had to go!

The dramatic show took place at Maryport Harbour in Cumbria. I watched in amazement as Ramon Kelvink Jr and Jade Kindar-Martin (Sky Productions) made their way to the high-wire which was stretched between two masts 60 feet above the ground.

Before setting off the two men embraced and placed a hand on each other's heart. Then they carefully made their way up to the top and took their balancing poles. The music was electrifying and the crowd craned their necks to follow the men as they made their way to the middle of the highwire. There one knelt, and they crossed over, still holding those incredibly long poles.

  
Los Kaos, the Penny-farthing stunt riding twins, and Bongo Bolero were among the other acts performing.

The men then continued to the other side, kissing the mast having made a successful trip. Then one of the men climbed even higher and from the very top of the mast performed the most amazing feats of agility, hanging from a circular bar by his feet, or one hand as it swung dramatically!