A thriller with humanity – a rare commodity nowadays perhaps, let alone a utopian publisher? This charming letter from Victor Gollancz to Joan Aiken written 50 years ago shows the degree of warmth and encouragement she received from him in the early years of her career, and exemplifies the kind of devoted following she […]
Christmas Poem & Pastel by Joan Aiken Best wishes, and thanks to all who visit See you next year! >>>>>#####<<<<< Filed under: In her own words, Joan's Life, Joan's Quotes, Picture by Joan, Poem by Joan Tagged: Joan Aiken Christmas poem, Joan Aiken pastel drawing
“It was dusk, winter dusk – snow lay white and shining over the pleated hills…” Sound familiar? The opening lines of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase could almost describe a scene from Joan Aiken’s first adult novel, The Silence of Herondale published just two years after her most famous children’s classic. The novel draws on […]
Read on For: News ~ Stories by Joan ~ Writing Advice ~ Book Reviews ~ Joan’s Life Go to About Joan and Joan’s Books on Menu above for more & links to the Website Add your favourites on the Joan’s Quotes Page Or scroll down for the latest posts! *****Filed under: News Tagged: […]
“Heard melodies are sweet,” Keats wrote, “but those unheard are sweeter,” and for Joan Aiken they often provided the inspiration for stories full of music which the reader can hear only in his imagination. She invented some marvellous musical creations, like a tune which when whistled or sung brings a cardboard cut-out garden to life, […]
” Blow it all,” thought Deborah…”he’ll just have to kill me if he’s going to.” In fact at this point it’s a slavering guard dog, not the villain of the piece that she’s worried about – there are still a choice of three or four contenders for top villain, so at this point it’s […]
Ghost stories are an unusual taste for a six year old, but by this age Joan Aiken was relishing them: I had already read Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James, and nearly died of delicious terror at “Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You”. Searching for more fodder of a similar kind – […]
“Being a writer is not unlike being a medium; sometimes the message comes through loud and clear, sometimes it doesn’t,” Joan Aiken said in a talk on writing ghost stories. Perhaps this is particularly apt for those with a gift for sensing odd atmospheres or noticing the unusual in the everyday, as she certainly did, […]
It’s easy to write a children’s book isn’t it? From the huge numbers of new books now appearing, including all the Ebooks and self published works, character driven series, tv and movie spin offs, and school reader series, it looks as though it could be an ideal career for anyone, and certainly the publicity given […]
It’s easy to write a children’s book isn’t it? From the huge numbers of new books now appearing, including all the Ebooks and self published works, character driven series, tv and movie spin offs, and school reader series, it looks as though it could be an ideal career for anyone, and certainly the publicity given […]
Joan Aiken’s advice to young writers when she went to give talks in schools was always to carry a small notebook and to jot down anything of interest. She wrote: “The most frequent question they ask is Where do ideas come from? And if I’m talking to them in a classroom I produce the small […]
Joan Aiken’s advice to young writers when she went to give talks in schools was always to carry a small notebook and to jot down anything of interest. She wrote: “The most frequent question they ask is Where do ideas come from? And if I’m talking to them in a classroom I produce the small […]
However badly he behaves Mortimer is still finding friends… Some readers will always remember Joan Aiken for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, or her heroine Dido Twite in later books in the Wolves series, but many of the letters that still arrive from her fans are about Mortimer – the ‘feathered fiend’ who worries the […]
However badly he behaves Mortimer is still finding friends… Some readers will always remember Joan Aiken for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, or her heroine Dido Twite in later books in the Wolves series, but many of the letters that still arrive from her fans are about Mortimer – the ‘feathered fiend’ who worries the […]
What if you could have ‘All You’ve Ever Wanted‘? In Joan Aiken’s fertile imagination this is exactly the sort of wish that could go wildly wrong; in fact she had such fun with the idea that it led to a collection of stories, this particular one providing the title of her first book, published nearly […]
What if you could have ‘All You’ve Ever Wanted‘? In Joan Aiken’s fertile imagination this is exactly the sort of wish that could go wildly wrong; in fact she had such fun with the idea that it led to a collection of stories, this particular one providing the title of her first book, published nearly […]
What is the life of a writer really like ? These days with computers and electronic communications perhaps less lonely and definitely a good deal easier – no more endless re-typing, or trips to the post office with bulky manuscripts, but perhaps the letters and questions from readers now come flooding in even more often […]
What is the life of a writer really like ? These days with computers and electronic communications perhaps less lonely and definitely a good deal easier – no more endless re-typing, or trips to the post office with bulky manuscripts, but perhaps the letters and questions from readers now come flooding in even more often […]
This was Joan’s idea of a Perfect Holiday… what about you? ********* Read the full letter from Joan at The Wonderful World of Joan AikenFiled under: Joan's Life, Joan's Quotes Tagged: Holiday reading, Letter from Joan Aiken
This was Joan’s idea of a Perfect Holiday… what about you? ********* Read the full letter from Joan at The Wonderful World of Joan AikenFiled under: Joan's Life, Joan's Quotes Tagged: Holiday reading, Letter from Joan Aiken
Originally posted on Joan Aiken:
Joan Aiken writing at her very best was the perfect companion. She was well travelled, cultured, with a wealth of personal experience, and the ability not just to tell a gripping story, but to draw the reader in to the very process of writing. What she loved…
Originally posted on Joan Aiken:
Joan Aiken writing at her very best was the perfect companion. She was well travelled, cultured, with a wealth of personal experience, and the ability not just to tell a gripping story, but to draw the reader in to the very process of writing. What she loved…
Joan Aiken enjoyed some very happy relationships with her illustrators, notably Pat Marriott, who illustrated her first story collections from 1953 onwards, and was responsible for the first ‘Wolves Chronicles’ covers and pictures, and so helped to create some of the best loved ( and scariest!) characters in the series. Pat became so familiar […]
Joan Aiken enjoyed some very happy relationships with her illustrators, notably Pat Marriott, who illustrated her first story collections from 1953 onwards, and was responsible for the first ‘Wolves Chronicles’ covers and pictures, and so helped to create some of the best loved ( and scariest!) characters in the series. Pat became so familiar […]
The Silence of Herondale was Joan Aiken’s first thriller, published in 1964, and set the style, if not the form, for another dozen or so adult novels which were to follow, alternating with her now better known children’s books. Initially published by Gollancz in their famous Yellow Jacket editions, the books were covered in […]
Another lovely post, Lizza. Hmm, I wonder, do publishers write personal letters to authors nowadays?
Probably not! I think you personally set the standard for generosity in writing responses to struggling writers – published or otherwise – and I have to thank you for being my top correspondent and commentator in the last year!
Thank you so much for the encouragement, it always gladdens my heart to see that beware unicorns emblem!
You’re too kind, Lizza, but I’m very grateful for your own generous words. I’ve been thinking of writing the occasional post about noteworthy blogs and wonder, would you be happy if I did an overview of joanaiken.wordpress? Nothing too fancy, not really a review, but drawing attention to Joan, her work and this fine blog.
Of course, I’d be delighted!