David Lawrence Jones's Blog

Hey... it's my 50th year on this beautiful planet and so to celebrate I'm going to dedicate my first blogspot of 2014 to the 50 things I would like to achieve over the next 12 months.

I've no doubt I may be slightly over-ambitious on some of the listed items but I seem to be one of those people who achieve their goals (when I set my mind to it) and 99% of the time I do tend to make things happen!..

I have to say my wife will be amused with this... she knows I hate lists! Anyhow, here goes (in no particular order);

1. Say 'hello', 'good morning/afternoon/evening' to as many people I meet... whether I know them or not!
2. Raise as much money as possible as patron for my charity 'Families for Children Adoption' (and you never know I might just get to meet ALL my fellow patrons at some stage during the year)
3. Walk my adorable 'labby' more (love you Flo)
4. Drink less coffee (no I'll rephrase that...) spend less time and money in coffee shops (sorry Costa, Coffee1 and Nero...) and whilst on the subject 'Starbucks' pay your UK taxes!
5. Avoid supermarkets and try to share my hard earned cash with my local community shops (Butchers, Bakers and Candlestick Makers watch out)
6. Revisit New York City as many time as possible!
7. Persuade 'Apple' to include a 'hashtag' key on their wireless keyboard... arrrrghhh!
8. Secure the publication rights and literary representation for my Bradley Baker series of books in the United States of America
9. And if its not too much to ask... the movie rights too :)
10. Succeed Daniel Craig as the next James Bond (I am jumping out of a plane from 15,000ft for charity... does that count?)
11. Have a family holiday
12. Complete my fifth Bradley Baker children's adventure book (only 84,000 words to go, so should be a steal!)
13. Invest more of my precious social media time to Twitter (to avoid the constant annoying advertising/gaming requests/spam on Facebook)
14. Make and paint the Escort Mk1 Airfix model that was given to me as a gift last Christmas.
15. Fix the downstairs loo!
16. Thank the primary school children/teachers/literacy co-ordinators/teaching assistants/parents/headteachers who constantly recommend my school visits to other primary school children/teachers/literacy co-ordinators/teaching assistants/parents/headteachers... these lovely peeps keep my diary full for two thirds of the year :)
17. Go back to a few of the friendly Waterstones and sign a few books... if they'll have me!
18. Wear a bow tie when the occasion suits.
19. Encourage my wife to take sneezing control therapy!
20. Not get too annoyed with my youngest daughter as she approaches her teenage years.
21. Take care of my new boots (I love my boots... did I tell you that I love my new boots?)
22. Get my tennis elbow fixed... or learn to play tennis!
23. On that subject... get healthier... exercise more!
24. Go to bed earlier (oops forgot, I'm an author... quality writing time at 2am)
25. Enjoy a city break in Europe with my closest friends to celebrate the big five 0
26. Take part in the 'Tough Mudders' challenge and run side by side with (or be dragged along by) my two fantastic sons and two stepsons... (and raise some money for Families for Children Adoption in the process).
27. Continue to love my two daughters with all my heart!
28. Fill as many Jack Daniels bottles as possible with 5p coins (two completed so far... each one holds £54.50 if you really want to know!)
29. Let my very very very talented illustrator know he is very very very talented at all times to ensure BB series continuity... all hail Abie Greyvenstein!
30. Visit my Mum and Dad in Yorkshire as many times as possible.
31. Have a beer with my one and only brother in a pub... on our own for at least an hour (and have some quality bro-time!).
32. Visit a new exciting part of the world (I'll let my wife choose).
33. Get rid of the petrol-guzzling V12 2.8 litre sports coupe (breaks my heart every time the petrol gauge dips... time to get more 'eco' man).
34. Walk through more of the open doors that are waiting for me in the literary world (create more time to concentrate and visualise to ensure this happens)
35. Continue to follow my mentor, who has inspired me for the last 15 years and never let me down (your advice and guidance is priceless... you know who you are J.C.)!
36. Keep my fingers, toes, legs and every other digit/limb/thing that can be manoeuvred into position, crossed... (a lot of seeds planted in 2013, it's time to see those little shoots appear).
37. Stop putting clothes in the wash bin that don't really need to go in there (just because I left them on the floor and they're a bit creased)!
38. Remove the huge meteor that is lodged in my 'Writing Shack' roof (put a new roof on the shed and recreate the special space that I can call mine, mine, mine.... sorry, slipped into a Finding Nemo moment there).
39. See how long I can grow my hair before the Peter Stringfellow quips kick in again!
40. Help two more schools publish their very own adventure books! (all the workshops are in the diary so this is going to be fun!)
41. Continue to refuse to buy anything from Amazon (UK tax issues revisited... slight double-standards on my part because my BB books are on there - message to my readers; "don't buy them from Amazon, there's plenty of other great places where you can get your hands on them.... support your local bookstore!")
42. Take the chance to apologise in advance for all my charity requests and the self promotion of my books on social media sites... I'm an author, it's what I do!
43. Rack my brain and do everything possible to remember the door I closed some time ago... what was it? (...think, think, think!)
44. Reduce my road rage to 0% tolerance (keep reminding myself that I'm the one driving the big RED van and they WILL get out of the way!)
45. Remember to show the maximum amount of enthusiasm when the wife and future daughter-in-law talk about the up-and-coming July wedding!
46. On the subject of future daughter-in-laws and her talented fiancé... thank you for producing little D Bear and allowing me to share what will be precious moments during 2014.
47. Reduce the clutter (from my desk and my life)
48. Welcome and endorse the positives... ignore and incubate the negatives!
49. Paint more Warhammer!!!! (therapeutic personified) and buy a house with a room big enough to build MY very own train set... thanks for the inspiration and nod of approval 'Rod Stewart'! (boys and our toys... we never grow up, speaking of which; did you know I'm fifty this year?)
50. Wish peace, love and good health to everyone... especially those very near and the ones I get the privilege to touch!

There's plenty more....

Love to all... have a great 2014!
DLJ

It's been a while since my last blogspot... five weeks to be exact. I've been so busy but that's no excuse for not writing about what I've been up to! Anyhow, enough of the excuses, to be honest it's the first time I've had a chance to collect my thoughts and assemble all the information to write my final blog entry for 2013... so here goes!
Let's start with the last four school visits of the year... during November I travelled to the Cotswolds again for a second tour of primary schools in Gloucester. These included Dinglewell and Kingsway with both events producing a record amount of Bradley Baker fans. This also resulted in the highest number of book sales since I started visiting schools with my author showcase presentations. The last two school visits this year took me nearer to home in Devon during the first week in December. Meavy and Mary Tavy near Tavistock hosted the events... much smaller audiences but equally as enthusiastic about my Bradley Baker adventure books. Here's a great picture sent to me by teacher Cherylynn Barlow at Meavy following their book signing session;   My duties as patron of Families for Children Adoption continued into December. I was invited to open the Christmas Bazaar at Michelmore Solicitors in Exeter. Over £1000 was raised during the event and special thanks to Ally Colton (FFC fundraiser) and Megan Wright (Michelmore's event organiser) for asking me to join fellow patron Michael Caines. Here's a few pictures taken on the day;   I then flew out to New York to launch my latest book. Bradley Baker and the Gullfather of New York was received very well during my first visit to the big apple and I like to thank everyone involved for their huge support. Visits to the New York Public Library and Empire State Building provided two great iconic locations to officially launch the book. Special thanks to lovely peeps at NYPL for allowing me to utilise the library bookshop. Here are some pictures of the events. 

 I also had chance to visit some very special landmarks in NYC that appear in the book. The experience at Bethesda Terrace and with the statue of Balto in Central Park were made extra special when it snowed producing a winter wonderland. 

 I returned from New York to attend another very special event... the Families for Children Christmas Lunch at the Abode Hotel in Exeter. I joined my fellow patrons Michael Caines and Mark Tyler with CEO Caroline Davis and Ally Colton and members of staff around the table.   
We all enjoyed a fabulous lunch but one of our other patron's was missing. Caroline Quentin had to attend ITV's studios in London to prepare for a very special appearance on "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" with co-fundraiser Carol Vorderman and host Chris Tarrant. Caroline was joined by FFC's Ally Colton after the event with Families for Children benefiting from a share of the £50,000 winnings. Well done Caroline, Carol and Ally... brilliant job!   Well it's time to put my feet up for a well earned rest over Christmas... but not for long as I will be representing my charity as patron again on 29th December. I hope to raise lots of money by skydiving from £15,000 feet when I jump out of a plane. Yikes... please help if you can by donating.
You can donate by clicking on the following link.... please give what you can! http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DavidLawrenceJones
Here's to another great year in 2014... my diary is filled to the brim with more school events and the visit to New York produced some very exciting prospects so watch out for a few announcements over the coming months. Also look out for the fifth Bradley Baker adventure book due for release in 2014... here's a sneak preview of the cover;   Thanks for popping by folks to read my latest blogspot... catch up again after the holidays. Till then stay safe, have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
DLJ x

I enjoyed my first outing as Patron supporting Families for Children Adoption at Devon's Crealy Adventure Park on Friday 1st November. I read extracts from my latest Bradley Baker adventure "The Gullfather of New York" and signed hundreds of copies of the book inside the Adventure Zone!!! Special guest appearances by Bradley Baker and Crealy's Buddy Bear proved a great hit with the audience too :)



The first week back after the school holidays and I travelled to my birth town of Rotherham to visit four new schools. Bramley Sunnyside, Kimberworth Community, St Bede's Roman Catholic Primary and Wath C of E hosted the showcases with unbelievable signing events to follow. I left South Yorkshire with a very aching hand... I've never signed so many books in a week!!!

Another outing as Patron followed on Sunday with a visit to Darts Farm in Topsham near Exeter. I joined my fellow patron and 2 star Michelin Chef Michael Caines to help children with the big Xmas Pud stir-up. We all had a great time... here are some pics;-

 My granddaughter Darcie dives into the xmas pud making   Ally Colton from Families for Children Adoption with me getting ready to wrap the puds!   2 Star Michelin Chef Micheal Caines MBE with me, Hattie and D Bear  Even managed to sell a few books with all sales going to the charity More events next week; including a public appearance at Brixham Library on Thursday 14th November. If you're in the Torbay area please call in to say hello!   Catch up again with more updates next time. Best wishes DLJ :)

The last two weeks have proved very interesting indeed and I feel my writing career has taken an incredible positive turn... mainly due to the receipt of feedback from a (up until now) silent voice. I have been creating and writing children's stories for over fourteen years (the last two years as a full time author)... up to now fantastic reviews and testimonials have been readily supplied by appreciative booksellers, librarians, teachers and journalists. And let's not forget the most important critics... the children who actually read and enjoy my books. It was a message sent to me personally by a parent (who's son attends a school I presented to this week) that really provided me with the confirmation that I've been yearning since I started to pen my Bradley Baker adventures!!! Here's what I'm referring to and proud to make a huge fuss about...

"My son met you last week at his school. He was so inspired, he hasn't stopped reading Bradley Baker and the Curse of Pathylon. I'm sure you've had similar feedback, but my son was behind in literacy for the last few years, and we've always struggled to get him to enjoy reading at home. Given that his mum is also a primary school teacher, we've still found it tough. In this last few days he's already connected that reading helps to improve his literacy all by himself, and even stays in bed when he wakes up to read instead of waking everyone else! I hope he continues with this new found enjoyment and motivation to read. Thanks so much for visiting, you've made a big difference to Daniel where we as parents and his teachers alike have not been as inspirational."

Now let's take a look at the fabulous showcase events I presented during the past few weeks (all in my home county of Devon)... my first school visit took place at Manor Primary in Ivybridge and special thanks to Caroline Sargent for organising everything. It was a great success and I'll be loading some interactive pictures from the event as soon as the school's website has been updated.

The school visits continued further up the M5 with two schools in the Culm Valley enjoying author presentations and book signing events. Children were left inspired at Willand and St Andrew's with hundreds of Bradley Baker books signed... there was a real buzz created by some much appreciated pre-visit preparations by Tanya at Willand and at Jemima St Andrew's.... the children were really primed, which is so important to me when I visit schools.

A break from author showcases when I paid a visit to Eden Park Primary in Brixham. Two workshops with the Year 5/6 students was very productive. We developed characters for their Murder Mystery stories and it was lovely to work with teacher Chris Hallett again.


Then it was time to head back down the A38 to Plymouth and another superb event at Victoria Road Primary. Many thanks to Becky Ferguson who arranged for the local press to be present during the book signing event. Here's a great picture taken after the showcase presentation with some of the children dressed as characters;


Well the half term break is now upon us... but please don't forget I'll be undertaking my first outing as Patron supporting Families for Children Adoption at Devon's Crealy Adventure Park on Friday 1st November. I'll be reading extracts from my latest Bradley Baker adventure "The Gullfather of New York" and hopefully signing copies of the book inside the FFC marquee!!!

  Before I sign off... here are some more dates for the diary. Hope to see you at either Brixham Library on Thursday 14th November between 2pm and 5pm... or Coffee#1 in Torquay 14th November...   Catch up again after the half term break. DLJ :)

WOW!!! What a fantastic week! Things just keep getting better and better!!! My school visits are proving even more popular with the children and teachers. I performed my showcase at Elburton in Plymouth and it went down a storm with record breaking book sales during the signing event. Here's what teacher and event organiser Emma Marriot had to say: "Thank you so much for arranging the author visit, the children were enthralled, inspired and really enjoyed the opportunity to meet an author and have their booked signed.  I was amazed at the audience participation during the showcase and think that nearly every child volunteered to become part of the show.  WOW!  The next day I was speechless at the number of children who wanted to get their own booked signed...I really didn't think we'd have enough time!  The next day (and throughout the next few days) the children have been busy reading the adventures of Bradley Baker in their freetime - they were certainly inspired! I have written a piece for our school website, which the ICT technician should have uploaded.  Please take the time to have a look." This is a great testimonial and I'm really pleased that everyone enjoyed the event. But the week didn't stop there... St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School in Devonport also recorded the following comments on their website; "We had such a wonderful time together, he came back on Tuesday 8th October to sign our new books! The show was fantastic and the children were all enthralled, as were the staff! We were all very curious about the beautiful but curious Victorian bath but soon everything became crystal clear!" Here are a few pictures taken during the event;


  School visits were concluded this week at Willowbrook Primary in Exeter. Massive thank you to all the staff for a very warm welcome and again another amazing response to the showcase presentation. I received some great news this week too... I'll be revisiting the Gloucester area in November and it will be great to catch up with some old friends and new schools. I love the Cotswolds and here's a chance to view the TV coverage during my last two visits to Waterstones and Abbeymead Primary:http://www.furryfeet.tv/mobile/tabletvideolist.php
 And here's a "Date for the Diary"... don't forget I will be making my first official appearance as a new Patron for "Families for Children Adoption" at Devon's Crealy Adventure Park on Friday 1st November during the Halloween Celebrations. I'll be supporting the charity and also signing copies of my new Bradley Baker adventure ... "Bradley Baker and the Gullfather of New York"


That's all for this week folks... hope to catch up with you again very soon! Best wishes DLJ

It's been another very busy week with more visits to schools and also meetings to set the date for the UK launch of the new Bradley Baker adventure book. I started the week at St Michael's C of E Primary School in Newton Abbot. In the morning, the children and teachers enjoyed my popular showcase presentation, which was followed by a full day of workshops with the year six students. I returned the following day to complete the literary workshops and sign lots of Bradley Baker books during a library event. A visit to Plymouth on Wednesday and I met with some very excited children at St Josephs RC Primary School in Devonport. Everyone enjoyed another author performance and the children who joined me on stage were particularly animated (I even jokingly suggested a contract for them to join me on tour... they were so good at improvising the parts of the main characters!!!). I look forward to a return visit on Tuesday next week and I'd like to offer my thanks to Finola Gill for organising a brilliant event. A meeting with those lovely folks at "Families for Children" produced another inspiring topic of conversation. We agreed that the fourth Bradley Baker book (which supports and plotlines the theme of adoption) would receive its official UK launch at Crealy Adventure Park in Devon. The location is very appropriate, as this is where I met with Ally Colton (fundraiser for FFC) last year during the Halloween celebrations... I was keen to support the charity and a year down the line I have now been appointed a vice patron. I am very proud of my new appointment and look forward to working with the team at Buckfast. A cuddle with Buddy Bear at Crealy... pictured with Caroline Davies CEO for FFC
A day out with some of the kids from Families for Children Adoption  I hope some of you will be able to visit Devon's Crealy for the book launch of "Bradley Baker and the Gullfather of New York"... look out for the "Families for Children" marquee on 1st November during the Halloween celebrations, where I will be signing first edition copies of the new book :)   Catch you all again next time. Have a great week folks!!!Best wishes, DLJ

What a wonderful week spent touring schools in East Kent... Braodstairs, Margate and Ramsgate hosted some great events with showcases at Bromstone Primary, St Lawrence College, Haddon Dene and Wellesley House!!! Here are a few pics... more to follow :)  Avid readers that couldn't wait to start... straight after I signed their books!!! Fantastic stuff
Year 6 students at Haddon Dene in Broadstairs  Good to meet Ellie and Henry Uden at Haddon Dene School  Another photo opportunity during the book signing event at Haddon Dene  A break from signing books to answer questions posed by school councillor Gabriella  I love reading stories written by children following my presentations. It means a lot to know that my visits have potentially inspired a new generation of authors! Here is an adventure story presented to me by Tommy-Lee at Bromstone Primary School. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the event organisers that made my visit to East Kent very memorable:- Ellen Rowe, Headteacher at Haddon Dene... Hannah McDermott, Literacy Lead at Wellesley House... Maria Stanley, Literacy Co-ordinator at Bromstone Primary... and Helene Cohen, Head of English at St Lawrence College Junior School. And to finish things off this week... I thought I'd share a sneak preview of the first character sketches created by my illustrator Abie Greyvenstein for the fifth Bradley Baker book, which is planned for next year. Please keep this to yourselves though!!!  Bradley Baker and the Sentinel of Aakoria... character sketches for the 5th book in the series to be released in 2014 Hope you enjoyed this week's BlogSpot... catch up again same time next week.Best wishes for now, DLJ  

Wow... what a fantastic start to the new academic year. I journeyed back down to Plymouth this week to visit three more primary schools and what a great response to my showcase presentations!!! Children from St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School were happy to see me again when I returned for their book signing event on Monday, which was held in the library. All four Bradley Baker books were in great demand and I signed lots of copies for all the pupils... with copious amounts of smiling faces from children leaving with books tightly clutched to their chests.

 On Tuesday I paid my first visit to Horrabridge Primary School, which is part of the Tavistock learning community. This event was organised following my appearance at the Children's University Graduation Awards at Plymouth University, where I attended as Chancellor for Torbay. Here are some of the children at Horrabridge with their signed copies of the Bradley Baker adventure books.
 Later on Tuesday, I received an urgent call from St Paul's RC with more book orders from some of the children... so I headed back over to sign more copies before my next school visit to Laira Green near Plymouth's city centre in the afternoon. I had a great time at Laira Green School and here are some pictures taken by the teachers...

 The audience really liked my author presentation!!!
 Bradley Baker disappears down the plughole!!!
 The boy hero reappears for a quick photo opportunity!!!
   Here are some of the pupils representing their KS2 year groups during the book signing event in the school library. Each year group received a full set of Bradley Baker books, which were generously funded by the senior management team at Laira Green school. You can see the full web report about my visit to Laira Green School in Plymouth by clicking on the following link: http://lairagreen.com/2013/09/20/visit-by-author-david-lawrence-jones/
The end of the week soon came around and I completed my school events with a return visit to Pinhoe C of E Primary in Exeter. I showcased my Bradley Baker books before the summer and I was invited back to host a series of creative writing workshops. The first session lasted all Friday morning and I worked with the children to help them create characters for a story, which they will write and publish in a school book. Looking forward to returning a week on Monday to continue with the project and I'll display some of the pupils excellent work on this blog in due course.
That's all for now folks! Thanks for popping by and I'll catch up with you all after my trip to Kent next week, where I will be visiting four more schools in the Ramsgate and Broadstairs area.
Best wishes, DLJ :)

Hello everyone.... it's been a while since my last blog post and it's great to be back on line to share some recent activity from my wonderful world of writing!!! It has been a very productive summer... I finished the fourth book and I'm looking forward to the UK release on 30th September. Signed "First Edition" copies are available from the website... here's a link if you'd like to order your copy before the official release date; http://www.bradley-baker.com/book_shop_8.html

 And then there were four!!!! 

Interest in the new book has been very positive and has resulted in a date being set for the US launch. I'm looking forward to attending New York Public Library in New York 16th December.


The new academic year in the UK started this week and I have resumed my popular author visits to primary schools. Demand for my interactive showcase presentations is overwhelming and I already have a diary full of events leading up to Christmas. If you would like to organise an author visit to your school, please get in touch as I a few slots to fill. I stayed local for my first two schools with a visit to Pennycross (pictured) and then onto St Paul's RC in Plymouth. The reception from both schools was fantastic and I'd particularly like to convey special thanks to Sarah Pope at St Paul's for organising an absolutely brilliant event.

I will be travelling further afield to other counties within the UK over the coming weeks, with tours planned for Kent and South Yorkshire. These will be followed by more events in Devon and Gloucestershire.
 The plot lines for the new book include some carefully researched adoption issues that affect the boy hero and I'd like to that the senior management team at FFC for their kind support. In turn I am very pleased to continue my support for Families for Children throughout 2013/2014.  I'm also looking forward to advocating my new role for the charity and an official announcement will be made over the new few weeks. My world is full of fantastic stuff and there's lots going on behind the scenes. I'm looking forward to sharing my incredible journey with you over the coming months. It's good to be back!!!! All the very best for now and thanks for reading my latest BlogSpot, DLJ :)

The busy schedule of school visits is now over till the start of the new academic year in September... so it's time to focus on the launch of the new BB book, which will be available on general release from 30th September 2013. I still have lots more to do till then and I'll be spending the next few weeks putting the finishing touches to the manuscript for Bradley Baker's fourth adventure... the Gullfather of New York!

Bradley Baker fans will be able to purchase the book from the official website before the general release (earlier in Sept)... please look out for more updates on Facebook, Twitter and www.bradley-baker.com

The BB brand will soon be adding a new merchandising line... BB mobile phone covers will be exclusive to Bradley's Shop on the official Bradley Baker website. Feedback has been great so far and the 4 book covers will be depicted and will prove a welcome addition to the new range of mobile phone covers, which will be made available in various sizes to suit most smart phones very soon... so watch this space!   My time during the summer will also be spent working on a new literary project in association with Families For Children... I'll also be announcing some special news about my new role within the charity too very soon, so again watch this space for further updates! Hope you will keep in touch over the next few months and I look forward to posting more updates relating to the above!
Best wishes for now, DLJ