Met some real live elves at Millfield Green Christmas Fair today with Mrs Claus - and guess what they were reading?! Thanks to Inspired Villages for having me and to everyone who bought a signed book. #thechristmascrumb #believeinyourelf #theelfnextdoor #elves

New interview up on my blog with critique client Greg Garson, all about his exciting and inventive debut novel The Christmas Eve Rescue Mission published by CAAB Publishing. loutreleaven.com/2025/12/05/g... #debutnovel #kidlit #christmasbooks #elves

Looking forward to reading this at a special festive school storytime tomorrow!

Reposting this in case anyone wants to enter. (Is there anybody out there?)

The Christmas Crumb is in the festive window display at the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford, London! Thanks so much to story creator Claire for the photos. #christmasbooks #kidlit #christmaswindow

Lots of author interviews up now on the Virtual Authors UK site!

The Oxford Street Christmas lights are beautiful this year - and I felt just as sparkly when I spotted Shevolution in @waterstones.bsky.social inside John Lewis! Shoutout to @petrabraunstudio.bsky.social for that amazing cover! #authorlife #jointheshevolution @scholasticuk.bsky.social

GIVEAWAY ALERT! I'm giving away a signed copy of my new book with @scholasticuk.bsky.social - SHEVOLUTION. Uncover hidden stories of amazing women through history. Illustrated sumptuously by @petrabraunstudio.bsky.social. Just comment below to enter. Winner picked at random at 11 pm GMT 31/11/25.

Magazine subscriptions are a great way to encourage children and teens to read, especially those children who struggle with chapter books or teens who have lost interest in reading novels. schoolreadinglist.co.uk/resources/ma... #teachertwitter #kidlit #readingforpleasure

What a great review from Sanne at De Wegwijzer Primary School for the new Dutch version of Turns Out I'm an Alien, translated by Marjolein Algera and published by Witte Leuw as Oeps Ik Beneen Alien! Thanks Sanne! www.jeugdbieb.nl/nieuws.php?i...

Virtual visits are such a great cost-effective way to introduce schoolchildren to real authors and show them that humans make the best stories. #virtualauthorvisits #proudlyaifree

It was always my ambition to spot a book of mine in @waterstones.bsky.social and yesterday in Covent Garden I saw two! After 15 years in the slush piles my author heart is very full right now! (Shevolution ill. by Petra Braun on L, Don't Open This Book Until You're 9 ill. by Ellie Hyde on R.)

#BookReview Turns Out I’m An Alien by @loutreleaven.bsky.social "a fun-packed space adventure that blasts off with equal measures of goofy wit and genuine warmth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️" youngpageturners.co.uk/turns-out-im... #ChildrensBooks #MiddleGradeReader #Aliens #Adventure #YoungPageTurners

Had so much fun making this! Presenting my book trailer for EATEN BY ALIENS. Music by omikron. Alien played by anteater. No anteaters were harmed etc. #booktrailer #kidlit #scifi #aliens www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Pu...

Fabulous book recommendations from Marianne! I love anything interactive and you can't beat an intricately drawn maze.

Happy #nationalpoetryday ! Why not celebrate and embrace the October vibes at the same time by visiting www.scaryness.com, a new website of fearfully fantastic poems for children? There's even a couple by me. BOO! Illustrations by #loucrosby

Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day me hearties! Why not grab yourself some treasure by buying The Pirate Who Lost His Name by me and @geniespinosa.bsky.social ? www.hive.co.uk/Product/Lou-... #talklikeapirateday

It's the end of the week so it must be #PublisherFriday! If you are an #IndependentPublisher why not let us know a bit about your press, some links, current projects, crowdfunders, submission windows, some of your authors #publisher #SmallPress #publishing #IndiePress alt text in pictures please

New book out for Maverick Books' Zoom Fiction! Delighted to have teamed up again with the brilliant Mario Gushiken to bring you another comedy space adventure, this time set inside the stomach of an alien! Support your bookshop by buying locally or order from bookshop.org at tinyurl.com/8r2e5yep

Back to school season is upon us, but do you prefer a packed lunch or school dinners? Poems from our food edition by Sarah Ziman and Jonathan Sellars, and illustrations by Mietta Postlethwaite - available in our web shop. #Backtoschool #backtoschool2025

Get your ticket to Scary-ness station and discover some delightfully dreadful destinations! This new website is a brilliant way for children to discover poetry, and you might even find a petrifying poem by me on your travels! Mwah ha ha! scaryness.com #scarypoems #poetry #kidlit #halloween

#Teachers! Summer #book #Giveaway! (UK) WIN a copy of BLUE JELLY AND STRAWBERRIES for your school. There's a tiny seashell hidden somewhere on my website...For a chance to win a book: 🐚Follow me and repost this post! 🐚DM with the location of the shell & school name (keep it 🤫) Winner chosen 26/8

Who was the class clown at school and writes surrounded by other people's dogs? It's the brilliant @nealzetterpoet.bsky.social! Read his interview and find out how to book him for virtual visits here: virtualauthors.co.uk/2025/08/18/1... #virtualauthorvisit #poet #poetry #performancepoetry

Already fully booked for the week next year! Looking forward to sharing new books and stories. #worldbookday2026 #authorlife

Okay, deep breath. I need your help. My friend set this up for me because financial stress is making the whole cancer stress a lot worse. www.paypal.com/pools/c/9gAG... If, like me, you don't have money atm, if you have read and enjoyed any of my books, please can you tell people about them?

Who has a cat called Jam and writes on a bicycle? It's the subject of our second interview, prolific author Rebecca Colby! virtualauthors.co.uk/2025/08/11/1...

Just putting it out there in the universe I suspect lots of young people will be wanting to read about girls football following the Lioness’ latest success. I have written lots of books in this genre Also - for any editors interested, I would always love to write more 😂

Typing up some more of my dream diaries to get inspiration for SF settings. March 2008 is wild! I don't think I could have that recall now for multiple dreams per night. #amwriting #amdreaming

Ooh look! You can preorder my new chapter book Eaten by Aliens from Hive and collect it from your local bookshop in September! What are you waiting for?! www.hive.co.uk/Product/Lou-...

Teachers! Grab FREE downloadable PDF reading activities, games, reading lists, reading challenges, posters, wallpapers and much more on School Reading List's TES page. ⬇️📖✨ 🔗 www.tes.com/teaching-res... #freeresources #edutwitter #teachersofx

Reading Not Yet a Yeti and designing monsters today at Oaklands Infant School, Chelmsford! #authorlife

Stopped for a cuppa at Leadenhall Market on our weekend in London and look what I found in @waterstones.bsky.social ! (I did reshelve Shevolution properly but couldn't resist showing off Petra Braun's cover for the photo.) @scholasticuk.bsky.social

New comedy writing book by Chris Head arrived today - having done one of his excellent courses I know it's going to be full of absolute gold.

My posts don't get much traction on here but I have to shout this into the void: just typed 'the end' on a new book! Yippee!!!

"You are 23.6% Goth, 69.1% Nerd, placing you in the True Nerd category." Happy with that!

Look at all these lovely authors, illustrators and poets just waiting to meet you! Find out more about them and book a virtual visit to your school or nursery by visiting www.virtualauthors.co.uk. Let's connect authors and readers across the globe! #authorvisit #virtualauthorvisit #kidlit

Lovely watercolour landscape workshop at Dunstable Downs today - an escape from the world! Creativity is the best medicine sometimes.

Who gave the ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’ speech? Where did the Salem witch trials take place? Who wrote Wuthering Heights? Test your knowledge on the shevolution of society with these quick-fire quizzes! Download now: images.scholastic.co.uk/assets/a/ee/... #JoinTheShevolution @loutreleaven.bsky.social

Having fun in the Reading Tent at Bedford Motoring and Kite Festival - yes it was a bit hot to be dressing up as a yeti! #authorlife

Exciting book post from @busterbooks.bsky.social today! Out now if you're 8 or 9 (inside or outside).

There's still time! Love this cute little book I did with Sophie Burrows, inspired by epic 'Million Dollar Walks' with my dad. I only realised years later that we were just going on a long route round the village and weren't miles away from civilisation after all. #fathersday

Author adrenaline rush! Spotted these in WHSmith Epsom today together with some other brilliant titles from @busterbooks.bsky.social

Hitting a rich vein #lastbooknextbook

Returning to a massive project of typing up all my dream diaries. Some are from the 80s! I'm looking for some nightmarish material to use for my work in progress. Does anyone else use their dreams as inspiration for writing? #amwriting #amdreaming

Visit Jacqui's blog to find out more about Isabella and how she features in Shevolution by me and @petrabraunstudio.bsky.social !

Yay! Thanks for sharing #Shevolution Jacqui! Still can't believe my first non fiction book is out there in the wild!

A peek inside Shevolution by me and @petrabraunstudio.bsky.social out now with @scholasticuk.bsky.social!

Don't forget to enter by 22 May! Lots of categories including Picture Books!

From a family back garden to a hedgehog haven! 🪵🌿 The Hedgehog Rescuers is a fun & inspiring story about two boys saving the spikiest garden guests by Sarah Oliver and Juliet Prentice! 🦔 Out now: amzn.to/42G8Hqn... #picturebooks