Teaching kids ukulele, it's interesting to identify tribalism in music at such a young age. 7 year olds who can't simply not like Taylor Swift, but have to actively HATE her music. I'm trying to show them that it's possible to find something to enjouy in every genre of music if you only listen.

You know how we all work for supermarkets now, operating the tills, packing the bags etc. I've been struggling to work out how I'm getting paid for that. Is it through the absolute bargain prices or the stock value from their profits? Can anyone clarify how I claim my wages?

Exciting post yesterday

Next year's Summer Reading Challenge theme is music & I'll soon be contacting librarians to talk about bringing my mini picture book musicals into libraries all over the UK. If you're a librarian, please do get in contact to discuss possibilities. Bring stories to life with music.

I just heard that Paddington song. It sounds like a Greatest Showman soundalike. Not for me, I don't think.

Cardiff people! I'll be signing copies of The Big Bad Wolf Murder at the wonderful Wellfield Bookshop in Roath on Saturday 15th. If you're nearby, why not drop by and say hello? It would be great to see you. #KidLit #KidLitUK #Cardiff

Thank you Irish PLR - and Irish librarians. It's never 'pay off my mortgage' money but I appreciate the small injection of cash & the knowledge that people are out there enjoying my books. These are my 4 most borrowed titles (all picture books).

I'm so excited that New York is finally joining London as a fellow radical Islam communist woke hellscape.

There is some great content in the John Candy documentary but it is really cloyingly edited. The music is distractingly over the top.

3 chords & the truth

Overheard yesterday on the train: "She's got ADHD... which she calls it DHD."

Some farts sound like a beautiful melody Some farts are silent, silent but deadly Some farts are an abomination This one's got a fake nomination #TheresNothingFunnyAboutBums

I'd actually be fine with publishers publishing too many books that they don't promote enough if the books were all interesting quirky books that the editors believed in rather than derivative attempts to mimic other financially successful books.

Meet cute, a song

Seems to me the online content coming from publishers is increasingly shoddy. Poor sound, badly shot, barely edited. I could (and do) do better in less time with no budget.

Traitors is what happens when dramatic irony is the only narrative device. It clearly works because people love watching it, but it's kind of bollocks if you think about it. It's just a world in which no one knows who's lying... but actually I suppose that's our world so maybe that's the appeal.

Due to the increasing cost of living, they're now selling 2 songs for the price of one. For example: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes

Today I put on 2 shows, sold books, sang songs, got the life stories of 2 taxi drivers, & got in a strop with a magician who overran, meaning I started late & then, walked in during my show & started getting ready for his next one, even though I was running late because of him. Lovely fun day!

Today you find me up early & off to Northampton where I will be putting on CinderGorilla The Musical & Mystery Makers. For this reason, I am carrying even more stuff than normal.

An advert made with recent Goodreads reviews for The Thornthwaite Inheritance, which is remarkably after all these years, still available to order and buy from places where you can do that sort of thing.

King: How did you become pope then? Pope: The most esteemed members of my faith gathered in a room, took a vote & selected me. Why? How did you become the king? King: Oh, I was appointed by God. Pope: Interesting, so no humans involved? King: Er... my mum & dad, a bit, I guess. But no, not really.

One ironic thing about Osman's comments on what really sells books is that the one non celebrity author who I met recently who had experienced a massive sales boost from something online was the author of this excellent book. What was the boost? A recommendation from Richard Osman on his podcast.

A momentous day in the world of religion today as two elderly men will kneel down together and silently talk to an invisible imaginary magic being in the sky. Well worth all the attention it's getting on the news.

The song that is the ultimate cop out lyrically is REM's Losing My Religion which ends That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream.

This morning I've written a short but significant part of the work in progress. After lunch I'm going to go play music in public. If anyone pays I'll be busking. If not, I'm just performing in public. Lunch will be homemade bread & soup, because today I'm that guy.

I listened to a couple of actors discussing agents on the bus yesterday & it occurred to me that actors expect their agents to find them work, whereas this is less often the case with literary agents.

I never let my inability to play a song get in the way of my decision to play it.

Today I caught 6 trains, made up 2 songs, played 3 instruments bumped into 3 authors, (@trulyjwrites.bsky.social @fionawritesbooks.bsky.social & @rosswelford.bsky.social) signed a fair few books & put on 1 musical. Oo-oo-Ahhh!

Just remembered that time I travelled from Manchester to Chester and was left feeling emasculated.

Yesterday's busking experiment as the Ministry of Mini Musicals was complicated by a very loud man shouting about Jesus through a microphone very near me. Today the ministry is putting on CinderGorilla The Musical at a sold out event in Wokingham. I'm hoping for no shouty Christians.

I watched that Richard Osman thing before & I didn't get the sense he was talking about his own experience. He's smart enough to understand that his books aren't successful because he did a few talks. I thought he was talking about publishers putting too much emphasis on authors' social media.

Cutting keys is the only thing that is described as happening While U Wait, but actually lots of things could be described that way. Beer is served while you wait. Meals are made while you wait. Hair is cut while you wait. I'm not sure what's so special about key cutting.

This week I watched a celebrity children's author interviewing another celebrity children's author about their book, both laughing about how hilarious it is that children don't even know how famous they are.

Considering the amount of support Waterstones HQ have shown me over the years, I'm not sure why I'm promoting their offer here, but I would like this book to be a surprise hit so please do preorder & take advantage of this amazing deal.

I mean, imagine wanting peace for the wrong reasons.

In 2023 we opened on Christmas Day for anyone on their own. Food, drink, games and plenty of festive cheer. We're doing it again this Christmas Day. 10.30am-1pm. Spread the word so people know they can come to Caversham if they want some company. Thanks to @garethpjones.bsky.social for the video.

Actually it was yesterday but I only just figured out how to put this up here.

After all these years & I still type Gastropub* into the word document so I know how far I got up to in the edit *on the basis it's a word I will never use in the actual text.

I'll let you know if she gets back to me with some answers.

Jesus. This is a harsh way of trying to get my business. Back the hell off Christina.... although she does have a point. There's Nothing Funny About Bums is a song from my soul I sing it for you The least you could do Is give it a 5 star review

Let's do it. Everyone who visited my website, I'll see you there.

This book was roundly rejected by UK publishers & usually when that happens I move on to something new. I have moved on to something new, but I still keep thinking about this because I still like it. It's a classic urban cat western story. It's pretty dark in places but funny too.

Vote for me! shop.scholastic.co.uk/lollies/vote

Today I used my license to busk in Greenwich & took the Ministry of Mini Musicals to the Cutty Sark where I wrote brand new songs about Oxford-undergraduate Emily, a chef called George, a baby & a dog & the fact the weather app said it was 0% of rain but it very clearly was raining.

A page of cats! I'm available for commissions currently (email [email protected]) or why not take a look at my Ko-Fi Shop & leave me a tip? ko-fi.com/stevemayillu...

My first ever book (& the first in a series of 4 books once described as "Raymond Chandler for 7 year olds") is currently awaiting reprint & I think it might help if you were ALL to order one today. Cheers. www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Detec...

I was just thinking that the latest celebrity's children's book effort looked really dire then I realised that it's illustrated by a friend so I guess I'll keep that opinion offline.

Up early & travelling across a misty London landscape to Streatham for a school visit.

Verse 2