Elizabeth Hopkinson's Hidden Grove

For the next couple of weeks, I'm running a giveaway for a lucky winner to receive one of these handmade flash fiction bookmark/wristbands from my Etsy shop .  They would make a lovely gift for a friend (dare I say an early stocking filler?!) or just for yourself, to cheer up a gloomy day. The bookmark is printed with a magical and haunting fairy story, that hasn't been published anywhere else.  It is decorated with its own fairy toadstool, and comes with a detachable French-knitted wristband.   All you have to do to enter the prize draw is to leave a comment, either on this blog or on my Facebook page before 4th November.  And you could have your very own autumn fairy wristband to treasure!

Recently, I signed up to receive the first of the Gray Fox Epistles from Sylvia V Linstead, a writer from California.  If you have the money to try this, I thoroughly recommend it.  Every month, Sylvia retells a classic folktale in the context of her native California (March was the Children of Lir and April will be Tsarevna Frog).  She then posts them out to her subscribers, along with beautiful artwork, craft and pieces of nature.  I was especially happy to receive needles of a Redwood tree - not something I am ever likely to see in Yorkshire.  Have a look at Sylvia's blog if you would like to know more.  You can even see behind-the-scenes pictures of how she puts it all together. Actually, I think handcrafts and writing make wonderful partners.  That's why I will be having the launch for my novel, Silver Hands at the wonderful Hand Made in Bradford , which celebrates its first anniversary today.  This has been a wonderful initiative for my...