Colne bookworms visited by Lancashire author Joseph Delaney
Author Joseph Delaney with pupils Airon Miliunas, Eloisa Robinson and Mia Woodward at Park High School in Colne. Photo Ben Parsons
BOOKWORMS at a Colne high school were delighted to be paid a visit from a top Lancashire author.
Joseph Delaney, the man behind “The Wardstone Chronicles” adult series of books, visited lucky students at Park High School, to talk about his literary career, answer student’s questions and sign copies of his most recent work “Spook’s: Slither’s Tale”.
Organised by Miss Nichola Mather, an English teacher at the school, the event tied in with the pupil’s literacy programme.
Miss Mather said: “I thought bringing a successful author into school would be a great opportunity and inspiration for the students.
“I started emailing round publishers of different children’s authors but Joseph Delaney was the Holy Grail of authors that I wanted. I didn’t think I would ever get him.”
Originally from Preston and still living locally, Mr Delaney talked about how the Lancashire folklore, especially the boggarts and the Pendle Witches, and the local landscape had influenced him.
The author, who revealed that he received over 90 rejection letters over about 10 years before he was eventually published, also shared how he sometimes takes suggestions for plot from readers’ emails, and he spent time signing over 100 books for excited students.
Year 8 student Alex Mitchell-Males, who calls herself a “superfan” of Mr Delaney’s books, said: “He’s inspirational. I want to be a writer and it encourages you to keep going when he said he’s been rejected so many times but he didn’t give up.”
And Year 9 student Chloe Durkin added: “It was really interesting to hear him explain the background to stories, where his ideas have come from. He made the characters seem real.”
Mr Delaney’s son Stephen Delaney now performs in and runs interactive workshops, based on “The Wardstone Chronicles” within schools to help develop literacy skills and imagination.
Currently, “The Seventh Son” the film adaptation of Joseph Delaney’s early work “The Spook’s Apprentice” is being filmed and is due out in October 2013.
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Saturday 25 May 2013
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