Edinburgh Book Festival 2018

IMG_9678.JPG

The Edinburgh Book Festival is one of my favourite festivals, but this year it was particularly special because my brand new book The Beetle Collector's Handbook was made exclusively available to attendees. It was so wonderful to see Beetle Boys and Beetle Girls clutching the book. It is a non-fiction book and a companion to the fiction trilogy with annotations from the characters. I'm very proud of it, and it completes the series beautifully, with a message about habitat preservation and the importance of learning about the environment and in particular, invertebrates.

Here is a gallery of photos from the festival. One of the highlights of coming to Scotland is that I get to do events with Callum from Cool Creatures and he always brings the most amazing live beetles for children to meet.

M. G. Leonard in Friends of Countryfile exhibition at Countryfile Live

Unknown.jpeg
Unknown-4.jpeg

Countryfile Live is always such a wonderful show. I was very proud to be asked to be a Friend of CountryFile and part of their anniversary exhibition of passionate people sharing their experiences of appearing on the show. They included Carim Nahaboo's excellent beetle illustrations that featured in the program, and we both are very happy to be flying the flag for beetles at Countryfile Live.

Beetle Boy shortlisted for Top Ten Children's Books of the Year in CHINA

Screen Shot 2018-07-30 at 10.28.03.png

Beetle Boy has been selected as one of one hundred children's books competing to be in the Top Ten Children's Books of the Year in China. Beetle Boy is listed in the 'Children's Literature' category along with 39 other titles.

Through-out the next three months, titles will be read by families and children, who will vote for their favourites and the winners will be announced in November 2018.

I am beyond delighted that Beetle Boy is on this list. It is a great honour that I would never have dreamed of. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

You can read all about it here.

Another chance to watch the BBC documentary The Bug Couple

Screen Shot 2018-07-30 at 10.00.25.png

The BBC have repeated their great 30 minute documentary about Dr Sarah Beynon (scientific consultant to the Beetle Boy books) and Andy Holcroft's (bug chef extraordinaire) mission to get the UK eating bugs - The Bug Couple.

My 2017 Hay Festival event with Sarah and Andy was filmed for the documentary and features in the film. We got the audience munching insects. If you were there, you might spot yourself eating a cricket cookie.

Watch on the iPlayer

M. G. Leonard to write Adventures on Trains with Sam Sedgman

Me and my co-author Sam Sedgman at the National Rail Museum in York

Me and my co-author Sam Sedgman at the National Rail Museum in York

I've got some super-dooper mega huge news!

I've been keeping this under wraps for a while, but my next book series will be about trains and because I don't know that much about them, I've persuaded the talented and lovely Sam Sedgman to write them with me.

Sam is a playwright and digital producer that I worked with at the National Theatre. He's obsessed with mysteries and railways, which will come in handy when we are creating our adventures on trains for you to read.

I'm very excited about these books. They will be published by Macmillan in 2020 and are going to be epic!

The books will follow 11-year-old Harrison Beck and his uncle, travel writer Nathaniel Bradshaw, as they travel the great railways of the world and encounter all manner of mysteries and adventures. The first book, The Highland Falcon, follows Harrison and Uncle Nat on board the last journey of the royal steam train. Among the passengers are aristocrats, actors and businessmen... and a very clever jewel thief.

READ MORE

AdventuresOnTrains4.jpg

M. G. Leonard has a Bug Hunt on BBC1's Countryfile

Screen Shot 2018-06-25 at 07.33.00.png

I've done quite a bit of tele, but the bug hunt with Ellie Harrison on Countryfile must be one of my favourite pieces. It was a beautiful day, and the lupin field was a heavenly place full of fascinating bugs. I was in my element, and I'm delighted with the way the show turned out.

I was also pleased that they included some of the wonderful illustrations that Carim Nahaboo has done for The Beetle Collector's Handbook, published in September. You get a sneak peak at how marvellous they are.

You can watch it on the iplayer on catch-up for the next month.

Screen Shot 2018-06-25 at 07.35.01.png
Screen Shot 2018-06-25 at 07.36.42.png

M. G. Leonard tells Sky News about the Phantom Midges at the World Cup

Screen Shot 2018-06-28 at 07.48.54.png

Did you catch me on Sky News? It was the hot and humid day after England won their first match in the World Cup and so I arrived at the studio with my hair all in a frizz and was asked if I could talk about the Phantom Midges that were annoying the football players. I'm the first to hold up my hand when I don't know about something, but whilst I was in hair and makeup, I was allowed to phone a friend. Luckily Max Barclay from the Natural History Museum was on the other the other end of the telephone and he told me all about what wonderful creatures Phantom Midges are, so I only managed to squeeze a sentence or two in about beetles, but I did get to big up National Insect Week on the news, so job done. Weird hair though, eh? I won't be letting anyone give me a central parting again that's for sure.

MG
x

National Insect Week 2018

IMG_6685.jpg

I was absolutely honoured to be invited by the Royal Entomological Society to be a part of launching National Insect Week 2018 at RHS Wisley this week. It was a wonderful occasion and I go the opportunity to finally meet Carim Nahaboo the talented illustrator who I've worked with on my non-fiction book The Beetle Collector's Handbook, which is published in the UK in September by Scholastic.

There were speeches, and wonderful artwork by Carim, the oppertunity to eat bugs (yummy) and see some of my favourite entos. I was even given a present by the delightful Chris Jeffs, a stag beetle from Indonesia to add to my collection.

I'm so proud to be a part of this initiative. If you want to find out about Bug related fun for National Insect Week happening near you there's information here. The celebration doesn't last just a week you know, it lasts a lifetime.

MG
x

Beetle Boy Trilogy Optioned For TV - Screenplay will be written by M. G. Leonard

Screen+Shot+2018-06-09+at+14.16.06.png

I have some very exciting news. I am delighted to be able to announce that my beetle books have been optioned for TV. And, even better than the news that they will be coming to your home screens in the near future, is that I am the screenwriter on the project. I will be ensuring all your favourite characters, both human and coleopteran, burst onto your screen in true dramatic style, like they do in the stories.

I am so excited about the production team on this project.

Watch this space for news and further updates.

Bring on the BEETLEMANIA!

MG
x

Screen Shot 2018-06-27 at 16.32.46.png

Insects Through the Looking Glass - An Exhibition at the Story Museum

Screen Shot 2018-06-02 at 08.31.31.png

June is the month when we celebrate National Insect Week and the wonderland of insects on this planet.

This year the Royal Entomological Society and The Story Museum in Oxford are curating a wonderful exhibition to explore the insects that inspired children's fiction, featuring Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl & ME!

Can you imagine just how delighted and terrified I am in equal measure? It's going to be wonderful.

I'm opening the Exhibition with events on 16th & 17th of June with illustrator Carim Nahaboo. Check my events calendar for these events. They are free with the exhibition ticket entry price. YOU MUST COME!

MG
x

FIND OUT MORE

Hay Festival 2018

Me with wonderful author James Nicol, one of my favourite pictures from Hay 2018

Me with wonderful author James Nicol, one of my favourite pictures from Hay 2018

 

The Hay Festival is one of my favourite literary festivals. I always stay as long as possible and see other author's events if I can. This year was fantastic.

I was extraordinarily honoured to be able to bring the eminent coleopterist, and good friend, Max Barclay to the Hay Festival this year. He brought with him a selection of drawers from the Natural History's Coleoptera Collection, including a drawer that featured beetles collected by Charles Darwin himself. Max Barclay is a font of beetle knowledge and a true inspiration to me. I also sneaked some slides into my event from my new non-fiction book The Beetle Collector's Handbook, which is published in September and features a section by Max. Those who were patient enough to brave the signing cue were rewarded with both mine and Max's signatures on their books. A treat indeed.

The second event I did at Hay was with Lauren St John, Jackie Morris and Nicola Davis to spread the message about Authors4Oceans and what the book community can do to support the reduction of plastic waste. It was an absolute treat to get to an event with these wonderful women.

I was lucky enough to see lots of great events. The one I enjoyed most, was watching my colleague and friend James Nicol, author of The Apprentice Witch, talk about his new book A Witch Alone, which is on my beside table and I'm eager to read.

Here is a gallery of images from my time at Hay Festival. A big thank-you to all who came to my events or waved at me in the campsite.

MG
x

M.G. LEONARD READS CHAPTER ONE OF BATTLE OF THE BEETLES

Screen Shot 2018-04-28 at 07.55.50.png

I often get asked what it is like to record an audiobook, so when I went into the studio to record Battle of the Beetles, I propped up my phone and videoed myself reading Chapter One - Beetle Plague.

A useful video for classrooms or indeed if you are wondering if you want to read the third book in the Beetle Boy trilogy. 

To get the full effect of the audiobook please close your eyes whilst watching!!! LOL! Or for the full experience head to iTunes, audiobook or any shop that sells audio CDs to get the whole book.

Enjoy! And please forgive the poor audio and lighting, my phone is only a little media machine. The audiobook recording is far better quality.

Featuring illustration by Karl James Mountford.

If you think reading an audiobook looks easy, below is a short 2 minute video of all my bloopers! Thank goodness for the producer, Carolyn.