Children’s author Yvonne Banham, who was a nurse for ten years before deciding to embark upon her lifelong dream of becoming a children’s novelist, will be taking over the reading chair at the free Book Club at The Centre, Livingston on Saturday, 16th March.
The aim of the book club is to give visitors to the shopping centre the opportunity to join in regular storytelling and interactive sessions with award-winning authors and discover new books.
Yvonne, who was also a lecturer in Higher Education and won a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, (SCBWI), Undiscovered Voices Award in 2020, grew up on the island of Walney, off the coast of Cumbria and spent lots of time huddled on the wild beach with a scary book.
When she left school, she couldn’t decide whether to be a nurse, an artist, or a writer, so she tried them all and decided she liked words best.
Yvonne, who now lives in Stirlingshire and writes paranormal/fantasy fiction for readers age 10-14 years old, will be talking about how she became an author and read extracts from her book, ‘The Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores Mackenzie’.
The book is a ghost filled, paranormal ‘whydunnit’, packed with ghouls, shapeshifters and a grumpy gargoyle played out with lots of humour in the dark underbelly of Edinburgh’s Old Town with themes of friendships, trust, personal boundaries and the joy of found family.
Her interactive sessions will include tips on crafting your own scary story with ghosts, monsters and magical creatures, making the ‘monster’ the hero, and what makes a great villain. Kids will also have the chance to create their own bookmark.
The two 45-minute sessions on Saturday, 16th March will take place at 11am and 1pm across from Waterstones where Yvonne’s book can be purchased and personally signed on the day.
Yvonne said: “I love any opportunity to talk about books, reading and writing, so was thrilled to be invited to The Centre, Livingston to take part in their brilliant Book Club initiative.
“I’m really looking forward to talking about Delores Mackenzie’s spooky Edinburgh adventures as well as chatting to readers about their own fantastic ideas.”
Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming the very talented author Yvonne Banham to our free Book Club which is designed to give our shoppers the chance to meet lots of award-winning authors and hear extracts from the fantastic books they’ve written.
“The sessions are very interactive and great fun, with visitors also getting the chance to pick up a copy of the books from Waterstones and get them personally signed on the day too.”
Authors and illustrators who have taken up residency at the Book Club since it launched last year, include Catherine Rayner, Justin Davies, Morag Hood, Lindsay Littleson and Linda Erskine.
Further details can be found on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com and @shopthecentre on Facebook and Instagram.
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