Anita Loughrey's blog. This is my journal about my experiences and thoughts on writing. As well as news about me and my books, it includes writing tips, book reviews, author interviews and blog tours.
For more information about me and my books see my website: www.anitaloughrey.com. Follow me on Twitter @amloughrey, Facebook @anitaloughrey.author and on Instagram @anitaloughrey
Alex Woolf’s The Jolt is a fast-paced and compelling read with few distractions from the central mystery of how they lost their memory. Although the story begins along familiar lines where two strangers meet with conflicting personalities, it quickly takes an intriguing turn, which adds depth and emotional impact.
On a train journey, our two protagonists, Susie and Ryan, begin a casual conversation. Moments later, a mysterious jolt shakes the carriage and both of them lose consciousness. When they wake, they are still on the same train, but twelve months have somehow passed. When Susie returns home, she finds evidence of a man sharing her flat and her bed. Ryan, equally confused, arrives at her door to discover he is now her live-in partner.
The novel’s central idea, a time slip, which leaves the protagonists with no memory of a year of their lives, forms the heart of the story. Alex handles this concept with great skill, using Susie and Ryan’s shared confusion to draw readers into their disorientation and vulnerability.
Friends and family treat their relationship as completely normal, yet neither of them remembers falling in love. As Susie and Ryan grow closer, they are forced to confront the unsettling truth of what happened on the train, the mystery of where they have been for the past year, and the possibility the jolt, which brought them together, might yet tear them apart. Each recovered memory feels immediate and powerful, allowing the reader to experience Susie’s and Ryan’s emotional turmoil in a deeply personal way.
The tension builds steadily throughout, leading to a dramatic and satisfying climax by the river. The subtle use of the paranormal, centred on the mysterious green crystal, adds an intriguing dimension without overwhelming the human drama. The time-slip element and the suggestion the crystal’s effects echo experiences faced by women across history, provides a thoughtful and unexpected layer of meaning.
The characterisation is particularly strong. The ‘will they, won’t they’ dynamic between Susie and Ryan feels authentic and their contrasting personalities, such as his untidiness and her tendency to speak without thinking, make them both believable and relatable. Their relationship demonstrates how opposites can attract and in doing so, help each other to grow. Alex portrays love not as a simple or idealised emotion but as a complex, evolving bond shaped by personal struggles and self-discovery.
The attention to detail in the descriptions of setting and atmosphere makes each scene easy to visualise and adds to the novel’s immersive quality.
If you enjoy time-slip contemporary romance infused with paranormal elements, The Jolt is an excellent choice. It offers an emotional journey where attraction and suspicion constantly compete, leaving Susie and Ryan uncertain of their feelings and of the truth about their shared past.
I have also reviewed this book on Amazon, Goodreads and BookSirens.
Today I’m shining a spotlight on editor Natascha Biebow and her inspiring Blue Elephant Storyshaping editorial services. With over 30 years of publishing experience, Natascha has nurtured debut creators and guided bestselling authors and illustrators to bring out the very best in their stories. She truly understands the creator’s journey as both an editor and a published author.
Through Blue Elephant Storyshaping, Natascha offers a range of creative services for children’s book authors, illustrators, agents and publishers. Her one-to-one mentoring provides weekly personalised editorial support that motivates you to explore, experiment and dig deep to find the heart of your story in an inspiring and sometimes gently challenging way. Together you set meaningful goals and deadlines to help you shape and polish your book.
Natascha also runs picture book coaching courses designed to help you uncover the gems in your ‘bottom drawer’ ideas and take your craft to the next level. I can personally recommend her Cook Up a Picture Book course. The combination of structure, encouragement and expert feedback inspired me to create some child-centred picture books I’m truly proud of.
Now, over to Natascha, who shares more about her Cook Up a Picture Book course and her approach to helping creators thrive:
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In Natascha’s words:
I’m a writer, I get it – you show up and write your picture book and then try to navigate the publishing world only to find it’s utterly befuddling. What ARE those editors doing all day and why does it take soooo long for agents to respond? What does it mean when rejection emails say your work is ‘not quite right for our list’ or ‘too familiar’? How can you try to avoid getting rejected in the first place? And how do you know when your book is ready to submit and which of the many stories in your bottom drawer you should choose?!
Often being a creator is lonely, dispiriting work.
What if you could have an experienced editor on tap, in your corner, who could take your hand and help you to build a commercial body of work, navigate and understand the marketplace, and pitch your books so they really grab editors and agents?
When I started Blue Elephant Storyshaping, I wanted to spend my time doing what I love most – editing and empowering authors and illustrators (who want to write) to tell the stories they love. Every day I have so much fun doing just that – chatting about ‘what if’ story possibilities, choosing mentor texts to help people with their ‘a-ha!’ moments, and keeping them current with the fast-changing marketplace. Because I come from an editorial background and I have some distance from their work, I can often quickly see what is niggling.
Here are three biggest mistakes I see again and again that stop authors from selling their picture book:
Submitting too soon – often, authors are so excited when they’ve completed a draft, they want to send it out right away. But unfortunately, all too often, your book is OK, but not shiny – yet!
Not hooky enough – the best picture books are those you want to read again and again. Why? Because they speak to the reader, they have layers, they have something hooky to make them memorable and unique. An in-depth knowledge of the market and how children think is key to figuring out how to make your book stand out. But it’s often because your book isn’t yet solid that you can’t figure out how to fix it . . .
Characters and plots that have the reader (and agent!) muttering ‘so what?’ and grabbing a biscuit instead – a story must have characters and some kind of problem to keep readers turning the pages. This seems obvious, but it’s how you do it that makes it hooky enough (see above).
Because I know how tough it can be to navigate through the noise, to stop second-guessing yourself, and to be accountable.
Because I see how important it is to have solid craft skills and a hooky pitch that sells your work, I created a comprehensive signature Cook Up a Picture Book Course that will help you to:
find your voice
hone your craft
expertly pitch your books
It’s a deep dive based on my bespoke method honed over many years of storyshaping.
Imagine you have an editor on tap (yes with live, ask-me-anything Q & As) and someone cheering you on to show up and create your book in just six sessions – with all-important breaks to actually implement each tool and actually (no excuses!) write your book.
Through my 30+ years of coaching, mentoring and editing picture books, I have seen all the mistakes and I can help you to create that commercial picture book. So, if you want some help, we can do it together in just three steps:
1. Join the course and a supportive community (it’s fun, I promise!)
2. Ask ALL the questions
3. Write your book.
And dream BIG!
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If you’re ready to take your picture book ideas to the next level, I wholeheartedly recommend exploring Natascha’s Cook Up a Picture Book course. Her insight, encouragement and editorial expertise make the creative process both inspiring and rewarding.
Natascha Biebow, MBE, lots of ideas, many hats: mum, author (The Crayon Man:The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons), experienced picture book editor, founder of Blue Elephant Storyshaping, Editorial Director (Five Quills), creative writing tutor at Write for Kids, All Stories and Jericho Prize.
The latest Twinkl Originals middle grade (Key Stage 2) novel, Wildcat Summer, was published on 23rd September 2025.
Here, we catch up with the author, editors, illustrator and designer to find out more about the book and Twinkl’s publishing process.
Author – Victoria Williamson
The way Twinkl stories begin is with our Educational Content Lead – Pete Lambden – researching what topics and themes are being searched for by teachers and parents on the Twinkl website. He identified that ‘environmental issues’ was a popular choice, and he drew up a brief for the team to work on a book related to rewilding.
The writer starts with the brief and produces a range of different short synopses for the team to choose from. Once we’ve met to discuss our favourite ideas, the writing begins!
I really enjoyed working on this story – it has a Famous Five feel, much like the stories I enjoyed reading when I was in primary school. For this book, I got the opportunity to draw on my experience of teaching classes with additional support needs, as well as my own experiences of Scottish nature. We aim to create diverse books at Twinkl, and we included a main character with hearing loss in this story so that children using hearing aids could have a chance to see themselves represented in a team adventure. Having grown up in Scotland, I was very happy to have a chance to write a story set in Kingussie in the Highlands, featuring not just the spectacular scenery and the wildcat rewilding programme run by the Highland Wildlife Park, but also some Scottish Gaelic phrases!
Editors – Rachel Poole-Fenwick and Sally Baines
As editors, we have input into the story at every stage of its development. At the beginning, we meet with the writer and Educational Content Lead to look at possible story synopses and, once one has been chosen, a breakdown of how the chapters might progress. After the writer has written the first draft, we meet again to discuss the story – we focus on whether the story has a clear plot structure and help to refine the characters so they’re relatable and age-appropriate. We also make sure the language and tone match the intended age group.
Usually, the story goes through a couple more drafts and we give our feedback on these. Then, it comes to the editors for us to check the spelling, punctuation and grammar is in line with Twinkl’s style. We make sure any names, places and timelines are consistent throughout the story and check any factual information – in this case, the facts about the wildcats.
As editors, we’re really lucky to work on so many great stories – and this one was no exception! We loved following the journey that the main character goes on and the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish Highlands. We got to learn a lot about wildcats and rewilding initiatives too.
The editors also write and check all the additional teaching resources that are available alongside the story. For Wildcat Summer, we created a Scottish Mythical Creatures reading comprehension, some mindfulness colouring sheets featuring Scottish Gaelic greetings and a glossary containing key phrases linked to rewilding.
Illustrator – Alex
Illustrating books with Victoria is always a pleasure as our interests tend to cross over quite a lot. I am drawn to the fantastical and natural worlds as much as she is. The timing on this one worked out perfectly as I had just returned from a camping trip in the Highlands and felt inspired by the remarkable landscape.
Illustrating each book is often a similar process each time. I’ll read the text and after discussing illustration ideas with the team, I’ll present rough drawings to them. When approved, I’ll develop the rough into a more finished piece and then I’ll check with the team again before finalising the picture. It’s a many-step process with lots of checks and development along the way, making it much more collaborative than one might think, but it’s always a pleasure.
Designer – Tony Anderson
My role in designing the book is to bring everything together.
By the time I start, each book has already been in production for some time. The story has been written and edited, and the text is ready to place in the book. Work has already begun on concept illustration – often, rough and final illustrations have been started and can be slotted into the book.
My role in making the books is both technical and creative. There are lots of elements that go into a book: chapter starts, contents page, fonts and illustration placement. I also need to make sure that our books keep to the Twinkl brand ‘style’.
The cover is an aspect of the book we like to have ironed out early in the process – we might use the same cover fonts inside the book on things like chapter starts. A lot of team discussion goes into deciding on a final cover design.
I also design the resources that go with the books.
Educational Content Lead – Pete Lambden
At Twinkl Originals, while our commitment is always to create stories that are fun and exciting for our young readers, we also work to ensure that our books are based on educational and relatable topics that reflect the world children live in. My job is to guide the development of the book so that it has a place in the classroom as well as on children’s own bookshelves. I’m particularly proud of this book, as I think it provides lots of opportunities for discussion on how to be responsible stewards of the environment, and how children can take a positive, active role in their local areas of nature. We would love to hear how children and educators have used the book, so please do leave a review on our site if you’ve enjoyed reading it!
Together, the KS2 Originals team combine their unique talents and backgrounds to produce captivating and educational books that resonate with children, parents and educators alike. Their commitment to quality, diversity and curriculum alignment ensures that each story not only entertains but also enriches the learning experience for young readers. Find out more about the Originals books here: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/twinkl-originals
The Twinkl Originals books can be downloaded by signing up to an account, which gives access to the library of 100+ eBooks plus nearly 1 million Twinkl resources: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/premium/choose
Much To Do About Writing 