From Teacher who Loved Writing to Author who Loves Storytelling
Born in the seaside town of Southport on the North West Coast of England, I spent 11 years living and teaching in London before settling in Liverpool in 2011. Following an 18 year career in the profession, I waved goodbye to the chalk face but still wanted to be involved in promoting reading for pleasure, books and the joy of words to children. My storytelling business Little Lamb Tales was born and the rest is history.
With my mascots Lamby and Flossie, I tell stories at Primary schools, community events, festivals and libraries. Passionate about children having access to literature whether spoken, read or written, I work with pupils in Nursery to Year 6. Sometimes I take my beautiful van Buttercup with me too. She's a vintage VW camper van and she loves travelling to schools and festivals during the summer months. She even appears in her very own book.
As for my work as an author, I was encouraged to think about publishing my work by former colleagues and some of the children who attended my storytelling events. When I won a writing competition, I made a promise to one of the judges that I would work towards becoming a published author. In 2015, 'The Dragon of Allerton Oak' which is set in Calderstones Park in Liverpool was launched. Since then, I've published many more books. Some solo projects, some collaborations and some for specific events. You can have a browse in the shop. The members of Little Lamb Tales (Team Lamby) have provided the inspiration for seven of these books and there are definitely more to come.
I love being able to combine my love of books and stories with visits to schools. It's so important for children to see that authors are just normal people and that being an author, illustrator or editor is something they could aspire to. Reading and writing allow us to use our imaginations, travel anywhere and experience adventures from the safety of the pages. Most importantly, I want to encourage as many children as possible to read and write for pleasure.
Although writing for children will always be my first love, I have branched out into writing for the adult market with a collection of short stories called A Slice of Lennon and a full length novel called Kintsugi. These books allowed me to stretch my writing in new directions. My novel Kintsugi is a double award winner taking the Write Blend Award for Best Adult Fiction in 2023 and first prize in The Book Dragon Literary Award Adult Fiction category in 2024.
So what do I get up to when I'm not writing? I love walking, camping in Buttercup, reading, music, going to gigs and the beach. I'm also rather partial to chocolate, gin and my favourite animals are elephants but don't tell Lamby!
"Jude created this workshop especially for our topic. It was wonderful for someone with specialist skills to come in. An excellent EYFS practitioner." Reception Teacher Hatfield Heath Primary.
