Hi folks Thanks to all of you that have submitted your drawings and sketches for The Great Eggscape. We need more so please keep them coming. It must be a good idea since none other than JK Rowling (a slightly more famous Edinburgh based author) is doing something similar to support mental health. For those that have sent in illustrations for W&M, you might want to try your hand at her latest adventure, The Ickabog, too. In our story the egg puns keep coming, now that Dave has recovered from his egg induced anaphylaxis, he and his sidekick Brian are back at the farm to interview more potential suspects. But just as they seem to be getting to the knub.....disaster strikes!   Chapter 5 – A series of eggs-traordinary events   Brian arrived at CSA HQ, bright eyed and bushy tailed, at about 8 AM. Dave had been up for a while having walked about town trying to figure out how Frank Fox had managed to come by the eggs without anyone seeing or hearing anything. And why would he just w

This week we are getting to the half way stage in our story. We would love you to submit more of your pictures to bring the words to life. Talking of pictures we have been drawn to the brilliant Grayson's Art Club on Channel 4. Armed with only 3 felt tips and a sheet of A4, I had a go at the 'View from my window' challenge. Surprisingly I wasn't picked! Woolfe and McClaw deserve to be represented by some of the considerable drawing talent that is out there. Take my latest effort. This is Bobby Bacon -looks more like he's wearing a onesie! So please, please keep your drawings coming in, and give Woolfe and McClaw the illustrations they deserve. Now, where were we? Last time Agents Dave Woolfe and Brian McClaw were invest-eggating the egg robbery at Foghorn Farm. They had interviewed the chickens, the sheep, the Bacons as well as Pumpkin and Kye Stables and found not so much as a dicky bird. In Chapter 4, Dave and Brian begin to piece together what few clues they have

Last time Woolfe and McClaw began their investigation and spoke to the many chickens on Foghorn Farm. Not many pictures last week, so I resorted to giving it a go myself. Thanks to Sadie (9) for her digital picture of Henrietta Hensworth. Please keep them coming everyone. In my last post, I floated the idea of Woolfe and McClaw being more than just a little bit of fun, and to see if we could do some real good.  After some searching and following up on some recommendations we've decided we would like to support the good work of Place2be .  Place2be provides support in schools to children who are struggling with their mental health, whether through the pressures of playground politics or stresses at home.  They enable children to use creative outlets and we thought that the aims and methods of Place2be.  To coincide with #mentalhealthawarenessweek next week they are encouraging us all to get involved with their #sparkasmile campaign . Woolfe and McClaw are going to get involved..

Youngest Child's and my shortish story Woolfe and McClaw- The Great Eggscape is gaining some interest and some lovely illustrations from readers. While we have great fun thinking up the adventures and hope that one day we will see it adorning bookshelves, we want this to be a space where stories can make a difference. Because, for me, creating Woolfe and McClaw did amazing things for my wellbeing and really did make a difference. This week's Sunday Story is a follow up to the recent 2.6 charity event where people did sporty and not so sporty things to raise money for good causes. Our not so sporty thing was to bake gingerbread and write poetry for a charity close to our heart, Dad's Rock. Dad's Rock is an Edinburgh based charity supporting young people (and their parents) with a range of activities. You can find more about them here .  Our 2.6 poem is at the end of this blog - I hope you like it! We know that people still want to help others in their communities,

Earlier this week, Woolfe and McClaw hit the street. Your feedback has been amazing - thank you so much. Even more amazing has been your fantastic drawings. On this blog we've picked the amazing and very different images submitted by Rachel (8) and Imogen (13).  We love the very cool trainers that Rachel has given Brian and we have no idea how Imogen made her very creative digital images -I am very jealous of her technical ability!  What do you think Woolfe and McClaw look like?  Having been called in to investigate the egg robbery at Foghorn Farm, our intrepid duo begin to speak to potential witnesses to this dastardly crime. In Chapter 2 we meet the Hensworths, a rooster called Sebatian and several chickens..... We would love to see your pics as the story unfolds - whether its our star detectives or some of the new characters . As before you can send them to woolfeandmcclaw@outlook.com or to @killick_alex on twitter. #woolfeandmcclaw #storiesmatter #writeforgood Chapter 2 – Poa

Right, let's get cracking. Some of you may have noticed our domain name is Woolfe and McClaw. Long story short, youngest child and I invented Woolfe and McClaw, the eponymous crimefighting duo whose first adventure we unveil in a short story called The Great Eggscape. It is a pun filled adventure in which Dave Woolfe, a veteran Alsatian detective and his new apprentice, Brian McClaw, a ginger Tomcat are brought in to solve an eggsplosively charged egg robbery. The Great Eggscape has 8 Chapters and we are going to release a chapter a week (unless you pay the ransom to stop crimes against literature). We have an idea what Dave and Brian might look like but we would really love bored or budding illustrators to come up with possible drawings for the characters and the story as they develop and the story unfolds. Post your drawings in the comments on this blog or email them to WoolfeandMcClaw@outlook.com We can't promise you Grayson Perry Art Club fame......yet. We will, of cours

I have decided that now would be a good time to start a blog. Actually, I decided that a while ago would be a good time but kept getting stuck. Don’t get me wrong, I have contributed to blogs now and again, and some people have been very kind with their feedback, but I have never been organised enough to get a domain name with relevant bloggage and establish something worthwhile. So today I am taking the plunge. Diving in. Taking off the armbands and seeing whether I can swim. Waving not drowning, hopefully. As I’ve explained in my first post, the youngest child [i] has decided that as I have now retired from the hustle and bustle of the world of work that I should knuckle down as an author. Not just any author but an awesome one. As you will discover this is an aspiration rather than a statement of fact!  However, I hope with your help, your feedback on our stories, your suggestions for future ones as well as your contributions (ideas and illustrations) that together w

Hi, I’m Alex.    Just over a year ago I was hospitalised with sepsis.  It knocked me for six and forced me to rethink my life priorities. My recuperation gave me a new perspective and a realisation that I had been given the gift of time. You can read my fuller reflections here: https://epichr.co.uk/2019/12/09/adventblogs-its-time/ . When I emerged from hospital I was dealing with a complete change in outlook (no more high powered job for me) so my youngest child* decided that I should become an awesome author, and we set about writing a book.   I have to say that the process of collaborating with youngest child gave me so much joy, as well really aiding my rehabilitation, and boosting my mental health. 'Stories matter' is a way for me to share the stories we create together and at the same time to try to do a bit of good for others. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and excited to see where this journey takes us. *  Creative differences and GDPR