Our First Birthday

It was our first birthday a couple of weeks ago, a fabulous excuse for chocolate cake and a little celebration! I started And So We Begin last year as a home for my writing projects and as a launch pad for my first children's story and so much has happened in just twelve months.

Angel has been downloaded in 40 different countries, from Turkey to Taiwan, Mexico to Moldova! How wonderful to think of Alan Titchmarsh's dulcet tones and Ginny Walker's lovely lullaby captivating children all around the globe. Not to mention Kristyna Litten's sweet illustrations bringing the whole story to life. All because a strong-minded little Angel character came to me about ten years ago and demanded to be seen.

I've teamed up with the same developer who worked his magic last year, Stefan Nowak, to create a new app for this festive season and I'm very excited to say that Snow Globe: A Christmas Treat will be released in exactly one week's time. The Snow Globe allows you to play with Angel and her friends, to create endless scenes and to see the snow fall all around them. Lots of Christmassy fun for all ages.

Meanwhile, we are already starting to make preparations for Christmas 2014! We've started work on the book version of Angel's Great Escape and layouts are currently in progress, as you can see from the little sneak peek below.

We're very excited that the story will be released in a traditional format and hope that it will bring it to an even wider audience in the future.

So, let our second year begin! We're looking forward to sharing lots more ideas with you and as always, would love to hear your comments on our 'stories so far'.

Children's Book Week

Children's Book Week inspired me to dust off a couple of old boxes and spend some time leafing through some of the books that I loved when I was little. As I sat on my lounge floor eating chocolate biscuits and smiling at the stories I felt like I was seven again, utterly lost in their pages.

I set out to write a blog about my five favourites but there are just TOO many to choose from! So here is a selection of battered, dog-eared and well-loved books that have been with me since childhood and will stay with me well into my twilight years.

Do you remember any of these? What were your favourites?

1. Fish, mice and rabbits

This selection from my younger years are so battered and bruised there is no doubt that they were read a thousand times. There are bits of tape on every one and pages fell out as I flicked through. The Armada Book of Young Verse hooked me with such treats as the following from Spike Milligan.

Down the stream the swans all glide;
It's quite the cheapest way to ride.
Their legs get wet,
Their tummies wetter:
It think after all the bus is better

2. A man in a string vest

I had completely forgotten about this book and television show from the same team who brought us Cockleshell Bay. Looking through made me remember how cosy this book made me feel. Why Harry was in a string vest I have no idea.

3. Something a little bit Scarry

With the recent return of Lowly Worm, Richard Scarry has been in the news lately. I spent hours one afternoon spotting Lowly on each page of a big book with the little ones and it reminded me of this little pink book that is falling apart at the seams with love. It's 'littleness' was my favourite thing. It seemed to be ME sized and the details captivated me for hours.

4. A THREE DIMENSIONAL cottage!

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book by John S Goodall. So many minute details to explore and did I mention the three dimensional cottage? You could even look in through the windows to see inside. There are no words in this book, just wonderful pictures so I would make the story up myself and imagine myself in the cottage.

Pop up books are brilliant. How do the designers plan such a thing? How do all the moving parts get put together? How does it WORK?

This book occupied me for ages, I'll have to see if it does the same for the little ones.

5. Magical worlds

I can't seem to find my copy of the The Enchanted Wood but that was the book that I remember as a turning point in my reading. It completely transported me to another world, a world I was sure existed with Silky, Saucepan Man and Moonface. I longed to climb the Faraway Tree to meet them. This led on to other Blyton books and then Roald Dahl. I remember being absolutely convinced that I would find a golden ticket in the Club bar in my packed lunch.

Another treat was Helen Clare's 'Five Dolls in a House' in which Elizabeth, the owner of the doll's house, was able to become small enough to go inside and meet the dolls. For some reason one my over-riding memories is of one of the dolls getting measles and being allowed to eat jelly. I remember wishing I had measles so I could have jelly too.

6. A girl called Anne and a boy called Gilbert

I was a bookish girl, the boys called me square, I was teased for being studious. I needed a heroine. Enter Anne of Green Gables. She chatted endlessly, was mischievous and got herself into fixes. She got her best friend drunk, floated down the river as the Lady of Shalott, stood up to Gilbert Blythe when he called her carrots. She was dramatic, clumsy and creative and I really wanted to be her. I LOVED this series and I loved the television show too.

7. What does Father Christmas do for the rest of the year?

It's a good question! This book gave me the answer and I read it endlessly all year round just checking to see what he might be doing in the Spring, Summer and Autumn. I have such an attachment to this book that it sits on my main bookshelf all year round so I can still read it through the year now. It's so beautifully drawn and has so much warmth. Maybe it's the reason that Angel's Great Escape came to me. Christmas is such a magical time and this book made it even more so. Just wonderful.

The New App Store Kids Category

I've been watching the exciting changes to the App Store over the last couple of days with interest. For those who haven't seen yet, Apple have added a new category for Kids. This is really good news. To me, Angel's Great Escape sits much more naturally in this category. There's also a lovely header for interactive kids stories, which is exactly what Angel's Great Escape is. It's a subtle difference in the world of apps but it somehow seems to make sense to refer to storybook apps as this rather than 'books'.

We're working on some small updates to the app for this Christmas season and we're looking forward to re-categorising the app and seeing how this affects visibility.

My only dilemma is going to be which age group to submit the app under as there doesn't seem to be an option yet for 'kids from 2 - 102'.

Books Are My Bag

I first saw the flash of orange of the Books Are My Bag campaign at the London Book Fair earlier this year so was a bit giddy with excitement to see all the coverage of today's Big Bookshop Party. The #booksaremybag and #BAMB hashtags were soon trending on Twitter this morning. I spent a happy hour with my poached eggs on toast reading through all the posts and looking at all the smiley photos of book lovers with their new purchases.

I always love a leisurely browse around a bookshop but all the online chatter made me even more excited than usual to get down to my local store. Alas, no tote bags were left but I did bag a fab bookmark and gathered an armful of books to add to my shelves.

I made a beeline for Maggie O'Farrell's Instructions For A Heatwave, a novel I have been meaning to buy for a while. I have all of her books and have read most of them at least twice. She is an exceptional storyteller, one who I recommend to everyone I know. Then there was Joanne Harris' latest, Peaches For Monsieur Le Curé. I can't wait to catch up with Vianne and her girls and to see which magical place the story will take her to next.

As always, I was drawn to the children's book section next. It's good to see what's currently on the shelves as I work quietly at my various projects. What is popular? What catches my eye? What are the children looking for as they browse the shelves? Where will my books sit on the shelves?

I picked up a book I've been excited to read, Shifty McGifty & Slippery Sam by Tracey Corderoy & Steven Lenton. I've seen a lot about this book on Twitter and it totally lives up to expectations. Brilliant rhymes and charming pictures. I absolutely love it and know the little ones will too.

Next was a book I had planned to track down by a new Twitter friend, Wendy Meddour. Wendy Quill Is A Crocodile's Bottom looks so much fun it was a must-buy. I'm so utterly impressed that the illustrations are by Wendy's 11 year old daughter. What a brilliantly inspirational back-story for the littlies, who will be the lucky recipient of this book (once I've had a cheeky read first!)

Finally another Nosy Crow book, Meet The Grunts by Philip Ardagh which looks like the perfect afternoon's entertainment for a certain little boy I know. I read the first few pages as I stood in the shop and was tempted to take a seat by the tropical fish tank and carry on reading!

A successful trip all round and confirmation that books are indeed my bag!

Changing Seasons

It’s been over a year since we started work on our first little app and my, how the year has flown. While And So We Begin is getting up and running, I live a secret double life as a freelance event manager and this year has taken me to the wonders of Jaipur and the super-cool city of Berlin, leaving little time for creative pursuits (apart from taking photographs!)

In the brief moments of calm, I have squirreled away like a woodland creature in the night and several app and book ideas are slowly emerging as scribbled words, pencil sketches and cost projection spreadsheets.

And so I find myself here as the season’s change, starting to think about the lead up to Christmas and how Angel’s Great Escape: A Christmas Story will find it’s place in the crowded Christmas market of 2013.

On that note, I am very pleased to announce that we will be releasing a FREE app to support our little angel. Myself, Stefan and Kristyna are busy working to get the new app released next month so more news will follow very soon.

A little clue to get you thinking: it’s ‘snow’ joke.

The Press Awaits!

Today has been a busy day for the Angel's Great Escape creative team! Kristyna braved the rain and headed to Hull to be interviewed about all things illustration by Peter Levy on BBC Radio Humberside.

Meanwhile, I was interviewed by the lovely Porte Magazine this morning about the creative process behind our first app. Talking about how we got to where we are made me realise what a journey it has been and how all the pieces of the jigsaw have fallen into place. The very talented June Cadogan took some photographs to accompany the article. After hiding behind a screen for so long it felt very odd to be in front of the lens!

Unmissable Christmas Apps

We had a lovely surprise this morning when Net Mums let us know that Angel's Great Escape: A Christmas Story has made it into their list of Unmissable Christmas Websites & Apps. They gave us a lovely write up!

"An enchanting interactive Christmas story, narrated by Alan Titchmarsh. This one has beautiful illustrations and a charming story that really builds up the magic and excitement as we near Christmas day. You can read it yourself or listen to the narration and tap, flick and swipe the screen to make the drawings come to life - for example to flick snowballs, help Father Christmas decorate the tree and put the presents underneath it. It's just lovely."

Click here to see the full list!

Playing In The Apps Playground

It's been quite a journey releasing a book app into the wild and waiting to see how my little Christmas story will be received, so I'm really delighted that Angel's Great Escape: A Christmas Story has been getting some lovely reviews on iTunes.

I am also very thankful to Stuart Dredge, who reviews apps for the Guardian newspaper and writes app blogs, Apps Playground and The Appside. Stuart has single handedly promoted our storybook app to be in the same league as some of my childhood favourites - Miffy, Winnie the Pooh, Tom and Jerry, Dr Seuss and My Little Pony no less! - by including it in his list of the 30 Best iPhone and iPad Apps for Kids for November 2012.

We are also alongside one of my own personal favourites, Little Fox Music Box which is a big hit with everyone in my family. They've just released a free version which everyone should download!

Sitting Pretty

What a week it's been! Angel's Great Escape: A Christmas Story went live on iTunes and we soon found ourselves in the company of some greats in the top 15 on the UK book chart. Peter Pan has always been a firm favourite in our family so being on the same screen as him was a huge thrill!

A few days later, our chief developer, Stefan, sent me an email to let me know that he had just spotted Angel fluttering around on the 'Featured' page of the UK App Store in the books category. I had a look and there she was smiling at us all from the top of the tree. After all the hard work and energy that our little team have put into the app it's wonderful seeing it out there for all to see!

Read It Daddy!

This week we were really excited to be reviewed by one of the Top 100 Tots Top Daddy Bloggers, Read It Daddy! Read It Daddy and his 4 1/2 year old daughter "wade through piles of books, e-books and apps each week, searching out treasures in the delightful whimsical world provided by the best children's authors and illustrators on the planet." We particularly loved the fact that Charlotte identified so much with Angel, telling her Dad, "She's me!"

Read It Daddy stated, "We thought it was a marvellous little tale with great artwork and high production values. It looks like 'And So We Begin' are app developers to watch closely if their debut is any indication of the quality to expect from them in future." Thank you!

Click here to read the full review.

Hanging Out With Mick & Keith

Goodness! Who could have guessed that Angel would find herself in the company of the Rolling Stones? We're absolutely delighted to have a mention in Stuart Dredge's 'best apps of the week' round up!

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas

We're very excited to announce that Angel's Great Escape: A Christmas Story launched on iTunes today so you can now enjoy the app on your very own iPhone or iPad! Click here to start feeling Christmassy!

We have also started chatting about our launch on Twitter and would like to thank @ReadItDaddy for this rather lovely blog post.

As Cosy As A Christmas Jumper

While we are busy uploading, submitting and waiting for approval of our first app, I am busying myself by starting to plan my Christmas viewing 'must-haves'. I would really love <em>Angel's Great Escape: A Christmas Story</em> to become as familiar as my favourite Christmas movies, as cosy as a Christmas jumper. What are your favourites?

Elf
“SAAAANTA!!”

A Charlie Brown Christmas
“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!”

Robbie The Reindeer
“Do children sing a song about me? No!”

The Snowman
All together now… “We’re walking in the aaaaaair…”

A Muppet Christmas Carol
“Heatwave! This is my island in the sun!”

Flying Solo

As we are on the brink of submitting Angel’s Great Escape: A Christmas Story for approval across the globe, I wanted to write my first blog post to say hello! I am Kirstie Rowson, founder of And So We Begin and writer of this little tale, which has been so beautifully brought to life by my wonderful collaborators. I wrote the story at a time when I didn’t even know apps existed, before I had ventured into the world of the iPhone and before I knew how possible self-publishing could be. The story went through several incarnations and several rejections and then last year the plan to make it into an app slowly formed in my mind.

I work as an event manager by day on large TV shows and corporate extravaganzas, juggling clients’ desires and suppliers’ practicalities and my friends will tell you I have the tenacity of a Jack Russell. These skills combined have come in very handy with creating my first app! So here are my top five ‘must-haves’ for independent app making.

1. Collaboration
At various stages on this journey I have tried to:
* Narrate – my brother-in-law christened me Bernadette Cribbins but I sounded more like Marge Simpson. Thank goodness for Alan Titchmarsh. I am beyond delighted that he agreed to narrate my little story.
* Illustrate – whether I used pencils, pens or Paper my drawings were terrible and Angel looked more like a clothes-peg doll in a doily. Thank goodness for Kristyna Litten whose drawings are beyond what I imagined.
* Code – I decided I would try to code the app myself… Luckily I came to my senses and when I found Decoded, instead of asking them to teach me how to code, I asked them to recommend a tech whizz. Thank goodness for Jonny at J & J and Stefan at SN2apps, their skills are beyond my comprehension!
* Write a soundtrack - well, ok, truth be told, I didn't even try with this one! Luckily I have a wonderfully talented sister, Ginny Walker, who composed an absolutely perfect melody for the story and her equally wonderfully talented friend, Lisa Faye, played the piano for us… Thank goodness indeed.

In summary, for me collaboration is everything.

2. Social Media
Twitter and Facebook, a mind-boggling world of information and amusement. By meeting fellow app developers and creatives, albeit virtually, I have learnt so much, not least how friendly this little community is. Not to mention, both sites were a brilliant distraction when I was meant to be testing the app for the one hundredth time.

3. Trusting Your Instincts
Being independent is fabulous in many ways, I am the client, the project manager, the book designer, the marketing manager and the market all rolled into one, so I have to trust my instincts and hope they are right! Scary stuff.

4. Learning
I have realised that the app world is taking shape, no one knows everything and everyone is feeling their way to a certain extent so there are few concrete rights and wrongs. I am very much learning as I go along and when things haven’t gone to plan, I’ve figured it’s for a reason.

5. Tenacity
It all comes back to being a Jack Russell. I originally wrote Angel’s Great Escape more than five years ago. It was an animation script, then a tale told in prose, then finally the rhyme fell into my head and onto paper as I sat in a café in the sunshine one summer. I started plotting out the app almost a year ago. But picture by picture, word by word, line of code by line of code it took shape. And after all the set-backs and hurdles (more about those in a future blog!) I am so incredibly pleased with the result.

I really hope that you and your little ones will like it too!