When life gives you unfun medical procedures and rejections … give yourself a beautiful new writing notepad. And a pat on the head.

Last summer my YA story Mal got shortlisted in the I Am Writing SCI-FI / FANTASY competition! (Which I should have posted earlier 😅) There were a lot of entries so it was a really nice surprise to see my book’s name on there! @iaminprint.bsky.social @losbennett.bsky.social

I’m all hyped up to see the Mandalorian and Grogu film so I doodled Grogu with Blue Stuff. Second time using #arrtx acrylic markers. #arrtxmarkers #grogu #themandalorianandgrogu #themandalorianfanart

Not long to go until Book 8 of Christie and Agatha’s adventures - A Curious Catastrophe - is out on 14th May! Support your local bookshops by ordering a copy from them! And support your local cats with lots of strokes and chin tickles. #kidlituk #christieandagatha #charliechaplin

For small-time authors, finding your book in a bookshop is a bit of a miracle - doubly so in another language! So I was over the moon to find Christie & Agatha’s first adventure in Hugendubel! Vielen dank an dtv, Karolin Viseneber & Hugendubel! And remember, German kids are always Kinder.

Belated birthday drawing for my wonderful friend Gabi. 😁 Based on selfie from a trip to see her in Stockholm years ago! ❄️ I don’t think I used coloured pencils since school! 🤣 #stockholm #stockholm_art #happybirthday #prismacolors #winterdrawing

Got myself a kitty ghost writer. Let’s see how it goes! #writercommunity #writerhumor #kidlit #CatHumor #catlovers

Happy publication day for the Polish edition of Book 6 of Christie and Agatha’s Detective Agency: To Halt a Heist! Or in Polish: Agencja detektywistyczna Christie i Agaty. Tom 6. Jak powstrzymać wielki skok? #wydawnictwotandem #ChristieandAgatha #PipMurphy

幸手市 (Satte city) in Saitama prefecture is a great place to see sakura / cherry blossoms because they grow next to the nanohana, and who doesn’t love that vivid yellow mixed with the delicate pinky white? Also, Satte can be read as happy/lucky hand, which is just fun.

Happy Easter! I hope you’re all able to have a nice break. Are you up to anything fun? Me? Just off to do a little research… #drwho #drwhofandom #doctorwho

When your word count is more ominous than your actual project. 😜 #startingnewbook

Don’t you just hate it when your favourite glasses shrink in the wash?

Going through security, my backpack was flagged for extra checks. Staff: Could you please open the main section? Me: Sure. (Thinking: it’s probably my doll that looks sus.) Staff: No, wait, actually not this section. The back one. Me: Oh, okay. Staff: …Notepads. Are these ALL notepads? Me: Er, yes.🫣

Last few days! I’m supporting #ReadItForward! Buy my book, The Night I Borrowed Time, during February and @bookshop.org will donate 10% to @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social Buy here: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

Another reference sheet for my comedy comic, Assassins Want to Learn English, Too! / 暗殺者も英語を習いたい: Fiction. #awtlet #フィクション #referencesheet #charactersheet #characterdesign

Urban sketching in Port Sunlight. It was a warm day for February and I enjoyed standing next to the balcony, warming the back of my legs in the sunshine. Just went straight into laying down Posca colour without any pencil or fineliner sketching first but had fun with it.

I went to an urban sketching meeting for the first time last month! Still solo drawing but everyone got together again at the end (see last pic) to look at each other’s sketches, which was fun. 😊 Location: Hoylake, Wirral Media: Platinum 3776 pen, (later) Van Gogh watercolours

Until 20th February, you can preorder Christie and Agatha’s next adventure, A Curious Catastrophe, at @waterstones.bsky.social with 25% off using the code FEB26. 😻 It will be released 14th May-not too long to wait to read about the twins and Auguste’s latest escapade on Charlie Chaplin’s film set!

A6 bedtime doodle, dreaming of my current book. I didn’t actually think the white pencil had come out at all until I saw it in daylight. 😅 Do any other authors fantasise about book covers?? #amwri̇ti̇ng #kidlit #kidlitart #orkney #puffin

#ReadItForward This February, if you order children’s books through @bookshop.org, 10% of every sale will go to @booktrust.org.uk & @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social, helping to fund early years reading support for disadvantaged & vulnerable families across the UK.

I made some new reference sheets for my comedy comic, Assassins Want to Learn English, Too! / 暗殺者も英語を習いたい. So first up, here’s our shy, klutzy assassin protagonist, Chinatsu Mori. She’s generally top-notch at her job, but because English is tough, she’s been having some trouble at work recently.

Little watercolour I did last year, based on a photo I took of a boat in Hoylake, Wirral. Pigma Micron fineliners, Van Gogh watercolours and white Posca pen. #hoylake #urbansketcherswirral

The fifth Christie and Agatha book is released in Polish today by @wydawnictwo.tandem : Agencja detektywistyczna Christie i Agaty. Geniusz w Zielonym Ekspresie #wydawnictwotandem #ChristieandAgatha #PipMurphy

Nostalgia/reminiscing ahoy! (Spoiler: lots of Paranormasight event photos!) I was bouncing around today after seeing the Nintendo Direct trailer for the new Paranormasight game that’s coming out in a few weeks. The original is one of my favourite games of all time. #パラノマサイト #paranormasight

Is that the face of someone who just finished the first draft of their new MG novel involving Orcadian myths, Fin Folk, sus not-puffins and a lot of tablet? I think it is!

The 8th Annual Reflecting Realities Report is out now, showing progress in ethnic representation in children’s books and urging publishers to keep inclusion as a standard practice. https://clpe.org.uk/research/clpe-reflecting-realities-survey-ethnic-representation-within-uk-childrens-literature-3

CREATIVES! A gang of us are organising an auction raising funds for mutual aid groups in Sudan, amid the war on civilians. Can YOU contribute to the auction? Perhaps a piece of art or music? Signed books? Embroidery? Half an hour of creative mentoring? Sign up here! www.sudancoup.com/auction

Creatives4Sudan Fundraising Auction — Keep Eyes On Sudan

Creatives coming together to raise life-saving funds for the people escaping genocide in El-Fasher, Sudan

sudancoup.com

Assassins Want to Learn English, Too / 暗殺者も英語を習いたい LESSON 1: Noodle harassment / ヌーハラ #awtlet #暗殺者も英語を習いたい #森血夏 #chinatsumori

Just finished writing chapter 18…and chapter 21. 👀 Chapters 19 and 20 are sitting there looking at me and wondering what happened to the rest of their words… Does anyone else do this??

Here’s a (free!) spooky short story I wrote, if anyone’s feeling like a period chill this evening… pipmurphy.com/thedoppelgan...