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Author of Chinglish

The Blossom Awards

I'm an EmpathyLab trained author!

Hello

I'm Sue Pickford Cheung, a multi-award winning author and illustrator of books for young people of all ages

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Last batch of talks done for now. If you’ve ev

Last batch of talks done for now.

If you’ve ever wondered how an author makes money, doing talks is a good side earner. I appreciate it’s not for everyone - I know authors who would rather stab themselves in the eye with a leaky ballpoint than get in front of an unpredictable and let’s face it, we’re talking about schools here, sometimes unforgiving crowd - online as well as in-person.

But they’re missing out. Not just on extra income, but the chance to add some spark to a kid’s education, and the rewards when they tell you afterwards how much they totally get what you’re saying, with a massive smile on their face.

A real bonus for me is getting out and about (all hotel and travel expenses are paid for). I don’t think there’s any better way to create stories without putting myself out there, chatting and actually living life, so I can sponge up conversations and experiences for later. I find a lot of people are losing a kind of resilience from interacting less with each other IRL these days.

As you can see, there’s all sorts of combos these events can take, so if you’re interested, get in touch. Visits are on hold at the mo while I finish my new novel, but I’ll be happy to add you to my 2027 list👍

@andersenpress @authorsabroad @empathylabuk #authorlife #authorvisit #school #library #festival

Happy 20th wedding anniversary to my best mate and

Happy 20th wedding anniversary to my best mate and best human ❤️

What’s the story? One day just before the millennium, a dishy bloke walked into the London ad agency where I worked. He was ‘Dave the Rave’, my copywriter’s flatmate. He asked me out and soon we were out partying, holidaying and scuba-diving all over t’world. But never in a million years would you have put us together. We were like chalk and cheese.

However, his passion for spreadsheets didn’t put me off because he drove a pink convertible and he liked cats. ‘Mustn’t let this one get away’, I thought. ‘I must somehow trap him’.

So one leap year, I proposed to him via a classified ad in the free newspaper. His response was, “Make me a cuppa and I’ll think about it.” It was ever so romantic.

These days we’re still out dancing, although our knees decide when it’s time to go home now. We’re low on maintenance and high on laughs and that I think, is the magic to our marriage.

#20years #weddinganniversary #betweenthespreadsheets #catparents #foreverravers

Thanks to British Library funding, I had a whizz a

Thanks to British Library funding, I had a whizz around Leeds schools and libraries. The architecture is stunning in Leeds - I never knew.

Then met my mate in Manchester who used to babysit my son - he’s 35 now (she’s gonna kill me for giving her age away). Check her out @lostplots - Lisa’s won awards for her vintage illustration style.

As always the people were sound, a nice end to my events this month. Now back to the solitude of art.

#authorevents #childrensbook #readingforpleasure #leeds #manchester

Oh my god. I’m a husk. Just need a minute now to

Oh my god. I’m a husk. Just need a minute now to step back and wonder how the hell I did it? (Not without my agent and editors put it that way).

This sequel to ‘Chinglish’ has taken over 3 years and 64,202 words, the most raw and honest I could find. There’s also just as much pain and laughter that will bring on tears in equal amounts. Yeah. I’m proud of it.

All my books are illustrated, even this one for older Young Adults, so I’m buzzing to make a start on drawing. There’s going to be a cool 80s art school vibe about it.

Publish date is Spring 2027. More to come.

@andersenpress @thecatchpoles #chinglishbook #sequel #editsin #authorlife #nextstep

My week in China 🇨🇳 2 cities 4 schools 22

My week in China 🇨🇳

2 cities
4 schools
22 sessions
1500+ students (1 wildly off-topic question about ghosts - I saw 2 as a kid!)
lost count of books signed
2 books gifted to me by the students who wrote them 💝
1 student who saw me talk in Bristol!
1 powerbank confiscated at Shanghai airport due to incorrect wattage or something
1 best kitsch ever gashapon machine in hotel foyer
5 nights yoga in hotel room 💪
5 bao breakfasts (pinnacle of success)
Gazillion helps from Google translate
95% 🥳
5% 🤔
0 decent nights’ kip

Worth it though, because I got to do my empathy ambassador thing, plus ALWAYS quality story fodder to be had from riffing with people IRL. So thanks for all the invites lovely people! And now I must sleep…

#worldbookweek #chinaschools #authorlife #readingforempathy @empathylabuk @andersenpress @authorsabroad

The last show of the tour and the mother of all sc

The last show of the tour and the mother of all screens! Add a mike in my hand and suddenly I think I’m Ali Wong or summat (kid friendly obvs) 😂 Anyway, it’s a formula that works, the kids love it, and most importantly they’re taking it all in.

Thank you Dulwich School, Beijing, you were phenomenal🙌 especially reception year, which I don’t often have - they were a joy to perform to cos for me, it was like being a little kid myself again.

@empathylabuk #worldbookday #china #schooltour #smashedit

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