The Blackhope Enigma Competition Ends Soon!

Only five more days to enter!

How would you like to win a visit from me to your school, library or reading group? That’s the prize lovely Templar Publishing are offering on The Blackhope Enigma website. And you’ll also get other goodies like signed copies as well as other fiction published by Templar.

You’ll need to go here to enter, answer the art history question and make sure you do so by September 1!

The Blackhope Enigma Book Launch

Debut book, debut book launch!

Photo by J Jamieson

Photo by J Jamieson

While we were celebrating the book, we also celebrated the virtual launch of The Blackhope Enigma website. Not only is it a handsome looking thing, but it has cool features on it, like downloadable wallpaper, a bookmark and some book plates that I drew, and which can only be found on the site. I also contributed an audio clip, produced by Cheer Productions, and a video clip made by Oak’s Bark, with the additional assistance of Pablo the sound man. Thanks to all those gentlemen, as well as Lighthouse Photographics, who took my publicity photo!

Last but not least, you can register to win a visit from me to your school (or your child’s school). So please do check it out!

I would like to thank everyone who came to the launch, especially those who traveled from far afield. They all made it a wonderful success and reminded me what great friends and colleagues I have. And I can’t thank Templar Publishing enough for all their support and hard work in bringing my book to the world!

What’s The Blackhope Enigma About?

A fine question indeed.

The Blackhope Enigma is a historical fantasy-mystery-adventure and it’s suitable for readers age nine and above. Read more about it on the Templar website, including an excerpt.

I just did a guest blog for the Scottish Book Trust about my path to becoming an author, and you can read that here.

I am really delighted that The Blackhope Enigma has been chosen as their July Book of the Month!

Tomorrow is Publication Day! The next couple of days will be busy, busy, but I shall be back with updates and photos forthwith.

More from Independent Booksellers Week 2010

In which The Blackhope Enigma appears at Atkinson-Pryce Books.

Armed with the book, postcards and laptop containing a riveting (I hope) presentation about labyrinths, Renaissance paintings, Venetian galleys and early maps, I had a fine old time introducing the children to some of the story’s background and inspirations. We even did some drawing together (mermaids, monsters and mice) while lying on the carpeted floor. I can’t think of a nicer way to spend an hour on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to all the children for coming and to Atkinson-Pryce Books for arranging my appearance there.

Psst, by the way, only one more week till The Blackhope Enigma is launched!

Counting Down to July 1st

Things are ramping up big style here at HQ. Only a few weeks till The Blackhope Enigma is released into the wild in the UK, and there is lots to do. I am spinning quite a few plates in the air for the time being, but each of those plates has a mountain of goodies on it. Some of the goodies will be unveiled to all on July 1st, when a certain new website goes live. Needless to say, it’s all very exciting.
I am extremely grateful to my posse of talented friends, who are giving me all sorts of help in getting things off the ground. When the time comes, I will shine a spotlight on each of them for all their good humored assistance!
And the folks at Templar are just great. It is wonderful to work with such a dedicated group of people!

London Book Fair 2010

Keeping calm and carrying on.

Well, I lucked out this time. I bought a train ticket to London and worried that there might be a train signalmen’s strike…but who knew that the volcano would blow and suddenly trains looked pretty good?

This was my second time ever at the London Book Fair, but my first time as an Author. The Fair was a lot quieter than usual, since so many people were stranded elsewhere, but it was no less impressive. I got a new insight into the work that takes place on Templar’s stand: rights being sold to other countries, events being set up, orders being taken. And it all happens in a pretty small area. Kudos to everyone working so hard to make Blackhope a success!

It was exciting to see The Blackhope Enigma up there on the shelf with all of Templar’s stunning range of books for children. I positively drooled over the new picture books especially. And the new Vampireology (Ology Handbook)! I thought I was tired of vamps, but when I saw it, I knew I’d have to have it. That, and Dracula (Collectors Classics), illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert. Wow, and double-wow.

I was pretty amped to meet up with a couple of great people from my Arvon course last year. It was over a fleeting falafel sandwich in the Terrace Cafe, but grand nonetheless.

I fairly floated home yesterday, under crystal clear blue skies, the train racing through the blooming countryside. It was a good time to catch up with myself, make a mental list of all the exciting stuff coming up, and of all the writing and drawing I am anxious to get back to!

The Blackhope Enigma news!

It’s out on July 1 in the UK and ready for pre-order now.

The other big news is that The Blackhope Enigma is now available for pre-order here at the Templar website, along with a free download sample from the book.
We have some really exciting things planned in the lead up to publication, and I’ll be telling you more about the story and how I wrote it as we count down to July 1!

Bowled over!

Your support has amazed me.

I have had so many emails from all over the world about The Blackhope Enigma! I am thrilled at people’s enthusiasm and interest.

Here’s a further article from today’s Bookseller…and thanks to Maggi and Rachel for alerting me to it!

Several people have asked me for more definitive info about the publication date. It’s July for the UK edition- which feels like it’s just around the corner. I’ll keep you updated as we trundle along!

Tales from Outer Suburbia

Another stunning book from artist and writer Shaun Tan

Maybe this week’s theme should be “My Heroes”, what with Nick Bantock yesterday and Shaun Tan today. Both gentlemen are certainly alchemists, creating lush worlds from the seemingly ordinary.

Today I have been swooning over Tales from Outer Suburbia, Shaun’s new collection of short illustrated tales. It took me quite a while to get past the end pages, wall to wall doodle-fests of tiny creatures, aliens, robots and caricatures. And then come the full colour illustrations, many bathed in dusty late afternoon light. There is a sense of space to these paintings that reminds me of the American West: big sky and endless tracts of boxy houses. But then Shaun Tan is from Western Australia, so perhaps that big sky feeling is something shared with America.

But just when you are thinking, yeah, wide open spaces - bang! - the next story is about a tiny foreign exchange student who lives in a teacup. Here Shaun’s virtuosic skill in drawing close-ups of household objects is breath-taking. It reminds me of one of his other books, The Arrival, a wordless picture book that was so moving it made me choke up in Borders when I first looked at it.

And then another surprise…the next story’s illustrations are homages to Japanese wooodcuts, with delicate colour and texture. Is there anything this man can’t do? Because as you go along, you find dense hatched ink drawings, beautifully tinted with subtle colour. And then further on, ye gods - is that scratchboard (scraperboard to some folks)? Toward the end of the book, there is a full page spread that looks like pastel or oil pastel, a
riot of pink textures.

Ahh, what a pleasure to read and look at. And so are Shaun’s other books: The Red Tree, The Viewer and The Lost Thing.

If this isn’t enough inspiration for a Friday afternoon, have a look at Shaun’s website and prepare to swoon.