Look at these babies…

My author copies of the Chinese version of Scream Street popped through my letterbox this morning, and I’m absolutely delighted with them!  They look and feel fantastic and – in a completely unexpected move – the publisher has split book 7, Invasion of the Normals, into two volumes!

My plan to eventually dominate the world continues…

Many thanks to my good friend, David ‘The Witch’ Robinson, for posting a link to this book on my Facebook page. I am ordering it immediately.

Here’s the blurb from Amazon:

It’s Shatner VS Shatners!
William Shatner? William Shatner. WILLIAM SHATNER!!! It’s the first ShatnerCon with William Shatner as the guest of honor! But after a failed terrorist attack by Campbellians, a crazy terrorist cult that worships Bruce Campbell, all of the characters ever played by William Shatner are suddenly sucked into our world. Their mission: hunt down and destroy the real William Shatner.

Featuring: Captain Kirk, TJ Hooker, Denny Crane, Rescue 911 Shatner, Singer Shatner, Shakespearean Shatner, Twilight Zone Shatner, Cartoon Kirk, Esperanto Shatner, Priceline Shatner, SNL Shatner, and – of course – William Shatner!

No costumed con-goer will be spared in their wave of destruction, no redshirt will make it out alive, and not even the Klingons will be able to stand up to a deranged Captain Kirk with a lightsaber. But these Shatner-clones are about to learn a hard lesson…that the real William Shatner doesn’t take crap from anybody. Not even himself.

It’s Shatnertastic!

What a concept. I’ll post a review after I’ve read it. Assuming my head doesn’t explode in sheer delight.

After viewing this video I’m not sure. Watch out for the transformation into ‘Evil Owl.’

Thanks to my mate Simon J for sending me the link.

Sam

Next: Are Cows Monsters?

This is Alan Moore.

He’s the author of lots of my favourite stories (including Halo Jones, Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Top Ten and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, to name just a few) and he’s also a bit of a hero to me.

These – as they appear in The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore, by George Khoury – are Alan Moore’s Five Tips for Would-Be Writers:

ALAN MOORE’S FIVE TIPS FOR WOULD-BE WRITERS

1. Don’t.

2. No, really don’t.

3. DEFINITELY don’t – I mean it.

4. Whatever you might be imagining about a life of writing, it’s not like that.

5. OK, if you’re going to anyway, if you’re going to be a writer of any quality, you will have to commit yourself to writing – which is something that, when you’re young and idealistic, sounds incredibly easy to do, but you should commit yourself to writing almost as if you were some ancient Greek or Egyptian committing yourself to a god.

If you do right by the god, then the god may, at some point in the future, reward you. But if you slack off and don’t do right by your talent or your god, then you are heading for a world of immense and unimaginable pain. If you have a gift that you choose to pursue, then you have to pursue it seriously. Don’t be half-assed about it, but realize what that commitment means.

Committing yourself to writing will mean, to a certain extent, your writing will become the most important part of your life – and that’s a big thing to say. It can have a distancing effect upon other relationships. It can be sometimes quite a solitary life. If you’re committed to writing, you’re going to spend most of your life indoors in a silent, empty room, concentrating on a pen and a piece of paper or their equivalent. Be prepared to take it seriously and be prepared to follow where it takes you, even if that takes you to some very strange places.

This is by no means the most glamorous profession.

Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

When one of my favourite editors left the publisher I work for a few years ago and I decided to draw this picture as a parting gift. These two critters are Fidget and Quilly (and their pet kitten). Characters that we worked on together for a couple of years. Well, I decided to show them in that ‘relaxed’ end of day mode. You know, when you’ve done with work and you just want to slip into something comfy (steady), step out of character and kick back.

I spend a lot of time creating a world for my characters. Not all of it makes the final story but it helps to get to know them. This is as close as I’ve got to wondering if all story book characters have a life outside of um…well, storybooks. And if they did, what would they do with their time?

Answers on a postcard…

…if you’re an arachnophobe. Much screaming in the Sparkes corner of the caves today – not over spiders but a batch of lovely shineeee books containing chapter samples from my new S.W.I.T.C.H. series which arrived by monster post.

The series – six parts to start with – doesn’t come out ’til next February and April (with a World Book Day book in between) and then there will be another eight stories to follow. I am beginning to feel like Tommy Donbavand!!! Still, it keeps me occupied. My publishers, Oxford, have also put up this fab S.W.I.T.C.H. micro website HERE .

The series – illustrated by the fabulous Ross Collins, is all about boys turning into creepy crawlies. I had to do a lot of research… and have become a little obsessed. I have been known to stand staring at cave spiders for hours. And then turn my attention to the flies which are strangely drawn to Andy Briggs’ feet. I have a magnifying glass and I look at them in detail – they’re amazing! The flies, not Andy’s feet…

I found this in my sketchbook this morning (with apologies to Barnaby Richards)!

I found this on my drawing board this morning!

previous postcard / next postcard

Rammellzee was an influential graffiti artist, hip-hop pioneer and performance artist. He used to make and wear elaborate masks and costumes, like this one.

Making an eye-catching costume isn’t as easy at it looks. Here’s a picture of one I made from a Full English Breakfast. I call it Breakfast-Rammellzee, and it isn’t particularly comfortable, I can tell you. Especially the toast. 

Oooooooh I’ve just received my new cover for FIREBRAND which is coming out on 27th August from those lovely people at Strident Publishing. Here it is. I don’t know why he’s turning his back on that lovely roaring fire, because I know what lit it, and it wasn’t anything nice….