Month: March 2015
Dutch Comic Con 2015
Last weekend (28th/29th March) the very first Dutch Comic Con took place in Utrecht. It was a vast and ambitious event, drawing in 20,000 visitors.
Fate didn’t want me to attend. I arrived at Heathrow to find that all Amsterdam flights had been cancelled due to the biggest power outages in Dutch history. (My jinx effect usually only strikes down locations after I arrive in them, not before.) I waited it out, however, and a mere six-and-a-half hours later was on a flight to Amsterdam, laughing at puny Fate.
Guests included artists, animators, actors, cosplayers and a few writers, including me. I was stationed at the signing table at the stall for the American Book Center, which had its own treehouse complete with owls.
My signing table buddy was Corinne Duyvis (author of Otherbound, editor for Disability in Kid Lit and practitioner of Krav Maga, amongst other things).
Both of us were looked after very well by the folks from the American Book Center – many thanks to Rick, Jitse, Tiemen and everybody else!
Thankfully I also got the chance to wander through the con.
The person driving the Delorean here may look slightly familiar.
I rather liked this creepy fairground stall advertising the B-Movie Underground & Trash Film Festival.
The cosplayers were particularly resplendent. Regrettably I didn’t get a picture of the Jazzguls (Ringwraiths with slope hats) but I did catch these:
I also seized the chance to explore Utrecht a little.
I was also introduced to delicious Dutch pancakes. Later, when I was back at Schipol airport preparing to fly home, I discovered this Giant Red Button in the Touch Down cafeteria.
When I pressed the button, the lamp spun and a siren sounded. Then a man appeared and made me a pancake.
I considered prising the whole thing off the counter and trying to take it home, to see whether its summoning powers worked there too. Sadly, I wasn’t sure I could smuggle a stolen pancake-generator through customs…
Many thanks to Dutch Comic Con, the American Book Center, Corinne Duyvis and everyone else for an excellent weekend!
Carnegie Shortlist!
I’m afraid there’s no way to be cool and suave about this. I’m on the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal!
As a result I’m currently this:
And a little bit this:
The other (brilliant) books on the shortlist are these:
When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan
Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan
Tinder by Sally Gardner and David Roberts
The Fastest Boy in the World by Elizabeth Laird
Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman
The Middle of Nowhere by Geraldine McCaughrean
More Than This by Patrick Ness
I’m very excited by the Carnegie Shadowing Scheme. Right now, thousands of reading groups all over the UK are getting ready to “shadow” the Carnegie by reading all the books on the shortlist, so that they can discuss which book they think should win.
Meanwhile, an elite film crew of two has just visited to film me in my lounge!
I don’t usually do well with film cameras. As soon as I’m in front of one, I forget how to move or talk like a human, and become a weird, stilted marionette. My visitors did a good job of putting me at my ease, however, and I mostly managed not to stare at the cameras. We’ll just have to see how the film looks when it’s up on the Carnegie website!
World Book Week 2015
“How to Write for Children and Young Adults and Get Published”
My World Book Week started early, with the How To Write for Children and Young Adults and Get Published conference on Saturday 28th February. The conference was arranged by Writers & Artists, and hosted at the rather grand Bloomsbury offices on Bedford Square. Many thanks to Claire Daly of Bloomsbury for briefing me and generally looking after me!
Throughout the morning, panels of literary agents and commissioning editors discussed the dos and don’ts of submissions. In the afternoon, attendees could choose between three two-hour masterclasses: Holly Bourne‘s class on YA fiction, my class on writing for middle grade, and Sue Hendra‘s class on picture books.
Mine was the largest class (thirty of us crowded around the long table) but I was lucky enough to have a really keen, interesting, varied and insightful group. We had attendees from different countries and professions, working on a wide range of projects – contemporary, historical, fantasy, humour, adventure, fiction and non-fiction. I really enjoyed our discussions, and in particular everyone’s offerings for the ‘childhood memories’ exercise. Good luck to everyone with their writing!
Visit to Ashford School
On Tuesday 3rd March, I visited Ashford School in Kent, which turned out to be friendly, mellow, engaged and interesting, with some nice old Victorian buildings and really impressive paintings by students on the walls.
I spoke to Years 6, 7 and 8, who had interesting questions to ask about the writing process, changeling folklore, horror stories, etc.
I even had the chance to chat with members of the Sixth Form Literary Society about university, hobbies and choices.
Kitschies Award Ceremony
The Kitschies are amongst my favourite speculative prizes – they’re fun, forward-thinking and fascinated with tentacles. Last year, I was invited to be one of the Kitschies judges for the Golden Tentacle (debut novel) and Red Tentacle (most entertaining, progressive and original novel). I leapt at the chance and said yes… and immediately disappeared under an enormous pile of books.
In the end, there were 195 submissions. Fortunately I was only one of five judges, a couple of whom got through books faster than a woodchipper. My comrades-in-arms were Glen Mehn, Adam Roberts, Kim Curran and Cat Webb. (Glen did a great job of organising and motivating us as we scaled the vast mountain of books, and made sure none of us fell into the crevasses.)
The awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 4th March at Seven Dials near Covent Garden. Glen was master of ceremonies, Cat and Kim announced the Golden Tentacle winner, and Adam and I presented the Red Tentacle. (Adam’s speeches were a lot more eloquent than mine, despite the fact that I had prepared a script and he hadn’t.)
Jim Kay also gave a very enlightening speech about the trials of cover artists, whose work requires a great deal of skill, effort and patience, but whose contributions are so often overlooked.
The proud winners of the Kitchies tentacles were:
Red Tentacle (novel): Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
Golden Tentacle (debut): Viper Wine by Hermione Eyre
Inky Tentacle (cover art): The cover of Tigerman, by Glenn O’Neill
Invisible Tentacle (natively digital fiction): Kentucky Route Zero, Act III, by Cardboard Computer
Black Tentacle (special achievement): Sarah McKintyre
Visit to Townley Grammar
My day started inauspiciously, when I found myself stranded at Bexleyheath station without a taxi in sight. After I phoned the school in a slight panic, however, I was rescued from my predicament by Batgirl.
In the comfortable, friendly library, I talked to members of Years 7, 8 and 9, many of whom were magnificently disguised as book characters…
…as were the teachers.
Finally, I was interviewed by ace student reporters Medusa and Holly Golightly (I assume they don’t always go by those identities.)
And just because I can’t resist, here are some more of the World Book Day costumes.
