Time for a check on the state of the sinister masterplan as it stands this Jan 2011…

Phases One and Two are proceeding nicely. Both The Black Tattoo and Tim, Defender of the Earth are still out there finding readers. THANK YOU to everyone who has left lovely messages in the books’ websites’ Guestbooks lately – particularly Steve from Seattle, Karolin from Estonia, Hailey from Nova Scotia, Laura from Illinois and Casey from Queensland. Your kind words and encouragement are very, very, very much appreciated.

Phase Three: I’m thrilled and honoured and amazed to report that Crawlers is currently in the running for some awards! It’s on the longlist for the Redbridge Children’s Book Award and it’s been shortlisted for the Bolton Children’s Book Award, the Gateshead Children’s Book Award and the Nottinghamshire Brilliant Book Award. That last one has a terrific website where young readers are posting reviews of the books. Hit the link and take a look!

Phase Four is my forthcoming novella to be published by Barrington Stoke. The exact release date is unconfirmed but we’re hoping for early 2012. I’m very happy and excited about this story! I’ve already dropped some hints about it in this interview so now (exclusively! ;D) I’ll reveal the title for you. It’s called O.

-and-

Latest Phases:

OK, what follows (as promised in my previous blog post) is what I’m working on right now.

What I should or shouldn’t put in a blog post at this point is something of a ticklish decision. It’s one of the facts about writing that the journey between starting work on something and everyone being able to read it is long and uncertain. Most published authors I know won’t talk about their work in progress online until release dates are locked or a book is available to order: I can understand why. If you announce something prematurely and for some reason or other it doesn’t happen, there’s a risk of looking foolish – maybe even a failure. I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve decided I don’t care.

Leaping into the dark is what writing is all about. Sometimes you fly. Sometimes you fall. But I don’t believe there’s any way to know in advance what’s going to happen with a project (unless of course you give up) until you’re up to your eyes in it, writing. So, whether they end up making it into print or not, here are mine…

-Since September I’ve been developing a very exciting experimental web comic with my friend the awesome illustrator Barnaby Richards. It’s a revenge story about this character:

-Still with illustrators, have you seen the amazing artwork David Melling produced for my story Jethro’s Ace of Hearts? Well, to my enormous glee and delight, David wants us to work together again on more. Not long before Christmas I sent him something completely new. I don’t do “classic” monsters, but it might just be the closest thing I ever write to a vampire story. It’s called Family. As before with Jethro, we may do something on TBM. I’ll keep you posted.

…and here’s the one that’s taking up the most brain-space for me right now, the reason I’ve been a little low-key with my online activities this month…

-On Tues 4th Jan I started writing a brand new project that may (or may not – like I say, it’s too early to tell) be my next book. It’s a long-standing ambition of mine: a properly frightening, have-to-sleep-with-the-lights-on-afterwards haunted house story.

So there you go. In case anyone who reads my blogs hasn’t worked this out yet, what’s really sinister about my sinister masterplan to conquer the universe is that sometimes (maybe always) it’s almost indistinguishable from having no plan at all. BWAHAHAHAHA! I don’t always know what’s going to happen. That’s the very thing that makes my job, for me, so terrifying and thrilling. But anyway, now you know what I’m up to – so I’d better get back to it. 😀

Thanks and best wishes,

Sam

Just before Christmas I received a parcel containing masses of wonderful letters from students at the last school I visited, Bushey Meads.

Some of these letters contained questions for me. Here those questions are below, with my best attempts at answers. ;D

From Chloe K.: What inspired you to be an author?

What inspired me to write – and still inspires me – is how utterly amazing and thrilling and moving and brilliant the experience of reading a great book can be.

What made me decide to give being an author my best shot is that life is short and fragile. If you have something you want to do, no matter how mad it might seem, it’s best to get on with it.

What were you like as a child? Were you bad or good?

I’m sorry to say I was good: quiet, polite, hardworking, serious-minded and well-behaved – sickening, really. I’ve made up for it since. ;p

If you didn’t want to be an author what would you like to be?

Before deciding to be an author I had a go at being an internationally famous rock guitarist. Though I still play and have fun, that ambition didn’t work out so well. ;D

Did you write any stories when you were a child?

Yes, I did. As well as the ones I was told to write for school, I sometimes used to write stories of my own in my spare time. My favourite subjects for stories were space battles, monsters, murder mysteries, chases, magic and monsters. As I got older there was a while when I decided that perhaps those weren’t suitable subjects to write about somehow, even though I love them. But then, I’m happy to say, I came to my senses.

From Esther A.: What inspired you to write thriller books out of all the other genres? Why did you pick thrillers?

I write the kinds of books I most love to read. I honestly think that’s the best way to do it. It might not be thrillers for you, but ask yourself: What sort of story would wrap you up in it so tightly that you might forget to eat or sleep while you’re reading it? What sort of story would that be for you, personally?

When I sit down to start thinking about a new book the first thing I think about is what sort of book I would most love to read. Sometimes I make a list of what the elements might be (that’s how I started The Black Tattoo). Then, once I’ve planned the story as far as I can, I write it.

Don’t worry about genre too much. If you’re a writer, what genre you are is best left to other people to argue over if they want. Your job is to get on with writing the best stories you can think of.

From Joe: How old were you when you first started writing books?

I first tried to write a book when I was nine, with another guy at school. It was called The Jaws of Death. We wrote a whole chapter before we had to admit to ourselves that it was exactly the same as Star Wars: A New Hope – and I mean word for word. I guess that one doesn’t count. ;D

I was twenty-one when I made my first big attempt to write a novel. I first finished a novel (a different one, btw) when I was, I think, twenty-four. I wrote two more novels after that one, but they weren’t good enough either. I was still learning my craft. I kept going. By the time my first published novel The Black Tattoo came out (September 2006) I was thirty-two.

From Eliza Q.: How long did it take you to make your books?

Crawlers took two years. So did Tim, Defender of the Earth. The Black Tattoo took five years.

What is your favourite book you have written?

I try to put all my passion and enthusiasm and commitment into every book I write – and as I say, each one takes a big chunk of my life in terms of the time involved in writing it. I can’t say which of my books is my favourite. I’m so close to each one that it’s impossible for me to choose between them.

Back to Joe: Did you make up the stories by yourself or did you get some ideas from other books?

I don’t believe it’s possible to make up stories completely by yourself. Every story contains ideas from other stories that came before it. That’s why it’s so important to read (and live) as widely as you possibly can. Don’t steal other people’s ideas hoping for their success. But do fill your stories with things that you, personally, would most love to find in a story. Originality isn’t in the ideas themselves, it’s in their mixture – the special blend of influences and enthusiasm and passion that only you can bring to a project.

From Dylan L. (and Joe): Do you read books apart from your books? Do you enjoy them?

Definitely. I love all kinds of storytelling – films, games, comics, animation, theatre, whatever – but books are my obsession. To me, reading is one of the best things about being alive. I read first thing in the morning while I’m cleaning my teeth, I read last thing at night before I fall asleep and in between, I read any other chance I get. I came to writing because of how much I love reading: reading came first. If you want to know what I’m reading now and find out my favourites check my LibraryThing profile, here.

From lots of students: Here’s a character / idea – can you put it in one of your books?

I loved reading your ideas. The thing is, though, they’re your ideas. I wish you the best of luck with them, but I’m happy working on my own ones.

Can I be in one of your books?

Are you sure you would want to be? What if you didn’t like the way I wrote you?? Besides, you might not be right for the story. I prefer to mix my characters together using pieces I take from everyone I’ve ever met. So: while it’s possible that a part of you might make it into one of my books, I’m sorry but I can’t possibly accept all of you. 😉

How are your stories coming on? Are you working on another book?

HELL YES! I’ll give you an update in my next blog post. 😀

A big THANK YOU to all my correspondents from Bushey Meads School, including (as well as the names I’ve mentioned above) Isabel, Danielle C., George P., Jessica D.F., Charlotte D., George T., Beth, Lauren, Eloise, Marco F., Emily, ‘The Secret Ninja’, Oliver P., Jack, Taylor W., Olivia, Kristian, Lily, Libby, Luke, Jacob, Ross O. ‘The Epic’, Danny, Taylor M., Shea J., Matt B., Nick W., Kate S., Chris B., Maria C., Chelsea F., Danyaal M., Ben S., Nathan R., Harry L., Dan, Adam G., Jake E., Oli D., Sonny, Laura M., Kristy T. and Ben H.

I was touched and thrilled by your kind words about my visit and my work, and I really appreciate your taking the time to write to me. Thank you again.

-Sam

You might be aware that I always like to have a favourite word. I’ve been putting these on Twitter (and the various other places where the feed from that appears) since – gulp – April 2009, and recently a couple of people have asked to see a full list of all my favourite words so far.

The list appears below. But since the list by itself seemed like it might make, ahem, somewhat dry reading, I figured that it might be nice to have its appearance coincide with some kind of giveaway. So here goes: vote for your ‘favourite favourite’ and you might WIN A PRIZE – namely a signed UK first edition of Tim, Defender of the Earth!

This will be the true first edition, as published in trade (ie ‘large’) paperback in January 2008 by Random House Children’s Books UK. The book – if you win – will be signed and dedicated to you or whoever you wish. I will post the book to you free of charge, wherever you are. All you have to do is the following:

–Click here to go to the Crawlers Guestbook.

–Click ‘Sign Guestbook’

-Tell me your Favourite Favourite.

–Tell me why you think it’s the best word on the list.

–Tell me how to contact you in case you win. An email address is best, but Facebook will do. NB: I edit every entry on my Guestbooks before it appears, so (barring something going wrong that’s beyond my control) any personal contact details you give me will not be publicly visible on that page: they will only be seen by me. But if you don’t leave me some way to get back to you if you’re the winner, I won’t be able to send you your prize.

–THAT’S IT!

You have until Monday January 31st, 2011. The winner will be whoever I think comes up with the best answer.

OK, enough preamble. Here below – from oldest to most recent – is what you’ve got to choose from. So: Ladies and Gentlemen! By (some!) Popular Demand! I present…

All My Favourite Words Since April 23rd 2009

discombobulated, grackle, mucilage, cedilla, gizzard, vim, ruminant, cud, spry, squalid, guppy, blight, irascible, rutabaga, cloister, gristle, gawp, truckle, curmudgeon, schism, gubbins, smolt, shirty, ignition, quango, squab, macaroon, unguent, zugzwang, savage, seepage, pungent, moot, corpuscle, crepuscular, spleen, murk, plasma, lurid, salamander, pigment, glycerine, coagulant, grimace, baleful, macaque, gnaw, knurl, snood, glottal, inscrutable, clandestine, cormorant, lugubrious, scree, narthex, crimp, manacle, sphagnum, scrupulous, irk, spikenard, hawser, ellipsis, disgruntlement, lipid, mandible, shrike, fluke, insinuating, pernicious, usurper, prehensile, gelid, swarf, skulk, calamity, diminish, onslaught, oaf, tantamount, beak, mollusc, conglomerate, hispid, compunction, sloop, colossal, ventricle, mulch, baffle, spiracle, stint, nonplussed, fathom, aghast, thrive, pelt, plunge, wrack, goad, undulate, potash, snivelling, expunge, miasma, bulwark, cumbersome, tallow, smirch, gantry, buffoon, glut, torpid, asunder, mottled, palp, snit, tungsten, squeamish, tabernacle, throng, tumult, conclusive, demolish, harangue, ignominy, bamboozle, tokamak, millipede, winch, menace, lobster, scythe, mammoth, tendril, feast, marauder, morbid, slice, unutterable, cantankerous, buckle, abominable, sconce, hankering, churlish, battlement, parallax, absorb, inept, repulsive, grotesque, dreadnought, quash, yam, wretched, precipices, pulsating, bungle, furtive, ominous, soluble, dissolute, gallivanting, thole, spurious, doff, husk, hibernation, snooze, malingering, jostle, ormolu, succinct, scathed, flagrant, squamous, recalcitrant, ptarmigan, nebulous, huckster, reprehensible, stilted, griddle, plangent, quartile, broach, yolk, engrossed, propulsion, spinnaker, discrepancy, sepulchral, shoals, plenipotentiary, pulverised, clotted, agglutinated, blemish, crucible, phlegm, writhe, spindle, beware, drench, snout, cnidoblast, slathered, tangible, trifling, kibosh, jagged, nargile, turpitude, gargle, sedition, carnage, woe, maelstrom, crust, licentiousness, quaff, whelk, embezzlement, spume, incandescent, sluggishly, abolish, concussed, barnstormer, mesmerism, loathsome, misanthrope, sunk, diplomacy, hustings, tacit, hurtling, volatile, snaffle, spine, glyptodon, affront, siphon, blatant, helix, mouldering, unconscionable, malevolent, relish, ganglia, beacon, geode, gullet, dismissal, bismuth, sluice, curdled, glare, vernacular, smock, simmering, perihelion, subduction, gangplank, wince, fripperies, bluster, hence, overweening, rivet, meteor, cataplasm, marmoreal, sequestered, poltroon, scowl, recursive, nodule, trample, throaty, gargantuan, infested, upheaval, skirmish, rhinoceros, truncated, sump, sumptuous, vitriol, miscreant, turmoil, contagion, phospholipid, sidling, somnolent, marrow, cudgel, succumb, nozzle, smattering, obliterated, straggle, acrid, baulk, congeal, buffer, nucleus, lackadaisical, illicit, roost, inveigle, rife, blurt, corroborated, blear, salacious, exultant, grovel, insidious, agog, fecklessness, yawl, flummox, inimical, spool, neglect, bladderwrack, kelp, haphazard, occiput, plunder, brouhaha, wassail and shirk.

I suppose I shouldn’t be allowed to choose more favourite words until we have a winner. So, have at it! 😀

If anyone gives/gave you Crawlers for Christmas a) I’m amazed b) I’m delighted and c) the person who gave it to you is awesome. You can tell them I said so. 😀

Coming Soon! By (some!) Popular Demand! A complete list of my Twittered favourite words so far – plus the chance to vote for your ‘favourite favourite’ and maybe even (gasp!) win a prize!

Found these two shady characters (above, below) lurking on my balcony on Saturday night.

When I approached the first to try to make some friendly conversation he became quite aggressive. Here he is (below) telling me in no uncertain terms to get out of his face and go back indoors!

It’s the time of year for roundups, when pundits fill space in blogs and papers by making lists of things. In my case, as it’s been about a year since the last time I did it, I thought I’d pass along some music recommendations.

If my neighbours have ever wondered this year just what that racket is that’s been coming from my cave, here’s the answer: my current four favourite albums.

Take one astonishing guitarist and singer. Add drums that sound like a washing machine being intricately and thoroughly hurled down a flight of stairs. The result, in the case of Marnie Stern‘s eponymous third album (above), is a glorious, inspiring, joyful noise that makes you feel like you could leap out of the window and fly.

With plaintive Kermit the Frog-style vocals, sparkling guitar and irresistible shake-it-to-the-left-shake-it-to-the-right rhythms Darwin Deez‘s debut album is charming, chiming pop perfection. And check out his moustache!

The ‘parental advisory’ sticker on Maniac Meat by Tobacco is, partly, a joke: the vocals on this album are mostly unintelligible and what few words I can make out don’t seem that rude at all. What is rude is the music: this raucous homebrewed electronic brouhaha never fails to put a grin on my face. Let it wallop you.

Lastly, in honour of Don Van Vliet who will be sorely missed, here’s an album I’ve adored ever since I first heard it when I was at school: Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart.

I’ve included links in the text above to pages where you can try the music out for yourself. Happy listening.

Sam

The Chainsaw Gang‘s shadowy mastermind Sarwat Chadda has struck again. Myself, Alex Bell, Alexander Gordon Smith, William Hussey, Steve Feasey, Jon Mayhew, Sarah Silverwood, Stephen Deas and David Gatward have all been nastily assimilated into a terrifying, all-consuming, unholy mutant gene-splice of Blog Tour and… Christmas Carol?

Yes: as I type these words it’s just begun, at the most excellent My Favourite Books. Prepare yourself, gentle reader, for The Twelve Deaths of Christmas!

Update: Here are direct links to the stops on the tour so far…

Verse One at My Favourite Books: When writing Horror for young people, how much is too much?

Verse Two at Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books: How would you describe yourself as a character in one of your books?

Verse Three at Narratively Speaking: What’s the spookiest place you’ve ever visited?

Verse Four at Wondrous Reads: If you could be in any Horror movie, which would you choose and who would you play (part one)?

Verse Five at The Book Zone: What is your favourite movie death?

Verse Six at Book Gazing: Which books are you looking forward to receiving as Christmas presents this year (part one)?

Verse Seven – and our 12 DEATHS GIVEAWAY, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO FIND OUT HOW TO WIN! – at Book Gazing: Which books are you looking forward to receiving as Christmas presents this year (part two)?

Verse Eight – ‘Eight Crawlers Creeping!’ 😀 – at The Book Zone: Who from Horror history would you invite to a Halloween meal? and What scares you?

Verse Nine – and more details re our 12 DEATHS GIVEAWAY! – at Wondrous Reads: If you could be in any Horror movie, which would you choose and who would you play (part two)?

Verse Ten at Narratively Speaking: What is your favourite Horror story?

At my visit to Bushey Meads School yesterday not just one but two of the young people I spoke to asked to have their first names used in my next book.

I did my best to warn them that their names might go to characters who, say, eat children but, strangely, that didn’t seem to put them off. 😀

I was asked all sorts of other excellent questions throughout the day, for which I had to scramble hard to find what I hope were decent answers. Here I am being interviewed by student librarians for the school magazine and (by the look of it) preparing to shoot bolts of plasma from my fingertips:

This was my last school visit of 2010, and a great one to finish off on. An enormous THANK YOU to everyone involved.

Yesterday I visited Northgate High School with a squadron of shiny killer robots. Here I am giving the order to attack:

Only joking. My thanks to everyone I met and spoke to at the school for the warmth of their welcome and – particularly – an excellent lunch. It was a brilliant visit. I didn’t even think about giving the order to attack – this time. ;D

I love visiting The City of London School. There are so many famous London landmarks nearby that I’ve DESTROYED in my stories!

Most of the young people I talked to today have actually been on school trips to the Barbican, just like the characters in Crawlers…

I hope they like what I’ve done with the place. HEE HEE HEE HEE!