The Curse of Mousebeard is Out Today!
by Alex on July 3rd, 2008
So today’s the big day. Well, as you all know it’s been out there a few days, but I still have to celebrate the official ’special’ day nonetheless. I mean, without these dates to prop up our diaries the whole world would fall apart and we’d soon find every every day was Christmas.
So, if you find yourself near a bookshop, pop in and have a nose. See if you can find it, and if you can’t, ask the bookseller if they have it. The more people in shops who hear of the name, the better chance it has of getting out on the shelf.
I will be eternally grateful, and might give you a badge. So to get you in the mood, here’s the blurb, to whet your appetite for mousing destruction! (THIS WILL SLIGHTLY SPOIL THE FIRST MOUSEHUNTER IF YOU’VE NOT YET READ IT!! PROGRESS NO FURTHER IF SO!! I WILL NOW STOP TALKING LIKE A DALEK!)
Breaking the curse…
For many years, a curse has condemned Mousebeard to a life forever lived at sea. But now he is determined to break it - if only to seek revenge on Isiah Lovelock, his mortal enemy.
The faithful new crew…
Now fugitives themselves, Emiline and Scratcher take up the pirate’s cause. The young mousekeepers will fight old enemies and even discover a lost world of mice in their quest to break the curse. And break it they must, because Old Town’s power is rising and only Mousebeard can stop it.
The Johnny Mackintosh launch and that Horrific Book Award Experience
by Alex on July 2nd, 2008
I’ve just returned from the launch party for Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London. It was a fabulous evening, and apart from my own, it was the first launch party I’ve ever been to. The cakes were top dollar, as were the badges - one of which is now adorning my bag.
And upon arriving home, I saw this link to the worst ever gaffe made at a book awards ceremony, which occurred last night. Watch the video at the end of the link. I had to turn away in embarrassment, but imagine if you were the runner-up who’d been wrongly announced as the winner. And imagine if you’d got all the way to the podium before the person realised his mistake…
EEK!
The Mousehunter Code Unleashed
by Alex on July 2nd, 2008
Well, I thought about posting the final bits, but I decided to just stick the whole thing up, seeing as the Curse of Mousebeard is out properly tomorrow.
What you can see here is every code cipher (click the picture for a much larger version!). So look at them and check their number, and their order. That should help you work out what each one stands for, and then take a look through the Mousehunter and see what you can find. If you crack the code, I’d love to know!
Obviously, don’t reveal the answer, but do leave a comment!
David Tennant or Devlin Drewshank. You Decide!
by Alex on July 1st, 2008
While the whole of Britain is going Dr Who crazy in anticipation of what will happen in Saturday’s season finale, I’ve been having to deal with another finale of my own: the end of the third Mousehunter book.
I can be open about this, I think, and say that it’s very difficult keeping both stories’ endings alive in my head at the same time. Is Dr Who going to regenerate? Is Devlin Drewshank going to regenerate? (I made the Drewshank regeneration thing up just then for effect, but you get the picture.) I can’t wait for Saturday though - isn’t it the most exciting TV event for ages?!
Actually, on that point, I should probably reveal that I do imagine Drewshank to be a bit like David Tennant. Or I always imagined David Tennant to play him in the film. I can kind of see him dashing about, ordering people around while still caring about his dress sense.
And any way, he might have a bit of time on his hands soon. Casting for the Mousehunter might start next Saturday evening at about 8pm…
Three days to go until the Curse of Mousebeard is out…
by Alex on June 30th, 2008
… sort of. You see my mum’s already bought a copy in the Hereford Waterstones, and they’re also for sale on Amazon, as they are in The Bookseller Crow.
So it’s officially out then, and seeing the two books together on the shelf is pretty cool. But wait! There are still two more days’ worth of code ciphers to come, and here’s the next instalment!
Almilway is a moron
by Alex on June 30th, 2008
That was the spam message awaiting me when I got back from a fruitful-ish stroll up to Crystal Palace. I love the Palace, and the little shops, and the people. It’s the greatest place in the world. I’ve even put it in the biog of my book because I love it so. If you look it’s right there next to Milo, which is really saying something.
So today I went to get some posters made at the little print shop, for the signing at The Bookseller Crow bookshop. (That’s at 11am on Saturday 12th July, by the way, for anybody who fancies it. I promise there will be mousecakes!) I then took the posters to the local library just around the corner to introduce myself and see if they’d be interested in taking one. The kids’ area was really busy (a good sign, thought I, they’ll like a children’s author), and I went up to the nice librarian. I said I was a local children’s author, I live down the road, and asked if I could put up a poster. ‘It’ll cost you a pound a week,’ was the reply. A little taken aback, I looked in my wallet and the moths flew out. Right, I said. I’ll have to leave it then. I was gutted. And they didn’t even ask for my name.
To put things into context, the Blackbird Bakery at the top of my road (which clearly has nothing to do with children’s books) said they’d take a poster, and the nice guy in there even seemed quite excited!
Maybe the person I talked to in the library was having an off day, or maybe Almilway really is a moron for thinking the community spirit is alive and well around here.
Faber Covers Online
by Alex on June 27th, 2008
On Faber’s new website, they’ve not only worked on new design, but they’ve also added all sorts of new web gizmos. There’s a Twitter feed (although I don’t think it’s been updated since I’ve been following it), Facebook groups, and best of all, there are galleries of past covers.
It lacks a lot of information in places, such as the date of publication of the books, but I guess this is still a work in progress. I love seeing how un-consumer friendly some of the very old covers are.
And of course, there’s a special Children’s section! This 1968 Ted Hughes Iron Man cover by George Adamson is a real highlight. It’s actually quite terrifying, but still beautiful.
Mouse Book Wins the Kate Greenaway Prize
by Alex on June 26th, 2008
It’s a big day for mice in the world of Children’s Books. Emily Gravett has won the Kate Greenaway Prize for the second time with her beautifully presented Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears.
I really like her work, particularly the Monkey and Me book (which was also up for the same prize). I bought it for my niece a few month’s ago, and it was definitely a winner, although not as big a winner as the Little Mouse book, obviously.
Mice have never had it so good!
Some Mice From the Sketchbook
by Alex on June 26th, 2008
I’m frantically scribbling mice right now to give me a few ideas for weird and wonderful entries in the third book. Drawing frees me up, happy mistakes spark ideas, and then from those ideas come better drawings. These two mice are just a section from some pages of my sketchbook, but I’ve put the whole spread up here (or just click on the image!).
It’s a hotchpotch of rubbish, interspersed with a few nice drawings, all of which were done on the train. Bouncing around as the train wobbles and jumps lends the drawing experience a kind of freewheeling excitement. It’s like living on a knife edge, in a very safe art-studenty way with no threat to life!
I’m particularly keen on the Swamp-biter Mouse, who could be a bit like a crocodile, hanging out in swamps until some dinner comes along, and SNAP!
New Faber & Faber Website!
by Alex on June 25th, 2008
It’s been in the workings for a while now, so I was really excited to see this, the new Faber & Faber children’s books website. There are competitions and reviews by readers, as well as an online shop, and it all looks very pretty to boot.
Of course, there’s also a swanky new grown-ups site too, with audio interviews and other nice extras. Probably of most interest for a lot of people is the Faber Finds section (a ‘print on demand’ facility for lost classics), which I’ll mention more about in the future. Could it be the way forward for publishing? Answers on the back of a postcard please.