Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I love New Year. It is like a new beginning, looking forward to the year ahead. And I am lucky enough to have so much to look forward to. This month a short novel I wrote is coming out. The Football Shirt, and I am so looking forward to that. I am launching it in a school in Perth. In March, my new book comes out, the second in the Tyler Lawless series, Secret of the Shadows. I'm hoping to be able to launch that, as I did with Out of The Depths, at the Mitchell Theatre. And I'm already getting so much wonderful feedback about Out of The Depths. Just read a fantastic review on the FantasticReads blogspot. Also in March, or thereabouts, the film of Another Me is going into production. It is going to be called Panda Eyes, and I am so excited about it. Keeping my fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong. I have been so close before. I almost had a television series, you know, way back in the '90s. We Gotta Get Outta This Place was commissioned for five episodes, and they even made a studio pilot before it got the thumbs down. My radio series, My Mammy and Me, was also commissioned for television. Granny Nothing was originally, even before it became a book,  commissioned by the BBC as a telvision series. But a change of controller, or producers leaving meant that too came to nothing. Would you believe I was hanging round BBC Television Centre in London with the likes of Steven Moffat?  But with Another Me, I think this will happen. So I am going to enjoy the moment. I have met the people in charge of production and they are all so nice, as is the director/scriptwriter, Isobel Coixet She has a great reputation, so many fine actors want to work with her. She wants to make the film as scary as The Ring, so that can't b bad, eh? And when things start happening I am going to start a film blog so you can follow the progress of the movie too. No matter what, I think this team will make a quality film.
  I am going to start another blog too. I visit so many schools, do creative writing workshops with them, and am always asked by teachers if I have ever thought of writing a book using the exercises I give to pupils. Of course i have, it's already written. But you have to wait so long for a book to come out, I thought I would rather do it as an exercise by exercise blog, so  teachers, pupils, young creative writers can follow the tips too. So look out for that one.
  My head is filled with Resolutions, or revolutions as my grandson Robert calls them. Maybe he's right, I want to change things for the better. And I am one of those annoying people who think only you can change things, only you can take responsibility for your life.
  So what am I doing this second Sunday of 2012? I am reading through stories which were written because of a wonderful competition I set for Perth Academy last year. I gave them a first line, and the stories they have produced are so imaginative, and such fun to read.
  And the first line I gave them : I should have been hailed as a hero for what I did. Instead they all turned against me, and now, I will have my revenge.
  There, it's yours. What would you do with that line?
 

2011

Almost the end of 2011, and I hear some people say it has been a bad year. But my mother used to always say at the end of each year. ' You're alive and well, what more can you ask for?' Well, I am indeed alive and well and have even more than just that to be thankful for.
   Grass won the Royal Mail Scottish Book Award this year, as well as the Red Book Award, and the Grampian, and they were only the awards it won in 2011!  Out of The Depths came out in November, and my publisher took me on a fantastic book tour to promote it.  And in 2011 I have written 6 books! It Walks Among Us which will come out next year. The Dead Teacher,( must get a better title.) the third in the Tyler Lawless series, The Football Shirt which comes out in January, and Point Danger which comes out later in the year. I also wrote a short book for the French market, Harry at Hastings. And  also the fourth in the Tyler Lawless series, Scarred to Death. Isn't that a great title. Okay, I don't even have a contract for that, but that book will be published. I'm going to make sure of it. It's the book I wrote in November, for that book in a month thing. It actually took me almost two months to finish, but it is definitely a great way to get you started. And you know what they say. Something begun, is half done.  Now none of these books are great tomes.The longest is around 50,000 words, but I am very proud of them anyway.
  I have also travelled a lot in 2011. My daughter Katie took me to Madrid in March. It was her Christmas present to me. What a fabulous time we had. I was in Spain with Katie again in July with her family, and Spain again in August with my daughter Sarah and her family. ( As you can see, my family can't get rid of me!) Then in September I sailed on the Queen Mary, from Greenock to New York. How fabulous is that! Stepping onto a the world's greatest liner in your own home town, and stepping off in sight of the Statue of Liberty!
   I'm breathless with all the wonderful things that happened for me in 2011, but it hasn't all been good.
   Another of my beloved sisters died in July. Belle, the eldest of us died just six months after the youngest, Teresa. I still can't believe they've gone. Miss them every day.
  But, in spite of that tragedy, how can I say that this year hasn't been a good one for me?  As my mother taught me, I am alive and well, and with so many plans and goals for 2012. If anything the loss of my sisters has taught me that you must live for the day. Make the most of every moment.
   This is something I keep on my fridge, read it every day. Believe in it completely. It is a Sanskrit proverb.
   I hope you like it too.

   Look to this day, for it is life
   The very life of life
   In its brief course lie all the realities and verities of existence,
   The bliss of growth,
   The splendour of action,
   The glory of power,
   For yesterday is but a dream
   And tomorrow is only a vision,
   But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
   and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
   Look well therefore to this day.

The Book Tour!

When I first became a published writer, going on a book tour was something I dreamed of. It sounded glamorous, exciting, a sign of a real author! I've been on a few now, and I still find them exciting! Mind you, I still don't think of myself as a real author. Someone is going to spot soon I don't deserve to be here!I don't ever want to get blase about those book tours. I visited so many schools last week, stayed at so many hotels, and travelled on so many trains it is all a blur, but a wonderful blur.  Emma from Bloomsbury was with me at the beginning of the week and  St. Bede's and Oasis Brightstowe Academy were the first schools I went to, and they gave me such a wonderful welcome. And at Oasis I did my very first powerpoint demonstration...and it worked! Mind you, I haven't used it since. Dinner that night, and isn't it amazing how interesting people's lives are. I actually had dinner with a woman who had been Margaret Thatcher's bodyguard ! and she said she was a very nice woman, considerate and someone who always remembered people's names and the names of their children too. Doesn't sound like the Margaret Thatcher usually represented, does it? Tuesday and we headed to Hilperton and then Melksham Manor School, and another wonderful welcome. After that we left for London and that gave me a chance to meet my agent and stay in another lovely hotel. Only trouble with hotels is you don't get enough channels on their televisions. The only channels they seemed to have only had food programmes on them. Not a sign of  The Walking Dead! Lucky I brought a good book!
On Wednesday, Ian from Bloomsbury took over from Emma( was I too much for her, I wonder) but it gave Ian and I a chance to catch up on Doctor Who. They're making a film soon, and we were wondering what monsters they would have in it. Don't you just love monsters? Off again on Wednesday to Coventry and Whitmore Park school, then right on to Birmingham for an evening event. I loved that one too! Ros Bartlett organised it and we had parents and young people there. Including, April who said Another Me is her favourite book and she even has the cover as her screen saver!  Next day I was on to Wolverhampton and two terrific schools there, Colton Hills Community School and Wednesfield High School.  You would think by that time you might feel mentally exhausted, talking about stories, creating stories, but I find it stimulating. It helps me when I come to writing mine. Finally on Friday it was Southampton and the Sholing Technology College. A full on week, but I met so many fans, and sold lots of books too. Hope lots of them enter the video trailer competition for Out of the Depths. Thank you all for the wonderful welcomes you gave me!

Out Of The Depths

Yes, at last! Tyler Lawless is here!The first book in the series, Out Of The Depths doesn't officially come out until next week, but today we had a pre publication launch at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. 400 fantastic pupils from schools all over Glasgow, and almost all of my family were there too. It made it a really special day for me. I've used so many in the family in my books I'm surprised any of them are still talking to me. There's Katie, my daughter,who began it all.  She got bullied at school,went through an awful time...but it was such a great story it was a shame to waste it, so I wrote Run Zan Run, the book that began my whole career in writing for young people! I mean, it's not that I'm not an understanding mum, but I have said to Katie that I know it was the worst thing that ever happened to her....but it was the best thing that ever happened to me She said, ' Mother, you are a sick woman!'
    Sarah, my other daughter, she was there today too. She got herself a job in Glasgow when she was just twenty one. I thought her boss was a thoughtful, wonderful man. Then his body was found in a shallow grave with a bullet in his head. Turned out he was such a villain, they didn't know if the Chinese Triads had murdered him or the iRA, or the Clumbian Drug Lords, or one of the Glasgow gangsters were responsible for killing him. The number of suspects could have filled a bus. ( Not much of a judge of character, am I?) However, you have to admit, how could I not use a story like that! And the book that came from that? Bad Company. Can I help it if all these exciting things happen to my children?
    But they forgave me, and they all came today. And as if having my family there, including my gorgeous grandchildren, as if that wasn't enough, the real Tyler Lawless came too. She was as excited as I was to be there, a beautiful, bright girl and for her sake too I want the Tyler Lawless series to be a big success.
It has been a perfect day!

new ideas

I have spent the last two weeks, travelling, between school visits and  family parties. It always excites me that no matter where I go, I see something, hear something that triggers off an idea for a story...or even a character. Do you ever notice the great place names there are in Britain? I've seen such fabulous ones,have them all written down in my notebook, but on my way up to Elgin a couple of weeks ago I passed a sign for LAGGAN WOLFTRAX. Laggan Wolftrax, I thought, what a great name for a character. And next day when I  was talking to my first class at Lossiemouth I threw the name at the pupils. Can you picture him? What does he look like? What is he wearing? Is he a good guy, or a bad guy, and why has he come into the story?  I was amazed at the character they came up with, the story they created from that character. It was the same in the next school, at Buckie High ( always love going to Buckie High!), though the character was different and so was the story. Next day, it was a completely different story and character again when I used the name at Kemnay Primary. That's what I really enjoy about school visits, to see the fantastic ideas a word, a name, a title can generate. And helping them to free their imaginations seems to unlock mine too. I came away with my mind bubbling with ideas.  And don't think Laggan Wolftrax isn't going to appear in a story of mine!
   Last week I was back up north again, always love that drive, we live in such a beautiful country. This time I was at Turriff, another favourite. It was Turriff Book Fortnight, loads of authors up there, met the lovely Tom Palmer and his family. Honestly, the work school librarians do to promote reading is amazing. It all culminated with the Grampian Book Award. What a wonderful event. Nicola Morgan, Cathy Cassidy and myself were the only three of the shortlisted authors who were there, and I have to admit, I wanted one of us to win. Does that sound awful? Well, it wasn't just for our sake, but for the pupils who had all been bussed in to Aberdeen University for the ceremony and who had read and voted for the books. It's good I think if the author they voted for is there, for them to talk to, to sign their books. I know it's not always possible, there have been times when I haven't been able to make it either.But I was keeping my fingers crossed it would be one of our names that would come out of the envelope!  I honestly thought that we didn't stand a chance. Against Charlie Higson and a zombie book! Who can beat zombies! So you can imagine how excited I was when a joint winner was announced, and I was one of the joints! Zombies and me! I'm still on a high about it.  
   Home again, and just finishing the third in the Tyler Lawless series, and I have a week at home to do it.

Up North

I always seem to be away when anything really big, something that is going to change history, is happening! For instance, at 9/11 I was way up in Stornaway, doing school visits. I caught the news in a staff room, fleeting images on a small television. I remember I was out that night and ate mussels and was so sick, and had to fly out next morning. I've never eaten mussels since.  Piper Alpha? Do you remember that terrible disaster? I was on holiday in Buckie when it happened. In a caravan with my family and no television at all. Same with the raid on Entebbe.When the Israelis flew in and rescued all those airline passengers whose plane had been hijacked.  And now, Osama Bin Laden is killed and where am I? Away again. In a hotel with a television that can't even get BBC1. Dying to hear the details and not being able to. Maybe I should stay at home more often.  Yet, perhaps being in these places will make me remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of these historic events.
    I bet too, even as I write this, Hollywood moguls are casting the film version. I think Will Smith would have to play Obama. What do you think? Maybe Bruce Willis could be the cigar chewing head of military operations. The soldiers dropped into the compound would have to be some of the top young actors of today. Shia Le Bouef Perhaps?  And what about Osama Bin Laden himself? Poor old Art Malik comes to mind. Brilliant actor and soooo good lookiing, but permanently cast as the Asian bad guy. My son and daughter in law and I had great fun casting the film, and who is to say we're wrong. It would make great cinema.
     Now I am up in Elgin, beginning a mini tour of the North of Scotland, I'm going to Buckie again tomorrow to give out prizes, I always love going there.  But maybe I better get back home soon before something else happens!

school visits

I don't know why I enjoy school visits so much. I always think I get more out of them, than the pupils I speak to. I think it's the best research in the world for a children's writer. You see how your readers dress, how they speak, to each other and to their teachers. You can observe how they behave, how they wear their hair. And I can't remember the number of times a school  visit has sparked off a book. I used to tell stories about the funny wee men I would see around my home town, and let's face it, in Scotland we have an endless supply of funny wee men. Whenever I told these stories they would say, " you should write a book about them." And I did. I wrote Catch Us If You Can."  Recently, I've been talking about a football shirt I had seen pinned on a tree as a tribute to a boy who had died there in an accident. Told them how I would build a story from that. "Are you going to write that book," they would say. So I did.
    One thing about me, if they ask me to write a certain kind of story, then I will. When I was writing Underworld, I asked at one school. " What would you like to find in a story like that." And, almost as one, they said. " a monster!" Now, I don't normally do monsters. But there is a monster in Underworld.
     I can find characters at my school visits too. The boy at one school who insisted we swap autographs, because his would be worth a fortune one day on Ebay! And last year in Exeter a line of pupils waited for me to sign books and one girl stepped to the front. " There's a queue!" they all shouted. and she said. " The queue starts behind me."  and with hardly a word, they all formed a line behind her. How can you not use that in a story!
   The biggest benefit is meeting your readers. They make writing so worthwhile. The boy at Mearns Academy who said Grass was the best book he had ever read. The girl at Rothes who stood with her pile of my books, so excited, waiting for me to sign them. Did she know I was the one who was really excited? I hope so.