I’ve been working on the Scream Street Collector’s Cards today.  Each book will have four cards to cut out and keep inside (although I think the first may have two cards and a bookmark) – but, the Scream Street cards go that little bit further than other series I could mention…  You can play a game with these babies!

I can’t give too much away yet – just be certain that the cards will add a whole new dimension to the books.

Best wishes

Tommy

I’m back from my second session at the gym and, I’m amazed to say, I made it!  This health thing might just work out.

Tommy

(‘work out’!  geddit?!)

One of my heroes, Humphrey Littleton, died last night.

As the chairman of the BBC Radio 4 panel game, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, he kept me laughing for as long as I care to remember. I hope he’s making people laugh somewhere else now.

RIP Humph.

Tommy

Now, I haven’t been able to get hold of a copy myself yet, so I hope this has actually happened…

I’m delighted to announce that Scream Street is featured on the front and inside front cover of The Bookseller magazine this week:

It’s all very exciting!

Tommy

I’ve just got back from my induction and first session at the gym.

I may never walk again.

There’s some Scream Street news coming, but I can’t tell you about it *just* yet!  Give me a couple of days…

(Very excited!)

Tommy

I’m a big fan of the faux Victorian steampunk genre, and I aim to set a book (or books) in that era at some point in the future. Which is why I was so excited to discover this:

Dave Veloz has pimped out his Mac Mini system in the steampunk style, and a beautiful piece of work it is, too. I love the marble at the base of the monitor, and the keyboard looks fantastic. But what really caught my eye was the paint job on the Mac Mini itself…

Oh, if only I had the skills to create something like that!

Tommy

I’ve started a thread over at the forum on Verla Kay’s site in which I invite fellow writers to post pics of their working space.  You can find it here: http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php?topic=27396.0

There are some cracking desks and offices there, although my own tidy desk has prompted a few of the board members to avoid displaying their disorganised workspaces.  Will you show yours…?

Tommy

PS – if you’re interested in writing for children – the ‘Blue Boards‘ at Verla Kay’s site are a fantastic resource.  Read, join, post and learn young Jedi…

Another peek at the search terms brining people to my website, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag, this time:

tommy donbavand (7)
literary agent submission online (‎2)
THE ISLAND OF SODOR out of print book (‎1)
literary agents 2008 (‎1)
children’s writer website (‎1)
average literary agents fees (‎1)
top 10 literary agency (‎1)
workshops at schools (‎1)
how easy is to get a literary agent (‎1)
tips to getting a literary agent (‎1)
mac mini (‎1)
penny holroyde (‎1)
donbavand (‎1)
imac 24″ (‎1)
how do literary agents contact you if they want your book (‎1)
Little Miss Muffet Pantomime (‎1)
spooky story ks2 (‎1)
mistakes in my submitted manuscript to agent (‎1)

There’s the usual literary agent stuff (including a mention for my own agent!), plus some Mac searches, and even a Thomas The Tank Engine query.  Of the search terms, it’s ‘mistakes in my submitted manuscript to agent’ that stands out for me.  It can’t be a good feeling: submitting a manuscript, then realising you’ve made mistakes.

I hope whoever searched for that knows that there are plenty of agents out there, and finding the right one for you takes time.  If you’ve made an error in your submission to one agent, forget about it and move on to the next.  We’ve all made mistakes early in our writing careers; it’s whether you can learn from them that’s the important thing.

Tommy

There’s no getting away from it: I’m tubby.  And sitting down all day to write doesn’t help, either.  So, I’m biting the bullet and joining the gym.  My plan – if I can stick to it – is to exercise five mornings a week before I start work.  It’ll probably kill me at first but, as the saying goes, no pain – no size 34″ jeans.

I’ve hit the gym before with great results; I lost 4 stone back in 2001, then moved to an area without a local gym, sat down to write and put it all back on.

There are six months before the first Scream Street books are out, and I want to lose a couple of stone by then.  I’ll keep you updated…

Tommy