I read this story a while back, but have only just found the link with which to bring it to your attention…

Avid 91 year old reader, Louise Brown from Stranraer, is about to (in fact, she probably now has) borrowed her 25,000th book from her local library!  She took out her first book in 1946 and has been back for at least six more a wek (rising to 12 a week in recent years) ever since.  Now that’s what I call a dedicated reader!

You can read the full story on the BBC website here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/8172355.stm

I had a FANTASTIC time at this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival!  My event took place yesterday in the RBS Imagination Lab, at the same time as the very talented Tony Lee (we considered switching audiences at the last minute – just to throw everyone!)  As I was setting up, I was delighted to see my old flat-mate and Buddy cast member, Alison and her daughter Lucy taking their seats.  A very welcome surprise!

Paul from the Scottish Book Trust gave me a wonderful introduction – and I was off and running with my Vampires vs Werewolves Game Show (complete with a new magic trick I’d never tried before!  Thankfully it worked!)  It was great fun performing to an audience of book lovers – only around half of whom had read any of the Scream Street books (I like spreading the word to new people!) and – before I knew it – my time was up and I was ushered over to the signing tent to meet the fans.

In the evening, I enjoyed dinner with very pleasant company (hello to Kathryn and Lindsay from Fraser Ross Associates, Val from the Northern Children’s Book Festival, Alice and Sophie from Walker Books – as well as sara, Nicola, Heather and Tracy) where we discussed Doctor Who, zombies and our mutual feelings towards a certain individual who shall not be named, but has managed to annoy each of us individually at some point!

I had hoped to attend a couple of events myself today – I had tickets for Philip Ardagh’s Grubtown Tales session and Justin Richards’ Doctor Who talk – but had to nip home early as Kirsty wasn’t too well.  Still, there’s always next year – if I’m invited back, that is!

Tommy

The first two books in the Scream Street series – Fang of the Vampire and Blood of the Witch – are published in the US today by Candlewick Press!

To celebrate the publication, I’ve made a second Scream Street USA trailer – which features my first attempt at using a green screen in my videos.  The result – while not perfect – isn’t bad for a first try…

For more information on Scream Street in America, visit www.screamstreet.com (the UK site is at www.screamstreet.co.uk)

I like vampire novels.  A lot.  And I TRIED reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.  No, I really did!  It just wasn’t my kind of thing (and I’ve had to rewrite that sentence quite a few times, I can tell you!)  In fact, after completing Darren Shan’s Cirque Du Freak series, I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever find a good vampire book ever again…

…until I found Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer.

This fast-paced tale of Vladimir Tod’s struggle to find acceptance in Junior High is fun from page one.  For not only does Vlad have to cope with homework, girls and bullies – he also has to hide the fact that he’s a vampire.  Feeding from bags of blood acquired by his nurse guardian, Nelly, Vlad is forced to confront the mysterious death of his parents, the disappearance of a teacher, and the fact that someone just may be out to kill him.

Packed with action and some laugh out loud moments (“Who do you think runs Sony?”), Eighth Grade Bites sets up what promises to be a fang-tastic series which is continued with Ninth Grade Slays, Tenth Grade Bleeds and the forthcoming Eleventh Grade Burns.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, Heather Brewer’s excellent website – www.heatherbrewer.com – is crammed full of Vlad facts, vampire bling and the chance to become one of Auntie Heather’s minions.  Not to be missed!

I don’t know why, but I’ve been getting a lot of emails recently asking for free books – some from the type of organisations that contact authors on a regular basis, but increasingly from children asking me to send them a signed copy.

My response is always in several parts:

One – authors don’t get their books for free.  Yes, we get a small number of ‘author copies’ when the title is first published (usually around 10, which immediately go to friends and family) but if we want more, we have to buy them just like everyone else.  So, what you’re really asking when you email for a free book is for me to buy you a copy, and that’s very unlikely to happen.

Two – writing books is how I make my living.  I have a house and a family, both of which cost money – money I earn by writing books.  If I then spent that money buying the very books I’ve written to give them away for free – I’d very quickly have a hungry (and angry) family on my hands!  Try nipping into your local bakers to ask for a free sandwich – I bet you already know what the answer would be.

Three – Sometimes I DO buy books to give them away for free – as competition prizes.  I recently ordered 20 copies of Scream Street 5: Skull of the Skeleton and 20 copies of Scream Street 6: Claw of the Werewolf – and I’ve already handed most of them out as prizes at events or through competitions in the Screamcast or Terror Times.  To get your hands on one, simply watch out for the next contest and enter – you might be lucky!

Four – BOOKS ARE FREE at every single library in the world.  All you need to do is join once, and then you have literally thousands of books available to you, every day of the week, for absolutely nothing.  Plus, of course, joining your local library will help support a valuable local resource which should be protected at all costs.

So, the next time you want a book for free – I recommend you enter a contest, borrow a copy from a friend, or pop your coat on and head down to your local library.  Then you’ll have something to read, and I’ll be able to have dinner!

Tommy

I’ve taken a break from reading children’s books recently, and given three titles written for grown-ups a go – and they’ve all been about zombies…

** Please note – the following books feature some gruesome stuff and aren’t suitable for younger readers! **

WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks

I read this book after a recommendation (thanks, Richard!) and was hooked from page 1.  It tells the story of a world wide zombie attack and how the unifected had to organise themselves enough to fight back – but, instead of writing it as a straight forward narrative, Max Brooks ‘interviews’ survivors of the zombie war, providing a series of gripping personal stories and eye-witness accounts.  The result builds up a disturbing picture of the near destruction of humanity, and its fight back from the brink of extinction.

The book also adds a couple of cool features to zombies I hadn’t come across before – such as their ability to survive and attack underwater (they don’t have to breathe after all) and the brief respite enjoyed during winter months when the remaining fluid in the creatures’ bodies freezes, rendering them utterly immobile.

If you’re looking for all out brain-chomping, this isn’t the book for you – but if you fancy reading a new twist on zombie lore, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

—

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

I wanted to read this book from the moment I heard about it.  A classic of literature with a zombie sub-plot thrown in for good luck!  Who could lose?  Sadly, me…

I don’t like to give books bad reviews, especially now I know what goes into writing and publishing a novel, but this was something of a disappointment.  Once you get past the initial gag of characters battling ‘the unmentionables’ on their travels from society ball to society ball – there’s not much left.  Don’t get me wrong – the zombie attacks are fun to read, but they feel tacked on to the story (yes, I know they ARE tacked on to the original story – but I’d hoped the stitches might have been a little less obvious).  And, while Pride and Prejudice was always a good book, I don’t really want to plough through it again while I wait for the next undead fight sequence.  Enjoyable, but not what I’d hoped it would be.

—

BREATHERS by SG Browne

Easily the best of the three, Breathers tells the zombie story from the side of the undead.  Having reanimated after a car crash which left his wife dead (and staying dead), Andy is collected from the SPCA kennels by his parents and sent to live in their basement.  An embarrassment to his family (having a zombie in the home lowers house prices in the area), he has no idea why his wife didn’t come back from the grave, or why he did – but he’s going to have to find a way to cope.

Joining a zombie support group seems like the first step to take and, while his visits to Undead Anonymous don’t fix his speech, broken ankle or feeling of worthlessness – he does meet characters in a similar situation to his own.  There’s Jerry, a party-loving dude who never tires of telling others of his demise (or daring them to touch his exposed brain); Ian, the lawyer whose friends and family have yet to realise he doesn’t have a pulse; and the attractive yet mysterious suicide victim, Rita.

The book builds into an action-packed climax (which I won’t spoil here) that manages to be both splendidly gory and genuinely touching.  I cannot recommend Breathers enough – don’t you dare wait for the recently announced movie version!

Tommy

I’m back from my break – and more tired than ever!

Still, work beckons and I’m continuing my efforts to complete the first draft of Scream Street 9 by the end of the month.  Wish me luck…

Seven days, to be precise.  I’m going away for a week today for a short holiday with the family.  Normal service should resume next week…

Byeeeeeeee!

It’s often easy to forget that, as a writer, I work with words every day and find communicating my thoughts and feelings to others a very simple affair – but that’s not the case for everyone.  Some people struggle to make themselves understood.

So, I was delighted to discover a wonderful website that allows you to adopt a word for a year at a time and I used it to adopt the word SCREAM.

Adopt A Word charges just £20 to make a word ‘yours’ for 12 months – with all the money going to a brilliant charity called I Can which helps children with communication and speech problems.

So, if there’s a word you’ve always coveted, why not give it a good home?  Because words are for life – not just for Christmas cracker jokes…

Tommy