That’s right: I HATE STEPS - and I don’t mean the manufactured boy/girl/whatever-H-was pop band of five or six years ago.  No, I hate the concrete going up and down from one level to another kind.

Last night started well enough.  I popped round to a friend’s house and spent a very pleasant hour or so chatting - but then it was time to go home.  I stepped out into the dark, icy wasteland that was my friend’s front garden and gingerly made my way along the frosty path.  All was well until I reached a step down to the gate, and then my feet slid from beneath me.

For a split-second, I could fly.  I lay, horizontal, in the air, gazing up in wonder at the blanket of stars above.  Then, gravity - the swine - kicked in.  I landed hard on the garden path, the small of my back hitting the edge of the step full on.  A bolt of pain shot up and down my back like lightning made of angry hedgehogs and every molecule of breath was squeezed from my lungs.

I remained still for a minute or two, partly so I could gather the courage to try and stand, but also while I pondered just how much surgery would be required to piece my shattered spine back together.  They’d surely have to use so many pins that I wouldn’t be able to walk past the freezer without being fastened to the door like some life-sized fridge magnet.

I eventually scrambled back to my feet and inched my way to the car and home, where I spent the entire night in restless agony.  Bizarrely - there isn’t a single bruise to show as evidence for when I take the weather to court and sue the pants off it.  If weather wears pants, that is.  And they’ll probably be made of clouds anyway and absolutely worthless as compensation.

Maybe I should sue H from Steps instead…

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The first review for a Scream Street book other than SS1: Fang of the Vampire has appeared on amazon.co.uk.  It’s for SS4: Flesh of the Zombie, and here’s what the reviewer had to say…

***** Another brilliant book!

The Scream Street series has really captured my 10 year old sons imagination. He literally devoured all of the books in this series within days and his face lit up when he talked about the story and the characters.

As a parent, I cant wish for anything better!

You can read the review in situ here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scream-Street-Flesh-Zombie/dp/1406314277/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228122605&sr=8-3

How chuffed am I?  That’s exactly the sort of reader I set out to reach.  In response - I promise I’ll write as many Scream Street books as my publishers will let me!

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The second edition of the Screamcast is now online!  This month I answer a question about how many Scream Street books there will be, hear feedback from fiendish fans in the north west, and read an exclusive short story - Bone To Be Wild!

Download your copy here!

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

It’s a double celebration here in the Donbavand household today.  Not only is it my birthday (I’m 41), but it’s also a year to the day since I started this blog.

And how will my blog and I be spending the day?  Working on all things Scream Street!  Great fun!

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Thanks to everyone at North Liverpool Academy for taking part in two great days of Scream Street events and workshops!  I love coming back to my home city, but the enthusiasm of pupils and teachers alike made this trip especially memorable.

Here’s to my next visit!

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I’m a little late posting this as I’ve only just watched the series after taping it a few weeks ago…

Congratulations to Charlie Brooker and everyone involved in the production of Dead Set - the zombie strewn take of Big Brother gone wrong.  Although I do love me some zombies - I don’t normally watch horror on film or TV (the resulting nightmares are unforgiving!), I really enjoyed this tale of the undead.

Top marks to Davina McCall for portraying herself as a zombie on screen (very scary!), along with several of the previous Big Brother contestants.  Praise is also due to Charlie Brooker’s script which manages to fill five episodes of zombie attacks without using the word ‘zombie’ once (it would have been too easy) and for genuinely surprising me with the ending.

I’m not a fan of Big Brother - or, indeed, any reality TV show - but this had me clamouring for more from the housemates, both living and dead!

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Scream Street 4: Flesh of the Zombie has recently received a great review from the zombie fans over at Blog of the Undead.

You can see what they had to say by clicking here: http://zombie-night.blogspot.com/2008/11/scream-street.html

Thanks for the kind words, guys.  Should the attack ever come, I’ll rescue you first!

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Y! Live, the site from Yahoo! that I use to broadcast my webcam, is going off the air from 3rd December.  I’m going to have to find another way to push images of me hard at work in my office out to the world.  I’ll let you know as soon as I find a replacement service.

In the meantime, please stand by…

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Scream Street 1: Fang of the Vampire has received a great review in the Liverpool Echo…

Blood-curdling capers – this is one of a series of four released this month – from Liverpool author Tommy Donbavand: grisly, gross and great fun.

You can see the full review here: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/views/liverpool-columnists/echo-columnists/2008/11/17/this-book-is-a-scream-100252-22275177/

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Thanks to everyone at Marden Bridge Middle School for a great day today.  I ran four creative writing workshops, and was amazed at the brilliant ideas which emerged.  Now the task is to turn those ideas into exciting stories!  I can’t wait to read them!

Tommy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!