Terror Times
Jan/Feb 2012
Happy New Year Screamers! Welcome to The Terror Times – the newsletter about Scream Street and other books by author, Tommy Donbavand.
This month, there’s a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Scream Street, Japanese book covers, and a competition where you could win a signed copy of the audio book for The Uniform – read by me!
Let’s jump in…
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I get asked a lot of questions about Scream Street, some of them more than once. So, to keep you up to date with the world’s creepiest community – here are the answers to some of the questions I’m asked on a regular basis…
How did you get the idea for Scream Street?
It all happened back in October 2006. I was driving home from a school visit, thinking about what I should write next. I really wanted to try to do something about haunted houses – but with a twist. I suddenly realised that when you see a haunted house in a movie, book or cartoon, it’s always on its own – standing in a big plot of land, or perched at the top of a hill. Why didn’t you ever see a haunted house with a next door neighbour? Or – even better – a whole street of haunted houses? That was it! The name Scream Street popped into my head, and I started writing as soon as I got home. The first book in the series – Fang of the Vampire – was published by Walker Books exactly two ears later, in October 2008.
Where did the ideas for the characters come from?
With Luke, I always wanted an ordinary boy who becomes saddled with an extraordinary problem – so I named him after my nephew, Luke Donbavand. I knew he’d have two best friends, and so created Resus and Cleo straight after. For the rest of the residents, I took a typical horror stereotype and gave them a twist… Doug the zombie likes eating brains – but he prefers them barbecued, along with a couple of beers. Twinkle the fairy looks like a bricklayer in fancy dress. Eefa Everwell (named after Luke’s sister, Aoife Donbavand) is stunningly beautiful and not an aged, ugly hag. Mr and Mrs Crudley are house-proud bog monsters. Basically – I write down as many fun ideas as I can think of and choose the best.
How long does it take you to write each book?
Each book in the Scream Street series took around 3 months to write. That includes planning the story, inventing any new characters, writing the first draft, and then working my editor’s notes into the second, third and sometimes even a fourth draft. We tweak the text to make it a strong as possible right up until the moment the book goes to print. That whole process takes around 3 months.
Do you draw the illustrations for the books?
Not at all. I’m TERRIBLE at drawing! The day my publishers let me illustrate my own books is the day my career is over! The brilliant illustrations for Scream Street are done by the incredibly talented Lily Bernard of Cartoon Saloon – and I love them!
Which is your favourite Scream Street book?
That’s a really difficult question to answer! I like them all for different reasons. In Fang of the Vampire, I got to know my new characters really well; when I wrote Flesh of the Zombie, I enjoyed playing around with undead stereotypes; Terror of the Nightwatchman is probably the scariest book in the series (for me, at least!); and I loved the fart gags in Rampage of the Goblins. Pick a Scream Street book, and I’ll tell you why I like it!
Who is your favourite character?
That’s much easier to answer – Doug the zombie! There are three zombies who live in Scream Street, but I always choose Doug whenever I need one as he’s the most fun to write about!
Is Scream Street available outside the UK?
Yes! Scream Street is also published in the USA, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, Turkey, Spain (Basque), Spain (Spanish) and Indonesia. Different countries have purchased a different number of titles (such as 1-4, 1-6, or all 13), and are different stages of publication.
Are the Scream Street books available as ebooks or audio books?
They certainly are! The entire series are available as ebooks from Amazon, Waterstones and iBooks. Both Fang of the Vampire and Blood of the Witch have been recorded as audio books in the US, read by the awesome MacLeod Andrews!
Are you going to make a Scream Street movie or TV series?
At the moment, a Scream Street TV series is in development (see here for details), but I can’t say any more than that for now!
Will there be any more Scream Street books? Is book 13 really the end?
Yes. Book 13 is the final Scream Street book. For now. It’s possible that I may write more Scream Street in the future, so keep an eye on this website in case that happens. Plus, I’m always writing new Scream Street short stories for readers to enjoy. You can find them at www.screamstreet.co.uk
Have you written anything other than Scream Street?
Yes, I have. I wrote 5 adventures in the Too Ghoul for School series; 4 books of boredom busting activities – Quick Fixes For Bored Kids, More Quick Fixes for Bored Kids, Quick Fixes for Kids’ Parties, and Boredom Busters (you can get that last title for free here!); Making a Drama Out of a Crisis – a book of drama games and activities for teachers; Save The Day – a book in the David Beckham Academy series; and four standalone books for Barrington Stoke – Zombie!, Uniform, Wolf and Virus.
What are you writing next?
I’m currently working on a new adventure for Barrington Stoke, and the third book in my brand new series for Walker Books – the top secret Project FE! Watch this space for further news…
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素晴らしいニュース！(Great news!)
Scream Street has just launched in Japan- with these incredible covers!
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The Uniform and Wolf – two more of my books for top publisher, Barrington Stoke, have now been released on audio by the lovely people at Oakhill Publishing. What’s even better is that you get to hear me reading them! Samples will be posted to my website soon…
If you’d like to win a signed copy of The Uniform audio book, simply answer this question by Friday 17th February 2012…
What is the title of Tommy’s NEXT book from Barrington Stoke, where three characters are dragged inside the Internet? (Clue: You’ll find the answer on my website – www.tommydonbavand.com)
Email your answer, name and age to mail@tommydonbavand.com. When all entries are in, I’ll pick one name at random and contact that person to arrange delivery of the audio book.
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Finally this time, if you’re in the Derby area on Saturday 4th February, why not come along to see my Vampires vs Werewolves Game Show at Derby Central Library? Full details here: http://www.derby.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/libraries/library-events/vampires-vs-werewolves-game-show/
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Bye for now!
Hi Tommy Donbavand
I am as yet to read your books but I will as soon as they come in.
I would like your advice; I’m trying to write two stories. One I am having troubles thinking of how to get it to the point I would like it to. The other has gone completely of track from what I wanted it to be but has flow and a good storyline even then. Which one should I focus on.