A very productive week

Some weeks I feel as though I hardly get anything done and the time just seems to disappear, but this week I feel as though I've done lots of things. I think that's because writing and being a writer has lots of different parts to it - it's not just all about writing...

• A lot of time is taken up with thinking and letting story ideas build up in your mind,
• Writing letters, answering emails, and other paperwork,
• Writing new stories, editing or re-writing stories that publishers and illustrators are working on,
• Messing around with my web site,
• Looking through and checking rough illustrations and draft copies of books,
• Visiting schools and libraries,

and all this has to be balanced with other things in your life - family and friends, another job, looking after the house...

But this week I feel as though I've managed to do a lot. I've finished Robo-Runners Book Six - Aquanauts - and am really happy with it. My editor, Rachel, really likes it too (which is great). Book six is the last one in the series for now and I feel really happy that I've got to the end of the series but also a little sad that I'll be leaving the two main characters - Crank and Al - and their strange world. Hopefully I will be able to write more Robo-Runners books later on, but that all depends how well they do. If people like them - then I might be able to do some more. I've got plenty more ideas for the series.

I've also finished writing the Trojan Horse Story that I was asked to do - it's much shorter than the robot books (only 400 words) but it can be quite tricky writing short stories - especially if they are based on much longer stories. At the moment the book is called The Trick of The Trojan Horse, but that might change, we'll have to see.

As well as finishing these two books I've also just received a rough copy of Mr Grim's Tower to have a look at. This is a small book I have done for Oxford University Press that will appear mainly in schools. I was thrilled to see that the wonderful Korky Paul has done the illustrations for the book - and it looks great.

All in all it's been a busy week with lots of things getting finished.

Now to write something new...

Oh! The postman has just brough a big package.

Blackpool Illuminations

This weekend was the last weekend of the Blackpool illuminations so once it got dark we set off for a walk along the seafront.

Most people look at the illuminations from from their cars or from one of the famous Blackpool trams (like this one in the picture that's shaped like a ship and covered with lights) but we like to buy some chips and have a walk along the promenade to see them. There's nothing quite like eating chips when you're outside on a cold evening... they always taste so much better than when you eat them at home.

We didn't walk along the whole length of the illuminations - we just walked part of the way so we could see the big tableau's. This big pirate ship is one of my favourites, but there's also a haunted house, and Egyptian tomb and lots more.

It's good waiting until the very last weekend of the illuminations as it is so close to bonfire night that the sky is full of fireworks... it gives us plenty to look at as we walk along.

Snail's Legs in Paperback

Whilst rooting around on the internet - or Surfing as it's called - I found that my profile had been added to the Frances Lincoln website. Frances Lincoln are the wonderful publishers of Snail's Legs, the picture book that I've done with Korky Paul.

What was interesting is that it seems the paperback version of the book is going to have a different cover from the hardback. No one has said anything about this to me but if this is to be the new cover - then I like it alot.

I think it looks much brighter and more colourful than the Hardback version.

The paperback comes out the 1st March next year... I can't wait.