I’ll be doing a Guardian Masterclass on 25th January. Please join me for practical, actionable, deep dive into building your world for fiction (book, game, screen). To find out more, please click here. Nest Learning Thermostat Review – From AmazonPros and Cons of Use Water Saving Shower HeadBest Mobile PlanerChoosing the Perfect Rifle Scope for […]
There is no formula for great writing. No shortcuts. No magic pills (though many have tried). And no easy path. While there are shelves full of “How To” books on the craft, and I believe that writing is a craft that can be taught, it starts with talent and intent; and must be honed. If anything, […]
I joined a host of other authors for a Yuletide literary celebration at my local Waterstones in festive Hampstead. Most of the “adult” authors were downstairs, leaving all the fun to the kids table in the W cafe. I was particularly pleased to hang out with fellow children’s writers Robin Stevens (Murder Most Unladylike), Jenny Broom […]
So here’s some great news, there’s more ‘Neurotic Zombie’ on the way! I’ve just come off an epic book tour, introducing OCD zombie Adam Meltzer to the masses and my publisher Faber has asked for a follow-up book! I’ve actually been working away on sequel story since the Spring, but it looks like it’ll come out […]
This weekend I learned with great sadness that Ray Montgomery (you may know him as R.A.Montgomery), founder and author of the Choose Your Own Adventure books passed away this week. His publisher shared a full obituary, which you can (and should!) read here: http://www.cyoa.com, but I thought I’d share my experience with Ray…. Because Ray got me […]
The one aspect of being a writer nobody prepared me is the solitary nature of the job – it’s just you, your imagination, and fictional characters. But every now and again, I get out from behind the writing desk (probably much to my editor’s annoyance…who’s waiting on a new book) and go from utter solitude to hyper […]
Halloween is a time to celebrate the scary and play with our fears. For one night, we can place aside our real fears (Ebola, climate change, school shootings, terrorism) and focus on ghosts, ghouls and zombies. But it’s only one night a year. What about the other three hundred and sixty four nights? Fortunately, we’ve got books. […]
Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good party. So when the good folks at Penguin Canada decided to bring ‘Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie’ into Canada, I naturally wanted to celebrate with my family, friends, and colleagues. This week at the Young People’s Theatre in Toronto, we introduced Adam Meltzer to the […]
You’d have to be living under a rock, or perhaps deep underground or in a maze, not to know that THE MAZE RUNNER movie has just opened. The film, from Fox, based on James Dashner’s best-selling YA thriller, opened well this weekend in the U.S. and a sequel is in the works for next September. […]
I vividly recall the last Quebec referendum that threatened to tear Canada apart. It was 1995, I was in high school, and all the history and geography I’d been studying was about to be thrown out of the window with the cast of the ballot. Now, years later, living in the UK (London), I’m stuck […]
