I’ve got my TV hat on today. Well, actually, I’m not wearing a hat and if I did, it’d be my Blue Jays cap….but that’s another blog. For now, I’m heading down to Cannes, France to dive in to the world of TV. This is my very first MIPCOM, and I’m going because as a […]
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Publication Day!
It takes a long time to write a book, and also a long time to wait until it’s actually published, but today’s the day! The sequel to Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie publishes today, and I popped into my local indie bookshop, West End Lane Books, to find the product of my creativity (how cool […]
Straight Outta Croxton
I’m fascinated by the intersection of character & setting. It’s the nature vs. nurture phenomenon of shaping compelling characters, begging the question does the setting shape the character or does the character exist independently of the place? Think of some of your favourite characters from books or films, they are inextricably linked to their place… Luke Skywalker […]
Happy Princess Ponies publication day!
OK pony loving Americans, today is the day you probably didn’t even know you were waiting for… Publication day for the next two Princess Ponies books! Partaking in the celebration on twitter, awesome illustrators Sarah McIntyre & Ellisa Elwick got our their crayons and drew this lovely picture of celebrating Princess Ponies… These new books are the […]
Why Comic Con Matters
Every year, thousands of comics fans gather in San Diego to celebrate the sub-culture (turned pop-culture) of comics. And I’m using “comics” in the American, graphic novel sense of the word, not the more childish comic strip way that’s used in Britain by The Beano. People fly from all around the world to attend the […]
Neurotic is the New Black
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” That’s what we’re told. And yet, what do people actually do? Of course they do. We’re visual thinkers and take cues from book jackets to guide our decision making. Books are actually a lot like fashion (or a fashion accessory); readers have to want to be seen reading […]
CMC, Yeah You Know Me
This week I’ll be heading up to sunny Sheffield for the annual Children’s Media Conference. It’s Europe’s big confab for all things related to media for young people. When I first attended, the CMC was mostly TV focused. It’s grown in scope and ambition as the media landscape has evolved and fragmented, and now covers […]
Back to Banff
After 29 years, I finally returned to the magical mountain town of Banff, Alberta, Canada. If you’ve never visited, Banff is probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to. I first went as a boy, en route home from Expo 86, and blogged about it for the awesome Canadian literature blog 49th Shelf. It […]
Banfftastic
This week I’m heading to Banff, Alberta for the World Media Festival. I’m wearing my TV hat (not my cowboy hat) this week, meeting with producers and broadcasters on the Awesome slate of drama projects we’ve been cooking up. It’s a different process to writing books, but not that different. It’s still about story, character, […]
Hay Fever
I played my first Hay Festival this week! If you don’t know, Hay is like the Glastonbury for books…or the ComicCon for literature. It’s a huge festival in a tiny town. The organizers (who must be super organised) set up a tent city in a field, complete with bookshops, bars, restaurants, a swishy green-room, and […]