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, […]
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 […]
This weekend I attended the Moreton On Marsh Show, an annual agricultural fair in the gorgeous Cotswolds. It was my fifth time attending. For anyone with young children (or an interest in rural life), it’s simply a grand day out. But beyond the sheer entertainment value, it’s a vital aspect to our food supply, and a […]
Tomorrow marks the end of a long road! It’s been over seven years to bring a book I love to the screen, but on September 6th (at 4 pm), Trucktown debuts on preschool channel Treehouse in Canada, and will soon be rolling out all over the world. At the Bologna Book Fair in 2007, I was shown […]
