Out now! The Special Edition, including a new story featuring the witch, Dragwena.
Hi guys,
It has been awhile since I last updated this page, but that is because there is not a lot of news on the books front.
ANGEL was my last novel, and for reasons I will not go into here, I am delayed in getting the next one out and I am not sure when it will be. Probably next year (2010) rather than this.
Hopefully, the new covers will introduce a whole new generation of younger readers to them for the first time.
By the way, do you like the new pic of me? Gone has gone the enigmatic smile of black and white monochrome, and in comes the new coloured-in version with a broad happy grin. I thought it was time for an update when someone saw me at a school recently, looked at a printed version of the last photo on the website and, shaking their head, said, 'Naa, that's not you ... Naa, no way ... no ... is it? Naa ...'
On other news, those of you who have read the SILVER SEQUENCE will be disappointed to hear that the second and third books of that series are now out of print in the U.K. However, you can still order the UK editions from specialist sellers on amazon.co.uk, or straight from amazon.com where the American editions are still all available.
I have pointed the website towards the American editions, where they are more easily bought if you want them. I do like the American covers, actually, especially for SILVER CHILD and SILVER WORLD. THE SILVER CHILD is still available in a U.K. edition.
Oh, and I've had all sorts of editing problems on this page with weird characters appearing everywhere - and elsewhere on the website too! It's so bad i've decided to scrap all previous updates, which had become unreadable. Hopefully it'll get fixed soon.
Irritating, but there is nothing I can do about it. I am not even sure what the subject of that novel will be yet. In the meantime, you will have to make do with the reissues of the DOOMSPELL books, in flashy new covers.
It is weird to think that the first of these, THE DOOMSPELL itself, came out in 2000, so the readers of 10-12 who were its main focus are now heading towards or already sliding into their twenties.
EVENTS
I will be at the Stratford Literary Festival on April 30th. More details to follow once I know the arrangements.
AWARDS
I had a lovely day recently at the North East Teenage Award Ceremony in Newcastle.
ANGEL was on a shortlist with 4 other books by Anthony McGowan, Jenny Valentine, Mary Hoffman, Sam Entoven and Nick Hornby. ANGEL was well-liked but the prize went to Jenny Valentine for BROKEN SOUP.
It was great to participate, see so many enthusiastic youngsters and enjoy the company of the other authors. Seeing all the other writers together you realize what a different bunch of people authors are, how interestingly varied.
ANGEL
Reactions to ANGEL have generally been very good, but it has received a few bitingly nasty reviews from readers in the United States. Interesting, really. Since this is the warmest book in some ways I have written, with such an inclusive message, I have been surprised, but I have written about secular angels, and I suspect that I may have stepped on the toes of a few people who have very religiously fixed views on the subject.
Oh well, as someone told me, you cannot write anything any good without offending someone. That is all for now.
Be good to each other. Ciao. Cliff
