I finished a second edit of The Filth Licker!

Woo hoo….   I’ve just send the latest version of Takeshita Demons II to my editor at Frances Lincoln Childrens Books, and I think it’s terrific! It was a rocking story even before Janetta gave me her feedback and ideas, and now, after a good going over complete with new exciting ideas, it’s even better than before.

What do you think? The Filth Licker
One major change, suggested by the sales team and prompted by Janetta, is the title. The working title was FORESTS AND FILTH LICKERS, but for reasons that will be apparent when you read it, we changed the title to THE FILTH LICKER. And I love it. Sometimes simple (if a little gross) is best.

And more great Takeshita Demons news:
Siku, the artist behind the awesome cover for Takeshita Demons (and the manga-style art scattered throughout its pages) is working on more amazing art for The Filth Licker.  I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.

And in techno-toy-joy news: We have an iPad!
And it’s soooooooooooooo cool. Fergus is already playing piano and flicking through photo albums. And his parents are pretty hooked too.

This, my friends, is more of the future than I ever thought I’d see. I had no idea things this cool already existed.

And guess what? I’d happily read a book or manuscript on this baby. They’re coming, people. The e-book, with all its  incredible potential (for rubbish as well as brilliance, just like the internet) is on its way. As writers and readers, we are so lucky to be around for this.

So what’s next?
Well, I have an itching. The first scene of Takeshita Demons III is an exciting one, and I can already see it unfolding. But first, some changes to the  plot outline are required, since some pesky characters (and yes, Alex and Cait: that means both of you!!) acted completely out of turn and didn’t stick to the script in The Filth Licker. Don’t you just love fiction!!

xx

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Part of the e-bookery future? Step into “The Winter House”

Check it out! I know this is just the tip of the  iceberg, but it’s still very cool. It’s interactive fiction: “a story you can talk to.”

Have a go and let me know what you think.

I think: exciting, engaging, interactive… You can read it with a friend and not feel like you’re waiting for them to finish. There’s spooky music and sound effects. There’s mystery clues. And you have to follow your nose for the story to continue. I love it.

I love Ye Olde Fashioned books, don’t get me wrong. But, having moved house about a billion times in the last ten years, proper-paper-woah-that’s-heavy-oh-no-get-me-to-a-chiropractor books do have their limitations.

Are things more fun when you can get your hands dirty?

That said, a recent post by Angela Meyer (Show Me Your Spines) showcased the pile of books beside her bed, and looking at the pile made me realise: lugging paper books around does have a bonus.

Paper books must be shelved, stacked, put. They can’t hide away in your hard drive. They are in your face, screaming “Read me” or “Remember me” or just “Whee, aren’t books great.”

Fergus already has a stack of books he likes to “read”, and because we don’t have a shelf for them yet they generally flop around on the couch/floor/rug/table, spread out to take up maximum surface area, and thus to demand maximum attention. We’ve just ordered an iPad from the US, more as a plaything than a serious investment in e-bookery, but it will be interesting to see which of the two he prefers.

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