Hello! If you’ve arrived late, you can read the earlier entries here (or just scroll down the DFB blog).

The motorcycle stunt really did freak me out. I hate to watch people taking huge risks just to entertain people. But it was still pretty amazing. Here’s my footage:

And the park, which is much more serene, but very quirky.

Now read Part 4!

And we’re back with the second installment of Gini & Sam go to China! We’ll try to have something for you every day this week.

… to be continued! (Read the first episode here.) I’ll be posting some travel photos soon over on our studio blog at The Fleece Station. Pop on over and say hello!

Now read Part 3!

Hello everyone,

There’s now another way that you can keep up to date with all the brilliant, bracing and and downright DFBizarre news straight from our publishing HQ. 

Just search for @DFB_storyhouse on Twitter. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Hey, everyone! I just came back from three weeks in China and I made a comic journal while I was there! It ties in with some earlier travel comics I made (that’s why I’m called Gini and Stuart’s named Sam). I’m going to post a few pages at a time so as not to break the internet, so keep coming back for the latest update!

I drew all the characters as animals (just like in my book Vern and Lettuce) because they’re easier to draw quickly than people. (I think my Gini and Sam moles are what originally inspired the anarchic moles in V&L.) Travel comics are generally fast and scrappy, you usually have to draw them while you’re riding on a bucking bus or rattling around in an airplane during turbulence. So any bizarre ink splodges or strangely wiggly lines are souvenirs of the trip, not mistakes.

GINI & SAM GO TO CHINA

…to be continued! (Our fab Chinese-American guide Jasmine came to us through Jasmine’s China Adventure Tours.)

Now read Part 2!

I’m delighted to announce that we’ve just signed up a fantastic new trilogy by debut author Tim Hall!

The first book of the trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf, is set in Sherwood Forest in medieval England. However, if you think you know the story then think again. Tim Hall presents a Robin Hood more heroic and horrific than ever before: a blind, ruthless assassin and elemental creature of the forest. Fourteen-year-old Robin may not be able to see, but he learns to understand every sound that the forest makes – the heartbeat of a nearby bird, the sound of a deer drinking from a stream, the gentle rustle of an enemy boot passing through the foliage…

We don’t want to give too much away right now, but here’s a sneaky peek of what’s to come:

So many tales have already been told of Robin Hood. Already he’s the hero with a thousand faces.

First, forget everything you’ve heard. Robin was no prince, and he was no dispossessed lord; he didn’t fight in the Crusades; he never gave a penny to the poor.

His real name wasn’t even Robin Hood. Marian called him that as a kind of joke. Sir Robin of the Hood. A name Robin would cling to when he was losing grip of everything else.  Mind you, one thing you’ve heard is true. He was blind.

No, that’s not right. Let me put that another way. Truer to say, Robin Hood didn’t see with his eyes. In fact he was the only one who saw clearly in this place of illusion and lies.

Tim has previously worked as a news journalist, and this is his first book for young adults. Packed full of dark drama and unexpected plot twists, Shadow of the Wolf is an absolute page turner that will have teenage readers clamouring for its sequel. When the manuscript came in, I read it all in one sitting and couldn’t put it down. We’re all very excited to be working with Tim on this fantastic new project.

Watch this space!

….I know that Glastonbury festival is just around the corner, but today we’d like to help announce ABBA – the  AWFULLY BIG BLOG ADVENTURE ONLINE LITERARY FESTIVAL, taking place 9-10 JULY 2011, right here.  

The Awfully Big Blog Adventure is celebrating its 3^rd Birthday with the FIRST EVER ONLINE LITERARY FESTIVAL(!) run entirely by children’s authors! And DFB’s Linda Newbery will be taking part, no doubt to celebrate the wonderful paperback of LOB, out last month.

On 9^th and 10^th July 2011,  40 (yes FORTY) children’s authors from the Scattered Authors’ Society - including Adele Geras, Mary Hoffman, Liz Kessler and Celia Rees - will be bringing you something new and special every half hour from 9.30am to 7.30pm.

There’ll be blogs, videos, giveaways, interviews and competitions, all involving these fantastic writers!

You can join the Facebook festival guest list here and follow@AwfullyBigBlog on Twitter for  all the latest news.

Naturally, there will be virtual champagne and cake on the day, so why not join their fantastically fabulous literary party!