When I first saw the latest storyblog topic, I was a bit wary as I didn’t particularly want to write about any family members faults just incase any ended up reading this blog!

So I thought I’d write about my girlfriend, Kims family instead!

I was thinking about good and bad experiences I’d had with them, and the first thing that came to mind was me learning to play ‘chopsticks’ on the piano with Kims little sister.

This experience was particularly cool because of their dog, a Jack Russell called Toby.

He came in while we were playing, lay on his side and stuck one of his ears out to listen to us play. I’d never really thought of having a dog before, but after that I decided that I really wanted one, a Jack Russell preferably.

But….

We were staying at Kims parents for a week or so and every morning I would be woken up (much earlier than i would have liked) by a scratching sound!

It turned that it was Toby, scratching on the door. I like my sleep.

So, (for now) I have decided not to own a dog, as I cant deal with being woken every day by the sound of scratching (not to mention the amount of doors you would need to replace!), So instead have decided to write about one (a dog), who also happens to be a Jack Russell.

Richard Collingridge is an illustrator and concept artist.  He has previously worked on the covers for Trash by Andy Mulligan, The Deserter by Peadar O’ Guilin, and WE by John Dickinson.  Richard’s first picture book, When It Snows, will be in the shops next month – take a look at the trailer here!

Kenneth Oppel talks about his love for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – and what it was like to reimagine the character, Victor, and explore his youth. Drop by to see what he says, here.

This is my Dad, second from the right, in RAF cadet uniform. It’s 1943, and he’s in Canada, training for aircrew. He’s 20; he hasn’t met my Mum yet, and I’m a good few years in the future.

Like many boys at the start of the war, Dad wanted to be a Spitfire pilot, and joined the RAF as soon as he was old enough. But things had moved on by then, and the RAF wanted bomber crews rather than fighter pilots. Dad did learn to fly, but because he was good at maths (not an attribute he passed on to me) he was selected as a navigator. From the start of 1944 until the end of the war, he flew on operations in a Lancaster bomber, afterwards deployed to bring troops home, and to take part in the “Manna” raids, dropping food parcels for the starving population of the Netherlands.

More than 50,000 aircrew were killed during the Second World War. More than fifty thousand. The death rate was 44.4%. Of all the forces, only the submarine crews faced worse odds. On a disastrous raid to Nuremberg in March 1944, 96 aircraft were shot down, with a loss of 545 lives in a single night. Yet, in spite of the terrible odds they faced and the devastating losses they endured, the aircrew of Bomber Command were never given a campaign medal, because of post-war controversy surrounding the area bombing of cities. This was the favoured policy of Sir Arthur Harris, Chief of Staff of Bomber Command, encouraged by Winston Churchill, who swiftly distanced himself from the decision when things began to look different in peacetime. As Prime Minister, Churchill made no mention of Bomber Command in his victory speech. Read the rest of this entry »

Jenny Downham’s debut novel Before I Die has been adapted into a film starring Dakota Fanning, Jeremy Irvine, Paddy Considine and Olivia Williams. Now is Good was directed by Ol Parker and is out in cinemas NOW! You can see a trailer for it here and read a review here. Now book your tickets!

Well, the idea is that Tess, my 13-year-old cocker spaniel sits quietly under my desk while I write (1 point to her) while Timmy the cat, who is 18, lies curled up nearby, slumbering though the day (1 point to him). The reality is often rather different. Timmy particularly likes walking across the keyboard (or wlkjinnnnnjas acccccccc sidngddslssdithl l 555555, as he would type it) and Tess just wants to eat all time.

The Happy Couple

She may be going a bit dotty in her old age, or perhaps she’s just greedy (behaviour certainly learned from me – so minus 9 from my score) but she sees every incident in her day as an opportunity for a new feast.

Despite living close to several beauty spots, her favourite walk is up the road by our local shops, where she can spot a dropped chip at fifty yards. I’m thinking of invoicing the Council for the work she does cleaning up the pavement around the bus stops every morning (+2 points), but she has no shame about lurching towards a toddler with an ice-cream or, when the sun is out and cafes put tables on the pavement, trying to snaffle a cup cake from an old lady’s plate (-6).

Thank goodness that she is blessed with charm. People round here seem to be very forgiving (10 points to them), and Tess knows how to wring their heart strings. Our local pet shop recently closed down. If I try to walk past it, Tess stops and nuzzles the door. An innocent passer-by might see this as a poignant commentary on the state of the retail economy. I know she’s just remembering how the lovely lady who used to own the shop would sometimes slip her a delicious little something while I paid for the low-fat dog food.
When I do manage to drag Tess to the park, she sets her radar to picnic detection.   Read the rest of this entry »

The author of Before I Die and You Against Me has been answering questions from fans! Jenny Downham’s first book has recently been adapted and released as a film, Now is Good, starring Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine. Jenny has taken part in two webchats recently, which you can catch up with here and here.

“…so we’re asking our Storybloggers to tell us about one of their family members. What is their most angelic trait, the nicest thing they’ve done for you? And what is their worst habit – the one which drives you round the twist – and how about The Incident – the one which made you pull your hair out and fume furiously?”

I feel the pressure of being the first person to respond to a new question on this group blog. ‘Will I get it right?’ I ask myself. ‘Am I about to go off on a complete tangent?’ Usually at this point I shout ‘la la la’ in my head to stop myself thinking about the fact that everyone who follows is a better, more experienced writer.

So imagine my horror at this month’s subject. I’m really sorry but I can’t start drawing up tallies of things my family do that I find irritating. They have much longer lists about me, all front of mind. And picture my embarrassment when I learn that no one else has an incident involving Great Uncle Albert, a stuffed weasel and a catering tub of Marmite.

I wondered, therefore, if perhaps I could tell you about the things I do that drive people round the twist. Because now I think about it this one’s easy. I don’t know about you but I can rattle off a top ten of character flaws that annoy my family. They spring to mind instantly and I could probably go on for hours. But I won’t, because that would be quite irritating too I imagine. No need for you to suffer as well as them.

Things about me that would have you gnashing your teeth within a mere couple of decades:

1. I always pause before speaking on the phone, even when I’m the one who’s calling (that one’s for you Caroline)
2. I gap out quite a lot
3. I still don’t know how to put a bin liner in the bin without it falling to the bottom and therefore creating a mess
4. I say ‘um’ frequently
5. I have a violent dislike of people reading my magazines before me
6. I am not capable of having a bath that takes less than an hour
7. I usually turn up to formal occasions wearing inappropriately scruffy clothes
8. If it’s not a formal occasion I arrive wearing clothes that are not warm enough and then am surprised because I’m cold
9. I’m always late. This too is always a surprise
10. I’m an incompetent packer. I once arrived for a weekend away with no knickers, no socks, no deodorant, no toothbrush, no shampoo and no trousers (which is a bad combination with no knickers).

Do you know what? I’ve just shown this to my husband and he’s now sat on the sofa reeling off dozens more. Thank god I didn’t post this question on Facebook. It would break under the strain. Until next time dear DFB blog readers. I will be late (possibly due to getting stuck in the bath) and quite probably dressed in an inappropriate manner. Let’s just all hope I’m not doing the packing.

Melanie Welsh is the creator of Verity Gallant’s adventures in The Mistress of the Storm and Heart of Stone.  Click hereto read an extract from Melanie’s latest story!

This month, DFB is all about family. Siblings, cousins, parents …and pets! We’ve welcomed Charlie Small’s cousin, Alfie, to our shelves

..hurtled after MY LITTLE SISTER on her extravagant adventures

and cheered on the struggle between good and evil, Muddlespot and Windleberry, Sally Jones and her twin sister, Billie:

So, we’re asking our Storybloggers to tell us about one of their family members. What is their most angelic trait, the nicest thing they’ve done for you? What is their worst habit – the one which drives you round the twist – and how about The Incident – the one which made you pull your hair out and fume furiously?

Everyone has a Lifetime Deed Counter (LDC). It works like this:
You offer to help with the housework:          Lifetime Good Deeds +1
You steal your little brother’s sweets:          Lifetime Bad Deeds +1*

We want to see a point ping up for both good and bad on their LDCs.  ..and, after following the loyal pup in MY LITTLE SISTER, Sally Jones’ cat Shades and Alfie Small’s dog Jed – we’re keen to hear about pets too! Their cherubin deeds and impish ways..

Why not take a peek at the opening pages of these new books, whilst we wait for our Storybloggers to bare the truth and dish the dirt..

Muddle and Win: The Battle for Sally Jones by John Dickinson

My Little Sister by Joanna Harrison

*One of the many brilliant ideas introduced in John Dickinson’s new book.

MEZOLITH artist Adam Brockbank picks the 8 comics he would choose if stranded on a desert island – and gives a sneak preview of MEZOLITH 2 artwork over on the Forbidden Planet blog.

I never set out to write more than one Varjak Paw book.  I started with the story of a kitten coming into his power, growing into a cat – and for me, that story ends at the end of Varjak Paw.

But writing it, I’d found all sorts of questions that I couldn’t answer in one book.  Take Sally Bones, boss of the meanest gang of streets cats in town.  Varjak had made a terrible enemy there; what was going to happen when he went back to the city?  It was clear that I was going to have to write a sequel.

But I don’t usually like sequels.  As a reader, there’s nothing I hate more than a sequel that lets me down, and so many of them do.  There was no way I could let that happen with Varjak.  I promised myself there would only be a sequel if it was as good as the first one, if not better.  It needed to be a great book in its own right, with a story that could stand alone and take us somewhere new.

I didn’t think it would be all that hard; I already had characters, situations, places… how hard could it be?  Well, it took me three years and 11 drafts, and I can honestly say it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done!  Here was my problem.  In the first book, a powerless kitten becomes a powerful cat.  That’s an interesting story.  But a character with power is just not that interesting.  He can fight his way out of any corner, so where’s the story?

I tried all kinds of things.  I explored the city, and found whole new areas.  I discovered some great new characters, like the Scratch Sisters, the Orrible Twins, and of course Buster and Bomballooloo, who I think have the best names in the book!  But Varjak’s underlying story just wasn’t there.  Nothing felt as exciting as what had happened in Varjak Paw.

Around draft eight, I remember feeling totally lost.  I felt sure I’d never complete the book.  I thought I was finished as a writer.  The first book was just a lucky accident, but now the truth was clear: I would never write anything else again.  I wanted to give up.  These were very dark times indeed.

But somehow… those feelings gave me the key to the story.  What if Varjak felt exactly like I did?  What if he believed he’d lost his power?  How would he survive without all the skills he’d learned in the first book?  What would he fall back on then?  The moment I had that thought, the book came to life.  The story came into focus, sharp and clear.  It didn’t take long from there to finish it.

The Outlaw Varjak Paw went on to win the Blue Peter Book Of The Year – one of the most amazing things that has happened to me.  But the experience taught me a very big lesson.  You should only write a book if you already have a story for it.  Otherwise, you’ll get as lost and confused as I did.  So to answer a question that I’m often asked: yes, there will be a third Varjak Paw book one day – but only when I know what the story is!

SF Said is the author of Varjak Paw (winner of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize), and The Outlaw Varjak Paw (winner of the Blue Peter Book Of The Year).  He has just completed a new novel for DFB, an epic space adventure called PHOENIX, which will be published in 2013. He lives and works in London, but you can read a CBBC Newsround interview with him here, and click here to read an extract from Varjak Paw.