Describe the place where you write/draw.

I write in the living room, sitting on the sofa. Our flat has wooden floors and you can see treetops through the windows on either side, so I like to think of it as a treehouse (NB it is not a treehouse). Sofa-based writing is the best because it doesn’t feel like work.

This is what I stare at when I'm thinking

What is your most treasured possession?

Behold my mandolin:

Look how beautiful it is!

Ok, actually this is just one of my mandolins. Why does a person need more than one mandolin, you ask (or at least, my girlfriend asks)? Because they all sound different, obviously. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve tried to resist plugging my own book on the storyblog (really, I have), but today is publication day (HURRAH!) so I’m going to abandon my dignity and go for it.

Actually I can claim some relevance to the nautical theme, because The Demon’s Watch is set in a port and has loads of ships and sailing in it. So with that in mind I thought I’d share with you the very first scene I wrote for the book. It didn’t make it into the final version, but I’m still fond of it.

‘What’s wrong? Scared of a little water?’

The cabin boy clung to the mast, his face white, his shirt drenched with spray. Captain Clagg gave the lad a shove with his boot and sent him sprawling across the deck.

Another flash of lightning; another crack of thunder.

Clagg glared at the sky and drew a bottle of firewater from his sodden pocket.

‘Is that the best you can do?’ Read the rest of this entry »

First off, I’d like to make it clear that I am not going to mention my wonderful editor Simon Mason’s book MOON PIE, so as to avoid coming across as some kind of desperately sycophantic teacher’s pet. I am not going to tell you that it’s a moving story about a girl’s struggle to cope with her alcoholic father, which somehow manages to be funny at the same time. I just won’t do it. So with that out of the way…

This year I’ve read a lot of fantastic children’s books set in the present day. Among my favourites was A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness & Siobhan Dowd - a cleverly constructed story which walks the line between fantasy and reality. It’s hard to say much more about it without spoiling the story – so I won’t.

I also loved Cat Clarke’s new book TORN Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been suggested before on this blog that writers are like magpies, stealing shiny things and adapting them to line the nests of their stories. So this month I’d like to tell you about how I took one particularly shiny thing I’ve experienced and brought it into the imaginary world of my book, The Demon’s Watch.

The shiny thing is an incredible building in East London called Wilton’s, a genuine 19th century music hall (and the oldest surviving in the world). Wilton’s puts on a huge variety of music and theatre; to give you an idea, I have been there to see a Christmas farce, a dramatised recital of the Wasteland and my uncle’s rock and roll band. It’s worth a visit just for the place itself though, and you’ll see why if you click on this link and take a quick virtual tour:

http://www.sphericalimages.com/wiltonsmusichall/index.html

I wanted to set a scene in a theatre like Wilton’s. But since I was writing a fantasy story, it wouldn’t be quite the same. For starters, I needed a larger auditorium, with dilapidated galleries stretching up four or five storeys high. And instead of people, these galleries would be filled with trolls, elves and goblins, dressed in jackets and tricorne hats - all shouting out, stamping their feet and shoving each other to get a better view of the action taking place below. In the highest galleries would be the wealthiest audience members – crooked merchants and crime lords – sitting in a haze of smoke, puffing on pipes and sipping wine from crystal goblets.

Instead of a stage, the entire ground floor would be filled with a deep pool of water. And in the water would be the show itself. A fight to the death… And that’s all I can say without giving away too much.

All that was left was for my hero, half-goblin boy Joseph Grubb, to visit my new creation. I would like to tell you that he enjoys the show. But unfortunately that would be very far from the truth.

http://www.wiltons.org.uk

Conrad Mason’s first children’s novel, The Demon’s Watch,will be out in March 2012 and features goblins, pirates, magic and skulduggery. You can follow him on twitter – @conradwrites – and you can find him on facebook here!

A long time ago, I was flicking through the books on my parents’ shelves when I found a comic. This was a surprise, because my parents generally read Serious Grown-up Novels, and this comic didn’t seem very grown-up at all. It had magic and sword-fighting in it, not to mention some pretty graphic bloodshed. There was one image in particular which was so stomach-churning that I had to skip past it every time – although I would always take a moment to peer at it round the edge of the page, testing how much I could handle.

One of the less blood-spattered panels

I read the comic over and over. It was set in ancient Scotland, and told the story of a general who received a prophecy from three witches that he would one day rule the kingdom. Consumed with ambition, he killed the king and took his place, going on to kill (there was a lot of killing) anyone he thought might suspect the truth. In the end he was killed by the rightful heir to the throne, and the very last picture showed the three witches dancing around his gravestone.

As you might have guessed, the comic was called Macbeth, and according to the spine it had been written by someone called William Shakespeare. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m very excited to be here on the DFB blog! Thinking about misunderstandings and bad luck reminded me of this little story I wrote a while ago. It was supposed to be the start of a bigger story, but that never quite took off. Maybe I’ll come back to it some day. Until then, I hope you enjoy The Rat Catchers:

The Rat Catchers

‘There is only one rule,’ said the steward. ‘Do not touch this suit of armour.’

It didn’t look so special to me. There were ten or twelve other suits around the great hall, propped up on display like headless guards. Every one of them looked the same.

‘Right,’ I said. ‘Why?’

The great hall belonged to Baron Kal, and this was the first time we’d ever been inside. Me, Sky and Ditchwater – we’re trappers. No vermin too big, vicious or smelly. And that was good, because this far north, a lot of animals get tainted by the magic which seeps from the Unquiet Marshes. It makes the average pest really big, really vicious and really smelly.

‘This suit,’ said the steward, ‘was enchanted by the sorceress Gelda. In addition to the sentimental value, it can withstand any blow from any weapon. Needless to say, it is excessively valuable. The Baron would be . . . inconsolable if anything were to happen to it. Is that clear?’

‘Fine,’ I said. ‘But, I mean, if it’s such fantastic armour, how could we damage it?’ The steward’s nostrils flared. ‘Um, never mind. Got it. We’ve all got it. The suit by the doorway, third from the left.’

Ditch nodded. Sky was busy examining a tapestry on the wall, looking faintly disgusted. He prodded the material, and the steward winced. ‘So,’ I said, hastily. ‘This wheezer. Tell us about it.’

The steward took a deep breath. You could tell he was starting to crack, and it was mostly thanks to Sky. Our eldest brother kept stopping to frown at mirrors, scuff mud on the floor, pick things up and put them down in the wrong places.

‘There was an incident in the kitchens, two weeks ago. A serving girl was chopping vegetables when the wheezer came out of the fireplace. Then a rather more unfortunate occurrence, during a feast. The creature floated in through the window, and we had to encourage it back outside with dining chairs.’ Read the rest of this entry »