Late last year I was invited by the author Linda Jones to illustrate her upcoming children's novel 'Deadwood Hall', which launched just before Christmas.
It's a book about secrets, friendship and magic. Though what drew me to the project was the fact that I'd get to draw giant rampaging insects and slimy lizard creatures (and to think that my school teachers only ever wanted me to draw wicker baskets and bowls of fruit! They missed a trick there, I reckon).
Since I'm just about to get started on illustrating the sequel, I figured this might be a good time to actually mention that the first book is out.
It's available in paperback and ebook on Amazon, at the following link:
It's already managed to hit the top 100 bestseller charts in the 'Fantasy and Magic' category (at number 57), and seems to be going down well. So if you happen to have one of them 'small human' types, perhaps consider giving it a look.
In other news, I'm also hard at work writing and illustrating the Grynbad sequel, 'Grynbad And The Eye Of Griselda', which sees Timmy Grynbad and his mischievous grandpa take to their skies on the most miserable magic carpet in the world, as they go in search of an old ladies eyeball. Featuring more pirates, harpies and dragons than you can shake a peg leg or hook hand at!
The first Grynbad is still doing really well on Amazon, who keep giving it a rather fetching orange sticker.
I'm also in the process of trying to get the first 100% Biodegradable Comic Collection accepted by Amazon. The Kindle version went through without a hitch, but the print version keeps getting rejected due to 'lack of bleed' (even though the bleed is spot on). I've heard this is a problem that's scuppered many a comic creator before, so here's hoping I manage to get through the process with at least a tiny bit of my sanity intact.
More updates will follow soon...unless I get distracted, or, y'know, forget...
It's Black Friday, and you know what that means don't you?
Yes...Endless fistfights in electrical stores, and verbal abuse of hapless retail staff. Oh, what merry larks!
For those who don't much fancy getting involved in good old English fisticuffs, at least there's plenty of digital sales on at the moment.
If you haven't already read my 'Last Of The Navel Navigators' children's novel, it's currently available to download for FREE worldwide on Amazon Kindle. The most recent 5 star review stated that it was 'like Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy for kids', so if that sounds like your sort of thing you can grab yourself a copy here: mybook.to/navelnav1kindle
My other children's novel, Grynbad And The Seven Soups, is available at a reduced price in a Kindle Countdown Deal that's active in both UK and US. The paperback version of the book has proved immensely popular, and recently hit the Amazon number 1 bestseller list in three categories simultaneously. Get the Kindle version here for just 99p/$0.99 whilst it's on offer: mybook.to/Grynbad
Meanwhile, in the world of comic-related carnage, all 100% Biodegradable digital issues have been reduced by 33% to just $0.66 (that's about 50p in the UK) on Drivethru Comics until Monday.
This one has a bit of a story behind it, as I wrote it some years back whilst suffering from writer's block. I say 'writer's block' though it was more like 'writer's repetition'; I was attempting to finish my Navel Navigators novel at the time, and instead found myself writing the same darned chapter over and over again for about a year, never able to get it quite right (I can always tell when the writing's not going so well, as my document naming convention goes out the window; instead of using something along the lines of 'NavelNavigatorsDraft28' I end up going with 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarggggghhhh!', 'Whhhhhhhyyyyyyyyy?????' or a terribly rude swear word).
When it comes down to it, the book is all my old line manager Peter Lancaster's fault. I was sat in the staff room, trying to figure out how to get my writing mojo back, when Pete sidled up to me and from out of the blue said: 'Did you know it's actually possible to run across the surface of custard?'
He then showed me a youtube video to prove it (it wasn't this particular video, but it's the best example I could find...).
Now, most people would've edged away at this point whilst attempting to avoid eye contact, but not me (I do like a good custard video). My brain was suddenly whirring away with ideas. Custard...a land of custard...what a great setting for a children's novel! But must it only be custard? Could get a bit samey. What other liquids are there plenty of? Soups! Seven soups...yes, just like Sinbad might have sailed, if he'd gone a bit off course! Hmm, perhaps custard could act as the portal to a whole world of soup related adventures? Now we're cooking!
I rushed down to the local supermarket and did some hefty research in the soup aisle (it's alright, it was Sainsbury's - they're used to nutters in there) trying to imagine what foul creatures might inhabit the various soups.
A terrifying Man-Eating Manotaur, which inhabits Oxtail Soup.
Once I'd got home from my little expedition and finished shaking my wife vigorously by the shoulders whilst yelling 'The soups, Jenny! The sooooouuuups!!!', I set to work.
The book was finished in less than a month (it's quite a short one, as it's aimed at 7-9 year olds), and I was so pleased with the end result that I sent it straight out to an agent (The Eve White agency, who handle the Mr Gum books). I was quite surprised when they got back to me within the week, asking if they could read the full manuscript exclusively. They said a lot of complimentary things about it; compared my dialogue to the likes of Roald Dahl, said the characters were likeable and that it was very funny. Ultimately they chose not to go with it, but at least they gave me a lot of helpful feedback to work with (and the confidence and gusto to tackle the Navel Navigators novel afresh).
And now, new and improved, and sporting over 20 illustrations drawn by my own fair fingers (with one illustration secretly sketched by the mighty Brett Burbridge. I'll let anyone who reads it try to figure out which one), it is out exclusively on Amazon's Kindle Select. This means that if you have Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime you can give the book a read for free. So please, get stuck in. All support is hugely appreciated (even if it's just shares with people you think might enjoy the book, or gold bullion sent to my usual Swiss bank account, every little helps) as I've entered it into Kindle's Storyteller 2018 competition, which is partially judged on the book's popularity.
A bunch of lolly-loving lily-livered pirates, who inhabit Pea soup.
For the first week that Grynbad's on sale I've reduced the price to just 99p/$0.99 in digital: http://mybook.to/Grynbad
Over the Easter period, you can grab a comic bundle containing issues 1-12 of the digital sci-fi comic anthology '100% Biodegradable' on Drivethru Comics for just $3 (or less, if you already own any of those issues on Drivethru)
If you prefer print to digital comics, issues 1-3 of the 100% Biodegradable Collection is available in a '3 for the price of 2' bundle. That's 350+ pages of sci-fi comic carnage!
Looking for something with more words and less pictures? My debut Children's Comedy Fantasy novel 'The Last Of The Navel Navigators' has been reduced to just 99p on Kindle in most Amazon stores (apart from USA, currently). 45,000 words of magical bellybutton poking hillbilly action! Just click the universal link below to be taken to your country's store.
