tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89816098287343322862024-02-08T06:30:17.694+00:00That Elusive LineThomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-3315744388758695632013-05-29T11:57:00.003+01:002013-05-29T11:57:50.557+01:00I'm going to delete this blog soon...... so please make sure you aren't sitting on the stuffed alligator when I do. My <a href="http://www.thomastaylor-author.com/">new blog and website</a> is a much better place anyway. No alligators were harmed in the making of it.Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-40891835569226163732012-11-07T23:11:00.000+00:002012-11-07T23:11:00.396+00:00Goodbye Blogger.comI
have moved <a href="http://www.thomastaylor-author.com/">my blog to Wordpress</a>. I’ll be leaving this place around for a while,
but hope you’ll join me in my swanky (well, swank<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ier</i>) virtual apartment. The view’s a little nicer but it won’t be
the same without you.Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-25399976017958779272012-07-17T18:36:00.000+01:002012-11-12T09:52:09.169+00:00Action Sketch – The Olympic Torch Bearer<br />
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</div>
This post has been moved to <a href="http://www.thomastaylor-author.com/2012/07/17/action-sketch-the-olympic-torch-bearer/">my new blog</a>. Please click the link to read it.Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-55961974801090433162012-07-13T13:09:00.001+01:002012-07-13T13:09:45.974+01:00Life Drawing Friday #5<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">My drawings were a bit rubbish this week. But I
did collect these studies of hands from two 30 minute poses. I don't have much to say about them though.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUH_65LaG6SukNebN-S5V8coyn4frQ0MWtRGnjrv3pkfON3YmK1govzJXiO88paswgdH6cE317nCfEc4JTT05yCoC_72r0aCRuJSN3BOfmXFW4ishTKIlcujt5CrRUoccxn1r_aubFcE/s1600/LD.No4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUH_65LaG6SukNebN-S5V8coyn4frQ0MWtRGnjrv3pkfON3YmK1govzJXiO88paswgdH6cE317nCfEc4JTT05yCoC_72r0aCRuJSN3BOfmXFW4ishTKIlcujt5CrRUoccxn1r_aubFcE/s640/LD.No4.jpg" width="496" /></a></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-31253957406106288352012-07-10T11:06:00.002+01:002012-07-10T14:04:14.768+01:00‘Hang on a minute lads, I’ve got a great idea’<br />
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No,
this isn’t a stupendously disastrous piece of parking, it’s the summer art
installation at the De La Warr Pavillion: a witty and refreshingly populist statement
about life on the edge (and other things) by Richard Wilson, inspired by the
film, <i>The Italian Job</i>. Hear the artist talk about it <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2012/jul/04/italian-job-artist-bus-video">here</a> (after an
uninteresting advert for something or other). And yes, the bus really does
teeter.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j1FSxwh526UHnBDclH2ydgk8wrPoqc_xClwP1PK7jYRF02BfBcDcW8QyaR3Sn9daJfNFDCk054bgOrnGY0IAkYqI68FTnrvy0LP22zHQf6NQIdZjYu6oCvT9BKh63meLNsETUX6zk5A/s1600/PavBus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j1FSxwh526UHnBDclH2ydgk8wrPoqc_xClwP1PK7jYRF02BfBcDcW8QyaR3Sn9daJfNFDCk054bgOrnGY0IAkYqI68FTnrvy0LP22zHQf6NQIdZjYu6oCvT9BKh63meLNsETUX6zk5A/s400/PavBus.jpg" width="300" /></a>I
think there are three basic approaches to reacting to art like this: </div>
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<br /></div>
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1)
You can look at it carefully from all angles, then read the notice and try to
respond in the way the artist and/or gallery suggests. </div>
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<br /></div>
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2)
You can stand back and enjoy the fun and spectacle of it all, and take from the
experience what you will. Eavesdropping in on the reaction of others is sometimes
the best part.</div>
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<br /></div>
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3)
You can get sour-faced and grumpy, and give a little speech about how it’s ‘arty-farty’
and ‘a waste of money’. Don’t forget to start off with ‘I don’t know much about
art, but I know what I like’, and finish with a borrowed allusion to the Emperor’s New Clothes. For the sake of completeness, you might like to
write it up afterwards and send it to your local paper. They’ll love it!</div>
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<br /></div>
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But
of course there are others. My son, Max – after staring up at the bus teetering
above him – said, ‘Dad, can I throw stones at it?’</div>
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I
said no, but that would have been fun too, and it's on a shingle beach afterall.</div>
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The
Bus is there all summer. If you’re in the Bexhill area, it’s worth a detour. But please don't throw stones at it. </div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-44353585034963815242012-07-06T14:28:00.001+01:002012-07-06T14:34:55.999+01:00Life Drawing Friday #3<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9U31zzbszDInjEhwaPZ4-abBWVdF_7FkDC7byCGe7DUukwQJbOtGa4v4LfnEtqvPY0o9YQfui-_D7HttNrxRetZiT7jA1F_2LeTq-i2Mceh0Po9e0Wl9X_-py7pxhu7IxPLDGAdX1njE/s1600/LD.No3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9U31zzbszDInjEhwaPZ4-abBWVdF_7FkDC7byCGe7DUukwQJbOtGa4v4LfnEtqvPY0o9YQfui-_D7HttNrxRetZiT7jA1F_2LeTq-i2Mceh0Po9e0Wl9X_-py7pxhu7IxPLDGAdX1njE/s640/LD.No3.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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An
interesting and challenging standing pose. Getting the centre of balance right
is the key to capturing a pose like this. Typically, the foot that bears the most
weight should be the one that is most directly beneath the base of the neck. It’s never
that straightforward though.</div>
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<br /></div>
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20
mins. Graphite stick on cartridge paper. Some rubbings out.</div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-42670038017901195162012-07-05T12:16:00.000+01:002012-07-05T12:16:32.706+01:00In Praise of Scruffy Notebooks<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsHHQffccuVoFNY75kQfUiX89pLhErZAAEbyKAqr_V7qBVi6Z6SkZSk_ZaKT-_5tXWsETER8W8oEdKI5oghNUUz6prTW6aWegSw-gSI2-wfhIbsD4NoYBlgfn08EGPI71rXNo7KrS4K4/s1600/ExBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsHHQffccuVoFNY75kQfUiX89pLhErZAAEbyKAqr_V7qBVi6Z6SkZSk_ZaKT-_5tXWsETER8W8oEdKI5oghNUUz6prTW6aWegSw-gSI2-wfhIbsD4NoYBlgfn08EGPI71rXNo7KrS4K4/s320/ExBook.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">People
sometimes laugh at the poor quality of my equipment. ‘Are you really drawing in
that?’ comes the incredulous voice, as I scribble or sketch on the cheapest of
cheap squared exercise books. But most artists know -- and I guess this goes
for writers too – that nothing abets the ‘tyranny of the empty page’
quite as much as crisp leather bindings or fancy endpapers. Which is why many
artists jot notes and scribble doodles all over the first few pages of their
sketchbooks, to try and break the sense of preciousness that comes when you
peel the price tag off. I sometimes let my children draw in mine, just so I can
start off with a little honest mess.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The
exact opposite of the scruffy jotter, though, isn’t a pristine Moleskine, it
isn’t a book at all. It’s Microsoft Word. Writing almost feels like surgery
there. Sadly, I still can’t do without all the crutches and aids the programme
provides, I’m not nearly confident enough for that. But it’s not just the
eye-strain and back ache that make me resent being dependant on the computer. <span> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In
my book, Haunters, the troubled character of Eddie is in part my own little
tribute to the loveliness and power of the unassuming school exercise book.
With a pencil and a rolled up book in his pocket, Eddie feels he can tackle
anything, if only he can get the chance to work it out on paper first. There’s
going to be a lot more of that sort of thing in my new book. Not that I can talk
about that yet, of course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span><span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>In the meantime, I’m just going to have to shrug off
the comments about my ‘trashy little notebooks’ with a smile. And when, as
sometimes happens, people give me beautifully bound books with my initials in
gold on the cover – perhaps out of pity -- I’ll never be anything other than
grateful. But that’s not what I aspire to. <span></span>In writing, surely nothing is nobler than a
scuffed-up and dog-eared exercise book, with just a few pages left to go. </span></span></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-32863190056627988742012-06-29T09:51:00.000+01:002012-06-29T09:52:13.775+01:00Life Drawing Friday #2<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tk8eJEVQfxOkpOMgY74cQ1mfrdHf1hGccegMHBNI0D8GBBq_ShgGv4pF4kMKcQEJObLgb3farqnFA01QKW7qGaXdf3HU_rXIGX_nMLSb9l96aFHDte_RT8gYFGKvhsVjcLWi-r5T8HE/s1600/LD.No2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tk8eJEVQfxOkpOMgY74cQ1mfrdHf1hGccegMHBNI0D8GBBq_ShgGv4pF4kMKcQEJObLgb3farqnFA01QKW7qGaXdf3HU_rXIGX_nMLSb9l96aFHDte_RT8gYFGKvhsVjcLWi-r5T8HE/s640/LD.No2.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
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Well,
that’s not a good start. After declaring <a href="http://thatelusiveline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/life-drawing-friday-1.html">last week</a> ‘I go life drawing on a Thursday’, I
couldn’t go at all last night. But hey ho, here’s a sketch anyway, from a few
weeks ago.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Yes,
sometimes the models are male. I liked the tragic look of this pose very much,
though having drawn one hand well, I seem to have lost my grip on the second. The
image of the drawing before -- a reclining lady in a dress -- is ghosting through.
15 mins. Graphite and paper.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">And this is probably a good moment to mention that my
new novel is a mystery based on artists and drawing. More about that coming soon.</span></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-36372521451341959072012-06-22T09:54:00.000+01:002012-06-22T16:56:19.134+01:00Life Drawing Friday #1<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7AyX0_4szfPtWuYtiIJFoLiS-M78AYnJb-75UeG-tL500OJDNfOIhH4_5NlRd5GxbvGoLOu65e_nteGMLIzb7XJ_tcbjuVaKjrXUD2dbjXr5eLpFwwi_e2iZQRQ5t6c0K0Yc9-_w9DTc/s1600/LD.No1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7AyX0_4szfPtWuYtiIJFoLiS-M78AYnJb-75UeG-tL500OJDNfOIhH4_5NlRd5GxbvGoLOu65e_nteGMLIzb7XJ_tcbjuVaKjrXUD2dbjXr5eLpFwwi_e2iZQRQ5t6c0K0Yc9-_w9DTc/s640/LD.No1.jpg" width="499" /></a></div>
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I’m
inaugurating a new regular feature today. Obviously in time it’s going to go meme-tastic
and roar round the internet like a virus in a bucket full of chickens, but until then, it’ll just bring a
little variety to the old blog. I go life drawing on a Thursday evening. On
Friday mornings I'll post a sketch, whether it’s any good or not. This should
keep me on my toes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I
really liked this pose. Lots of angles and interest, and no way to avoid
fore-shortening. 15 mins. Lump of sharpened graphite on a stick, and my trusty ‘Bushey’
sketchbook.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Keep
an eye out for colour (!) in the weeks to come. </div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-41488929652252667362012-06-16T15:22:00.000+01:002012-06-16T19:59:52.715+01:00Spot the Difference -- and the winner is...<br />
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Well,
I’m pleased to say there were 17 correct answers in the amazing <a href="http://thatelusiveline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/book-giveaway-spot-difference_09.html"><i>Dan and the Dead</i> ‘spot the difference’ competition</a>. However, 18 slips of paper actually went into the hat
because someone let me know it’s their birthday today (many happy returns!) so obviously that
name had to go in twice.</div>
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But
the pitiless gaze of Dame Fortune -- as mediated through the Hat of Fate and
the Sea-and-Sand Fingers of my special helper, Benjy – takes little account of
such things, it seems. For the name drawn out was…</div>
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Valérie</div>
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Congratualtions,
Valérie! And this is especially pleasing as Valérie is a good friend from France, and as the French are still refusing to
publish anything I’ve ever done, it’s nice to think that one copy of one of my
books at least will find its way to a bookshelf in Paris. Albeit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">en anglais</i>, but hey ho…</div>
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Keep
an eye out for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">facteur</i>, Valérie<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">:-)</span>
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Sorry
to all those who didn’t win, but I had fun doing this, so there may be another
spot the difference competition soon. Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-and-the-Dead/252897261471252">Dan’s facebook page</a> to hear about it
first. In the meantime, Dan and the Dead has been selected by Julia Eccleshare for
promotion on <a href="http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/7675/Dan-and-the-Dead-by-Thomas-Taylor.html">Lovereading4kids</a>. Here you can buy the book at a discount,
download an extract, and also find out a bit more about me and my new books. There
is also a crumby picture of me looking like I didn’t sleep very well the night
before, but you can just ignore that. </div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-76564440887381569882012-06-09T19:12:00.001+01:002012-06-09T19:18:54.989+01:00Book giveaway -- spot the difference!<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0cm 5.65pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To
mark the publication of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dan-Dead-Thomas-Taylor/dp/1408154129"><i>Dan and the Dead</i></a>
I’m giving away a signed copy. But since it’s no fun just handing books out
willy nilly, you’re going to have to work for this one. So here, for your coffee-break
amusement, is a pair of identical pictures of our hero, Dan. Identical, that
is, except for one small but notable difference.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO33bzaZpeAMMYeaUfIibDMU_JjXO_5qpz1yCnR2tIpoow9Z-K-pPVlZk1qFoGfDD7qAvoFplMTLp2ShJ6QgJ8JkS3HyUVaAKyZXJrL8VFxHhhmX0RvyuPX7ljp4Prv8GnXCw7acj273A/s1600/D&D-CoverCol-Flat-spotDiff..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO33bzaZpeAMMYeaUfIibDMU_JjXO_5qpz1yCnR2tIpoow9Z-K-pPVlZk1qFoGfDD7qAvoFplMTLp2ShJ6QgJ8JkS3HyUVaAKyZXJrL8VFxHhhmX0RvyuPX7ljp4Prv8GnXCw7acj273A/s640/D&D-CoverCol-Flat-spotDiff..jpg" title="" width="392" /></a></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When
you have found it, send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:danandthedead@gmail.com">danandthedead@gmail.com</a>
and I’ll put your name into the Hat of Fate. On Saturday the 16<sup>th</sup> of
June, I’ll pull out a name at random. And may Dame Fortune (who sort of appears
in the book) smile upon you.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Click for a closer look at the pictures, if your browser supports that. The difference
is subtle, but should be visible even at crappy blogger resolutions. And if you really get
stuck, ask a friendly child to do it for you! </span></div>
</div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-37962576135128594122012-06-07T11:05:00.001+01:002012-06-07T11:05:11.041+01:00Dan and the Dead is published today!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5IBZJCmLiVsiFIvgk79L2xaOXR2nWGoWUeNvzzxPANdLGoZacqq241XsSlyFHxIF8AgmhjFOZx_R0uHO31Z76zBA8rWNeWm9bDpPFYZ_rY4O7xhwosLq2vv64GefsuS8Ud_j-cnKKTE/s1600/$%28KGrHqFHJFYE-k4ZhNYmBPyf%21zfKcw%7E%7E60_12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5IBZJCmLiVsiFIvgk79L2xaOXR2nWGoWUeNvzzxPANdLGoZacqq241XsSlyFHxIF8AgmhjFOZx_R0uHO31Z76zBA8rWNeWm9bDpPFYZ_rY4O7xhwosLq2vv64GefsuS8Ud_j-cnKKTE/s320/$%28KGrHqFHJFYE-k4ZhNYmBPyf%21zfKcw%7E%7E60_12.JPG" width="208" /></a></div>
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My
comic gothic novella, with spooky pictures, is officially out there. Somewhere…</div>
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Hurray!</div>
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Of
course, regular readers of this blog will know that it’s only a few days since
I shouted hurray over the publication of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i>,
and some may be wondering what the hell is going on. Two debut novels? That’s
not right, surely!</div>
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Well, right or not, it’s a sign of how little control I have over my career that after
years of rejection and frustration, I made a simultaneous double breakthrough
in my struggle to get into fiction. And on the same theme! No one was more
surprised than I was. But believe me, no one is less inclined to complain about
it now than I am. Hurray indeed!</div>
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But
how did this come about? Well, back in early 2010, when I was still fighting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i> into an acceptable first draft for
commissioning editors to read, my agent called and told me that A & C Black
were looking for illustrated stories for a new ‘high interest/low inclination’ series.
By this they meant kids, mostly boys 10 to 14, who had sophisticated teenage tastes
but little interest in reading -- kids who may yet pick up a book and have one
last try, but who had all but given up on the world of books. It sounds
high-blown, I know, but it felt like I was being given the chance to change their
minds and win them back. Okay, high-blown <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i>
arrogant, but that’s honestly how it felt.</div>
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Anyway,
one of the themes mentioned was ghost stories, and since I was just finishing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i> -- an alternative ghost story where
there are no real ghosts at all -- I had a lot of conventional ghost material
left over. Using this, and inspired by a half-remembered childhood fascination
with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randall_and_Hopkirk_%28Deceased%29">Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)</a>, I quickly put together a premise, wrote a pair
of very short sample chapters, and sent it off to A & C Black with a sketch.
Another iron was in the fire. But the fire wasn’t looking very hot. </div>
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Cutting
a long story sort, AC Black expressed interest in the story around the time I
was signing the contract for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters </i>with
<a href="http://doublecluck.com/book/Haunters">Chicken House</a>, though it took a long time for it to develop into something they
would actually take on. I was only known for picture books, after all. But take
it on they did, and then I had two stories to shepherd through the editorial
process, at the same time, and two titles for the same age range, both
seemingly about ghosts. And that’s hardly an ideal situation to be in – just ask
a publisher! I’ve already had one bookseller get in touch and ask which of the
two upcoming ghost books by a Thomas Taylor is the one I wrote. </div>
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But
really, it’s fine. The two books are very different, and I’ve decided to stop
wringing my hands over it. And I’m glad my agent talked me out of using a
pseudonym – the publishing world is tough enough these days, without dividing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>myself up. And I think it’s clear the two
books will have two distinct readerships. As for the ‘changing minds about
reading’ thing, well, only time will tell if I got that right. Whatever, it was
enormous fun to write! </div>
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I’m
working on a second story about Dan and his mysterious ghostly sidekick, Simon,
which is due out in 2013, provisionally entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dan and the Caverns of Bone</i>. Do you detect a theme? Meanwhile, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dan and the Dead</i> is available as both <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1408154129/ref=rdr_ext_tmb#reader_1408154129">a hard copy</a> and a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dan-Dead-Quicksilver-ebook/dp/B0083JC2VU/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339063017&sr=1-12#reader_1408154129">kindle edition</a>, and is easy to order through your local independent
bookshop. And you can follow Dan’s ghost-busting exploits on his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-and-the-Dead/252897261471252">facebook page</a>.</div>
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And
lastly, do you remember that kid in your class, the weird one who kept talking
to himself? The one who seemed to know too much, the one everyone laughed at? Well,
next time something goes bump in the night, just pray he remembers you! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-78108230648166015422012-06-06T09:23:00.000+01:002012-06-06T09:23:00.477+01:00And the winner is...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Kate!
The scribbling sea serpent<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">:-)</span></span></div>
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Sorry
it took a couple of days to get the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunters-Thomas-Taylor/dp/190642778X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338970834&sr=8-1"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i></a>
draw organised – I’ve been away – but the hat has spoken. Well done, Kate, and
thanks to everyone who left a comment, spooky or otherwise. Kate, I’ll be in
touch through twitter for a postal address and the name of your cat…</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Kate’s <a href="http://scribblingseaserpent.blogspot.co.uk/">excellent writing blog</a> is one to follow too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-70465268009869236842012-05-27T22:04:00.001+01:002012-05-28T14:32:07.209+01:00Win a signed copy of Haunters<br />
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Well,
my book got launched. Not -- as my son Benjy hoped -- “all the way into the
space!”, but with enough bang to leave me happy, and grateful to all those who
came. And it was especially good to see so many old friends. Here’s a picture
of me looking happy, see. So it’s true.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvpnDgtc7-tn8kHdpXYCb91y9VSQpvqo0KYYCHM-EQ7XIwqmtWsGc_-QnsAZwJmwaan-3ZhC9EAwXutm70SfzgltL_T-QLPPm8-CjkWnLjaSJxBykroW_qgmrknNV_fLt1uM5ETutn-o/s1600/398819_10151732877825453_707050452_24208779_884156953_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvpnDgtc7-tn8kHdpXYCb91y9VSQpvqo0KYYCHM-EQ7XIwqmtWsGc_-QnsAZwJmwaan-3ZhC9EAwXutm70SfzgltL_T-QLPPm8-CjkWnLjaSJxBykroW_qgmrknNV_fLt1uM5ETutn-o/s400/398819_10151732877825453_707050452_24208779_884156953_n.jpg" width="321" /></a></div>
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There
were between fifty and sixty people (I gave up trying to count:-) so my fears
of being Tommy No-Mates were not realised. I even managed to not pass out
during the reading, and no one threw anything or heckled either. Benjy did tap me on
the shoe half way through, and Max hugged my leg at the end, but I’m taking
these as signs of approval. I scrawled in some books afterwards, and got to see more
copies of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunters-Thomas-Taylor/dp/190642778X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321211686&sr=1-3"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i></a> in one place than
I may ever see again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkPreDDsEt-O92JM8co4Mpytfssv0WzEP-Hx2XoG5iBQmSnKEbI1gc7AhGe6uDQWHHeArqmz6mvMcQgfgRmoUe-OMc2VB2XjAgVwR4BRkbwjMAOy-9SUq0PtUR0r5JvkFUc4jJ5iV91k/s1600/556124_10151732877550453_707050452_24208775_1635696887_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkPreDDsEt-O92JM8co4Mpytfssv0WzEP-Hx2XoG5iBQmSnKEbI1gc7AhGe6uDQWHHeArqmz6mvMcQgfgRmoUe-OMc2VB2XjAgVwR4BRkbwjMAOy-9SUq0PtUR0r5JvkFUc4jJ5iV91k/s400/556124_10151732877550453_707050452_24208775_1635696887_n.jpg" width="361" /></a></div>
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So
thanks to everyone who came, and thanks to everyone who has bought my book over the last few weeks.
And many thanks to <a href="http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/editorial/browse/Children/heffers/index.jsp;jsessionid=0DC27FC60CCE6D92D198857275792F13.bobcatp1">Heffers Bookshop</a> too. I’d also like to thank 11-year-old Freddie Rawlins for this <a href="http://doublecluck.com/blog/">glowing and thoughtful review</a>, which I discovered when I got home. Clearly a fellow of impeccable
taste. Thanks, Freddie!<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span> </div>
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To
mark the publication, I’m giving a signed copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunters-Thomas-Taylor/dp/190642778X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321211686&sr=1-3"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i></a> away on my blog. All you have to do is comment below, and your name will go into a hat on the 3rd June. Comment with a
spooky anecdote or ghost story, and I’ll put your name in twice. And don’t hold
back – I’m not easily scared *peers over shoulder*…</div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-51652947132546460632012-05-24T09:35:00.002+01:002012-06-06T17:11:47.695+01:00Publication day! <style>
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It’s the publishing event of the century! Well, for me, anyway. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunters-Thomas-Taylor/dp/190642778X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321211686&sr=1-3"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i></a> is officially out today. Yay! Just as Amazon appear to have run out… </div>
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But that’s good news for your local independent or <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/thomas+taylor/haunters/8824349/">Waterstones</a>. And it’s certainly okay if you are in the Cambridge area and can come to my <a href="http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Whats-on-leisure/Family/Harry-Potter-illustrator-Thomas-Taylor-17052012.htm">book launch tonight</a>. Plenty of books there, and I’ll be signing them of course. And I’ve been appearing about the place a bit too, such as <a href="http://www.simonkewin.co.uk/2012/05/haunters-release-day.html">Simon Kewin’s brilliant blog</a>, <a href="http://mrripleysenchantedbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/guest-post-thomas-taylor-find-out-about.html">Mr Ripley’s Enchanted books</a>, and even – on a very different note – <a href="http://planetpenny.co.uk/2012/05/24/guest-blog-post-thomas-taylor/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=guest-blog-post-thomas-taylor">Planet Penny</a>. And that last one has a competition to win a signed copy and everything!</div>
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But a book launch? That’s, like, appearing in public, right? Do you think I should iron a shirt? Sand my teeth? Someone told me it’s compulsory to wear a sombrero. That is right, isn’t it? Now, where are my Elton John specs…</div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-74170072418491842402012-05-17T11:44:00.000+01:002012-11-12T09:57:28.208+00:00Find Out About Haunters -- And Read an Extract from my Debut Novel<br />
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This post has been noved to <a href="http://www.thomastaylor-author.com/haunters/">my new blog</a>. Please click <a href="http://www.thomastaylor-author.com/haunters/">here</a> to read it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxxlOhwewEZiFt93_jHd-jvBbYG2KaN4Fz2TrWKdSmB2MsTglZA36M8fhMtKKYpt5g6qkbqChsB9mIt8NAuWVdRnW8sajXVcOlHULKW9Qa6VhH4LwI50JXotmuTWb4xxK5QxHYT6JZHo/s1600/Haunters+Final%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxxlOhwewEZiFt93_jHd-jvBbYG2KaN4Fz2TrWKdSmB2MsTglZA36M8fhMtKKYpt5g6qkbqChsB9mIt8NAuWVdRnW8sajXVcOlHULKW9Qa6VhH4LwI50JXotmuTWb4xxK5QxHYT6JZHo/s400/Haunters+Final%5B1%5D.JPG" width="260" /></a></div>
Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-75000777949211123962012-04-28T14:55:00.002+01:002012-04-28T14:55:25.470+01:00Do I need a villain?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAI9T2JDWQtnfAQPfr3z7Ayb8UCr0g-n2h-ZdqgFnlzXG4FCrphAgbH3mm5TzqIKl98MWTC85IEDHzVl-B057eJLJLeB6CT3rUT2pkigx8_NGMB73DYtGhLsfhbIddt0fhUCCIejQi5A/s1600/Baddie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAI9T2JDWQtnfAQPfr3z7Ayb8UCr0g-n2h-ZdqgFnlzXG4FCrphAgbH3mm5TzqIKl98MWTC85IEDHzVl-B057eJLJLeB6CT3rUT2pkigx8_NGMB73DYtGhLsfhbIddt0fhUCCIejQi5A/s320/Baddie.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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This is a genuine question I’ve
been posing myself lately as I try to develop a new project. And unlikely as it
seems, I’m finding it hard to answer. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I write for a young readership, a
group of people who have been spoilt with bad guys over the years: The White
Witch, Voldemort, Mrs Coulter, Mayor Prentiss, Capricorn from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Inkheart</i>, etc, etc. Some may be cheesier
than others, but they are all fine examples of villainy, and I like to think my
own Adam (from <a href="http://www.comacalm.com/2012/04/haunters-thomas-taylor.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i></a>) would fit in
nicely (or rather, not so nicely) beside them. Surely I need a real bad ‘un in
my new book too. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But part of me, the part that – I’m
embarrassed to say – has literary hang-ups, has been tugging his goatee of
late. Do we really <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">need</i> one, he says,
adjusting his authorial corduroy. Isn’t relying on a baddie to provide
narrative tension a bit like relying on adverbs and exotic dialogue tags to
tell the reader what’s happening? Can’t circumstances themselves create
conflict and imbalance, without the need for some dastardly cape-swisher
scheming in the shadows? Did Mark Haddon need a baddie to make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time</i> a compelling read? Did David Almond need the wicked cheese in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kit’s Wilderness</i>? And so on… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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That part of me could do with a
slap, I know, but he does have a point. We all love a good villain, but nothing
connects with readers quite like a sympathetic character struggling with true-life
adversity.</div>
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So do I need a villain? I haven’t
quite decided. But one thing I am sure about – by God, they’re fun to write! </div>
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Any views on this? Any favourite literary bad guys you want to share?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-68815147906910641812012-04-16T12:03:00.000+01:002012-04-18T11:53:50.098+01:00Haunters in print!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbx7ySQU3QRI832mNoXDfHn-LS_-FV9I9wS8R2D_9mvINJ-EgQaXiVXjbUscoSS5XbxU6K8PHRSOdl-8VWipG39A7i1KuqtjFNd8lWZJW314ErghOn32u5UTzUQ6t8DWjCuZK25X7L94/s1600/20120416_091750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbx7ySQU3QRI832mNoXDfHn-LS_-FV9I9wS8R2D_9mvINJ-EgQaXiVXjbUscoSS5XbxU6K8PHRSOdl-8VWipG39A7i1KuqtjFNd8lWZJW314ErghOn32u5UTzUQ6t8DWjCuZK25X7L94/s400/20120416_091750.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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Whenever I go away, I always feel
slightly nervous about what might be waiting on the doormat when I get back.
Especially anything in a brown envelope with a window in it. But this time,
after a wonderful Easter week in France, I got back to find – Indeed, beneath
a brown envelope with a window in it -- this: a finished, printed copy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i>!</div>
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I’ll leave you to guess how
excited I am about it<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">:)</span></div>
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…but, but, it really is a
beautiful object, isn’t it? Its colour combination and design is so fresh and
bold, and its spine just cries out, ‘Oi – read ME!’, which is exactly what good
spines need to do these days. Aren’t <a href="http://doublecluck.com/index.php">Chicken House</a> just fab with their covers? And
here’s a glimpse inside too, because the chapter headings are scratchy, edgy
and mysterious, and every one different. Just perfect for the story.</div>
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When I think how long and
difficult this book’s journey to print has been, I’m almost amazed to see it in
my hands now. It could so easily have died on my hard-drive, or wasted away in
the slush pile, or been edited to smithereens, or…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This seems a good moment to
mention that I am having a launch party for Haunters, at the children’s
department of <a href="http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/editorial/shops/SHOP10.jsp">Heffers Bookshop in Cambridge</a> -- the bookshop I used to work in. It will be on the official publication date of
the 24<sup>th</sup> of May, and be from about 6:30pm onwards. I will probably read
an extract and go a funny colour, but I’ll also be around to sign copies and
generally look ill-at-ease but very happy. In any case, I’ll try not to
dribble. There will be wine and interesting people. Please come along if it’s
at all possible.</div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-25934631560018415192012-03-30T13:57:00.001+01:002012-03-30T13:57:47.854+01:00Blog Interview<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR560uiDQPzwJDJBJJ8cU-Ror9gBVbvTbm6o4zX0hVNHqhIudI12ytn58Ivzfov2iJEfm93UH7QvCFiAztos8aphL_1g3B5e_r48upmSC85sp4aFjYCJ_AZ6BvmeGpLYMb-83henmDC5g/s1600/SppokyPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR560uiDQPzwJDJBJJ8cU-Ror9gBVbvTbm6o4zX0hVNHqhIudI12ytn58Ivzfov2iJEfm93UH7QvCFiAztos8aphL_1g3B5e_r48upmSC85sp4aFjYCJ_AZ6BvmeGpLYMb-83henmDC5g/s200/SppokyPic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have been interviewed by writer
and skating champion Anita Saxena on her <a href="http://anitasaxena.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/forever-waiting-writers-series.html">wonderful blog</a> (just look at that fabulous banner;-). Here
you can find out more about my upcoming book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i>, as well as see me give advice to unpublished writers like
I know what I’m talking about!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Thank you, Anita, for inviting
me. </div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-18160372729436212142012-03-21T09:38:00.000+00:002012-03-21T09:38:45.197+00:00My Social Media Roundup (or Breakdown)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KI0loCtaWbhH4pGUWI3Qzye7G62-XaS13VXoduvneQF_2DmM_nR50jjo922vJWsrkaMuSlG8-al_HHmAESwNv6uIQ6cAASStpoNNYQgsg4lJY_IwQvxO5dfr5Zrucnu_7Oyff6aZUB4/s1600/TheBat..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KI0loCtaWbhH4pGUWI3Qzye7G62-XaS13VXoduvneQF_2DmM_nR50jjo922vJWsrkaMuSlG8-al_HHmAESwNv6uIQ6cAASStpoNNYQgsg4lJY_IwQvxO5dfr5Zrucnu_7Oyff6aZUB4/s200/TheBat..jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As the days tick by and the
publication of my debut novel creeps closer (24<sup>th</sup> May!), I can’t
help feeling increasingly embarrassed by the threadbare nature of my web
presence (or ‘platform’, as I believe I’m supposed to call it). The received wisdom
is that I should be on every online social medium going, bigging myself up with
trumpets and yelling about my wonderful book. And plenty of people are telling
me to do just that. It’s interesting though that my publisher’s advice was
simply to ‘do one thing, and do it well’. And as more and more on-line voices
(<a href="http://internspills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/follows-not-book-sale-though-its-very.html">here</a>, for example, and <a href="http://redpenofdoom.com/2011/11/08/the-twitter-it-is-not-for-selling-books/">here</a>) speculate that you can’t sell books on social
sites anyway, or that blogging and even facebook have peaked, the advice to
keep it simple and strong sounds appealing. And yet, the trumpets…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I’ve had a quick scout around my
platform (ugh) and thought I’d share the sorry results with you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I have a blog. Obviously. I like blogging, even
though I don’t post as often as I once did. Whenever I think of something
to write, my internal editor usually shouts me down with either ‘Bragging!’ or ‘Boring!’. But he hasn’t killed it off yet, and won’t -- I have
met some very interesting people here. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">I’m on facebook. And I (sort of) like it there. I
started <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">facebooking</i> (French
word) in order to keep in touch with my scattered family, but I’ve since
expanded my ‘friend’ criteria to include anyone involved in writing, art
and publishing who’ll have me. And yet, I still have personal stuff on it,
and a brother who thinks nothing of tagging photos of me with underpants on
my head, etc. I haven’t managed to divide my personal side from what might
be called the public at all. I wonder if it’s too late. Or maybe a
facebook page for me as a writer is the answer. Though that might be a
very lonely place.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">I am on Twitter. I don’t really get it, and rarely
have any sense of a conversation, but I’m hanging on in there. @ThomasHTaylor.
Any advice?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">I have joined LinkedIn. But my eyes immediately
glazed over.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">Google+ as above.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">I have signed up for Goodreads. But can it really
help raise my profile to tell the world what I’m reading right now? Maybe
I haven’t explored it enough. I only joined last week.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">Other things. I’m dimly aware of sites like Bebo
and Gothise, but don’t expect to see me there soon – I’m all social
media-ed out. I have noted, though, that some kind soul has expanded my
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Taylor_%28artist%29">Wikipedia entry</a>, with a bibliography and everything! Thank you, whoever
you are. I had planned to do this when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i>
was published. Honest. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">Website. More about this soon.</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So there we have it. My on-line platform.
All I need to work out now is do I expand it as far as I can, or trim it down
to one node of ‘excellence’ (ha!)? Whatever I decide, I see little room for any
trumpets. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Any thoughts? And what about your
own ‘platfoms’? </div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-40643392575644829712012-03-11T17:18:00.000+00:002012-03-12T13:59:50.254+00:00Dan and the Drawings<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuVNzkcBWJjVL2mvwRR2WZZxofq1fyPFKg6NqTitjcFRhJQoTLZktgGerpT1xL8zF2Ge0xUTcEeTfKb0QMd6GY8C1IwMTdmE9UZI7UdvJbZGvK62gQvuT4hjWlrdah4fau1c-93OaPZA/s1600/D&D-Ch9-Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuVNzkcBWJjVL2mvwRR2WZZxofq1fyPFKg6NqTitjcFRhJQoTLZktgGerpT1xL8zF2Ge0xUTcEeTfKb0QMd6GY8C1IwMTdmE9UZI7UdvJbZGvK62gQvuT4hjWlrdah4fau1c-93OaPZA/s640/D&D-Ch9-Blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I have finally -- after far more
time than I like to admit -- finished the chapter heading illustrations for
<a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/thomas+taylor/dan+and+the+dead/8721184/">Dan and the Dead</a>. Here’s a sneak preview.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_1Fhw7JhEkefrD199L79YzRon70P8QpulM-_GZc7EGoCEXnhgV6OIvsWYdKdYX5dlu1TGbQgQGTpMotca9Z_3UUTruzqTq4vdWK-NWjQ6TW5laLU5Xa3-4aUi-r9NH4uegm369g7bPk/s1600/D&D-Ch12--blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_1Fhw7JhEkefrD199L79YzRon70P8QpulM-_GZc7EGoCEXnhgV6OIvsWYdKdYX5dlu1TGbQgQGTpMotca9Z_3UUTruzqTq4vdWK-NWjQ6TW5laLU5Xa3-4aUi-r9NH4uegm369g7bPk/s640/D&D-Ch12--blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I wonder why I found them so
difficult. It’s slightly sobering. But then, little that is worthwhile was ever
created easily. Or something. Perhaps I just need to buy myself a new pen…<br />
<br />
Click for a better view. </div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-50221432766750996272012-02-27T11:05:00.000+00:002012-02-28T08:40:12.585+00:00Blood and Biscuits<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbrZiy4glmfEUjDqmIaFYFd8lynnOlfwaKDip5ui-zudWLzUqbx_6kUDzZSpRg8U41LBtLeGwoCDFj3kqXoszFz1FbyA5NoEgDJ-CwvnRjtc6KTsgP6JDhFRDc6dWElI5rE0xg2wCNZk/s1600/Howard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbrZiy4glmfEUjDqmIaFYFd8lynnOlfwaKDip5ui-zudWLzUqbx_6kUDzZSpRg8U41LBtLeGwoCDFj3kqXoszFz1FbyA5NoEgDJ-CwvnRjtc6KTsgP6JDhFRDc6dWElI5rE0xg2wCNZk/s640/Howard.jpg" width="363" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Gosh, doesn’t time fly when you’re
not updating your blog? I’ve been busy drawing, both sketching out new characters
(see here) and working on the final illustrations for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dan-Dead-Quicksilver-Thomas-Taylor/dp/1408154129">Dan and the Dead</a>. My new
blog banner is a spin off from that, if you’re curious.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Anyway, after so much writing
over the last year, it feels good to go back to mostly drawing. And once again
I’m struck by one enormous difference between the two activities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I need silence to write. If
possible, I also need to be alone in the house. There’s absolutely no question
of listening to music. The only sound should be the scrape of dry fingertips on
the keyboard and the steady drip drip drip of blood as it sweats out of my
forehead (it’s probably just as well I’m on my own). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Drawing, on the other hand, is
next to impossible for me if I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t</i>
have music. And if you want to phone me while I’m sketching, then fine, go
ahead -- I can hold the phone in my left hand and chunter for hours while my
right hand carries on. In fact, just pop round. You can stay and listen to the
radio with me, to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/">this</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007d6hr">this</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rtf9n/Another_Case_of_Milton_Jones_Series_4_Celebrity_Weatherman/">this</a>, and then we can chat as the coffee-break
kettle steams and hopefully agree that the one thing that really puts the ‘great’
in Great Britain is the wonderful, inestimable, sanity-saving BBC. I’m sure
they had illustrators in mind when they invented it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The phrase ‘back to the drawing
board’ normally has negative connotations. But not for me<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">:-)</span></div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-62351595637724888542012-02-05T14:24:00.000+00:002012-02-05T17:24:56.274+00:00Puffin in the SnowI was going to write an essay on the iconography of snow in children's literature, but then I thought, nah, and took my little boys out to play in it instead. Far better use of my time!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4F4Nd7KfiPK7xkDOQqz3__bolloUxMU4ETvwr3NSFxeaDzYZt09t5J6_IGpjXpteYUodsMey_5PW22D-eBslOh0RaxWZc_spuga9VkuNec_6HhiUv96pAiYTaHIggZ1XxZffeLyDrxU/s1600/2012-02-05+Snow+puffin..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4F4Nd7KfiPK7xkDOQqz3__bolloUxMU4ETvwr3NSFxeaDzYZt09t5J6_IGpjXpteYUodsMey_5PW22D-eBslOh0RaxWZc_spuga9VkuNec_6HhiUv96pAiYTaHIggZ1XxZffeLyDrxU/s640/2012-02-05+Snow+puffin..jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-82903376720695299422012-02-01T11:31:00.000+00:002012-02-01T17:46:25.473+00:00Haunting My Younger Self<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU-5jui7Tktxr1NfS-W8iLCsLh9jtksnm1eRB-VhcTN-KWDTAs91hpjLEc9O2QT-yykzaVoNEls_Z0TLQ6ScmYUlWVqKXoHkmqj3DpVhvVNE1i7ZIRH68CF1-sOLAUMY_MgSlXGxwrAE/s1600/Haunter-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU-5jui7Tktxr1NfS-W8iLCsLh9jtksnm1eRB-VhcTN-KWDTAs91hpjLEc9O2QT-yykzaVoNEls_Z0TLQ6ScmYUlWVqKXoHkmqj3DpVhvVNE1i7ZIRH68CF1-sOLAUMY_MgSlXGxwrAE/s320/Haunter-1.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have been thinking a lot about
time travel lately. This isn’t surprising, given that I’ve just written <a href="http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781906427788">a book</a> in
which the characters can visit their younger selves -- and their ancestors --
in the form of ghosts. What would you do, if you could do that? And what would I
say if I got the chance to haunt myself at the beginning of my efforts to write
fiction? Apart from ‘boo!’ that is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I remember that beginning quite
clearly -- it was the start of 2005, a year and a half after I’d moved to France. I was
house-sitting alone for a couple of weeks, trying to meet an illustration
deadline and walking someone else’s dog.
On those daily tramps through the woods, I came to realise that not only
did I have a whole novel-sized story rattling around in my head, I was also no
longer afraid to try writing it down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Now that I am on the point of
seeing my first book reach print (not the book mentioned above, naturally), I can
look back over the whole experience and draw some conclusions. So, as a
time-travelling ghost, what writing/crafting/story-telling tips would I give my
younger self when I appear before him in the woods? Before my younger self
passes out from shock, I think I could get across at least five:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
1 – Storytelling trumps
everything.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
…especially when you are writing
for a young readership. And I mean everything. It’s more important than
historical (or contemporary) accuracy, more important than the things you worry
you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> be writing about, and
certainly more important than the demands of your ego. People NEED good stories. Just be grateful for the chance to supply them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
2 – Don’t aspire to be a great writer,
aspire to be a great story-teller.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
…and don’t call it ‘writing’, call it ‘work’.
Above all, don’t aspire to be a writor (with an ‘o’). Writors (with an ‘o’) are
poncy people who ‘commune with their muse’ and complain about wine. Instead, go
into the ring bare knuckled, and don’t come out till your book is lying
face-down in the blood and sawdust. That’s the work. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now</i> you can drink the wine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
3 – ‘Fiction is a lie, and good
fiction is the truth inside the lie’</div>
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Okay, I stole this one from
Stephen King, but my younger self doesn’t know that. It's time he did. Let’s hope he’s taking
notes.</div>
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4 – Plan ahead.</div>
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…even if it doesn’t come
naturally. You don’t have to stick to the plan, just give yourself a clear
sense of what you’re aiming for. Trying to make up a complicated plot as you go
is a bit like brick-laying in the dark. You wouldn’t build a house that way, so
why do it to build a world?</div>
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5 – Listen to criticism. Also, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BOO!</i> </div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981609828734332286.post-68766386520240736602012-01-24T10:31:00.000+00:002012-01-24T19:40:37.289+00:00Big Breakfasting<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkvGUy80lMW6RYoLVrPgt5yTp0ApzN4j8kFnwelwrclfG8VViUeiNB6FNt14zNDp1e6Zd1Sc-2I_cXt71rf4wT6XAfntzMvPoHVgYKhf3Acm85wS0Y68H8EqflqMqHEUiugfQcj_6uAQ/s1600/Haunters-Spiral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkvGUy80lMW6RYoLVrPgt5yTp0ApzN4j8kFnwelwrclfG8VViUeiNB6FNt14zNDp1e6Zd1Sc-2I_cXt71rf4wT6XAfntzMvPoHVgYKhf3Acm85wS0Y68H8EqflqMqHEUiugfQcj_6uAQ/s320/Haunters-Spiral.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
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I went to the Chicken House’s Big
Breakfast event last week. And look, I spotted a copy of my book! Well, okay,
it was just a spiral-bound printout, but this is the first time I’ve seen
anything of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i> on paper, so it
was still memorable. I was even asked to sign a few.</div>
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These Big Breakfasts are all
about bringing authors and their books together with interested parties from the world of
children’s literature. There were croissants, there were readings, and there was the
great Barry Cunningham to make it all sparkle. </div>
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The Chicken House’s list for this
year seems very strong, and a few titles particularly caught my eye: <a href="http://www.kmlarwood.com/book/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Freaks</i> by Kieran Larwood</a> (last year’s
Times Chicken House Fiction Competition winner), <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-About-Time-Book-Ruby/dp/190642764X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1327400820&sr=8-3"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl About Time</i> by Kerstin Geir</a> (best-selling time slip romance first
published in German in 2009), <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Floors-Patrick-Carman/dp/1906427909"><i>Floors</i> by Patrick Carman</a> (madcap goings-on in the barmiest hotel in the world) and <a href="http://www.doublecluck.com/books/muncle-trogg-and-the-flying-donkey"><i>Muncle Trogg and the Flying Donkey</i> by Janet Foxley</a> (the sequel to the wonderful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Muncle
Trogg</i>, and which the author kindly inscribed for my son (who adores Muncle
and anything to do with Mount Grumble)). But those were just the few books I snaffled
on my way out. <a href="http://www.doublecluck.com/books?order=date">The rest look great too</a>. I just hope <a href="http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781906427788"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haunters</i></a> won’t let the side down when it’s finally published in May.</div>Thomas Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987047131104943571noreply@blogger.com4