Publishers Scholastic asked the question if a 6 year old could write a fully formed story. And when they got the answer, they animated it (complete with original spelling).
Introducing… Arthur Quinn and the Fenris Wolf!
So my second book, Arthur Quinn and the Fenris Wolf, has appeared on Amazon and a few other book-selling sites. The book is hitting the shelves in August so this is your first chance to see the cover and read the synopsis. I hope you’re as excited about reading Arthur’s next adventures as I was writing them!
Life is finally back to normal for Arthur Quinn. Three months ago, he and his friends put their lives at risk to stop the trickster god Loki from taking over the world. However, just when Arthur is starting to relax again, the dreams start once more; dreams of gods, dreams of war, dreams of wolves. It can mean only one thing. Loki is back. In the midst of a deep snowfall, Loki plots his vengeance on Arthur. In the months since their last battle, the trickster God has been assembling a deadly army of wolves and he intends to take the world once and for all. Can Arthur trust his two new classmates? Where did Ash’s puppy come from? And what is hidden in the National Museum that Loki is so desperate to get? Mysteries and questions arise as, once again, it’s down to Arthur Quinn and his friends to save the world. But what they don’t know is that this time, Loki has help…
Where’s Wall-E?
Character Art Callout
As some of you know already, book two (‘Arthur Quinn and the Fenris Wolf’) is coming out in August. To coincide with the launch, we’re going to be unleashing a brand new version of the Arthur Quinn website a few weeks before the book comes out. One of the big additions to the new site is going to be a much more in-depth look at the characters. I want to include an illustration of each character as well. And I thought that the best person to do this is… well… you!
So send in your drawings! I want to see pictures of Arthur, Ash, Will, Max, Joe, Loki – everyone! You can take a photo of the drawings or scan them in and then use the form here to send them.
I can’t wait to see what you all come up with.
How long can you look at this?
More Seuss – Mad Men
I’m a big fan of Mad Men. One of my favourite characters is Ken Cosgrove. He’s often overlooked but I like him because, although he’s just a boring accounts guy at work, he secretly writes short stories at home. The creator of Mad Men has said that the series will end in the modern day and we’ll get to see what all the characters are up to. I always get the feeling that Ken will have left the advertising industry to become a full-time and very successful author.
Anyway, I read this blog and it reminded me a lot of Ken. Turns out Dr Seuss worked in advertising before becoming a children’s author.
If Star Wars was written by Dr Seuss
Then and now
Back in the early nineties, my uncle who lived in America at the time brought back a book for my younger brother Paul. It was the Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry. Paul loved the book (mainly because it had pictures of fire-fighters!) and I remember flicking through it myself from time to time. I don’t think it was ever sold in this side of the world. I never saw it in any bookshops then and haven’t now.
Anyway, this flickr account grabbed my attention when I stumbled on it. Turns out that there are two versions of Scarry’s book. The first was released in 1963 and then his revised version came out in 1991. (We owned the revised version.) It’s interesting looking at what he decided to change nearly thirty years later and will tell you a little about how the world changed too. Have a look.
Superhero illustrations by Liam Brazier
A real-life althiometer
Fans of His Dark Materials will love this real life althiometer.
