Well, here we are at the end of the Tim blog. For more than two years now this page has been the go-to place for the latest on my writing adventures, but now it’s time to up sticks and move on to Phase Three of My Sinister Masterplan to Conquer the Universe!

From now on, if you want to know what I’m up to the place to find out is the News Page for my third published book, CRAWLERS.

As with the site for The Black Tattoo, this site for Tim, Defender of the Earth will remain live for the forseeable future. Feel free to drop me a line on the Guestbook, or send artwork via the Reader Art Page.

Meanwhile, Thank you. Yes, you, reading this! Having people come and find me on the internet – let alone getting in touch to say kind things about my work – is, I think, one of the absolute best bits of being a writer. So: Thank you. 😀

Now: On with the sinister masterplan!

All best wishes,

Sam

CRAWLERS

by

Sam Enthoven

A preview extract, with exclusive art by Malcolm Harrison

words (c) Sam Enthoven / visuals (c) Malcolm Harrison 2010. All rights reserved.

Click here for previous parts: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4

Final Sneak Peek

‘You accept my offer then, Steadman?’ I asked him, through the young man’s mouth.

‘Not . . . quite.’ Even through the speakers on the pit walls I could hear the smile in Steadman’s voice.

‘To the left of your pit,’ he said, ‘there is a door. Through it you could go anywhere you want, but the door is shut and the only one who can open it is me. To the right of your pit is a second door: that door is open. It leads to the building above us, a building known as the Barbican. There I’ve set up . . . a little bet.’

I waited. I had waited a long time. I was patient.

‘You’ve never seen the Barbican, of course,’ said Steadman. ‘The Corporation completed it in nineteen sixty-nine – rather after your time. Then, it was the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Now . . .’ He paused. ‘Well, you’ll find out.

‘I’m giving you a chance to prove yourself, my Queen,’ he went on. ‘If you show me that you can do what you claim, I’ll accept your offer. The first door will open. We’ll go through. Together, you and I will take charge of this world and run it the way it should be run.’

‘And if I . . . displease you?’

‘This room, along with the whole of the Barbican, is rigged with explosives. At midnight precisely they will detonate. The entire building will be destroyed, erasing all evidence of tonight’s events – including, if I have not opened the first door, you. Do we understand each other?’

‘Yes.’ I understood him better than he knew.

‘Then go, my Queen,’ said Steadman. ‘You have less than six hours. If you’re as powerful as you say, you’ll know what to do. And I can hardly wait,’ he added, ‘to see you do it.’

Already my hands were moving. All of them. The pit resounded with soft, crawling sounds.

My wait was over. Now, at last, I could begin.

———————————–

CRAWLERS is available to pre-order from bookshops now. ;D

Find out more at my brand new website: www.theycrawl.com

CRAWLERS

by

Sam Enthoven

A preview extract, with exclusive art by Malcolm Harrison

words (c) Sam Enthoven / visuals (c) Malcolm Harrison 2010. All rights reserved.

Click here for previous parts: 1 , 2 , 3

Part 4

Free. More than three centuries had passed while I had been held captive in this pit. In the early days Steadman’s predecessors had kept me here with spiked chains and armed guards. Behind those guards had stood more guards, their weapons trained on the first in case I did what I do.

Now, in Mr Steadman’s time, I heard an echoing hiss and a whine of machinery. As the lid of my pit drew back I allowed myself a moment of triumph. From that first, blazing night when they caught me I had known this day would come. The reason was simple: they had not killed me. Even in 1666 the Corporation of London had recognized my . . . gifts.

-Click here for Part 5–

CRAWLERS

by

Sam Enthoven

A preview extract, with exclusive art by Malcolm Harrison

words (c) Sam Enthoven / visuals (c) Malcolm Harrison 2010. All rights reserved.

Click here for previous parts: 1 , 2

Part 3

Mr Miller shrieked – a short, high note, his voice driven to that pitch by absolute terror.

The shriek stopped.

Then I spoke through his mouth.

‘I . . . like this one, Steadman.’ The words were husky and thick at first as I worked the unfamiliar vocal cords. ‘He’s young. Healthy. Much better than the sickly things you usually bring me.’

‘A treat for you, my Queen,’ said Steadman. ‘And he’s just the first of many. As of now, you no longer have to make do with those dregs I can steal from the streets without anyone noticing. As of this moment, you can take anyone you want.’ He paused, then said: ‘You are free.’

-Click here for Part 4–

CRAWLERS

by

Sam Enthoven

A preview extract, with exclusive art by Malcolm Harrison

words (c) Sam Enthoven / visuals (c) Malcolm Harrison 2010. All rights reserved.

Click here for Part 1

Part 2

Miller fell silent.

‘I . . . hate you,’ Steadman began.

I’ve never had the chance to say this to one of you before, but I’ve hated people like you my whole life. Ever since school, where my existence was made a misery by a smug, self-satisfied waster just like you, I have quietly dedicated my life to finding ways to revenge myself on your kind. Something unpleasant is about to happen to you. But you can comfort yourself with two things. First, it will be over far more quickly than you deserve, and second, you’re in a very privileged position. You, Mr Miller, are about to serve the Queen.’

I took my cue.

‘Gah!’ cried Miller into the darkness when I first touched him. ‘What’s that?’

‘What’s what?’ Steadman asked, amused.

‘There’s something . . . crawling. Like a spider. It’s . . . going up my legs. Now it’s on my back! I can’t . . . Oh! Oh, God! GET IT OFF ME!‘

-Click here for Part 3–

CRAWLERS

by

Sam Enthoven

A preview extract, with exclusive art by Malcolm Harrison

words (c) Sam Enthoven / visuals (c) Malcolm Harrison 2010. All rights reserved.

Part 1

LONDON. The financial district, aka the City. Deep underground. 6:16pm

In the dark pit that had been my prison for almost three hundred and fifty years, Steadman’s latest victim was regaining consciousness.

‘Mr Miller?’ said Steadman’s voice from the pit’s wall-mounted speakers. ‘Mr Miller? Can you hear me?’

There was a groan. ‘Wh . . . what?’ The voice was that of a young man, not much more than a teenager. ‘Where am I? What . . . what happened?’

‘I imagine,’ said Steadman, ‘that the last thing you remember is lunch at my club. You spent most of the meal boasting about some trivial few million you made on the money markets this morning. For my part, I allowed you to imagine that the Corporation might be interested in you for a purpose other than your present one – and drugged your wine.’ He sighed. ‘Shocking way to treat a fine Margaux, I know. But then, so was wasting it on you.’

‘Mr Steadman,’ said his victim, trying for reason, ‘Lionel, I don’t-‘

‘Kindly shut up and let me tell you what you’re doing there.’

-Click here for Part 2–

As promised/threatened, I have a couple of announcements to make…!

The first is that during the next week (starting Mon 8th March) I am going to serialize the opening scene of my new book, Crawlers. The official launch date isn’t until April. But right here, for free, every day for (as I’m currently planning-!) five days straight, you can get a special, early taste of what the book is like.

As an online-only bonus my words will be accompanied by some extraordinary images graciously provided for the purpose by digital artist Malcolm Harrison. Here’s an extra piece he sent me to give you an idea of what he can do.

My second announcement is for followers of the Tim news page. As happened with the Black Tat news page (more than two years ago now!) we’re about to come to a fork in the road. The opening scene of Crawlers will be pretty much the last thing that appears on that blog. Like the Black Tat site, the Tim site will of course remain live for the forseeable future. But after the end of next week, my blogging activities will take place in my brand new soon-to-be-opened online home, the gorgeously creepy www.theycrawl.com

So there you go! That’s the next bit of my sinister masterplan. Bwa ha. BWA HA HA HA HA! -Er, ‘scuse me, I’m rather excited. Hope you are too. ;D

Til Monday then,

Sam

I am grinning like a fool after some excellent events for World Book Day 2010.

Here I am above doing my stuff yesterday at The Oakwood School in Surrey, where I spoke to three great groups from the school’s Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11. [Particular thanks to Aaron for his wonderfully detailed questions about The Black Tattoo.] Then today I was at CLR James Library in my home borough of Hackney, for a fine Q&A session with a sparkling group of Year 5s and 6s (literally sparkling, in the case of the young lady who wore her fairy crown to the talk) from Holy Trinity Primary School. All four sessions were an absolute delight. My thanks and best wishes to everyone I met and spoke to.

It’s only a few weeks now until the launch of Crawlers, and I am fairly fizzing with excitement – not least because I’m about to up sticks from this blog and move online house to the brand new Crawlers website!

The Mighty Katie WebSphinx is putting the finishing touches to the site right now. Stand by for further announcements! 😀

Here are some quick pics from my first school event of 2010, namely six talks with the awesomely enthusiastic pupils of Market Bosworth High School, Leicestershire.

Here I am (above) getting into it. I’ll have you know I had to leave my eyeballs charging all night to get that maniacal gleam.

Here, below, is one of the new star of the show. The book’s not out ’til April – this is my only proof copy! – but by popular demand (a show of hands vote!) I read the opening scene of Crawlers at the end of session three.

Here’s a glimpse of post-talk signing frenzy. HEE HEE HEE!

…And this next pic gives you a pretty good idea of what a kick a terrific school visit like this tends to give me.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone I met and spoke to today. Roll on tomorrow! 😀

With the launch for CRAWLERS closing fast I think it’s time to drop a little hint as to what the book might contain…!

Isn’t this an amazing image? It’s from the Picasa Web Album of an urban explorer called Steve. Here’s what he says about it:

This sewer actually passes very close to or directly underneath the Bank of England building on Threadneedle Street. The Walbrook Stream, which seems to now be carried in this sewer, used to regularly flood the vaults of the Bank. [London Bridge Sewer, London, England, 2007]

Click here for more of Steve’s fabulous shots of London’s sewer tunnels.

Katie WebSphinx and I are hard at work on a special CRAWLERS website, due to go live very soon now. You have been warned. 😉

Meanwhile, here’s a great bit of news I just heard about The Black Tattoo, over at Trapped By Monsters.