It’s been a busy couple of weeks for one of my absolute favourite monsters, THE KRAKEN.

Reprising the classic look from Ray Harryhausen‘s original film, the Kraken appears for a whole gleeful climactic eighteen seconds in the current trailer(2) for the soon-to-be-released remake of Clash of the Titans.

To my enormous delight, the Kraken was also recently honoured as Badass of the Week by Ben Thompson, on his brilliant website of the same name: click here for a great piece that rounds up some classic Krakenology in fine style.

However: Mr Thompson’s excellent description of his subject as (I quote) “basically a giant-ass emotionless cephalopod who lives solely to eat boats, destroy all life in the ocean, and violently implode warships with his ultra-powerful crush-o-matic appendages of doom“, while wonderful, isn’t, I believe, quite the whole story. There’s a very different side to our titanic tentacular friend, as anyone familiar with the Kraken’s starring role in Tim, Defender of the Earth might already know. 😀

Another mad year draws to a close. I am knackered, but with CRAWLERS poised to launch in April (and plenty more thrilling projects in the pipeline) I’m very, very happy.

Thanks, best wishes and Merry Christmas to anyone reading this. I hope you enjoy your food. ;D

The sinister masterplan continues. SNEE HEE HEE!

Sam

…That, in case you’re wondering, is what I was told the unforgettable image on the cover of my new book CRAWLERS was made of. At yesterday’s Random House Children’s Books Christmas Party I got the chance to meet, thank and congratulate the person responsible, namely RHCBUK’s in-house design genius Rhys Willson.

He’s clearly a man who loves his job. ‘If you want to do cuts or wounds,’ he explained with relish, ‘then pork is the way to go, because it looks just like human flesh. As for the squid, I went down the fish-market, saw one I liked, and got the fishmonger to mash it up a bit for me with a mallet.’

😀

Meanwhile, CRAWLERS has now received its first review, by Barry Hutchison, author of the bracingly bloodcurdling and entirely awesome upcoming horror series INVISIBLE FIENDS: hit this link – and imagine how I felt as I read that first paragraph…! ;p

It’s time to reveal the cover of my new book, CRAWLERS, which is due to be published this April 2010

I’m very excited! Hee hee hee!

In other news, by the time you read this the final two slices of my free, nasty story JETHRO’S ACE OF HEARTS will be live at Trapped By Monsters. For those who haven’t already, you can read it from the beginning, here.

Here’s a cropped shot of the shelf where I keep my working editions – the ones that I take with me to my events at schools, libraries, bookshops, festivals, etc. That’s why Black Tat and Tim look a bit battered. But long-term followers of this blog might notice something new on their right. 😉

The advance reader copies – ‘proofs’ – of Crawlers arrived this morning. These are rough, not-quite-finished versions of the book that will be given to booksellers, reviewers and other interested parties in the hope of generating some early buzz before the final version officially launches this April 2010.

To me, after two years of work, they’re something else, too. Now, for the first time, Crawlers is a proper book at last.

My disgusting, betentacled, mutant offspring (but its daddy loves it) is almost ready to slither forth out into the world with its siblings.

Today is a super good day. 😀

My first school visit of the new academic year was a two-day booking at The Harwich School in Essex. It was brilliant. The library, where I did my talks, was equipped with a laptop and a digital projector. Since I’ve just this week been sent the latest version of what might become the cover for CRAWLERS, I took the opportunity to test it out on its target audience…!

The cover is a work-in-progress, so I’m not going to show it to you any more clearly than this (above) for now. But I will say that people’s reactions [‘Sick‘, ‘Cool‘ and – especially – ‘Ew!‘] were pretty much exactly what my publishers and I are hoping for. HEE HEE HEE!

A monster thank you to Mr Dace (above) for inviting me and organizing this terrific visit, and huge and gleeful thanks to everyone I met at Harwich for the wonderful, warm welcome they gave me. All the questions I was asked over the course of the two days were excellent. Here’s one from Bex, 12, who wrote in to the Tim Guestbook:

What’s it like being an author? I wish to be one when I’m older.

I love being an author. It’s my dream job. But like any job, it’s not for everyone. Luckily it’s an easy one to try: all you have to do is sit down, make up a thrilling story, and write it – it’s as simple, and as difficult, as that.

The internet is full of thousands of blogs and websites written by authors, which may also give you an idea of what being one is like. For a place to start, try www.trappedbymonsters.com , the joint blog I’m involved in with seven other authors (you can see a poster for Dragon Orb by one of them, Mark Robson, in the first pic above!) All their websites are fabulous, and they’re easy to find if you follow the links on the TBM ‘authors‘ page. But nothing will show you what being an author is like as definitely as making the time to give it a go for yourself.

Whether you find it suits you, or you don’t, I wish you the best of luck.

Sam

Here’s the latest version of this gorgeous take on Black Tat‘s cover art, as worked on these last few weeks by Ali from Illinois, who says:

I’m almost done!!!!!!
The next scan I send will be the final color copy!
Here you go! You can put the update on your blog again
All the best!
Alisa

As for me, I’ve already(-!) heard back from my editor about the final draft of Crawlers, and the news is good: we’re on to the copyedit stage. The book is being checked for any tiny errors of grammar, punctuation, spelling or continuity that I’ve missed, but the story is now officially all set and working properly. I’m very happy! 😀

PS: For previous versions of Ali’s amazing art, check here and here.

Heart fluttering, I have just pressed SEND on the final draft of CRAWLERS.

I’ve spent the last week crunching through the last notes from my editors. There were thirty-four of them (that’s notes, not editors). They were excellent (that’s notes /and/ editors!) But now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stick my head in one of these:

Here’s an interview with me by Tracy Baines for her blog, Tall Tales & Short Stories. Tracy’s brilliant blog is a great information source for aspiring and up-and-coming authors. I’ve done my best to pass on a bit of whatever wisdom I’ve managed to hang onto so far(!) but if you click on the link you’ll also find exclusive details about Phase Three Of My Sinister Masterplan to Conquer the Universe — including, at last, the book’s real title! 😀

Further to the previous post, here’s the latest from Ali:

I’ve started on the color copy and thought you might like to see it.
Feel free to put it up on your blog again.
A big hello from over here in the USA!
Best wishes,
Ali

Looking great, Ali! Thank you so much!

In other news, this week I’ve seen the first early versions of what might become the jacket art for Phase Three. I am very, very, very excited! Official announcement of the real title (which, in case you weren’t sure, isn’t actually Phase Three) coming soon. Watch this space! 😀

…I’ve cracked it!

I just heard back yesterday from my editors and they are “delighted” with the third draft of Phase Three Of My Sinister Masterplan To Conquer The Universe. Only a few more tweaks and we can go to the copyedit stage.

I am very, very happy. This short book has been a long slog, but all the work and time and effort are coming together at last — and I’m hopeful that, if you like fast-paced storytelling, the results are going to knock your socks off.

Excuse me, but I feel some more Muppet-style arm-waving coming on. HEE HEE HEE HEE! 😀