Character Contest Deadline Extended
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Links, Scream Street
Great news for those of you wanting to enter the writing contest where you could win the chance to become a character in a future Scream Street book – the deadline for submissions has been extended to 1st March 2010!
Find out more at: http://www.watchthemgrow.co.uk/quest_missionfive.html
Tommy
Be Appy!
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Links, Scream Street
Eeee(book) by gum! It’s grand news…
The first four Scream Street titles – Fang of the Vampire, Blood of the Witch, Heart of the Mummy and Flesh of the Zombie – are now available to buy as iPhone apps from the iTunes App Store. Each book costs just £3.99, and is instantly available to read as soon as it has downloaded.
Simply click here to launch the App Store on your computer: http://ax.search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?media=software&term=scream+street
And, as if that wasn’t enough – ALL SEVEN Scream Street novels are now available to buy from the Waterstones website as ebooks by clicking here: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/advancedSearch.do?buttonClicked=1&title=scream+street&author=&bookkeywords=&format=3757&ctx=&price=&age=&isbn=
What a scream!
Tommy
50 Best Winter Reads
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Links, Scream Street
I was delighted to discover that Scream Street 7: Invasion of the Normals had made an appearance in The Independent’s 50 Best Winter Reads. The entry read:
‘Tommy Donbavand is fast becoming the master of comedy horror,’ says Joe. ‘In Invasion of the Normals he pulls off the trickiest of genre-bending feats with great dollops of style and sparkle.’
You can read the piece in situ – along with details of the 49 other wonderful books – here: http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/arts-books/the-50-best-winter-reads-1819389.html
Tommy
It’s Great Up North!
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Events, Scream Street
I’ve just spent two wonderful days running events at the Northern Children’s Book Festival – first in Stockton, and then in Thorntree. Thanks to everyone involved (especially Karen and Michelle) for ensuring I had just a wonderful a time as the kids!
Here’s to more fun at NCBF next year…
Tommy
Troll Time!
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Scream Street
I’m delighted to reveal the cover for Scream Street 8: Attack of the Trolls – to be published in April 2010.
I think this is one of the best covers of the series so far – and the book itself is packed with action, plot twists and rather smelly troll droppings…
Tommy
Scream Street Makes A Strong Start In The US
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Links, Scream Street
I was delighted to receive a link to an article on the Publishers Weekly website recently which featured Scream Street as one of the books/series that had gained a strong foothold in the US market since publication. My agent had told me that Candlewick Press – my American publishers – had already reprinted the first two books a total of three times, but it was incredibly gratifying to see it in print.
You can read the full article here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6705497.html?nid=2788&rid=1959776788&source=title
Let’s hope Scream Street continues to be a popular read among American kids!
Tommy
Halloween Fan Art
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Illustrations, Links, Scream Street
More brilliant Scream Street fan art from Julia at Marticus Productions:
Grave News
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Links, Scream Street
Here’s a short, instructional video explaining how to enter this month’s Quest, and win the chance to become a character in a future Scream Street book:
Find out more at: http://www.watchthemgrow.co.uk/quest.html
Tommy
Become A Character In Scream Street
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Scream Street
Have you ever wanted to appear as a character in a book? Well here’s your chance!
Renaissance Learning are running a Quest with each challenge set by a children’s author – and this month, it’s me! All you have to do is imagine that you wake up one day to discover you’ve turned into a vampire. How would you react? What would you do? And how far would you stay from the garlic in the supermarket?
I want you to write a story of at least 150 words telling me what you would do (you can of course write more than that – and include pictures, too). When all the entries are in, I’ll choose a winner and make that person a character in a future Scream Street book.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to see your name in print – click here and try The Quest!
Tommy
Trick AND Treat
Posted by Tommy | Filed under Scream Street
Happy Halloween!
To celebrate the spookiest night of the year, here’s a brand new Scream Street short story – ‘Trick AND Treat’ – written exclusively for The Times newspaper. Don’t have nightmares…
Trick AND Treat
A SCREAM STREET short story by Tommy Donbavand
“Come on!” cried Luke Watson, pulling the hood of his makeshift ghost costume over his head and bounding up the path to number 18 Scream Street. “It’ll be fun – I promise!”
Resus Negative licked his fangs nervously and exchanged a worried glance with their mummy friend, Cleo Farr. Wasn’t it bad enough that they were having to wander the streets in fancy dress without Luke getting all overexcited? “We’re not sure about this,” he said, itching at the spot on his neck where Luke had insisted on taping fake Frankenstein bolts.
Cleo dragged off her gorgon wig and straightened the bandages over her scalp. “It’s just not the way we do things around here,” she agreed. “Tonight’s more of a stay at home with the family kind of night.”
Luke sighed. Who would have imagined, now he lived among real vampires, phantoms and mummies, that Halloween would be so, well… boring? He’d pictured skeletons dancing while witches brewed up steaming potions and zombies burst out of their graves – but the most exciting thing he’d seen all night was a bat with a half-deflated balloon tied to its leg.
“Suit yourselves!” he grumbled. “All the more for me!” Spinning round, he rapped on the buckled wooden door and struck what he hoped was a spooky pose.
Limping footsteps approached along the hallway inside. Clump, swick. Clump, swick. Clump, swick. Heavy bolts were drawn back and the door opened with an agonised creak. “Yes, dear?” enquired the wrinkled face that peered out of the darkness. A thick tongue slavered over toothless gums. “What do you want?”
“Trick or treat!” beamed Luke from beneath his white bed sheet. He held out his pumpkin pail and added a ghoulish ‘Wooh!’ for good measure.
“Trick or treat?” mused the old woman. “Now, there’s a choice…” Then, without warning, she grasped a handful of hair, ripped her head from her shoulders and dumped it in the bucket.
Sticky, red liquid spurted over Luke and he backed away, pulling the soaking bed sheet from his face in horror. It was a moment before he realised it was nothing more than raspberry sauce.
Peering down into the plastic container, he found gobstopper eyes blinking up at him from beneath a mop of candyfloss hair. A stump of white, marshmallow spine protruded from the neck, wrapped in red liquorice veins.
“Never been a fan of choices myself,” cackled the confectionary head. “So why not have both?!”
THE END