Here it is…

At Write2Excite – www.write2excite.co.uk – you can claim your FREE set of four posters, featuring best-selling children’s authors Andy Briggs, Joe Craig, Tommy Donbavand and GP Taylor!

So, what are you waiting for?  Pin us up today!

Tommy

Zombie! tells the story of schoolboy Nathan and his sister Olivia who, on one of their regular visits to the local cemetery to visit their granddad’s grave, discover that one of the other corpses buried there is a little more lively than they would have expected…

For those who don’t know, Barrington Stoke produce books for dyslexic and struggling readers – and I’m very proud to have written something for them.

Zombie! will be published in September.

As I often say, a blank page or computer screen can be scarier than anything I write about in my books – so it’s always a good idea to plan your story out in advance: invent a setting, create unique, three-dimensional characters and devise a gripping, action-packed plot.

If you’d like your school to invite me in, why not download and print off the images below?  These are postcards I’m currently having printed to send around to head teachers for the next school year, and explain everything your school needs to know about my story plan workshop, The Write Stuff.

With thanks to top author, Barry Hutchison, who designed the cards for me after I waxed on and on about how much I liked his!

For more information on the role of the children’s laureate, visit the website here: http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk

As authors, we’re still writing and, as our books come close to release, our various publishers produce something called uncorrected proofs of our books.  Basically a ‘proof’ is the story in basic book form so that readers and reviewers can enjoy the story before it hits the shelves.  That’s why new book releases already have glowing reviews by the time they hit the shelves.

I’ve been honoured to read two of these proofs over this last week, and will blog about them separately – starting with Dark Summer by Ali Sparkes…

What can I say?  I went to bed last night with the intention of reading a chapter or two but literally could not put the book down.  I finished at 3.10am knowing that I had read possibly the best children’s book, ever.  That might sound like a cliche but, trust me, it’s not.  This is a GREAT book!

Without giving too much away, Dark Summer tells the tale of Eddie – an intelligent if slightly sensitive boy who is forced to spend the summer with his aunt and cousins near the Wooky Hole caves.  But, what begins as a bog-standard family day out to the tourist attraction, turns into so much more and changes not only Eddie’s life, but that of an arthritic distant uncle and several never-seen-before characters.

Dark Summer isn’t out until July, but I urge you to go out and pre-order a copy.  Books rarely get better than this.

Making a Drama out of a Crisis is packed with dozens of exciting new drama games and exercises designed to help teachers control bad behaviour in the classroom.  There are drama activities to help with problems such as use of bad language, pushing and shoving, poor attention skills and speaking out of turn.  To encourage pupils to work together as a team, there is also a complete script for the pantomime, Aladdin, plus details on how to make scenery, costumes, cast and direct the show, and much more.

The book is available to pre-order at amazon.co.uk right now!

Tommy