The Charmed Return Competition

By Allan | Thursday, 28 April 2011 at 09:21
Category: Writing | Tags:

Well, my box of copies of The Charmed Return has finally arrived! I think it must have come all the way from New York by foot! But the good news is that it looks like I have a few spare copies - so I thought it might be good to set up a competition so people can win signed copies.

I know most of you people have probably already got yourselves a copy of the book - but you might still like to have one that I’ve signed - and you can always pass the other one on to a friend or family member. Remember - spread the word if you want a 7th book!

So - the competition. I don’t want to make it too easy, and it would be nice for the most avid readers to get signed copies.

Here goes - the way to enter the competition is NOT to post a comment here - but to write to me via the CONTACT page.

Just answer the following questions, please:

From the Faerie Path: What play are Tania and Edric rehearsing for school?

From The Lost Queen: What name does Titania use in London?

From The Sorcerer King/The Seventh Daughter: What is the name of The Sorcerer Kings’s wife?

From The immortal Realm: What is the name of the coastal town that Tania and Co come to at the end of the book?

From The Enchanted Quest: What is the name of the woman who ferries them into Erin?

Ok - I have six copies of The Charmed Return for signing and sending off. When you write, tell me what dedication you would like in the book - the first 6 to reply win! Easy as that.

Other news. I know a lot of you are really hoping for a 7th book about Tania and Co. I have met with a colleague who is involved with the UK end of the publishing. I have to be honest with you, he was impressed by the amount of fan mail I get about The Faerie Path series, and he took away 80 print-outs from people asking for a 7th book - but he couldn’t guarantee that the series would carry on with Harper Collins in the USA. But don’t despair - I’m thinking about possible ways ahead.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the best way by far to ensure the existence of a 7th Faerie Path book is for a huge number of the first six books to be sold. So, if you have access to Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter or any other forum either online or in your school or neighbourhood - tell people about the series and urge them to buy the books. Make sure the books are available in your local library. Spread the word and a 7th book may still be possible! I’m doing my best, but there’s one thing for sure - I can’t do it without you people!

The Six Crowns Launched!

By Allan | Saturday, 9 April 2011 at 08:49
Category: Writing | Tags: ,

I just thought I’d write and tell you that the first book of the brand new The Six Crowns series is in the stores now. It actually came out on the 1st of April - no fooling!colour-sl1-trundle-and-esmeralda2

The series is fantasy again (I do like fantasy, I don’t care what anyone says…) - but it is quite different to The Faerie Path and Warrior Princess. For a start, all the characters are talking animals - and the hero and heroine are hedgehogs - and here is a picture of them, drawn and coloured by the amazing Gary Chalk. The one sitting on top is Esmeralda Lightfoot, she’s a Roamany and she has strange magic powers. The one flat on his back is Trundle Boldoak, a quiet, home-loving kind of guy who gets ripped out of his simple, straightforward life by Esmeralda and sent off on wild and dangerous adventures.

The series is aimed for a younger age group than the Faerie Path - kind of from 8 to 12 - but older people than that have read the first book and they’ve told me it’s a lot of fun - which is great, because that’s exactly what it’s meant to be. So,even if you think you’re too old for these books, maybe you could buy one for a younger brother or sister or cousin or friend - and then sneakily read it yourself before handing it over.

There is a dedicated website for the series. You can find it at www.thesixcrowns.com - and Gary Chalk and I will be running competitions regularly with signed books as prizes, and also with framed and signed copies of some of Gary’s coloured artwork - like the picture here. Please take a few minutes to look at the site - I’d love to know what you think, whether you’re 8 years old or 68 years old!