New Year’s blog

In the run up to Christmas from November 21st, 430 people kindly bought my book at signings. Thanks to you and all those (totalling some 4,400-odd now) who bought my book during the year.
And a very special thank you to all those who have taken the trouble to give it such amazingly enthusiastic reviews (see review page on www.ravensquill.com)

Here are two of the latest:
Benjamin Lewis, age: 6yrs
"Met author bought book. Fantastic, read chapter by chapter at bed time. Can't wait for next adventure.”

Anna Polanska
I really enjoyed it, it was one of the best books i have ever read I could not stop reading it. My favourite part was when they all had a big battle at the corbie stone in the end. My favourite character was sweenie the heenie for he was always getting in trouble with o flattery. Over all I thought it was a great book and for all age groups.
P.S I got to meet the author yay.”

My first book for young adults and adults under the pseudonym Alan Howard is a ghost story – ‘The Flight of Birds’ – first in a trilogy that forms a ‘Danse Macabre’ through which the mysterious figure of the Shabby Tattler weaves tales that come alive in the telling.

Here is a blurb for that first story:
“When her mother dies, Kate and her father bury her in a place beloved of her childhood and go to live in a cottage close by.
Kate meets a one-eyed vagabond who tells her the tale of this place: of a massacre in the name of religion, of imprisonment, rape, torture and murder.
It is a tale that comes alive in the telling as its victims rise up in vengeance to engulf Kate and all around her.
Kate finds herself the unwilling medium through which they will have their revenge.”

It is intended to be published in March, though I am contemplating illustrating it with B&W line drawings which would delay its publication date.

Having secured UKTI grants for foreign book fairs, Raven’s Quill is going to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in March and we now have the children’s and Y/A scout for Anne Louise Fisher Associates (top UK literary scouting agency) showing Curd to their international clients.
Fingers crossed.

On my illustrating front, I am now working for Osprey in addition to my stalwart, the Penguin Group, and others including Brown Reference Group, Hachette Partworks, Ivy Group and Aurum Press.