Three Things I Write (And Three I Don't)

Happy Wednesday, all.

I've been tagged in a new blog chain. This time it was by Mike Revell, whose children's debut STONEBIRD will be published by Quercus in 2015. You can check out his site HERE and his blog HERE. Mike had some great answers to this blog chain's questions (What are three things you write? What are three things you don't write?) so do go check out his post.

Just before I get into my answers, I want to share an Exciting Thing. With Eren only a few months away now, advanced copies have been going out. One copy went to none other than David Almond. My rather brilliant editor, Sarah, has worked her magic, got him to read it, and he's been nice enough to offer us a quote for the back of the book. Behold!

"Eren caught my attention from the very first page. I really enjoyed it. Sure-footed, distinctive, strange, poetic. Simon P. Clark is a truly interesting new voice." (David Almond, author of Skellig)

I am phenomenally happy about this. It's weird when people say nice things about your books, but it's weirderer when those people are childhood heroes.

(You can still enter to win an advanced copy of Eren, by the way, over on the Eren Tales blog. The Third Tale - Teeth - will also be going up some time next week. There's so much going on.)

Nightmare - The Second Eren Tale

Now, to the blog chain.

Three Things I Write

Short Stories. I'm a big fan of short stories. I buy collections of them by my favourite writers, and I've always written them myself. I think they're important, especially for new writers. They force you to work on your pacing and your voice. When space is limited, the crap gets cut, and what you're left with should be only the best. Some of the most amazing stories I've read have been short stories. With the right technique, and a master storyteller, they can do amazing things. It's also a great way to keep fresh, to experiment with new forms and styles, and to test out ideas. 

Children's Books. I may well write for adults in the future. I've certainly started 'grown up' novels in the past. Right now, though, the things that interest me the most, and the stories I want to tell, and aimed at, and about, kids. It just kind of happened. I don't intend to stay here all my life, but I can't ever see myself giving it up. It's brilliant.

Monsters. Maybe this is because I wrote for children, or maybe it's in spite of it, but boos have to have monsters - and monsters with real teeth, too. There's Eren, of course, but I've also written shorter pieces (some of which are on this site) about ghosts, and Death, and mysterious shattering women, and men who eat rabbits, and women who know the world is going to end. I think it's the darkness I enjoy - the fact you can hint at the fact there's so much more the reader isn't being told, and might not ever learn.

Three Things I Don't Write

And They All Lived Happily Ever After. I've never been convinced by happy endings. Where's the uneasy feeling that the tale will continue even if you close the book? Where's the creeping doubt that the monster might come back, or that it has a mother who's bigger and stronger and not very happy? Bring on the ambiguity, the unsettling pauses, and the feeling that the story isn't ever quite done.

It Was All A Dream. Not because I think it's cheating - after all, dreams are mysterious and unknowable and very useful for writers. No, the reason I don't like this approach is that it diminishes what dreams are. It's makes everything OK because it was just a dream. Just a dream? No. Dreams are dark and strange and real. "It was a dream," is the beginning of a story, not the end.

Morals. I'm not sure stories are meant to specifically teach one thing. Fairy tales are intensely moral, of course (though the original versions often had a far starker lesson than modern versions), but that's often a side effect of the way they're built up. There's something off-putting about a story that sets out to teach children A Thing About Life. It also opens the door to condescension. Who needs that, really? I'm with Philip Pullman on this one - wind the story up, like clockwork, and set it going.

The Second Eren Tale Is Here - Win a Copy of Eren

Exciting things have been happening.

Nightmare - the second of the twelve Eren Tales short stories - is now published. If you want to read it, and see the artwork my friend Brandon Rechten came up with, just click here, or visit erentales.com

While you're there, have a look at the Eren Tales blog, where we're running a competition to win an advanced copy of Eren. Anyone can enter, and it's running for the next two weeks, so go - go! - now's your chance to see what I'm been harping on about for the last year and a half!

And ... that's it. Enjoy the tale, and keep watching for the next ones. Six are coming out before Eren's hardback publication in September, with the other six leading up to paperback publication. If you like words and stories and dark tales and mystery, they should be right up your street.

S

Eren Is a Real Book

Perhaps one of the most exciting things that will ever happen to me happened last week - on Friday, to be exact. I got home early, ready to pack and take a trip to Martha's Vineyard, an island up by Nantucket. A package was waiting for me - a package I'd been waiting for for a couple of weeks.

You may well be able to guess what was in it:

Yes - Eren! My Eren - my book. Real and in my hand and with pages and words and everything. It was a fantastic moment, and one I won't forget for a long time. It's something I've wanted for so long, and now that it's here - now I can show people a book with my name and Eren's story - it all feels a bit odd indeed.

I even have some reviews coming in. There's this one from The Sprout, and a great one from Kat Ellis - and hopefully, more to come. 

Oh - the second Eren Tale - Nightmare - will be up in just a few days. Watch this space, friends. 

S

Review: Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis

One of the unexpected bonuses (bonii?) of being a writer is the increasing number of books on my shelves that are written by people I actually know. It's satisfying, and very strange, to see the names of authors, or have books lying around, and know that if I really wanted to, I could call them up and discuss the plot.

Maybe I should start doing that. 4 a.m. phone calls where I shout angry questions about character development would, no doubt, make me very popular among colleagues.

Anyway - with that in mind, I want to make more of an effort to review and spread the word about new books by folk I like. I reviewed M. P. Kozlowsky's The Dyerville Tales not too long ago (and it's actually published, now. Go, buy it. You won't regret it). Today, I'm talking about Kat Ellis' Blackfin Sky.

First, a bit about the book:

When Sky falls from Blackfin Pier and drowns on her sixteenth birthday, the whole town goes into mourning – until she shows up three months later like nothing happened.

Unravelling the mystery of those missing months takes Sky to the burned-out circus in the woods, where whispers of murder and kidnapping begin to reveal the town’s secrets. But Sky’s not the only one digging up the past – the old mime from the circus knows what happened to her, and he has more than one reason for keeping quiet about it. 

If I didn't know Kat, I probably wouldn't have read this book. It's not the sort of thing I would have gone for. I'm not a huge YA guy. I'm not a huge mystery guy

I'm also an idiot for overlooking books like this. If Blackfin Sky's anything to go by, I have a lot of catching up to do. It's a fantastic read - gripping from the first page (where Silas, a disdainful haunted weather vane - yes, you read that right - catches sight of a dead girl who's not dead) to the last (which I'm not going to spoil for you). I finished the book yesterday and, I have to admit, took a longer lunch than I'm technically allowed. I was too wrapped up in the climax - and it's a good one, guys. There are so many different threads to this story, and so many questions, but Kat manages to bring them all together at the end like some sort of mad puppeteer. It left me wanting more, but not feeling frustrated. That has to be the mark of a good book, right? I want sequels and prequels. I want to know more about Silas, and Bo, and what's up with Jared, and I want to know now.

Maybe I will make that 4 a.m. call...

Two things especially surprised me about this book. Firstly, I started caring a lot about certain characters. Whether it was Kat's writing (never flowery, always well paced) or the sheer inventiveness of the story, I don't know, but one scene in particular (involving an open grave and a mob of boys who are keen to see it refilled) had me balling my fists and imagining, there and then, the terrible vengeance I would enact upon those who did wrong. I got a bit worked up, I'll admit, and had to take a break. That's a good story. And then something happened later that made me feel bad for thinking those things. I only have so many emotions a day, Kat. You can't do things like that.

Secondly, Blackfin Sky is funny as hell. The banter between the characters, and Sky's description of her mother especially, are bang on. There's sarcasm, jokes, and awkward teenage moments we can all relate to. The fact it's happening alongside danger and confusion only makes it better. Yes, there's romance too, but it's natural and never forced. Sean seems like good guy. I'd let him date my sister, if he wanted.

You can probably tell I quite liked this book.

Kat's running a release day giveaway over on her site at the moment. You should go enter. If you don't win, you should buy this book. It's a great debut - and it's coming out in the U.S. in September, too.

Congratulations, Kat! Now hurry up and write your next book.

New Posts, a Bookshop, and Blackfin Sky

I owe the world a brief update. 

After the First Tale was published - and while the Second Tale is being worked on - the blog over on Eren Tales has been updated a bit. I can't wait for the new story to go up later this month. Hopefully, you'll read it. Even more hopefully, you'll like it. I know Brandon has some great ideas for the photo to accompany it.

I have another piece up on Writers & Artists! It's called The Vital Importance of the Adventurous Life and is pretty much all my thoughts on living and experiencing life and channeling that into your writing. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

Finally, yesterday saw the launch of My Independent Bookshop, a new joint project between Hive and Penguin Random House. It's basically a way of showcasing your favourite books in your own online 'shop', with the added twist that a portion of the profits made from any purchases goes to an independent bookshop of your choice. I spent a happy few minutes setting up my own, Simon's Transmovable Bookorium, and selected Foyles, in Bristol, to benefit from any sales. Mostly it's a great way to be nosy and see which books other people have chosen - Terry Pratchett's on there, for example - and, hopefully, start building a new community that feeds back into real-world shops.

We'll see, I guess.

That, for now, is it. I'm reading an ARC of Kat Ellis' BLACKFIN SKY at the moment and can tell you, in an exclusive and top-secret spoiler, that it is very good. It's available for pre-order now. Kat's site is here: http://www.katelliswrites.com/ (She also has a spiffy book trailer up - click here to watch)