2010 Cheshire Schools Book Award

In the autumn of 2009, the shortlist was announced for the 2010 Cheshire Schools Book Award. Here are the six fine novels that made the final cut:

Auslander by Paul Dowswell
Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray
The Goldsmith’s Daughter by Tanya Landman
Feather and Bone by Lazlo Strangolov
Blood Hunters by Steve Voake
The Midnight Charter by David Whitley

I make this announcement now as it has only just been drawn to my attention. My literary executor, Matt Whyman, tells me he has been busy lately. Quite how busy I am not sure. A delay of some six months makes me think he had been abducted by aliens.

Trust nobody. Except for chickens and beagle dogs.

75 starlings fall from the sky

I have long maintained that there is something in the air. What it is remains a mystery.

In the UK, however, it has led to 75 starlings dropping dead to the ground.

The number, as ever, is significant.

09/12/09 Mystery spiral over Norway

Here is an extract from my novel, Feather & Bone. I think we all know what I'm saying here...

"At first I hear a crackle and a whoosh, and then suddenly there it is, blazing overhead ... it is the first falling star that I have ever seen. Just two other members of the community have claimed to witness one over the years, and now my time has come.

I am amazed at how gracefully it passes, burning like a lamp and showering a trail of sparks in its wake."

9 + 12 + 9 = 30

???

Mysterious sightings on Google Earth

Bunker-bound as I am, Google Earth is a useful tool for me to keep an eye on the world. Here is an unsettling montage of unexplained objects and messages found by eagle-eyed users.

I should say the co-ordinates for my bunker remain secret.

An award for bravery?

Lazlo Strangolov's Feather & Bone has been nominated for the 2010 CILIP Carnegie Medal.

I am surprised and honoured that my little book is on such an illustrious list. I can only think those responsible are wise to the warning within the pages. For the tale hides clues to the nature of a TERRIBLE CATACLYSM. One that is set to befall us all at some point very soon.

These are eagle-eyed and courageous individuals who are clearly anxious to spread the word before all is lost. My guess is they're the kind of canny people who, like me, have taken steps to prepare for the End Times.

As a result, I imagine when the dust clears and the world emerges into a New Age, we can expect it to be heavily populated by libarians.

rise of the zombie beagle

Throughout the summer I have been busy - spinning the tale of a very sad girl indeed.

I have been moved to finalise my next novel should the world fail to end as planned. A good End Time Theorist must always have a get-out clause after all.

For me, this nasty flu business has upset my calculations somewhat. Should I prove to have got the date wrong, we'll need something else to read.

And so, just in case, I have cooked up a tale about a child bereaved of her pet beagle - a decomposing pooch that goes on to be dug up and revived by her father. (Un)naturally she loves him like any pet, despite the squishy bits, and indeed this is put to the test when the loyal beast is dognapped...

I see it as a cross between Lassie Come Home and Dawn of the Dead. The book, complete with further scribblings, will surface courtesy of Walker Books in early 2010.

Until then, I shall continue to monitor the possibilty that our world shall be no more. Which would be a shame now I think about it, after all the effort I've put into writing this second offering.

God speed, my followers!

the coast is clear (for now)

Among my weekly provisions, I found a mouth mask.

I am in isolation in my bunker, but I have been wearing it day and night.

It appears that we are safe for the time being. The Swine Flu didn't wipe out the world as feared. To my great relief, this means my own End Time prediction remains compelling.

Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than having your claims that the world will end on a certain date overshadowed by more immediate events.

So, for now it is safe to leave your burrows. Go out. Enjoy! It won't last long ...

Mark my words.