Ariel Lopez

I've had a lovely letter forwarded to me from someone called Ariel Lopez, but there's no return address so I can't reply. If you know of anyone by that name, please could you tell them this? Thanks!

Kids' Lit Quiz

A great time was had by all at the Kids' Lit Quiz Final in Oxford on Friday. I wonder if any of you know the answer to this question, which was posed by ace quizmaster Wayne Mills?

"Which books begins with the words: The rat-tat-tat of the helicopter's rotor blades scattered the hummingbirds across the Study Centre garden as though someone had thrown a handful of jewels into the air..."

Hm. Tricky one...

Sold Out!!!

Amazon.co.uk have sold out of Missing Link, as have online Borders. It's still available through Waterstones online shop - and, of course, at the reading at Malden Centre on 7th November.

Doing anything on the 7th November?

I'm giving a talk about how Missing Link came to be written - a gripping tale of a television game show, subversive presenters, and stick insects. I'll be showing a clip of me on the TV programme that started me thinking, talking about the writing process, giving a reading from the book, and signing copies. If you're in the New Malden area at 12.30 on Saturday, 7th November, come into The Malden Centre and say hello (but not too loudly while I'm in the middle of a reading...) The Malden Centre is in Blagdon Road, New Malden, Surrey - KT3 4TA - and is a five minute walk from the railway station.

Signings

This is me, wearing my Mongolian dress and signing copies of MISSING LINK at Epsom Waterstones on Saturday, 17th October. If you missed it, there will be another chance to hear a reading from the book and have your copy signed. This will be at The Malden Centre, Blagdon Road, KT3 4TA, on Saturday 7th November. The reading - and a talk about how the book came to be written - will be in the studio, from 12.30 - 1.30, and the signing in the foyer from 1.30 - 3.00.

Pre-publication launch of Read Away!

From left to right: Pippa Goodhart, Stephanie Baudet, David Webb and me.
Unfortunately Caroline Dunford couldn't be there. Many thanks to Borders for providing the venue.

If you're in the area... come along!