A potted history of my career
I was driven to write a potted history of my career recently when the organisers of the first Cardiff Festival of Children's Literature unaccountably failed to register my existence. As it is a potted history, it does not record every publication, school or library visit, community arts project, song, performance, blog etc - but I hope it does extablish why I was so pissed off to be ignored in my home city!
Jon Blake, Cardiff author: A Potted History
1984 Jon's story “King” published by Bodley Head. Jon signs contract for two novels.
1985 Two editors mysteriously fall pregnant while working on Jon's YA novel “Yatesy's Rap”. BH unable to fulfil contract but secure Jon the services of reputedly best children's fiction agent in UK, Gina Pollinger.
1986 Kestrel publish “Yatesy's Rap”. Jon becomes protegé of legendary editor Wendy Boase of Walker Books.
“Direct Action”, first of numerous TV scripts, produced by TVS for ITV.
1987 Jon moves to Cardiff.
1988 Puffin launch new YA imprint Puffin Plus with “Yatesy's Rap”. Excerpts of novel featured on ITV's “Under the Bedclothes” where it is slagged off by Tory boy band Big Fun for containing too much swearing.
Walker Books publish coming-of-age novel “Geoffrey's First” which receives fulsome praise in Sunday Times and TES. Fan mail arrives from Tasmania: “You have written a truly great novel”
1989 Jon's first novel for juniors published by Blackie. Collins and Hutchinson also sign contracts with Jon.
1989-91 Another YA novel; three picture books; two story collections; five junior novels, including “The King of Rock and Roll”, of which Nina Bawden writes “10 or 11 year olds will love it. I certainly did”.
1990 Jon appointed writer in residence at Wrexham Arts Centre. Moves to Adamsdown, Cardiff, where he is to live for the next 19 years as unofficial lending library and initiator of many community arts projects.
1992 Jon paired by Walker Books with unknown illustrator Axel Scheffler. “You're a Hero Daley B” goes on to sell over 100,000 copies worldwide.
Jon tours Gwent libraries.
1992-94 Two more junior novels; two graphic novels; fifth picture book; third story collection. Jon now published by Simon & Schuster and Ginn.
1995 Ginn publish “Mark Two”, also in large book format, and the junior novel becomes a big hit in schools. Jon tours extensively to schools and leads INSET classes in creative writing.
Jon appointed lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan.
1996 Early reader book “Little Stupendo” short-listed for the Children's Book Award.
“Life”, written for BBC's “English Express”, short-listed for Writers Guild Best Children's TV Script award.
Jon diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Judge for Western Mail's children's storywriting competition.
1996-2001 Six more junior novels, four playscripts, four historical stories for use with history national curriculum and a children's fictional adaptation of “Macbeth”. Now published by OUP and Heinemann.
2001 OUP publish junior comic novel “One Girl School” which will go on to sell over 30,000 copies.
Jon's radio sitcom “Degrees R Us” the hit of the night at BBC Radio Nations Comedy Cup in Glasgow and he wins BBC Talent award. Four episodes produced on Radio Wales.
2002 Walker publish “True Beautiful Game”, probably the best example of the many HILO (high interest, low ability) books Jon has written.
“Todd and Blod”, animation series teaching the basics of creative writing, produced for BBC Bitesize.
2003 “The Deadly Secret of Dorothy W” published: first of many junior novels to be published by Hodder.
Sgript Cymru option Jon's adult play “Blow City Rollers”: rehearsed reading at Chapter Arts Centre. Jon works as playwright-tutor on Sgript Cymru's “Livewire” project, culminating in production in Merthyr College of work written by adults with learning disabilities, a highlight of Jon's lifetime devotion to community arts.
2005 “Stinky Finger's House of Fun” published. Goes on to sell nearly 20,000 copies in the UK alone and spawn a hit series of six titles.
2007 Jon becomes father for the first time at 52. Begins writing political blog “Cardiff Radical Socialist Forum”. By 2012 blog will have had over 25,000 hits.
Jon appointed as visiting lecturer in creative writing at the University of Newport.
2008 “The Last Free Cat” is published by Hodder and soon attracts glowing reviews as an important contribution to YA literature.
2009 Jon decides to record the process of researching, writing and publishing an adult novel about the 1969 Isle of Wight festival on a website, www.dylan69.com. By 2012 blog will have had over 10,000 hits.
“Adamsdown Song”, the culmination of a songwriting project involving Adamsdown primary schools, reaches number 1 on Soundclick, a leading internet chart.
2010 Jon becomes father for second time. “Mutiny on the School Ship Bounty” published: first collaboration with a Welsh publisher. Short-listed for Tir Na N-Og award.
Numerous short stories for OUP and Heinemann anthologies.
2011 Jon gets first Waterstones window as Newport IOW store features “69ers” during festival season.
Jon collaborates with friend and neighbour Mark Roberts (ex Catatonia) on “This is the Sound of Adamsdown”, an album of songs featuring residents of the Cardiff inner city area.
Theater Mumpitz in Nurnberg perform “He Duda”, capitalising on the popularity of “You're a Hero, Daley B” in Germany.
Walker publish “Oshie”, whose hero, like Jon's own son, has cerebral palsy.
2012 A great honour for Jon as Chicago publisher Albert Whitman publish “The Last Free Cat”. Whitman's new YA imprint, a “select list of smart, fearless books” which “provide answers for teens”, is limited to four books per year. “The Last Free Cat” is also published by Hodder as an e-book and continues to collect glowing reviews, many featured on its website, www.feela.co.uk. A Japanese edition of the book is soon to be followed by a Korean translation.
Literature Wales and partners announce the first Cardiff Children's Literature festival. Vice-chancellor of the university Dr David Grant says “this vibrant event will inspire the next generation of writers and help raise the profile of literary talent within Wales”. Jon Blake is not invited to contribute.
Jon Blake, Cardiff author: A Potted History
1984 Jon's story “King” published by Bodley Head. Jon signs contract for two novels.
1985 Two editors mysteriously fall pregnant while working on Jon's YA novel “Yatesy's Rap”. BH unable to fulfil contract but secure Jon the services of reputedly best children's fiction agent in UK, Gina Pollinger.
1986 Kestrel publish “Yatesy's Rap”. Jon becomes protegé of legendary editor Wendy Boase of Walker Books.
“Direct Action”, first of numerous TV scripts, produced by TVS for ITV.
1987 Jon moves to Cardiff.
1988 Puffin launch new YA imprint Puffin Plus with “Yatesy's Rap”. Excerpts of novel featured on ITV's “Under the Bedclothes” where it is slagged off by Tory boy band Big Fun for containing too much swearing.
Walker Books publish coming-of-age novel “Geoffrey's First” which receives fulsome praise in Sunday Times and TES. Fan mail arrives from Tasmania: “You have written a truly great novel”
1989 Jon's first novel for juniors published by Blackie. Collins and Hutchinson also sign contracts with Jon.
1989-91 Another YA novel; three picture books; two story collections; five junior novels, including “The King of Rock and Roll”, of which Nina Bawden writes “10 or 11 year olds will love it. I certainly did”.
1990 Jon appointed writer in residence at Wrexham Arts Centre. Moves to Adamsdown, Cardiff, where he is to live for the next 19 years as unofficial lending library and initiator of many community arts projects.
1992 Jon paired by Walker Books with unknown illustrator Axel Scheffler. “You're a Hero Daley B” goes on to sell over 100,000 copies worldwide.
Jon tours Gwent libraries.
1992-94 Two more junior novels; two graphic novels; fifth picture book; third story collection. Jon now published by Simon & Schuster and Ginn.
1995 Ginn publish “Mark Two”, also in large book format, and the junior novel becomes a big hit in schools. Jon tours extensively to schools and leads INSET classes in creative writing.
Jon appointed lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan.
1996 Early reader book “Little Stupendo” short-listed for the Children's Book Award.
“Life”, written for BBC's “English Express”, short-listed for Writers Guild Best Children's TV Script award.
Jon diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Judge for Western Mail's children's storywriting competition.
1996-2001 Six more junior novels, four playscripts, four historical stories for use with history national curriculum and a children's fictional adaptation of “Macbeth”. Now published by OUP and Heinemann.
2001 OUP publish junior comic novel “One Girl School” which will go on to sell over 30,000 copies.
Jon's radio sitcom “Degrees R Us” the hit of the night at BBC Radio Nations Comedy Cup in Glasgow and he wins BBC Talent award. Four episodes produced on Radio Wales.
2002 Walker publish “True Beautiful Game”, probably the best example of the many HILO (high interest, low ability) books Jon has written.
“Todd and Blod”, animation series teaching the basics of creative writing, produced for BBC Bitesize.
2003 “The Deadly Secret of Dorothy W” published: first of many junior novels to be published by Hodder.
Sgript Cymru option Jon's adult play “Blow City Rollers”: rehearsed reading at Chapter Arts Centre. Jon works as playwright-tutor on Sgript Cymru's “Livewire” project, culminating in production in Merthyr College of work written by adults with learning disabilities, a highlight of Jon's lifetime devotion to community arts.
2005 “Stinky Finger's House of Fun” published. Goes on to sell nearly 20,000 copies in the UK alone and spawn a hit series of six titles.
2007 Jon becomes father for the first time at 52. Begins writing political blog “Cardiff Radical Socialist Forum”. By 2012 blog will have had over 25,000 hits.
Jon appointed as visiting lecturer in creative writing at the University of Newport.
2008 “The Last Free Cat” is published by Hodder and soon attracts glowing reviews as an important contribution to YA literature.
2009 Jon decides to record the process of researching, writing and publishing an adult novel about the 1969 Isle of Wight festival on a website, www.dylan69.com. By 2012 blog will have had over 10,000 hits.
“Adamsdown Song”, the culmination of a songwriting project involving Adamsdown primary schools, reaches number 1 on Soundclick, a leading internet chart.
2010 Jon becomes father for second time. “Mutiny on the School Ship Bounty” published: first collaboration with a Welsh publisher. Short-listed for Tir Na N-Og award.
Numerous short stories for OUP and Heinemann anthologies.
2011 Jon gets first Waterstones window as Newport IOW store features “69ers” during festival season.
Jon collaborates with friend and neighbour Mark Roberts (ex Catatonia) on “This is the Sound of Adamsdown”, an album of songs featuring residents of the Cardiff inner city area.
Theater Mumpitz in Nurnberg perform “He Duda”, capitalising on the popularity of “You're a Hero, Daley B” in Germany.
Walker publish “Oshie”, whose hero, like Jon's own son, has cerebral palsy.
2012 A great honour for Jon as Chicago publisher Albert Whitman publish “The Last Free Cat”. Whitman's new YA imprint, a “select list of smart, fearless books” which “provide answers for teens”, is limited to four books per year. “The Last Free Cat” is also published by Hodder as an e-book and continues to collect glowing reviews, many featured on its website, www.feela.co.uk. A Japanese edition of the book is soon to be followed by a Korean translation.
Literature Wales and partners announce the first Cardiff Children's Literature festival. Vice-chancellor of the university Dr David Grant says “this vibrant event will inspire the next generation of writers and help raise the profile of literary talent within Wales”. Jon Blake is not invited to contribute.
No comments have been added yet.
