Derek Landy's Blog, page 20

This Is Not A Blog Post

Be right back, my dog is barking...
Okay then, I'm back. Sorry about that. Sometimes Mable likes to bark at walls. All very understandable, considering she has a brain the size of a pea. Before I continue I must warn you, as it says in the title, this is not a Blog post. This is me, wasting time.
Writers love wasting time. Oh we love it so much. We sit at our desks, stare at our screens, contemplate the plot points and issues we have to tackle, and then we go and make ourselves a nice cup of coffee. 
(Well, other writers do. I don't drink coffee. Instead of making myself coffee, I check on my dogs instead. The end result is the same. Time wasted, I mean. Not a cup of coffee.)
Why am I wasting time? Because I need a break from editing the book and I can't justify actually stopping work- so instead I delay work. It's all very scientific. 
For those of you paying attention, I finished the first draft of KOTW last week. My editor loves it. He reckons it's the best book so far. So now I'm doing the rewrite, which isn't so much a rewrite as an edit-
- hold on, cat needs to let in-
Right, where was I? The edit
-sorry, second cat popped up on the windowsill, and then the third, and then I had to feed them, so I've done that, and I'm back-
is going well and it's going smoothly, primarily because there are no real structural changes that need to be made to the story. I might have to get rid of a tiny little subplot here or there, but mostly it's plain sailing. Really, most of the work stems from the bits I missed out in the first place, such as descriptions and the beginnings and endings of chapters. The plan is to have this edited by Tuesday, then work on it some more the following week, and eventually hand it over, ready to be printed, by the second week of May. Ooooh deadlines... they're so funny...
But I haven't JUST been working. Oh no. I found some time to relax and have some fun, too. Last Saturday night I went to dinner with a very pretty lady (who hates when I use her name in this Blog so I won't use it) and then on Monday we drove up to Cork and visited a school that was composed primarily of insane children. It was all very odd, but a lot of fun. 
Since then, though, I've been back at work, doing my very best to ignore everything going on around me. There are so many things I have to do when this book is finished that I literally don't know where to start. For example, remember those competition winners I have to send out signed copies of Death Bringer to? Yeah, haven't sent them yet. They've been sitting on my kitchen table for MONTHS. The fact is, at this point I'm thinking why bother send them off at all? Since I've waited this long to do anything about it, why don't I wait a teensy bit longer? At some stage over the summer I'll be getting my box of brand new Kingdom of the Wicked books, so I may as well include a signed copy of THAT as well. 
So congratulations, competition winners, you'll probably be getting TWO signed books AND The End Of The World. Yay!
Sigh... I can't put it off any longer. Must get back to work. The dogs aren't barking and all the cats are in and fed. There is nothing left to waste my time with.
I think I might have to start drinking coffee...

FINISHED!

I don't dance around kitchens. But if I did, I'd be dancing around my kitchen right now.

I'm finished the book.

It's only the first draft, granted. And I've finished it twelve days after I expected to be finished, also granted. And with the schedule so horrendously packed, I'm gonna have to start the edit by Sunday. But none of that takes away from the fact that I have finished Kingdom of the Wicked, and I am one happy writer-bunny.

My editor called this afternoon. He'd read most of it, and was just calling to give me the thumbs up. This, I have to say, was a relief. I've never written a book as quickly as I did this one, so I was worried that the quality might slip. Apparently it hasn't. This makes me happy. It's also LONGER than any of the others. Please keep in mind that the finished product might be significantly shorter, but at the moment this one is clocking in at 130,000 words- that's about 12,000 words longer than Death Bringer.

I am so, so drained. I need to play video games. I need to watch movies. I need to spend more than an hour away from my computer. But despite how drained I feel, I am buzzing with that wonderful, wonderful feeling of accomplishment that I always get when I finish a book. I am truly great.

LOLkitten

This is what we call a Guilty Blog Post.

Why do I feel guilty? Because it's been well over a week since the last time I posted anything. Also, this post is far too short to be considered a worthy way to spend your time. But I have an excuse. Writing. I'm writing. That's always a good excuse, right?

Deadlines deadlines deadlines. Onrushing. Oncrushing. Is oncrushing a word? No it isn't. But it should be.

I'm days away from finishing Kingdom of the Wicked. Days! I might even have had it finished tonight, but I spent yesterday at the Oxford Literature Festival (which was a lot of fun) so that set me back a little. But I'm close. So close. That wonderful feeling is starting up, that excitement that tells me I've almost finished another book. It's a fantastic feeling. Every writer knows it. That sense of accomplishment that floods over you despite any and all insecurities, despite knowing that you have weeks or months of edits and rewrites ahead of you... None of that matters, not when you're about to finish your first draft.

Days. Mere days. My editor is waiting for it.

I have to get back to work.

Goodbye, Amy Pond

My favourite redheaded Scots lass is leaving one of my favourite shows...

(Yes. You've guessed correctly. I simply don't have the time to write up a Blog post of normal length. I have finally got back into the flow of writing and everything is going really well after a few weeks of publicity and travel. It looks like I'll be getting Kingdom of the Wicked finished in time after all. Yay!)

Amy has quickly become my favourite Dr Who companion ever. I'll miss her spark, her accent, her pout, that policewoman's uniform...

Goodbye Amy...

And hello Jenna-Louise Coleman, who will be taking over as companion at Christmas.

All you Dr Who fans out there will know why this deserved a Blog post of its own.

And now, I'm going back to writing.

Book 7

Hello all.

Just got back from a TV thing that will be aired in Ireland sometime in May (I'll let you know when it's on so you can YouTube my awesomeness). It's been a long, amusing day, and all I want to do is relax, watch some TV, and generally chill out, so I'll be announcing the title of Book 7 tomorrow instead of today. Hope you understand.

As many of you know by now, every three books have a certain motif when it comes to titles. For instance, the middle trilogy was short, sharp and to the point. The final trilogy (sob) will have a completely different approach, as exemplified by the Greatest Title Ever Thought Up. I'm still writing the thing, and the deadline is fast approaching, so from tomorrow on it's full speed ahead. I only hope that the finished book lives up to what I'm calling it. Oh, I was totally joking about waiting until tomorrow to announce this, by the way. Sorry about that. Heh.

Ladies and gentlemen, in the final days of August of this year, the new Skulduggery Pleasant masterpiece will be released, and it will be called...

Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom Of The Wicked. 

Breaking News

And the Breaking News is...

Prepare for some Breaking News.

On Monday, on this Blog, I will be announcing the title of Book 7- which up to now has been known simply as "Paul". It will be an epic day to remember until the end of time, or for a few days afterwards (whichever comes first).

And in the interest of random topic changes, here's a picture.

Kony 2012

Hello there,

Do you have half an hour to spare? This doesn't have anything to do with me or my books. This has to do with changing the world. This has to do with helping people you've never met. At the end of the half hour, you don't have to do anything. You don't have to donate, or sign, or even share the video. You can if you want, but you don't have to. I'd just like you to KNOW. I'd like us all to be a part of this, to know what's going on in the world and to know that there are people who are determined to make a change. And I'd just like you to know the name Joseph Kony, who is more of a monster than I could ever create in my writing.

Heading Down Under Again!

Yes, the rumours (and, er, the announcement in the back of a few books) are true- 2012 will see my second trip to Australia and New Zealand for a Skulduggery tour. I will spend two weeks in August- from the 6th to the 20th- going around meeting the Minions-who-talk-funny and signing whatever they have to sign. The first few days will be spent in NZ, then off to Oz. Details, such as exactly which cities I'll be visiting, shall be forthcoming as soon as I have them. I actually have no input into where I visit because my publishers do all the arranging, and I just go where I'm told to go.

My last tour, in 2010, was a huge success and every single day I was startled by the reaction. It was exhausting, with an astonishing amount of travel, but so worth it.

When I get back home, I have a little over a week to recover before the Ireland/UK tour kicks off. We're going to be doing something different this year- instead of heading over to the UK for 10 straight days, I'll be heading over for three weekends in a row. The plan is to pack as many signings in as possible on days when none of you will have school or college or work, so hopefully you can come along if you haven't had a chance to before. Again, further details will be available once I have them.

And now for something completely different...

How did you enjoy World Book Day? I know, I know, different countries have World Book Day at different times of the year, and some countries don't have World Book Day at all, so, the very term itself is kind of misleading... but ANYWAY...

I had a very good World Book Day, thank you very much. I was over in London with a bunch of other writers for a huge webcast thingy that was broadcast to three quarters of a million students across Ireland and the UK and, I don't know, possibly elsewhere. We each had five minutes onstage, which isn't a whole lot of time. I ended up talking about my dogs, for some reason. It was manic, but amusing.

Behind the scenes, however, was where the real fun was taking place. Put ten authors in a room, especially authors who write for young people, and after a while things are going to get slightly odd. And when a camera comes out to record interviews? Oh dearie me. I'm sure they'll be posted on worldbookday.com soon enough, so you can watch as responsible adults (such as me) turn into immature kids as we try to make each other laugh. Fun and games galore with Andy Stanton and Steve Cole and Chris Bradford, while Cressida Cowell looked on in astonishment. Eoin Colfer wasn't above having a bit of a lark himself, but Holly Webb and Jeremy Strong did the wise thing and stayed well away from the rest of us. Jacqueline Wilson, meanwhile, must have wondered what the hell was going on.

To end the webcast, we all trotted back onstage to meet The Duchess of Cornwall. I'm completely ignorant about all things royal family-ish, and I may have forgotten to stop chewing gum when I was shaking her hand. But I DID smile and say "pleased to meet you", so that was something, wasn't it? At least I didn't have my hands in my pockets, like Ronan O'Gara did when the Queen met the Irish rugby team.


Which, I have to say, I think is hilariously dim.

Annnnnyway...

I've been on TV quite a lot lately, and it's all thanks to World Book Day, so thank you, World Book Day, for interfering with my writing week. I was on the Alan Titchmarsh Show, which most of you know about, and then I was on Live With Gabby on Channel 5 a few days later, then I was on Elev8 on RTE yesterday, and on Tuesday morning I'll be on Ireland Am on TV3...

Good GOD. I'll be sick of myself, I swear I will.

And I can't even get away from myself in newspapers, either. The Guardian asked me to list my ten favourite villains from YA/children's fiction, and you can see if you agree with me by clicking here http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-b... .

( I didn't include any of MY villains, because obviously mine would be best, and I'm far too modest to proclaim that in a national newspaper.)

Okay, that's enough babbling. It's 2:30 in the afternoon and I haven't eaten anything yet. Must make lunch.


Oh! One last thing! Take a look at this video- http://www.standup.ie/index/ - which promotes standing up to homophobic bullying. I mean, life is hard enough to get through without bullies making things worse, and the only decent thing to do is stand up for your friends when they need you.


And NOW I'm going to make lunch.

The End Of The World Is Nigh

Just got word- The End Of The World has officially been released.

I thought it wouldn't be available until the 1st of March, World Book Day, but apparently they release their books a week or two early so that people will have them in their hands for the day in question. I think the vouchers can be used in participating shops from tomorrow onwards, but if you don't have a voucher the books themselves are real cheap, so it shouldn't break the bank.

TEOTW isn't the only World Book Day book, of course, so look around, see if anything else takes your fancy.

The A/NZ version of TEOTW will be released tomorrow, I'm told. The only difference between the two versions are the extras at the back. In the A/NZ, there's the short story using characters created by Minions -with-funny-accents right here in this Blog (and don't worry, this story will be collected along with all of the others and released to the world sometime between now and Book Nine).

In the UK and Ireland version of TEOTW, instead of a story, we have some deleted scenes from my first draft of the first Skulduggery book. I figured it might be interesting to give you a peek into what Val's home life would have been like if I hadn't come up with the idea of the reflection. Here's a hint: it'd be completely different. No warmth, or humour, or Melissa rolling her eyes while Desmond does something odd. Have a read, and then see which one you prefer.

Oh, and to all you competition winners who have been sent the signed books, I still have to send you a signed copy of Death Bringer. I've signed them and everything, I just haven't, er, sent them yet.  Ahem. The upside is that now I'll be able to send you signed copies of TEOTW as well- so yay me!

Oh, and as usual, even though TEOTW is only a novelette, keep spoilers to an absolute minimum in the comments section. You may continue to babble now.

I Hate Thinking Up New Titles For Blog Posts

When you write, you run out of steam.

It's obvious. When you do anything for long periods of time, you're going to run out of steam. You need to take a break, take a walk, do something else, recharge your batteries... I've got a few things I do, and they all work, but nothing- NOTHING- reinforces my enthusiasm as much as my Minions.

Whether it's reading the Comments on this accursed Blog (on those rare occasions when I CAN read the Comments grrrr) or popping in to the Bebo page (which I will do soon, I promise) or just heading over to the official (and fan-run) Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Skuttlebugfans), I always end up with a grin on my face, ready to get back to writing.

I never comment on the Facebook page, but I do visit. I have to, really. SOMEONE has to make sure these nutcases are behaving themselves. It was set up as something completely unofficial, but was filled with so many genuine folks that we just had to make Cory and Aby and Summer a part of the Skulduggery team. The wonderful thing about this is that, in some small way, you get to know the regular posters. I've never spoken with Zukiswa, but I know I'd like her if I did. Then there's Ellie and Ashley, two of the weirder ones. Georgina, of course, who has been around for YEARS and whom I adore. Olivia, my- ahem- wife of sorts. Never forgetting Becky, the irrepressible Becky, a girl for whom the word 'obsessed' was undoubtedly coined. There are loads of others- thousands of others, in fact- and their enthusiasm is infectious and good-humoured, and I'm glad that they have such a wonderful place to communicate.

(EDIT: and a quick glance at the Facebook page has made it clear that I somehow forgot to mention my dear Katy Amsden, one of my longest serving Minions. And while I'm not going to name everyone here, because this isn't a shout-out page, I will say hello to Joe and Nicole and Jordan and Ella- cool tattoo- and of COURSE a big hug and kiss goes to Megan Hobbs, with the clear understanding that she never mention the word baguette ever again.)

Another wonderful place is the Forums, at www.skulduggeryforums.co.uk. Again, I don't post any comments in the Forum, for a whole lot of reasons, mostly because I want to see how it evolves without my interference.

Practically every subject you could think of, to do with Skulduggery, is discussed here. Every few months I drop by and spend an evening just reading through the conversations. And there are some STARTLING conversations. The great thing is that you get real and honest opinions on the books and the various characters. You have people staunchly defending their point of view- like Liliana, who I've met a few times in Germany- and people working to convince others that their view is the right one. I've read their theories on what's going to happen, and some of these theories have veered close to what I had in mind, and some veered off wildly into the distance.

The internet, as we all know, is the refuge of the bully. You hear about it constantly- cyber-bullying and the ramifications it can have. And no doubt you've seen it yourself- focussed hatred and anger towards one individual that will not relent until that individual leaves. I've said it before, how happy I am that this Blog shows none of those tendencies, and neither does the Facebook page, and neither does the Forums. In the Forums, you have polar opposite opinions clashing with each other, but no one takes it personally. You have people arriving in the middle of a thread and announcing that, you know what? They don't really like the books anymore. And you get the politest and most understanding responses. You get one person loving Death Bringer, and then another hating it, and there is no animosity between them (the people who profess to dislike the most things seem to Synopsis and ExtraterrestrialGuy, but I think that's part of their inherent charm...).

I've never had a problem with people not liking these books. You can't please everyone, after all. If I read a bad review on Amazon or somewhere similar, I take it onboard, see if they have a point, and then move on. If it's constructive criticism, maybe it can even make the next book better. If it's not particularly constructive, then so be it. They didn't like it, and nothing I do or say will change that. And it's so gratifying that you, my Minions, seem to agree with me on this. There really is no point in getting annoyed with someone just because they don't like the same things you do.

One of the best Forum discussions I've read recently has been, bizarrely, part of the Pairings thread, where people hook characters up with each other. There is a group of people- Terry, Demented Kat, Moonie, Kribu, Holly-wa, Hallow Vigilance- who went off and had a long chat about, ahem, Valduggery. And for those of you who can't work out what Valduggery is, I'm not going to shatter your innocence here.

The thing about this discussion is the level to which all of this has been thought through. It stops being merely about the idea of Valduggery, and becomes an examination of Valkyrie and Skulduggery as individuals, and how much they mean to each other. As an extension of this, you also get a detailed investigation into the other characters as well.

Because these Minions, like most of you, seem to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Skulduggery, they regularly quote a line or two from the earlier books that have relevance to the later books. (I'm not really a fan of foreshadowing, and contrary to popular belief there isn't any of that in this series. Rather, there are hints of secrets that certain characters are keeping, that will only become apparent the more you read- and the more you re-read.) I've had a smile on my face when the conversation turns to how Skulduggery reacted to a certain piece of news in Mortal Coil, a reaction that only becomes understandable once you read Death Bringer, and then relate it back to what China said in the first book. It's so much FUN, as a writer, to drop these hints just when the series is starting off, and then wait a few years for the payoff. And it's places like the Forums, like the Facebook page and on Skulpedia that these things come to light.

So thank you, Minions, for all your hard work and thought and dedication. Thank you for treating each other with respect, and warmth, and thank you for how you welcome newcomers into the fold.

By the way, you're all insane.