Dan Smith's Blog, page 5

My Brother’s Secret

It’s finally here! My second novel for younger readers, my sixth published novel.

I hope everyone enjoys My Brother’s Secret . . .

 

 

 

 

Germany, 1941.
Like all boys his age, 12-year-old Karl Friedman is looking forward to joining the Hitler Youth. But when his father is killed, his rebellious older brother Stefan shows him things that leave his faith in The Fuhrer shaken.
What does it mean to be a good German?
What does it mean to wear the mysterious flower sewn inside his brother’s jacket?
And who is the real enemy?

 

That’s all.

My Writing Process . . .

So Caroline Green tagged me in a bloggy challenge thing which gets writers talking about their writing process. There was no threat of violence if I refused, no promise that curses would be visited upon me, so I almost declined but Caroline was so nice about it all and . . . well, why not?

First, a little something about Caroline – who I met not long ago when I spent World Book Day at Wirral Grammar School for Boys . . .

Caroline Green’s first YA novel, Dark Ride won the RONA Young Adult Book of the Year. Cracks and Hold Your Breath have been shortlisted for nine awards, and she is currently the Writer in Residence at East Barnet School in north London. Her latest book, Fragments, was launched in March. Follow her on Twitter @carolinesgreen or check out www.carolinegreen.net.

And now my bit . . .

 

What am I working on?

Recovering my sanity. The past few months have been so busy! I’ve just finished a copyedit sprint on the US edition of Big Game which will be out around Christmas time, My Brother’s Secret is coming out in just over a week, and The Darkest Heart is due in July. Every time I sit down to work on my next novel something else seems to come along. This book going to be an interesting one, though . . . murderous serial killing families and . . . well, I’d better stop there. If I say any more, I’ll have to find a way to keep you silent.

How does my work differ from others in the genre?

I’m not really sure what genre I’m in. My adult books are thrillers, maybe a bit of crime, but they’re certainly not your typical crime novel. They tend to be quite dark, with unusual settings and maybe a bit of foreign history/culture thrown, a little of the macabre, and I always put my characters in difficult settings as well as difficult situations. My books for younger readers are usually listed as ‘9-12’ which isn’t really a genre at all, and I especially like that. Genre can be too defining and steer people away from things that they might otherwise enjoy. I suppose My Friend The Enemy and My Brother’s Secret (due May) would be dropped into a genre with The Machine Gunners and Carrie’s War, but I like to think that they look at WW2 events with a more modern eye.

Why do I write what I do?

I write whatever stories come into my head. I don’t restrict myself to anything in particular, but write the kind of stories I like to read.

How does my writing process work?

On bad days, I wonder if it works at all! I’m not one for making detailed plans; I tend to get an idea and just start writing. Once I have a rough draft, I can identify where my research is lacking and where I need to patch plot holes and develop characters – I never really understand my characters until I’ve written a first draft.

 

So there you go. Tag challenge answered. Now I’m supposed to tag another author but . . . well, everyone seems to have done it now. Perhaps I can throw it out there to any takers?

 

That’s all.

Saving The World

I was back in Wirral last week – or is it THE Wirral? I did ask while I was there, but there seemed to be a difference of opinion.

Anyway, I was there to talk about My Friend The Enemy, which has been longlisted for the Wirral Paperback of the Year. It was a good chance to meet other longlistees – fellow Chicken Sam Hepburn, Dave Cousins (who might have a future in stand-up), Siobhan Corham and Kate O’Hearn – but best of all was the chance to meet lots of lively young readers from a number of local schools who came to meet us.

The event was well organised by the fantastic staff of Wirral Libraries, and the students who came to listen to us managed a whole two hours with no one falling asleep!

Novelists aren’t saving the world. We’re not eradicating global warming or curing terrible diseases, but hopefully we add something to the world – a little bit of colour maybe, something for people to enjoy and to talk and think about. And you know what? It really means a lot when somebody tells us they’ve enjoyed something we’ve written, or been moved by it in some way. So the high point of my day in (The) Wirral wasn’t being long listed (though, that IS brilliant, and I feel honoured to be one of the few selected), it was when another Dan came to talk to me about how much he’d loved reading My Friend The Enemy. It was fantastic to see Dan so animated and excited when he was talking about the story and the parts of it he’d enjoyed the most.

But that’s not all. You see, Dan’s teacher told me she’d always had trouble getting him to read anything. Something in my story, though, had grabbed him and really captured his imagination. Dan is now excited about reading my next book My Brother’s Secret, and I’m hoping he enjoys that too, then goes on to read more and more.

So, no, books and stories don’t save the world . . . they just make it a better place.

 

That’s all.

 

Bebington High at Wirral Paperback of The Year

St Anselm’s at Wirral Paperback of The Year

 

 

 

The Darkest Heart – reviewed

The Darkest Heart isn’t due out until July, but has received its first review! Posted yesterday in The Murder Room it’s a great one . . . so if you want a taste of the approaching darkness, why not click below and have a little peek?

THE DARKEST HEART

Oh, and for all you potential reviewers out there, it’s also on Net Galley

 

That’s all.

Your Parents Don’t Trust You

Just a little teaser . . .

 

 

That’s all

A Killer Is On The Move . . .

Three school visits in the space of less than a week doesn’t sound like much, but when that means nine one hour talks, (very) early mornings, long train journeys, and then digging down to find the energy to be interesting and engaging and . . . well, it’s harder than you’d think.

BUT . . . visiting schools is one of the great things about writing for younger readers. They’re so passionate about stories and get so excited about author visits and (this is the best bit) they get to miss lessons.

So, here’s a great big thank you to the staff and pupils at Wirral Grammar School for Boys, Dame Allan’s School and Westfield School. Oh, and I can confirm that the school meals were excellent and made a change from boring old sandwiches.

That’s not all I’ve been doing, though. Oh no. I’ve also just finished checking the page proofs for The Darkest Heart. Everything seems to be in order, which means the book is all ready for printing, and I’ve finally been able to reveal the cover art – which looks fantastic! I’m very pleased with the design, which capture the mood of the book so well. Orion has, as always, done a fantastic job and my editor has coordinated everything perfectly. We’re now all set for July publication – I’ll post up some more details in a few days, along with a sneaky insight into what the book is all about.

 And there’s more . . .

I have delivered Big Game. With some trepidation I submitted it to Chicken House without having first received my agent’s seal of approval. There was something of a rush to get it to Chicken House, so it went as it was and . . . phew! They like what I’ve done to turn the screenplay into a novel! Of course there’ll be tweaks and things to change and having the film connection means that everything has to go through a few more stages than usual – we need the producer’s approval – but things are looking good so far. Oh, and there’s some fantastic cover art for the book but . . . well, you can’t see it. Not yet. Sorry. The producer has to approve that too!

All in good time. But you’ve read this far so here’s a photo from the Big Game shoot. Bizarrely, the colours match rather well with The Darkest Heart cover art, but that’s only a coincidence. Anyway, here’s one of the crew having a rest on the set of the Presidential Suite inside Air Force One . . .

That’s all.

A Victimless Crime, Right?

So, I Googled myself – who hasn’t? – thinking I’d see if anybody had read any of my books and maybe written a nice review (or not) and was surprised to see how many file-sharing sites appeared to be offering downloads of my books. I understand why people do it – I mean, why pay when you can get it for free, right? And, after all, it’s a victimless crime. No one gets hurt. You’re not actually taking something from someone. No one loses out. It’s not like you’re walking out of a shop without paying for that item tucked under your arm. And, y’know, it’s great that people are just reading my books, because that’s all any author wants, isn’t it? We just want people to read our books.

Well, actually . . . yes, I do want people to read my books, but writing is not my hobby. I enjoy writing, but I don’t write ‘for fun’. It is my job. It is how I make my living, and I am not rich – not by any stretch of the imagination. And knowing that people out there might be downloading my books for nothing makes me feel . . . blyeuch. Every time someone downloads one of my books for free, it isn’t some faceless grey corporation that loses out, it’s ME who loses out. And my family, of course.

All of my books are available as ebooks on Amazon, and they re all less than £5.00. That’s not so much is it?

Secrets, Games, and The Darkest Heart

Busy times . . .

Page proofs for THE DARKEST HEART have just arrived, which is always a nervy time – the last chance to make minor changes before it goes off to be typeset and, well, made ready to be put into its cover – which is looking great, by the way. My brilliant editor at Orion is expertly overseeing everything in preparation for publication. I’d love to share the cover with you but it’s not quite ready so . . . oh, maybe a little tease . . . just a quick glimpse of a small part, eh?

 

Nope. Sorry. That’s all you can see for now.

Over in the world of younger readers, page proofs for MY BROTHER’S SECRET are now done and dusted, with just a few minor adjustments – which means everything is on course for publication. As usual, all the chickens over at Chicken House are doing a fantastic job of getting everything ready for that.

The manuscript for BIG GAME is looking good and . . . well, I say ‘looking good’ but that means I’ve come to a point where I’m happy with it, my children have read and enjoyed it, and it’s now gone to my agent. Of course, this doesn’t mean my agent will be happy with it. She will cast a (hyper)critical eye over it, and then we’ll see, eh? Best not to relax just yet. If I do that, I’ll only end up regretting it.

On the subject of BIG GAME, I’ve also seen preliminary art work for that cover and it’s looking fantastic. Very striking and exciting. I can’t wait to share all these things!! In the run up to World Book Day, I’ve got a number of school visits organised, so I might be able to share a few things with the audiences there, but everyone else will have to wait a little while longer.

Here’s something I can share, though – a brief video of me reading a little preview from MY BROTHER’S SECRET. I can’t help cringing when I see myself on film, but that’s no reflection on Gulliver Moore’s directing and camera expertise; he’s done a great job.

 

 

 

That’s all.

It’s ALL Good!

Well, MY BROTHER’S SECRET isn’t due out until May, but there have been one or two review copies circulating since the Chicken House Big Breakfast in London a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve had some great responses so far, but this one has just worked its way to the top of my Favourite Pile.

Nadia, who is in year 6, has just finished reading it and this is what she had to say:

“It’s really gripping. It’s literally unputdownable. My Dad was like ‘Go to SLEEP’ but I just couldn’t.
Everything about it is brilliant. My favourite character is Stefan, Karl’s brother. Cos he is really brave and he sticks up for Karl. It’s such a good plot. It’s intense and you can’t wait to find out what happens next. I like the ending too. It’s ALL good.”

Thanks, Nadia, it’s always such a pleasure to read reviews of my books for younger readers when they actually come from younger readers – you are, after all, the ones who count.

Oh, and in other news, I found out last week that MY FRIEND THE ENEMY has been longlisted for the Branford Boase Award, which is fantastic. Of course, my agent brought me down to earth with ‘well, it’s only a longlisting, Dan,’ but, you know what? It’s a longlisting!

Oh, and there might be some more happy news soon . . .

 

That’s all.

Big Game

The first rule of Big Game is that you don’t talk about Big Game.

The second rule of Big Game is that you DON’T TALK about Big Game . . .

Until now, that is.

I’ve been keeping this to myself for so long that it feels like I might’ve split a seam somewhere – but now I’m finally allowed to talk about BIG GAME.

Some time ago, the brilliant Barry Cunningham from Chicken House Publishing sent me a script for a film called Big Game, directed by Jalmari Helander and produced by Altitude. He told me that the film was in production and that he was so impressed by the story/script that he was in discussion with the producer with a view to adapting the screenplay into a novel. Not a ‘novelisation’, mind you, but a book that would be able to stand up in its own right. Oh yeah, and he thought it seemed like my kind of story.

Would I be interested? he asked.

Well, I knew I was interested right away. The film is set in the wilderness of Finland, and is about a young boy, Oskari, who is undergoing a traditional rite of passage which will take him from boyhood to manhood. His task is to enter the wilderness alone, and the following day he must emerge with his trophy – whatever the forest offers up to him. During the night, terrorists shoot down Air Force One, and the US President’s escape pod lands in the forest, leaving him in Oskari’s hands as they race against time, evading the terrorists who are hunting them.

Well, just before Christmas I was finally given the nod to start writing the book which will be published this autumn, ahead of the film which is in post-production now and will hopefully be released in spring 2015.

It’s a great story with some fantastic characters, and the film will have the exciting feel of a Spielberg/Amblin action adventure for younger viewers, so the book will have that feel to it, too. There are no magical powers, no prophecy to fulfil, just an ordinary boy doing his best to cope with extraordinary circumstances – and the books is shaping up really well.

I was in London yesterday to meet the producer, Will Clarke, and see a private screening of a teaser trailer which looks awesome – big scenery, big action and . . . oh the cast? You want to know who’s in the film?

Well, who better to play the US President than Samuel L Jackson?

Backed up by Jim Broadbent, Ray Stevenson and Felicity Huffman, it’s going to be something special . . .

Check out the IMDB page or Facebook page for news and updates on the film, and come back here for updates on the book!

 

 

That’s all.