Dave Cousins's Blog
February 5, 2021
My Robot's Gone Wild! New Book in the Robot Babysitter series, Out Now!
Hi folks,
Belated best wishes for the New Year – I hope all is well with you and yours.
I'm posting today to announce that the fourth (and final) book in the Robot Babysitter series is now available.
Emma, at Primary Teacher Bookshelf, did a great review that sums up the story very nicely. She kindly allowed me to use it here:
"My Robot’s Gone Wild is an epic finale to this series of books … a real ‘coming-of-age,’ ‘moving on’ story, that will appeal to children in Year 6 thinking about their transition to high school and all the changes that lie ahead.
Jake, his twin sister, best friend Ali and school-friend Ivana are spending one last summer together before ‘big school’ camping in the Scottish Wilderness. They’re pitching up at Granny Anderson’s place and Jake can’t wait to see Robin his robot babysitter again. He’s also really looking forward to hanging out with his best mate, but it would seem Ali only has eyes for Ivana now and Jake’s worried he might have lost his best bud for good. His summer is looking lonely, but when Granny’s Highland cattle are stolen, Jake & his friends end up having one last adventure they’ll never forget …
There’s some really appealing themes between the pages alongside the adventure … that most upper primary pupils will identify with."– Emma Kuyateh, Primary Teacher Bookshelf
If you happen to have a robot fan to hand and would like to buy a copy … THANK YOU! I've set up a 'bookshop' of sorts on my website with links to various places you might like to purchase from.
To watch some videos and find out more about the rest of the stories in the series, click here for the robots page on my website.
Thanks for reading.
Take care of yourselves.
Best wishesDave
December 18, 2020
Seasons Greetings!
As we all know, it's just not Christmas until you've seen a robot in a sleigh …
What?
You're telling me that's not a thing where you're from!
Seriously?!
Just a quick post to say thanks, once again, for your support this year folks. I hope that you and yours are safe and well, and would like to wish you all the best for a the festive season. Here's hoping 2021 brings better news for everyone.
Take care and all the best,
Dave
December 11, 2020
Signed Books for Christmas … and beyond!
Looking for a personalised gift for the book lover in your life? Don't know what to buy for that robot-obsessed whipper snapper in the family? Well, I might just be able to help you out there …
If you'd like to buy a copy of one of my books, first of all – thank you!
Ideally, you'll have a local bookshop you can purchase from – one of those hallowed spaces where you can walk around and browse the books on the shelves while inhaling the heady scent of ink on paper …
Sorry, where was I? Ah, that's right – bookshops. Sadly, actual bricks and mortar bookshops are an increasingly rare and endangered species, so if you don't have a local shop you can visit in person, I've outlined a few alternative options below.
ROBOT SERIES BOOKS WITH SIGNED BOOKPLATES BY ILLUSTRATOR CATALINA ECHEVERRI AND ME!
As part of an initiative to support independent bookshops in the current difficult times, Catalina Echeverri – the brilliant illustrator of the Robot Babysitter books – has designed some bespoke bookplates. Cata created and signed all the bookplates, then posted them to me in Wales, where I added my signature, then posted them on to three independent bookshops who have joined us in this venture (details below). Don't worry if you don't live locally to any of these shops, as Alligator's and Coles both take orders online.
THE ALLIGATOR'S MOUTH, Richmond TW9
COLES BOOKS, Bicester OX26
WIMBLEDON BOOKS, London SW19
SIGNED COPIES WITH A PERSONALISED DEDICATION
I have a limited stock of the titles below and would be delighted to sign and dedicate a copy as requested. Books cost £8 each plus P&P. Please email me with the details and I'll confirm the full price including postage. Thanks.
BOOKSHOP.ORG
Again, in an effort to support independent bookshops I have joined the bookshop.org initiative. The copies available here are not signed, but the full profit from your order will either go to a specific local bookshop you'd like to support, or contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among independent bookshops.
As well as copies of my own books, my bookshop page also features lists of some of my favourite books. If you're in need of some inspiration for Christmas presents, why not have a browse?
Thanks for your support. Enjoy the stories and have a great festive season!
Take care and best wishes
Dave
November 16, 2020
A VIEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS! Book Week Scotland 2020
As part of the 2020 Book Week Scotland celebrations I was invited to make a short film where I share "a view of my favourite things".
I'm a bit of a hoarder, so it was tough deciding which of my favourite things to talk about! If you'd like to find out what I chose, the video is available to watch for FREE this Friday (20/11/20) by following the LINK HERE or via the Book Week Scotland website where you'll find details of lots of other great events. If you do decide to have a look, I hope you enjoy it – apologies in advance for the terrible noises! Thanks to Moira and Elaine in Dundee for inviting me to take part.
August 17, 2020
National Literacy Trust #FitforLit Alternative Sports Day Challenge
With COVID-19 set to have a disastrous impact on the literacy of the 4.6 million children living in poverty in the UK, the National Literacy Trust is raising money to fund projects to support these children.
The #FITFORLIT Alternative Sports Day challenge invites you to film or photograph yourself doing something active with a book – maybe set up a book obstacle course, or see how many books you can weight-lift!
I decided to attempt to read out loud the first chapter of A Robot Ate My Grandma while out running! Watch the video below to find out how I got on.
Why not have a go yourself? Challenge three friends to join in too! Visit the Literacy Trust #FitforLit website for more info and ideas for how to get involved.
If you are able to donate a few pounds it would be much appreciated and a huge help to this important project. Please visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/fitforlit or text FITFORLIT to 70085 to donate £3 (texts cost £3 plus one standard rate message). Thank you!
Thanks for reading and watching the video of my pain! Have fun with your own #FitforLit challenge.
Take care and all the best, Dave.
August 5, 2020
A Robot Ate My Grandma – 3rd story in the Robot Babysitter series OUT NOW!
Hi folks,
I hope you're all doing OK and staying safe.
There's not been much to celebrate these past few months, so I'm really pleased to have a small piece of good news to announce.
The third book in the Robot Babysitter series I've been doing for Stripes/Little Tiger Press comes out today!
A ROBOT ATE MY GRANDMA finds the gang in another mess of trouble – this time with a mystery to solve. When Grandma goes missing and appears to have been replaced by a mechanical version of herself (AKA RoboGran), the twins' robot babysitter Robin activates his built-in detective mode and gets on the case (with Digby the dog as Dr Watson!). Unfortunately, Robin starts malfunctioning, and then a pair of strange and unexpected visitors arrive. Will they provide what the gang needs to solve the mystery or make things even worse? Only time will tell …I had a lot of fun writing this one and, as always, Catalina has produced some fantastic illustrations to bring the characters and the action alive on the page.
If you'd like a sneak preview, there's a video of me reading chapter one at the top of the page – I hope you enjoy it.
Take care and all the best
Dave
PS. If you'd like a sample of the second story in the series, you can watch Is My Teacher a Robot? here.
The first two stories in the series are also available as audiobooks , read by the excellent Peter Kenny.
July 16, 2020
Is My Teacher a Robot? Video extract
Hi folks,
I hope all is well with you and yours.
Is My Teacher a Robot? – the second story in the 'Robot Babysitter' series came out back in February and I've been meaning to record an extract ever since.
With schools closed and events cancelled or postponed, I've put the unexpected free time to good use and finally put the above video together.
It's me reading the start of the story accompanied by Catalina Echeverri's excellent illustrations from the book. Those of a certain age will spot that I'm channeling a 1970s Jackanory vibe here with the somewhat shoogly animation! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I'm thinking Rhubarb and Custard for the next one …?
Take care and all the best,
Dave
May 21, 2020
Book at Bedtime? Robot Audiobooks Out Now!
I hope all is well with you and yours.
I'm currently in self-imposed lockdown in my shed and not allowed out until I've finished my new book! When it's done, this will be the fourth story in the series about twins Jake and Jess and their accident-prone robot. I've had a lot of fun writing these and it's been great to hear that readers are enjoying them too!
I'm very happy to announce that the first two stories are now available as audiobooks, read by the brilliant Peter Kenny.
It's great hearing someone else read the story – almost like listening to someone else's book! I found myself laughing out loud, which to be honest, feels a bit weird when it's your own stuff – but with someone else reading it … well, I decided it was OK. Anyway, if you're looking for a bedtime story or something to raise a smile on a wet Wednesday afternoon, why not have a listen?
Both audiobooks should be available via your local library. Alternatively you can download from Audible, here:
MY BABYSITTER IS A ROBOT IS MY TEACHER A ROBOT?
Oh, and while we're on the subject … the next instalment of robot mayhem – A ROBOT ATE MY GRANDMA! should be out over the summer. Watch this space!
Look after yourselves …
All the best
Dave
May 4, 2020
Writing Prompt – May The Fourth Be With You!
Anybody who has heard me talk will know that one of my earliest ambitions was to be an astronaut. I even wrote to NASA asking how to join. (They wrote back!) My favourite song was Space Oddity by David Bowie and I spent many hours dressed in my makeshift spacesuit and an old crash-helmet, moon-walking round the house.
Anyway, back to the prompt … This is quite a wide brief – an opportunity for you to boldly go where ever your imagination decides to drag you!
However, if the vast expanse of space leaves you feeling overwhelmed, here are a few ideas that might spark something:
– Your story could be set in a galaxy faraway (like Star Wars, Futurama, Final Space …)
– Imagine it's years into the future – with Earth's resources dwindling, humans have begun the colonisation of another planet (maybe Mars or the Moon*) *Not actually a planet. What would life be like living in one of these new colonies? A different kind of isolation, perhaps? Your current experiences might be useful here.
– Imagine taking one of the first tourist flights into space. Billed as "The experience of a lifetime!" But what if something went wrong?
– If you like scary stories, what about a space monster story? One of my favourite films is about the crew of space ship who find themselves trapped with an alien on board! Or what about an alien invasion? (To give it a twist, what if humans were the aliens doing the invading!)
– Or maybe you get to live my dream and become an astronaut. What would that be like? Again, spending weeks on a space station might have quite a few similarities with your current lockdown isolation – there would certainly be restrictions on going outside!
These are just a few ideas – I'm sure you can think of something much better. There's a LOT of space out there. Have fun with it!
Commencing countdown.
10
9
8 …
April 27, 2020
Writing Prompt (First Line Series #1)
A good first line can also take a story in many different directions.
This week I'm going to post a series a first line prompts. I won't claim that they're all going to be killer hooks, but I'm hoping they'll spark an idea to get you writing.
So, here we go …
A couple of quick tips:
These six words give you lots to work with. I've mentioned before that asking questions is a great way to spark ideas. For instance, there are four obvious questions that spring to mind here.
1. WHO is delivering the line of dialogue?
2. WHO are they talking to?
3. WHAT is the "that" being denied entry?
4. WHERE is the "here"?
Just answering those questions should get you started.
There are more questions that naturally follow. For example:
5. WHY is the protagonist (possibly the narrator themselves) trying to take the THING into the PLACE?
6. What will happen if they are denied access? What is at STAKE here?
7. What will happen if they get past the person denying them access, or find another way in?
Once you start writing I'm sure lots more questions will occur. Follow the answers and see where they lead you …
Good luck. Have fun.
PS. I'm going to be working on the next draft of my new book for the next few weeks. I'll keep posting prompts, but it may just be a couple a week as I'm going to be busy wrangling my own words for a while!
