15 Days Without a Head – Out Today in the US and Canada!

I'm delighted that my debut novel for teenagers, 15 Days Without a Head will be in bookshops across the United States and Canada from today!

This new edition is being published by Flux with a brand new cover featuring Laurence in the all important telephone box (you'll have to read the book to find out the significance of the booth!)

Having read so much fantastic young adult fiction from the states, I'm very excited at the prospect of 15 Days sharing shelf space with books by authors that have inspired me – Robert Cormier, Louis Sachar and John Green, to name just a few.

15 Days Without a Head has already received a warm reception from reviewers across the pond, for which I'm very grateful. Kirkus Reviews wrote:

"A  …  finely crafted debut that strikes a delicate balance between humor and pathos." 

(Read the full review here)

Here are a few of my other favourite write-ups:
Publishers' Weekly
Rather Be Reading
Lindie Dagenhart
Crunchings & Munchings: We eat YA!

I was also delighted to learn that 15 Days Without a Head has been selected by the Junior Library Guild. This is a tremendous seal of approval and will hopefully mean that the story will find its way to many more readers in the United States.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone at Flux, especially Brian Farrey-Latz for inviting Laurence, Jay and Mina across the water. I am hugely grateful to Brian, Sandy, Bob, Lisa, Courtney and Mallory for all their hard work in making sure my book would become better travelled than I am!

15 Days on the Redbridge Teenage Book Award 2013 Longlist

I was delighted to hear that 15 Days Without a Head has been included on the Redbridge Teenage Book Award Longlist for 2013.

Previous winners include Cat Clarke, Malorie Blackman, Suzanne Collins, Tim Bowler and Bali Rai.

Each year two awards are presented, one for a children's book and one teenage title. The aims of the award are to inspire children to read, review and debate, and thus appreciate, good quality literature as well as encouraging an ethos of independent reading within schools and across the borough of Redbridge.

The twenty teen and twenty children's titles are selected by school librarians, library staff and children and sent to participating schools and reading groups. Shortlists of eight will be voted on by these groups in March. Final voting for the two winners takes place in May.

"All the participating schools and groups get together for a celebration of reading. The shortlisted authors are invited along to meet the students who have chosen their books.  There is a quiz on the shortlisted books, a question and answer session and the opportunity for students to get signed copies of the shortlisted titles and meet the authors whose books they have voted for.

We also announce the winners of the short story and poetry competition which runs in parallel to the awards process." – from the Redbridge Award website.

To see the books on both longlists, click here.

Thanks to all the library staff and students who selected 15 Days Without a Head. Have a great time reading and debating all the books on the longlists. Fingers crossed I'll be joining you in May!

15 Days included on the 2013 CILIP Carnegie Medal Longlist

Another piece of good news today: 15 Days Without a Head has been nominated for the 2013 CILIP Carnegie Medal! 

Ever since I saw the words "Carnegie Medal" on the cover of Robert Westall's The Machine-Gunners, this award has held a special place in my dreams, though I never entertained the idea that one day I might actually find myself nominated!

Awarded annually by CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book for children and young people, while the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.

CILIP also run, in conjunction with both the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, a hugely successful Shadowing Scheme engaging thousands of children and young people in reading the books on the shortlist every year. Karen Robinson, Chair of the Judging Panel for 2013 and Youth Libraries Group Chair elect, said: "This fantastic longlist - the largest ever - represents the high quality of children's publishing that we have here in the UK and is a testament to the enthusiasm of children's librarians across the country. In these difficult times it is really heartening that more CILIP librarians than ever can still find the time to nominate. Judges have a hard task in front of them to read and assess all these exceptional books by our specific awards criteria but their dedication and enthusiasm is second to none and we are all looking forward to the challenge!"  (from the Carnegie Greenaway website)

Read the full Carnegie and Kate Greenaway nominations list here. 

15 Days Shortlisted for the Grampian Children's Book Award 2013

I'm delighted that 15 Days Without a Head is one of six books on the Grampian Children's Book Award Shortlist for 2013. 

The award is run by school librarians in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray and voted for by S1 – S3 pupils. Thanks to everyone involved. It's an honour to be chosen alongside these great books:

The shortlist:
15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
Out of the Depths by Cathy MacPhail
Socks Are Not Enough by Mark Lowery
The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchison

15 Days Telephone Box Bingo!

A telephone box is featured on the front cover of 15 Days Without a Head and plays an important role in the story. As a result I've found myself taking pictures of red phone boxes I see on my travels. 

Join me in a game of Telephone Box Bingo and send me your photos* – extra points will be awarded if you're pictured inside the box! (Don't forget to include the location.) 

See if you can find any of the telephone boxes I've been to so far:

Llaneglwys, Wales

St. Peters Place, Brighton

Powys, Wales

Moor Street Station, Birmingham

Crickadarn, Wales

Pelham Square, Brighton

Westfields, Talgarth

Grand Avenue, Hove

Powys, Wales

* Email your photos to dave(AT)davecousins(DOT)net or upload to my Facebook page.

Anobii First Book Award – Last Chance to Vote!

Just a quick reminder that voting for the Anobii First Book Award closes on Friday 12th at 4:30pm. 

15 Days Without a Head is on the shortlist, along with a stack of other great books. If you haven't cast a vote yet, there's still time to nominate your favourite. Everyone who votes has the chance to win all the books on the shortlist. Cast your vote here.

Writing with Year Eight at Icknield Community College

On Tuesday I visited Icknield Community College in Watlington to talk to Year Eight about 15 Days Without a Head and my route to becoming an author. (I also had the chance to share the cover artwork for Waiting for Gonzo for the first time!) 

The day's events included the opportunity to do some writing with three groups of students. We had some great discussions and the workshops produced a number of excellent and very funny pieces, including one about the horrors of going clubbing with your gran! (There's a great comic novel in that idea, I'm certain.) 

Here are a few pics from the day …

A fantastic display greeted me on arrival in the library!

Telling stories with Year Eight students

In the library with Beth, Seren, Luke and Sam.

Thanks to all the staff and students at Icknield Community College for making me so welcome, with special mention to Penny Didcock, Natalie Wheeler and Mr Hunter. Thanks also to The Book House in Thame for supplying copies of 15 Days Without a Head and to Beth (pictured above) for managing the sales.

Getting ready for some author improvisation at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Tomorrow morning I will stumble bleary-eyed onto the milk train and head north for the start of three days at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

My Tuesday evening event with fellow Edge author Sara Grant kicks off at the RBS Imagination Lab at 6:30. 

A double act to rival Morecambe & Wise?
French & Saunders? Wallace & Gromit?

As well as talking about our books – 15 Days Without a Head and Dark Parties – we'll be attempting a bit of live story generation with help from the audience and … well, you'll find out if you're there. (Those who can't make it will have to wait for the video.) We're calling this Author Improvisation, or – How to set yourself up to fail majestically in front of a room full of people … I'll let you know how it goes.

Then on Thursday morning, I'm looking forward to a trip to Haddington to do some writing with students from Knox Academy, as part of the festival schools outreach programme.

Should be a fun few days – hope to see some of you there.

Don't forget, both 15 Days Without a Head and Dark Parties have been nominated for the Anobii First Book Award at this year's festival. See what else is on the list and cast your vote here. Thanks.

Tickets for the Tuesday evening event can be purchased here.

15 Days Without a Head included in the St Helens Book Awards BASH 2013 Longlist

I was delighted to discover that 15 Days Without a Head is one of the books chosen by the young people of St Helens for the longlist of BASH 2013 (Book Awards St Helens).

Patrick Ness was last year's winner with  A Monster Calls and the 2013 longlist contains a stack of impressive titles and authors, including Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, which has to be one of my favourite books of the year – I'm honoured to find myself in such esteemed company!

Between now and the award ceremony in March, workshops will take place during the Autumn to decide the shortlist and then continue in the Spring term to pick a winner.

Here's the longlist in full: 
The Traitors by Tom Becker (Scholastic)
Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess (Puffin)
15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins (Oxford)
Hollow Pike by James Dawson (Indigo/Orion)
Sektion 20 by Paul … (Bloomsbury)
The Things We Did For Love by Natasha Farrant (Faber)
Poison Heart by SB Hayes (Quercus)
Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan (Walker)
Bullet Boys by Ally Kennen (Marion Lloyd Books)
In Darkness by Nick Lake (Bloomsbury)
Burn Mark by Laura Powell (Bloomsbury)
Mister Creecher by Chris Priestly (Bloomsbury)
Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid (Puffin)
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick (Indigo/Orion)
The Flask by Nicky Singer (Harper Collins)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Electric Monkey/Egmont)

It looks like my 'books to read pile' is about to get longer …

Nower Hill and Northwood School Tour with The New Leaf Bookshop, Pinner.

 I had a great time visiting two secondary schools in Pinner today, with Martin and Judy from The New Leaf Bookshop. 

Martin, Judy and Emily at the shop

Before setting off for our first event, I was invited to add my name to the wall of honour!

As usual, Tim Bowler puts the right words in the right order.

Cathy Cassidy added cake and stars!

Brilliant! If only I'd thought to draw Jay as a dog …

Then it was off to Nower Hill School for two sessions with Year Nine to talk about 15 Days Without a Head and my journey to becoming an author. Big thanks to all the staff and students for making us so welcome and not complaining they lost half of break because of my talk!

Action shot – talking so fast, I'm blurred!

We arrived at Northwood to fantastic welcome – Jaffa Cakes and a series of posters advertising the event. Thanks again to all the staff and students at the school, especially Louise and the artists who made the posters.

I particularly like this one as it shows me with hair!

In action – acting out the comic book I drew when I was 11.

If you're ever in Pinner, make sure you visit.

Find the New Leaf Bookshop on Facebook

or visit their website.

15 Days Without a Head reviewed in Book Time Magazine

The April issue of Book Time magazine featured a whole page of reviews for 15 Days Without a Head!

Thanks to the staff and students at Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School in Barnet, Hertfordshire for reading and reviewing the book. 

Thanks also to Frances and Peter at Urmston Bookshop in Manchester, and Karmjeet at OUP for sending me copies.

15 Days Without a Head review in The Scotsman

I was delighted to see 15 Days Without a Head included in the Easter Teen Fiction round-up in The Scotsman newspaper. To be included alongside such esteemed writers as John Green, Celia Rees, Chris Wooding and Elizabeth Wein was a real buzz!

15 Days at the Hay Festival

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be doing an event at this year's Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts. 15 DAYS WITHOUT A BLOG! is part of the Hay Fever programme and takes place on Tuesday 5th June at 2.30pm on the Starlight Stage.

 

For 25 years Hay Festival has brought together writers from around the world to debate and share stories at its festival in the staggering beauty of the Welsh Borders. Hay celebrates great writing from poets and scientists, lyricists and comedians, novelists and environmentalists, and the power of great ideas to transform our way of thinking. Hay is, in Bill Clinton's phrase, 'The Woodstock of the mind'. (from the Hay Festival website)

15 DAYS WITHOUT A BLOG! is open to anybody aged 12 and over, but will be of particular interest to those currently writing a blog, or thinking of starting. Blogging can provide a great platform for writers to hone their skills and find an audience. I'll be giving tips on how to set-up, write and publicise a blog, as well as a glimpse into my journey to publication as children's author, via eight years as a minor rock star!

It would be great to see you there.

Visit the Hay Festival website to book tickets and for details of all the fantastic events taking place.

15 Days at Number One!

A big thanks to everyone who came down to my book signing event at Waterstones in Hemel Hempstead on Saturday. I'm delighted that 15 Days Without a Head is now at Number One in the store's kids' chart.

I've always dreamed of being at number one …

This lofty position is due to the sales of 15 Days Without a Head on Saturday and during my visit to The Hemel Hempstead School on Thursday. It was great to see some of the students from Hemel and South Hill Primary again on Saturday. I was pleased to hear that some of you are writers yourselves. Good luck with the words! Keep reading and keep writing!

Action shot: the serious business of book signing.
Note shameless self-promotional T-shirt, useful for those moments of panic when I forget who I am.
(Thanks to Mel Walker for the photo)

I had some interesting entries in my best/worst day of the week competition, and it was hard to choose a winner. But the entry from Joe made me laugh out loud, so in the end the prize had to go to him. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Me in the big chair, flanked by Clare and Tina from Waterstones

Finally, I'd like express my appreciation to all the staff at Waterstones Hemel Hempstead for looking after me on the day and for their fantastic support for the book since it came out in January. You don't get that from an online bookstore folks … 

Book signing at Waterstones, Hemel Hempstead, Saturday 10 March.

I'll be at my local branch of Waterstones in Hemel Hempstead this Saturday, signing copies of 15 Days Without a Head.

I'll be in-store from 11am, so if you're in the area do stop by and say hello. As well as signing books, I'll be chatting to customers, giving away postcards and running a competition. Plus FREE Scooby Snacks (all the way from the US) for everyone who gets a book signed (while stocks last!) 

Hope to see you there.

Cheers, Dave.

William Hussey's Essential Six: Author Interview with Dave Cousins

Huge thanks to the brilliant William Hussey for featuring me in his Essential Six author interview series. If you've not read any of the Witchfinder books yet, you're missing a treat. I had to sleep with the light on after the reading the first one! Superbly scary stuff!

William Hussey

Welcome to the first in an occasional series of interviews with some of my favourite authors! I’ve called this series ‘The Essential Six’ for two reasons: first, writers need to write! I love the work of these authors so much I don’t want to take up too much of their precious scribing time. Secondly, I wanted to narrow down my questions to a core half dozen so that we could get down to the real nuts and bolts of their life and work.

What follows is an interview with debut author Dave Cousins. Last year, I was lucky enough to get hold of a proof copy of his moving and laugh-out-loud funny novel 15 Days Without A Head - the finest Young Adult book I read in 2011 …

Read the full interview here

NACOA Children of Alcoholics Week

15 Days Without a Head is a work of fiction, but many young people live with problems similar to those faced by Laurence and Jay in the story. In fact, there are an estimated one million children affected by parental alcohol problems in the UK.

Children of Alcoholics Week aims to raise awareness of the problems faced by alcohol-dependent parents, and let children and adults know there is support and advice available.

The campaign is led by the National Association for Children of Alcoholics who provide a Free Confidential Telephone Helpline 0800 358 3456, plus advice for children, parents and teachers on their website, or you can email helpline@nacoa.org.uk

Here's a short video from NACOA explaining some of the important work they do.

The single, A Change is Gonna Come was specially recorded by Maria McAteer, Bjorn Dahlberg and the Stanford Quartet for Children of Alcoholics Week in February 2011. The video below was produced by Sean Caveille. You can download the single here from iTunes, and help support NACOA.

Please visit the Children of Alcoholics Week website, to find out more.

Thanks.

15 Days Without a Head in bookshops now!

I'm not sure I'll ever get lose the thrill of seeing my book in a bookshop. More than any other part of the process, finding a copy on the shelves makes it finally feel real. 
I was delighted to walk into my local branch of Waterstones and find 15 Days Without a Head at number six in the Kids' Chart!

And number ten in the store paperback chart!

Huge thanks to the staff at Waterstones and to everyone who has been in to buy a copy.

During my recent schools tour, I spent a day with Nigel French from Cole's Books in Bicester. After a great morning with students from years 7 and 8 at The Cooper School, we managed to find time to grab half an hour to browse his fantastic bookshop.

I was extremely chuffed to find myself next to Phil Earle on the display. Cole's are selling signed copies of 15 Days Without a Head through their website, with free postage and packing to UK addresses. (see the link in the sidebar)

It was also a pleasant surprise to walk into my local Empire cinema to find 15 Days postcards on the racks, next to Sky Hawk (a superb book by fellow OUP author, Gill Lewis)

But possibly the best thing about the past few weeks has been going into schools and having the opportunity to meet students, and talk to them about books, writing and wanting to be an astronaut! The response to 15 Days Without a Head has been fantastic. So a big thanks to the staff and students at The Broxbourne School*, St Gregory the Great and King Alfred's Academy in Oxford, The Cooper School in Bicester and Bruern Abbey, Oxfordshire – for their time, enthusiasm and cake!*

Blog Tour #10: 15 Days Without a Head – On Location.

After fifteen days on the road, the blog bus doesn't smell quite as sweet as it did when we started. It's been a great trip though, stopping off at some of the best book blog sites on the internet and meeting some fantastic folk in the process. 
Appropriately enough, our final stop brings us all the way back home to Hardacre. We've parked the bus in Parkview Parade, under the shadow of The Heights, and are taking Cicely on a tour of some of the locations used in 15 Days Without a Head. Why not click over to Cicely Loves Books and join us.

Blog Tour #9: A Day in the Life of an Author – Photo Story!

Join me for a day in my life as an author, at Heaven, Hell & Purgatory – today's stop on the 15 Days Without a Head Blog Tour.