Season's Greetings!

Poster artwork featured in above illo is by Anton van Hertbruggen

Hi folks!

Can it really be that time again? The ice on my keyboard and loss of feeling in my fingers would suggest so! Even the cat thinks that winter is best viewed from this side of the glass.

I'm sure you have much to do, so this is just a brief note to offer my compliments of the season and express thanks for your support once again this year.

If you'd like to read my full Christmas newsletter, please Click here.

Best wishes,
Dave

Gonzo shortlisted for German Children's Literature Award!

Photo: Thanks to "a tempo" – Das Lebensmagazin

I don’t normally shout about this kind of stuff, but I’m really chuffed about this one and wanted to share the news! The German edition of Waiting for Gonzo, Warten auf Gonzo, has been nominated for this year’s Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in the Young Adult category. Gonzo is one of six books on the shortlist announced at the Leipzig Book Fair last week (see photo!).

The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis/German Children’s Literature Award is the most prestigious award for children’s and young adult literature in Germany, so it’s a real honour to be included. The results will be announced on October 13, 2017 during the Frankfurt Book Fair, with the Federal Minister Manuela Schwesig presenting awards to the winners in each of the five categories.

Waiting for Gonzo was the second book I had published in the UK. I was warned that second books are notoriously difficult to write, and Gonzo duly proved the rule! It is also the book of which I’m most proud, partly because of the blood, sweat and tears shed in order to get it right! I’m always extra pleased when readers tell me they enjoyed it, and despite the many drafts, long hours, and sleepless nights, in the end I had a lot of fun with Gonzo.

In 2013 I was lucky enough to fulfil one of my dreams when I was invited to the BBC studios in Bath to narrate the audiobook. Somehow, I then ended up going into a different ‘studio’ with one of my old bandmates to record a full soundtrack album to accompany the book—ten tracks of original songs by four of Oz’s favourite bands. Which, of course, needed music videos to go with them. Lots more work, but again, good fun.

There are lots of different language editions of Waiting for Gonzo out now, and I’d like to thank my publishers across the world for introducing Oz and the gang to so many new readers. But of all the editions, I have to say that my German publisher, Verlag Freies Geistesleben produced an exceptionally beautiful one. 

The cover, featuring Meg in her Dr. Marten boots, captures the mood of the book perfectly. The typography and page layout is wonderfully subtle and gives the whole edition a lovely feel. There’s even a QR code on the jacket linking to the aforementioned soundtrack. Superb stuff. Sadly, my sub O-level German isn’t anywhere near good enough for me to read this edition (though I am trying to learn in preparation for my trip to Frankfurt!). But I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Anne Brauner for translating this and the German edition of 15 Days without a Head. Judging by the nomination, I’d say she did a pretty good job!

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P.S. Should you wish to, you can find out more about the Waiting for Gonzo soundtrack here.

German Visit Photo Diary!

On Tuesday of last week, I left the slightly snowy shores of England and headed East to Frankfurt in Germany.

I had been invited to talk to students at two European Schools in Frankfurt and nearby Bad Vilbel. 

I arrived at my hotel in the dark, and was somewhat surprised to find a frozen lake outside the window next morning!

 

Some of the students at ES Frankfurt had been writing stories based on 15 Days Without a Head. It was fascinating to see the different directions in which they had taken the story. There were some great ideas here that I wish I'd had when I was writing the book!

In action at ES Frankfurt being watched over by my old bandmates including my younger hirsute self!

photo Bärbel McWilliams

Signing postcards and chatting to the students at ES Frankfurt.

photo Bärbel McWilliams

Next, a short trip north to Bad Vilbel, to talk to students at ES RheinMain.

photo by Ute Arias

photo by Ute Arias

photo by Ute Arias

photo by Ute Arias

Reading (and acting out!) a scene from
15 Days Without a Head.

photo by Ute Arias

Shining an imaginary torch onto my copy of
Waiting for Gonzo.

photo by Ute Arias

Signing postcards and books for students at ES RheinMain. 

(Note the special pencil case!)

photo by Ute Arias

I couldn't go home without visiting a local café for tea and cake! Thanks to Elizabeth for her time and company on a very cold but enjoyable whistle-stop tour of Frankfurt before I headed to the airport and my flight home.

Huge thanks to all the staff and students at Europäische Schule Frankfurt and Europäische Schule RheinMain for making me so welcome. Special thanks to Renate Kirmse, Bärbel McWilliams, Ute Arias, Samantha Malmberg, Elizabeth and Silke Scrivener for their company, and to Peter, Rene and Samantha for driving me to and from schools, airports and hotels!

Thanks to Bärbel McWilliams and Ute Arias for the photos. Used with permission.

Download the "Waiting for Gonzo" Soundtrack — for FREE!

To celebrate the publication of Waiting for Gonzo in the United States and Canada, I'm posting a FREE download link for the soundtrack album that goes with the book.

"What's that?" you say. "A book with a soundtrack? Did I miss something?" 

The following video may help to explain …

So … now you can read the book AND hear the music playing in Oz's world as he makes his way through the story.

Ten original songs by some of Oz's favourite bands, including Dead Frank's Supersonic Milkfloat, Cyclops Dog, Cigarette UFO and Prayer for Halo—yours to download for FREE. Includes printable CD artwork with full lyrics booklet. 

DOWNLOAD HERE Did I mention it was FREE?

By the way, I'll be posting a couple more Waiting for Gonzo extras next week, so watch this space …

Waiting for Gonzo, is available now in the US and Canada, published by Flux.

A UK edition (published by Oxford University Press) and audiobook are also available. To read the story in Italian or Polish, please click on the links for San Paolo, Italy and YA! Poland. A German edition will be coming out in November.