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!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

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

#fridayreads: Phil Earle and Hounslow 2016 Teen Reads Book Award Shortlist

A veritable shelf load of book recommendations this week!

On Tuesday I was invited to speak at the Hounslow 2016 Teen Reads Book Award launch event at the Paul Robeson Theatre. I had a great morning chatting with staff and students from six local secondary schools before the shortlist was announced.

Hounslow 2016 Teen Reads Book Award Shortlist

Between now and March, students will read and discuss the six shortlisted books before casting their votes to decide the winner. All the books are standalone titles, written by UK authors, a couple of which I've already read and enjoyed. There's lots of variety on the list and a couple in particular with a really interesting premise. I'm hoping to head down to my local library this weekend to see if I can get copies.

This weeks #fridayreads — Phil Earle!

I've been travelling a fair bit during the past two weeks, doing events up and down the country—lots of fun and also a good opportunity to catch up on some reading. Saving Daisy by Phil Earle kept me company for most of last week and, to be honest, the miles flew by. I'm a huge fan of Phil's stuff, he manages to tackle difficult subjects with honesty and great warmth. Check out any of the titles in the picture—you won't regret it.

-----------------------

Happy reading!

Cheers, Dave.

North Herts Book Award 2015

Great morning at the North Herts Book Award yesterday. Students from nine schools across North Herts met for a discussion day and voting at Nobel School, and I was invited along to give a talk and announce the winners. It was great to meet so many enthusiastic readers and hear them argue—sorry, discuss—the merits of their favourite books on the two shortlists!

Nikki Sheehan's excellent WHO FRAMED KLARIS CLIFF? won the younger category, while James Dawson's SAY HER NAME fought off strong competition to win the older section. 

Thanks to the staff and students from all the schools for making me so welcome. Special thanks to Ros and her team at Nobel, and to Linda for inviting me.

I then spent a very enjoyable afternoon with year 9 students at nearby St. Christopher School, taking about books, music and football! Thanks again to Linda and everyone at the school.

Now, it's back to some serious word wrangling . . . 

Look Hoo's Talking … About Books!

The Marquee at Luton Hoo Walled Garden, the venue for the event.

Author Jon Mayhew and I had a great time at the Hoo's Kids Book Fest "Look Hoo's Talking … about Books" Award event on Friday. 

Students from eight local schools spent the day discussing (and arguing!) the merits of each book on the shortlist, before settling down for a workshop by Jon, and a talk from me.

Congratulations to Phil Earle whose excellent book The Bubble Wrap Boy was chosen by the students as the winner. It was a real privilege to be in a room full of young people so passionate about books, and to hear their presentations for each of the shortlisted titles. 

Thanks to all the staff and students from Parmiter's School, Icknield High, Stopsley High, Hemel Hempstead School, Francis Combe Academy, Sacred Heart Primary and Tennyson Road Primary. 

Huge thanks also to Charlotte Cassella, Jayne Truran, Charmian Allwright, Liz Stratton, Bela Brown, Ellen Krajewski and Chorleywood Bookshop for making it all happen!

Around the World in 15 Days!

My debut novel 15 Days Without a Head was published by Oxford University Press in the UK in January 2012. It has since been published across the world in many different languages. 

The Polish edition—15 DNI BEZ GLOWY—came out today!

I'm always fascinated to see the different artwork and titles used. 

One of my favourites is the edition that came out recently in Taiwan (above bottom row, middle). The jacket illustrates characters and elements from the story, and even has silver endpapers! (below)

Great illustration of Mina in her RAMONES T-Shirt!

There are more character illustrations inside.

artwork: CommonWealth Magazine, Taiwan

I recently blogged about the fantastic animated trailer Penguin Random House produced for the Mexican Spanish Edition. Watch the video here.

With these and further editions scheduled for publication, every so often a new copy arrives in the post. The arrival of one of these always gives me a huge buzz, knowing that a story I wrote in my attic is now being read by people thousands of miles away in countries I have never been able to visit myself.

I did however get the opportunity to visit Italy last year, when Quindici Giorni Senza Testa, was awarded the Premio Andersen. 

With my award at the beautiful Luzzati Museum, Genova

My Italian publisher San Paolo kindly invited me to Italy for the ceremony. I had a wonderful couple of days in Genova, and managed to deliver my award acceptance speech in 'very broken' Italian! Huge thanks to everyone at San Paolo, plus Barbara Schiaffino, Paolo Rinaldi, Marco Albonico, Alessandra Grasso, Giuseppe Trapani and the rights team at OUP, and most of all Giulia Guasco who translated the story into Italian and clearly did a very good job!

With Marco from San Paolo, and Giulia who did
such a great job translating the story into Italian

None of this would have been possible without the Rights Team at OUP. It is due to their dedication and hard work that my stories have found their way to readers all over the world. Here's a report from their recent trip to the Bologna Book Fair, see if you can spot the display for my new book Charlie Merrick's Misfits.

Finally, thanks to all the publishing houses across the globe for giving my stories a life beyond the attic.

Thanks to Jennie Younger for the photos and her company on my Italian adventure.

READ IT, OR ELSE! The Coventry Inspiration Book Awards 2014

The 2014 shortlists for the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards were announced this week. I was honoured to see Waiting for Gonzo included in the brilliantly titled — Read it, or else! category.

Have a look at the full list of 12 books to see who Gonzo is up against! You can leave comments and vote for your favourite.

There are six categories for young people in the awards, plus an adult shortlist. Visit the website for full details and a list of upcoming events.

15 Days at the North East Teenage Book Awards

I was in Newcastle at the end of last week for the North East Teenage Book Awards. 15 Days Without a Head was on the shortlist alongside some fantastic books: Sufiya Ahmed's Secrets of the Henna Girl, Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley, Louisa Reid's Black Heart Blue, Slated by Teri Terry and one of my favourite books of last year, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. It was an honour to find myself in such esteemed company.

Students, librarians, teachers and parents from local schools braved a mini blizzard to attend the event. It was great having the opportunity to meet and talk with so many enthusiastic readers, all of whom had read, discussed and voted on the shortlisted titles. Each author was introduced by a student from a participating school – so I'd like to once again thank Hannah for the fantastic introduction she gave when it was my turn.

Huge congratulations to Teri Terry who was announced as the winner. Judging by the queues at Teri's signing table Slated was a very popular choice, so if you haven't read it – check it out! The second book in the series – Fractured – comes out in March.

Earlier in the day, I was invited over to Charles Thorp in Ryton to meet the school book group. Not only did they choose 15 Days Without a Head as their group favourite, they also gave me home-made chocolate cake! We had a great morning discussing books, music, cats and coming up with ideas for a story about a band of vampire musicians!

Next it was a short trip through the snow to Walbottle where I spent the rest of the day with year nine. After giving them a guided tour of my somewhat unorthodox route to becoming an author, we spent the afternoon doing some writing and (I'll admit) having the occasional chat about football!

Thanks to Beth, Gill and all the students at Charles Thorp, Leah and the staff and students at Walbottle for their welcome and hospitality. A big thumbs up also to Karmjeet from OUP who drove me round in the snow all day and to everyone at Seven Stories, especially Lorna who handled book sales, photography and cake wrangling duties. Finally, special thanks to Eileen Armstrong, Alec Williams and all the staff and students involved in the North East Teenage Book Award.

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

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.

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 …

15 Days Without a Head nominated for Anobii First Book Award 2012

15 Days Without a Head has been nominated for an award! Wahey!

The Anobii First Book Award celebrates the wealth of new writing included in the Edinburgh International Book Festival programme each year. Every debut novelist and every overseas writer whose words are published in English for the first time is included in the award. 

Unlike other literary prizes, this one is selected by you, the readers who champion new writing and who are responsible for making superstars out of debut novelists. 

Many of the writers who participate in our Festival programme go on to forge international careers. The Anobii First Book Award enables you to play your part in identifying a future literary legend by reading the books, coming to see the events and, of course, by placing your vote. 

This year there are 45 outstanding titles in the running for the Anobii First Book Award. You can browse the shortlisted titles here and vote for your favourite. You can also rate and review the First Book Award titles on Anobii.com, a new website for book lovers.

A future literary legend? That would be nice … anyway, if you enjoyed reading 15 Days Without a Head and would like to vote for it, I'd be very grateful. Of course if you have an alternative favourite on the list – such as those by my fellow Edge authors Sara Grant and Katie Dale, or Teri Terry's Slated – the choice is yours. Whichever title gets your vote, you will automatically be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a copy of every book on the list. Can't be bad!