My Book Deal - thrilled to be moving from one roller coaster to another!

So. It has happened. I've got a book deal! On June 2010, TALL STORY is going to become a real book with real pages and a cover and a publisher!

And not just any publisher, David Fickling Books!

AND not just David Fickling, but something very important to me - a publisher in my native Philippines in the form of RayVi Sunico!

OMG!

When I started trying to write novels NINE years ago, I thought, how hard can it be? I was a journalist writing hundreds of words a day. Surely children's fiction wouldn't be that hard. It would be great fun! I was a bit like a kid getting on a ride at a funfair.

I had no idea it was going to be like this:

And like this:

And like this:

A lot of the time, it was more painful than fun. But it was still fun enough to keep going.

And finally getting a contract is like, well, changing the ride.

Going off into another unknown!

Up and up and up!

Am I ready for what lies ahead?

Well at the moment, it's all looking good!

But there's a lot of hard work up ahead! The stakes are suddenly higher.

And I must remind myself why I write.

I must remind myself that beyond getting published, the reason I write is because I love it.

Reason enough to keep going.

Thank you to the hundreds of emails and wow, what a buzz that was on Facebook and on the SCBWI message board and in the Philippines, oh, the Philippine flag was waving!

It really, really is beyond fantastic!

The X Factor, Rejections and Other Visitations

Another shock exit on the X-Factor.

I have a morbid fascination for the programme. The process is not dissimilar to the whole submission-rejection mangle that writers must suffer.

Simon Cowell: "They're going to lose anyway."

Rejecting editor: "They're not going to sell anyway."

Oh the pain.

Meanwhile, one of my regulars, Hugo (10) has produced this image of me working at my desk:

Me working at my desk by Hugo. Click on the image to view a bigger version.

I've added in arrows to draw your attention to Hugo's eye for detail and sense of humour. The poster above my desk reads 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. His version reads: 'Keep scared and Freak Out'. He draws himself pointing an accusing finger at me and saying, "YOU TWITTER." Wow. I feel guilty already. He notices that I am not wearing any shoes and I appear to be humming with pleasure as I pound at the keyboard.

Thank you, Hugs. Very well observed.

What my desk actually looks like.

Meanwhile another of my young friends has been busy.

Naissa (10), whose parents happen to be acrobats, has just written and illustrated a novel! She spent the summer in Brazil (where the parents were busy wowing Brazilians) and wrote YUKIM. The hero (from whom the book gets its title) sets off on a magical journey with his companion, a doormouse named Domonic. Naissa's mum tells me she was much inspired by the Christopher Paolini book, Bresinger.

Well done, Naissa! (And well done, Christopher Paolini!)

John Green is Doing NanoWriMo!

... and John says:

"Nanowrimo forces the writer to be disciplined and gives the writer permission to SUCK!"

If you can't see the video go to YouTube