As you might have guessed, that’s really me making excuses for not having blogged for, er, well, rather a long time. Sorry!

I’ve been up to loads of things. Here are a few highlights:

DarkIsle - I set up Strident Publishing to produce books not just by me but by others too. Our first book, DarkIsle, by D A Nelson, was published in hardback in September 2007 and has been a huge hit. And not just in the UK. Even before it was launched here it was bought by parts of Random House in the USA, Germany, Italy, Spain and Korea. RH Japan have since come aboard and it’s being looked at it lots of other territories. 70% of the UK hardback first edition (first print run) books sold in just 8 weeks. If you haven’t already bought, borrowed or otherwise read this book, I strongly recommend doing so. It’s a great adventure story, inspired by a dragon sculpture in Irvine (west of Scotland) that is 40 metres long and 3 metres high. The author used to clamber on it when she was a teenager. I’ve now clambered on it too! If you’ve already read DarkIsle then the good news is that there will be a second book in the series in Autumn 2008, and a third a year or so after that. www.darkislethebook.co.uk is the website to check out. It even has phots of the dragon scupture.

We didn’t just have one launch for DarkIsle, we had 3, all at locations mentioned in the story. The first was at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow (many thanks to Margaret Houston for all her help), the second at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine (huge thanks to Melanie West and Alison McAllister at North Ayrshire Education Resource Service for dedication beyond the call of duty) and the third at Park Primary School in Oban (hi to all the pupils and staff and thanks to the ‘headie’ for inviting us). And from me a special thank you to Alison Stroak and Graham Watson. Alison did loads of work to organise the launches, while Graham edited the book. Both did brilliantly.

The King of the Copper Mountains - this is an award-winning book by a Dutchman, Paul Biegel. For some reason it hasn’t been available in the UK for about 25 years. No idea why because it’s a fabulous story. So we’re putting that right. The Strident version comes out in late February 2008. The last UK version had that tiny print that makes your eyes go funny when you try to read it. It also had some rather old-fashioned illustrations. We’ve changed all that, using a print size you can actually read and commissioning completely new illustrations by Sally J Collins. I have to say that the illustrations are brilliant, as is the new cover. Take a sneaky peak at www.stridentpublishing.co.uk.

School visits - I’ve been a little quieter on these of late because I’ve been doing lots of Strident stuff, but come the new year I’ll be back on the trail. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been to any schools in the last 6 months, just not the usual 100 or so that I regularly cover in that period. So hi to everyone at the schools I have visited. One particular experience I must mention was being interviewed on ‘The Reading Bus’ at Kittybrewster School in Aberdeen. The bus is great, you could go on your holidays in it! And on 12 February 2008 I’ll be back on it again, this time presenting. I’ve presented in a field before (with a cow joining in with the audience of school pupils; strange or what!) but never on a bus, so I’m looking forward to that.

Pink hair - it’s not compulsory, but it does make you easier to spot in a bookshop. Susan Sloan, the creative genius who put together my website and that of D A Nelson, and who also works for Waterstone’s at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh, has very pink hair. But she may recently have been outdone by Lynn Henderson at Waterstone’s in East Kilbride (my local store). Lynn used to have black hair, but she doesn’t any more! I promise that I don’t go around tipping pink dye on people’s hair….

Well that’s a start for a catch up. Doesn’t really do justice to the second half of the year, but hey ho, there you go.

2008 will be just as busy. Spending a week in Ireland and visiting a few schools and libraries in Galway City and County Galway. Love it over there, so can’t wait for that trip. Then back to Scotland for Preston, Elgin , Aberdeen, Leeds, a wee place near Dumfries, bits of North Ayrshire…If you’re in any of those places then I’m very much looking forward to seeing you. If you’re not, then you clearly haven’t nagged your head teacher enough to get them to book me up!

Bye for now. Have a great Xmas, and may 2008 see you realise yet more of your ambitions.

Keith

So come on down, especially if you’re one of the pupils at Radlett Preparatory School because you’re?only a few minutes away from the?store and it was such great fun presenting to you back in April. Hope you can make it along.

If you haven’t seen me before then nag your teacher to get in touch with Richard Groom or Amanda McClair at the store and see if you can come along. You’ll have such a good laugh, I promise. The contact details for the store are:

Eldergate
The Portway
Milton Keynes
Bucks
MK9 1EP

Tel: 0190 869 6745

I’ve been all over the place recently, including Bettyhill, which is on?Scotland’s northern coastline and has a dramatic beach. On World Book Day I had my first visit to the Isle of Cumbrae (that’s where you’ll find Millport), then a few days later I was at Radlett Preparatory School, just north of London, near St Albans, before heading all the way back up to Aberdeen. I feel like a yoyo, bouncing up and down the country!

My maddest week was in April. I started on the Monday, flying to the London Book Fair to meet Caroline, the lovely lady who is helping to sell my books outside of the UK. By lunchtime I was back on a plane to Glasgow and by 10pm I had arrived in Bealy, near Inverness. Next morning (Tuesday)?I drove up to Ullapool and presented at Ullapool Primary School before dashing back to present at Beauly Primary School in the afternoon. In between those two visits I sold my house! (It’s true.) Wednesday saw me present at Crown Primary in Inverness, Duncan Forbes Primary in Culloden and then, in the afternoon, I made a return visit to my good friends at Milne’s Primary in Fochabers.?Milne’s Primary is an amazing school to look at. It’s essentially?a castle. On the Thursday I was at Allness Primary in Obsdale and?Knockbreck Primary in Tain before finishing the day at Dornoch Primary, who were joined by Bonar Bridge Primary for a big event. And then Friday: Tarradale Primary School in Muir of Ord, Dingwall Prmary (where they crammed 320 pupils into their main hall, making this the biggest audience of my northern tour)?and finally to South Lodge Primary in Invergordon, before heading back home to Glasgow. I slept well that Friday night, I can tell you.

That’s not the whole list from the last few months. I’ve been to dozens of other schools - too many to mention but thanks to all of them for inviting me along. A big ‘thank you’ also to Lesley Anne and Kevin of Borders at Inverness Retail Park?for their in-store display of my books and for making sure there was plenty of stock to keep everyone happy. (They had to reoder - twice in a matter of days!)

In the next few days I’m heading to Carnoustie (east of Dundee)?to visit Kinloch Primary and to Burntisland in Fife to visit the primary school there. Later in the month I’ll be having lunch with pupils at Caldervale High School in Airdrie. See, I’ll go anywhere for food! And then my final (as far as I’m aware) visit of the school year will be to Whitefield School in London.

As those who have seen me will know, I love presenting in schools. It’s just such brilliant fun having a laugh with everyone.

Well, enough of me waffling on. I’d better get on and write another LEE book!

Bye for now.

Coming up are appearances at:

Edinburgh International Book Festival -?2 talks as part of the ‘Writing Business’ strand, so these are NOT aimed at children, they are about things such as ‘The Economics of Publishing’ (heavy stuff!).

Stirling Council’s ‘Off The Page’ Book Festival - Tuesday 25 September is the day on which I’ll be making two appearances at the?theatre in the Cowane Centre.?Pester your teachers to make sure they take you along.

Perth’s ‘Word’s Out’ Book Festival - that’s Perth, UK, not Perth, Australia incidentally. (I’m still waiting for someone to offer to pay my fare to Oz…) I’ll be presenting to schools during the week of 22-26 October. As with Stirling, if you’re in the area and you’re school is not already booked to see me, it’s worth checking with the festival organisors to see if you can arrange it. You won’t regret it.

All the best,

Keith

Mar-07?

Cumbrae PS, Milport?

Dykemains PS, Saltcoats?

West Kilbride Library, North Ayrshire?

Crosshouse PS, Kilmarnock?

Castlepark PS, Irvine?

St Stephen’s PS, Glasgow?

Radlett Preparatory School?

Nether Robertland PS, Stewarton?

Hunter High School, East Kilbride?

St Brendan’s PS, Yoker, Glasgow?

Longstone PS, Edinburgh?

Dean’s PS, Livingston?

Netherthird PS, Cumnock?

Greenmill PS, Cumnock?

Crosshouse PS, Kilmarnock?

East Plean PS, nr Stirling?

Cairnhill PS, New Cumnock?

Castle PS, New Cumnock?

Dreghorn Library?

Ardrossan Library?

Cadder PS, Glasgow?

St Ninian’s PS, Gourock?

Moorfoot PS, Gourock?

High School of Glasgow Junior School?

East Hall PS, Glasgow?

Holm PS, Inverness?

Farr PS, Caithness?

?

Apr-07?

Ullapool PS?

Beauly PS, nr Inverness?

Crown Primary School, Inverness?

Duncan Forbes PS, Culloden, nr Inverness?

Milne’s PS, Fochabers?

Obsdale PS, Alness?

Knockbreck PS, Tain?

Dornoch PS + Bonar Bridge PS together?

Tarradale PS, Muir of Ord, Ross-shire?

Dingwall PS?

South Lodge PS, Invergordon

?