*** News: Steve Cole to take on Young Bond.

This morning it has been announced that Steve Cole has been selected by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. to write four books in the Young Bond series. These books will pick up the story of the young James Bond where Charlie Higson's By Royal Command left off, and I am more than a lot excited about this news. Steve Cole is one of this country's hardest working and most prolific writers for children and I think the future of Young Bond is in a very safe pair of hands.

The full press release is pasted below for your delectation:

‘A thrilling privilege and an exciting challenge.’ Steve Cole to take on Young Bond.

Random House Children’s Publishers will publish a new wave of authorized

Young Bond titles.

Random House Children’s Publishers (RHCP) are delighted to announce that Steve Cole has been selected by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., the Fleming family-owned company, as the author of a new Young Bond series.

RHCP have acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in four titles from Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. and Curtis Brown will represent all foreign rights.

The author to accept this exciting mission is DOCTOR WHO and ASTROSAURS author, Steve Cole, has sold over three million copies of his RHCP books in the UK.

These new titles will pick up where Charlie Higson – the writer of the previous wave of Young Bond titles – left off and will follow teenage James in the aftermath of his expulsion from Eton. This time in Bond’s life has never been explored before and readers can expect all the thrills, action, glamour and tension that are the essential ingredients of a classic Bond adventure.

Cole’s first Young Bond novel will launch with a dynamic marketing and publicity campaign in Autumn 2014. It will be published in hardback on RHCP’s highly respected Jonathan Cape children’s imprint.  

Steve Cole says: ‘I first encountered Bond in print as a teenager, when I read From a View to a Kill. Fleming´s writing was so vivid and authentic, Bond and the world he inhabited seemed suddenly real to me – and the danger and glamour led me through book after book. It´s both a thrilling privilege and an exciting challenge now to be shaping a new era in the life of such an iconic character – with many firsts and surprises to come as James´s life in the dangerous 1930s develops.’

Philippa Dickinson, Managing Director of RHCP says, ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Ian Fleming Publications to publish a new quartet of Young Bond adventures. The period when James Bond would have been a teenager was an extraordinary time – a perfect setting for thrilling storytelling for young adults.  Steve Cole is an exceptional storyteller with a wonderful ability to connect with his readers.  A winning combination.’

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., says, ‘Steve Cole is an imaginative and engaging author whose plots are addictive and gripping, so we were thrilled when he agreed to steer Young Bond through his mid-teen years. As publishers of Ian Fleming’s original Bond books and William Boyd’s new Bond continuation novel, SOLO, Random House are the perfect partner to work with us in bringing the next generation of Young Bond books to life. On behalf of Ian Fleming Publications and the Fleming family, I’d like to welcome Steve Cole to the exciting world of 007 – we can’t wait to see what scrapes James gets into next.’

www.ianfleming.com

News:

These days I get quite a few book and reading related press releases through. Some of them I share with you, many of them slip by the wayside as I only have so many free minutes in a day. Today I received an email that I felt I had to share with you, regarding a free online event that is taking place on Thursday. Here are the details:

Scotland’s National Poet Liz Lochhead is to give a live broadcast to children around the world during a special Robert Burns celebration on Thursday 26 January at 11am. The Scottish Friendly Meet Our Authors Special Event, run by Scottish Book Trust, will be streamed live from BBC Scotland in Glasgow and available after to watch again for free from the Scottish Book Trust website. The broadcast will be most suited to children from P6 – S4 (9-16 year olds) and any fan of Scottish poetry.

You too can join over 10,000 pupils across the UK and beyond watching the event live by following this link: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors-live-with-liz-lochhead. Alternatively, in case you don't read this until after the event, or you are already busy on Thursday at 11am, the event can be downloaded or streamed from next Thursday following the same link.

Liz will be celebrating the poetry of Burn’s as well as reading her own work. We’re sure this event is going to be really inspirational as no-one can make Burns come to life like Liz can.

Scottish Book Trust do loads of events like this every year: our previous events have featured authors such as Michael Rosen, Michael Morpurgo, Julia Donaldson, Eoin Colfer, Jacqueline Wilson, David Almond and many more. You can stream or download any of these events for free here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/childrens-authors-live/2010-11.

News: HarperCollins Publishers Signs Director Chris Columbus For New Book Series

Every now again I receive press releases from publishers about their new big signing. I don't always choose to share these with you, but this one I thought was worth a mention. On the face of it some of you may just go "Chris Columbus, isn't he the guy who directed a couple of Harry Potter movies? Is this a case of another celeb cashing in on his fame by jumping on the chidlren's book badwagon?" And in reply I will have to remind you of a couple of thing. Long before Harry Potter was even a seed of an idea in J K Rowling's brain, Chris Columbus wrote Gremlins. Yes, the totally brilliant 80s comedy horror film. And then he went on to write the screenplay of one of my all time favourite films - The Goonies - based on the story written by Steven Spielberg. Chris Columbus knows a good story when he sees one and so this leaves me with a lot of hope that his book will be just as good as his films.


Press Release


New York, NY/ London (January 5, 2012)—HarperCollins Publishers announced today that it has preempted rights to a three-book middle-grade series, House of Secrets by iconic Hollywood director and producer Chris Columbus, co-authored by acclaimed young adult novelist Ned Vizzini. This is Columbus’s debut series for young readers with the first book slated for global publication in Spring 2013.

The three-book North American deal was negotiated by Alessandra Balzer, Co-Publisher of the Balzer + Bray imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books, with Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor. UK & Commonwealth rights were acquired by Rachel Denwood, Publishing Director from Cathryn Summerhayes at William Morris Endeavour. Rights have been sold in twelve foreign territories so far.

“Master storytellers Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini have created a high-stakes fantasy,” said Balzer. “From the very first page I knew we had to publish this series. It’s an incredibly imaginative adventure with clever plot twists and nonstop action—not to mention a family that readers will immediately fall in love with. House of Secrets has all the hallmarks of a new classic."

Denwood added, “Combining classic adventure with sublime offbeat humor, and with three brilliant siblings at its heart, this has the potential to be the next big series. It's going to be epic.”

“The opportunity to write this novel is a dream come true," said Columbus. "I have lived with the characters of this novel and their world for many years, and was saving them for something very special. Working on House of Secrets with Ned has been a thrill.”

The Pagett kids had it all: loving parents, a big house in San Francisco, all the latest video games . . . But everything changed when their father lost his job as a result of an inexplicable transgression. Now the family is moving into Kristoff House, a mysterious place built nearly a century earlier by a troubled fantasy writer with a penchant for the occult. Suddenly the siblings find themselves launched on an epic journey into a mash-up world born of Kristoff's dangerous imagination, to retrieve a dark book of untold power, uncover the Pagett family's secret history and save their parents . . . and maybe even the world.

News: Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall

Like most book bloggers, I get sent a lot of press releases about forthcoming books. I do very little with most of them, preferring instead to wait until a book is published, or at the very least a book cover is available to display for you all. However, yesterday I received a press release from Lauren that I just had to share with you all, as it sounds like an incredibly exciting variation on a much-used legend. Many people have tried to 'get clever' with the Robin Hood story, some have been successful, and some have failed dismally. I really, really hope that this one works, and knowing David Fickling's insticnt for what makes a cracking story I am sure it will.

There is one sentence in the press release that really intrigues and excites me. How great does this sound: "  ..... a blind, ruthless assassin and elemental creature of the forest."? It sounds like a delicious cocktail of Zatoichi, Swamp Thing and Daredevil, all shaken together with the Robin Hood legend. I am sure there will be more information coming from David Fickling Books so keep watching book fans.

Press release

David Fickling Books is delighted to announce that they have successfully bid for three fantastic YA novels by debut author Tim Hall. The team at DFB made the deal for UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) with James Wills of Watson, Little Ltd.

David Fickling comments, “We are all very excited by Tim's writing and we believe that Tim has it in him to be a huge world-renowned writer. After meeting with him, we immediately got the sense that he loved to work with the stuff of story and had many, many tales to tell. For us that is beyond exciting, and we are very keen indeed to begin working on this trilogy and prepare it for publication.”

The first book of the trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf, is set in Sherwood Forest in medieval England. However, if you think you know the story then think again. Tim Hall presents a Robin Hood more heroic and horrific than ever before: a blind, ruthless assassin and elemental creature of the forest. Fourteen-year-old Robin may not be able to see, but he learns to understand every sound that the forest makes – the heartbeat of a nearby bird, the sound of a deer drinking from a stream, the gentle rustle of an enemy boot passing through the foliage...

Tim Hall expertly weaves influences ranging from Japanese cinema to Norse mythology, making this novel a fabulously rich treat that works on multiple levels. Packed full of dark drama and unexpected plot twists, Shadow of the Wolf is an absolute page turner that will have teenage readers clamouring for its sequel.

Tim Hall previously worked as a news journalist for the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph. Most recently, he spent almost two years in Bermuda running the news desk for the Bermuda Sun newspaper. Shadow of the Wolf is his first novel, and he has a clear plan for books two and three.

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“So many tales have already been told of Robin Hood. Already he's the hero with a thousand faces.

First, forget everything you've heard. Robin was no prince, and he was no dispossessed lord; he didn't fight in the Crusades; he never gave a penny to the poor.

His real name wasn't even Robin Hood. Marian called him that as a kind of joke. Sir Robin of the Hood. A name Robin would cling to when he was losing grip of everything else. Mind you, one thing you've heard is true. He was blind.

No, that's not right. Let me put that another way. Truer to say, Robin Hood didn't see with his eyes. In fact he was the only one who saw clearly in this place of illusion and lies.”

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