Latest News No news! 2008-06-03 I haven't posted lately basically because I'm not writing anything or visiting anywhere - this does happen from time to time. What I am doing is looking after baby JB (links below) and doing battle with the evil that threatens to destroy the Earth. If you haven't heard of Japanese knotweed, google it now. Then you'll understand why it's taking me three weeks to put up a new shed. Hello Porthmadog 2008-05-20 A belated hello to the members of the young writers squad I met last week in Porthmadog - the first teenagers to get to see The Last Free Cat. Very appropriate as it was only a few miles away on the Llyn Peninsular that I was persuaded to finish the book after I'd given it up. Another great review on www.feela.co.uk by the way! Last Free Cat - great review 2008-05-07 The first reviews of The Last Free Cat are appearing, and already it's being tipped for an award! Follow the links below to read more. Last Free Cat goes down a storm at book conference 2008-04-02 The Last Free Cat has caused a real stir at the 20th conference of the Federation of Children's Book Groups in Exeter. More on this and more about the upcoming teen novel at www.feela.co.uk. New website for teen novel 2008-03-11 I've set up a website especially for my novel The Last Free Cat, which comes out May 15th. You can find it here. The Sloth Chapters - Jean Blake Story Award Winner 2007 2008-02-26 Apologies for the delay - here's Holly Heaton's winning story for the Jean Blake Story Awards 2007 The Sloth Chapters In a little town, in a little street was a little pet shop - with a BIG noise. The shop was full of pets ?from mice to great danes and rabbits to budgies. However, there was one animal that lay silently in the shade of a cupboard, doing nothing but watching. Watching with his grey, solid eyes. 'The Animal Shop' was hardly very busy but no one really noticed because of all the hustle, bustle and noise of the staff and the animals. All one could ever see were backs of people, staring faces, and sometimes even food flying through the air because someone had tripped over 'The Pet' again. Most people feared 'The Pet'. It was actually a sloth, but those villainous eyes put many off him, and only the blindest of bats were his friends - and not very close ones at that. Now, as I was saying, this 'Animal Shop' was busy with stock, rather than customers, but one day a family came in - AND THEY BOUGHT THE PET. But what the Johnsons didn't know, is their new pet from 'The Animal Shop' wasn't any old sloth, this sloth had magical powers. And the Johnsons were heading towards the journey of a lifetime - and there was nothing they could do about it. The Johnson's sloth was pampered to his hearts content. Oh! What they would not give for this three-toed sloth's life of leisure. Millie, being the eldest child in the Johnson family and all, had plenty of homework from secondary school, and was the only one in her family that liked the sloth her little brother, Barry, had wanted so much. Millie had just turned fifteen, and was not the kind of girl you would like to mess around with, and no one did. She had a high, whiny voice, dud was always stomping around in 'fashionable' cloths, unlike her bright, gay brother. Barry was six, and already had a very clear future ahead of him. He planned to become a scholar of Oxford University, then a famous professor in zoology (Barry' s favourite subject) for the rest of his life before dying peacefully in his sleep. He loved his new pet, and as I said before, he looked after his sloth well. Nevertheless, of all things I have said of Barry, he was very jealous of his 'Sampopli' the sloth. Barry was in year 10 because he was so clever, and, like Millie, had a fair amount of homework. The Johnson children were always complaining about Sampopli lounging around all day while they had to work. "It is SO unfair!" one time Barry had whined, "Sampopli leads a free life, and here am I, working my little socks off, while he lazes around all day!" Sampopli was beginning to grow tired of this foolish talk. Of course he was going to laze around all day - he had no career ahead of~im, he was an AN/MAL! How could he get ajob ifhe was a sloth? It was ridiculous. For weeks, those ignorant children had moaned in such a way. PAY BACK TIME! Sampopli thought after what seemed the millionth complaint from Millie. And Sampopli certainly did get his own back - he made their wishes come true. The next morning, Millie, as usual, woke up, yawned ... "Hang on ... " she said. However, those words did not come out as human words, but' as something that sounded like what Sampopli would say. Millie slowly drew up her hands from under her covers. She feared the worst, and, sure enough, there they were, two little grey paws instead of hands, lined with three, sharp, yellow claws. Millie touched her face lightly, but there was no pale, soft, skin to be found. "MUM! DAD!" Millie cried, but it only came out as a series of strange sounds, very alike to Sampopli' s voice, which Millie' s Mum and Dad had learnt to ignore ?but now they needed to listen! Barry awoke to the same horrifying news as Millie, and automatically scampered into his parent's bedroom. However, there were no parents there, only two, old, helpless looking sloths, crying out for help. Of course, Barry could understand them, but there was nothing he could do, but to calm his distressed parents (as he now realised them to be) down. That was when Barry decided to look out the window. He could not hear any cars or talking outside in the street, like there usually was on a Saturday morning. However, if Barry listened hard enough, what he could hear was hundreds of sloth like squeaks coming from nearly all the houses in the street. Sampopli had done a terrible thing. Not only the Johnson family had suffered, but the rest of the world as well. Animals and humans. Millie had lost her mind, as well as her parents, infact, Barry was the only thing in the WORLD that hadn't lost it's mind. Even Sampopli had, not knowing what his power could do. Barry was the only one left. Barry had to save the world. Barry was six. The whole of Chic hi (where Barry lives - pronounced sheek - ee) was soon caged up at the 'The Animal Shop' - where Sampopli was purchased, apart from Barry, his family, and Sampopli. Barry had managed to create an antidote, but only enough for one person, himself, so he could not help his family. He had tried many times to make more of this curious stuff, but in the end, he hadjust given up. Luckily, Barry had had the sense to research on Google where to get more of the potion. It had come up as: Dr. Matthias Wiggle-Woo Wiggle Street No. 4 Woozy - Goozy House LONDON ENGLAND 987654321 All Barry had to do now was find this flat in London, retrieve the potion, and then pour it into the sea and wait for it to rain. That should cure all sloth cursed beings, and put Sampopli into a deep sleep for 50 years, and then he would eventually die from starvation and dehydration. It sounds quite dandy here but it wasn't at the time. London was just down the street, so that part was done easily enough. Now Barry had to find Wiggle Street. This was the more difficult part. For, you see, London has many streets and is so vast that it would take many days to find Wiggle Street. Unless ... Barry had a brilliant idea. He was sure no one would mind if he just borrowed a map ... Besides, he was going to save the world. It seemed fairly understandable to Barry. Now he just needed to fmd a map shop. Barry had been shopping in London before, and knew this part of the city quite well. If he just visioned his shopping trip (Barry was very good at things like that) yes! The clothes shop was round that right hand corner over there, and that aeroplane craft shop is over there! It was all coming back! Ah, that's right, the map shop should be on Tracking Alley. Barry followed his mind and, sure enough, there was "Tracking on time" - that part of London's local map shop. It was seven storeys high - 6 for the separate continents and a storeroom. The doors were open in the shop and big, small and middle-sized sloths were scattered everywhere, shaking, rocking, and even humming with a look of wildness in their eyes. It was very disturbing for Barry, and he soon noticed that his family and Sampopli were doing such things as well. However, Barry kept his mind on the job in hand. He quickly found a map of London and looked up in the index for Wiggle Street. It turned out Wiggle Street was very famous because that is where the Prince Lophmitops has his haircut. Barry soon found the Professor's ramshackle flat. No one could ever possibly miss it. The curious building was covered in green slime and odd bits of paper and cans of diet Pepsi stuck out from the window of the reception. "Ah, I was looking to see you. Now I see! Sorry - like me mind ... " A straggled man with white curls plastered to his head waddled out of the building. He was not a sloth. "I have used my potion on myself, but I hate helping others" the Professor remarked as ifhe could read Barry's mind. "I have come for ... " Barry did not manage to finish his sentence. "I know, I know .... "The Professor butted in "Take the blasted potion! I don't need it. Didn't know I ever would. I'm still embarrassed ... " The odd man shook his head in shame, clumsily passed the bottle to Barry, and shambled back inside the crazy, tall building. Barry just stood there for a few minutes taking it all in. He was expecting to have to beg a selfish old professor for a 'valuable' potion, but no. It was just simply given to him. "Oh! And you will need this!" The professor called from what looked like his room window. He threw the potion down "Drink it and you'll be by the sea in no time. Devon probably ... " then the Professor disappeared from sight. Barry didn't say a word. Then he brang the potion to his lips - and drank. All the rainbow colours swirled around Barry. He had never known-anything like it before.- His head felt light and bloated. His feet felt like they were no longer standing on this earth. Barry clutched his eyes shut. He decided that this experience wasn't very nice. Then the howling noise stopped. The air smelt fresh and Barry's feet touched the solid earth once more. Barry tore open his eyes. He was welcomed to a beautiful view. The sun was shining down on a seaside bay of golden sand and wonderfully decorated fairground rides of bright colours, all accompanied by that bonny blue, shining sea. "Now it is my turn" Barry whispered to himself and ran as he had never run before, to the shore by the sea. He uncorked the bottle that would free the world of this dreadful spell and let the liquid run free into the sea. For a moment, nothing happened. But then the clouds came, great thick clouds of grey and black, smothering the sky and it's brightening sun completely. The rain came down in torrents. Barry could even see the sea rising. He thought it might be God breaking his promise to Noah for a second, but he spoke sense to himself. Barry felt a strong hand hold his shoulder. He gasped and turned around only to stare into his father's friendly, round face. "Oh! I have never been so pleased to see you!" Barry cried as he hugged his father, mother, and even Millie, who looked down on him in disgust. Then Barry realised the thick clouds had gone and the beach was once again full of activity and music. And Barry had never been so glad to see the world. Goodbye Floozie 2008-02-18 Really sad news this week - our lovely cat Floozie, the inspiration for my upcoming novel The Last Free Cat - is no more. She'd been going downhill for a while and when we realised her kidneys were in a bad way we had to have her put down. I've put a dedication to her in The Last Free Cat, the first time I've ever dedicated a novel. I hope it's a fitting tribute to a unique and beautiful animal. Stinky 6 is finished! 2008-02-09 Stinky Finger's Deadly Doll of Death, sixth in the series, is finally finished - despite Baby JB doing his best to keep me up all night! It's the longest in the series so far, and I think one of the best. As soon as I know the publication date, I'll post it up. Festive greetings 2007-12-28 A happy crimbo and great new year to all my readers. In 2008 there'll be another Stinky Finger and (in May) probably my best book ever, the teenage novel "The Last Free Cat". On Jan 6 it's baby jb's first birthday (see links below) - so the new year can't come fast enough for me! Hi to Stacey Rd Primary 2007-12-15 Had a lovely afternoon yesterday at Stacey Rd Primary in Cardiff - some of the liveliest classes I've ever taken! Not surprising really as Stacey Rd is in Adamsdown, where I've lived for seventeen years, and which of course is the best place on Earth!