MY NEW TEEN NOVEL The Blueprint

Friends,

I am pleased to announce that my new teen novel The Blueprint is due to be published. If you pre-order a signed copy, you will receive a signed postcard (which will make a great bookmark!) in advance. When you receive your book, you will get a second card along with it.

You can pre-order the book by downloading a PDF form from this web site:

https://sites.google.com/site/fbspublishing/shop-for-books

Here is the back cover blurb:

"Liam Creedy is in the final year of school at Patrick Freeman High. It has not been the best of experiences and this time the bullies have gone too far; one push too many leaves him unconscious.

When he wakes, he finds himself in a strange parody of school life – the building has no main exit, the classrooms have become work places, the prefects are police, and no one ever mentions their parents.

Now everything is in black and white, everything except Liam and Mr Samson, the boy’s aloof and mysterious guide in this nightmare world.

But what has happened to Liam? Has he slipped into a parallel world? Is he really in a coma lying on a hospital bed? Or is he dead and in some place of limbo?

As tension builds and the school moves nearer and nearer to all out war, Samson presses Liam to find the blueprint and change it – only then will he find the way out.

Will Hadcroft weaves a tale that dares to confront one’s right to be an individual in a world that demands conformity and uniformity. He questions the education system, the roles we are
pressured to play in society, and the need to challenge accepted norms before it is too late."

26 January 2012 UPDATE: SIGNED COPIES CAN NOW BE ORDERED ONLINE WITH A CREDIT CARD. IF YOU HAVE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT, PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE:

https://sites.google.com/site/fbspublishing/home/buy-books

I'm an Autism Star! (well, an Asperger one anyway)

December 2011 sees the release of the book Autism All-Stars, edited by Josie Santomauro. I was approached by Josie a couple of years ago to pen a chapter on my TV series fixations. I jumped at the chance, wrote the piece, and forgot all about it.

I'm thrilled to see that the book is now being published. Looking at the other contributions within its pages, I can tell you this is a heart-warming and life affirming tome. I'm proud to have been a part of it.

Autism All-Stars is available from all good bookshops and online stores as of this month.

Meeting Grace Again!

On Wednesday 12 October I made a second visit to Birmingham, courtesy of Autism West Midlands, to talk to parents of children with Asperger's syndrome at the Four Dwellings unit in Quinton supervised by Max Tolley.

I regaled them with my own experience of growing up on the spectrum, read some excerpts from The Feeling's Unmutual as well as some of my song lyrics. I also got to meet young Grace again, who is now a big fan of Anne Droyd.

I was told afterwards that my presentation had been "inspirational" and that the parents were raving about it.

I'm glad I've done some good.

Ladybridge High School

Above is the interview I did last month for Ladybridge High School and Sports College in Bolton. Under the supervision of Mrs Peachman, I chatted to students Mithun Kerai and Saeed Atcha and they made extensive notes. The piece has been written up from those notes and from memory. I think we have two promising journalists in the making!

Farewell Sweetens

I'm deeply saddened to learn that Bolton's independent bookshop Sweetens has closed for good. Proprietor Stella Morris gave me much support over the years and I'm going to miss the signings at her shop. My letter, recently published in Bolton News, is posted above.

Picnic in the Park with Autism West Midlands

I had a lovely time today signing books in Birmingham as part of the initiative organised by Autism West Midlands.

One lady came over and was keen to let me know that she already had The Feeling's Unmutualand that it had helped her understand her son's reasoning and behaviour, he having been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.

Another lady told a similar story about her son and bought the book.

Younger readers (and one or two older younger readers!) found my Anne Droyd books interesting. The young lady pictured above, Grace, was keen to read Anne as she loves the Famous Five adventures and thought Anne Droyd and the House of Shadows sounded as exciting!

I signed her a poster too. She was so thrilled, she came back over to tell me when she was going home.

It was nice to talk to people who either had Asperger's in the family or managed the condition themselves.

Thanks to Holly for inviting me, and to Theresa Cutts for representing me throughout the session.

www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk/

TALKING TO POST-GRAD STUDENTS AT CASTLE HILL

Today I visited the Castle Hill Centre in Tonge Moor, Bolton, to speak to post-graduate students about how Asperger's syndrome has affected my life.

I talked about my primary school years and how I struggled not only with sports at school, but with the concept of competitive spirit (Why should someone get a medal for being better than someone else?). I talked about my struggle with the transition from primary school to secondary school, and again from secondary school to the working world. I covered my tendency to obsess, my visits to a clinical psychologist, and my success as a writer.

I was keen to highlight that while those who have severe autistic traits might not secure employment, those who have Asperger's and those who are borderline like me might struggle in the working world but can still succeed. Indeed one's 'specialist subject' (one's obsession) can be channelled into a career.

The resulting question-and-answer session threw up some interesting points.

I wish the students well in their endeavours, and I thank the two Debbies for inviting me to participate. I'd definitely do it again.

WATERSTONE'S BOOKSHOPS STOCK ANNE

FINALLY, we have succeeded in getting Anne Droyd and Century Lodge onto the shelves at Waterstone's bookshop in the Trafford Centre, near Manchester. The branch in Manchester Deansgate is keen to stock my books, so is the one at the Arndale Centre. Our nearest branch, Bolton, will stock it if we support it with an event. Well, it goes without saying that we will be doing!

We are waiting for Anne Droyd and the House of Shadows to surface on their Phoenix system, and then we will press ahead. Shadows is the one we need to highlight at the present time.

If you haven't yet bought the books, and you live in the Northwest of England, go and ask for them at Waterstone's.

Episode Two Ready to DOWNLOAD

Gareth Preston of Fine Line Productions has released Episode Two of The Chattath Factor, my not-for-profit tribute to Doctor Who. It runs for 26 minutes, is a full cast drama with sound effects and music, and stars Joe Binks as the Doctor, Amy Elizabeth as Jenny, with John Ainsworth as Dr Joseph Winston.

As Winston struggles to control his biology, the Doctor is astonished to discover another humanoid creature on the prowl. Meanwhile Jenny has her hands full when villagers begin acting out of character...

MY DOCTOR WHO RADIO PLAY

I had always wanted to try my hand at scriptwriting. After the publication of Anne Droyd and Century Lodge in 2002, I approached Gareth Preston, who ran an amateur dramatics group called Fine Line. Over a ten year period, Gareth's little company of amateur and semi-professional actors had produced a series of Doctor Who audio plays and put them online for free download.

Of the adventures already produced, I enjoyed Present Infinite by Lawrence Ahlemeyer, Trick of the Light by Gareth Preston and Second Chance by Adrian Hudson. The last adventure of that 'season', Final Frame by Lawrence Ahlemeyer, saw the Doctor (Joe Binks) parted from his male companion, the mysterious Raman (prn Rah-man).

Gareth secured actress Amy Elizabeth to play female companion Jenny in a second season of adventures, which meant the next batch of stories would feel more like 'proper' Doctor Who.

Jenny is introduced in Walkabout by Adrian Hudson (a good jumping on point if you're new to these fan tributes). The second story is Madhouse by Zoltan Dery, and the third in line is The Chattath Factor by yours truly.

Concerned that my play would be weak compared to those that preceded it, I deliberately endeavoured to mimic the best of the classic TV series. I set it in the 19th century and indulged in my preoccupation with man's dual nature and the spirituality-versus-reason debate. So if my dialogue turned out to be awful, the play could at least fall back on the sounds of clip-clop horses' hooves, a posh clergyman and a nutcase scientist.

I completed the three 20-minute episodes in 2003, but it wasn't until 2006 that Gareth Preston assembled a cast and recorded it. Both he and I were thrilled when John Ainsworth agreed to play Dr Joseph Winston.

My only bugbear with the stories that preceded mine was that they were at times a little too light on background music. This was because the composers were producing the music free of charge in their own time and would supply Gareth with stock tracks (fast paced, slow paced, eerie, gentle, etc) for him to drop in. The trouble with this method was certain themes repeated a bit too much, and, on occasion, a scene that needed music to underscore an emotion was left bereft.

So, for my story, I asked if we could try Peter Dudley, who thought he might be able to write to the drama scene by scene and mimic the style of the classic series incidental scores.

It is the music that has held up the story's release for the last year, as Peter has had to take longer than usual to consider each scene.

Thankfully, Episode One is now available to download. I think it sounds terrific. Episode Two will follow in a month or so.

To hear Episode One, go here: www.westlakefilms.co.uk/fineline

A full write-up of the story's production is there to read too.

The above artwork was produced by Bill Hollweg. Doesn't it look stunning?

November 2010 Signing

On Thursday 18 November 2010 I signed copies of both my Anne Droyd books for my workmates. It was a successful day. My agent and I shifted 60 copies in total, with 30p per sale going to the charity Childline.

We also visited Waterstones in Bolton and Manchester, and both shops expressed keen interest. They are hoping to arrange signings in the new year.

Feedback from the November signing has already started to trickle through. 10-year-old Olivia, daughter of security guard Mike, read House of Shadows in a week, and when Mike asked what she thought of it, her review consisted of two words: "Well cool!"

That'll do me :-D

Anne Helps Cubs Achieve Their Book Reader Badge

A while ago, my agent Theresa Cutts asked if I would visit her Cub Pack and talk to the children about what inspired me to become a writer and help them to complete their Book Reader badge. It wasn't really practical for me to do this, but I did offer to record a CD and explain my motivation and read an excerpt from Anne Droyd and Century Lodge, leaving it on a cliffhanger so they could finish the story off as a competition.

Well, they played the CD and were spellbound by it. Theresa produced order forms so the children could request personally signed copies of either Century Lodge or House of Shadows, as well as button badges and A3 posters.

News of the concept spread, and I'm pleased to say that a number of Cub Packs and Scout groups have requested the CD (the introduction to which is re-recorded to address the relevant pack/group) and they have enjoyed a lively evening as a result.

The top photograph shows Theresa's group, Wayland Cub Pack in Norfolk, and the second one shows the winners from 2nd Seaton Delaval with their signed posters. Many thanks to Alan for running the presentation.

If you lead a group and would like to make use of the CD, you can contact Theresa at waylandscouts@gmail.com.

Anne Droyd Video Online

The video Theresa Cutts and I made exhibiting the real life locations that inspired Anne Droyd and Century Lodge is now online.

The wastelands are in Mosley Common/Tyledsley, and the railway embankments and den are in Walkden - both areas are in Greater Manchester. Century Lodge and mill are in New Bury, Farnworth, Bolton.

All budding writers take note: Anything and anywhere can be turned into a story!

GO TO YOUTUBE AND TYPE "ANNE DROYD" TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

Five Minute Documentary in Production

On Wednesday 30 June 2010, my PR Theresa Cutts and I visited the main real life locations that inspired my writing Anne Droyd and Century Lodge, with the intention of making a little documentary film.

We went to "Brickie Lodge", "Devil's End" and the coal wasteland at Mosley Common in Tyledsley, Greater Manchester; then to the disused railway embankment and the site of the air raid shelter den in Walkden; and finally to Century Lodge itself in New Bury, Farnworth, near Bolton.

When we reviewed our recordings at the end of the day, we found that a tiny insect had landed on the lense during one of the sequences and it looked as though it was crawling up my nose! Thankfully we were able to re-shoot that bit the following afternoon.

Once the film has been edited together, we will upload it to YouTube.

In the meantime, here is a new publicity photo taken at the mill lodge.

COLIN BAKER & HIRST BOOKS

Saturday 15 May 2010 saw my visit to the Who shop in Blackpool to meet the hero of my teens, Doctor Who number six, Colin Baker (whose endorsement of The Feeling's Unmutual can be seen to the right) and publisher Tim Hirst.

Tim's company, Hirst Books, has published a couple of memoirs by Anneke Wills (companion to Doctors one and two in 1966), a collection of fanzine articles, and an ensemble of Colin Baker's newspaper articles for the Bucks Free Press. His book, Look Who's Talking, has been described as "Jeremy Clarkson but with a brain".

My PR Theresa Cutts met with Mr Hirst a couple of weeks ago to pitch some of my work. At Blackpool, it was a delight to meet him face-to-face and discuss my plans for world domination. Hirst Books will definitely be publishing a couple of titles of mine over the coming year, and we have also discussed the possible future of Anne Droyd.

Things are looking good.