Blog moved

Just a brief note to say this blog will no longer be updated here. I've moved all the posts over to my website where I will continue to post at random intervals. The new blog is at http://www.nielbushnell.com/newsblog/. Thanks.

John Christopher emails

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the passing of children's author Sam Youd, AKA John Christopher. I'd emailed Sam back in 2002, we'd chatted for a while and he had agreed to sign two of his books for me. You can read the original blog post here.

I'd thought our emails had been lost forever, but just after I published the blog post Sam's daughter, Rose got in touch. She'd searched through her father's computer and found our correspondence there, filed away for a decade. Rose forwarded the emails to me and has agreed for me to publish them here, for which I am very grateful.

Its a fascinating insight into the later years of a mature and successful writer. Even with a list of best selling novels under various pseudonyms his frustrations at certain aspects of his career are evident. I started by asking him why so many of his books were now out of print.

I'm afraid you need to address your question to the publishers! Currently I have nothing in print in the UK, just the Tripods series in the US, but something like ten titles in Farsi. Unfortunately Iran does not recognize international copyright, but I did have some visitors recently from Tehran who brought me a carpet, several enamelled boxes, and a load of pistachio nuts (which two of my daughters took back to Bath to feed their pampered local badgers). I suppose things may change if Disney actually make their projected multi-movie epic based on the Tripods: my American publisher is bringing out a special 35th anniversary edition in hope of that. I'd like to use it to get some others back into print -- notably the Sword (Prince in Waiting) trilogy, which were my personal favourites. Might even get Death of Grass back in print, nearly fifty years on.

And somewhat surprisingly, I have a new (adult) title coming out next year. When I say new, I wrote it about six years ago and have only now found a publisher. He approached me in recollection of a book his father gave him as a boy, which he's now handed on to his son. Title was Malleson at Melbourne, under another pen-name, a fictionalized account of an Australian Test tour. Life is odd at times. (The new one is not about cricket, I should say, but a near-future speculation on Virtual Reality and our European destiny)

A decade on and the proposed Tripod feature films have yet to be made. The last mention seems to be in 2009, when Alex Proyas signed on to develop it. [Source: Digital Spy]
The Death of Grass did make it back into print and is now available widely, but few of Sam's other books are in general circulation in the UK today.
The virtual reality book Sam mentions was called Bad Dream, published in 2003.


Talk of Disney's Tripod's deal raised the ghost of the expensive mid-eighties BBC adaptation of the Tripods. Famously the BBC made only two series, adapting the first two books of the trilogy. The third was never made, leaving fans to speculate as to why it had not returned.

The BBC eventually decided they would like to complete their series, but by that time Disney had taken over and of course they take everything, throughout the known and alternate universes, over a time period stretching from before the Big Bang until after Entropic Death. Whether they will ever make the movie (or movies -- they talked about it as "our Lord of the Rings" at one time -- is more doubtful.  I have a feeling they've stalled on the very expensive screenplay they commissioned from Terry Hayes.

But who knows?  Maybe they will;  and maybe it will even be a good movie.

Other TV adaptions of Sam's work did see the light of day in Germany.

Empty World did reach the small screen once. A German company, Bavaria (Das Boot) did a 6-part TV serial of The Guardians and followed with a 90-minute teleplay of Empty World. Both in German. A German girl wrote to me saying they'd done the book in school, and she was shocked by the "kitsch-horror" Bavaria came up with. I asked to see the video, but they refused. Das ist das Leben.

[There are] no Prince in Waiting adaptations. I was told a few years back that some anonymous but famous star had a project in mind, but he presumably changed it; or couldn't raise the money -- a perpetual problem. The notion I did like goes back about twenty years when a musician who had read the books as a boy told me he'd like to write an opera trilogy, based on them. I told him I'd reserve operatic rights, but it never came into question. About a year ago there was an American who wanted to make a movie based on Lotus Caves. He seemed to have interesting ideas, but my (NY, NY) agent blew him out of the water. He lived in Plains View, NY, and my agent said that ruled him out as a serious contender: he'd grown up there.

I asked Sam about his working practices. Did he work on a computer? Had he consigned his typewriter to history, or was he a pen-and-paper man?

I've used PC since 1984 (first one, Olivetti, had no floppy and all of 10 MB memory) -- used to use a typewriter. Even when young my own handwriting defeated me.

I asked him how he felt about the internet - after all here we were happily exchanging emails. He seemed to have taken to a relatively new technology in his 70's. Did he have any plans for a larger presence on the web, an author's website perhaps?

Several decades ago it used to be said that the rare Edward Heath books were the unsigned ones. Since then things have escalated and not for the better. I had a publisher here a few months ago and we talked about a book called Spike Island, the history of a military hospital (where my parents probably met), near Southampton (where she was born). A few weeks later she sent me a copy, having retained other copies for herself and her brother. All signed. When I think of the sweat the poor sod of a writer put into that signing... only to have maybe hundreds of signed copies piled up awaiting remaindering...

It's getting the same with websites. OK if you're Nelson de Mille or Arthur Clarke, but otherwise verging on the feebly pretentious: photos of the writer's dog/cat, lunatic CVs, favourite recipes ..... Altogether a bit squirm-making. Indeed I've always had some difficulty with "interviews", which invariably wind up embarrassing me -- though I do succumb from time to time, God help me. And there is another negative point. A few years ago a chap called Terry Jenkins did me a website -- the John Christopher Cavern -- which was unauthorized (though to be fair to him not actually disapproved). He spent a lot of time and effort on this -- scanned in jackets of dozens of books, and stuff. Last year he understandably got bored or fed up with poor response, and dropped it. That was fine by me, especially since I hadn't sanctioned it in the first place. But while appreciating the favour I'm not inclined to encourage someone else to do the same, incurring mutual embarrassment when the same result ensued.

Finally I asked if he still had a passion for science-fiction, and was he working on anything at the moment?

I used to enjoy SF, but that's a long way back. It's changed a great deal since Gernsback and John W.C.

No, I'm not working on anything at the moment.

So our brief conversation drew to a close. Sam dutifully signed and returned the books, which I cherish to this day. Its sad to see Sam's published work in decline over the last decade, and its a sobering reminder that even the most popular writers can fall off the public radar in later years. How a writer deals with a shrinking readership is probably an even greater challenge than getting published in the first place.
  

Dare to Page Jump!

Page Jump!

I've never been an adrenaline junky.  I like the ground under my feet and the sky above me.

Years ago, when I had the opportunity to do a bungee jump I considered it for about three seconds, then decided it wasn't for me. The thought of two weeks of anxiety in the run up to doing the jump followed by sixty seconds of euphoric relief didn't seem to add up. Why? Because I could imagine how what it might be like, hear the rush of wind through my ears, feel the uncomfortable build up of pressure behind my eyes.

Yes, the actual event wouldn't be quite the same as I imagined it, but anyone who writes, or draws, or does something creative will have one thing in common - a fertile imagination. So I could also imagine my feet ripping from my ankle sockets, the rope snapping and my skull compressing into the soft matter that was once my brain as I hit the ground below me.

Too many variables, too much imagination. Or maybe you'd call it cowardice. Either way it means I'm not the sort who seeks out thrills, puts my body in harms way to get the blood pumping through it.

But that's not entirely true. My brain does seek those thrills, especially when I'm writing. I've noticed a growing obsession, a self-destructive streak in my storytelling that I've called 'Page Jumping'.

The first time it happened I had two characters from my début novel, Sorrowline, trapped in a room at the top of a hotel. My original plan was that they would sneak out of an unlocked door and make good their escape. But as I started writing it down the door became locked! Then the characters barricaded the door and set fire to the room. What were my characters doing? What was I doing? There was no way out, not that I could see, not that I had planned. I'd page jumped. I'd thrown myself off the edge of my planned narrative and didn't know what I was going to do next - didn't know where or how I'd land.

I could have deleted the few pages of chaos, gone back to my plan, but I chose to run with it and see if a parachute would open. During the night my sub-concious (who I believe knows exactly what he's doing, and likes to mess with me) offered up a solution that had been foreshadowed a few chapters earlier. Spookily it all fitted into place. My narrative parachute had opened, but not before everyone, including me, had bricked themselves wondering what was going to happen next. And if the writer doesn't know how to get out of a situation there's a good chance the reader won't see it coming either.

And its not just me that seeks the creative thrills of page jumping. Tony Jordan, creator of Hustle and co-creator of Life on Mars, discusses this very point:

The more I've page jumped the more addicted to it I've become. Its not always worked out, but in most cases its added an unexpected richness to my work. Its not for the faint hearted or the obsessive planners, but if you've not tried it yet - go for it! Page jump!

Sam Youd AKA John Christopher (16 April 1922 – 3 February 2012)

I have only just heard of the death of author, Sam Youd, known to most as John Christopher. He passed away on February 3rd.

When I was a brand new teenager John Christopher's books were the hot ticket in the school library. His mix of future dystopia, science fiction and boys own adventure made his books required reading. He's best known for his Tripods Trilogy, which was made into an ambitious but incomplete BBC sci-fi series. But he produced a great number of books on a wide range of subjects, including the Lotus Caves, about two young boys mischievous adventures on the moon, and the Prince in Waiting Trilogy (also know as The Sword of the Spirits Trilogy), a brilliant mix of post-apocalyptic sci-fi and Arthurian Medieval sword play. This trilogy is less well known, but is as least as good as his Tripod books. And those covers! Yes, they're very 70's, but they're so evocative! They just begged to be read.

Towards the end of 2002 I discovered Sam's email address on a web forum. Don't ask me how it got there - I think he might have posted on the forum at some point in response to a reader's question. I decided to throw caution to the wind and email him. I wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed his books as a child, and had re-read many of them as an adult and found them equally enjoyable.

To my surprise and delight Sam replied, and we began a brief email dialogue. I found him to be very open and engaging. We talked about how so many of his books were now out of print, and he told me that some illegal foreign prints still surfaced from time to time, for which he received no royalties. He once received an expensive Persian rug from a foreign publisher of one of his titles in compensation!

I really wish I still had those emails but they are lost on a dead hard drive somewhere in silicone heaven.

Towards the end of our email dialogue I asked if he would mind signing a couple of his books for me. He agreed, even giving me, a complete stranger, his home address so that I could post my books to him. I sent him The Prince in Waiting Trilogy and a stand-alone novel called Empty World.

Empty World has to be one of the bleakest children's novels I have ever read, and it has stayed with me for almost 30 years. Its a story about a plague, an ageing virus that affects adults, killing them in days. Then the virus mutates and children are affected as well, ageing rapidly, leaving only a few rare survivors - all of them children. The story is told from the point of view of Neil (you can see its appeal to me immediately), a boy who has already suffered tragedy in his life: his family were killed in a car accident. Neil soon finds himself in an empty world, wondering why he isn't dead as well. The novel doesn't shy away from the consequences its premise, touching on suicide, domestic violence and consumerism. And there is no real happy ending, no neat conclusion to Neil's story. Empty World was first published in 1977, but its story is as relevant today as it was when I was a child. Its the sort of book that should still be in print, and I hope one day it will find its audience again. 

So, I posted my two books off to Sam, and just over a week later they were returned to me, signed.
The Prince in Waiting Trilogy reads: Niel - Always happy to sign the Swords Trilogy, my own favourites - John Christopher.
Empty Word reads: Niel - I wrote this in Winchester, in the first months of a very happy marriage. John Christopher (Sam)

I was very grateful to Sam for his generosity and his time, especially for a gentleman in this late 70's, at that time. He has been an inspiration to my own work, and his books have brought pleasure to countless others. My thoughts and wishes go to his family.



If, like me, you're a fan of Stephen Lavis's beautiful paintings on the Prince in Waiting books you can see some of his covers here: http://cloud-109.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/narnia-covers-of-steve-lavis.html
And here: http://cloud-109.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/more-of-fantastical-art-of-steve-lavis.html

Pre-Order listing

 Sorrowline pre-order on Amazon.co.ukToday I discovered my debut novel, Sorrowline, listed on Amazon's UK site, thanks to a nod from Curtis Jobling. It's really exciting to see it 'out there' for pre-order.

This is quite a surreal moment in my adventure to eventual publication, all the more strange as I'm still editing the final manuscript, and the book cover is only in the very early design stages. And yet, if you really want to, you can place an order for the book now, a full nine months before its official publication date - which appears to be the 3rd of January.

So, like many other excitable authors before me, I hit the purchase button! Yes, it makes no sense. I'll get some complimentary copies eventually, but it was something I just had to do. And when the wintery day comes that I see a physical copy in a bookstore I'll do exactly the same again and walk out of the shop a very happy man, like a slightly younger, less successful version of this well known writer:

"My name? Yes, its N M Bushnell."

Getting Published - part 1

So, I promised I'd do some blog posts about how I got published. Well, ok, but this could take a while.

I've always wanted to write a novel. I think everyone does. Its one of those things that, if we just had the time, if we could just focus, we could get that brilliant idea down and get it done. That's how it was for me.

I'd tried a few times before, only ever getting as far as 30 pages before self-doubt caught up with me. I couldn't write a novel and it was silly of me to think I could. I had a grade B 'O' Level in English, and a CSE grade 1 in English Literature. I'd never been to University, I didn't know any authors and there was no way I could ever hope to be one.

But the dream persisted.

For years I did nothing about it, but gradually I started to write more and more. At first it was TV and radio scripts: the length was less daunting, only 30 pages for a half hour script. I could manage that, just about. Doing a few of those gave me confidence, and I hammered out a couple of 60 minute scripts for TV pilots that no one has yet to pick up. But the lack of success didn't seem to matter, I was enjoying learning, trying to get better.

But I still thought I'd never manage to focus on writing a book. I decided I needed help, and I turned to Stephen King. At this stage I'd never even read one of his books, (I know!). When I grew up I was into comics and heavy sci-fi. Horror didn't really appear on my radar. But for whatever reason I picked up a copy of his book, 'On Writing'. I took it on holiday with me to Scotland and devoured its contents.

Suddenly I saw what I was doing wrong, I understood why every attempt to write a book had stalled and died. It came down to one fundamental secret that King understood: fear and self-doubt dog us all, writers even more so. Once you've started a book you cannot look back for a moment or the Devil of Doubt will catch up with you and whisper thoughts of despair into your ears.

King taught me this: write every day, read every day. Like the best scientific formula its elegantly simple.

I came back from the Highlands fired up, determined to try again. I committed to writing every day, and reading every day, and I swore I would not look over my shoulder at my work-in-progress. I would keep ahead of the devil.

The next day I began to write up an idea I'd started about 6 months before. As usual I'd done a few brief chapters and lost my way. I took this germ of the idea and started again.

To be continued...

Announcing Sorrowline

Finally, after a busy, brief few months that have felt like an eternity I can finally shout about my brilliant two book deal with Andersen Press. Here is the press release:

Andersen Press Have Bought Rights In Two Children's Novels, Sorrowline And Timesmith, By Debut Writer Niel Bushnell

Andersen Press have bought rights in two children's novels, SORROWLINE and TIMESMITH, by debut writer Niel Bushnell. Both are about Jack Morrow, a boy who discovers that he can time travel through the 'sorrowlines' - lines that connect every grave to the day of that person's death.Editorial director Charlie Sheppard bought UK & Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) from Juliet Mushens at Peters Fraser & Dunlop.
Charlie Sheppard said, 'I'm thrilled to be publishing these books. I haven't read anything so original in quite some time and Niel is a great addition to the growing Andersen Fiction list.'
Juliet Mushens said, 'The books are incredibly atmospheric and exciting - Niel Bushnell is a brilliant new writer and SORROWLINE is just the start of a great career.'
German language rights have already sold to Heyne in a two-book pre-empt.
Andersen Press plan to publish SORROWLINE in 2013.

And here is a little bit of blurb:

The past is not a frozen place. Graveyards are not dead ends. And if the Sorrowline lets you in there is a hidden world of adventure waiting behind every gravestone.  

Just when 12-year-old Jack Morrow’s life is falling apart he discovers his natural ability to travel through Sorrowlines: channels that connect every gravestone with the date of the person’s death.  Confused and alone Jack finds himself in 1940. He embarks on an adventure through London during the Blitz with Davy, his teenage grandfather, to find a mystical Rose that might just save his mother’s life, a mother who he has already seen die. But the terrible power of the Rose of Annwn, is sought by many, and the forces of a secret world are determined to find it first. With a league of Undead Knights of his trail, commanded by the immortal Rouland, can Jack decipher the dark secret hidden at the heart of his family? Can he change his own destiny and save his mother?  

Prophecy and history collide in this epic new children’s fantasy adventure series.

Its great to finally see this out there. Sorrowline is no longer something that exists just inside my shinny head. Soon it will be on someones bookshelf, (at least that's the hope. I have visions of an Alan Partridge style visit to the pulpers.)

I'll be back shortly with more updates - and a bit more on the process that got me from the slush pile to publication.