Posted on March 6, 2010 - by MG
World Book Week Diary
Meeting the boys of Simon Langton Grammar, Canterbury
Last year, we launched ICE SHOCK on World Book Day, at St Gregory the Great School in Oxford. This year I set off to do a mini-tour of schools in the South of England.
World Book Day is the one thing guaranteed to get us lazy authors out of bed early. Even Robert Muchamore tweeted in (mock) anguish “School event in High Wycombe tomorrow. I’ve got to get up at 7am. The HORROR!”
Started off at D’Overbroecks College in Oxford, speaking to the sixth-form English Lit and Communication& Culture students. After spending the afternoon tailoring my author presentation to their sophisticated 6th form ears, I accidentally ran the normal Powerpoint. Somehow we still ended up talking about Aristotle.
Oxford authors Tim Pears and Colin Dexter at the LANDED book launch
The next day, a launch party at Blackwell’s Oxford for my friend Tim Pears’s new novel, Landed, which has already had bags of terrific reviews.
For the last part of the week it was on to Canterbury and then Worcester to visit two more schools. Lots of fun at Simon Langton Grammar in Canterbury talking to hundreds of boys about Joshua Files. And a special privilege of spending time with the school’s writer’s group, including three young men who’ve written a 108,000 word dark fantasy novel. Very impressive INDEED.
At Christopher Whitehead Language College in Worcester I hung out over lunch with the student librarians and we talked about how to construct a story. Brilliant suggestions from the kids who created a thrilling storyline for a supernatural adventure about a girl who has to rescue her mother…from Hell!
Posing for the press at Christopher Whitehead Language College
A special thanks to the kids who patiently posed with me for the photographer from the Worcester Gazette!
And to the wonderful librarians Teresa (Simon Langton Grammar, Canterbury) and Liane and Clare (Christopher Whitehead, Worcester) for all their work to encourage and develop readers and for inviting me to your schools!
Finally, a big thanks to the lovely Punjabi students that I met on the train to Canterbury. I left my coat-belt on the train, after enjoying a nice chat with the boys. On the train back to London at the end of the day, the guys were there again. When they heard I’d lost my belt, one of them insisted on giving me his. Then spent the rest of the trip determinedly making a hole in the thick leather so that it would fit me. Thank goodness for the belt or I’d have frozen solid on the walk home!
Best question of the week: Is fiction getting too ‘fast’ and are we losing something valuable in the drive to make story openings vault us directly into action.
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The MG Harris Blog
Website of MG Harris, author of the children's book series "The Joshua Files".Information for school visits and events.
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March 11, 2010
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Hi MG let me Congratulate for successes of your book i like to read it can you please tell me from where i can get it and thanks for uploading your images
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March 11, 2010
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well done on another successful book launch/talk
)
i have read zero moment 3 times now!
(i have read the others closer to 200
i would like to be at the official book launch of dark parralell, i would also like to make up a little short story using the quote in the last book of what i think happens.
is that ok?
oh, and finally, i actually went to a lab and helped MAKE a agylihrppreikgr key. (i also found that you can crystalize it by boiling it at 259′C or higher, then instantly freezing it at -67′C or lower. i have no idea how this would work but in theory it would.)
the only catch was a small(ish) fee and i had to convert the amino acids into a molecular formula. (which is on the website but you already know the password & username)
thanks,
NROoperative
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March 11, 2010
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bredband – you can buy the books from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-City-Joshua-Files-Harris/dp/1407104020/
NROoperative: yes by all means write a Joshua Files story. You could start a Joshua fan fiction site if you like, using blogger or WordPress. We could publicise through themgharris.com. (back in the day a pal of mine and I srarted the first ever Blake’s 7 fan fiction website). email me at contactmg (at)mgharris.net if you want to know more. I may ask you to liaise directly with my agent.
OMG the crystallography detail! I can almost believe it. There are a heck of a lot of prolines in that peptide so I think any regular structure may in fact be rather hard to make. i.e. it would be v hard to make a good crystal!
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March 11, 2010
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NROoperative, I forgot to say, yes you can have an invite to the DP launch party. I’ll invite the first FIVE readers to ask.
You’ve read the books that many times? Wow. You’re the expert! I’ll know where to go for advice re continuity issues…
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March 12, 2010
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a fan fiction site?
)
(sorry, i don’t quite understand. do you mean a fan site or what you think will happen, or Joshua files in general?)
oh, and (i put the comment on castaway)
will you do another arg?
if so i would happily help.
and the other thing on the other comment is, could you keep my name anonomous cause i like being anonomous as ‘NROoperative’
thanks,
NROoperative
(P.S. i havent acctually read the books 200 times. more like 20. sorry if this is a dissapointment