Crack open the bubbly for Kathryn & winners Teri Terry and Dave Cousins

Three cheers for Kathryn! Hip Hip...

 It’s been an exciting week for SCBWI writers but first, I’d like you to join me in saying a massive thank you and hip hip hooray to Kathryn Evans, our lovely Celebrations Editor here at Words & Pictures. She’s been unflagging in cheering on the brilliant SCBWI successes since Words & Pictures started in March. Kathryn says: “I'm really sorry to be stepping down as I've had so much fun sharing everyone's news but I'm taking on a new SCBWI role and there just won't be time to do this one justice as well. So drum roll please.....here's Tania Tay!!!!!” 

Yes, that's me... I’m taking over the Celebrations column for a bit so please send me all your successes and let’s carry on toasting everybody’s amazing news!

Teri Terry's a winner in Leeds

For my first piece of fabulous news, you may remember a few weeks ago we told you that Teri Terry was nominated for the Leeds Book Awards among a host of awards listed here. Well, I’m delighted to announce that last week her brilliant book, Slated was the winner for the 14-16 category. Teri says: “I was very excited when Slated won the Leeds Book Award in the 14 - 16 category in Leeds on 23rd of May!” And we were all extremely excited too… 

 Photo: Nicky Busby@Yorkshire Images

In Teri's own words... pretty awesome! The Leeds Book Awards winners are voted for by young readers through schools and libraries in Leeds – and as we all know, it’s ultimately the readers who count. Teri tells us that the Leeds Book Awards ceremony was held at the Leeds Civic Hall. The event was MC'd by writer Dave Cryer and there were 10 short listed authors present, five from the 11 - 14 and five from the 14 - 16 categories. Each author spoke for a few minutes about themselves or their books, then answered questions from a packed audience of readers from schools across Leeds. Finally, a golden envelope was opened by a volunteer student to announce each winner. The winner for the 14-16 category was Teri for Slated, and the 11-14 category was won by Mark Lowery, for Socks are not Enough. 

Megan Larkin, Teri’s editor said: "Slated is a remarkable debut; it completely gets under your skin, and lingers in your mind long after you've finished reading it. It's haunting, tense and thought-provoking. We're thrilled to be launching such an exciting new author on the Orchard Books teen list." And at Words & Pictures we’re thrilled to bits that it’s got under the skin of all the teenage readers in Leeds who voted for Teri to win… 

Teri’s busy promoting Fractured the sequel to Slated, and doing final edits for the third in the trilogy... the title of which was just revealed on Teri's website as... drum roll!!.... Shattered.

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Congratulazioni Dave Cousins!

Photo by Jennie Younger

The amazing Dave Cousins is back... This time, the Italian edition of 15 Days Without a Head…. Quindici Giorni Senza Testa – published by San Paolo in Jan 2013 - won the Andersen Prize for Best Book for readers over 15 years. The Andersen Award is the most prestigious Italian award given to children's books, their authors, illustrators and publishers. Each year they select the best works, with particular attention to the most innovative and original. Fresh off the plane, Dave tells us: “I had a great couple of days in Italy. The people from Andersen and San Paolo were wonderful hosts, and the audience at the award were very gracious in their applause after my attempt to give an acceptance speech in Italian!” 

The Italian edition!

Just in case you missed it, Jan our Editor chatted to Dave last week  about winning Undiscovered Voices and his journey to the 2013 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the UK and Europe, which many of us will have voted for. But his remarkable book keeps scooping up the nominations and awards. 15 Days Without a Head has been long-listed for both the Carnegie and Branford Boase this year. It was also shortlisted for the North East Teenage Book Award, The James Reckitt Hull Children's Book Award, The Grampian Children's Book Award and the Lancashire Book of the Year Award. Dave tells us: “It is also on a number of other shortlists, but the winner hasn't been announced for those yet, so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed!” 

Woooohooooo!!!!! Applause please!!!!

I hope you’ll join me in giving Teri Terry and Dave Cousins a ton of applause and hip hip hoorays for their inspiring wins. Ciao from me until next week! 

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Tania Tay is an ex-advertising copywriter and has been published in Sable LitMag. She is writing MG and YA fiction, and is on the editorial team at Words & Pictures.

Dave Cousins’ Journey to the Crystal Kite

The SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards recognise great books from the 70 SCBWI regions around the world. Each regional chapter is assigned to one of 15 divisions and the membership in each division votes for their favourite book published by an SCBWI member that year. The Crystal Kite Awards are a regional complement of the annual SCBWI Golden Kite Award, given in four children’s literature categories. Both awards are unique as they are chosen by other writers and illustrators, which makes them the only peer-given awards in publishing for young readers.

Here at SCBWI British Isles we’re very proud that the winner of The 2013 Crystal Kite for the UK and Europe is Dave Cousins for 15 Days Without a Head.

Jan Carr spoke to Dave about his journey…

Dave, many congratulations! 'The Journey to the Crystal Kite' sounds lovely and fantastical - has it been?

Fantastical? It's certainly been a bit of a fairy tale. When I was getting up at 5am every day to write before I went to work, I never believed "15 Days Without a Head" would be published, let alone win an award!

I love 15 Days, all my sympathy is with Laurence struggling to look after his little brother, Jay, and hide the fact from Jay and everyone, that their alcoholic mum has disappeared. They’re so real - where did you find Lawrence and Jay?

I found them in a pub! It was a lunchbreak from work and I'd gone to the pub with a couple of mates. We heard a disturbance in the beer garden and went out to investigate. There was a woman arguing with the person at the next table. She was so drunk she could hardly stand up and was being really aggressive. I noticed she had two lads with her and realised she was their mum. The elder boy – who looked about 15 – was doing his best to calm her down, while at the same time trying to stop his little brother from getting upset. Eventually they left the pub and I went back to work, but all afternoon found my mind going back to them – wondering what had happened when they got home and what life must be like. That's how a story tends to start for me. When something affects me emotionally – makes me care in some way.
I never saw them again but I felt a responsibility to do justice to their story. Of course, it may have been a one off incident and their mum was never drunk like that again. But even if my imagination veered away from the truth of that family, unfortunately there are thousands who do live in circumstances similar to the ones faced by Laurence and Jay in the book.

You’ve said that you wrote and drew when you were a kid. What prompted you 'many years later' to have a go yourself?

What prompted me to finally try to write a novel was reading great books and wanting to have a go myself. There were so many books along the way that inspired me, but the two that I think finally pushed me to give it a go were CREEPERS by KEITH GRAY and STORM CATCHERS by TIM BOWLER. My first story was about a girl's football team. I thought it was a very original idea, until two years later BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM came out. But it was my idea first, honest! I wrote for years (four or five) before showing anything to anyone. I'd finish a novel or get two-thirds of the way through and decide it was no good. They all went under the bed. I have quite a stash under there, at least half a dozen finished novels. I need a ladder to go to bed now!

You've certainly served your apprenticeship, Dave! How long have you been writing seriously?

That's hard to say, but it was probably since the early 2000s sometime, so getting on for ten years before I was selected for the 2010 Undiscovered Voices anthology.
In those ten years I had a full-time job and a young family, so writing had to be squeezed in around everything else. An hour at 5am or late at night, in lunch breaks, weekends, on trains and buses, whenever I could find a few minutes. But yes, all I was doing was reading lots and trying to write. I didn't tell anyone beyond my immediate family and never went on any courses or joined a crit group or anything. Just sat in my attic typing!

What did that it feel like when you first gave someone outside your immediate family something of yours to read?

Nerve-wracking! I eventually sent an early draft of "15 Days" to Cornerstones because I wanted a professional opinion. I expected them to politely tell me not to give up my day job, but the response was very encouraging and that gave me the confidence to keep going and enter Undiscovered Voices.

 

And we know what a life changing experience Undiscovered Voices was for you, Dave! What's a typical week like for you now, are you really still in the attic?

Yes, I'm sitting in the attic right now! It's hard to describe a typical week. At the moment I'm doing a lot of school events. I just came back from a mini tour of schools in Scotland and next Friday I'm off to Italy to receive an award for the Italian edition of "15 Days" which is called "Quindici giorni senza testa"! When I'm writing though, I like to be at my desk by 9 at the latest and work for about four hours, then have a break for lunch, then try to get another three hours in before my wife and son get home. I'll have a cuppa and a catch-up with them, then do another few hours work. If I'm really busy I sometimes work all evening and into the night too. Trying to make a living as a full-time author is hard, but I love it, so I'm not complaining!

Your second book for OUP,  Waiting for Gonzo, was published in March, how's that going?

It's still early days, but so far the response from readers and reviewers has been very positive thanks. I also got to read the story for the BBC audiobook, which actually came out today! And there's a soundtrack to go with the book too which has been released as an album! All very exciting.

Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. I’m waiting for my copy of Gonzo to arrive. Thank you very much for your time, Dave, and again many congratulations on all your successes; they are inspirational.


Life in the Land of the Crystal Kite certainly sounds good. Many congratulations to all this years winners!

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is older middle grade, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta.