Author Archive
Monday, November 7th, 2011
First Draft, Final Draft and the Distance Between…
Absolutely delighted to have just discovered that the magnificent Mr H. of brilliant blog The Book Zone has chosen the first paragraphs of The Black Tattoo as this week’s Attention Grabber: “my new weekly feature where I post what I think is a great opening paragraph to a book, the sort of opening that pulls […]
Comments Off on First Draft, Final Draft and the Distance Between… - Posted in Bwaha. BwaHAHAHAHA!,Q&A by samenthoven
Friday, November 4th, 2011
Culture Day
Yesterday was a national holiday in Japan – Bunka no hi or Culture Day. I spent the afternoon walking around the forest of Meiji Jingu… …where I was lucky enough to catch an astonishing and beautiful display of martial arts. There was sword fighting… …spear fighting… …and a particularly jaw-dropping display of how even a […]
Comments Off on Culture Day - Posted in Sam in Japan by samenthoven
Friday, November 4th, 2011
Tourist Classics
There are certain things that every visitor to Tokyo expects to see, without which any record of a stay here would feel incomplete. In this category are plastic food, as displayed outside restaurants to show what’s available inside: This selection of Western dishes is, I think, a particularly alarming example. Check out the greasy gleam […]
Comments Off on Tourist Classics - Posted in Sam in Japan by samenthoven
Sunday, October 30th, 2011
A Tokyo Ghost Story
Last night I went on a tour of Aoyama Cemetery, the biggest and oldest graveyard in Tokyo. Local taxi drivers, I heard, won’t stop here during the hours of darkness. They speak of a woman in a blue (or white) dress who hails a cab and asks to be taken to a nearby destination, calling […]
Comments Off on A Tokyo Ghost Story - Posted in Sam in Japan by samenthoven
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Live From Tokyo!
I’m here! I’m actually here! Bwaha! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Um, sorry. On Trapped By Monsters, while I continue to try to adjust: hang on to your intestines (or at least know who’s stealing them) with The Right Guidebook.
Comments Off on Live From Tokyo! - Posted in Bwaha. BwaHAHAHAHA!,Sam in Japan by samenthoven
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
A Rare, Raw Jolt of Imaginative Genius
This week on TBM, a new edition of a genuine comics classic: THE INCAL is INCREDIBLE!
Comments Off on A Rare, Raw Jolt of Imaginative Genius - Posted in Bwaha. BwaHAHAHAHA! by samenthoven
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
The Writing Hat
As the start of my upcoming Japanese adventure draws closer there are various bits and pieces that need taking care of before I go. But I’m delighted to say that I’ve now sorted out what was one of the biggest worries for me, namely finding a new and suitable WRITING HAT. This isn’t a superstitious […]
Comments Off on The Writing Hat - Posted in Bwaha. BwaHAHAHAHA! by samenthoven
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
The Most Important Bit
Where do you get your ideas from? It’s the question authors are asked most. Whenever I’m asked I do my best to answer, but while I do I’m often tempted to point out that getting ideas isn’t really the most important bit. I’m currently writing a new short story, and passing (I hope) a particular […]
Comments Off on The Most Important Bit - Posted in Q&A by samenthoven
Friday, September 16th, 2011
The Scorpion Mirror
OK, I can’t wait any longer, I’ve just got to show you the cover art of my forthcoming Barrington Stoke book, My Name is O. Here’s O’s own description of the mirror, from the book: The frame is made of black wood, carved into the shape of four giant scorpions. The scorpions face each other […]
Comments Off on The Scorpion Mirror - Posted in Bwaha. BwaHAHAHAHA! by samenthoven
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Space To Dream
Some wonderfully penetrating questions about The Black Tattoo in the Black Tat Guestbook this week, from Angela, 12, in Korea. ***SPOILER WARNING!*** If you haven’t read the book, you might want to look away now. If you have, here’s what she asked and how I answered… Angela wrote: The Black Tattoo was so… GOOD! Half […]
