Also four weeks and counting for the US release of Monsters!  That comes out 28 September, and I cannot WAIT to hear what you all think about it.

And meanwhile, the Swedish version of The Knife of Never Letting Go (called Tystnaden i bruset) is book of the month on Adlibris, their largest online book service.

Cool stuff all around, and greetings to the international batch of new commenters!

Also, I think I have my first ever fan-generated site.  It's from France and by Ben, who you may have seen on the Comments page.  Check it out, why don't you?

Greeting to the new commenters, now back to my Bank Holiday...

What I can say about all that is this:  My next book, planned for May 2011 in the UK, is called A Monster Calls and you can find more info about it here.  It's a different sort of thing, but I really hope you'll like it.

After that?  I don't really care for trilogies that suddenly keep on going when they really shouldn't, but whether there might be other stories to tell on New World, who can say?  I'm a real never-say-never kind of guy, and I just have to write what comes next. 

What I can say is that just yesterday (yes, indeed, 25 August) I wrote the first words of a brand new book (for after A Monster Calls).  I can't say what it's about just yet, but it's got some evil brewing in it (in a good way) that it's possible you all might enjoy.  Watch this space, eh?

The Losing It school event with Keith Gray was the next day, and what could potentially have been a slightly uncomfortable hour was instead fantastic good fun.  430 teenagers listening and laughing and asking smart questions about a book on virginity.  A real pleasure, and a reminder once again why young adult readers are the best readers to write for.  Bookwitch wrote about this one with a photo or two.

A warm hello to all the new commenters (and yes, C, I do read them all).  A lot of questions lately about Todd and Viola's nationality, which is interesting.  Remember, they're from somewhere else, so I've always said (and mean) that they're the nationality you hear in your head when you read them.  After all, it could be you there in their place, couldn't it?

Don't forget, I'll be at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Sunday at 4.30pm.  Looking forward to meeting you, if you're up.

The very snazzy Losing It trailer is up.  Those who've read it will know which scenes are from my story. 

And a warm welcome to the new commenters, too:  Brigid (again), Osama, Tasha, Karen (nothing wrong with talking to strangers in libraries!), Alli and Sarah.  There are questions that I know the answers to but that I like to leave you all to discuss.  It's more fun that way...

And a quick reminder I'm appearing at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Sunday.  Hope to see you there.

And welcome to a hoard of new commenters:  Ben, Emma, Dan, Brigid, Rudi, Hannah, Jess (who's the official 1000th comment, by the way!), Christina, Abdulkareem, Liana, Zainab, Georgia and Holly.  Great to hear from you all!

Well, you know all those different fonts I use throughout the books to demonstrate Noise and animal voices, etc?  It turns out, rather incredibly, that a number of eBook readers (including the Kindle) can't quite handle this just yet.  Yes, I know, amazing to me, too, but there you have it.

We're working very, very hard on solutions and, fingers crossed, we'll have one soon.  In the meantime, of course, the actual books (which are better anyway, aren't they?  I know I prefer the real thing) are available (next month for Monsters in the US).  Soon, though, for eBooks for those of you asking.  Hopefully very soon.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, hello to the new commenters:  Kim (very happy to hear from librarians!), Raya'an from Abu Dhabi (my in-laws lived for a long time in Dubai and Oman, so a big hello to the Gulf), Sarah (no, 1017 is definitely a boy, though I can guess why you're asking), David, Savannah, Katie, Tiffany and Abigail (I'd rather hear your answers to those questions, actually), Madeline, Kate (here's my reply!), Ronan and Lauren.  Great to hear from you all.

A reminder, too, that I'm at the Edinburgh Festival on Sunday, 22 August at 4.30pm, so I hope to see some of you there.

And finally a welcome to all the new commenters:  Scott, Alex (it's not "blog", Alex, it's "biog" for "biography"), Gabriel (who seems to be the winning bidder for my Play The Shape Game "artwork"), Ben (from France), Hina, Kat and Maddy (from America), Stephan, Catie, and Joyce (from Puerto Rico!).  You're all very welcome.

Also, a terrific review for Losing It over the weekend in the Irish Times by Robert Dunbar.  Great stuff!

Greetings to all the new commenters.  I'm hard at work on new writing, so things might be quiet for August, but Edinburgh Festival is coming up, so watch out for that on 22 August.  

Well, now, for this week only, there's an online auction where you can bid for all the original artwork, including my own, signed by me.  There are staggeringly beautiful ones by Catherine Rayner, Axel Scheffler, and - what I think is the best one - the brilliant Shirley Hughes, so why you'd want to buy my one (which proves that, as an illustrator, I'm not a bad writer) is beyond me.  Still, some great artwork and all for an excellent cause.  I even already have one bid for 20 quid!  I'm flattered beyond all reckoning.

Remember, Losing It, with a new story by me, is on sale now, and a big welcome to the new commenters, a few of whom have read it already!  But check out the auction, a good thing all round.

I'm in the book (with a very modest drawing), along with people like Emma Thompson, Philip Pullman and Quentin Blake.  Lots more about it here and here and here (which has a wee gallery).  You'll be able to buy the original artworks for charity in an online auction, more details soon.  Check it all out!

The Losing It launch at Foyles on Thursday was great!  Standing room only, so I got to meet lots of readers (including Rebecca from the Comments page; Hi, Rebecca!).  Really good fun.

It also reveals some more info about my next book!  Including, perhaps a little earlier than I might have liked, the title.  As I announced here, my next book will be taking the last work of the most excellent Siobhan Dowd and turning it into a novel.  It's a honour to have been asked, like being handed a baton from a terrific writer.

And now it has a title!  It's going to be called A Monster Calls and will be out May 2011 in the UK.  Yes, I know, two Monster titles in a row, but what can I say?  The right title's the right title.  Even cooler, it's going to be illustrated throughout (the illustrator's still a secret for now, shhhh). 

And, in the way of these things, I'm also preparing to start on the book after that, which'll be another big evil book that I can't wait to get to.  I hope you'll like them both!

Don't forget, I'll be appearing at Foyle's Bookshop this Thursday.  Details are here and a few free tickets arestill available, just email events@foyles.co.uk.  Hope to see you there.

Be sure to scroll down for other recent info, including upcoming events.  And big welcome to the new commenters from all over the world (Washington, Wisconsin, Spain, South Africa, and Will again, too (hey, Will!)).  Great to hear from you all.

And also that tickets are now on sale for my Sunday, 22 August event at 4.30pm at the Edinburgh Book Festival, where I'll be talking about Monsters of Men.

Great new set of comments, too, including one by Jack which I had to mostly delete but which I sort of answered and sort of didn't.  Ah, it all gets tricky not giving stuff away, doesn't it?