BarryHutchison.com

They might have at least spelled my name right …

BookBrunch.co.uk

Regular readers of the blog will have seen the words ‘Project IFR’ popping up every so often in my posts.  It was the codename for a children’s horror book I’ve written.  I felt it needed a codename, because the actual name kind of gave the game away a bit, and until I had a publisher I didn’t want to do that.

Well, now I have a publisher, so I can reveal what the ‘IFR’ bit stands for (or stood for – the title has changed since the codename was created).

First, though, here’s a press release all about the book, which is now a series.

HarperCollins Acquire Rights in Debut Horror Series

London, 23 January 2009:

HarperCollins Children’s Books is delighted to announce the acquisition of Invisible Fiends, a debut series by B. Hutchison. The six-book deal for world rights including TV, film and merchandise was concluded by Nick Lake, Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins, and Kathryn Ross at Fraser Ross Associates.

Described as Harry Potter meets Nightmare on Elm Street, Invisible Fiends is a fantastically original, darkly funny and shiver-inducing new horror series about what happens when 12-year-old Kyle’s imaginary friend from childhood comes back to life…with a vengeance! The series is aimed at children of 9+ and the first book, Invisible Fiends: Mr Mumbles, is scheduled for publication in early 2010. HarperCollins will be showcasing early proof copies at this year’s Bologna Book Fair.

Nick Lake said, “As unusual and terrifying as the monsters that people its pages, Invisible Fiends is one of those rare projects that combine a fresh premise, wonderfully accessible writing, and the sort of deft humour that makes the terror-sweats just about bearable. Anyone who likes laughing, or screaming, or preferably both at the same time, will love it.”

——————————————————

So there you have it.  The series begins when Kyle’s childhood imaginary friend returns from the place all forgotten imaginary friends go, with murder on his mind.   Kyle must try to survive long enough to figure out how Mr Mumbles came back, and in doing so perhaps find a way to stop him.

And as for what the ‘IFR’ bit of Project IFR stood for?  It’s obvious, really, once you know the concept.  Imaginary Friends Reunited.

Probably just as well it changed, eh?

Amazon now has the next two Ben 10 storybooks available to pre-order, and I’m happy to report both were written  by me.

Click the images under “My Books” on the right there to be taken to the page on Amazon where you can go buy them.  They’re a fab read for anyone over 5 – even if I do say so myself.

Big announcement about my own series coming in the next few minutes.  Stay tuned …

As you may have spotted, the title and address of this here blog has changed.  Up until about nine minutes ago it was barryhutchison.com.  Now, nine minutes later, it’s BHutchison.com.

So why the change?

Yonks back I announced my intention to branch out and write a variety of things, not just books for children.  I’m currently developing a couple of ideas for adult novels, as well as some screenplays, comics and other thrilling stuff.  In an attempt to keep everything smashing into each other all over the shop, I have developed a very mild case of Multiple Personality Disorder.

From now on I will be B. Hutchison for all my books for children.  My horror series is my big priority at the moment, and “B.” sounds a little more myterious than “Barry”, I think.

For my adult books (whenever I eventually get round to them), I’ll be Barry Hutchison.  Or I might be Bartleby Hutchison, Birmingham Hutchison or Batfink Hutchison, I haven’t quite decided yet.  Not B. Hutchison, though.  Banjo-Kazooie Hutchison.  That’s got a nice ring to it.

Anyway, for now going to either BHutchison.com or BarryHutchison.com will bring you here.  As my horror series is released, and I start working on some adult novels, I’ll set up a new site for that, and BarryHutchison.com will take you to that one instead.

Make sense?  I hope so, because I’ve confused the hell out of myself.

I’ve now seen the official press release regarding my six-book horror series, and it’s looking great.  It’ll be going out to various people tomorrow, so I’ll be able to reveal full details of the series then.

Stay tuned for details.

AAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Sorry for opening with a wail of terror there, but I have my reasons.  Reasons I am about to share with you …

…

Now.

I’ve been kidnapped by monsters.  No, really.  I know, I know, it’s mental, but there you go.  It’s also highly unpleasant, quite terrifying and rather smelly.

It started off well enough.  A few other children’s authors and I – namely Sam Enthoven, Tommy Donbavand, Mark Robson, Joe Craig, Ali Sparkes, Andy Briggs and David Melling – were getting together to write the greatest anthology of monster stories the world has ever seen.

And then we were kidnapped.

And then we were slung into a dank, dark cave.

Which is where I find myself now – surrounded by baying, farting, squelching, honking, screeching creatures of all shapes and sizes.  The monsters are pretty unpleasant, too.

To find out what the heck I’m on about, point your browser over to TrappedByMonsters.com and follow our collective adventures.

If you could bring food, warm clothing and an elephant gun, then that would be much appreciated, too.

Today was an important day.  Today was a day I will long remember.

No, not because the new Argos catalogue came out (although that merits a blog post in itself).  No, I’ll remember today because it was the day I finished my line-edit for book one of my horror series.

That’s it.  The final draft of the first installment is in the bag.  No more changes shall be made, and so the manuscript I sent off today is the same one you’ll be able to buy in bookshops early in 2010.

It’s a strange feeling – almost sad in some ways.  That was the book that let me “break through”, and it will now have to go off, stand on its own two feet and face the world.  My insides are gripped by a strange mix of panic and pride.  Or it could be heartburn, I’m not 100% sure.

Either way, it’s a momentous occasion.  I plan to celebrate by making myself a jolly nice cup of tea, then cracking back on with writing book two and plotting book three.

In other news, I have become involved with an utterly brilliant online project.  Can’t say much at the moment, for fear of having the flesh rent asunder by wicked, horrible beasties, but I’ll reveal all as soon as I can.

Apologies for not posting much of late.  Still have no internet connection.

Not much has happened over the past week, aside from me getting another year older.  Most of my time has been spent working on book two, which I’m now around the half way mark on.  A little behind schedule for my Jan 31st self-imposed deadline, but not too bad.

I’m off back to it now, but in the meantime I thought I’d share this …

Just found the following news article, which leads on nicely from the photograph I posted yesterday.

You’d be forgiven after reading it for thinking that I single-handedly came up with the concept of Ben 10, which evidently I didn’t.

Nor is Night of the Living Ted being published by HarperCollins. For the moment it isn’t being published by anyone, as I’m focusing fully on the series that HarperCollins are publishing.  So for the moment the good people at Wexford Educate Together are the only ones to have heard the story.  Lucky beggars.

Anyway, here’s the article.

Oh yeah, and they spelled my surname wrong, too, even though I spelled it out into their dictaphone.  Typical.

Yes, I’m aware it’s quite late to be wishing you all a Happy New Year, but then I often still hear people saying it in mid-January, so I’m nowhere near as late as those guys …

Just a very short blog posting today.  I have a whole lot of work to do on PROJECT IFR: Book Two, and very little time to do it in.  Deadline for the final draft is July, so I’ve set myself a personal deadline of January 31st for the first draft to be done by.  I have around 30,000 words to go on it, and 27 days to write them in, so it should be more than manageable.

Unfortunately, I don’t know how it ends yet, so I’ll have to figure that out along the way, too.

Ages back I me ntioned a visit I made to a fantastic little school in Wexford, Ireland.  Wexford Educate Together is, without doubt, the nicest, friendliest school I’ve ever been to.  I had a great time there reading and chatting to the kids, and a photographer from the local newspaper even came along and took some photos.  He was good enough to email me one across, and here it is.

That’s me in the middle, by the way.