BarryHutchison.com

Spotted a very familiar face staring out at me from a shelf in my local WH Smith today…

Say what you like about old Mr Mumbles – he might be a murdering imaginary psychopath, but he sure keeps good company. I’m a huge fan of both Steve Feasey’s Changeling series and Hunger, the sequel to the brilliant Gone, by Michael Grant, so seeing my book sitting next to those two on the shelf was a very nice moment indeed.

The book should start appearing in bookshops up and down the country soon, so if you’re lucky enough to live near an independent bookseller, why not pop in and ask if they’ve got a copy? Or if like me you don’t live anywhere near a bookshop, you can find it at most online bookshops.

If you do get the book and read it, I’d love to know what you think of it. Drop me a line via the contact page, and I’ll make sure I reply.

Amazon have now got the first book in the Invisible Fiends series, Mr Mumbles, available to buy! It’s no longer in pre-order status, meaning if you order yours now you’ll probably receive it before the official launch day of 4th Feb.

You’d better hurry though, there are only a handful of copies left. Scoot along to this page to order yours now.

Copies of Mr Mumbles should soon be appearing on bookshelves up and down this fine nation of ours. If anyone spots one, be sure to let me know. If you fancy emailing a digital photo of the book on the shelf, that would be excellent!

24 years, that’s how long it took. 24 years (give or take a few months) from the moment I realised I wanted to be a writer to the moment this arrived…

When I returned home today after visiting the brilliant Holm Primary in Inverness, I found that waiting for me. A small bundle of them, actually. My author copies of Invisible Fiends: Mr Mumbles are now safely in my possession, 3 years after I came up with the idea for the series.

To say I’ve fantasized about this moment would be an understatement. I was eight years old when I decided I wanted to be a writer. No, that’s not true. I didn’t decide. “Decide” implies there was some kind of choice involved, but I’ve long since come to realise that there is no other job I am suited to. I’ve been largely terrible at pretty much everything else I’ve tried, and the only thing I have ever been good at is writing stories.

So now, having a copy of my first proper book in my hands, is quite an incredible experience.  It’s hard to find the words to describe just how it feels, even though finding words is supposed to be my job. Just looking at that cover and flicking through those pages makes all the years of self-doubt and living on the breadline worthwhile.

I’m naturally a very lazy person, and tend to avoid putting any effort into anything if at all possible, but I put effort into this. I put 24 years worth of effort into this. And now, with Mr Mumbles glaring out at me, I know all that work paid off.

I don’t know what the future holds for the series, or how well it will sell, but right now – right at this moment – I couldn’t care less. All I know is that I have a smile on my face that won’t go away, and that I keep sneaking back into this room to take another peek at the books, just to make sure they’re still there.

It’s an old cliché, but what the hell, I’m going to say it anyway. With the arrival of this book, my childhood dream has come true. I am officially an author.

I hope my eight-year-old self would be proud.

Just got back from Kilchuimen Primary School in the Highlands, where I spent the day running story-writing workshops and helping them generate ideas for a short story anthology the whole school is putting together. It was a great day, with lots of fantastic ideas whizzing around, and I can’t wait to read the finished stories.

The school visit today is just one of a whole heap of events I have coming up over the next few weeks. I’m visiting two more schools this week, then a library next week, then another school the week after. Then I’m doing four different events over two days in Glasgow and Edinburgh, before shooting waaaay up to Thurso in the north of Scotland for another school event.

Then, in March, I have another library visit followed by two events at the Aye Write festival in Glasgow. Then it’s a nervous breakdown, before I get stuck into more events in April and a tour in May.

It’s all very exciting, but possibly the most exciting thing is that I’m at Aye Write on the same day as this cuddly comedy legend.

Four words: I. Am. Not. Worthy.

In other news, there are just 14 days until the German edition of Invisible Fiends: Mr Mumbles is published. Huzzah!

Yesterday saw me begin the first in a long series of upcoming events as I begin promoting INVISIBLE FIENDS around the country.

Easing me in gently was a meeting with members of the Cowie Library Chatterbooks group, near Stirling. The group were brilliantly enthusiastic, asking lots of questions, and coming up with some great ideas for characters of their own. After the event they got me to sign some of the Ben 10 books they had brought with them, and then I set off on the 3 hour drive back home.

As I left, though, I heard one boy announce that he was away home to start writing stories, which is just the greatest thing to hear after a workshop or event. There’s nothing I’d love more than for one of the kids who comes to my events to go on and become one of the next generation of authors. Who knows, maybe it’ll be one of the kids from Cowie Library?

Taking a bit of a break over the weekend before I start more events next week. Spending three days in schools next week, and I’m really looking forward to all three of them. One of them will be my second visit to the same school, so it’ll be great to catch up with them and see how their writing has come on following my last visit there.

A belated Happy New Year to everyone reading this. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but between Christmas, New Year and then my Birthday (January 6th, people, where were the pressies?!) I haven’t found time to update the blog.

It wasn’t all just down to revelry and merriment, though. I had quite a bit of actual work to catch up with too, and so between that and the daily nine-hour Rock Band sessions I just could not get to the blog. Sorry.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the celebrations and that none of you are freezing too badly. Being up in the Highlands of Scotland we’re getting the snow pretty bad with more falling late last night. I’m supposed to be heading to Stirling next week to do an event with a new Chatterbooks group, so here’s hoping the roads clear a bit before then.

Now, down to business. There is less than a month until Invisible Fiends: Mr Mumbles is published in the UK and I’m as excited as a particularly excited man. It seems I’m not the only one to be getting worked up about the book going on sale, though. Check out these photographs of Mr Mumbles inspired graffiti I’ve been sent…

Shocking, isn’t it? I should stress that I take no responsibility for any vandalism or other damage caused by people  painting abstract representations of Mr Mumbles’ face on well-known landmarks or any other property. Take it up with them, not me.

Spraying graffiti on famous landmarks is one thing, but how the person responsible managed this next one is beyond me. Were you watching Eastenders a couple of weeks before Christmas? Were you eagle-eyed enough to spot Mr Mumbles’ face? Look closely at the screen capture below and you’ll find him.

Pretty incredible, eh? But it gets better. Or worse, depending your point of view…

Poor Steve McFadden. How did he manage to step out to an awards ceremony and not notice that daubed on the side of his big, round head? Peggy would be mortified.

Anyway, if you chance across any more Invisible Fiends inspired artwork, be sure to let me know.