Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Just call me Lightning.

One of my goals this year has been to finish a story for my godson who lives in London. When he was born I started it for him, and I've been banging on and on about how I needed to finish it this year.

It's set in a parallel universe where birds fly backwards, people shrink when they get bored and on Thursdays the fish go shopping (see below).

It's called Bryce the Hidden Claw and is about a gargantuan cat who is notorious for being a vicious killer (and rumoured to floss with barbed wire). He moves next door to our main characters Jake and Izzie, who proceed to go on a crusade to rid this evil criminal from their neighbourhood. But it turns out that things are not as they seem...

I've drawn it out with my appalling handwriting and have illustrated it (badly). I got the idea for the design of the book as a great aunt of mine who lived in England wrote a book for me when I was a child, with this layout. (However there were a couple of reasonably major differences between her and I, she was an artist and a published author so her drawings were a lot less amateuresque and her story far more skillfully crafted.)

Anyway I'm just pleased I've finally finished. All forty-three pages of it (it even comes with it's own bookmark due to those forty-three pages making it a little long to read in one hit if you're small).

But what makes the whole thing worthwhile is that my godson got it for his birthday this month, and he loves it.

As I say, I started it when he was born.

He's just turned seven.

11 comments:

injaynesworld said...

And Rome wasn't built in a day, but look how well that turned out. Congratulations. It sounds completely charming.

laughykate said...

Oh, what lovely words. Thank you!

SaS said...

Six pages a year, can I put in an order for my 60th? That gives you 13 years so I expect a mighty tome...

Thats some achievement Kate, hats off to you and well done it looks great...

laughykate said...

Thank you Sas!

*contemplates next story. Magic carpets and a giraffe who lives in a castle*

XChequer said...

Can I have one too, please? Am prepared to wait.

XChequer
http://www.thenzhomeoffice.blogspot.com/

Fat Sparrow said...

Great works take time.

I must say I am envious. I've started several of those myself, and never finished at all.

laughykate said...

XChequer, considering my prolific output, as long as you're prepared to wait till about 2034,sure!

Hiya Fat Sparrow, you've been away! Don't worry, I too have about four others I've started that haven't been finished. The difference with this one was that it actually was for someone.

Esther said...

Holy Shit Kate! That is TOTALLY and utterly amazing. You must be the coolest god-mum in the world. AWESOME, awesome...

laughykate said...

Oh thank you Esther. Just quietly I think I'm a bit of a crap godmother. However I am still quite proud of the time I managed to secure the bigger-than-human stuffed star of a children's show when my not-god-daughter-but-niece came to stay. Do you remember the pre school show Bumble - and the star was a giant bumble bee? I said to Little Miss Sunshine 'I'm not sure where you're going to sleep, because go and look whose in your bed.' She ran to her bedroom, ran back out again, eyes the size of saucers, 'IT'S BUMBLE !!!' I must say, we did get a few odd looks driving around with him seatbelted into the back of the car.

Jo said...

Honey. Sincere congratulations. My friends had one she started for her daughter unfinished in the cupboard under the stairs for 15 YEARS.

7 is an accomplishment. Good on ya.

laughykate said...

Hey thank you Jo!