I'm back home in London...

...after the Edinburgh Book Festival and a wee holiday by the beach in Fife (that's in Scotland). Had a lovely time (even though it was practically thermal underwear and duffel coat weather!), and want to sent out a very BIG HELLOOOOOO to everyone who came to see me at the Book Festival. Especially BIG LOVE to everyone who was near the back of the queue at the signing desk. You were SO patient, and I really wish we had a handsome McFly looky-likey waiter wandering around to dish out juice and nice nibbles while you waited!
Anyway, I ran a competition on the day... since I was talking about my new book – 'The Seventeen Secrets Of The Karma Club' – I asked everyone to secretly scribble down their own personal secret! The winner will get a bunch of free stuff sent to them from my publishers Scholastic, and that winner (drum roll please) is KG, who wrote, "About a year ago, me and my best friend decided to run away, for no particular reason. We even made stuff to sell! We packed clothes and planned our route, then realised how silly we'd been..."
Glad you didn't do it for real, KG! This made me laugh 'cause my husband Tom had just told me he'd done the same thing aged 14... he got an hour away then had to phone his dad to come and get him when he got tired and fed up walking!!
So, a prize on the way to KG, and a big yay to everyone else's very fascinating secrets (I have a secret love of tutus too, AT, and I used to wet my pants at primary school as well, EG-P!)
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 02 September 2008 20:02 by Karen

Scotland and superlambananas!!!

OK, the superlambananas thing: if you're from Liverpool, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about! Yep, I spent a couple of days in Liverpool last week and thought it was ACE! Love the accents!! And 'cause it's this year's City of Culture, there were all these amazing statue things everywhere that are part lambs and part, er, bananas (check out www.gosuperlambananas.co.uk). Weird... but good.
And the Scotland thing? Well, I'm off to Edinburgh tomorrow (yay!), and do my book festival talk on Thursday (21st). Then it's off to see the family and friends, plus some time at the beach, which will probably be freezing!!! Hey, who cares....
Big love,
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 19 August 2008 21:28 by Karen

Countdown to the Edinburgh Book Festival!

Yay! It's two weeks to go till I travel to Edinburgh for this year's Book Festival, where I'll be waffling about 'The Seventeen Secrets Of The Karma Club'. So if you're in the Edinburgh area (ish!) and fancy dropping by Charlotte Square to see me at 6.30pm on Thursday 21st August, then that would be very, very splendid indeed!! (For details, check out http://www.edbookfest.co.uk.)
Must go - it's late and my eyes are going a bit swivelly with tiredness...
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 06 August 2008 22:06 by Karen

Queen of Teen thank yous...

...to everyone who's voted for me so far in the Queen of Teen awards.
In particular, thank you BIG TIME to Maja, Jade, Sarah, Faye and Emily!! (Thanks for your inspirational words, especially Faye - much love to you and your continued support.)
And if you haven't voted so far, then check out www.queenofteen.co.uk.
Hey, I'm not so big-headed to think you might vote for me (there are nine other completely unique and fantastic authors to vote for), but I just don't want you to miss your chance to vote for whoever's books you completely, totally lurve the best (oh, AND the chance to come along to the swanky awards in a limo with the author you've voted for).
Anyway, enough of that wiffle. Must go, as it's verrrryyy late, and a fat ginger cat is trying to sit on my computer (no, Gus!).
Karen McCombie :c)
PS Hi to Nicole, who cruised around Crouch End in search of the Clocktower and other scenic sights from 'Ally's World' this weekend!!
PS Hi and thanks to Holly, and her ace fan-site!

posted @ 03 August 2008 23:07 by Karen

Another new book?!?

Oh, yes. The fourth new book of the year, and it's only July!! First came two books in the 'Sadie Rocks' series – 'Happiness And All That Stuff' and 'Deep Joy, Or Something Like It' – then it was my novel 'The Seventeen Secrets Of The Karma Club', and now it's the turn of 'Me And The School (Un)Fair', which is the seventh book in the 'Indie Kidd' series. (See new cover above.)
After all that, I may now have used up all the words in my head and most of my braincells and will need to lie down for a bit...
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 20 July 2008 07:48 by Karen

My new obsession...

It used to be that I could only write with purple pens (as anyone whose book I've signed will know), but lately I've become obsessed with glittery gel pens. They make every word beautiful! And I don't mean stuff to do with my books – I mean stupid stuff like shopping lists. 'Milk', 'Onions' and 'Toilet Roll' just look so much more interesting when they're written in sparkly sky blue, don't they? Or am I just a very trivial, possibly slightly mad person? Hmmm...
Oh, by the way, two sorrys: sorry I still haven't updated the site (still been madly busy), and sorry to everyone who hopes I can write back to them (I wish I could but I just can't – there are too many of you and only one, gel pen-obsessed, slightly mad me!).
Anyway, lots of lurve from me to you (and you, and you, and, oh, you too...)
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 08 July 2008 10:28 by Karen

New office, new, er, mess...

Hello! Sorry not to have blogged for a while - my house has been a disaster zone while we switched rooms round, painted, put down new carpets and lived surrounded by teetering piles of, well, general stuff. It all started when we spoke about giving Milly a bigger bedroom now that she's a 'big' girl (six), and didn't realise how complicated it would all get! But it's nearly done now, and apart form Milly having a gorgeous new room to play in, I've taken over her cute little bedroom overlooking the garden as my office. I've made it madly girly, with pink rose wallpaper on one wall and, um, nothing much else yet because I haven't unpacked all my books and bits! Still, I've got my computer, my desk, and a cushion for Gus to sit on beside me. What more could an author want?
By the way, thanks for all your excellent e-mails, reviews etc – got to go to Scotland for my niece's wedding this week, but will post new stuff on the site next week. Promise!
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 24 June 2008 10:58 by Karen

Yet ANOTHER new book, plus your chance to vote!!

Another month, and another new book! (Ooh, I'm a hard-working author!!)
This time it's 'Seventeen Secrets Of The Karma Club'; Kezzy and Nell plan a bunch of secret good deeds that don't always go the way they're meant to...
Hope you like it!
Oh, and another thing – I just heard that there's an online campaign/competition thingy going on for girls to nominate their favourite female author. I heard about it 'cause some of you have already nominated, well, me. (Aw, shucks, I'm blushing!!) If anyone else fancies voting, the website is thusly: www.queenofteen.co.uk.
But only if you want to – I'm not twisting anyone's arm!
Got to scoot - got to play schools with my bored six-year-old (boo to half-term school holiday rain)...
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 28 May 2008 17:34 by Karen

NEW BOOK NEWS!!!

OK, my latest book out – this very month – is a special in the 'Indie Kidd' series... it's called 'My (Most Excellent) Pet Project'. I guess if you like Indie Kidd and pets, it's the book for you! I had a LOT of fun writing it, researching a ton of excellently silly, dumb stuff about animals. So, if you fancy knowing what a spotted wobbegong is (you might not want to) or what llamas do to show they're happy, then take a peek!
I'm off to a book festival in Lincoln tomorrow, so promise to update some stuff on the site when I get back later in the week.
Hope you're all, well, fab!!
Karen McCombie :c)

posted @ 12 May 2008 21:34 by Karen

ANNOUNCEMENT! The winner of the Sadie Rocks competition is...

...me!! Ha, ha, ha. OK, so I wouldn't mind winning £500 worth of TopShop vouchers, but the actual winner is TAYLOR FINCH from DORSET!!!!! Well done, Taylor! Have a most excellent time spending the vouchers – specially when you know that so many people (including me!) will be very, very jealous indeed...
Karen McCombie :c)
PS News on two new books coming, ooh, very, very soon!

posted @ 28 April 2008 11:17 by Karen

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