May 24, 2012
Here, in case you wanted one, is a clue as to what the book I’m currently writing is partly about.
Over the last couple of months…
…I’ve been to see more bands…
…than I’d seen in my…
…whole…
…life before I came to Japan.
This, below, is a pic of the best live act I’ve seen so far this trip: the jaw-droppingly unhinged, tighter-than-a-gnat’s-spats Hosome.
Tokyo has been good to me. 😀
April 25, 2012
I’m now over sixty thousand words into the zero draft of my new book. That’s already almost longer than Crawlers, but with this I think I’m about halfway. It’s still the most awesome story I can think of, and getting more awesome all the time. Sometimes I’m excited about that; sometimes I feel I’m never going to manage it. That’s the job, or how it is for me.
March 18, 2012
Whenever I die, it will be as a happier (if deafer) man than twenty-four hours ago…
…because I have seen Guitar Wolf live.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, my head feels like a bomb exploded in it: I’m going to lie down for a while. ;D
March 15, 2012
It’s been a fine first week back here in Tokyo. My adventures so far have included a first encounter with kabuki at The National Theatre of Japan, catching a bit of last weekend’s Peace on Earth tsunami memorial festival in Hibiya Park…
…and meeting these dudes:
But mostly, as on my previous visit, my life here looks like this:
I’m now over forty thousand words into the first draft of my latest book. For reasons I don’t entirely understand, right now I seem to get a lot more writing done here in Tokyo than I have been doing lately at home in London. That’s good, because this is going to be a big story, there’s a lot of work to do – and best of all, I’m enjoying it.
Life is good and I am very lucky. HEE HEE HEE HEE!
March 8, 2012
Truly we live in a Sci-Fi age. I’m surprised by how good this Vox mini preamp sounds through headphones – but I’m astonished and delighted by the satisfyingly nasty racket I can make with it through portable speakers!
This afternoon I’m going back to Japan. And this time I’m taking an electric guitar. 😀
Meanwhile, this week on TBM a T-Rex nails the central challenge in writing thrilling fiction.
February 14, 2012
The one thing I didn’t like about being in Japan was that I missed my old friends. Then I discovered one living in Tokyo.
This giant monster looming over Tokyo Tower is Maman, by Louise Bourgeois. I’d last seen Maman at a wonderful exhibition of Bourgeois’ work at London’s Tate Modern on the day of the launch of my second published book, Tim, Defender of the Earth. Here’s that entry on the Tim News Page, and here’s a pic I took of her attacking St Paul’s Cathedral.
As you might be able to guess, Louise Bourgeois’ viscerally sinister oeuvre was a massive influence on Crawlers, which I’d just begun writing at the time. So with the Crawlers News Page soon to come to an end and the My Name Is O one about to begin, the timing of my second meeting with Maman was eerily perfect.
I wasn’t totally convinced by her current setting in Roppongi. Surrounded by trees and skyscrapers and Christmas trappings I felt that Maman didn’t look quite as imposing as she should.
…But the angles were there if you looked for them.
February 7, 2012
The MY NAME IS O launch party was a HOOT. 😀
Here, below, is a video I just uploaded of the two-minute reading I did from the book.
An ENORMOUS THANK YOU to everyone who braved a very cold night to come out and help me celebrate, and to Tim and Simon for hosting the do at their brilliant shop.
If you, reading this, are visiting this all-new My Name Is O website for the very first time, a hearty HEE HEE HEE! to you, and welcome to my ongoing sinister masterplan to conquer the universe!
February 6, 2012
Note: What follows below first appeared on my previous blog, just a couple of days ago. My feelings haven’t changed. 😉
LOOK! SHINY!
…Ahem, sorry, rather excited. What I mean is, these are finished copies of my new novella for Barrington Stoke, MY NAME IS O.I knew about the stickers, which (NB) are fully removable and come off without leaving a mark. What I didn’t know was how the mirror effect on the cover was going to turn out. The answer is, very nicely indeed.
Signed copies of MY NAME IS O (and my other books!) are available to order from The Big Green Bookshop (here’s their website). The book’s cover price is £6.99. Samurai booksellers Simon and Tim will gladly arrange delivery to anywhere in the world, and postage inside the UK is free.
Now another pic. Look at the middle one, so shiny that in the right light / right angle almost everything disappears except the O…
…Mmm. SHINY! 
February 6, 2012
Sam here. Welcome to the News Page on the new website for my new book, MY NAME IS O.
As may be apparent from the photo above, I’m very excited!
Thanks for being in at the start of this thing. 😀
More soon,
Sam
