FIFA 09 update

I'm still playing too much FIFA 09 on my PSP. I did it all the way home on the train from London last night. That and reading a book about football in South Africa.

It's a good book. About how dozens of political prisoners created a football league in prison and played for years to try and cope with being away from their familes. It's called More Than a Game.

I'm on the third highest FIFA 09 level (i.e. one up from rubbish) and Leeds are about to secure promotion. I just need two wins out of four. I should do it. Then on to the Championship.

Arsenal Player

I had to face a penalty from an Arsenal player yesterday. Twice.

I was in Redbridge, which is a part of London. Ninety 10 year olds. Ten of them taking penalties. Then one lad tells me he plays for Arsenal.

He took two shots... And scored twice.

To be honest I didn't see either ball. I had some revenge on him, though. I was writing a scene in book 5 of my Football Academy series today. And Arsenal lost on penalties.

I've nearly finished the Football Academy series now. It starts in April with Boys United and Striking Out. Each book is about a different player at United, a Premier League under twelve team.

In Boys United Jake joins the team and finds it hard to fit in. Mostly because he's a City fan.

In Striking Out Yunis's dad wants him to give up playing for United. He thinks the football is interfering with Yunis' school work.

Books three and four are out in July. Followed by two more in the autumn.

But why am I facing penalties anyway?

When I go to schools I don't just talk about my books. I like to do a football quiz. Then a penalty shoot out. The winner gets a football trophy. It's more fun than me just talking about my books. The best bit is that I get tips about other books to read.

Mob Football

I did my first event of the year today. At Moorside Community College. It was great. Lots of Newcastle fans taking penalties at the school librarian, Miss Horth. She was very good, saving quite a few. She also looked after me really well.

It was useful in more ways than one to meet the pupils at Moorside. I told them about an idea I have for a book that is coming out next year. One of the girls said that she liked books with stories that have something of today and something from history in them. So I think I'm going to include something about mob football in the book.

I'm a bit obsessed with mob football. I read about it while writing a book for Franklin Watts last year. The book is about football, with lots of facts. It's called Go Turbo: Football and comes out in August.

Mob football was played in medieval times in England. A whole village would take on another village. The aim was to get the ball to the next town's market square. You could break legs, whatever... there were no rules.

I live in a small town on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. I think it'd be a good laugh to play the Lancashire town at mob football. Maybe one day. But without the leg breaking.

Spurs v Burnley

No offence to Spurs fans, but I'm backing Burnley tonight.

Burnley FC have been really good to me. Even though I live in Yorkshire - and support Leeds - Burnley are my nearest football club.

When I was researching my new series - Football Academy, which comes out on April 2nd - Burnley let me go and watch their under twelve side, talk to the players and the parents. And the coaches were great: they told me lots about how a professional football team's academy works.

Football Academy is about the under twelve side at a fictional Premier League club called United. Every book is about one of the boys, but all the players get a mention in each book. The first is called Boys United and is about Jake, who joins the team at the beginning of the season. He gets a bit of trouble from one of the other players. Mostly because he supports City, not United.

But back to the game...

Also, you have to support Burnley, as they are the underdog. They've seen off Arsenal and Chelsea already. All by a small town club with a lot of ambition.

PSP 1-0 Football Academy

I started the rewrites of Football Academy book 5 today. It needs a bit of work. It's about a boy and his dad. The dad used to be an England player: the boy plays for United's under twelve's. I read it through today and had a look at where I needed to make changes. It's only the last quarter that needs serious work...

... but the problem is I got a PSP for Christmas. With FIFA 09 on it.

I have been playing it a lot since Christmas and today found it hard to get back to writing. So I decided to write for an hour, then play one game. That worked well for the first couple of hours, then things deteriorated. I was on a cup run.

This afternoon Leeds United beat Hull City 11-3 in the League Cup Final. If only...

What else did I get for Christmas?

* a radio-controlled polystyrene aeroplane
* a blow-football game
* a book on how to be a good dad
* twelve pairs of black socks
* a lunar calendar
* ten quid and a wine cooler off my sister
* some carpet slippers off my wife
* a fair trade football
* a score draw at home to Leicester

No books, though. Apart from the one above.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Since Foul Play came out eight months ago, I've been doing as many events as I can. So I can tell people about the book.

I like maps, so I put a dot for every event I did on a map of the UK. It looks good. I've done 139 days of events. 50 in Yorkshire. 30 in the North West. Then ten or so in the South West, South East, London, etc.

Maybe this is too much information. But sometimes I'm at a loss what to put on my blog. Maybe I shouldn't do a blog at all...

Yesterday I did my last event of the year. A school in Rotherham. And now I've got nearly a month without events*. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. I can relax...

... except I can't. In that month I have to finish Football Academy 5 and start Football Academy 6. But it'll be nice to have time to write. And to be at home to be with my family.

Speaking of which... my daughter's just got home from school...




* - by the way, I enjoy doing events as much as writing... it's just I do too many...

What I've been reading

I've been reading books by children's authors - about writing.

Singing for Mrs Pettigrew by Michael Morpurgo explains some of his stories and his writing life. Jackie Daydream is the story of Jacqueline Wilson's childhood, but talks about her books too. Both are good.

But the book I've loved recently is the graphic novel of Silverfin, Charlie Higson's first Young Bond book.

I don't normally read graphic novels. The only ones I can remember reading are Maus, about Nazi Germany and Safe Area Gorazde about the recent war in Bosnia.

I think I should read more graphic novels. They are like a cross between books and films.

Back in Basildon

In 2008 I've visited Basildon a lot. Not where I thought I'd end up.

I've been working with a group of lads (and now girls too) who are part of a football writers group. They're led by the genius teacher, Mrs Diane Baker, originally from Yorkshire. We've done lots of stuff - and recently they've been helping me with my books, making sure they're good enough and also helping me with plots. Tomorrow we're off to West Ham for a club tour. Then then next day we're writing a chapter of my fifth Football Academy book which includes a club tour at West Ham. It's going to be fun.

Book 5 is called The X Factor, but that might have to change if we're not allowed to call it that. It was one of the Basildon kids who came up with the idea that one of the lads would... But I'm giving too much away. I'll stop there.

Blue Peter shortlist

I'm really excited. Foul Play is on the shortlist for the Blue Peter Book Award. It's in the category I Couldn't Put It Down. It was announced today.

Thank you Blue Peter!

I'm off to celebrate...

Russia

I've been invited to Russia - to go and talk at a conference next week.

It's good timing. I'm just doing the rewrites for the sequel to Foul Play. It's called Dead Ball and has Danny taking on a Russian oligarch football club owner.

I went to Moscow in March to research Dead Ball. But the one thing I didn't do was go in the church where Danny will be spending a bit of time - hiding. Now I can go back. I'm really excited. It's more than a church, actually. It's St Basil's Cathedral.

I like to go to the places my books are set. It makes them feel more realistic. I think it'd be hard to write well about a place you've never vistied. (Saying that, some writers manage it.)

I've had a good month in schools. I've been meeting lots of lads (and a few girls) who've been reading Foul Play. It is a really good feeling hearing them tell me what they think of it, people who've actually read it.

There's some good news about Foul Play coming up too. But I'm not allowed to talk about it yet...