Thursday, November 26, 2009

THE FIVE GREATEST WARRIORS IS THE NO.1 BOOK ACROSS AUSTRALIA!!

I’d like to send out a HUGE thank you to all those fans who have made The Five Greatest Warriors the No.1 book across Australia for four weeks running now.

This book has taken off far faster and bigger than any book I’ve written before. So thank you!

I knew that the pressure would be on me after the cliffhanger ending in The Six Sacred Stones, so I was determined to deliver the goods with this book. And I’m pleased to report that many fans have taken the time to tell me that it does indeed deliver.

As Austin Powers would say, “Yeah, baby!”

AUTHOR TOUR DATES: U.K. (JAN, 2010)

Yes, it’s official, I’ll be coming to the UK for the release of The Five Greatest Warriors in mid-January.

I’ll put up all appearance dates as soon as I have them (I believe I will be coming to Scotland again – I still remember the huge turnout as a signing I did in Glasgow a few years back).

So come along and say hi!

WHAT I’VE BEEN WATCHING: TV SHOWS I LIKE AT THE MOMENT

I think it’s important for people to swap information about the books they’re reading and the movies and TV shows they’re watching: which is why I’m going to do it now. My favourite TV shows these days include:

“THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART”

Still the best news show on television, even when viewed from Australia and even given that it’s a comedy show about the news. Watch it. In Australia, it’s on Tues-Fri on the Comedy Channel at 6:30pm. (The Colbert Report screens after it, and is just as good.) It’s the one show I make sure I watch each week—it keeps me abreast of American politics—and I think it keeps Americans abreast of world affairs. A brilliant show.

“BETTER OFF TED”

I love this show! It’s kind of like a quirky second-cousin to The Office (also a fine show). Set in the offices of a faceless mega-corporation called Veridian Dynamics, it follows an executive named Ted as he negotiates office life. Portia de Rossi steals every scene and the gags about office politics are laugh-out-loud funny. (In Australia: it’s on the Comedy Channel, Monday nights, 9:30pm.) Watch it if you can.

“GLEE”, “BEAUTY AND THE GEEK: AUSTRALIA” AND “Q&A”

I think I might just be the only person in Australia who, most Thursday nights, watches Glee, Beauty and the Geek: Australia and then Q&A. You could say that my tastes are somewhat eclectic.

Glee is a great US show set in a high school glee club, in which the characters break out into song. It has a wry wit which is very fresh. A solid high school show.

Beauty and the Geek: Australia is the Aussie version of the US show. Anyone who dismisses this show as just another reality show hasn’t watched it closely enough. It’s a wonderful social experiment in which the participants actually learn something about themselves. Beauty is only skin deep and this show proves it.

Q&A is a panel show that screens on ABC, the public broadcaster down here in Australia. The panel usually consists of a two rival federal politicians plus some journalists or public commentators. It puts politicians on the spot (which I like) and its clever host, Tony Jones, doesn’t let them get away with just spruiking the party line (which I like even more).

But…as it moves into 2010, Q&A has to be careful that each show doesn’t become Groundhog Day: recently, each show has come back to the same old chestnuts—climate change and asylum seekers. It also has to be careful about letting the politicians dominate the show. Their informational advantage gives them too much airtime sometimes. And the audience shouldn’t be allowed to clap.

Anyway, I have to go—I’ve got some more signings in Australia throughout December and then the UK beckons, and then…I have to get started on the next book!