Tag: space

Top ten success… Order my yacht!

~ GraydonJonesWriter

Spotify is playing James Brown, “I Got It (I Feel Good)“

I’ve been suffering from a nasty chest infection since just before I released “Annika Dash and the Unicorn from Space”. This has restricted the amount of dancing around the kitchen with my t-shirt over my head that I can do. Still, it couldn’t dampen my spirits as I watched my first book dip in and out of the top 10 of Amazon’s “Best Sellers in Children’s Science Fiction Comics & Graphic Novels”, achieving #6 on the 1st of April 2024.

[Top Ten 1st of April 2024]

I didn’t expect that feeling to be surpassed, but this has been… twice. First, when I received pictures of a young reader, from the other side of the world in Australia, opening my book. Second, last night I discovered my book received its first review on Amazon. No idea who left this, but I couldn’t sleep last night — I was so excited.

[Independent review 6th of April 2024]

The one sad thing is that, with being poorly, I haven’t been able to present copies to my niece and her big brother. I certainly didn’t want to give them my germs! Hopefully, this is something I will do over the next few weeks. In the meantime… mums the word. It’s still a surprise I want to share.

So, what’s next?

I didn’t do a book trailer for TUFS. But I’m working on one now. It’s really to determine what is possible and what I can do myself. I could release it retrospectively, or save it for Annika Dash’s second adventure. Whatever I do, working on this trailer is an interesting project. I composed the soundtrack, wrote the script and compiled the art and images. I have also had the script performed by a professional voiceover artist. I’d say I have a draft or concept finished, but I’m still considering what to do with it.

What else? Oh yes! I’ve started working on a follow-up story, which I’ll refer to as Annika Dash 2, or AD2, and have a concept for a third story.

The bare bones for AD2 I’ve shared with my posse (Sorry Tim/Tracy, this is way cooler than calling you my trusted beta readers… Note to self – Graydon to change the title of Beta reader messenger group to GJ’s Posse). These are just ideas at the moment, such as, what Annika will do when [insert baddy’s name here] will try to [insert something really awful here], because [insert baddy’s motivation here], and therefore [insert the consequences here]. As you can see, pretty detailed thinking going on 😉

Incidentally, I’m not ordering a yacht, but I have to go to the shops for eggs, milk, and butter. And melon

Dressing gown and slippers

~ GraydonJonesWriter

No, this isn’t an opening scene from one of my favourite writers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Though I’ve always had a hankering for a Sherlock Holmes-style smoking jacket, calabash pipe and deerstalker. What do you think? Okay…maybe not – I don’t smoke, nor do I stalk deer (unless it’s with a camera).

Back to today. I really am sitting here in my dressing gown and slippers, despite feeling totally unwell. [sniff, cough] I’m sitting here because there’s only…

Five, Cinq, Fünf, Cinque, Cinco…

…yes just 5 DAYS TO GO until Annika Dash and the Unicorn from Space will be available.

The last few weeks of frantic work learning about self-publishing, using the KDP software, and tweaking the cover and manuscript until it all fit together perfectly, was worth it.

My next worry, believe it or not, is my signature. If medical qualifications were based on how illegible your signature was, I’d be a Consultant Surgeon. Before you consider me pretentious, friends and family have asked me to sign their copies. Flattered by this, I agreed without hesitation.

Gosh, I’ve just thought of something else – what else would I write – besides my signature??? I guess I’ll cross that bridge next. Meanwhile, back to my signature.

I have a pad close by and later, armed with my favourite pen and a toasted Hot-Cross-Bun, I’ll practice. It mustn’t be too plain, nor too flamboyant. Maybe I could get Amanda to do it for me – her handwriting is amazing – no, I couldn’t. Why has my handwriting become so bad? It was rubbish when I left school and worsened at college. Then, working in IT for nearly 30 years, I swapped my biro for a keyboard, so used a pen less and less. I guess James Bond has this very same problem: he’s not able to use his biro unless he wants to shoot someone or blow something up. Yep, 007 must have rubbish handwriting too.

Anyway, having established 007 is much like me, if you have any ideas about how to fix my handwriting in 5 days or less or just want to get in touch, please use my contact form.

My first book

~ GraydonJonesWriter ~ 2 Comments

Annika Dash bounds into action in my first book, a children’s story, written for my little niece.

Those who know me would tell you I was happily writing about spaceships, lasers, and aliens from outer space. I had no serious aspirations about publishing my work, as I was content saving the universe from the comfort of my study in rural Lincolnshire. I felt nothing was more satisfying than giving those nasty little green, bug-eyed creatures a darn good thrashing – single-handed!

Then, a chance meeting – a family meal – revealed my niece had taken an interest in my writing, and asked if my stories were about unicorns. What could I say? The rest, as they say, is history

The paperback is due to be released at Easter 2024, with the Kindle edition following later in the year.

The illustrations are by Aisha Haider, a brilliant artist and illustrator.

Here’s some information for you. It’s taken from the Amazon page, which will be revealed nearer the publishing date.

“A family day out, a rock from outer space, a tricky museum curator and his bungling assistants. What do they all have to do with unicorns? They all feature in this thrilling, fun-filled adventure for girls and boys aged between 7 and 11, starring our small, determined young heroine, Annika Dash...”

From the back…

“8-year-old Annika Dash doesn’t want to go to the Space Museum with her family, but when she discovers a real-life unicorn needs her help, Annika sprints into action! Will she be able to save the small creature from outer space? Or will Mr Henry Littlegood, the Space Museum curator, capture the unicorn and turn her into his prize exhibit?”

Last Train to London…

~ GraydonJonesWriter

That’s what’s playing on my Spotify. And this is probably the last post of 2023. Some of the eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted that this is also the first and only post of 2023. I (may) get back to that later, but there was a reason it was playing.

I had just listened to the previous track on ELO’s Discovery album – The Diary of Horace Wimp. Why? Well, Horace is one of the villains in my latest story and one of my lovely beta readers hadn’t heard of the name before. She also struggled with its pronunciation. Of course, I wanted to show that Horace is an actual name and not something I had just dreamt up. And, after a few days of head-scratching, I remembered this song.

Want to know more about Horace? Well, I’ll say more in the new year. Until then, have a very merry Christmas and happy new year.