Today we have the amazing Dave Cousins, author of 15 Days Without a Head, with us today! I loved 15 Days Without a Head (check out my review: here) and hope you all love the post just as much as I do!
The Book Addicted Boy!
Hello, my name’s Dave and I’m book addict!
There’s something about books as objects – the smell of
them, the way they look lined up on a shelf. I carry one with me where ever I
go, which is why many of mine are creased and battered, their pages crinkled
from being read while walking home in the rain. For me that just adds to the
appeal though, it gives each copy a history that can take me back to a moment
in time.
Without books, I suspect my life would be full of holes. As
a child there would have been nothing to dispel the disappointment of being
sent to bed early. Growing up, they provided companionship and guidance through
some of the more difficult periods of my life, not to mention an escape from
family holidays as a reluctant teenager! Books have changed my opinions,
widened my view of the world, and made me laugh and cry along the way.
So … I thought I’d share a few of my favourites – in
autobiographical order!
Bears in the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain
I was generally quite well behaved at school, but this book
got me into trouble. I have vivid memories of being sent to stand in the corner
of Burman Road Infants for fighting with another boy, over whose turn it was to
read this. What made this book worth fighting over I’m not sure. Maybe it was
the mixture of fear and excitement at the idea of sneaking out after dark to
climb Spook Hill? There’s something about the deep blue and grey illustrations
and the warm yellow glow of the bears’ lamp as they creep through the woods. We
all loved the way you had to read the final part of the story really fast in
reverse and would compete to see who could memorize the bears’ journey in the
correct order.
Explorers on the Moon & Destination Moon by Hergé
Born a few months before Neil Armstrong set foot on the
moon, I was obsessed with the idea of being an astronaut as a child and read
these books until they fell apart. I spent months dressed as Tintin, dragging a
toy Scottie dog around on a string and addressing my grandad as Captain Haddock!
The Machine-Gunners by Robert Westall
My favourite book of all time! Though on this occasion, I
didn’t want to be Chas McGill the hero of the story, but the writer, Robert
Westall. The majority of Westall’s work was published in the seventies and
eighties, but his books are still as good today as ever. Great writing and
storytelling is timeless, and Robert Westall was a master of the craft.
Thunder and Lightnings by Jan Mark
I
read this when I had just started a new school in a new town. Being able to
share some of my experience and anxieties with the main character in the book,
made those first few weeks a little easier. It was the first time I realised
that stories could provide companionship and sometimes help us through
difficult times in our lives. This book made me want to write and continues to
influence the kind of stories I try to tell.
Waving at
Trains by Roger McGough.
By
the time I started at secondary school, I had started writing – songs and
comics mainly. Then I discovered poetry, first Wilfred Owen and then Roger
McGough. I’m often in awe of poets and songwriters who can capture the essence
of a moment in a few words. I love the sound of McGough’s poems, the rhythm of
the lines and the way he plays with language. He can be laugh-out-loud funny
and brutally dark in the same verse, and always makes me think.
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
No list of books would be complete without mention of Calvin
and Hobbes – they were a big part of my own kids’ relationship with books. It’s an over-used term, but
Bill Watterson is actually a genius. Calvin and Hobbes is as near to perfection
as it is possible to get. Funny, wise and heart-felt, Watterson’s strips are
beautifully drawn stories featuring two of the best characters ever created.
Reading a few pages of Calvin and Hobbes never fails to inspire, enlighten and
put a smile on my face.
Creepers by Keith Gray
I originally borrowed Creepers
from the library and attempted to photocopy it, because I didn’t want to give
the book back. I
thought it was the perfect story: simple, clever, surprising and cool. I
realised this was how I wanted to write. I’ve read all of Keith Gray’s books
and they’re all brilliant. To have his endorsement on the cover of my debut
novel makes me grin every time I see it.
And
now I spend my days writing my own books – to say it’s a dream come true
would be an understatement! Glancing across my desk as I type this, I realize I
should mention my collection of thesauruses and word books. I’m not
ashamed to admit that I find great pleasure in leafing through the pages to
find an elusive synonym or to check the correct usage. Some of you may feel
that I should maybe get out more. You’re probably right, but I’m happy. After
all, not every addiction is bad.
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I couldn't agree more! I think a book addiction is the best kind and not one that needs detoxing! ;)
I hope you all liked this as much as I did! And if you did, make sure you follow all the FoG
events on Twitter at #FortnightOfGuests
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Dave Cousins completed his first novel in the back of a van, while touring with his band (who were almost famous!)
He went on to be a winner of the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices Anthology 2010 and his debut novel for teens, 15 Days Without a Head, was published by Oxford University Press in January 2012.
Originally from Birmingham, Dave now lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and family, in a house full of books and records, and writes in a corner of the attic with an anarchic ginger cat for company.
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Dave Cousins completed his first novel in the back of a van, while touring with his band (who were almost famous!)
He went on to be a winner of the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices Anthology 2010 and his debut novel for teens, 15 Days Without a Head, was published by Oxford University Press in January 2012.
Originally from Birmingham, Dave now lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and family, in a house full of books and records, and writes in a corner of the attic with an anarchic ginger cat for company.
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