Spud has its own website located at www.spud.penguinbooks.co.za where you’ll find extracts from the book, live readings and this charming letter from the author.
Dear Reader
Hello, heita and howzit! Welcome to the brand spanking new Spud website and thank you for taking the time to drop by. If you’d told me 2 years ago that all this Spud nonsense would eventually lead to something, I would have thought it a cruel Boggoesque trick to try and crush my creative spirit! To be honest with you, when I wrote Spud, all I wanted was to be published, so that deep down I could feel like a real writer at last. This may sound crazy but until you are published, a writer doesn’t feel like the full nine yards. (Not that writers ever feel the full nine yards but I’m sure you know what I’m getting at).
Now, some thoughts on the new book: Spud – The Madness Continues … It took just over a year to write, beginning in January 06 – although the final four months were by far the most intense. I missed 4 deadlines along the way and had the Penguins sweating on whether it would all be done in time. The problem is that I’m never able to finish the book and walk away. I want to keep tinkering and adding bizarre comic interludes. By this stage I am utterly neurotic and obsessed and have no idea whether each addition improves on or ruins what’s already there. Eventually my editor stole the manuscript and sent me off to Thailand for 5 weeks to pull myself together.
Overall I’m extremely proud of Spud – The Madness Continues … – and yes I know the word “Sequel” is a big no no, but I see this book as the second step on a journey rather than a sequel outright a la Harry Potter. I have no real interest in repeating myself as an artist and whilst writing a bestseller is a thrill – it’s not really what inspires me. I think the new book is stronger than the first. The plot is tighter, the humour more sustained (and I think funnier). I also think it’s darker, more in your face and because Spud is getting older I am able to explore issues in greater depth and use language that I couldn’t use before. You may also notice that I have focused on the rhythms far more than in Spud. (By this I mean the general flow of the book). I wanted shorter, punchier diary entries and many more lists, scoreboards and items to break up the monotony of a boy rambling on at length about being lovesick and homesick!
On May 2nd I begin a month long book tour that takes me around the country twice! I really enjoy meeting Spud readers and hearing crazy stories of people’s schooldays (although signing 300 books a day and having to talk about myself incessantly does become a bit much). It’s an exciting time and great to be on the road again. So if you have no life or are an obsessive Spud fan, then look out for me at a bookstore near you. If you hated the book and don’t find it remotely funny then I suggest you use it as a fire starter for the Sunday braai.
And now the 64 million dollar question! What next?
I’ll get back to you on that one.
Finally a thought:
Laugh more, feel more, and think more. Life’s too short to spend complaining about crime and politicians.
Love
Johnny
