Doncaster: Discover the Spirit
Skulduggery afoot at the Civic!
On Friday, 21st November we were pleased to welcome last year’s winning author, Derek Landy, to Doncaster to receive his prize.
Around 200 students listened enthralled as Derek regaled us with loads of interesting anecdotes about his life so far. He talked about his childhood living on a farm in Ireland, his somewhat chequered academic career, and how he first started out as a writer.
Given the fast pace and witty dialogue of the ‘Skulduggery’ stories, it was perhaps unsurprising for us to learn that Derek actually began his literary journey writing film scripts – which he said were easier than a novel as a lot less words were needed to fill a page! He described two short films he had been involved with, and since these were about a plague of zombies and a bizarre murder, it is clear that he has always had a fascination with the macabre! He then decided to try his hand at a novel, which he wanted to fill with all the elements he most enjoyed -action, martial arts, humour and fantasy - and thus ‘Skulduggery’, his fantastic, wise-cracking skeleton hero was born.
Derek has been astounded at the phenomenal success of his two novels, ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ and ‘Playing with Fire’ and said how their success has transformed his life. In a couple of years, he has gone from working on the family farm to hob-nobbing in Hollywood with the likes of Steven Spielberg! Derek went on say that he plans to write nine books in the series, three ‘trilogies’, so we will be hearing a lot more of ‘Skulduggery’ !
Derek answered lots of great questions from his enthralled audience, and judging from the number of hands up, these could have gone on all night. He was then presented with his prize by a student from Ridgewood School.
Afterwards he very kindly signed books for nearly one and a half hours, and took time to put personal messages and draw cartoons in every one.
It was a fantastic afternoon, and the DBA committee would like to thank Derek and wish him every success in the future.
Lyn Hopson, Secretary, DBA
Pupils from Sunnyfields school wrote the following newspaper-style reports after seeing Derek.
Author Visit: Derek Landy at Civic Theatre on Friday, 21st November
Incredible!
21st of November fantastic author Derek Landy visits the Civic Theatre on behalf of his book winning the Doncaster Children’s Book Award. His books Skulduggery Pleasant and Skulduggery Playing with Fire are PHENOMENONS!
Landy spoke about that he did the following: worked on a farm, played with toys and action figures and he also in his spare time he wrote scripts. Dereky Landy, who met characters from Lost, has been to Hollywood. I asked, “How did you feel when you won the DBA” – “It’s a JOY” he replied.
He released his first film in 2003 which is called ‘Dead Bodies’. It is about a guy who kills his girlfriend. His second film, ‘Boy eats Girl’, is about a boy who is run over by his mother in her car. He was a martial arts instructor and he based the books on the M’s : Murder, Magic, Mystery and Mayhem.
Article produced by Matthew (School Reporter), Year 6, Sunnyfields Primary School
Author Visit: Derek Landy at Civic Theatre on Friday, 21st November
What an extravaganza!
Sunnyfields surprised as a trip to meet Derek Landy (Doncaster Awards winner 2007) and get signatures in his new book ‘Playing with Fire’.
Derek Landy was on stage in front of a fantastic crowd of around 200 students, who were from year 6 and 7 from various Primary and High Schools.
In his early years he failed school as he loved his friends but hated to work. He jokes with quotes ‘my mother hit me with stones and my father hit me with a plank’. His comical performance entertained his star struck audience for an hour. A confident Mr Landy told us he was not only a failure at school but also he was kicked out of college (animation college) and worked at his parents farm for 6 years.
After getting quite fed up with his mundane life, he began to write scripts, make films and write books. His first two films released were ‘Boy eats Girl’ based on zombies and a mother accidentally killing her son and ‘Dead Bodies’ about a guy killing his girlfriend.
Then he wrote his books ‘Skuldugggery Pleasant’ and ‘Skulduggery Pleasant Playing with Fire’. He went to Hollywood and met famous directors such as Steven Spielberg. After 6 months of writing each book he is now not such a failure after all. He is now ready to write the third book out of a series of 9. I will be first in the queue!
Report written by Heather, Year 6, Sunnyfields Primary School
Doncaster Children Visit Derek Landy at the Civic Theatre on Friday, 21st November
Children were amazed as the famous book author Derek Landy stood before them, although he hasn’t always been famous!
This is what he said when we asked him what he thought about school, “I liked the teachers, the friends, I just didn’t like work!” He failed his Leaving Certificate, so at the age of 17 he had to repeat it, then he went to Art College, which unfortunately after 1 year he was expelled, so he worked at this parents farm.
It was six years of hell, for Derek as he explained, “in the summer it was boiling, and in the winter it was raining and freezing”. So he decided to concentrate on writing. He wrote scripts instead of stories, because scripts were only 100 pages long and stories were 300 pages long. He wrote two films, the first film released in 2003 called ‘Dead Bodies’ and the second ‘Boy eats Girl’ – both horror!
In 2005 in London, Derek Landy worte his first surreal book, “Skulduggery Pleasant” in 6 months. He said he used the 4 M’s : murder, mystery, magic and mayhem - and it worked!
On April 2007 his hit went to Hollywood Studios. He said, ‘at the studio it was awesome!’ as he met Stephen Spielberg, some of the LOST cast, and Maria Cary! HE WAS LUCKY! His scond book was written in April 2008, called “Skulduggery Pleasant Playing with Fire”.
Now for a spoiler – in April, 2009 he is going to publish, ‘The Faceless Ones’ One of the main characters gets killed! Also it is about ‘gods from out of this world…….’
Reported by Thomas, Year 6, Sunnyfields Primary School
What a Laugh!
Early Life:
Derek’s early life didn’t go too well. When he was 17 he failed his Leaving Certificate, which his mother wasn’t too pleased about. “I got home and told her that I failed, so she got the stone out again. I was only hit with it this morning!”.
He didn’t really like school – well he liked it except from the work. When he went back to re-take his Leaving Certificate he passed! So he went to school, well not school – College and studied Art (animation). In his first year he failed and was dismissed. So he went to see his dad for a job on his dad’s farm. After he told his dad the news, his dad gave him a job. He said it was ‘freezing in the winter and in the summer it was so hot that I’d finish the day in pants’ In Derek’s spare time he would write but not books, film scripts, which he thought were a lot easier. In 2003 he released a film called ‘Dead Bodies’. It was a best seller in Ireland – SEVEN people went to see it, “my mum, my dad, my sister, my other two sisters and my brother. Oh, and my sister’s husband!” he said. His second film was ‘Girl eats Boy’ – and EIGHT people went to see that!
Reported by Daniel, Year 6, Sunnyfields Primary School
Year 6 Sunnyfields Trip to see the awesome author Derek Landy
What an extravaganza of a day as Year 6 at Sunnyfields got to see Derek Landy, the author of Skulduggery Pleasant. He was funny!
In the years of Derek’s early life he did many things. He liked his school friends but hated work. When he told his mother and father he failed his Leaving Certificate he said, “my mum hit me with a stone and my dad hit me with a plank”.
He went to study animation but sadly he was expelled after his first year. However, that didn’t stop him, he went to work on the farm .
One day he decided to concentrate on writing scripts. He wrote scripts because it was all dialogue which he found easy to write. His first film was out in 2003 called, ‘Dead Bodies’, about a boy who kills his girlfriend - based on his friend who has an ugly girlfriend! His second film was out in 2005 called ‘Boy eats Girl’ about a mother who runs over her child.
Reported by Millie, Year 6, Sunnyfields Primary School
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