Finally, the one you’ve all been waiting for… The Spook’s Nightmare Limited Collector’s Edition is now available to pre-order on Amazon.

Here’s a sneak peek of the full cover:

Thanks to all the loyal fans who’ve been waiting for this!

For the UK entrants, we thought you might like to find out a little bit more about the Manchester Ghost Walk guide, Flecky Bennett…

Flecky Bennett lives in the underground tunnels under the streets of Manchester,
And on this special night he is going to rise to the surface for the selected few.
He will tell them stories of ghosts and the sinister side of his city.
Will he like the look of you!
Will he think you’re brave enough!
When the Town hall bell chimes the hour.
Your night belongs to Flecky…

Find out more about Flecky’s Manchester Ghost Walks…

We have had some brilliant entries so far in the competition. As lots of you who live outside the UK have shown such enthusiasm to enter, we have decided to add an additional category to find one overseas Spook’s Apprentice. The overseas winner will recieve a mystery Spooky prize instead of the Manchester Ghost Walk, and new Spook’s books for a year.

If you would like to enter the overseas competition, please submit your entry in the same way as the UK competition, and make sure to tell us which country you live in.

Good luck!

Today was organized by Tony, the manager of Pritchard’s Bookshop, Formby. I visited and gave talks and signings at three libraries: Maghull, Crosby and Birkdale. It was a chance to meet and thank librarians such as Leslie and Zoe who are great supporters of the series as well as readers who have read ‘Spooks Stories’ right from the very beginning. So I really enjoyed the day.

As you know you can email me directly on www.spooksworld.co.uk. I recently received an email from a librarian who wanted me to feature a librarian in my books to counter the usual stereotype. She wanted me to write about a young attractive fashionable librarian with green eyes! As you know I do not plan my books in much detail but use a big envelope into which I stuff pieces of paper, each with an idea that will feature in a future book. So I decided to use such a librarian in Book Nine (which I will start to write just before Christmas this year). Yes, the Spook and Tom will encounter her soon. Yesterday I met the librarian in question. Her name is Kirsty and her picture is featured here.

On tour with me is Linda, my international publicist, who actually lives in New Zealand and has flown to England to join me on ‘The Spook’s Nightmare Tour’. Here is a photo of us visiting one of the great sights of the Lancashire coastline – the ‘Iron Men’ sculptures which are positioned on the beach. Here you just see one but there are lots of them!

Best wishes,

Joseph Delaney

After two hectic days out selling books with dynamic Tony from Pritchards, Formby, today was very peaceful. I just had one event at the Blackpool Collegiate High School.

This proved to be very interesting because I shared the platform with another author, Jonathan Eaves, whose first book, ‘Rude Awakenings: A Tale of Terra Infirma’, was published this year. We were both returning to our old school. Joanathan attended as a pupil and I actually taught there. Not only that, I taught Jonathan for six whole weeks back in the 1980s!

After answering questions in the library’s ‘Starbooks Cafe’ we both gave a short talk to a mixture of pupils from different schools and some older students from ‘The Blackpool Sixth Form College’ where I also once taught. We tried to vary the usual Q and A session and started by asking each other questions (which had been devised by Jonathan).

Example Question: ‘If you were a politician, what cabinet position would you like and what single piece of legislation would you introduce?’

I replied that I would like to be the Minister responsible for overseeing the torture of witches. As for legislation I would stop swimming witches because it’s very unreliable (most sink and are believed innocent). I would make it compulsory to use the method of jabbing them with a bodkin to find the Fiend’s mark. But I would make sure that Quisitors were properly trained and they would be subject to regular appraisals and have their salaries linked to performance.

To that same question, Jonathan considered how hotel receptionists might be similarly regulated. It was funny and that is his strength. Whereas my books are dark and serious Jonathan’s are full of humour. If you Like Terry Pratchett you will like ‘Rude Awakenings’.

Best wishes,

Joseph Delaney.

To celebrate publication of The Spook’s Nightmare, the seventh book in the Spook’s series, we are running a competition to find seven Spook’s fans to become Spook’s Apprentices.

If you are chosen as one of the seven Apprentices, you will win a place for you, a friend and a parent/guardian to join Joseph Delaney on a spooky ghost tour of Manchester in October 2010. AND you’ll also win free copies of each new Spook’s book to be published until October 2011. But be prepared to show you’ve got what it takes, as we’ll be giving you some Spooky challenges along the way as well!

So, here’s how to enter…

Tell us, in no more than 500 words, why YOU should be chosen as a Spook’s Apprentice and what you would do to spread the word of the Spook.

For example, what have you done already that shows what a huge Spook’s fan you are? Perhaps you made a Spook’s cloak, or have created a video about one of the books. Or, if you were chosen as an Apprentice, would you perhaps set up a scary book club at your school, or arrange a Spooky Halloween sleepover?

Your entry may also include drawings, photographs and videos - so be as creative as you like!

To submit your entry, either write it as a comment in reply to this blog, or email spooksbooks@randomhouse.co.uk. (You can also submit supporting images via the same email address, if you choose to enter via the blog.)

The closing date for entries is 1st September 2010.

Read the full Terms & Conditions

Are you a huge fan of the Spook’s books?
Would you like to meet Joseph Delaney?
Are you brave enough to take on the challenge…
To become a 2010 Spook’s Apprentice?

To celebrate publication of The Spook’s Nightmare, the seventh book in the Spook’s series, we are running a competition to find seven Spook’s fans to become Spook’s Apprentices.

The seven winners will join Joseph for a Spooky tour in Lancashire.

WARNING: Be prepared to show you’ve got what it takes!

Find out how to enter here on 28th May 2010

The Spook’s Nightmare will be available in shops from May 27th.

“The Spook, Alice and I were crossing the Long Ridge on our way back to Chipenden, the three wolfhounds, Claw, Blood and Bone, barking excitedly at our heels………”

Little do they know what awaits them in the future. This is the stuff of nightmares. Will the Spook live to see the morning? Is his apprentice ready to face the dark alone?

“The moon went behind a cloud, plunging us into darkness, and all I could see was a pair of glowing red eyes. Then it bellowed loudly - a fearful cry that made the ground - and the very trees - shake. So terrifying was that cry that I was rooted to the spot, unable to move.”

The details of the ‘Spook’s Nightmare Tour’ are now being finalised. Here are some of the public events where I will be signing.

Wednesday 26th May
Pritchards Bookshop, Formby
For signing 4.30-5.30

Thursday 27th May
Pritchard’s Bookshop, Crosby shop
For signing 4.30 to 5.30

Saturday 29th May
Waterstones, Preston
12.30 to 1.30

Tuesday 1st June: LIBRARY DAY
Maghull Library 11-12
Crosby Library 1.30-2.30
Birkdale Library 4-5

Saturday 5th June
Bury Waterstone’s for signing.
13.00 – 15.00
Address: 4 Union Arcade, Bury BL9 0OF

Sunday 6th June
Waterstone’s Trafford Centre:
1.00pm
Address: 42 Regent Crescent, Trafford Centre, Barton Dock Road, Manchester M17 8AP

Friday 11th June
Derbyshire Literature Festival
6.30 – 8.30 Long Eaton Library, Tamworth road, Long Eaton, Derbyshire NG10 1JG - Public event

Sunday 13th June
1.00pm Public event – talk and signing at Harris Library
Address: Harris Library, Market Square, Preston Lancs PR1 2PP

Monday 14th June
Lancaster Cornmarket Waterstones
3.30pm – public signing

Saturday 19th June
Wigan Waterstone’s
10.00 – talk and signing
Address: 6 Grand Arcade, Wigan WN1 1 BH

Waterstone’s Bolton
3.30pm – public signing
Address: 32-36 Deansgate Bolton BL1 1BL

Please visit the sites to see additions to the above.

Best wishes,

Joseph Delaney

There have been several requests to see the witch’s hand…
so here it is!

On Thursday April 8th I flew from Manchester to Dublin to do a question and answer session at the Eason Book store in O’Connell Street. It was a panel event with Derek Landy, the writer of the ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ Series and William Hussey whose new book, ‘Witchfinder: Dawn of the Demontide’ has just been published. I have just read it and enjoyed his book very much. It’s the first in a series and I’ll certainly be reading the rest.

The event went well and was followed by a signing. It was a chance to talk to both existing and new readers. It was my second trip to Ireland as a writer and although I was only there one day (and it meant getting up two days running at 6am for the travel) it was well worth it.

My flight back was memorable because the staff at Eason gave each of the three writers a token to remember the event. Some token! It was a big witch’s hand on a pedestal. Bigger than a human hand, it has sharp claws and could do some serious damage in the grip of someone dangerous like Grimalkin. I only took cabin luggage with me and was nervous about getting it through airport security - It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘hand luggage’! When my bag went through the x-ray machine I half expected to be pulled to one side and accused of trying to smuggle a dangerous blue witch’s hand onto the plane!
But it got through without any trouble. No doubt that sort of thing goes through the machine all the time! Now it has pride of place next to my books in my living room. If I ever get time to tidy up my study it might be promoted to a position there. Did I say it was blue? In artificial light it looks green and out of the corner of my eye sometimes the fingers seem to twitch. I really like it.

I’d just like to remind everyone who’d like to come (and within travelling distance) that my next open event is at Garstang Library, Lancashire on Thursday April 22nd at 4pm.

Best wishes,

Joseph Delaney