I started telling you last month about the book I'm writing at the moment, the one about a boy called Jake who lives on a remote island where there are no other kids (he thinks). The reason being that the only thing on the island is his parents' posh grown-ups-only guesthouse. Well, I've just finished the first draft and I'm now able to report some further developments.

1. The book now has a title – Adults Only. I know this is a slightly risky title for a children's book. There's a risk, for example, that people will think the book is only for adults. Or that it's only about adults. Or that only adults will like the bit where Jake takes a bunch of dentists on an Easter egg hunt. None of these is true of course, and I'm prepared to take the risk because I've discussed this with Jake and we agree that Adults Only is the right title for the story.

2. Jake now has a teddy bear called Crusher. You're possibly thinking Jake is a bit old for a teddy bear, and his mother would agree with you, but Crusher is not an average teddy. He's got tattoos, and a scar on his face, and he's pretty keen on the idea of tying certain people up and putting bags over their heads.

3. Jake has no windows in his bedroom. This isn't a hugely important part of the story, but it does mean that Jake can't see who's lurking outside his room in the middle of the night. At least he doesn't have to spend valuable story time cleaning windows or shopping for curtains.

At this stage at least. But there will be further developments. It's what happens to stories as authors try to make them as good as possible. Later this month I'm going to write another draft, so it is just possible that Jake will get bedroom windows. In fact there'll probably be a few changes before you finally get your hands on the book in July. Crusher might even take up ballet, though I'm not sure exactly how he'd do that because there aren't any tutus on the island. Anyway, I'll keep you informed.

Until next time, oo-roo and happy reading (and happy writing if you're doing another draft of something yourself),

11 March 2001