Sorry I'm late this month, but I've been flat out finishing a new book. It's called Boy Overboard and it's the story of a kid called Jamal who's crazy about soccer. I really enjoyed writing the soccer bits of the book because I'm crazy about soccer too.

I haven't played for years on account of having what my doctor calls a writer's body (strong fingers, weak everything else), but I love watching it on TV, even though the team I've supported since I was a kid, Charlton Athletic, are the heartbreakers of the English Premier League.

Jamal has a few soccer problems too. He plays a lot, but it's pretty risky because his country is full of landmines and when you go and fetch the ball after scoring a goal you have to be really careful where you tread. Also, some powerful people there want to kill his parents, so Jamal and his family have to leave their country fast. They decide to try and get to Australia, where they've heard life is fairly safe and the people are very friendly. It's a long and dangerous journey, and Jamal and his sister Bibi hope their soccer skills will be enough to help them survive.

I was exaggerating slightly when I said I'd finished Boy Overboard. I've finished the latest draft, but I've still got a few weeks of polishing and correcting to do before it's published in August. I'll tell you more about it when it really is finished.

After a hard day's writing I like to relax and read the emails people have sent me. I've had some good ones over the past few weeks and you can read them in my Visitor's Book. If yours isn't there, don't think I didn't read it because I did. I read them all with pleasure (even the ones telling me which are my worst books).

Until next time, oo-roo and happy reading

13 May 2002