MOUSE OF COMMONS. MOUSE OF LORDS.

MICE OF COMMONS AND VAMPIRE COWS!
FINALLY - TWO NEW BOOKS RELEASED!!

Hi! This is just a quick blog to let everyone know that as of Friday 1st July I have two new books alive and kicking and ready for you to read; one of them more relevant to this particular blog than the other - although there are poems and Mouse Of Commonsy cross-overs in both books.

The first of these new books is a the new Mouse Of Commons novel that I've been working on since Summer 2007. I'm am currently working on the sequel to this book, as well as completing a book of short stories written between 2007 and 2008. More information follows...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM
400 Pages

Paperback: £9.99
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/gladstone-mcwhiskers-and-the-counter-clockwise-conundrum/16123767

Hardback: £14.99
http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/gladstone-mcwhiskers-and-the-counter-clockwise-conundrum/16161476

Download: £4.99
http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/gladstone-mcwhiskers-and-the-counter-clockwise-conundrum/16123768

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM is the latest adventure featuring Gladstone McWhiskers, Mouse of Commons and Lords and his friends Oliver Louse, Shy Yeti, Granny Ernestina and Auntie Astrid. In this full length novel Charlie Grrr and Simon Yeti carry out a few unwise time travel experiments and end up unleashing the wrath of the legendary Bear Babok. Gladstone, Ollie and Astrid get sucked into some kind of time portal and end up in another century altogether. How will they get back and what time anomalies will their presence in the past cause to the future? This book also features a number of Auntie Astrid’s Agony Aunt columns, a photo gallery, a message from Gladstone himself and a short story about a cunning fox named Fleabag. This is the 11th Mouse Of Commons book - but can be read as part of or separately from the series.

The second of these two books is my THE VAMPIRE COWS OF SCUNTHORPE collection, which I have been posting pieces here and performing at shows since earlier this year. Over the next week or two expect another sampler - and I am also currently working on a SHY YETI ON LOCATION video called BEWARE THE VAMPIRE COWS which should be up soon.

Here's some more information about the book...

THE VAMPIRE COWS OF SCUNTHORPE AND OTHER DAFTNESSES...
304 Pages

Paperback: £8.99
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-vampire-cows-of-scunthorpe/16158464

Hardback: £13.99
http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/the-vampire-cows-of-scunthorpe/16161441

Download: £4.99
http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/the-vampire-cows-of-scunthorpe/16158465


Thanks again to everyone who has supported me lately and to all of you who buy either or both of these books; I hope you really enjoy them. Needless to say they've been very much part of my life of late and I'm extremely proud and happy with the finished book. Good 'ole http://www.lulu.com/! ;)

More soon!

Yeti hugs,

Paul xxx

Labels: "MOUSE OF COMMONS", "THE VAMPIRE COWS OF SCUNTHORPE", Gladstone McWhiskers, Mouse of Commons, poems, VERSE

posted by Paul Chandler @ 12:12 PM 0 Comments

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS 2010 AND 2011 YET TO COME...

Another year has gone by very quickly - but before I tell you a little about what I hope to achieve Mouse-ily during 2011 I'd like to review main highlights of The Mouse of Commons in 2010. 2010 was the 10th anniversary of the creation of Gladstone McWhiskers - in 2000 I wrote all of MOUSE OF COMMONS - MOUSE OF LORDS and a rough draft of the first 9 and a half chapters of MOUSE IN A BOTTLE. Although the book wasn't officially available until 2006, I still think of 2000 as the year all things Mousey began. In the end I perhaps didn't celebrate the anniversary in quite as big a way as I'd have liked to - the book launch that I held in July was originally going to be a bigger party in the Mouse's honour - but it was simply too hot that day to do too much.

That said we did achieve a couple of key successes - one of them that seemed especially timely to the early days of the series, but first...

POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS

2010 was the year that I put the finishing touches to the POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, a compilation of all the stories I originally posted on this blog between 2007 and 2008, along with a couple of Christmas stories and messages. This collection has a special affection for me as the three main stories were written on 3 lovely holidays that I had; one to Barcelona for my birthday in November 2007, one to Majorca in December 2007 and then another in October 2008 to a number of different locations in the Barcelona area. As well as the stories themselves there are a lot of photos from those trips that originally appeared in colour on the blog - so this is more than just an exciting collection of Mouse stories to me; it also brings back happy holiday memories! It was one of those books that I had brewing in the background and which only got the chance to be properly completed after GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER was completed in 2009. That said it took longer than expected to get all the proofing down and the photos laid out in the best way possible. Anyway! It's all done now and can be bought from the following links:

Paperback edition: £9.99
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/postcards-from-mcwhiskers/12463756

Hardback edition: 15.99
http://www.lulu.com/content/hardcover-book/postcards-from-mcwhiskers/9123871

VEGAS 2010

In December 2010 I was lucky enough to return to Las Vegas almost 10 years to the week that I made my first visit there in 2000. During my first trip I had quite a lot of free time and began work on the first 10 chapters of MOUSE IN A BOTTLE. I started a new job shortly afterwards and ended up moving onto a different project: MYSTIC BISCUITS during 2001 and so it wasn't until 2006, when I started using http://www.lulu.com/ that I returned to publish MOUSE OF COMMONS - MOUSE OF LORDS and then a little later the same year decided that I wanted to dig out the untyped first draft of MOUSE IN A BOTTLE and to finish the two and half chapters that I hadn't finished back in 2000. I made a second visit to Vegas in November 2003 for my birthday; but at the time had no inkling that I'd be returning to Gladstone's stories. Whilst in Vegas on this third visit I took the finished version of the book out with me for a photo shoot and recorded a short piece during one of my SHY YETI ON LOCATION series, the second part of A YETI BACK IN HOLLYWOOD where I talk about the book.

The link to this video on Youtube and Vimeo is:

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF4OlsOeqTY

Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/18238790

COMING IN 2011...

So what does 2011 hold in store? Well, to a certain extent that's a theoretical question - because I can never quite tell how long it's going to take to proofread a book and although I have a lot of books that are *almost* complete; there is still the proofreading to be done for even the nearest completed tome. As I've mentioned before I have about 2-3 books of short stories on the back-burner; but they need typing and proofing - so the most likely candidate for completion this year is definitely...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM...

This is the first novel that I have written about Gladstone and his team since I published GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS THROWS IT ALL AWAY in 2008, although from my point of view I never actually stopped. I began working on THE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM during 2007 and have been writing in fits and starts ever since. At any rate it is almost complete - I was hoping to finished the 12th and final Chapter over Christmas (I wrote Chapters 10 to 12-ish during 2010); but I didn't quite get there. At time of writing this post I am on the last scene with probably no more than a page or two to complete. Well, other than the proofreading; but hopefully I'll get that done reasonably quickly and the book will be ready by the autumn. We'll see. It's quite a big book, however - including a new short story, some Auntie Astrid agony aunt collumns and the usual batch of photos to illustrate the story. More on this project as I progress!

That's about it for now; thank you for you continued support! More soon!

Yeti hugs,

Paul xx

Labels: "MOUSE OF COMMONS", "SHY YETI", LAS VEGAS, LOS ANGELES, Paul Chandler, UNITED STATES

posted by Paul Chandler @ 10:37 AM 0 Comments

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS


This is the first of two Mouse-related posts over the next week or so; the second is a review of Mousey activities during 2010 and what is to come in 2011. But today we catch up with Gladstone McWhiskers, Mouse Of Commons and Lords himself to see how his year has been...

Q. Gladstone - how was your year? Did you take part in any of the 10th anniversary celebrations?

A. I kept a close eye on them, sure enough - but didn't actually attend anything in particular - at least if I did then nobody saw me? Being a mouse means having good qualifications for doing such things...

Q. Are you saying that you attended them in disguise?

A. That would be telling - but unlike my friend Charlie Grrr I don't actually enjoy too much undue attention; limelight just isn't my colour! At any rate - this is more an anniversary for Mr Chandler... After all it is ten years since he began writing about me; but no particular special anniversary for my self as far as being me is concerned.

Q. Have you read Paul's latest book - POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS?

A. Why, of course... But don't forget that I lived it before he wrote it!

Q. In a way he is your official biographer?

A. Well, absolutely... Although not just mine; which is why it is so much better - the stories are written after consultation with all of us. I am happy for the stories to be told - and I don't even mind that they are centred around me; but I wouldn't like them just to be about me alone. I like the big picture to be told and how everyone was involved...

Q. A good deal of POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS is set in Spain; have you been back recently?

A. Not recently... I think that perhaps I saw quite enough for a while after my various jaunts around Barcelona and Majorca.

Q. Can we expect any further stories set overseas?

A. Actually yes... There are two I can think of off the top of my head; I believe they will be novellas - they are stories from a little while ago that I told Paul about but which he has yet to complete work on...

Q. And where are they set?

A. One is set in Amsterdam and involves a rather horrific cheese that can do all sorts of untold damage and the other concerns an attempt by Charlie Grrr to stop Venice from sinking by using giant inflatable pies... But I'm afraid that I can't say any more about either of those for the moment.

Q. Are there many stories yet to see the light of day?

A. At least two books worth, I'd say - maybe even three - not to mention the next novel...

Q. We'll return to that in a moment... Two or three books, you say!? Any hints about what the stories involve?

A. I try to avoid spoilers - but I will say that one of them involves a gang of shelving-imps in the library, another involves the story of a fox called Fleabag and a third involves Charlie Grrr giving up pies!!

Q. A bear giving up pies! That's unbelievable...

A. Especially when it's Charlie!! That fellow lives and breathes pies...

Q. Going back to the next book; we believe it's called GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM... What is that all about?

A. To a certain extent it's about time-travel and also about how altering time can effect what we believe to be true about our everyday lives... It's probably the most complicated Mouse novel to date and has taken Paul since 2007 to get to the stage where it will hopefully be ready for publishing in 2011; I believe that Paul is working on the final few pages even as we speak... However it always takes quite a while to proofread; so it may well take until the autumn before anything is ready.

Q. Any other clues about what it involves?

A. Well, part of the story is set in the past and part of it is set in the present day - Ollie and I are back in the past, but are separated - and it's about how we attempt to be reunited; whilst back home some of our other friends are attempting to get us back whilst being involved in problems of their own. Charlie Grrr is also involved; as are a band of highwaymice...

Q. We believe this book may also involve a direct sequel?

A. Could be... Well, let's just say that this particular adventure was quite a problem and took far longer than most that I've been involved in - and yes, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the first book leaves matters on a bit of a cliffhanger which will eventually be resolved; but not immediately!

Q. May we ask how Oliver and Charlie are doing? Are they well...

A. In Oliver's case, yes - very well... Busy following me around, whilst dealing with his increasingly growing louse fan-club. Charlie I have seen less of; but he is always involved in some project or other - usually involving either pies or making money to buy pies.

Q. Finally, we believe that Paul returned to Vegas this month - where most of the first draft of MOUSE IN A BOTTLE was written back in 2000. Will there be photos?

A. I believe so, yes - there may even be one with this post... I believe he also recorded a video there which has a small section about the writing of this book - so watch this space - there is lots more to come in 2011 and beyond...

Q. Thank you for your time, Gladstone - may we wish you, your family and friends a very happy Christmas and a troublefree 2011.

A. Thank you! And the same to you... Although when you're Mouse of Commons and Lords trouble is never too far away! It's fine - we can cope with that - it's better than life being dull, after all!?

Thank you to Charlie Grrr's Pie-Star Agency for arranging this interview...

Labels: "MOUSE OF COMMONS", comedy, Gladstone McWhiskers, HUMOR, HUMOUR, MICE, Mouse of Commons

posted by Paul Chandler @ 9:28 AM 0 Comments

GLADSTONE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF MOUSINESS WITH A NEW BOOK!!!

Hi,

There's not been a lot of news lately in the world of Gladstone McWhiskers, however that is about to change with the launch of POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS...

The next book is a collection of Mouse of Commons serials and stories that first appeared on the Mouse of Commons blog between Autumn 2007 and Christmas 2009. Contains many photos from the overseas trips that originally inspired the stories.

Paperback edition: £9.99

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/postcards-from-mcwhiskers/12463756

Hardback edition: 15.99

http://www.lulu.com/content/hardcover-book/postcards-from-mcwhiskers/9123871

It is ten years since the first book was written - although it was not published on http://www.lulu.com/ until late 2005. The new book is certainly not the last we shall be seeing of Gladstone, Oliver, Charlie and Company - for I have a good three or four more books of short stories that need typing up; stories that were written between 2007 and 2009; not to mention the next Mouse novel GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM; which I am currently writing the last chapter of; although none of these books will be ready until 2011 now; as I got rather more distracted by poetry, video-making (poems and Sutton Park) and short story writing during 2010 than I expected to be.

I am hoping to end the year with the occasional Mouse of Commons-related interview; so watch this space! Thank you to everyone who has supported "The Mouse" over the years - I hope you'll enjoy the new book.

Happy Anniversary, Gladstone - may you rule on as Mouse of Commons for many more years!!

Yeti hugs,

Paul xx

Labels: Charlie Grrr, Gladstone McWhiskers, Mouse of Commons, Oliver Louse, Paul Chandler, www.lulu.com

posted by Paul Chandler @ 12:13 PM 0 Comments

A CHRISTMAS DAY INTERVIEW WITH GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS

Originally we were going to post up a new Mouse of Commons story called: GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE CHRISTMAS HAMPER, but at present Charlie Grrr is wearing it as a party hat, so we have been unable to type it up. Due to this slight hiccup I am proud to announce that we were able to catch up with The Mouse of Commons and Lords just minutes before he went into Westminster Abbey for the Midnight mass. Despite the snowy weather he seemed in good spirits and answered a few of the following 20 questions:

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE A FEW TYPOS - SORRY - BUT CHARLIE GRRR STOLE MY SPELL-CHECK!!

Mouse blog: Sir, how are you feeling? What does Christmas hold in store for you?

Gladstone: Well, hopefully I shall be spending it with friends and family - it is one of the few days that I can usually guarantee not to be in the office; although there is no telling what problems may lay ahead. There's always somebody out there who needs my help and if they happen to call on Christmas day then I shall do my very best to be there for them!

Mouse blog: Will the McWhiskers family being spending time with Oliver Louse and his family?

Gladstone: Well, both our families are grown up and with busy lives of their own. Mice families can be very big and perhaps they're also not as close as human families. It's probably true to say that many mice surround themselves with their own chosen family - and I am happy to confirm that Oliver and I will be spending Christmas together. Oliver is this Mouse's best friend - so I wouldn't be without him.

Mouse blog: What news of Charlie Grrr?

Gladstone: The last I heard he was extremely busy travelling around promoting his latest album - THIS BEAR'S THE BUSINESS... It's an album of Beargrrrian swing standards and I believe it's doing very well; it's certainly got constant rotation on my office CD player. That's partly because Charlie glued the lid down and I can't change the disk - but fair play; he's a clever bear... I'm sure I'll see him once he returns to the UK; he's like a furry kind of boomerang - he always comes back to me!

Mouse blog: Do you have any Christmas wishes?

Gladstone: Strong cheese... Strong cheese and world peace! But strong cheese is easily acquired; world peace I am working on - it's just a matter of getting Charlie Grrr to leave a home-made stink bomb in every government office in the world. They'll soon see sense...

Mouse blog: How do you feel about a potential change in human government in the new year?

Gladstone: Well, some politicians are better than others - some work closely with The Mouse of Commons office and some don't. It's their loss. Things in our office go on and aren't really effected by whoever is in number 10 - but they can make things easier. When times are hard the cheese is cheaper and it's a pain getting hold of decent stationery. But before you ask - I've never used public funds for any unwarranted purchases... We'll see what happens in the new year - if anything!

Mouse blog: Looking back across your adventures - you must agree that the sort of problems that you and your team have dealt with over the years are often a good deal more serious and important than the things that the human politicians deal with...

Gladstone: (laughing) I couldn't possibly comment. But yes. Yes - this is most definitely the case. We're pretty darn brilliant aren't we? And modest to boot.

Mouse blog: And your own position - do you have any causes that need championing in the new year?

Gladstone: There are always causes that need championing - and they do not always involve Charlie Grrr running out of pies. I'm aware that there are many badgers in this country that do not have a voice. I want to help them all I can. It's not that there can't speak for themselves normally; but there has been a shortage of cough drops for badgers this year and so sadly they've been rendered mute during the flu season. Things will change and I hope to be able to assist!

Above. So Gladstone did leave a mark on his visit to Krakow!

Mouse blog: Are there are personal goals you hope to accomplish?

Gladstone: We're back to strong cheese again, aren't we? I'm hoping to start a ginger beer producing plant in my back garden, if that counts. Otherwise, I would like to travel - I've recently been to Nice, Krakow and back in the summer I travelled from Munich to Vienna following the Danube and onto Budapest. These were all very nice trips - but nothing nasty occurred so you probably won't hear much about it. However, I would like to put together a diary of my travels one day - and in 2010 I am hoping to visit some new cities; although I'm not sure where, as yet. Before any environmentists out there jump to criticise I can assure you that I travel light and my beloved car, Marigold, runs on recycled beetroot and radishes. So we're all good to go...

Mouse blog: In 2010 it is 10 years since the author, Paul Chandler, began to write about your life - what does this mean to you?

Gladstone: It means a great deal... Paul doesn't just write about me - he writes about my family and my friends and is single-handedly responsible for helping to spread the word about the histories, policies and everyday life of The Mouse of Commons and Lords. I hope to continue working with him for many years to come... Still, he's quite a shy character and doesn't like people talking about him, so I really ought to stop. Next question.

Mouse blog: Do you know if Mr Chandler has plans to mark this anniversary year?

Gladstone: He does indeed. I believe he may be re-issuing the first novel - MOUSE OF COMMONS, MOUSE OF LORDS in an extended souvenir edition and there is also a new collection called POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, due out in the spring. I believe these are stories that have previously been published on this blog over the years. In addition to this I know he is working on a new novel called GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM which concerns a little incident that I happened to me and my friends some while ago. There are also a number of other short stories which he has to type - I'm not sure if he'll get it all done in 2010, to be honest. I'm sorry, Paul - we really must stop having so many adventures!!

Above. Mr Chandler - writer of the Mouse of Commons novels.

Mouse blog: What does Charlie make of the fact that you are now a star of novels as well as being a star of Westminster?

Gladstone: He's not best pleased!! Actually, no - he's okay with it... After all, it helps him promote all his albums and books and whatnot. He only dislikes the books that he's not in - like the first two novels and some of the other short stories.

Mouse blog: Can you confirm that all these stories are true? Did you really meet aliens made of cheese, for instance?

Gladstone: Yes, yes - all true. If anything Charlie Grrr's arrogance is toned down - as is my loveliness and Oliver's handsomeness. And again - my modesty... But yes, we did meet aliens made of cheese and very nasty they were too...

Mouse blog: So it is true that you effectively resigned a few years ago - as occurs in the novel GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS THROWS IT ALL AWAY?

Gladstone: Yes... Again... All these things occurred. I was going through a quite dark patch at the time. I was probably eating too much cheese late at night or something - but at any rate I definitely needed a break; but now I'm back - and have been for quite some time. 99.9999% of the time it is an absolute pleasure and privilege to be Mouse of Commons and Lords.

Mouse blog: Of all the adventures that you have so far been involved in which would be the most disturbing?

Gladstone: Well, there have been many unpleasant situations over the years - but it has to be said that I felt quite out of my comfort zone when encountering Augustus Grrr, Charlie's extremely unpleasant father. One always hopes that one has heard the last of him - but he usually shows up again at some stage... There is an update on this situation in the new collection: POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, by the way...

Mouse blog: Do you still hear from your friend Bell the haggis, who appears in a number of the books.

Gladstone: Yes, I do... He's currently working on a biography with my good friend: agony-aunt Auntie Astrid. He's still out there on the high seas travelling about and having adventures. He last appeared in one of the stories in GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER - but I can confirm that there are other stories, yet unpublished. One involves sea monsters and Charlie Grrr attempting to save Venice from sinking; it'll be out one day, I'm sure...

Mouse blog: Where do you hope to be for New Year's Eve this year?

Gladstone: In bed with a strong cheese - or failing that playing crib or snap with Oliver whilst talking through our plans for the new year...

Mouse blog: A couple of years ago we wrote on this blog of how Charlie Grrr almost stole Christmas - have measures been taken this year to ensure that this doesn't happen again?

Gladstone: We ensured that the bear has not been let into the country over the Christmas period... He's Beargrrria's problem this year! Let them deal with him... Sorry Charlie, we love you really!

Mouse blog: Is it true that the bear actually eats baubles and tinsel?

Gladstone: He does. And one year he even ate the fairy on the top of the tree and had a tummy ache all the way until Boxing Day because the fairy's wand had - erm - become lodged, let's say... The bear is a nightmare. A loveable nightmare, but a nightmare indeed.

Mouse blog: How do you stop Charlie actually eating all the Christmas dinner before you get to it?

Gladstone: Lock him in a cupboard... Well, no... That's not so easy to do - so I default to my previous response. This year he is Beargrrria's problem. Knowing my luck he'll be deported!!

Above. THAT bear is spending xmas in Beargrrria this year!

Mouse blog: Do you have any favourite albums or films that you turn to at this time of year?

Gladstone: Other than ones written by Charlie Grrr, do you mean? I love all of Charlie's work - I am contractually obliged to say that. Otherwise I tend to like anything which is either about cheese, made of cheese or stars cheese. Charlie's band: THE BEARTLES reformed this year and they re-recorded some of their songs with a more mousey vibe. I must say their version of LET IT BRIE is quite astounding. But for all the wrong reasons.

Mouse blog: Thank you, Gladstone - before you go into the service do you have anything to say to your fans.

Gladstone: I have two things actually - one is specifically to a gentleman called Lloyd, who I believe is spending Christmas in Ghana this year. I wish to thank him for all his kind letters and for his helpful support with a series of interviews that we are working on for the 10th anniversary. He is also one of the few people to have read almost everything that has ever been written about me and for this Paul and myself are most flattered and appreciative. To everyone else I would just like to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Decade... And please, whatever you do - do save any of your Christmas cheese and send it my way! We NEVER have enough - especially cheddar! I can eat that all day. Anyway, thank you everyone and, for now, I must bid you goodbye and work out which passage I am supposed to reading at the service tonight...

Mouse blog: Thank you again, Gladstone. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy and successful 2010...

...AND THE SAME TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE...

Thanks for reading and thanks for your support.

Yeti hugs,

Paul xx

PLEASE NOTE: ALL THE MOUSE OF COMMONS BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS INTERVIEW (AND MORE) CAN BE BOUGHT FROM: http://stores.lulu.com/shyyeti

Labels: Charlie Grrr, Gladstone McWhiskers, Mouse of Commons, Oliver Louse

posted by Paul Chandler @ 11:30 PM 0 Comments

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS: MOUSE OF COMMONS AND LORDS - AN UPDATE

Hi,

Apologies for there not being too many posts on this site this year, for those who have been following my poetry blog you will know that I have been busy with poetry this year - having completed three new collections, working on a compilation and another collection for early 2010; not to mention gigs, open mike nights and BLOGTV shows.

GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER, finally came out in June, after a slight delay and can be purchased for £9.99 from Lulu (or slightly more in hardback...)

A link to the paperback version is: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/gossip-from-the-cheese-counter/4051230


Anyway... What this post is really about is to flag up some developments in the next wave of Mouse books - also to show off the photo of the mouse above that I found on a wall in Krakow during a recent trip there for my birthday. 2010 is the 10th anniversary of the completion of MOUSE OF COMMONS - MOUSE OF LORDS, so as well as a possible anniversary edition of that book with new photos, cover etc - there are some other new books due. The first 10 chapters of MOUSE IN A BOTTLE were also originally drafted during 2000, so I may also release a special version of this - if there is enough to include.

The first of these, which I am currently putting together is a collection called POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, which is basically all of the stories that have been posted here on the blogsite, with additional photos - and this includes the last half dozen episodes of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION, which were never posted here. More on this book nearer its completion - which will hopefully be before the summer.

This week I have also returned to working on the next full-length Mouse Of Commons novel: GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM. This is the first novel since 2008s: GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS THROWS IT ALL AWAY and I have been working on it since late 2007 and am currently working on Chapter 10 (of 12 chapters...)I am seriously hoping that this will be ready during the latter part of 2010.


Beyond these two books I have a couple of other books of short stories - where the stories were written in draft form during 2007 and 2008, but have yet to be typed, reworked and proofed. It is probably unrealistic to expect these to be completed in 2010 too, but we shall see.

Needless to say there are many adventures yet to come - and then my plans beyond this is to write a sequel to THE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM as it is intended as part 1 of a two part series.

I think that's all the news that I have for now. More news in the new year, when I hope to able to give more information about the completion of POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS. Who knows... I may even come up with something to post around xmas... I'll just go and have a word with Gladstone and see what we can come up with! :)

Best furry yeti-tastic wishes,

More soon!

Paul xx

Labels: Gladstone McWhiskers, Mouse of Commons, POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS

posted by Paul Chandler @ 1:48 PM 0 Comments

A LITTLE MOUSE VIDEO AND THE BOOK LAUNCH!!

Hi,

It's my book launch tomorrow for my latest poetry books and also for GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER... (This is kind of the second time that it has been launched really, as it was also launched back in November 2008, when I thought it was going to be ready...) Anyway, it's out at last, but there are other blogs on this site about all that - I'm posting today about another matter...

ON my BLOGTV show tonight I read a little bit from GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER. My show is usually mostly just about poems - but I made an exception today, as I'm thinking about reading this particular piece at my next poetry gig.

The video below contains two poems, but the middle section is one of Auntie Astrid's agony aunt letters which appears at the end of GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER.

I hope you enjoy it! :)

Yeti hugs,

Paul xx


SHY YETI'S 16TH TEST - Broadcast your self LIVE

Labels: BLOGTV, Mouse of Commons

posted by Paul Chandler @ 12:23 AM 0 Comments

AT LAST - A NEW MOUSE OF COMMONS BOOK!!

Hi,

This is just to announce that the new Mouse of Commons book - GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER is finally available on Lulu.com

It was intended to come out in November, but there was some delay due to losing my excellent proofreader, Chris and also the amount of poetry work I've been doing in the last year or so. The next book I am working on is POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, a collection of the blog-stories set overseas; full of pictures from the trips and also the completion of the story partially posted on this blog late last year. I am also working on a new Mouse novel: GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE CONUNDRUM and have loads of short stories to type up for later short story collections. 2010 is 10 years since MOUSE OF COMMONS - MOUSE OF LORDS was written, so I'm hoping to think of something nice to do for that event; maybe some sort of picnic - we shall see...

Further details on GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER below:

GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER is the latest collection of Mouse of Commons stories about Gladstone McWhiskers and Oliver Louse. The adventures in this collection concern a long-lost cave-bunny unearthed in Green Park, a mysterious gem known as The Hypnotic Sultana, a sleep-walking haggis named Raul and a series of peculiar goings on during a TV show known as "The Hex Factor."

The book is 400 pages long, containing black and white photos taken by myself and is available in paperback and hardback.

You can buy the paperback version for £9.99 + p&p at the following link:

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/gossip-from-the-cheese-counter/4051230

You can buy the hardback version for £15.99 + p&p at the following link:

http://www.lulu.com/content/hardcover-book/gossip-from-the-cheese-counter/4051259

One thing to take on board when ordering hardback books on LULU is that it is better to order your hardback books as a separate purchase. Hardback books are printed in the States, whilst paperbacks are printed in the UK - making one order containing a hardback copy will rise the overall cost of postage. BASICALLY: ORDER YOUR HARDBACKS AS SEPARATE PURCHASES TO KEEP POSTAGE LOW!!!

More news soon - I may be doing a little section on each of the 4 stories in the new book, let's see how things go, shall we? :)

Take care,

Squeaky wishes,

Paul x

Labels: Charlie Grrr, Gladstone McWhiskers, GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER, Mouse of Commons, Paul Chandler

posted by Paul Chandler @ 10:58 AM 0 Comments

PART 8 of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

PICTURES TO FOLLOW!!!

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...
- PART 8

Welcome to the 8th part of our new internet-exclusive, 15 part, mini-adventure by Paul Chandler, once again set in Spain, which is a sequel to GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL and GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA. Although the story refers back to some elements from the previous two stories it can be read on its own and detailed below is a brief summary of the events of the two stories so far. The three stories will be published, along with other stories from this site, in a collection called POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, due in Spring/Summer 2009.

The story so far…

During a visit to Barcelona; Gladstone, Oliver and Charlie meet a cat waiter called Claud and embark on a pie-crawl around the city. During their adventures they stumble on secret goings-on under a pie factory and discover a map that leads them to The Lost City Of Bearcelona - which just happens to be somewhere on the island of Majorca. The only person who can understand the map is Charlie's father Augustus; who is imprisoned inside a cocoon where he can't cause any further trouble. He isn't dead - and yet he isn't really alive in any proper sense; although he is able to communicate with Charlie psychically and during their visit to Barcelona he escapes and Charlie and he fall through a portal that may or may not lead to the lost city… The portal closes behind them and there is no sign of them for months. This new story takes place almost a year later and nothing has been heard from either Charlie or Augustus…

So far this adventure: Oliver Louse and Laura Dust-mite have trailed Gladstone McWhiskers to Barcelona where there have been sightings of Charlie up in the mountains near Alquézar… Meanwhile, Charlie is safe and sound, but stuck in another dimension in "The Lost City of Bearcelona", which is rather smaller than expected; he and Augustus are at loggerheads - but Charlie has decided that he will escape - one way or another and manages to get a pie with a HELP message on it, through the barrier…

The Other Dimension: The Lost "City" of Bearcelona...

To be honest, seeing the tourists in the “city” had been both a blessing and a curse for Charlie – there was simply no denying it…

In some ways it had made him sad and cross that he was still imprisoned, but in other ways it gave him hope and the ambition to keep searching for a way out. The fact that the tourists had arrived and then left again also gave him the hope that, as long as he could find the portal again – that he could probably get out that way too…

Well, surely – it had to be possible!?

It took him a long time to work out if there was any science behind the opening of the portals and whether they appeared at any regular time or place. Pretty much the answer seemed to be a resounding NO!! – but it was possible, over time, to work a potential pattern of when the opportunity would present itself and although no more strangers like the French tourists found their way in he did often stumble upon the same familiar shimmering lights that he’d seen in the mountain town of Valldemossa in Majorca, where they had first fallen into the portal.

But always too late…

His activities did not go unnoticed by his father – who kept appearing on the hillside outside the monastery watching him busying himself down in the town through binoculars. At first Charlie had wondered whether Augustus was somehow able to control the portal activity – but he seemed almost as intrigued by the whole phenomena as Charlie, himself, was. That said the bear’s father seemed to be quite content living in the tiny Lost City of Bearcelona; unlike his celebearity, show-business, show-off offspring.

On the other hand he didn’t seem keen on the idea of Charlie attempting to make his escape – although he seemed to know more about the whole matter than Charlie did.

“You won’t be able to escape, son… You can only get in that way – you can’t get out!”

“Nonsense…” Charlie refuted, he had been stalking around the “city” square all afternoon and hadn’t noticed his father approach; he’d not seen him close up in months and it was strange to think that the young-ish looking bear who stood opposite him and who looked no older than him was his father – this was due to all the life-forces that he had drained from innocent London theatre-goers some time ago now. “Nonsense!” Charlie repeated. “Not so long ago we had visitors here – a bus load of French tourists – they came in through the portal and then quite quickly they left again…”

Augustus grinned at hearing this and patted his stomach. “Yes…” he beamed. “They came and they went; they went well with a nice three-bean salad and some steam-cooked rice, I should say…” he added and then licked his lips.

"I don't believe you, father... You're making it up..."

"I'm jolly well not..." Augustus sneered. "They were a little bit chewy, it has to be said - but the older ones made decent pies and the younger ones the meat just fell right off the bones... I have the skeletons to prove it back in my basement if you really want to see!"

"No thank you!" Charlie spat back, in disgust. "So if you really saw them, where is their vehicle? I don't see it standing around anywhere?" he challenged.

“Oh! That old thing... Well, the bus eventually ran out of gas – didn’t you see me riding around on it – you are unobservant, Charlie. Still – it didn’t go to waste; once the fuel ran out I simply took it apart and made a nice croissant-baking machine out of the remains…” Charlie wasn’t sure if what his father was saying was true, but the bear had more to say. “You should get used to staying here – one day the portals will close for good – believe me – I know these things; for you own well being – if you find a portal whatever you do don’t try and go through it because it will kill you! Nothing can travel through from the other side and survive…”

However, once he’d been told this Charlie say it as a challenge in itself, of course – and that night he returned home and began to bake. He baked pies with warnings spelt out in on the crust in large, chunky, capital letter pastry; messages that pleaded for help…

Messages that he hoped he could throw through the portal, that would somehow reach the outside world…

FROM NEXT WEEK GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION WILL BE POSTED TWICE-WEEKLY: ON TUESDAY AND THURSDAY - UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE…

PART 9 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION WILL BE POSTED ON THIS SITE ON TUESDAY 9TH DECEMBER…

This instalment of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION was originally written in Bierge, Spain on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th October 2008.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

We continue to explore “The Lost City of Bearcelona…” in photos…

PICTURES TO FOLLOW!!!

Story, Text and Photos copyright – Paul Chandler, 2008.

Labels: BARCELONA, Charlie Grrr, Claud, fiction, Gladstone McWhiskers, HUMOR, HUMOUR, Laura Dust-mite, Mouse of Commons, Oliver Louse, SPAIN

posted by Paul Chandler @ 8:51 AM 0 Comments

PART 7 of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...
- PART 7

Welcome to the 7th part of our new internet-exclusive, 15 part, mini-adventure by Paul Chandler, once again set in Spain, which is a sequel to GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL and GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA. Although the story refers back to some elements from the previous two stories it can be read on its own and detailed below is a brief summary of the events of the two stories so far. The three stories will be published, along with other stories from this site, in a collection called POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, due in Spring/Summer 2009.

The story so far…

During a visit to Barcelona; Gladstone, Oliver and Charlie meet a cat waiter called Claud and embark on a pie-crawl around the city. During their adventures they stumble on secret goings-on under a pie factory and discover a map that leads them to The Lost City Of Bearcelona - which just happens to be somewhere on the island of Majorca. The only person who can understand the map is Charlie's father Augustus; who is imprisoned inside a cocoon where he can't cause any further trouble. He isn't dead - and yet he isn't really alive in any proper sense; although he is able to communicate with Charlie psychically and during their visit to Barcelona he escapes and Charlie and he fall through a portal that may or may not lead to the lost city… The portal closes behind them and there is no sign of them for months. This new story takes place almost a year later and nothing has been heard from either Charlie or Augustus…

So far this adventure: Oliver Louse and Laura Dust-mite have trailed Gladstone McWhiskers to Barcelona where there have been sightings of Charlie up in the mountains near Alquézar… On their arrival they can hear the bear howling, but haven't yet seen him. Meanwhile, Charlie is safe and sound, but stuck in another dimension in "The Lost City of Bearcelona", which is rather smaller than expected; he and Augustus are at loggerheads - but Charlie has decided that he will escape - one way or another…

Alquézar, Spain

It wasn’t only Oliver and Laura who heard the unmistakable growl of Charlie Grrr echoing through the streets of Alquézar – but also Gladstone and Claud…

“That’s him! That’s Charlie!” exclaimed the mouse; but this was quite an obvious statement and, of course, Claud knew it too – for their was no mistaking Charlie’s growl – to be honest it wasn’t the sort of sound that locals in obscure Spanish towns were used to hearing; they were used to hearing local cats like Claud doing their daily singing practice – but not to hearing the cry of the lone Beargrrrian bear…

“Does he sound like he’s in pain?” Claud asked Gladstone as they hurried on through the twisty, turny streets of Alquézar. “I wasn’t sure, to be honest…” he admitted.

“No… I don’t think so… That wasn’t a cry of pain – it’s, well – it’s more like a cry to grab someone’s attention…” Gladstone explained. “The sort of call he uses to gain waiters attention in restaurants when he wants another gravy boat or when he’s at home and would quite like another pie, but can’t be bothered to get off his fat behind to fetch it himself…” he added affectionately.

“I have a nasty feeling we’ve missed him; I must have miscalculated Gladstone, I’m sorry…” Claud apologized; but Glad didn’t reply and just encouraged the cat to keep leading them on their way. “The good thing is, at least, that we’ve definitely heard him tonight – so these appearances are definitely genuine and they’ve been occurring increasingly of late too, Gladstone…” he added hopefully. “We can stay here a couple of nights and next time be sure we’re in the right place at the right time…”

All of a sudden Gladstone stopped still and, at first, Claud thought it was because he’d smelt the gorgeous aroma of a local risotto dish that was wafting around the streets from a nearby restaurant; but it wasn’t food that the mouse had detected, but something else – he was staring back the way they had just come as if he had seen something there lurking in the shadows.

"Hello..." he called. "Hello!? Charlie..."

But nothing responded and as they both stared into the darkness Claud wandered if it was just Gladstone's imagination or whether it really was the same beary phantom that the locals of Alquézar had recently been reporting. The more they stared into the shadows the less it looked like there was anything there – for Claud couldn’t see anyone at all.

“What was it, Gladstone?” he hissed, reluctant to speak aloud, for the moment seemed so tense.

“Something – nothing…” the mouse replied rather cryptically, making no sense at all as he walked on ahead – out into a courtyard which looked down to the valley below; but which was dwarfed by a large church on a rock ledge above them.

Claud seemed to recognise the square, but was a little nervous for a group of locals was watching them from a balcony above and seemed quite disapproving of their arrival. It had been much the same when they had been in Majorca and the last thing they needed was trouble from local humans, cats, mouse or any resident animal. Taking a breath to calm himself, Claud cast an eye around the square again and then explained himself.

“This is where I was expecting to see the vision of Charlie tonight…” he explained, but seemed quite confused about something. “I don’t understand it – we’re not late; at least not by our calculations – and we’re in the place where I expected the appearance to occur…”

“Well – either the calculations are wrong – or maybe it’s yet to happen…” Gladstone suggested, but Claud didn’t look too convinced.

“But we heard his growl…”

“Could he have crossed between dimensions?”

“Perhaps – but in that case where is he?!”

“WHERE exactly!!”

Both Gladstone and Claud stood beneath the shadow of the cliff and watched; listening – it was then they both saw it – there on the tarmac before them – a pie and in it were carved four words that sent a chill through them both:

HELP ME!! TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!!

THERE WILL NOW BE A DELAY OF APPROXIMATELY A MONTH BEFORE THE RETURN OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION WHILST I HEAD TO OSLO FOR MY BIRTHDAY TRIP TO BEGIN WORK ON GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE NORSE KNITTING GNOMES, WHICH WILL APPEAR IN A MOUSE OF COMMONS BOOK NEAR YOU SOMETIME SOON… I AM ALSO BUSY PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES TO THE NEXT MOUSE BOOK OF NOVELLAS: GOSSIP FROM THE CHEESE COUNTER AND WILL BE HAVING A BOOK LAUNCH FOR THAT; AS WELL AS APPEARING ON THE RADIO WITH GLADSTONE AND WORKING HARD ON THE NEXT POETRY COLLECTION. TO SEE WHAT I GET UP TO DURING NOVEMBER PLEASE CHECK THE 100TH POST OF MY POETRY BLOG AT: www.thedaffypoet.blogspot.com SEE YOU ALL SOON!!*

THE MOUSE OF COMMONS WILL RETURN FOR PART 8 OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKES AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION ON THURSDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2008!!!

This installment of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION was originally written in Bierge, Spain on Tuesday 14th October 2008.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

In this post we continue to look around Alquézar - to see what lies in store within the shadows… Next episode we return to "The Lost City of Bearcelona" to see more of the sights and sounds in that neck of the woods...

Story, text and photos - copyright, Paul Chandler, 2008.

Labels: BARCELONA, Charlie Grrr, Claud, fiction, Gladstone McWhiskers, HUMOR, HUMOUR, Laura Dust-mite, Mouse of Commons, Oliver Louse, SPAIN

posted by Paul Chandler @ 1:58 PM 0 Comments

PART 6 of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...
- PART 6

Welcome to the 6th part of our new internet-exclusive, 15 part, mini-adventure by Paul Chandler, once again set in Spain, which is a sequel to GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE PHANTOM PIE-CRAWL and GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE LOST CITY OF BEARCELONA. Although the story refers back to some elements from the previous two stories it can be read on its own and detailed below is a brief summary of the events of the two stories so far. The three stories will be published, along with other stories from this site, in a collection called POSTCARDS FROM MCWHISKERS, due in Spring/Summer 2009.

The story so far…

During a visit to Barcelona; Gladstone, Oliver and Charlie meet a cat waiter called Claud and embark on a pie-crawl around the city. During their adventures they stumble on secret goings-on under a pie factory and discover a map that leads them to The Lost City Of Bearcelona - which just happens to be somewhere on the island of Majorca. The only person who can understand the map is Charlie's father Augustus; who is imprisoned inside a cocoon where he can't cause any further trouble. He isn't dead - and yet he isn't really alive in any proper sense; although he is able to communicate with Charlie psychically and during their visit to Barcelona he escapes and Charlie and he fall through a portal that may or may not lead to the lost city… The portal closes behind them and there is no sign of them for months. This new story takes place almost a year later and nothing has been heard from either Charlie or Augustus…

So far this adventure: Oliver Louse and Laura Dust-mite have trailed Gladstone McWhiskers to Barcelona where there have been sightings of Charlie up in the mountains near Alquézar… Meanwhile, Charlie is safe and sound, but stuck in "The Lost City of Bearcelona", which is rather smaller than expected; he and Augustus are at loggerheads - but Charlie has decided that he must escape - he would rather be dead than trapped in the lost city with only his father for company… Meanwhile, back in Alquézar, Charlie's growl can be heard echoing around the streets…

But meanwhile - back in the other dimension...

The Other Dimension, Somewhen...

Make no mistake about it; Charlie Grrr had done his very best to escape his new prison within the ever-so slightly small “Lost City of Bearcelona...”

There was the slight problem that the “City” would not let him leave...

If you stood from the balcony of the apartment or up on Augustus’s side of the village by the monastery looking out across the countryside you could see fields and trees, roads and what might even have been further settlements up amongst the mountains in the distance.

You could see all these things; but it seemed you could never reach them; it was as if they were lost behind a thin veil of haze. The weather was still bright, but there was a definite film that seemed to hang over everything; a blur – as if the world beyond their town was somehow out of focus...

Charlie had done his best to find a way out beyond the lost “city”, but as he reached the outskirts one of a number of things happened; he felt sleepy and fell asleep in the road, he smelt pies and had to return – once he saw an enormous ball of parmesan rolling in the opposite direction and had to chase it back into the village. When he finally caught up with it; it wasn’t half the size that he’d first imagined it to be – but it still made a nice addition to his dinner that night. There had been one occasion where he had deliberately drink 20 espresso coffees before he went out; this kept him awake and he had taken provisions of pies so as not to be distracted.

But he’d still not been able to find a way out – in fact he’d gotten so far and then had, quite literally, hit an invisible barrier and could simply go no further...

“This is RIDICULOUS!!” he complained to the reflection in his bedroom mirror; the only other beary face that there was for him to speak to, other than his evil father. “RIDICULOUS!!!”

The mirror seemed to echo his words in agreement and so this only helped to fuel Charlie’s anger and encourage him to prolong it…

“Not only is it RIDICULOUS!!” he declared. “But it is ALSO MORONIC and FOOLISH and plain UNFAIR… I am an actorrrr and a creative bear overall and I not only NEED but CRAVE an audience and that audience CRAVES and NEEDS me back… It’s a two-way relationship here and that’s been snatched away from people. The world back home must be mourning the loss of my amazing beary talent…” he observed and then turned back to the mirror to see what its opinion was; only to be quite shocked by the sight of his own reflection sitting in an armchair, eating a large pasty with his earphones on; head swaying gently to whatever growly music its was listening to and paying absolutely no attention whatsoever to Charlie.“Well, I never!!” exclaimed the bear indignantly, before striding off furiously to try and find some other object to complain to.

He’d tried venting his fury at a milk bottle only that morning – but all his bile and grumbling had only resulted in his turning the milk off; it hadn’t even turned to cheese – it had just gone bitter and unusable…

Life was hard for a bear like Charlie in the Lost City of Bearcelona…

For what seemed like months Charlie had lived this dull and boring life and hadn’t known what to do. He’d begun to wonder if Augustus had actually left him there and found his own way out; but then, occasionally, Charlie would spot his father chasing the large ball of camembert around around the town square with a stick; or sometimes vice versa…

…And then some hope for the future had come in the form a mini-bus of French tourists…

At first when Charlie had seen them he wondered if perhaps this was the “city’s” way of telling him that it had run out of cheese and break and chorizo and pies and belly button fluff tea – but that a coach load of French tourists would probably do just as nicely…

Except that they all looked pretty old and wrinkly and Charlie had made a pact with himself years ago never to eat humans; because he knew far too many of them in the entertainment business; that and he had also heard that they were flavourless and as tough as old boots…

What he did want to ask them though was how they had gotten through the portal into the “lost city”; for the only thing that he could think of was that the portal must have reopened and the tourists had accidentally driven straight through, which possibly meant that he could escape out the same way.

Now Charlie’s French wasn’t great, but he did his best as he approached their mini-bus; smiling and waving pleasantly and even holding out the remains of a chocolate cake that he’d been eating as an offer of friendship.

Unfortunately Charlie’s plans didn’t go so well – in fact the tourists all started screaming and began throwing onions and fresh croissants at him – which was actually a nice thing for the bear and by the time he’d cleared up the mess that they had left, they had driven away…

He never saw them again after that…

But although he had lost his potential audience – Charlie had not lost his hope of escape…

He no longer wished he was dead – he felt alive and excited by the possibilities of life again.

“I WILL GET OUT…” he declared to the hills and house of the lost city. “I WILL ESCAPE…”

…And this time there was no doubt in his mind…

Charlie Grrr would escape. End of story.

Erm… We’re talking metaphorically here, obviously! It’s not really the end of the story…

So, will Charlie escape? Is there some hidden way out that the bear has yet to find? Next episode we return to Alquézar to discover what Oliver, Laura, Claud and Gladstone are up to…

NEXT WEEK GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION WILL BE POSTED ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY – AS I AM HEADING TO OSLO TO RESEARCH A NEW MOUSE SERIAL TO BE POSTED IN DECEMBER ON THIS SITE. THE FOLLOWING WEEK EPISODES WILL BE POSTED TUESDAY AND THURSDAYS AND HOPEFULLY THIS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE END OF THE CURRENT SERIAL - UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE…

SO TUNE IN AGAIN, ON TUESDAY 4th NOVEMBER FOR PART 7 OF THIS ADVENTURE!!

This instalment of GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION was originally written in Bierge, Spain on Monday 13th – Tuesday 14th October 2008.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF GLADSTONE MCWHISKERS AND THE HULLABALOO DIMENSION...

In this post we continue to look around "The Lost City of Bearcelona” – which, in reality, is made up of quite a fair few towns that Dr Neph and I visited during our trip; most notably Bierge, Rodellar and Peratallada, Next episode we return to Alquézar to see more of that area…


Story, text and photos - copyright, Paul Chandler, 2008.

Labels: BARCELONA, Charlie Grrr, Claud, fiction, Gladstone McWhiskers, HUMOR, HUMOUR, Laura Dust-mite, Mouse of Commons, Oliver Louse, SPAIN

posted by Paul Chandler @ 2:30 PM 0 Comments