I can’t believe our Kuwait trip is already at an end and Kath and I are on our way back to the UK. The two weeks have passed so quickly, mainly due to the fact that we have enjoyed ourselves so much.

In all of the schools we visited the students and staff gave us a warm welcome; we have made so many friends and the number of fans of our scary books has grown enormously.

The Blog has over 400 comments on it, far too many for us to reply to personally, but please note that we have read them all and are so grateful for all the lovely things you have said about the books and my author presentation.

Anyhow…the good news is that we are already booked to return again next year, and this time with our son, Simon; he is our illustrator and an author himself. He is the creator of a spooky character called ‘Icky Doo Dah’ and you can check him out on his ‘cool’ website: www.ickydoodah.com

A final thank you to you all, from Kath and myself…we hope the nightmares won’t go on for too long and please check our progress on-line as we head off to the USA in a few days time.

All our love to our fans in Kuwait….Pete and Kath Murray

PS - Keep on singing into the hairbrush!

Werewolf boy takes revenge at NES

I suppose ‘Payback Time’ had to come sooner or later! I’ve caused so many nightmares in Kuwait, but now it was my turn to be the victim.

There I was innocently signing books at the New English School (NES), when out of nowhere a horrific howl sounded behind me. I turned and saw my worst nightmare… a werewolf…a boy werewolf…staring right into my eyes!  Was this Kuwait’s answer to the Moonwailer? I did the only thing I could think of to protect myself….I screamed for mercy and ran away!

The werwolf boy disappeared, but has since been seen lurking around the corridors of NES, hunting for food. Rumour has it that the beast has already taken one victim – a boy by the name of AbdulWahab; he has mysteriously disappeared and has not been seen for some time!

I can’t believe the trouble I’m causing in Kuwait!

First the weather turned bad…dark skies, thunder and lightning and heavy rain. Then the power went off in our hotel last night. Everyone had to sit in the dark and sip orange juice waiting for the staff to sort out the problem. Of course, I knew exactly what the problem was – my spooky characters were moving into position ready to cause nightmares. Dawn Demons were hiding themselves in dark corners and under beds, the Bonebreaker was preparing himself to strike at unsuspecting victims and the Moonwailer was lurking under the crescent moon, wailing his mourneful song!

The NES students are even afraid to go to the Marina Mall, convinced that they will fall asleep and find themselves alone and locked in when everyone else has gone home. But will they be alone…or will they be stalked by the Phantom of the Marina Mall? This is a story they are going to work on, surely giving them even more nightmares!

And so you see, everyone is afraid in Kuwait…and all thanks to me! I’m so sorry for causing all this trouble. I think I will have to go into hiding myself, before lots of angry parents come looking for me!

I’m so sorry! It always happens! Wherever I go with my scary books the spooky weather seems to follow me! I can’t believe that the skies went dark and it actually rained today on Kuwait’s day of leisure. Kath and I watched in amazement as hoards of people ran from the beach and huddled together to keep warm; strange winds whipped up and drove them to shelter.

In many ways it was just like being back in the UK and it prevented Kath and I from feeling homesick.

We took refuge in the French Cafe in the Marina Mall and warmed ourselves with yet another cappaccino. And then we were spotted by a group of girl fans from BSK. They were a little shy and sent their parents over with a piece of paper for me to sign. Don’t be afraid…if you see us out and about…come and say ‘Hello’ or give us a wave.

The comments on the Blog keep coming in. We love to hear from you, even though it seems most of you are now having nightmares. Keep in touch and watch this space…NES tomorrow…they’d better watch out!

BSK School: Looking out for the Bonebreaker

Another ‘Bonebreaking’ performance in front of a fantastic audience at BSK!

A packed theatre of older students from Years 6, 7 and 8 showed their energy and talents during a two hour performance. Acting skills were very evident, as was the enthusiasm and sense of humour of the audience. A group of Year 11′s joined in for a time, but unfortunately they were overcome with fear and had to make a quiet exit!

A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone at BSK from Kath and myself for making us feel so much at home. All of the students without exception have been a delight to meet and sign books for. Tomorrow is the turn of the older students to attend a book signing…I wonder how many of them will dare to get hold of the books and read them at night without taking time to look under the bed!

BEWARE all you BSK students…the nightmares are about to begin!!!

What an amazing start to our Kuwait tour!

Kath and I have been overwhelmed by the response of the amazing students at the Kuwait English School (KES) and the British School of Kuwait (BSK). Both schools gave us a fantastic welcome and the students went ‘crazy’ during the Bonebreaker presentation. They joined with great energy and enthusiasm and all of the students who acted on the stage with me showed immense talent with no ‘stage nerves’ whatsoever.

The book signings at KES are now complete and my right hand is worn out! But I really don’t mind. It was a real pleasure to chat to the students as I signed their books, and everyone of them proved extremely friendly and polite. It makes an author very proud to have so many friends who love their books and become big fans.

Oh well…I’m off with Kath now to the Marina Mall for a nice cappuccino and maybe one of those lovely cakes they have at the French cafe. I will rest my right hand as much as possible ready to sign more books at BSK tomorrow…and maybe later, have a swim in the hotel pool.  Oh dear…it’s a tough life being an author!

I would like to report a sensational start to my return visit to sunny Kuwait!

Whilst most Brits were lazing in their beds this Sunday morning, I was working hard entertaining around 360 year 3 and year 4 students at the wonderful Kuwait English School (KES). Having said that…it was an easy performance! The young audience sat for over an hour and a half and were extremely attentive. They joined in brilliantly and helped me bring the brutally entertaining Bonebreaker story to life. By the end of the presentation their imaginations were in over-drive and they seemed desperate to get hold of the Bonebreaker Trilogy. Tomorrow should be an eventful day – they will no doubt want to tell me about all of their nightmares, and then I shall be peforming again for their older brothers and sisters in years 5 and 6, many of these students already big Mokee Joe fans!

A big thank you to Anne Gurnett and all of her staff and pupils for getting our tour off to a brilliant start. Can’t wait to get back to KES tomorrow!  And finally, a special  thank you to young Lauren who wasted no time in commenting on my previous blog. It seems she and her sisters can’t wait to read the books!

Kath and I finally made it to Kuwait City and arrived in the early hours of this morning (Friday). We’ve checked into a nice hotel overlooking the marina and the sea. Lots of nice shops in nearby malls to keep Kath happy! Tomorrow, the Bonebreaker launches his attack on unsuspecting Kuwaiti students, beginning with a big audience at the Kuwaiti English School (KES) at around 12.30pm. It will probably be the first Viking attack in Kuwaiti history! Watch this space for results!