Phoenix

Lucky thinks he's an ordinary Human boy.  But one night, he dreams that the stars are singing – and wakes to find an uncontrollable power rising inside him.

Now he's on the run, racing through space, searching for answers.  In a galaxy at war, where Humans and Aliens are deadly enemies, the only people who can help him are an Alien starship crew – and an Alien warrior girl, with neon needles in her hair...

An IBBY Honour Book, representing the UK on the International Honour List
Shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award
Nominated for both the CILIP Carnegie Medal & the Kate Greenaway Medal
Winner of the Warwickshire Secondary Schools Book Of The Year Award
Winner of the Haringey Children's Book Award


Click here to see UK buying options
Click here to see USA & Canada buying options
"Phoenix is brilliant – a total pageturner" – Jacqueline Wilson
"Dazzlingly illustrated... Ambitious, multi-layered, action-packed adventure that will appeal to both boys and girls...  stunning and uplifting" – The Guardian
"Not only does it break new territory – epic space adventures are, after all, not in abundance on the children’s shelf – but it is layered with depth and meaning right from the get go. A touching, meaningful story for children and adults alike" – Interzone

"Fierily poetic on a galactic scale... totally transporting" – Metro 
"I loved this space quest of a story. It has great worldbuilding, sparkling characters and a thrilling plot...  Hats off to SF Said for this fabulous tale. And to Dave McKean, for giving the magnificence and the glory of the galaxy such awe-inspiring artwork" – The Bookbag 
"A powerful story of great scope and ambition, from an expert storyteller" – The Independent On Sunday  
"Fabulous, high-octane stuff, with an uplifting ending, stunningly illustrated by the brilliant McKean" – The Daily Mail  
"I can’t recommend this enough. A remarkable adventure story for any age" – Dorkshelf

"A must-read.  My son couldn't put it down!" – RJ Palacio, author of Wonder 
"Big, bold, beautiful. Great to read aloud.  A wonder to hold in your hand" – Frank Cottrell Boyce 

188 comments:

Harry said...

we desperately need to know if there will be a second phoenix book, please say!

SF Said said...

Hello Harry, thank you so much for your comment! At the moment, I don't think there will be a second Phoenix book. The way the story ends, it's hard for me to imagine where it would go next!

But I am writing another science fiction story; right now I'm on the third draft. The working title of this one is TYGER, and I think it might end up being even better than Phoenix when it's finished! I hope you'll look out for it when it eventually comes out.

Ivan said...

Dear SF Said
What will be the next your book?
What will it be?
How will it be called?

SF Said said...

Hi Ivan, thank you for your questions! The next book after Phoenix will be the one I'm working on now. The working title is TYGER. I'm not sure when it will be finished; I'm on the 3rd draft at the moment, and have been writing it for about a year... I'll post an update if I have any big news about it!

Ivan said...

Thanks for the answer please tell me what is this book?
what plot?

SF Said said...

My stories always change a lot over the course of the writing, and as I'm only on the 3rd draft, I can't say much about it yet! All I can say at this point is that it's a kind of science fiction/fantasy story; and the title TYGER takes its inspiration from the William Blake poem.

Anonymous said...

Dear S.F SAID,
I ADORE you're books especially PHOENIX, TYGER sounds great and believe me, I'm gonna get it as soon as it comes out !!! I think PHOENIX is your best book because it makes you feel sad, happy, doubtful and loads more emotions and I believe a book should make you feel that way!
When you came to our school you left a big impact on everybody and left people feeling completely.... STARSTRUCK!!!!!!
From Anonymous!

SF Said said...

Thank you for leaving me such a fantastic comment - it really made my day! I'm so glad you liked Phoenix; I agree with what you say about emotions, and it means a lot to hear that Phoenix made you feel all those things. I definitely felt all of them when I was writing it!

I really enjoyed visiting your school, and will be making a blog about it soon. And I hope it won't be too long before TYGER is finished - but I'll keep going for as many drafts as it takes!

Thanks again!
SF

Anonymous said...

Hello Mr. Said

Do you know when Phoenix will be available in the US. We can't wait to read it but our Amazon has it for $47 right now. We are big fans of the Varjak books.

Talia and Greg

SF Said said...

Dear Talia and Greg,

Thank you so much for your kind comment! At the moment, Phoenix has yet to find a US publisher. I hope that we will find one soon, but so far, we've been hearing discouraging things from them.

Are in touch with any other Varjak fans in the US at all? It would be wonderful if readers could make it clear to publishers in some way that there would be a market for Phoenix out there...

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Dear SF Said
SF Said im a big fan of your books i've read every single one accept for phoniex.But there is one question that is always banging my head what does happen to sally bones the gang leader?Does she die?Does she come back and fighting even harder?If she does come back can you make her die at the end of the book a really painful death with a lot of gor and stuff (if you do a third varjack paw.)(BTW you came to my school friars primary school my names beverly i have an hotmail if you want to contact me its called beverlyzouzoua@hotmail.com

SF Said said...

Dear Beverly,

Thank you very much for your comment! I love it when I read a book and then continue thinking about it long after I've finished it, so it really means a lot to hear that you're still thinking about Sally Bones. I will definitely do a third Varjak book one day - I wrote a bit about my idea for it here.

In the meantime, I hope you'll give Phoenix a go, even though it's not a Varjak Paw book. I'm still thinking about it, even though I finished writing it more than a year ago!

With best wishes,
SF

Unknown said...

Hi sf said your books are outstanding

SF Said said...

Hi Yvan, thank you so much! I wish I could write them faster, but my aim is always to make each one as outstanding as possible, and that always takes time... It's hard work – but it definitely feels worth it when I hear comments like that!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

hi sf said im shola from beckford primary school i love your book outlaw varjack paw its so nice how varjack paw makes all these friends on the way and meets jalal in all his dreams and learns different skills and now im reading pheonix its so sad how lucky's mother diesit makes me so eye opened and now ive got all your books

yours sincerely shola-marie

SF Said said...

Dear Shola-Marie,

Thank you so much for your kind comment! I'm really glad you enjoyed the Varjak Paw books; and I'm even more glad that you're also enjoying Phoenix! I agree that there are definitely sad things in it, but I think there are also good and hopeful things too... Lucky makes friends, just like Varjak does, and learns a lot along the way... Please let me know what you think when you get to the end!

Happy reading - and please say hi to everyone at Beckford Primary for me!
SF

Anonymous said...

Hi Sf said,
Hi I'm Lily and I am very grateful for you visiting St Joseph's and sighing my book.
I hope that your new book Tyger is coming along and not to many drafts left until the final copy! Thank you for say go your dreams because it has made he think that if you want something you should go for it!
Best wishes Lily Maud O'Connor

Anonymous said...

Hi S.F SAID
my name is Kelechi ,
Thank you for visiting our school St Joseph's you have really inspired me by saying what ever you write GO for it you've helped me and thank you for the autograph (I'M STILL HAPPY) And good luck writing Tyger
best wishes kelechi Abel Okoli

SF Said said...

Dear Lily,

Thank you so much for your lovely comment! Tyger is coming along well, but I've come to accept that it will take as long as it takes, so it could be a while yet... hopefully not 7 years this time, though! Good luck going for your dreams!

All the best,
SF

SF Said said...

Dear Kelechi,

Thank you so much for your fantastic comment – it was inspiring for me to meet such great readers! Good luck with your writing, and with all your dreams!

All the best,
SF

Anonymous said...

Hey Sf, you may or may not remember me but when you visited my school in Newton Aycliffe you inspired me to write a book about my favourite things and I did just that sent me your email and i will send you it. Thank you for the inspiration. By the way I am on my 500th run through on phoenix. I love it so much.

SF Said said...

Hello! Thank you so much for your kind comment - I have great memories of visiting Newton Aycliffe. I'm really glad to hear you're still enjoying Phoenix, and it's great to hear you've been writing! Perhaps the best thing would be if you could pass your writing on to Mrs. Laing or one of your other teachers, and then they could forward it to me.

Thanks so much again, and best of luck with your writing!
SF

Ayah said...

Here is my Phoenix review - Ayah Year 4B Wix Primary School

Lucky, a curious orphan boy with an incredibly adventurous spirit living on Planet Phoenix is all set to go out on a thrilling and memorable experience in space. He thinks he is an ordinary living boy with little self-confidence; however, he’s more than that. He soon discovers an uncontrollable power bursting inside of him.
He is heading on a journey filled with both excitement and hazard, where humans and strange aliens are both deadly enemies. He is searching for solutions to end this long-lasting conflict, helped by an unusual alien warrior girl. By working together, these two people must, even though they are from different species, find a way to help save the galaxy. Together, they can save the whole universe from danger! Will they succeed in this, or will the whole galaxy face a catastrophic war… forever?

I absolutely adore this fascinating novel because it is filled with both excitement and adventure all in one book. I’m not particularly interested in space and astronomy and generally non-fiction subjects. However, this book intrigued me to start reading about the atmosphere and solar system. My favourite character from this imaginative tale is the warrior girl Bixa: she is a wonderful reliable friend, always there to help, even though she IS bossy at times!

The lesson I learnt from Phoenix is that you should be confident and positive: always believe in yourself because in the end you can be successful if you persevere. I truly recommend this book for any reader looking for adventure and inspiration. Hopefully there will be a forthcoming book about Lucky and the new peaceful life between humans and aliens that he worked so hard for!

SF Said said...

Dear Ayah,

Wow! That is an amazing and brilliantly written review - thank you so much! I love what you say about Phoenix, especially the fact that you started reading about the atmosphere and the solar system because of it. And I have to admit, I love Bixa too, even though as you say she is bossy at times!

By the way, do you know about the weRead Book Award? If you like, you can ask your teacher to submit this review to them, and they'll publish it on their site! The deadline is very soon, though - I think it's this Friday. Here's the link, with the explanation of how to do it: http://www.weread.org.uk/takepart/

Thank you so much again, I really appreciate it! And please say hello to everyone at Wix for me – I still have happy memories of my visit!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Dear Sf Said,
yesterday i went to a local bookshop and looked around but i couldn't find the book i wanted so i asked the manager. He looked and looked at last he found the book i wanted i bought it. It is called Phoenix and it was by you. I started reading it yesterday it is great so far. And it is very detailed. Best wishes Isobel

SF Said said...

Dear Isobel,

Thank you so much for finding a copy of Phoenix, and thank you for letting me know! I hope you enjoy reading about Lucky's adventures among the stars...

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

you came to my school cheetham community school and guess what I have actually started to write a story

Anonymous said...

you are my inspiration

SF Said said...

That is so exciting to hear! Well done, and keep writing! I've done a few writing tips on this blog which you might find useful; the first one is here.

I really enjoyed the visit to Cheetham – it was inspiring for me to meet such great readers. Please give my best wishes to everyone, and thank you all for the fantastic welcome!

SF Said said...

Thank you, that is an amazing thing for a writer to be told. My readers are my inspiration, so thank you for leaving me such a wonderful comment!

Anonymous said...

hi SF Said
I believe that all of your books are amazing and phoenix is my all time favourite I loved the dramatic death of his mother because just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine what's your next book called. I believe that your that best author of all time keep doing what you do :)

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your amazing comment! I think Phoenix is my best book so far, so it really means a lot to me to hear things like that from my readers.

I hope that I will keep getting better as a writer, though. The book I'm working on right now is called TYGER, and when it's finished, I think it will be a big step up on Phoenix. I've been working on it for 2 years so far; I'm not sure how much longer it will take, but hopefully less than the 7 years that Phoenix took me!

Anonymous said...

Phoenix is the next book that I'll be reading at a book club and I'm looking forward to read it. From all the comments I think you are the best writer that I've heard of. And also for the comments this book is very intresting. Also in year 4 at my school we all read Varjak Paw together.

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your kind comment – it really means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy reading Phoenix, and flying among the stars with Lucky and Bixa. Please let me know what you think when you've finished it!

TYRESSE said...

Hello

Your book phoenix is AMAZING! I love the amazing vocabulary in the book, i was really into that book, it caught my attention! 10/10 i rate it, ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! looking forward to the next part (if we get to read in in miss gunn stokes or mr halls class ��) THE MOST WONDERFUL, AMAZING, EYE-CATCHING, EMOTIONAL BOOK. P.s when lucky dreams about the stars calling him, it reminds me of varjak paw, when he dreams about Jalal! VERY EXCELLENT! best author ever

TYRESSE said...

Hi, tyresse again

Will you write another varjak paw book? If you are, i got a good title for it:

THE RETURN OF VARJAK PAW!

From tyresse

SF Said said...

Hello Tyresse,

Thank you so much for that AMAZING comment – it really means a lot to me! I'm glad you're enjoying Phoenix. It was a very emotional book for me to write, so it's good to hear that it's emotional to read as well! And I think you're right about the dreams; Lucky's dreams definitely remind me of Varjak's dreams, too.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Hi again Tyresse,

I'm planning to write one more Varjak Paw book, one day. I wrote a little bit about my idea for it here.

And I have to say, The Return Of Varjak Paw is a very good title! I might just use that - thank you so much for the suggestion!

Keep the Way alive,
SF

tyressemusic@gmail.com said...

Hello, tyresse again

Will you be visiting new north academy school again this year

Best wishes
Tyresse

SF Said said...

Dear Tyresse,

Thanks for your message. I've been talking with the school about visiting again, so I hope it will happen this year – I really enjoyed visiting last year!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Hi Mr Said,
I was looking for new book in our local bookshop and the lady at the desk recommended Phoenix. I'm really glad she did because I think this book is great and look forward to reading Tyger. I loved the way Dave McKean illustrated it in a dark, eerie way because it was like having two stories going on at once. I reckon it was well worth the seven years of writing but I hope Tyger doesn't take that long because i can't wait. No pressure!😁. Ben aged 10.

SF Said said...

Hi Ben,

Thank you so much for that fantastic comment – reactions like that make the seven years of writing feel worthwhile! I'm so glad your bookshop recommended Phoenix, and I'm even more glad that you enjoyed it!

I hope Tyger won't take as long, too – I'm about 2 1/2 years into it at the moment, and I definitely feel I'm further along than I was 2 1/2 years into Phoenix, or Varjak Paw. I'll be posting about it here whenever I finish it, so come back from time to time and see where I've got to!

With best wishes,
SF

suryaa said...

I just read a little bit of phoenix which i'm on chapter 3. it is amazing.and good luck for tyge. i can't wait until it comes out!

SF Said said...

Dear Suryaa,

Thank you so much for your kind comment about Phoenix! I'm really glad you're enjoying it so far. Please let me know how the rest of it goes!

And I will do my best to finish TYGER as quickly as I can - hopefully less than 7 years this time!

With best wishes,
SF

Tawny Class said...

Good afternoon Mr. Said,

This is a message from Tawny Class at St.David's Primary Academy (Moreton-in-Marsh). Firstly, we would like to congratulate you for being selected for the prestigious IBBY Honour list, we all hope you win!
We have just finished Chapter 10 and are loving it! We are intrigued to see where the story will take us. Some of us think that Lucky and Bixa may fall in love, others predict that the Axxa will betray Lucky!
The fantastic description combined with the immense tension and beautiful illustration has made this an unforgettable read.
We are all eager to see this on the 'Big Screen' - do you think this is something that could happen?

Thank-you for writing such an EPIC book, we wish you the best for the IBBY Honour list and your upcoming book (can't wait to read it).

Tawny Class.

Anonymous said...

Can you make a 2nd book of phoniex =]]

SF Said said...

Dear Tawny Class,

Thank you so much for your fantastic message! I'm so glad that you're enjoying Phoenix, and I love your theories about what might happen next in the story. Please let me know what you think as it develops, and as you fly through the stars with Lucky and Bixa...

I would love to see a film of Phoenix one day, and it's definitely possible. Dave McKean's amazing book trailer gives you some of idea of how brilliant it would be! But it's very hard to get a film made, so realistically, it could be a while.

And thank you so much about the IBBY Honour List! Just to clarify, there are no further stages to it – the list is the thing itself. Each country selects books to go on the list, and Phoenix has been selected for the UK. So it's an amazing honour to see it there!

With thanks again, and very best wishes,
SF Said

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for the lovely comment! At the moment, I don't have any plans to write another Phoenix book, but I am writing a book that I think will be even better one day! The working title is TYGER, and I think it might well be the first book in a trilogy. I can't say much about it just yet, but here's a blog I made that mentions it.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon Mr. Said,

We were excited to read your reply. We were about to tuck into another chapter of Phoneix, when one of our students wondered whether you had replied. Thank-you so much for the response.

We are delighted to hear that 'Phoneix: The Movie' could be a possibility in the future (there are plenty of children here that would relish to be a part of that project!).

Some of us were wondering if we could have a Skype chat in the future? We have many questions about the book that we would love to ask you.

Congratulations once more on the IBBY Honour List! We must jet off to discover what happens to Lucky...he's just killed three Axxa Pirates!

Tawny Class

Anonymous said...

hi jemima here from tawny class. I just wanted to say how intruiging your book is. we just finished reading the part were you find out bixa ad her crew are just like us but with firey eyes. I can't beleive hoe flabagastingly amazing your book is!! Mr.Spicer (our teacher) and the whole class were hoping you could skype us we have LOADS of questions to ask. If you don't please reply to my comment.

from jemima

PS. my favourite characters are lucky and bixa

SF Said said...

Dear Tawny Class,

Thank you so much again! It's great to hear about your reading experiences as you travel through the galaxy.

I'm not very comfortable with Skype, I'm afraid, but I do love visiting schools and meeting readers in real life! If you'd like to discuss arranging a school visit, just leave me an email address and I'll send you all the information.

With thanks again, and very best wishes,
SF Said

SF Said said...

Dear Jemima,

Thank you so much for your amazing comment! It really means a lot to me to hear things like that from readers. I'm so glad that you're enjoying Phoenix. It took me seven years to write the book, but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear things like that!

With best wishes,
SF Said

Anonymous said...

Hi SF said I love your book Phoenix hope your next book is going to be good

SF Said said...

Hi there, and thank you so much for the kind words about Phoenix! Who were your favourite characters in the book?

I hope my next book is going to be good too! I've been working on it for 3 years now, but it still has a way to go. Phoenix took 7 years in the end, but I hope it won't be as long as that this time! The working title is TYGER, inspired by William Blake's poem, which I wrote a bit about in this blog post.

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

sorry that I had to write on here but I couldn't find where to write.what will tiger be about

SF Said said...

Hi there,

I can't say too much about TYGER at the moment, as I'm still working away on it and my books always change a lot as I work on them! But I made a blog post that talks a bit about one of its inspirations - William Blake's poem The Tyger - on this page.

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

I recently read Phoenix in my school and my reading roup broke out saying theories and conspiracies about being a movie and a sequel. Will there be? I hope there is, even a book series/animation will be awesome. The sci-fi equivalent to Harry Potter.

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your great comment! I'm really glad you enjoyed reading Phoenix. I hope there will be a movie of it one day. There is some interest in a possible movie at the moment, but nothing definite as yet. I'll certainly make an announcement about it here and on Twitter if it progresses!

With best wishes,
SF Said

Anonymous said...

Dear SF Said,
Will there be a graphic novel for phoenix? By the way the book was AMAZING!!! 10/10
from Yanis

SF Said said...

Dear Yanis,

Thank you so much for your amazing 10/10! That really means a lot to me.

There are no plans at the moment for a graphic novel of Phoenix, but I feel that Dave McKean's incredible illustrations in the book make it almost a graphic novel already! Have you seen his book trailer for it?

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Your book was brilliant! It was one of the books recommended by our English teacher. My brother read Phoenix and said it was a gripping novel. He and my father enjoyed the book trailer as well.
From Yanis

SF Said said...

That's amazing to hear, thank you so much for letting me know! Please thank your English teacher from me for recommending Phoenix - it means a lot to know that a teacher has recommended it. And please thank your brother and your father for their kind words too!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

hi mr said i read ur book and it was 13 points and i read it in 2 days and i loved it i recommended it to so many people and they loved it!!!!!!1

SF Said said...

Thank you so much! I think it's fantastic that you read Phoenix in 2 days - and thank you for recommending it to other people too, that really means a lot to me!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

dear mr said
im such a fan and i love all your books and my teacher told me to read phenoix and i said no im reading varjack paw but then she told me its by sf said i gasped and screamed in shock i was so happy to read the book and when i saw it. it was soo thick i was glad of three things:
1. the outlaw of varjack paw was finishing
2. its by YOU!
2.it was so thick and i was happy because it would take me a long time to read it and plzzzzzz do part 2 of phenonix thx!!!!!!!1
from your biggest fan ever

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your amazing comment! It really means a lot to me to hear things like that about my books. And I'm really glad you enjoyed Phoenix too!

I'm not planning to do another Phoenix book, but I am working on a new trilogy at the moment. The working title is TYGER and I wrote a bit about it in this blog post. I hope you'll look out for it when it's published!

With best wishes,
SF Said

Anonymous said...

Dear SF said
Hi this is Izzie from Whaplode church of england primary school . recently we have whached your amazing trailer for the Phoenix and it looks amazing . I can't wait to start reading it . Thank you for making varjak paw 1,2 they were the best books ever I could not put them down!! Who is your favourite character in phoenix ?

Your sincerely
Izzie may McNamara ��

SF Said said...

Dear Izzie,

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed the Phoenix book trailer. It's hard for me to pick just one character in Phoenix, but two of my favourites are Lucky, the human boy who dreams about the stars, and Bixa, the alien girl who he meets in space...

Happy reading!
SF

Millie Chettleborough said...

Dear SF Said
You probably don't remember but you visited my school (Chadlington) and I purchased all you books (not disappointed!). I am reading Phoenix for the 21st time this week. Bit annoying since I haven't been doing anything else because my nose seems to be permanently glued to the pages! I am considering being a writer when I am older! (right after being: the first lady docter who, zoologist, explorer, charity worker or actress!)

Keep writing,

Millie

SF Said said...

Dear Millie,

Thank you so much for your lovely message! Of course I remember you - I'm not going to forget the first lady Dr Who in a hurry!

I'm so glad you've enjoyed my books, and I'm amazed and honoured that you've read Phoenix 21 times. Who's your favourite character, and what's your favourite bit?

It's great to hear that you're considering being a writer. I made a blog all about writing, with some background on how I wrote Phoenix. Here's the link to that blog - I hope you find it helpful, or at least interesting!

With best wishes,
SF

Millie Chettleborough said...

Dear SF Said,

Thank you so much for the link to the blog. Extremely helpful and really helped me with something new I've been working on. It is called The Realm. Here is a brief blurb:

'When I upon your Mother she was near death. She deserved to die!'

Nicky had always been an outsider. Her father left her to an orphanage visiting her every year to threaten her against everything. The Earth only has one year to live before the sun collapses. On a visit to the Rollright Stones Nicky is forgotten and left there. In the rising of the new moon Nicky must uncover legends, fight for her life, find a safe house, open portals… or be destroyed!

What do you think? My favourite character in Phoenix is Bixa because she really puts the boys in their places (if you know what I mean) and does all she can to be brave and courageous even in the most extreme circumstances. My favourite part in the book is when Lucky finds out he is related to Theobroma! It's a bit heartbreaking when he wants Lucky to die for him to win the war! Thanks again for the link.

Happy writing,
Millie

SF Said said...

Dear Millie,

Wow! Thank you so much for that - I think The Realm sounds fantastic. You should definitely keep writing. Have you ever read any Alan Garner books? Your blurb reminds me a little of the kind of things he writes. He was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s; not so well known now, but I think you might like him...

And thank you for the thoughts on Phoenix. I totally agree with what you say about Lucky and Theobroma - it is heartbreaking, isn't it? And I love what you say about Bixa! She's probably my favourite character too. In a way, I think the book ends up being her story. You think it's Lucky's story all the way through, but finally, it ends with her point of view – which was not the case on the first draft, or even the tenth!

Happy writing too!
SF

Millie Chettleborough said...

Dear SF Said,

Thanks for the recommendation. I haven't read any Alan Garner… do you have any specific books you would recommend? I am on my fourth draft for The Realm. I am thinking of adding Aliens living in the centre of the Earth? How many drafts do you think a story needs? Are you going to be writing any new books? Please say yes!

Thanks
Millie

SF Said said...

Dear Millie,

I think I'd start with Alan Garner's first book, The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen, and see what you think. He's one of those writers who developed as he went on. So I'd start at the beginning, and if you like it, then carry on in order of publication.

You may not like it at all, of course! It's probably dated quite badly - it was written in 1960. But it started a wave of really interesting books with a mythical/magical/otherworldly element - not just his own, but also books by writers like Susan Cooper (The Dark Is Rising sequence) and Ursula Le Guin (The Earthsea books) - who I think you might also enjoy... they were certainly big influences on me!

As for drafts - every writer is different. Some need more than others. But all of us do more than one. All you can do is keep working on it until it's the very best you can possibly make it; until it's exactly what you would most want to read yourself. And I think it will be worth it, because you have some brilliant ideas.

And thank you so much for asking about my new books! Yes, I'm writing one right now - or possibly three! It's a trilogy called TYGER. I wrote about it in this blog post - have a look and see what you think...

All the best,
SF

Millie Chettleborough said...

Dear SF Said,
The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen is great! I finished reading it and now I am moving onto his next book. Tyger sounds great. When do you think you will be publishing it? I will be first in line to get it! Does it have anything to do with the Tyger poem by William Blake? I have started illustrating for my pieces of writing but I am still not sure how to put it up to publishing standards... Is there a book explains it?

Many thanks,
Millie

P.S Why do you publish your books under the name 'SF' and not your first name? I know other authors do it (like J.K Rowling) but why?

SF Said said...

Dear Millie,

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen! I hope you enjoy The Moon Of Gomrath too - it's a sequel, so it follows on straight away. I think it might be even better than the first one, but let me know what you think when you've had a chance to read it.

Thank you for saying that Tyger sounds great and that you'd like to read it - that means a lot! I honestly don't know when it will be ready to publish, but my agent wants to see something this summer, so hopefully it won't be too much longer. And yes, William Blake's Tyger poem is one of the inspirations. I can't say too much about it, but I did write a blog post about Blake which might have a couple of hints - this is the link if you want to read it.

It's really interesting to hear that you're illustrating your writing. Blake did that too - he was one of the first to do it. I don't know if there's a book that explains how to do it - I know almost nothing about illustration, only writing! But I think it would be a great thing to do, as illustration always adds something to a story. So maybe it's worth asking an art teacher or artist about it?

And finally, I use initials because my name is Arabic, and very hard to pronounce if you can't speak Arabic! So initials just seemed easier for me. But it's true that a lot of other writers do it too - JK Rowling, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien - I'm not sure why. Maybe it just looks sort of writerly?

Good luck with your writing, and your illustrations - it sounds to me like your books are going to be brilliant!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

I am such a big fan i love all of your books like phoenix the outlaw varjack paw their all amazing i hope you make more books.

Anonymous said...

I REALLY LIKE YOUR BOOKS AND I HOPE THAT YOU WRITE MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS

Anonymous said...

i really like your book phoenix i hope you do lots and lots of other books

Anonymous said...

Hello I love Your books their amazing

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Said, i rally like your books and when i started to Pheonix i couldn't put it down! r u going to write a sequel to Pheonix?

Anonymous said...

I love your book so you should make a Phoenix 2.
#FREETHEBROS#BLESSED

Anonymous said...

Hey SF Said, your book Phoenix is amazing and it makes you just keep reading. Its so amazing that you just cant stop reading and cant put the book away. Its very adventurous and I have recommended it to all my friends and family!

Anonymous said...

Hi i'm Zaki and so far Phoenix is one of my favourite books ever! But why did you change books completeley from Varjak Paw to Phoenix?

Regards,Zaki

Anonymous said...

Hi I am Raad I like your book Phoenix a lot I don"t know how you can think of this this book is one of the best book I ever read

from raad

Anonymous said...

hi i really love reading the book phoenix you have to tell you tube when you get your new book out please. plus when reading it its so intense and interesting
thank you

Anonymous said...

hi I'm Ruqayyah i love the book Phoenix and my question is when is the second Phoenix coming out P.S your a really really really great author.

Anonymous said...

Hello Sf. Said, your book Phoenix is amazing! Your ideas for this book is very interesting, I just cant put the book down! It leaves a cliffhanger after every chapter. Where did you get the idea for this book? Also why did you choose this idea? This would be interesting! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

sf said, i wish i could have my own copy of Phoenix to keep as i have been reading it up to chapter thirteen and think it is fantastic!What inspired you to become an author and write Phoenix?

Anonymous said...

Hello MR SF Said your book Phoenix has inspired me to write a book called Phoneme its an adventure book and a guy called Linx its an interesting book and Phoenix is a really shocking and really cool book hope you make more awesome books so it can inspire kids in the future enjoy {: plus how did you get the idea for a space book and a boy called lucky and a moon called Phoenix?

Anonymous said...

Dear SF Said, me and my class have been reading Phoenix and its amazing, everyone loves it. We are on chapter 13 so far and we are excited to know what happens next, we even made pictures like the illustrations from the book.

Anonymous said...

dear SF Said,

hi!My name is Sahar and at school we are reading Phoenix, right now we are on chapter 13 and so far me and our class are loving this book!I have been wondering how on earth did you get all these ideas from?!you are the best author ever.

Anonymous said...

hi, i love your book phoenix. right now i am on chapter thirteen. where did you get the idea for phoenix?

Anonymous said...

Dear SF Said,
I am reading Phoenix at school and I think you are a very good author.The description in your book makes me want to read more,you have really inspired me to write my own book at home. I really love how you leave a cliffhanger about the wolf after every chapter. How did you get the inspiration to write this wonderful book? We are so interested in your book(Phoenix)that we've got up to chapter 13! I can't wait to know what happens to Lucky...

From Andrea

Anonymous said...

Hi,I loved your book Phoenix.I would rate it 10 out of 10!!!!

Anonymous said...

Dear sf said,

I have really enjoyed reading Phoenix because it's really thrilling and creative! My teacher has put on very funny voices and has mad it interesting for my class, it has been so intriguing that we'v got up to chapter 13! I have love your cliff hangers about the wolf and I think they all link up as a story, do they? I have been wondering, how long have you been an author and how did you get such good ideas for your story? But what I really want know is what happens to Lucky...

From Hannah

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Said,
In school we have been reading your intriguing book Phoenix ,I really love the way you finish your amazing chapters with the wolfs and the brilliant illustrations by David McKean . So far we are in chapter 13 ,once you pick up the book you simply can't put it down until you've read all of it. What made you want to give Lucky the power of a star? , why did you want Lucky's mother to die? and why did you want Lucky's father to be in the army at war? (YOUR BOOK IS AMAZING)

by Shehzil

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Said,
Reading Phoenix at school has made it much more fun and enjoyable. When our teacher reads it to us everyone listens so well so we can hear every bit of your amazing book. We all moan when our teacher stops reading at the end of the school day because your book is so interesting and we want to find out more about the story. Your descriptions are so great and will help me in my own writing! Now we are on chapter 13 and i am so exited to discover what happens to Lucky after he faints. Its so interesting how Lucky is just an awkward boy and then as the story goes on he somehow has the power of the stars. I've got so many questions like, how did Lucky's Mum learn the Astral Martial Arts?Why did Lucky's Mum trust the aliens? When does Lucky learn how to control his awesome power?What do the pictures at the end of the chapters mean?Who is the wolf? I love Phoenix and hopefully i will read your other books!

SF Said said...

That's an amazing thing to hear - thank you so much for giving Phoenix such a high mark!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for this amazing comment - it really means a huge amount to me to hear reactions like this to Phoenix. I'm so glad that you and your class are enjoying it, and that it's even helping you with your own writing!

And thank you for your questions. I think if you carry on reading, all of them will be answered eventually!

With best wishes,
SF Said

SF Said said...

Dear Hannah,

Thank you so much for your message! It sounds like you have a brilliant teacher, so please thank them for me too!

To answer your questions, I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember, but the first book I had published was Varjak Paw, which came out in 2003. I think you can get ideas for a story anywhere and everywhere! But as for what happens to Lucky... I think you're just going to have to keep reading to find out!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Dear Shehzil,

Thank you so much for your amazing message! I'm really glad you're enjoying Phoenix, and I'm especially glad you like Dave McKean's illustrations, because I love them too!

Thank you for your questions as well. It's not so much that I wanted any of those things to happen; it's more that they were vital parts of the story, and once I found them, they had to be there, whether I liked them or not.

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you very much! I don't have plans to do another Phoenix book at the moment, but you never know...

In the meantime, if you want to know what I am currently working on, here's a link to a blog post about my new book TYGER!

SF Said said...

Dear Andrea,

Thank you so much for your message - I'm really glad to hear you're enjoying Phoenix, and that you're writing your own book at home!

The inspiration for Phoenix came from many different places. Here's a link to a blog post where I wrote about some of them.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your message - it's amazing to hear that you and your class are enjoying Phoenix so much! And it's even more amazing to hear that you made pictures like Dave McKean's brilliant illustrations! I hope you enjoy the rest of the book - keep reading!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Dear Raad,

Thank you so much for your amazing message! Phoenix took me 7 years to write, but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear a reaction like that.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Dear Sahar,

Thank you so much for your wonderful message - it's great to hear that you and your class are loving Phoenix! I wrote a little bit about where I get my ideas from in this blog post - I hope you find it interesting.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much, it's great to hear that you're enjoying Phoenix! I wrote a little bit about where I get my ideas in this blog post - I hope you will find it interesting.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your amazing comment! I'm really glad you enjoyed Phoenix and that it inspired you to write Phoneme, which sounds fantastic!

To answer your questions, I wrote a little bit about where I get my ideas from, and how I write my books, in this blog post - I hope you'll find it interesting and helpful!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Dear Zaki,

Thank you so much for your message - I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed Phoenix! After I wrote The Outlaw Varjak Paw, I wanted to write something different, something on a much bigger and more ambitious scale. I was thinking about stories I love myself, like Star Wars, which take place over a whole galaxy. So that's why Phoenix ended up as it did!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much! I am working on a new trilogy at the moment called TYGER - here's a link to a blog post I made where you can read more about it.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your message! I think authors are really just readers who decide to write the stories they want to read themselves. I wrote a little bit about this in a blog post that I hope you'll find interesting.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your message - I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying Phoenix. I love stories with cliffhangers myself, so I'm especially glad to hear that you're enjoying all of them too!

I wrote about some of the inspirations behind Phoenix in this blog post - I hope you'll find it interesting.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much! There are definitely more books on the way. At the moment, I'm working on a new trilogy called TYGER - if you want to know more, have a look at this blog post!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Hi Ruqayyah, thank you for your wonderful comment! At the moment, I don't have any plans for another Phoenix book, but I am working on something that I think will be even better one day! It's a trilogy called TYGER - I wrote a little bit about it in this blog post if you'd like to know more.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much, it's great to hear that you're enjoying Phoenix so much! At the moment, I'm not planning to write a sequel, but I am working on a new trilogy called TYGER. Here's a link to a blog where you can read more about it if you'd like to know more.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

What a lovely comment - thank you so much! It really means a lot that you've been recommending Phoenix to all your friends and family. The book took me 7 years to write, but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear a reaction like that!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much, I'm really glad to hear you're enjoying Phoenix. And don't worry, I will definitely tell the world when my next book comes out! Here's a link to a blog I made about it, if you'd like to know more.

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much, that's a wonderful thing for a writer to hear! I don't find writing easy, and each book has taken me a long time to write, but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear a reaction like that.

Here's a link to a blog I made about TYGER: the new book I'm writing right now!

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your amazing comment!

Anonymous said...

reading phoenix from my library has been very enjoyable and exiting thanks for making it

Unknown said...

Dear Mr Said.

This is the best book I have read in many year! Before this I wasn't too enthusiastic about books but yours truly changed my perspective! Thank for this amazing journey of Lucky and their must be sequel one day!!

Kid regards, Riko

Anonymous said...

What an amazing book. So well written with such creativity and imagination. It's a real page turner. I was just wondering if there will be a follow up of pheonix as I'm really itching to find out what becomes of bixa and follix with there newly received powers. Also I was wondering if there was a way of privatly messaging you as I have some questions which I want to keep hiden untill im ready. Its book orientated.
Thanks so much for writing pheonix.
Best regards
Sahian

SF Said said...

Dear Sahian,

Thank you so much for your amazing comment - it really means a lot to me. Phoenix was a very difficult book to write, and took 7 long, hard years of work, but it all feels worthwhile when I get a reaction like that.

I'm not currently planning to write a follow-up to Phoenix. (Here's a link to a blog post where you can find out what I am writing!) But if you were ever to write a story about Bixa and Frollix, I would be totally honoured and would love to read it!

You can always leave me a message here, and if you say in the message that you don't want it to be made public, then I won't publish it - messages can't be seen by anyone else unless I publish them. I could then reply here, under this message; or if you leave me an email address, I could reply by email.

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Dear Riko,

Thank you so much for your fantastic comment! I'm so glad that you enjoyed Phoenix, and it's amazing to hear that my books have made you more enthusiastic about books.

To start with, have you read Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw?

And of course there's a whole world of brilliant books by other writers out there for you to discover! Here's a link to a list of my top 10; and here's a link to a blog I made about my own favourite book.

Happy reading, and best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I'm really glad you've enjoyed reading Phoenix. Have you had a chance to read Varjak Paw yet?

With best wishes,
SF

Lottie Longshanks said...

I am just trying to decide which book to review for my entry into the Gaurdian young critics competition. I have read six of them but it is hard to decide which to write about because I keep remembering reading Phoenix when I was eleven and although they are all very worth reading not a single one of the marches Phioenix. I still often go to sleep thinking about it and listening for the music of the stars. I just wanted to say again, thank you so much for writing it.

SF Said said...

Dear Lottie,

Thank you so much for that wonderful comment! I loved what you wrote about Phoenix at the time, but to hear that it has stayed with you all this time is just amazing. It wasn't an easy book to write – 7 years, 13 drafts, and many times I wanted to give up... I'm 3 and a half years into writing my new book TYGER right now, and sometimes I wonder if it'll be worth it in the end – but your message has given me hope that it will, so thank YOU!

And best of luck with the Guardian young critics competition - fingers crossed for you!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

I love phoenix. In my opinion, a book should have a death scene, a plot twist and a meaningful ending. It's the only book I've red that does all three, especially the latter. The ending made me cry.

I'm an aspiring author. I'm six months through writing a post apocalyptic fantasy, and I figure I'm near the end of the first draft. It would be great if you could send me the first draft of phoenix so I can see the difference from it to the ending, for motivational purposes.

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for that amazing comment! I love what you say about the ending; it made me cry, too, every time I was working on it.

Good luck with your writing - I can't send you the first draft, as I never show anyone my first drafts! But I can give you this link to a blog I made, in which you can see some of the 2nd draft, and compare it to the 13th and final draft. I can tell you that Phoenix changed enormously over the 13 drafts, and I only really found that ending 2 or 3 years into the writing. Before that, I'd been trying to give the protagonist (he wasn't even called Lucky at first!) a straightforward happy ending, but gradually, I realised that the logic of book wouldn't allow it. So it's not the ending I started with, but I feel absolutely sure that it's the right ending.

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

Olivia dennis said...

Hello S.F. Said,

This is Olivia here for whaplode primary school. We are reading Phoenix at the moment and IT IS AMAZING! You are so good at writing books and the best thing is that our teacher, Mrs Adie, reads it and it sounds to real. Also the way you add lots of personification and similes makes it come to life. Me and my class mates love your books so much and we can't wait for you to write another Varjak paw. When Mrs Adie reads Phoenix to us, she always leaves it on a cliff hanger which then leave she us for the rest of the day buzzing to find out what's going to happen next!

Yours sincerely,
Olivia Dennis from Whaplode Primary School

SF Said said...

Hello Olivia! It's great to hear from you again. I'm so glad that you're enjoying Phoenix too - thank you so much for letting me know! Who is your favourite character in it so far?

I wrote a little bit about my idea for the third Varjak Paw book in this blog post. And I wrote a little bit about the new book that I'm currently writing in this blog post. Have a look at the links if you'd like to know more!

Please give my best wishes to Mrs Adie and everyone in your class - and keep the Way alive!
SF

Anonymous said...

Hi
My name is Cody and I'm an eleven year old. I loved your book phoenix and got really into it but when I found out there was no second book I was in tears, literally. I have some good ideas on how to re-open the story in the second book and it would be amazing if you used one of them.
My first idea is
1. He sends part of his consciousness down to the planet, gets Bixa and tries to go back up to the stars with her, but when his dad finds out he grabs Bixa and Lucky doesn't want to leave without her. Lucky, Frollix and Captain Nox go on a mission to save her.
My second idea is
2.I wasn't really sure about this idea, but what about if the human leader goes down in a rogue assault by Axxa terrorists and humans retaliate by trying to kill the Axxa again.

Please write a second book,it doesnt have to have one if my ideas in it but I really want to read a second one. I have been recommending this book to all my friends and they all say they loved it
Please consider this message
Best of wishes
Cody

SF Said said...

Dear Cody,

First of all, thank you so much for leaving me that amazing comment. Phoenix took me seven years to write, but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear a response like that. So thank you - you've made my day!

I have to be honest, I don't think I will write another book about the characters in Phoenix. But I think both of your ideas are brilliant, and I would be totally honoured if YOU wanted to write one of those stories! Some of the first stories I ever wrote were based on books and TV shows that I loved. And I've seen some fantastic stories that readers have written using the characters and worlds of Phoenix and Varjak Paw. So if you would like to read more about my characters – there is no reason why you can't write it yourself! Here's a link to some of my writing tips that you might find useful. You can also see an early draft of Phoenix there, and some background on how it developed.

Finally, having said all that - although the new project that I'm working on right now isn't a sequel to Phoenix, it does have a lot in common with it, and even grew out of it, in a way. The working title for this project is TYGER, and I think it's going to be the best thing I've ever written. Please do look out for it - I'm not sure when it will be finished, but I will definitely blog about it here when it is!

Thanks again, and very best wishes,
SF

Mrs Barke said...

Dear SF Said

My name is Mrs Barke and I am a Year 6 teacher in Burton. We are currently reading Phoenix and it is the focus of our Reading and Writing lessons this term.

Firstly, thank you for writing such a fantastic book - the children are completely engrossed and it has inspired some incredible writing (their best yet)! We read it as often as possible and I am always met with groans and protests when we have to stop.

Secondly, I was hoping you might have some words of advice for those children who haven't yet discovered the power and joy of reading and writing. We have endless systems in place to support and encourage them (rewards, book clubs, events) but I believe hearing from one of their favourite authors would be incredibly inspiring.

Thank you again

Mrs Barke

SF Said said...

Dear Mrs Barke,

Thank you so much for your wonderful message, and for working with Phoenix! It's brilliant to hear that they're enjoying it so much.

The truth about Phoenix is that I was just trying to write a story I wanted to read myself. I've always loved space stories, from Star Wars onwards, and wanted to write a really great one for young readers.

I've found that when you talk to children about reading and writing in those terms - as something that connects to their love of stories, whether those stories are in books, films, TV or other forms altogether - they will often amaze you with their enthusiasm and creativity.

So my message to your students is to think about what story they would most like to have, if they could have any story at all - and then to write those stories themselves! Here's a blog I made to help young people with the process - it covers everything from having ideas, to writing first drafts, to editing them. I hope they find it useful!
http://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html

Thanks again, and please give my best wishes to your students!
SF Said

Anonymous said...

Hi SF SAID,
I loved Phoenix and I am going to chose it as my favourite book on world book day.
Are there any special quotes in Phoenix that I could use?
Good luck on your next book,
Anonymous

Anonymous said...

I am reading this in class at school and i LOVE it! After just one of your books (Unfinished... but we're really close!) you're definitely one of my favourite authors! My favourite characters are Bixa and Lucky, because i like their funny relationship and cool powers. I wanted to ask, how old are Bixa and Lucky? I would love to know! Please answer! :)

SF Said said...

Thank you both so much for the lovely messages about Phoenix!

For the person who is choosing Phoenix as their favourite book on World Book Day - one of my favourite quotes from the book is the alien greeting, that they say when they meet each other: "From the stars we all came - and to the stars we return!" Maybe you could use that? Whatever you choose - I would love to see any artwork, costumes etc that you do inspired by Phoenix!

For the person reading Phoenix in class at school - I love what you say about Bixa and Lucky, and their relationship and powers. To answer your question, I deliberately didn't state specific ages in the book, because I don't think they're important. The important thing to me is that they're no longer little children, but not yet adults - they're in that in-between stage where everything is changing. So however old you think that is - that's how old they are!

Thanks again, and best wishes to you both!
SF

Anonymous said...

Ok, i'm going to say they're at least ten and probably under thirteen. Thanks for your reply, Mr said! Have a nice day!

Mili Smith said...

Hi SF Said

Mili's dad here, Mili, aged 9 has just finished reading Phoenix in bed & shouted down the stairs to me "I love this book, it has literally changed my view of the world! You should read it mum & dad!"

I might just do that!

One question, do you have any suggestions of any other books\authors to tide her over until your next release?

Many thanks
Barry

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr said,
I have finished phoenix now! My school left it on such a bad cliffhanger that I bought it and read the rest today! It was such a great story and actually a kind of happy ending! Bixa and Lucky kissed... Well, I knew it was coming! I really loved Phoenix, and I wanted to say thank you for writing it! It was amazing!
P.S. I'm the person who was reading Phoenix in their class at school. :)

SF Said said...

To Barry - thank you so much for that amazing comment, and please thank Mili for me too! Phoenix took 7 years to write, but things like that make all the hard work worthwhile!

To answer your question - has she read "Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw yet? They might sound very different to Phoenix - cats and dogs, rather than humans and aliens - but they come from the same place!

For other authors, one of my all-time favourites is Ursula Le Guin, who recently passed away. I think her Earthsea books are the among the greatest children's books of all time. She wrote some incredible books for adults too! She was definitely a big influence on Phoenix, and on me in general - I wrote an article about her inspiration that you can read here:
https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/jul/15/sf-said-my-inspiration-ursula-le-guin

And if you & Mili still want more - here's a list I made of my top 10 children's books of all time, a few years ago. I'd probably make a different list today, as it's impossible to fit everything into 10, but I'd recommend all of these very highly anyway!
http://www.sfsaid.com/2015/04/the-top-10-childrens-books-of-all-time.html

Thanks so much again, and please thank Mili too,
SF

SF Said said...

To the person who was reading Phoenix at school, with the question about ages - thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed the ending - that's great to hear. Please say hello to everyone in your class for me, and tell them I hope they've enjoyed Phoenix too. And please say hello to your teacher for me!

With best wishes,
SF

lou_shaw said...

I am currently reading Phoenix to my Year 5 and they’re loving it. They beg me to read more - the best compliment an author could have! We are making astrolabes tomorrow for World Book Day. They don’t know yet!

SF Said said...

Dear Lou,

What an amazing thing for an author to hear - thank you so much for letting me know, and for doing such brilliant work with Phoenix!

Just in case it's helpful at all, here's a blog post I made all about astrolabes:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2013/08/phoenix-inspirations-astrolabes.html

Please wish Year 5 and everyone at your school happy World Book Day - and happy reading EVERY DAY!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Hello Mr Said!
My year 5 and 6 class are listening to Phoenix at the moment and love it! I agree- it is the best book I have ever read to a class by far, and I have been teaching for nearly twenty years!
I wanted to say thank you for writing such a great book. It's funny, sad, mythical and just plain amazing!
The girls are very attached to Bixa, and the boys are keen on Frollix and Lucky. They are my three favourites, as Frollix is kind and has a good sense of humour, Bixa is totally hilarious and really lightens up the atmosphere, and Lucky is very sweet and lovable. How about you?
My very favourite thing about Phoenix is it shows that girls are just as good at fighting and all that as boys. Bixa has serious girl power! And Lucky is rather quiet and passive. I really like this about your book!
Thanks again!
Mrs Scott.

SF Said said...

Dear Mrs Scott,

Thank you so much for your wonderful message about Phoenix, and for reading it with your class! That book took me 7 years to write, but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear a response like that.

I like what you say about the characters. I'm attached to all of them, myself - Lucky, Bixa and Frollix are definitely the main ones, but I like the older characters too, like Mystica and Captain Nox. And of course Lucky's mother!

If you want to know more about where the idea for Phoenix came from, here's something I wrote about it:
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/whats-happening/blogs/2017/august/bookbuzz-author-blog-s.f.-said---the-epic-story-of-phoenix/

And if want to know more about why it took me 7 years to write - here's something I wrote for kids about the writing process - it contains a comparison of an early draft of Phoenix with the final draft. I hope your students (and you!) will find it interesting.
http://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Said,
I am one of Mrs Scott's pupils, and we have now finished Phoenix. It was so so so amazing! Probably the best book I ever read! I wanted to ask who your least favourite character is? Mine's either President Thorntree or Lucky's father, and my favourite is Mystica. how about you? Thank you!
Love from Emilia.

SF Said said...

Dear Emilia,

Thank you so much for your amazing message - that really means a lot to me!

I think I agree with you about least favourite characters - President Thorntree and Lucky's father are as bad as each other! Yet they both believe they're doing the right thing. In their own minds, they're absolutely right - they have no doubt about it. I agree with Bixa, that the two sides in the war are not Humans and Axxa, but the people who want war and the people who don't. I think that's often true in conflicts; the two sides often have much more in common than you might think.

As for favourite characters, I have a lot of them - see my reply to Mrs Scott, just above your comment! But I'm really glad you said your favourite was Mystica. She's based on my grandmother, who passed away during the writing of the book, so she means a lot to me - and it means a lot that you liked her too.

Thanks so much again for your message!
SF

Anonymous said...

HI sf said,
I'm another one of Mrs Scott's pupils- We have been given this activity as homework in case you were wondering. I don't know if your already answered this question, sorry if you have, but who is your favourite character, or characters if you can't choose. Mine is definitely Frollix! But Lucky's nice too. How about you?
From Mikey

SF Said said...

Hi Mikey, and thank you for your comment! I have answered that question already - you can find my answers in my replies to Mrs Scott and Emilia, just above your comment.

With best wishes,
SF

Unknown said...

Hi FS Said
I felt I had to leave a comment for you, I've always made a point of reading to/with my children over the years. My son Daniel is now nearly ten and although he's a good reader I don't think he really enjoyed reading, until recently when he discovered your books - varjak paw, outlaw and now phoenix.
I often see him reading whenever he gets the chance. Thanks for your brilliant stories and we're looking forward to your new books to come.

Lucy and Daniel

SF Said said...

Dear Lucy,

Thank you so much for that amazing comment - it really means a lot to hear things like that. And please thank Daniel for me too!

I hope my next book TYGER won't be too much longer - here's a post I made about it, if you'd like to know more:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/01/i-had-amazing-message-from-reader.html

Thanks again, and best wishes to you both,
SF

Anonymous said...

Hi SF Said
Ur books are so amazing!In fact,I'm reading Phoenix right now!I hope you get make a sequel on it as it is really interesting!

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your lovely comment about Phoenix - I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I don't have plans to write a sequel to it, but if you would like to write a story using its characters and worlds, I would be totally honoured and thrilled!

I am writing another book, though - it's called TYGER and I hope it will be ready soon. Here's a blog post I made about it:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/01/i-had-amazing-message-from-reader.html

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

I. Love. This. Book! It is honestly just the most amazing thing ever! A 'good book' doesn't even begin to describe it! It brought tears to my eyes, made me laugh, made me nervous to find out what happened next! My very favourite characters were Bixa first and Lucky and Mystica as a close second!
I honestly love your book! Will there be a second Phoenix? I know many other people asked you that, but this is a few months later and your answer might have changed. Please answer! It would mean so much to me! I'm kinda shy and stupid and don't really have any friends, just enemies. So talking to you (even just through a computer screen) is amazing! Could you be my sort of friend? Thanks! By the way, also I wanna say thank you for being such a great writer! Your books are the best!

SF Said said...

What an amazing thing for a writer to hear - thank you! I'm so glad you loved Phoenix. It means a lot to me, because it wasn't an easy book to write. In fact, it took me 7 years to get it right, but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear from a reader like you. I was quite shy myself when I was younger, and often felt more at home in books than in real life, so I'm glad if reading books like mine can help you in difficult times, as my own favourite books helped me.

I still don't have any plans to write a second Phoenix, though people do often ask me if there's ever going to be a sequel. The story that I wanted to write ends where that book ends. But I would be totally honoured if you wanted to write another story about my characters and worlds!

And have you read my Varjak Paw books yet? They might look quite different to Phoenix, being about cats rather than aliens, but deep down, I think they have a lot in common with Phoenix. If you liked Bixa, I think you'll like Holly too!

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Dear SF Said
My son says:." I was heart broken at the ending of phoenix! I was wondering if you could have an alternative ending competition for fans like me or create a sequel..."

Thanks Sam

SF Said said...

Dear Sam,

Thank you for your message, and please thank your son for me too!

I know the ending of Phoenix isn't a straightforward happy ending. It isn't the ending I originally imagined for Lucky either, so I do understand his response. But I am absolutely sure it's the right ending for my story. The moment I realised what it had to be, it felt like everything pointed to it, and it made sense of everything. I also feel that there is hope in that ending as well as heartbreak, joy as well as sadness, and I hope your son will come to see that too, perhaps on a second reading of Phoenix.

However, if he would still like to read another ending, or a sequel - I would be totally honoured if he wanted to write such a story himself! He doesn't need a competition to do it; he can just do it. And if he would like any writing tips to help him on his way, here's something he might find interesting - a blog I made about the writing process, containing an early draft of the opening of Phoenix:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html

Thanks again - and please wish him happy reading and happy writing from me!

All the best,
SF Said

Anonymous said...

Dear SF Said
Your books are all really really really amazing!!!! My all time favourite is Phoenix because it is dramatic and full of mystery and secrets. The ending was really sad. I cried for AGES!!! What will your next book be? I bet it will be even better than Phoenix. Will there be a next Varjak Paw? The first two were SPECTACULAR! A story about Varjak being an older cat would be amazing and interesting.
Thanks for writing your books. You inspired me to write my own.
Best wishes. From Lexi.

SF Said said...

Dear Lexi,

What an amazing thing for an author to hear - thank you so much! I cried a lot while writing Phoenix too, so I'm glad you had the same reaction while reading it!

The new book I'm writing right now is called TYGER and I do think it will be even better than Phoenix and the Varjak books, when it's ready. But I want it to be the very best book it can possibly be, so I'm going to keep going for as long as it takes. That's how I wrote the others, and it was always worth it in the end. I wrote a little bit about it here - please do look out for it one day!
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/01/i-had-amazing-message-from-reader.html

I am definitely planning to write a third book about Varjak one day - and you'll be glad to hear that I think it will be about Varjak as an older cat! I wrote a bit about my idea for it here:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/07/will-there-ever-be-third-varjak-paw-book.html

And it's amazing to hear that I've inspired you to write your own books! Good luck with your writing - if you need any tips, you can find some from me here:
http://www.sfsaid.com/search/label/writing%20tips

Thanks again, and all the best,
SF

Anonymous said...

Hello Mr Said.
I have always loved your books. My all time favourite is Phoenix because every sentence I read intruiges me and makes me want to read on and on forever. Both Varjak Paw books were just as spectacular because when something bad happened,it just made me petrified because of your fantastic use of empathy. Will there be any more Varjak books? If so,what would it be about? Although a second Phoenix book would be awesome,I think just the one is amazing. However,Varjak Paw could have more because at the end,it seems like there should be another;Phoenix might not need that. Also,I heard about a book TYGER. I sounds like it will be your best book yet,once it is completed. If your MILLIONS of fans and me read it,we will probably admire you and your work even more. I bet it definitely will be the best book ever! Thanks again for writing them. They are all super books and I admire all of them and I will continue to love them forever,especially Phoenix. Well done.

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your wonderful message, and for reading my books!

I don't think I will write another Phoenix book, because I feel I've gone as far as I can with those characters and worlds. But I am planning to write another Varjak Paw book one day - you can read a bit about my idea for it here:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/07/will-there-ever-be-third-varjak-paw-book.html

And I am currently 7 years into writing a book called TYGER! I hope it won't be too much longer now, but it takes as long as it takes to make a book as good as you can... You can read a bit about TYGER here, if you'd like to know more:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/01/i-had-amazing-message-from-reader.html

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

Unknown said...

I met you about 5 years ago for a school thing and i remember i was given a signed copy of phoenix and at the time i didn't think much of it but a couple of nights ago i saw the book and picked it up, its been 3 nights since that happened and i am on the final chapter, its one of my favourite books ive read, its a shame to hear that theirs not going to be sequel to phoenix but hopefully your next book will be just as good.

SF Said said...

That's so amazing to hear - thank you! I don't find writing easy, as you may remember - Phoenix took me 7 years to get right. But all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear something like that.

I hope my next book will be even better than Phoenix - you can read a little bit about it here:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/01/i-had-amazing-message-from-reader.html

Thanks and again, and best wishes,
SF

LORETTA said...

im in year five and i read this book in school and right now we are on chapter 13. i won't lie to you i wan't 100000000 copies of the book .THAT IS HOW MUCH I LOVE THE BOOK also my favorite characters are Bixa,Lucky,Mystica Grandax and Diana Ashbourne

SF Said said...

Dear Loretta,

Thank you so much for your message! That is brilliant to hear. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, and flying through the stars with Lucky and Bixa.

And if you want to know more about how Phoenix was written, here's a blog I made that you might find interesting:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html

With best wishes,
SF

Anonymous said...

Dear SF,
I am writing on behalf of year 4, Holmleigh Primary School, who have really enjoyed reading Varjak Paw as a class. They can't wait to read The Outlaw Varjak Paw and we already have a waiting list for Phoenix. You have really inspired us and helped us with our writing.
thanks again,
Year 4
Holmleigh Primary School

SF Said said...

Dear Year 4 at Holmleigh,

Thank you so much for your amazing message - that really means a lot to me! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading Varjak Paw. And I hope you enjoy The Outlaw Varjak Paw even more!

If you want to know a bit about how Varjak was written, here's a resource I made for the British Library where you can see pages from 7 different drafts of the book, to see how it developed - you can zoom into them using the viewer:
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/varjak-paw-by-sf-said-illustrated-by-dave-mckean-manuscript-drafts-and-printed-book

Thanks again, and keep the Way alive,
SF

Miss. Begum said...

Dear Mr. Said,
I am a Year 5 teacher at Ark Victoria Academy. Next term we will be starting Pheonix in our Reading lessons. We had a brief introduction to the book before half term looking at the front cover and blurb and making some predictions. The children are very eager to start reading it.
I was hoping you could write a short message to the children at Ark Victoria for our Reading scrapbook and book corner. The children would be over the moon to have been contacted by a real life author and it would create even more excitement in our reading lessons. Our class names are 5Zephaniah, 5Tolkien, 5 Simmonds and 5 Yousufzai.
Many thanks.

Teachers from Ark Victoria.

Amelia:-) said...

Dear S.F Said,
phoenix was an amazing book but I would really like to know if you were making a sequel to phoenix. Maybe about Lucky being a star and watching over Bixa and King Theobrama/his dad.

SF Said said...

Dear Amelia,

Thank you so much for your amazing comment! I'm really glad you enjoyed reading Phoenix.

I'm not planning to write a sequel to it myself, but I would be totally honoured if YOU were to write another story about Lucky yourself! Some of the first stories I ever wrote were inspired by other people's stories. If you'd like to do that, here's something you might find interesting - a blog I made about the writing process, with lots of tips, and an early draft of the opening of Phoenix:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html

With best wishes,
SF

SF Said said...

For everyone in 5 Zephaniah, 5 Tolkien, 5 Simmonds and 5 Yousufzai - and for all the teachers at Ark Victoria,

I understand that you're about to read Phoenix! So I just wanted to wish you all HAPPY READING - I hope you enjoy flying through the stars!

If you'd like to read a little bit about the book, and why I wrote it, here's a blog that you might find interesting:
https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2017/august/s.f.-said---the-epic-story-of-phoenix/

And if you'd like to see a brilliant book trailer - a short film, that tells you the beginning of the story - you can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5yQjwqDFXA

Finally, please do feel free to tweet me any writing, artwork etc that you might do - you can find me on Twitter here:
https://twitter.com/whatSFSaid

With best wishes,
SF Said

Anonymous said...

hello sf i loved your book if you were to ever to make a second book please have there something tying it to the origanal because i have a feeling it just wouldnt stick

SF Said said...

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed Phoenix, that's wonderful to hear.

I don't have any plans to write a second book, as I feel I've gone as far as I can with those characters. But I am currently working something new called TYGER, which I think is the best thing I've written so far! You can read a bit more about it here:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/01/i-had-amazing-message-from-reader.html

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

Mikmqn said...

Hello! I just wanted to say your books are a amazing i was reading them in quartine and i wabted to ask do you know when tyger is finshed?

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for your message - that means a lot to me!

I have to be honest, I don't know when TYGER will be finished. All I know is that I have to keep going until it's as good as I can possibly make it, because that's how the other books were written. That can take a long time - Varjak took me 5 years, and Phoenix took 7. I'm currently nearly 8 years into TYGER. I hope it won't be too much longer, but it takes as long as it takes! You can read a little more about it here, if you like:

http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/01/i-had-amazing-message-from-reader.html

Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF

Unknown said...

Hi there,

I'm a teacher in Primary education and just wanted to thank you on behalf of my year group for your fantastic novels. We read both Varjak Paws before Chirstmas and the children loved them. While doing remote learning, I have been reading PHOENIX to them everyday. They have, as expected, loved every minute of it. I've managed to read a couple of chapters a day which will take us to the end of Half-term. I intend to set them a task at the end of the book to visualise and draw some of the ships, characters and scenes they remember the most.

Thanks once again. Cant wait for TYGER.

SF Said said...

Thank you so much for that amazing comment, and for working with my books! I have to admit, I don't find writing easy - Varjak Paw took me 5 years, and Phoenix took 7 long years to get right. But all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear something like that!

Please say a big hello to the children for me, and tell them I hope they're enjoying flying through the stars! And if you or your school are on Twitter, please do tweet me pictures of their work - I'd love to see it! My Twitter feed back be found here: https://twitter.com/whatSFSaid.

Thanks so much again, and best wishes,
SF

Riya said...

Hi SF Said,
I absolutely adore your book Phoenix. I hope a part two comes out as I love star signs and the galaxy. The book Phoenix is my favorite one out of my school library!
Best Wishes Riya!
:)

SF Said said...

Dear Riya,

Thank you so much for your message! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading Phoenix - that means a lot to me.

I don't have any plans to write a second part at the moment - but if you wanted to read more about my characters and worlds, I would be totally honoured and thrilled if you were to write some more yourself! Some of the first stories I ever wrote were inspired by my own favourites.

If you'd like to do that, here's something you might find interesting - a blog I made about the writing process, with lots of tips, and an early draft of the opening of Phoenix:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html

With best wishes,
SF Said

Anonymous said...

Hi sf said my class is reading ur book Pheonix in class we all love it

SF Said said...

Thank you so much - that's so brilliant to hear! Please say hello to your class and your teacher for me, and tell them I hope they're enjoying flying through the stars! And maybe show them Dave McKean's amazing Phoenix book trailer, if they haven't already seen it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5yQjwqDFXA

With best wishes,
SF Said

Anonymous said...

Hello

Is there a list of all the characters?

SF Said said...

Thank you for your message. There isn't a list of all the characters as far as I'm aware, but if you wanted to make one, I'd be very honoured!

With best wishes,
SF Said

Lua said...

Hi i would really love to see this as a movie as I think there is a huge audience for this, it’s gripping heart-warming and all around adventurous also if you need someone to play bixa I’m available haha

SF Said said...

Dear Lua,

Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! It's brilliant to hear that you think there's a huge audience for a Phoenix movie. I think it would make a great movie too, and would also make a great TV series. There is a fantastic producer currently working hard to try and make that happen, although it is very hard to get those things to happen... But I'll definitely post about it here if there's any news or updates to share!

With best wishes,
SF