Jonny Duddle at Waterstones Piccadilly

Ooohh aarrrhh! We had a swashbuckling Friday with author and illustrator of the award winning The Pirates Next Door in Waterstones Piccadilly last week.

Jonny's editor Libby and Press Officer Jayne,
warm up the crowd whilst we wait for Jonny to arrive.

After a shaky start, due to his train being held up rain and fog, Jonny Duddle arrived in a full pirates costume and immediately captured the children's attention. Their disbelief was audible as Jonny described his time on board a ship as a real life pirate, especially when he produced a biscuit from 2004 - with added creatures...!

The ship Jonny worked on

Jonny then launched into a fantastic reading of The Pirates Next Door (complete with pirate voices and sound effects!) before finishing the talk by drawing a pirate whose big nose and the owl (?) on his shoulder was directed by the children!

There was just enough time to squeeze in a few questions before the children had to leave and we got ready for the next session!

Click here to watch a stock motion video of Jonny drawing a pirate during the afternoon session.

You can view all of the photos taken on our Facebook page

Pirates in Classic Military Vehichle Magazine!

Yes, you read the title correctly... Jonny Duddle's The Pirates Next Door made a guest appearance in the July 2012 issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine.

Nestled amongst Land Rovers and Jeeps, you can find the Jolley-Rogers' pirate ship, which is, according to the experts, hauled by a Ford GPA.  Jonny Duddle is praised in 'The Utility Room' section of the magazine, which is an ironic look at enthusiasts' favourite utility vehicles, for 'the level of accuracy in his illustration of a Ford GPA'.




Watch out children, it looks like the Jolley-Rogers have just got some new fans...!

Find out more about Classic Military Vehicle magazine here: http://www.cmvmag.co.uk/

Don't forget, you can keep up to date with all our news on Facebook and Twitter

Jonny Duddle shares his Pirates! adventure

As one of the character designers for The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, Jonny duddle (author of The Pirates Next Door) shares his experiences of working on the film in a vlog. 

Watch the video here or find out more here

Keep up to date with all our news on Twitter or Templar Publishing and Templar Fiction on Facebook

The Pirates Next Door shortlisted for Waterstones prize!

Shiver me timbers, Jonny Duddle's The Pirates Next Door has been shortlisted for the Waterstones 2012 Children's Book Prize!

The Jolley-Rogers - a pirate family, are moving to Dull-on-Sea, a quiet seaside town where rumours spread quickly. Defying the grown-ups, Matilda from next door decides to become friends with the youngest pirate son. When the Jolley-Rogers leave, the town discovers they were wrong to assume the worst - the pirate clan have buried treasure in everyone's gardens.

Arrr Cap't Jonny Duddle

Jonny Duddle

About the Author: Jonny Duddle is an illustrator and concept artist. He wrote and illustrated the hugely successful picture book, The Pirate-Cruncher, which was longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. He also illustrated the cover for Nation by Terry Pratchett, which was shortlisted for Best Children's Illustrated Book at the English Association Book Awards. As a leading computer games illustrator, Jonny's work has been used by Sony, Warner Brothers, Vista and Universal. Jonny is one of the concept artists for Aardman Animation's forthcoming film The Pirates! (released in March 2012). He also lectures in Animation and VFX at Staffordshire University. Jonny lives in Mold, North Wales with his wife and young family.