Introducing a brand new titles form the award-wining David McPhail! Make sure you read his piece about the characters he enjoyed writing most.

‘Two galactic rulers, Cassiopeia and Perseus, have battled across the stars. Now their feud lands in Bilgeley, a nowhere town, on nowhere planet Earth.

Princess Cassiopeia’s in a fix. She shrank her entire space armada while making a smoothie (don’t ask!). She came to rally Earth’s leaders. She got Hillman. Age eleven. And his crusty old Grandad. Perseus isn’t far behind, and when his armada shows up, Earth’s toast.

Perseus, Lord of the Seven Spirals, Admiral of the First attack Fleet , Commander of the Order of Zarg, Winner of the Alpha Centauri Award for Best Dressed Galactic despot is not amused by the situation. And he’s landed in Bingeley dump. Roz, age eleven, is here to help but she’s got her eyes set on a bank heist. What does such a small girl want with so much money and how has she got the nerve to turn down his offer of the order of the Medusa and a far flung galaxi? Perseus is about to fin out!

Can Hillman save the Earth? Maybe…’

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Which two characters did you enjoy creating?

In Aliens Made Me Do It, two purple-haired extraterrestrials—Prince Perseus and Princess Cassiopeia—crash-land their nonsensical intergalactic feud right into a small, middle-of-nowhere town.

They’re classic outsiders. Perseus and Cassiopeia have never been to Earth before and instantly, (and indeed separately, without any encouragement from the other), decide it’s a dreadful, backwards planet full of idiots and savages. Which made it enormous fun to drop them into ordinary places like town halls, high streets and queues for the bus and watch the chaos explode.

Perseus sees himself as an all-powerful tyrant, but the illusion collapses the moment you clock his oversized bucket helmet and clod-hopping boots. He talks like a conqueror, but looks like someone who’s lost a fight with a dressing-up box.

Cassiopeia, meanwhile, arrives with all the swagger of a galactic princess—despite the minor hiccup of having just shrunk her entire space fleet while making a smoothie. Research clearly isn’t her strong point. Instead of storming the White House, she lands in Hillman’s back garden and bellows, “Take me to your leader!” Hillman obliges—by introducing her to the most powerful figure he knows: his crusty grandad, who’s busy eating biscuits and shouting at Countdown .

What I enjoyed most was watching these ridiculous characters evolve. Cassiopeia begins as a pompous blowhard who can’t believe she’s stuck with a child, but little by little, her skin begins to shed. The question shifts from “Why am I lumbered with Hillman?” to something more dangerous for her pride: “Could I actually need him?”

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I can see how writing the most ridiculous characters could also be the most ridiculous fun. Interesting that even the most self-important characters go on a journey of self-discovery and come to a startling revelation in the end!

This is sure to be a winner with anyone who likes their funny-bone being tickled. Pacy writing and intergalactic hi-jinks make for an out of this world combination!

Jo.

*Many thanks to Everything With Words for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour*