Sally Bones, the thin white cat who leads the city's deadliest gang, also knows the Skills. She knows even more than Varjak does. And now she's coming to get him...
"SF Said has joined the likes of JK Rowling and Philip Pullman" – Time Out
"Great new characters and some cracking fight scenes... you will want to know what happens next!" – CBBC Newsround
"Beautifully illustrated by Dave McKean and written in spine-tingling prose, the novels have a suspenseful edginess that children instantly respond to" – The Times
"Cats, martial arts, Gothic urban landscapes, bravery, power struggles, creepy towers, juicy fish and some very loyal dogs... this book has it all" – Delirium's Librarian
Awards
- The Blue Peter Book Of The Year
- The Blue Peter Book I Couldn't Put Down Award
- Leicester Teenage Book Of The Year
- Nominated for the Carnegie Medal
It was amazing
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Tyrar - and thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment!
DeleteHello, you came to my school, Park Hill Kenilworth and I bought the Outlaw Varjak Paw. It was great and I couldn't stop reding it so it was finished a one am on Saturday morining! You'r books are the exact books that I love! thank you.
DeleteHello Rose, and thank you so much for that brilliant comment! I love it when I find a book that I can't stop reading, so it's fantastic to hear that you felt like that about The Outlaw Varjak Paw! I hope you'll enjoy my other books too!
DeleteHello again! I'm going to be SO exited when you're knew book comes out! Belive me, I will be the first in the shop to buy it! If you write a third book of Varjak Paw, would Sally Bones come back to life and become a good guy or become a spirit and restart the vanishings?
DeleteHello again Rose! Thank you so much! I will write a third Varjak book one day, but not for a while yet - I wrote a bit about my idea for it here. In the meantime, if you haven't already read it, I hope you'll try my new book Phoenix - it's not about Varjak, but I think if you enjoyed Outlaw, you'll enjoy it too!
DeleteYep, I will. anyway, I'm so glad that your going to continue writing books because they are so good! thanx
DeleteThank you, that really means a lot to me! Happy reading!
DeleteI love the books. They are awesome! I have some questions, what is going to happen in the next book after the outlaw varjak paw? And who is going to be the antagonist in the next book?
DeleteBy Abbas Jama
Dear Abbas,
DeleteThank you very much for your kind comment!
I can't tell you yet exactly what is going to happen in the third Varjak Paw book, as I haven't started to write it yet. But you can find out most of what I know in this blog post, where I talked about my ideas for the book.
In the meantime, I hope you'll try my new book Phoenix. It's not a Varjak Paw story; not even cats and dogs this time, but humans and aliens instead. Nevertheless, if you like Varjak, I think you'll find lots of things to like in Phoenix, too – it has very similar themes underneath the surface.
With best wishes,
SF Said
hi Sf said I am the biggest fan of yours and I just wanted to say that my teacher is begging you to write the 3rd book of Varjak paw I have a brilliant idea for your next Varjak Paw.
Deletemy idea is that sally bones is back and bad she has a neice...Sally slicer and she doesn't want to become like her aunt sally and varjak and holly get kittens ill tell you the next bit tomorrow Do you like it already?
DeleteHi there,
DeleteThank you so much for your kind comments! I will definitely write a third Varjak Paw book one day, but it might not be for a while yet. I wrote a bit about why, and about my ideas for it, in this blog post.
But I'm always very honoured when people write stories using my characters and worlds. Some of the first stories I ever wrote used characters from my favourite TV shows, so I think if you want to read the story you're describing, you should write it yourself!
Happy writing - and happy reading!
SF Said
Hi SF said my class has been reading this my teacher likes it i love your books, you inspired me.
DeleteHi there,
DeleteThank you so much for your fantastic comment! I'm so glad that you feel inspired by my books. Keep reading!
With best wishes,
SF Said
hi SF said its me again i just wanted to say that your books make my day im always happy and really you need to tell me the exact date when you are getting your 3rd book in varjack paw many thx your biggest fan
DeleteAt start i used to hate reading but know im always sticking my head in a book thx to you . you always have a way of bonding with children and i can feel that connection you helping young readers to improve and use their imagination more often
Deletewhen my teacher said we had to a mythical story I wrote the story and my friend had to peer asses it and she loved it so much that she wanted a part 2 so it took me a while and i wrote it finally when she read it she wanted a part 3!!!!! but what i hadn't realised.was that she was enjoying it so this is your lesson it's not about how long the story/varjack paw 3rd takes it about how people think of your book do they enjoy it? me personally i love all your books .
DeleteHi there,
DeleteThank you so much for your amazing comments! I'm really glad that you enjoy my books, and are now reading all sorts of other books, and writing your own stories too! That's a very inspiring thing for a writer to hear, so thank you.
I'm afraid I can't give you a date for the 3rd Varjak Paw book, because I haven't written it yet. I wrote a bit about why, and my idea for it, in this blog post. But I will definitely post about it when the time comes.
In the meantime, have you read my new book Phoenix? I think it's my best one yet...
Keep the Way alive!
SF
Dear fs said,
DeleteI am a very big fan of yours my name is Harley cooper I am from whaplode Primary school I started reading your books because of the best teacher in the world Mrs Adie!!!!!! I LOVE YOUR BOOKS!!!!!!!!!please can you come to my school. My favourite book is varjack paw. Also you are the best author ever. Thanks to Mrs Adie once more to get me to start reading your books! Please respond
Your sincerely,Harley cooper
Dear Harley,
DeleteThank you so much for your brilliant message - I'm so glad you're enjoying my books!
I'd love to visit your school one day. If they would like to invite me, please could you ask Mrs Adie or another of your teachers to leave me a message on my Author Visits page, and to leave me an email address to reply to, so we can discuss the details?
With best wishes,
SF Said
I read both the books in about 2 weeks, when I started reading them I couldn't stop, you HAVE to release that third book! You have really inspired me to start getting into making cat books again. :D -Adam
ReplyDeleteWow, that is amazing! Thank you so much for your kind words, Adam! There will definitely be a third Varjak book one day; in the meantime, I hope you'll try my new book Phoenix. It might look very different on the surface - humans and aliens, instead of cats and dogs - but I think it has many of the same themes & ideas underneath it all...
DeleteHello, I have been reading your books for 2 Years and I have to say that they were fantastic, the names of every Character and the detailed storyline has got me glued to the book, but for one question, where did you get the name Varjak from? Because umm a long time ago I once had a Human Warrior Character named Varjak and I was surprised that the name was used, I am not mad about this because I know alot of people have also used the name too.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when is there going to be a 3rd book of Varjak Paw? I am dying to read it! =^.^=
Hi there, thank you very much for your kind comment! To answer your questions: I named the character after my own cat, who was called Varjak Paw; and I'm not sure when the third one will be exactly, but it will happen one day! I wrote a bit about it here. In the meantime, I hope you'll try my new book Phoenix, which has just been published. It's not about Varjak Paw, but if you like the Varjak books, I hope you'll like it too...
Deletei love your books!! im from a school that you know, you will soon get to see that i am a big fan of you!!! please realease the third book!! (I am from Oakridge combined school!!)
ReplyDeleteHello, and thank you for your great comment! I'm looking forward to visiting Oakridge very much indeed. In the meantime, I wrote a bit about the third book here...
DeleteHello, My name is Isabella. My friend and I have just finished your books! I am addicted to them! What happened to Holly’s eye? Do you have any other similar books? If not any recommendations? I cant wait to see the third book!
ReplyDeleteHello Isabella! Thank you so much for your lovely comment, and please thank your friend for me too! I can't say too much about Holly's eye at the moment, but I think the third book will answer your questions! It might be a while before I write that book though, for reasons I wrote a little bit about here.
DeleteIn the meantime, have you seen my new book Phoenix? It just came out a few months ago. It might sound quite different on the surface - humans & aliens rather than cats & dogs - but if you like Varjak Paw, I hope you will enjoy it too; many of the same themes and ideas are at the heart of it.
hi sf said i just read the outlaw varjak paw it was real cool and im exited for reading phoenix
ReplyDeleteHi there,
DeleteThank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed The Outlaw Varjak Paw, and I hope you enjoy Phoenix too – I think it's the best book I've written so far!
All the best,
SF
thanx just one qestion (i know i didnt spell that right why did it take so long batreen (SPELLING) the outlaw vp and phoenix
DeleteThanks for the question! I wish it didn't take so long. But my aim is to make each one of my books as good as it can possibly be, however long it takes. In the case of Phoenix, that took seven years. It's a really big, epic story, set across a whole galaxy, and it's about three times the length of Varjak Paw – so maybe it's not surprising it took so long! And it is as good as I could make it, so it does feel worth all the time and hard work now.
DeleteHaving said that, I hope my next book, TYGER, will not take as long as that!
With best wishes,
SF
Dear Sf Said,
ReplyDeletei'm writing to tell you that the books you have written are my favorite.you inspired me to write books myself. I wanted to ask you if i could have permission to write a book based on varjak paw. I also wanted to know your tips on writing a book. I am ten and i found out about your books when i was nine.I can't wait for your new book to come out! Best wishes Isobel
Dear Isobel,
DeleteThank you so much for your lovely message! It really means a lot to hear that my books are your favourites, and that they've inspired you to write as well. I'd be very happy for you to write as many stories as you like based on Varjak Paw – some of the first stories I wrote were based on my favourites too! – though my agent says I can't give you permission to sell those stories, or make money from them in any way. As for tips on writing, I'm doing a series of them right here on my blog; just click this link, and scroll down to the bottom to find them all.
Thanks again, and good luck with your writing!
With best wishes,
SF
Dear Fs Said,
ReplyDeleteit's me again Isobel. Because your my favourite author i wanted to ask if you could come to our school.only if it is not too far away. it is called North Kidlington Primary School. it is the summer holidays at the moment so i will ask the head master after the holidays.then i will see if he can get in contact with you. if you can come i would like to meet you in person and have one fo my books signed. North Kidlington School is in oxfordshire. Best wishes Isobel
Hello again Isobel! And thank you – I would love to visit your school, so please do ask your headmaster to get in touch with me by leaving a comment here with his email address, so that I can reply to him.
DeleteThanks again, and best wishes,
SF
Dear Isobel,
DeleteMany thanks for giving me the email address. I will send Mr Kemp an email now.
With best wishes,
SF Said
Dear sf said, Have you sent the email because our headmaster has not told us anything about this subject yet. I am really looking forward to you coming because you are my favourite author. I have also finished the book phoenix I also showed my best friend the book phoenix and she read it. She absolutely loved it. I hope you reply soon. Yours sincerely isobel
ReplyDeleteDear Isobel,
DeleteYes, I emailed the school just after you sent me the email address. I haven't heard anything back from them, though. Perhaps you could ask them if they received the email? If not, I can always send them another one.
In the meantime, thank you so much for reading Phoenix and for sharing it with your best friend! I'm so glad you both liked it! Who was your favourite character?
With best wishes,
SF Said
My favourite character is bazooka and my best friends is bixa with her needles in her hair and lightning fast fighting moves. My favorite bit in the story was when lucky/lucifer turned into a star and created space again. My second favourite bit in the story is when luck found out his mum was a shadow guard. I will ask the headmaster about the email problem.
ReplyDeleteYours sincerely isobel
p.s I am writing a story at the moment.
Dear Isobel,
DeleteI love what you say about Phoenix – thank you so much! Those are some of my favourite things in it, too.
Just to let you know, I've now heard back from the school. Unfortunately, they don't want to make a booking for me to visit. But if you like, I can send you signed book plates that you can stick into your books? At least that way, you'll have them signed. Let me know if you'd like this, and I'll send them to you care of the school.
Good luck with your story, and with all your writing!
With best wishes,
SF
hello I love reading the book 'Varjak paw' can you please make one more book or even 2 more? OH MY GOD! it is the best cat book I'VE EVER READ! i love your books! thanks bye! ^^ ^.*
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your amazing comment! There is a second book about Varjak Paw; it's called The Outlaw Varjak Paw. You can read about it on this page. There will be a third book about him one day, but not for a while yet. I wrote a bit about it here.
DeleteIn the meantime, I hope you'll try my new book Phoenix - it's not about Varjak, but I think you might enjoy it too!
With best wishes,
SF
Hello s.f said, I enjoy reading your amazing book, The outlaw of Varjak Paw. I give it 10/10 and 5 stars rating! Varjak is even stronger, more powerful than Sally bones. The outlaw of varjak paw is my favorite book of all time and can i just say? YOU ARE THE BEST AUTHOR KNOWN TO MAN! your amazing book really catch my attention and also make me want to read the varjak paw collection over and over and over again! Keep up the good work! P.S Mr hall said hello! :)
ReplyDeleteFrom Tyresse, 10, year 6, onyx class.
Hello Tyresse! Thank you so much for your amazing comment - it really means a lot to hear things like that about my books. The Outlaw Varjak Paw wasn't an easy book to write, a lot of work went into it, but hearing that makes all the hard work feel worthwhile.
DeleteThanks again - and please say hello to Mr Hall from me!
Keep the Way alive,
SF
Dear SF Said
ReplyDeleteTell me how you came up with the name Varjak?
Dear Ivan,
DeleteI named the character of Varjak after my own cat, whose name was Varjak Paw!
Thanks and best wishes,
SF
Dear SF Said
ReplyDeleteDid you know that the name means varjak raven in the Hungarian language.
all the best
Dear Ivan,
DeleteI didn't know that, but I'm very interested to learn it – thank you very much for letting me know! I've heard that 'Varjak' means 'warrior' in Polish, too.
On your other question, Monamy was the name of the cat I had when I was a child, but Varjak was the name of the cat I had at the time when I started to write Varjak Paw, as an adult.
With best wishes,
SF
dear SF Said,
Deletethank you for the answer.
I mean, does that mean that you name Varjak?
Monami means - my friend.
Varjhak also what it means?
all the best
I didn't know it had a meaning at that stage – it was just a name that I liked. It came from a mis-hearing of a line in the film 'Breakfast At Tiffany's', which has a character called Paul Varjak. Another character reads his name as "Varjak, Paul". I mis-heard this as "Varjak Paw" and immediately thought it would be a great name for a cat!
DeleteNow sure how I didn't find this website before. But I wanted to say thank you for writing such brilliant books. It has been a few years since I read them, but I still remember them today :).
ReplyDeleteDo you have any plans of expanding on the series? I would love to see a prequel about Jelal, my memory is bad but I think I got the idea that Sally Bone was once his enemy as she had survived for a very long time before finally loosing to Varlak, I would love to read about their struggle.
Oh and I am sure you get this a lot, but I read on the wiki that the movie rights were bought. Is there any word on this? Or is there no progress currently :P?
But anyhow thank you for your brilliant work. I may have to check out your other series some time too :).
Dear WhiteTiger,
DeleteThank you so much for your visit, and your kind words about my work!
I will write a third book about Varjak one day, and I think it will include some material about Jalal's early days, so I hope one day you'll read that book! It won't be for a while, though – I wrote a little about it here.
On the question of movie rights, the latest info is all here.
And as for my other work - my new book Phoenix is now available in paperback. It's about humans and aliens rather than cats and dogs, but I think if you enjoyed Varjak, you'll enjoy it too, as it very much comes from the same place.
And you may be interested to learn that the next book, which I'm currently working on, is called TYGER!
Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF Said
Dear SF Said
ReplyDeleteTell us about your character please: Sally Bones:
How did you come up with this character?
He was the prototype?
Why she had one eye?
all the best
Dear Ivan,
DeleteThanks for your question. Sally Bones wasn't in the first draft of Varjak Paw. Originally, the bosses of both gangs were big strong tomcats, like Ginger. I noticed this and thought it would be better to make them different, and more interesting to give them different qualities. So Sally Bones gradually evolved as I worked on the book, and became much more interesting, I think!
All the best,
SF
Yes, the book became so really the best!
DeleteSally Bones is a very interesting character.
Varjak among fans in Russia, Sally Bones second most popular after Varjak!
Tell me please: How did you create this character?
What helped you to create Sally Bones?
all the best
That's great to hear, thank you. It was really just a process of trying things out.
DeleteFirst I thought it would be more interesting if she was intelligent, rather than physically strong, and became a leader because of her intelligence. Then I thought it would be even more interesting if she knew the Way as well – maybe even knew it better than Varjak! Once I had that idea, I thought she had become a really interesting character. I'm glad that fans like her too!
All the best,
SF
It's really colorful character, you'll have a very interesting comparison: Sally Bones seemed represents darkness, cold and winter.
DeleteA Varyak sun and hope.
When Varyak wins the dawn comes and with it the spring.
It would be great if in the third part of the story you told Sally or fight Selii and Jalal!
You get a wonderful character!
all the best
Thanks again! I think something like that is likely to happen in the third book... one day!
DeleteAll the best,
SF
SF Said, the great creator of Varjak Paw (you probably remember me)
DeleteI would like to know if there will be a return of.. well he's not quite gentle..
return of the man?
Because unless Cludge gave him rabies, he should still be out there, right?
Hello Brandon!
DeleteThank you for your message - that's a very interesting question. I honestly don't know what the answer is at this point, as I haven't started writing the third one yet, but I would say that anything is possible!
Keep the Way alive,
SF
All the characters and two books are amazing, they serve as something like comfort and adventure for me to hide myself away in <3 News about a third book someday is exciting! Do you think a new villam will arise, or would it be something entirely different/internal within the cities? Or do you think it would play about Varjak's past family?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all your thoughts and questions! I don't know much more about the third book at this stage than the various things I've said around this blog, so we'll see when the time comes... But I'm so glad you've enjoyed the first two books, though!
DeleteThen again, a backstory on the lives of Sally Bones and Jalal would be interesting. (Not sure who Selii is?)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I wouldn't be anxious for a movie on this series - since directors have "visions" of how it'll be from their perspective, rather than the author's (and pretty much making them kind of suffer throughout the filming if things aren't agreed on), if that makes sense?
ReplyDeleteLike... I'd rather have the tales be preserved in books, haha. But that's only my take on it
ReplyDeleteWell, it depends how it's done. I was trying to make the movie with Dave McKean, who illustrated the books - so while it wouldn't have been the same as the books, it would have come from a very similar place. Of course, books and films are never the same; for a story to work cinematically, it has to be different. But it can share the same spirit, perhaps...
DeleteDear SF Said
ReplyDeleteIt would be great if you make a post about the characters in his books, such as Varjak, Razor, Sally Bones, Holly, Kludge etc.. It would be interesting to know how you came up with them, they were prototypes, that inspires you to create the characters.
Dear Ivan,
DeleteThank you for your comment. I've never done a post like that, and to be honest, I wouldn't know how to. The process of character creation is a bit mysterious, even to me, so perhaps it's best to just let the characters be themselves, and enjoy them as they appear in the books!
With best wishes,
SF
SF Said,
ReplyDeleteI read Varjak paw when I was younger, I couldn't put it down, it's my favourite book ever! I'm 15 now and I've read many books and still not one book has been as brilliant as Varjak Paw! I have just discovered the second book and I'm super excited to start reading it! Thanks so much for writing such entertaining books!
Karen :)
Dear karen,
DeleteThank you so much for that amazing comment – you've just made my day! I hope you enjoy The Outlaw Varjak Paw as well, please let me know how it goes!
Keep the Way alive,
SF
Hi SF, I contacted you a long time ago about not being able to find "The Outlaw Varjak Paw" available as an ebook anywhere in the United States. Do you know if it will be sometime? I would love to add it to my e-library for my daughter. Thanks! Steve
ReplyDeleteDear Steve,
DeleteMany thanks for your message – I asked my publishers to look into it. They tell me that US ebook of The Outlaw Varjak Paw is no longer available, but the UK ebook should be available to buy in the US in the next month, which is good news. Please do let me know if you find it (or not!)
Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF
Hi SF, just wanted to let you know that "The Outlaw Varjak Paw" is now available as an ebook in the US at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble! At last! Just bought my copy today!
DeleteHi Steve, thank you so much for that wonderful news! And thanks for making me aware of the situation; I'm glad it's finally available.
DeleteHappy reading – and best wishes!
SF
Dear Mr Said,
ReplyDeleteWe are Year 3 from St Francis School in North Somerset.
We adore your fantastic Varjak books and think you are the most amazing author! Your books are our favourite books ever... by miles!!!
We would love to find out what happened to Varjak and the Free Cats. Do you think you might ever write a new Varjak book? We hope so!
We would love to know what happened to Holly's eye? Also is Sally Bones really Jalal's enemy Saliya of the North? What is your favourite book Mr Said?
We will keep The Way alive....
Love from your biggest fans....
The Year 3 Paws
Dear Year 3 Paws,
DeleteThank you so much for your fantastic comment - that really means a lot to me!
I will definitely write a third book about Varjak one day, but it won't be for a while yet. I wrote a little bit about my idea for it here. I hope you will find answers to your questions in it, when it eventually happens!
As for my own favourite book - I think it's probably Watership Down by Richard Adams. I wrote a bit about it here. The BBC are about to do a new animated version of it, so this would be a great time to read it!
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive!
SF Said
hi sf said I just wanted to say.... WHEN ARE YOU WRITING THE 3RD BOOK.......IM ON MY KNEES PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ IM BEGGING YOU WRITE THE 3RD BOOK OF Varjak paw plzzz Mr Said
ReplyDeleteThank you again! Don't worry, I will write a third book about Varjak one day – I wrote a bit about it here.
DeleteKeep the Way alive!
SF Said
You're awesome man keep the way alive. Read books. Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Way. Read. Repeat
ReplyDeleteThank you so much again, Natalie! Reading books is definitely as vital to me as eating, sleeping and breathing... So yes: keep the Way alive!
DeleteSF
I write to you from the States. We absolutely adored the audio version of Varjak Paw. How can we purchase an audio copy of The Outlaw Varjak Paw? It doesn't seem to be available on this side of the Atlantic.
ReplyDeleteDear Adam,
DeleteThank you very much for your kind comment! I've passed your question on to my agent, and will get back to you when she has some information.
With best wishes,
SF Said
Thank you! I look forward to hearing her response.
DeleteDear Adam,
DeleteHere's my publisher's reply to your question:
"There is no physical audio version of Outlaw at the moment, in the UK or US. However, there is a downloadable version (unabridged), and it looks like is available from audible and amazon.com, so should be purchasable in the US."
I hope that's helpful - please let me know how you get on.
With best wishes,
SF Said
Thank you for checking with your publisher. I am an Audible member, but The Outlaw Varjak Paw audio is not available in the US "version" of Audible or Amazon. I wonder if it's possible for your publisher to contact the US "branch" of Audible and ask that the book be added?
DeleteDear Adam,
DeleteThanks for coming back to me on this - I've passed your comment on to them, and will get back to you with the reply when I have it!
With best wishes,
SF Said
Dear Adam,
DeleteI've heard back from my publishers - they tell me that this link should work in the US:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Outlaw-Varjak-Paw-Audiobook/B004U759EG/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1444737029&sr=1-1
I hope it works for you - please let me know how it goes!
Thanks and all the best,
SF
Dear Adam,
DeleteThe latest update from my publishers is that the link should now be working fine. I hope it does work this time - please let me know what the latest is!
Thanks again, and all the best,
SF
It *is* available now! Thank you.
DeleteHooray! That's fantastic news – thanks for letting me know! And sorry it took so long. Hope you enjoy it!
DeleteAll the best,
SF
We listened to it and loved it. Such a great story, and so well written. Thank you. Now if only Varjak Paw were available on Audible here. We want to recommend it to our friends.
DeleteThat's so great to know, thank you so much! I'll ask the publishers if there's any chance of that happening...
DeleteI have red the first book and im reding the second for the second time. Its by far my favourite book. Its AMAZING. i cant put it down!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your amazing comment! That really means a lot to me. Who is your favourite character in the books?
DeleteKeep the Way alive,
SF
Hello Mr Said i just wanted to say that how do you get ideas.Could you give me some tips on how you engage with young readers and how do you make them get interested in your books??????????????????
ReplyDeleteHi there, and thank you for your comment. I think you can get ideas from anywhere. The idea for Varjak Paw started with me looking at my own cat – I wrote a bit about it in this blog post.
DeleteAs for making readers interested in my books – I do everything I can to make my books as exciting and page-turning as possible. And I also try to fill them with everything that I love and find interesting myself.
So my best writing advice would be to write the stories that you most want to read yourself. I've done a few other writing tips on this blog; you can find them here.
Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF Said
Hi Mr. Said. I'm Mia, from the U.S.A. I recently finished your Varjak Paw books and I loved them. I loved the illustrations and the characters from the book. The characters were very believable and I drew fanart of Varjak Paw. I really hope you make a Varjak Paw Movie. I would watch it as soon as it came out. I imagine it to be similar to the German film Felidae, but more kid friendly. Basically what I'm saying is that you should keep making books. I'm also glad that you haven't made too many Varjak Paw books because many great series have hundreds of books and it just gets repetitive sometimes. Thank you so much for creating these books (I will read Phoenix soon).
ReplyDeleteDear Mia,
DeleteThank you so much for your wonderful comment! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the Varjak Paw books. There will be a third book one day, but not for a while, and I think there will only be three. I wrote a bit about my idea for it here. I also wrote a bit about plans to make a Varjak Paw movie here.
Phoenix will be published in the US next year by Candlewick Press, but is currently available in the UK. I think it's the best book I've written so far, so I hope you enjoy it too – please let me know what you think if you get a chance to read it!
With best wishes,
SF Said
salutations Mr Said i just wanted to say you brighten my day so thank you for that
ReplyDeleteSalutations! And thank you for leaving me a comment that has brightened my day!
DeleteWith best wishes,
SF Said
and by the way can you tell what the phoenix is about i would love to read it as it is one of your thrilling adventures
ReplyDeleteThank you very much! There's lots of information about Phoenix on this page of my site. I hope you enjoy reading it - please let me know what you think if you do!
DeleteWith best wishes,
SF Said
Dear SF Said,
ReplyDeleteMe and my class have just started reading the outlaw varjak paw and so far it sounds amazing!!!! I am so excited to read on and can't wait to find out what happens to the family, Sally Bones and Razor.
From George Cosgrove
Dear George,
DeleteThank you so much for letting me know! I'm excited to hear that you are enjoying The Outlaw Varjak Paw. Quite a lot happens to Razor in particular as the book goes on... Please let me know what you think when you get to the end!
With best wishes,
SF Said
Hey there! I just want to say how much the Varjak Paw series has impacted my life, so much inspiration has been given to me by these books. I cannot express how much I love them, the second in particular. Razor and Sally have to be my favorites, and I have a question about Sally's eye. For the Outlaw Paw's Russian back cover, Sally's eye is on the left side, is that the official side it's on or is it supposed to be flipped to the other way?
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you x100 for writing these, they're amazing and honestly I don't know what I would do without them. <3
Hi there! Thank you so much for that amazing comment - it really means a lot to hear things like that from readers. Writing The Outlaw Varjak Paw is probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but it feels worthwhile when I hear something like that! Here's a link to a blog I made about it; it also contains one of Dave McKean's original pictures of Sally Bones, which I hope will answer your question:
Deletehttp://dfb.randomhousechildrens.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/09/03/sf-said-varjak-paw-sequels/
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive,
SF Said
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for replying! I asked the question because I am going to get a custom stuffed animal of Sally, and I wanted to make sure what side the eye was on. Sooooo, just to be clear, the black dot on the left side, is that the eye or the socket? I have honestly took hours looking at all of the pictures of her in the books, debating which side it's on. Again, thank you so, so much for replying, it's great to actually talk a little bit to my favorite author.
DeleteOh wow, that sounds amazing! I would say the left is the eye, and the right is the socket. Good luck with it - and thank you again for the messages, it's great to talk to readers!
DeleteThank you, oh my gosh!! ^_^ I'll totally send you a picture of it when it arrives.
DeleteAlso, I draw tons of Varjak fan art. Here are a some of my favorite pieces that I did:
http://expectocs.deviantart.com/art/Tam-Varjak-Holly-Cludge-563215148?q=gallery%3AExpectOCs%2F55539700&qo=21
http://expectocs.deviantart.com/art/There-ll-be-scars-everywhere-but-you-ll-live-556830826?q=gallery%3AExpectOCs%2F55539700&qo=37
http://expectocs.deviantart.com/art/Holjak-550806540?q=gallery%3AExpectOCs%2F55539700&qo=58
http://i.imgur.com/CMUuRXJ.jpg Lol, you have no idea how much I draw Sally. She is seriously awesome
Thank you so much for these links! It's great to see your work. And please do send me a picture when it arrives - if you tweet it to @whatSFSaid, I'll retweet it!
DeleteWith best wishes,
SF
Hey S.F I realy like Varjak Paw. How did come up with the "gentle-men" an the "Two-Black Cats"
ReplyDeleteThanks,Yolo-swag-dj.
Hi there! Thank you so much for your comment. The two black cats were among the last things I came up with in Varjak Paw. Originally the Gentleman was very different too; he even had dialogue that the cats could understand! But I thought it would be better to have him on another level to the cats, impossibly huge and distant, and to give him the two black cats, who could be on Varjak's level. I hope you like them!
DeleteKeep the Way alive,
SF Said
I love your books. You are one of the best writers in the world. It would be good, because I heard that you're writing the 3rd book about Varjak Paw, if you'd mention and include Varjak's family in it. Also, as I read that in this book Varjak is old, after this it'd be great if you write stories about his children.
ReplyDeleteHuzaifah
Dear Huzaifah,
DeleteThank you so much for your wonderful message - that really means a lot to me. I haven't started writing the third Varjak book yet, but I definitely will one day. There's a little bit about my idea for it in this blog post.
In the meantime, have you had a chance to read my new book Phoenix yet?
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive,
SF
Dear SF
ReplyDeleteI really love your Varjak paw books!
I would like to know how Holly got her ice blue eye and what happened to varjak paw's family. Will you be writing a new book to carry on the story?
Also, please can you visit my school Burton Green Primary school in Kenilworth if I check with my head teacher? If you come please could you encourage my classmates to read the Varjak Paw books? I have tried but they think the front cover looks a bit weird! I think it's actually quite cool.
I'm going to read Phoenix next. Have you written any other books?
I hope you can answer my questions.
Freya aged 9 (just)
Dear Freya,
DeleteThank you so much for your lovely comment! It really means a lot that you took the time to let me know that you loved the Varjak Paw books – that's so wonderful to hear!
I am definitely planning to write a third Varjak Paw book one day, and I think it will answer your questions about the story. I wrote a little bit about my idea for it in this blog post.
I hope you enjoy Phoenix too! It might seem very different on the surface, as it's about humans and aliens rather than cats and dogs, but it doesn't seem that different to me, deep down. I think if you liked Holly, you will also like Bixa Quicksilver, the alien girl with needles in her hair... Please let me know what you think when you've had a chance to read it!
So far, I've only written those three books, but I'm working on a new trilogy at the moment. The working title for these books is TYGER and I wrote a little bit about it in this blog post.
And I would love to visit your school - if they would like to invite me, please could you ask your teacher to leave me a message with their email address on my author visits page, and then I can discuss the details with them?
Thanks so much again, and keep the Way alive!
SF
Hi this is Olivia Dennis in year five.I go to Whaplode church of England primary school. we just read your outlaw varjak paw yesterday.Today our teacher, called Mrs Adie,really misssed reading Varjak paw.Maybe one day you could come to our school and read a book of yours to us.Thank you very much for making varjak paw, our class loves it!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Olivia,
DeleteThank you so much for your fantastic comment – it's so brilliant to hear that you enjoyed my books, and that your teacher and your class enjoyed them too!
I'd love to visit your school one day. If they would like to invite me, please could you ask Mrs Adie or another of your teachers to leave me a message on my Author Visits page, and to leave me an email address to reply to, so we can discuss the details?
Thanks again - and please give my best wishes to everyone at Whaplode!
SF
Dear SF Said
ReplyDeleteHi this is Izzie from whaplode church of England primary school , your books are incredible and our teacher Mrs Adie has missed reading your books . We are so excited to be meeting you, our teacher has set up an email and is sorting out you coming !!! Will you make a 3rd Varjak paw ?
From Izzie ��
Dear Izzie,
DeleteThank you so much for your message! I've been emailing with Mrs Adie, and I hope it'll be possible for me to come and visit you one day. In the meantime, yes, there will be a third Varjak Paw book, but it won't be for a while yet - I wrote about it in this blog post.
Keep the Way alive!
SF
Dear Sf said
DeleteThank you for reading my feedback I can't wait for the 3rd varjak paw . what is it like being an author ? I like reading and writing stories . ����
From Izzie , I love your books
Dear Izzie,
DeleteThank you very much for your message. Being an author is hard work, but if you like reading and writing stories, it is the best work you could possibly do! I wrote a little bit about how I write my books in this blog post - I hope it's helpful for your own writing.
With best wishes,
SF
Thank you it was helpful
DeleteFrom Izzie 😁
Hi SF Said! Varjak paw and the Outlaw Varjak Paw are some of my favorite cat books right next to Warriors! I know many people have asked you about a 3rd Varjak Paw but I have an idea. It would kind of be cool if you did a Varjak Paw adventure series. If not, thats fine it was just an idea! Also, if you won't, I can write one myself and then send it to you!
ReplyDelete-Olivia
Hello SF Said!I think your books are AWSOME!Will a third book of Varjak Paw come out?If it will I will feel Epic!Bassicly the only thing i can say isYOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete-Alara
Hello Alara!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your AWESOME message - that really means a lot to me!
I am definitely planning to write a third Varjak Paw book one day. Here's a link to a piece where I wrote about my idea for it.
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive!
SF Said
This book was amazing -- Razor is an absolute fave.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Peri! I'm really glad you like Razor, because I think he has the most interesting story of any of the characters in this book; he changes the most from the beginning of the story to the end. So it means a lot that he's your fave!
ReplyDeleteKeep the Way alive,
SF
Hey SF Said. I have read your other book called Phoenix after my friend begged me on her knees to read it (she is the one that commented about sally slicer and hollies kittens).
ReplyDeleteI must say the book was really interesting especially Phoenix as I loved the character Bixa.
i also have an idea on the second book of phoenix lucky descended form the skies and goes to Bixa and says the stars are dying because of Lexin the other aliens are invading the magic of stars the team are back ready to face another adventure
Thank you so much for your fantastic message - and please thank your friend for begging you to read Phoenix, that really means a lot to me! I'm really glad you liked Bixa, as she's probably my favourite character in Phoenix too.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for your great story idea! I'm not currently planning to write another Phoenix book, but if that's a story you would like to read, I think you should write it yourself! I would be totally honoured if you wanted to write another story about those characters. And just in case it's helpful, here's a link to a blog where I gave some writing tips - and my first tip is to write the story you most want to read yourself!
With best wishes,
SF
I read the book Varjak Paw and the Outlaw Varjak Paw and let me tell you they were the best books I had read in my almost 10 year long life. On 22 January 2017 the night I finished the book I couldn't stop thinking of even writing my own Varjak Paw related book. If you do decide to write a new book I would love for you to tell me just don't tell me when until its almost published because I will end up counting down every day until it comes out. If you do decide to write the next book to the Barjak Paw series it would be nice if Holly tells everyone what had happened after their last encounter with Holly before she sacrificed herself to help Barjak escape, and have her describe how she sees now. Also I feel as if Ginger and his gang should be in the book more.
ReplyDelete-Anderson L.
Dear Anderson,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your fantastic comment! That really means a lot to me. I am planning to write a third Varjak Paw book one day - I wrote a bit about my idea for it in this blog post. I don't know when it will happen, but it will definitely happen one day! And I think it will have something to say about what happened to Holly.
In the meantime, have you read my new book Phoenix yet? It's not about Varjak, or even about cats, but I think it's my best one so far!
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive,
SF Said
Dear SFsaid,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Ayeh and i would like to tell you how amazing you are in writing varjak paw!Me and my class had fineshed both parts of the book!i love your books you are the most amazing author! May i ask about what happend to Varjaks family?where did he go?iwould really like to know!This has been a great oppurtunity talking to someone special like you!Thank you.
To:SFsaid
Dear Ayeh,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your lovely message! I'm really glad you enjoyed Varjak Paw. You find out what happens to his family at the end of the first book, and you find out what happens to Varjak afterwards in the next book – The Outlaw Varjak Paw. I hope you enjoy reading that one too!
With best wishes,
SF Said
Varjak Paw theory : it's based off naruto lol
ReplyDeleteThe first part of Varjak Paw, Varjak was just a child. Same as Naruto,
second part being where Varjak is a "teen", like Naruto as well..
Third part, as SF has said, (heh, get it?) Varjak is going to be older like the elder paw, same way as Naruto is, in Boruto. (which would be the third part)
They also have very similar story lines. Holly could be based off of Sasuke Uchiha, considering she has a very similar personality and has the 'cursed eye' now, while Tam came off very friendly to Varjak, (which, isn't much like Sakura at the beginning, but it is near end)
SF, have I leaked the story for some next Varjak Paw book? Is Varjak going to have a son? that'd be really cool :o
Hi Brandon! Thank you so much for coming back, and for your great comment. I have to be honest, I've never read Naruto - would you recommend it?
ReplyDeleteI don't know much more about the story for the third Varjak book beyond what I've already written in this piece:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/07/will-there-ever-be-third-varjak-paw-book.html
Also, my books change a lot as I work on them, so anything I might think now may not end up being in it! I'll find out when I get there, eventually...
Thank you for patience, and keep the Way alive!
SF
Tyvm for getting back to me. Yes, I would totally recommend you watch or read Naruto. I'm a huge fan of it myself, and recently, what I believe to be the "final" part of the anime is coming out. I've grown up since I first wrote to you SF, and I'm still thinking about the books Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw everyday. Sometimes I like to imagine what Varjak would be doing right now, or crossing it over with things like Steven Universe/Naruto.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late reply, my internet was working quite slowly when you got back to me.
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation - I'll look out for Naruto!
And thanks for your kind words about Varjak - it's brilliant to hear that you still think about the books. That really means a lot.
Have you had a chance to read Phoenix yet? It's not about Varjak, but it very much comes from the same place. It's just been published in the US - here's a book trailer that Dave McKean made for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nql-uTU7LXw
With best wishes,
SF
No, I have been unable to get the chance to read Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteMy family is quite poor as it is, and I relied on my previous schools to be able to read Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw.
I'm hoping that I will be able to, even if it takes a long time.
I don't live in the US, either. I'm in Nova Scotia, Canada. Is it available anywhere nearby?
Hi again Brandon,
ReplyDeletePhoenix should be available in Canada too - the US publishers, Candlewick, have all the North American rights. So you could ask your local bookshop to order it, or your local library might already have it; if not, they should be able to get it in for you at no charge if you request it. Here's a link to the Candlewick page for Phoenix with more info.
With best wishes,
SF
Hi SF Said. My son was reading Varjak Paw the other day and said he loved it. He asked me where he could get The Outlaw Varjak Paw.You're books are great! Thank you for spending you're
ReplyDeletetime answering my question
From Sabir in Qatar
Dear Sabir,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your message, and your kind words about my work - and please thank your son for me, and tell him to keep the Way alive!
I'm not sure what the buying options are in Qatar, but here's my publisher's page for The Outlaw Varjak Paw, with links to various places you can order it from in the UK:
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1005366/the-outlaw-varjak-paw/
With best wishes,
SF Said
Hi Sf Said. Varjak paw 1 an 2 were both amazing! I could not stop reading! Can you PLEASE make a third book. If you do i bet it will be amazing just like the others.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your amazing comment - that really means a lot to me!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely planning to write a third book about Varjak one day. I wrote a bit about my idea for in this article, which you can read by clicking this link.
Thanks again - and keep the Way alive!
SF
ReplyDeleteHi sf said i just wanted to say thank you. I'm already reading the outlaw Varjak paw.
from :Abdoul(today 07/11/17 you signed my book today at perrymount)
Hi Abdoul,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your message! It was an absolute pleasure to visit Perrymount, and to sign your book. I really enjoyed meeting everyone. I hope you enjoy reading The Outlaw Varjak Paw!
Keep the Way alive,
SF
Dear SF said,
ReplyDeleteMy teacher has just finished reading the outlaw varjak paw to us TODAY!!!!!
You might have experienced some comments from people in my school, but you might not know that.
Your books are like generations, passing on; Because ever since my teacher has read both of your books, he has read them to every class he has taught!
I am very exited for when you write/publish the third varjak paw!
Until then, I am trying to persuade my parents to buy me pheonix!
Thank you for writing all of your all (3) books-
Love-Login(pronounced Lo-j-ain)Soliman year 5 rowling alyasmina school.
Dear Login,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your wonderful comment, and please thank your teacher for me too! It means a lot to hear things like that about my books. I don't find writing easy - Varjak Paw took me 5 years, and Phoenix took 7 - but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I hear from readers like yourself.
I hope you enjoy Phoenix too - please let me know what you think if you have a chance to read it!
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive!
SF
Both of these books were the two best books that i have ever read and they were full of exitement
ReplyDelete“With great power, comes great responsibility” -Chance.M
Dear Chance M,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your amazing comment - it's an amazing thing for a writer to hear something like that!
Keep the Way alive!
SF
I love your books and remember me holly you came to our school Emmaus
ReplyDeleteBest author ever
ReplyDeleteDear Holly,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your lovely comment, and your fantastic drawings - of course I remember you! I really enjoyed visiting Emmaus today and meeting brilliant readers like yourself.
Keep reading, keep writing, keep drawing - and keep the Way alive!
With best wishes,
SF
Dear S.F Said,
ReplyDeleteI love your Varjak Paw books but i have an idea for another! What if the rest of the Bones gang come after Varjak and the rest of the Free Cats. It could be Varjak's last fight.
Dear Elder Paw,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your message! I am planning to write a third book about Varjak one day – I wrote a bit about my idea for it here.
I probably won't write it for a while yet – but in the meantime, if you'd like to read a story like the one you're imagining, I'd be totally honoured if you wrote it yourself! Some of the first stories I ever wrote were based on things I loved, like Star Wars. If you'd like to do that – here are some writing tips you might find useful...
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive!
SF
I love love love varjak paw! / the outlaw varjak paw! but can you make a 3rd book about jalal life time. thank you. please can you come to my school wich is called Plymouth school of creative arts.LOVE RUBY xxxooo
ReplyDeleteDear Ruby,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your lovely comment! I am definitely planning to write a third book one day, and it will almost certainly have more about Jalal in it. But it probably won't happen very soon - I wrote a bit about why, and about my idea for it, in this article:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/07/will-there-ever-be-third-varjak-paw-book.html
And if you'd like me to visit your school, can you ask a teacher to get in touch with me? If they can leave a comment on my author visits page with an email address for me to reply to, then we can discuss it.
http://www.sfsaid.com/p/author-visits.html
Thanks again - and keep the Way alive!
SF
This is the book I am reading! I recommend this book to people who love animal adventures and want to see what it's like to be a cat!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your message, and for recommending The Outlaw Varjak Paw - that means a lot to me!
ReplyDeleteKeep the Way alive,
SF
How do you find ideas like varjak paw? It's a very good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your kind words about Varjak Paw! It was inspired by watching my own cat when he was a kitten, and his adventures going outside the house for the first time. I thought these adventures were very dramatic and wanted to read a story about them, so I wrote one. I think that's what all writers do - we write the stories we want to read ourselves. If you want to know more about how I work, and find ideas, here's a blog I made that might find helpful:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sfsaid.com/2017/01/three-steps-to-writing.html
Keep the Way alive!
SF
I adored The Outlaw Varjak Paw because it was full of drama and excitement and I felt real empathy for him. It was really exciting. My heart was pounding over each turn of a page. What would happen? I cannot wait to read the third book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing them.
Best wishes,from Lexi
Dear Lexi,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed The Outlaw Varjak Paw. It was really important to me that it would be as good as the first book, if not a bit better, because just as reader myself, I hate being let down by a sequel! So I did everything I could to make it as exciting as I could - to write a book that I would really want to read myself. That's always my aim, with every book, so it's brilliant to hear that it worked for you, too!
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive,
SF
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy class have been blown away by Varjak Paw and we were about to get started on The Outlaw Varjak Paw after Easter. Sadly, that is going to be tricky now. However, I was hoping to be able to share the book with them virtually. What permission would I need to be able to do this please? I thought I might be able to record myself reading it to them and sharing it within a secure app that we are using to upload work while they are at home. Unless, of course, you have any plans to record yourself reading it? That would be amazing!
I hope you are keeping well and safe,
Mrs W
Dear Mrs W,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading my books with your class! Please say hello to them for me, and tell them to keep the Way alive!
I am absolutely fine with teachers reading my books aloud by any means available during school closures - in fact I'd be honoured! My publishers are the people you really need to get permission from, though - they've put up some guidelines here:
https://www.penguin.co.uk/company/work-with-us/rights-and-permissions-/permissions/additional-guidelines.html
What you're describing sounds like it should be fine, but best to check the guidelines yourself.
I don't have any plans to do large-scale recording, but I did read a chapter of Varjak Paw as part of a Radio Blogging educational show - you can hear it and access all their resources here:
https://radioblogging.net/index.php/2020/04/02/friday-3rd-april/
Thanks again, and all the best,
SF Said
Hi
ReplyDeleteBooks are amazing
Thank you for your comment - and I totally agree! Books are amazing.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
SF
Dear S.F Said IVE GOY THE OUTLAW!!!!:() Ive wanted to buy a toy but i knew that your books are much important than toys
ReplyDeleteFrom:Richard
Dear Richard,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much - that means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy reading The Outlaw Varjak Paw!
Keep the Way alive,
SF
Hello from your friends at Avoca Collegiate,
ReplyDeleteWe introduced our multi-age Grade 4 & 5 class to Varjak Paw in September. They couldn't get enough, and would bargain for more chapters to be read aloud whenever they could. It didn't take long and the tale was over, but they weren't ready to let their old friend Varjak go. They were so excited to discover there was a sequel available. We made a special class trip to the Public Library in the next town over (our town doesn't have a Public Library) to get a copy of The Outlaw Varjak Paw. We are in the middle of that book now, and they are already sad that there isn't a third.
Our school had a Christmas Bulletin Board decorating competition and, of course, they had to decorate it with a Varjak Christmas scene! They had a huge debate about whether to include Holly in the scene or not because of her unfortunate circumstance. We would love to send you a picture of their creation. Is there a way we can send the picture to you?
Dear Ms. Hamlyn and Ms. Burke,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading Varjak Paw and The Outlaw Varjak Paw with your class! Please say a big hello to them for me, and tell them to keep the Way alive! And tell them that there will be a third book about Varjak one day, though not for a while yet - they can read all about it here:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/07/will-there-ever-be-third-varjak-paw-book.html
I love the idea of your Varjak Christmas scene! If you or anyone at Avoca Collegiate is on Twitter, you can tweet me a picture - please tag me in - it's @whatSFSaid.
Thanks again, and best wishes,
SF Said
My class read Varjak Paw and I read the outlaw with my mum. It has been a pleasure to read it. Do you know why Holly has one blue eye?
ReplyDeleteUgham, 8 years old
Thank you so much, Ugham! I'm really glad you enjoyed reading the books. And please thank your mum for me too!
ReplyDeleteI do have some ideas about why Holly has one blue eye at the end of the second book, and hopefully one day I'll write a bit more about that, as I am planning to write a third book about Varjak one day - you can read about my idea for it here:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2016/07/will-there-ever-be-third-varjak-paw-book.html
In the meantime, though, I think where a book doesn't tell you something, it's up to each reader to decide for themselves what they think. You are allowed to and indeed encouraged to find your own answers for yourself. So until that third book is published, your answer is as good as mine!
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive,
SF Said
I’ve just read Varjak Paw with my mum and it is probably my favourite book I’ve ever read! I love how the characters progress and discover why they act in certain ways. I loved how everything Varjak Paw did was to make his family proud and to save his family. I’m looking forward to reading the 2nd one now and I have an idea for the 3rd. My idea is that Varjak gets separated from his friends and one night he dreams about Mesopotamia again and talks to Jalal who tells him that to figure out a way to get back he must know what his friends have gone through and know how to find them. Anyway, I am going to read all your books and my mum and I are looking forward to getting Tyger when it comes out. Thank you! From Rebecca
ReplyDeleteDear Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your wonderful message - and please thank your mum for me too! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading Varjak Paw. I don't find writing easy - Varjak took me 5 years to get right - but all the hard work feels worthwhile when I get a message like that!
I hope you enjoy The Outlaw Varjak Paw even more than the first one - and if you want to know a bit more about how and why I wrote it, here's a blog post you might enjoy:
http://www.sfsaid.com/2020/07/writing-outlaw-varjak-paw.html
Thanks again, and keep the Way alive,
SF
An incredible book. Reading this to my son two nights ago he asked (about Page 19) was the story about anything more than a few cats just hanging around. Two nights later he’s completely absorbed by the plot and keen to push further into the night with it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful thing for a writer to hear! Thank you so much for reading The Outlaw Varjak Paw to your son - please thank him for me too, and tell him to keep the Way alive!
ReplyDeleteDear SF Said,
DeleteI read the Varjak Paw series when I was a boy and they were easily my favourite books. I recently read them to my 10 year old nephew, and am pleased to say that he has loved them more than any of the other books we have read together. In fact he liked them so much that he felt the need to write to you! Here is his letter below:
–
Firstly I would like to say that I loved both books.
They were incredible. I really enjoyed watching Varjak learn the seven skills in his dreams, and then use them in the city.
I wanted to share some ideas with you for the third book: I hope Varjak Paw has a son with Holly, and that Sally Bones also had a secret child. Varjak teaches his son the Way and the Seven Skills. Before Sally Bones died she taught her child to do evil things. It is up to them to fight and stop the war once and for all! It would also be good if Varjak's family joined the Free Cats in the city. These are my ideas, but I know that you have your own.
I hope there will be a film one day.
I would like to know, how did Holly’s eye become blue? All we know at the moment is that she had some awful dreams.
Thank you for writing the books and I look forward to the next one!
From Zaky
Dear Sheharyar and Zaky,
ReplyDeleteThank you both so much for your message! It means a huge amount to me that you've enjoyed my books so much, and especially that you've shared them together - that's really wonderful to hear, so thank you for letting me know.
Zaky, I love your idea for a third Varjak Paw book. I am planning to write a third book about him one day, but probably not for a while yet. It's possible that your question about Holly's eye will be answered in that third book. I wrote a little bit about my ideas for that book in this blog post. In the meantime, I would be absolutely honoured if you wanted to write a story of your own following your ideas - I have some some amazing stories written about my characters, and some of the first stories I ever wrote were inspired by my own favourite books and films!
I also hope there will be a film one day - it hasn't happened yet, but we've got close a few times, and I still believe it will happen eventually, though it is very hard to get films made! I wrote a little bit about that in this blog post.
Thank you both again, and keep the Way alive!
SF