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Space Chimps As regular readers of my blog will know I like to base my short stories around real events, places and animals. The story I sent to Writer's Forum magazine (no reply as of yet) was based on the true story of how chimpanzees were used at the start of the space programme. While watching Cartoon Network with my nephew at the weekend I saw a trailer for a new feature length animation called ' Space Chimps.' My story centre's on Enos, who was the last chimp used before NASA felt confident to send their first human astronaut into orbit. 'Space Chimps' the movie centre's on the fictional Ham III grandson of the first chimp blasted into space HAM. HAM the chimp The plot line is : "Two NASA chimps are sent to a galaxy far, far away. One chimp has 'The Right Stuff,' and the other, a good natured goofball, has 'The Wrong Stuff.' The two chimps find themselves on a strange, uncharted planet, where they embark on a fantastical journey to save its inhabitants from a tyrannical leader. Space Chimps is an intergalactic comedy that highlights the antics of astronaut chimps with the "wrong stuff." Ham III (Samberg), the slacker grandson of the first chimp blasted into space before manned spaceflight, joins two other astronaut chimps for a dangerous mission through a black hole to an inhabited planet. When they're stranded there, the chimps must help the inhabitants rid themselves of a tyrannical leader, and then figure out how to get back to Earth." The animation looks fun, with a voice cast including Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Patrick Warburton, Omid Abtahi and Jeff Daniels. But the real story behind the use of chimps is a much sadder one. Vanguard Animation - which is headed by 'Shrek' producer John Williams - are currently working on another book written by William Steig, 'The Zabajaba Jungle' about a boy and his adventures through a mysterious jungle in search of his parents. They have also produced Valiant about a WWII messenger pigeon (another real event) and Happily N'ever After inspired by the Grimm Brother's fairy tales. For more information on Space Chimps the animation visit http://www.spacechimpspower.com/ and for the true story visit http://www.spacechimps.com/ * The winner of my second book giveaway is Charlotte Anne Braden who correctly answered that James Nesbitt played the dad in 'Millions.' Congratulations Charlotte.

I had a migraine yesterday, and ended up using two Maxalt. It came back and now I guess I'll just have to live or die with it.

Right now, I'm working on an adult book with a co-writer. I just finished the FBI's Citizens' Academy (all except live-fire day). She just interviewed Dr. Michael Baden, who has a show on HBO called "Autopsy." I'm reading Crime Scene Investigation. The chapter on homicide shows photos of real murdered people - thankfully black and white.

But today, all I want to do is be writing a book that takes no research at all. Where I can just sit down and write and it's simple, without worrying I'm making a million errors. Where a girl loves a guy, but he doesn't love her back, and then she hatches a plan to get his attention, and it all goes hilariously awry.... I guess I also want to be writing something light. Those photos give me pause.

This book will be something like my eighth published (maybe 11th written). So I know that for me, at least, it's not uncommon to fall in love with the idea of writing a different book altogether.

Has that ever happened to you?