By Belinda Goldsmith

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) – As a fan of horror movies, martial arts and detective stories, Derek Landy thought he was set for a career writing screenplays until a skeleton detective stormed his imagination — and children’s bookshelves.

The snappily dressed Skulduggery Pleasant popped into Landy’s mind while he was traveling, and within months was down on paper in the first of the Irish writer’s best-selling fantasy novels, “Skulduggery Pleasant,” that was published in 2007 and was this year voted Irish Book of The Decade.

By Belinda Goldsmith

(Reuters) – Capri, Geneva and New York top the list for the most expensive hotel rooms, according to a global survey that showed hotel rates rising for the first time in three years as the global economy picks up.

Hotel provider Hotels.com’s bi-annual hotel price index, released on Tuesday, found that although average hotel room rates are at low levels seen six years ago, there are hints of a recovery.

MEBLOURNE (Reuters) – Author Ken Follett decided he wanted to take on a massive project — so he embarked on a trilogy following five families across the entire 20th century and the major historical events of that period.

The first novel in “The Century Triology,” “Fall of Giants,” is released this month at about 1,000 pages.

By Belinda Goldsmith

MEBLOURNE (Reuters Life!) – British author Ken Follett decided he wanted to take on a massive project — so he embarked on a trilogy following five families across the entire 20th century and the major historical events of that period.

The first novel in “The Century Triology,” “Fall of Giants,” is released this month at about 1,000 pages.

CANBERRA (Reuters) – When American writer Kathryn Lasky created a world of good and evil owls, she didn’t envisage them with Australian accents but somehow it fit the movie screen adaptation of her “Guardians of Ga’Hoole” books.

The 3D animated movie “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” which hits U.S. theaters on Friday, is based on the first three of the 15 books in the fantasy series written by Lasky between 2003 and 2008 about a post-human world of owls.

SYDNEY (Reuters) – As YouTube star Fred Figglehorn prepares for his movie debut, his creator Lucas Cruikshank is making sure fame does not corrupt the fast-talking, goofy kid who has won a massive online following.

Fred, a high-pitched six-year-old with an alcoholic mother and anger management issues, was created four years ago by 17-year-old Cruikshank who enjoyed making videos and posting them on YouTube.

SYDNEY (Reuters) – For Raven-Symone, the transformation from being a Disney child star to a 20-something actress has taught her one major lesson — how to say no.

Raven, whose full name is Raven-Symone Christina Pearman, started out as a child model but got her break into show business at the age of 3 with an acting role on “The Cosby Show.”

By Belinda Goldsmith

SYDNEY, Sept 15 (Reuters Life!) – Children’s author Cornelia
Funke spent nearly 20 years writing alone so was apprehensive
when a friend from the movie business suggested working together
on a new series in a fairy tale world with a modern, dark twist.

But the German author, best known for “The Thief Lord” and
her best-selling “Inkworld” trilogy, said working with producer
Lionel Wigram — who worked on the Harry Potter movies and
“Sherlock Holmes” — taught her a lot and was inspiring.

By Belinda Goldsmith

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) – Capri, Geneva and New York top the list for the most expensive hotel rooms, according to a global survey that showed hotel rates rising for the first time in three years as the global economy picks up.

Hotel provider Hotels.com’s bi-annual hotel price index, released on Tuesday, found that although average hotel room rates are at low levels seen six years ago, there are hints of a recovery.

By Belinda Goldsmith

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Heard the one about the pair of ducks who moved into a New Jersey home? Or the doe that stopped a woman in the woods as her fawn was stuck in a fence?

Author Jo Coudert, who built her writing career in self-help books, could not resist these heart-warming animal stories so found herself heading into a new chapter in her career.