IMAGINE FESTIVAL and FUNNY BOOK PANEL

Sunday- ROALD DAHL FUNNY PANEL WITH
BOOK ROYALTY LOUISE RENNISON-
MICHAEL ROSEN-PHILIP ARDAGH...AND ME
(OVER COMPENSATING FOR FEELING NERVOUS.)

Here I am..back at the Southbank again!
Royal Festival Hall Saturday 25th Feb for a free 
drop in drawing event 
as part of the IMAGINE FESTIVAL.Then on SUNDAY 
26TH FOR THE ROALD DAHL 
FUNNY PANEL. 


SATURDAYS EVENT it was hard to believe it was the same space as we'd had the fancy dinner in. It was much quieter this weekend but as soon as we ROLLED out the paper children appeared from everywhere!
They did some fantastic drawings too.
This time last year I didn't 
even have a book out.So I have to keep pinching myself when I get asked to do things like appear on a Roald Dahl Panel with pretty much book royalty.It was a proper master class on how to talk to 

audiences.I learnt a lot that's for sure. And it was hilarious listening 

to the backstage banter before we went on. If you think they were funny on stage, that was nothing!

Rolled out paper.

The doodle paper was HUGE and worked really well I think.

 

Thrilled to meet Philip (and beard)
who won the Roald Dahl prize in 2009.

I told him I would photoshop his
beard onto his head Jedwood style
to see what it would look like...
... it looks like this.

Equally THRILLED to meet Louise Rennison author
of SO many hilarious books.
She's been working on a STAGE PLAY of
ANGUS, THONGS AND PERFECT SNOGGING
which is already getting RAVE reviews in Leeds.

Michael Rosen had just had the whole
audience laughing. No pressure then.

Philip in ACTION!

Catherine (from Scholastic)
and Louise's publicist 

Lily reviewing her pictures on the way home.
(She took the ones of me.)

The Book People Gala dinner

Went to the most FABULOUS dinner last night held 

Mark and I looking fancy.

The invitation.

by The Book People.
The invitation was a message in a bottle, that I read then stupidly put
BACK in the bottle and couldn't get it out again.
Most authors and illustrators I know (me included) love a get together. 
And this "do"was pretty FANCY! 

You name an author/illustrator...

...and they were there.

Stayed in a great hotel by westminster bridge with a river view too. Lovely Zoe (from Scholastic) came and met me there first, then fellow author/illustrator Adam joined us.

The Clore Ballroom looked beautiful with all the candles and tables decorated. We had been asked to bring a book and a written post card as to why we chose it.

Adam and Zoe.

I brought SPIKE MILLIGAN-SILLY VERSE FOR KIDS.

Still one of my favourites today.

The food was delicious and done by none other than Jamie Oliver.He also gave a speech and admitted to never having read a whole book in his life due to being dyslexic and finding reading tricky.

Other speakers included Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo who broke into song.(He's written WARHORSE so he can do what he wants in my opinion.)

It was a really wonderful evening.

Thanks to everyone who made it so memorable.

I'm back in the CLORE BALLROOM Saturday 25th Feb as part of the IMAGINE FESTIVAL doing a doodle event.

Then on Sunday 26th on a PANEL with Michael Rosen

Louise Rennison and 

Philip Ardagh

Sunday trying very hard to be funny! 

The view looking out of the hotel.
It was almost a warm day.

On the way to the ballroom
on the Thames riverbank.

 

The Ballroom looking splendid.

Catherine from Scholastic.

Michael Morpurgo.. singing.

Slow cooked beef with olive
oil mash and greens
YUM.

Paul Collicut (who I was in the same
studio with)and his girlfriend.

PUDDING (lots of chocolate.)

Jamie Oliver made a speech and brought out all the young chefs who cooked a really delicious meal.

Paul looking happy.

My sparkly shoes.

RED HOUSE BOOK AWARDS...and an AMAZING week of good stuff..

It's a BIG book.

Firstly, sorry 
about the lack of posts!
Been ever-so busy writing 
and finishing off..
Tom Gates- Everything's Amazing (sort of)

  

WHOO HOO!


Brilliant World Of Tom Gates only went and won it's section of the RED HOUSE BOOK AWARDS. 
It's voted for by children so I am THRILLED-AMAZED-PLEASED and every other happy word I can think of!


Meeting everyone was such a pleasure, I just had the best time.
I got to bring my family too. (We scrub up well don't we?)
It's nice for them to see me do other apart from just
shout, be grumpy and clean up after them.


All the other authors and illustrators all had top notch
books. And Michael Morpurgos speech, blimey I dream to be able to talk like that one day. All very inspiring.


Here's some pics to give you a flavour of the day.

Lily-Ella- Zak and Mark all looking SWISH.

Windy south bank and hair sticking to my lipgloss.

The Red House lunch.

Book signing before the awards.

Our table

Picking up the portfolio for Tom Gates.

We all get a collection of children's letters and drawings
as part of the prize for being shortlisted.

Lovely Catherine from Scholastic.
I met Lydia Monks and Steve Cole
who were both lovely too!

Steve taking a picture of me taking
a picture of him.
Go to his BLOG to see his picture!

Zak Ella and Lily at the lunch.

Chris Wormell who wrote Scruffy Bear
and won the younger picture book section.
And Gill Lewis whos book
SKY HAWK has also been shortlisted for the WATERSTONES book award.

Annabel Pitcher- who wrote
My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece.
Also shortlisted for the Waterstones.
Patrick Ness who wrote A Monster Calls and Jim Kay
who did the brilliant illustrations -
 which won the over all prize.

 The awards were in the
Queen Elizabeth hall it was MASSIVE.

 

All the children had these blowers
on the seats. It was NOISY...

My editor Clare has just told me the
latest deadline for
Tom Gates Book Four...

Michael Morpurgo 

James Cambell hosted the awards.
(Yes the same.. remember my Bridget Jones moment from
the Big Book Babble?) He asked  questions to myself, Piers Ibbotson
the son of Eva who wrote  One Dog and his Boy before she died
and Gill Lewis. We look like a panel on blind date.

Steve Cole announced the winner
for the Younger Readers.....

...it's me!

Meeting keen book readers.

My Tom gates stamp on Lilys hand.

The older readers section of chat.. 

The picture book authors
and illustrators on blind date.

The WINNER!

Patrick with his award..
tweeting I think?

Mark and Zak.

Catherine from Scholastic arranged a lovely
TEA and fizz for after the ceremony.

The sliver engraved award they gave me.

Back at good friends house
for dinner they gave us treats!

Lily took these on the way home.

What a day.