June 2011
15 posts
ALA - New Orleans
A full, fun day at ALA yesterday began with a great signing session at the Hyperion stand: lots of lovely Bart enthusiasts came for a chat and a signature. Afterwards I did a video interview in support of American Libraries, and did an audio recording for Teachingbooks.net.
Took a stroll round the French Quarter in the sweltering afternoon, then dolled myself up for the Newbery/Caldicott banquet,...
It’s been a busy 24 hours in New Orleans, beginning with an excellent panel event last night, in which three other writers and I discussed the challenges and joys of making series. It was amazing how rarely any of our series were planned at the beginning - usually the concept evolved with time. Bart, for instance, began just as an idea - it was only after about 60 pages or so that it became...
ALA New Orleans
I flew out yesterday to the USA, changing planes in Washington, and arriving in New Orleans mid-afternoon. Took a stroll in the French Quarter, which is a little reminiscent of a dry Venice - full of lovely decaying buildings, hidden back-streets, garden courtyards. The air is hot and thick with flavours: petrol, cooking, horses, and twisting through it all the pungent salty vegetable tang of the...
Etonnant Voyageurs - Saint-Malo
Just back from a busy couple of days at this excellent festival in Brittany. I took a flight over on Saturday, landing at the tiny airport of Dinard, a few miles from St.-Malo. A vast book fair, with countless stalls, was laid out along the quayside just outside the great grey stone walls of the ancient port town. Here hundreds of authors and publishers hawked their wares all day before heading up...
