A Day with the Duchess

Concept sketch of the Cover.

Hi as you all know by now I've just returned from London from the London Book Fair where I was plugging my books. Here's the latest book I'm working on which my long-time illustrator Enrico Sallustio, "A Day with the Duchess" .

After this book's publication, I have four Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di books scheduled to be republished with Epigram. 

Cover design for A Day with the Duchess

London Day Four, PT Two

So after the Singapore networking night, Enrico and I headed out for dinner Chinatown and we had a set dinner of crumbled duck, beef, vegetables, and fried rice for £10+++ per person, a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Then we headed down to the Trafalgar Studios, where James McAvoy was starring in the lead role in a post-apocalyptic version of Macbeth. Tickets were sold out months in advance and there was no way that we would be able to get tickets we were told. Disappointed I decided to go for coffee and perhaps see Mr McAvoy backstage after the performance.

We met two lovely young French ladies who had met him before and assured us that he takes time for all of his fans. Enrico chatted to them in French and we showed them our kids books we intended to give him for his son. There were only four of us standing by the stage door, but as the show ended, people began turning up and all in all about thirty people stood around in the cold, hoping to get that all important photo and autograph.

Trafalgar Studios stage door

Cast members started leaving one by one, some stopped to sign autographs when they were asked but everyone was waiting for Mr McAvoy. Two young theatre students saw where we were standing and positioned themselves right in front of us of us by the stage door so they would be the first to meet him. Mr McAvoy kindly posed for pictures and signed autographs and took his time with each and every fan who was there.

Enrico and I gave him copies of Emma's Elephant and Blue Kangaroo for his young son, and he kindly signed autographs for us. I told him that I wrote the books and Enrico illustrated them. Enrico was supposed to take the photos but I now know why he is an illustrator and not a photographer...he can't take photographs!!

James McAvoy accepts our books!

As we left I said, "Thank you, Mr McAvoy," and he smiled and replied, "Thank you for the books." Then Enrico and I hopped into a cab, too exhausted to take the tube back to our hotel in Earl's Court. It was midnight by the time we got back to the hotel. After a hot shower, I hit the sack, but thanks to jet lag, I was back up at around 3am. Enrico, on the other hand, managed to sleep until 7am.

London Day Four

Sorry for the delay...but things got rather busy when the fair started. Celine and Kenneth spent most of Sunday making sure that the Singapore Pavilion was set up to perfection and it's needless to say it was, because let's face it it was and there's no bias here. Shiuan, Michelle from the National Arts Council of Singapore and all the publishers were there too and then it was off to the hotel to get ready for the first day of meetings!!

After a dinner of king prawn fried rice from Golden Dragon, I knocked off to sleep only to wake up again at 2am. I managed to go back to sleep a few hours later and I got up in time at 6am to get ready for my first day at the fair. I wanted to look intellectual or at least seem intellectual so I decied to don a bow tie after learning how to tie one on youtube. I ended up looking more nutty than dapper.

The first order of the day was to head for breakfast...I was starving, so I grabbed a bacon and sausage bap and a juice. I had barely scarfed it all down (it's a miracle that I didn't spill anything on myself) when my phone rang: it was Enrico, letting me know he had arrived. "Can't talk long, it's costing me lots of money I said. "look for the Singapore Pavilion.

My bacon and sausage bap

Figuring it would take Enrico some time to find me, I wandered around a bit before making my way back to the pavilion. By the time I got there Enrico was there waiting for me...I don't know why I was under the impression that he was directionally challenged but he is not.

We had time to head back to the hotel to drop off his luggage before our meetings. We arrived back at the exhibition hall with minutes to spare before our first meetings. We had a break for lunch before our next meetings so Enrico and I headed up for the less crowded cafeteria. Now I understand why they were less crowded - it's cos they were more expensive!

I have to say that it was quite exhausting walking around the halls and it was nice that the organisers arranged for masseurs to massage the sore muscles of the attendees, but the massages weren't for free- they were charging ten pounds per session.

Enrico at the Singapore Pavilion

At  the Singapore Pavilion

Shiuan, Rosaline and Michele

The Singapore Delegation

Anyway the day ended with a networking night and I met up with some members of  SCBWI UK, including Candy Gourlay and Anita Loughrey.

With the first day of the fair over, Enrico and I headed to Chinatown for dinner, and what Enrico did not know was that I had planned a little post dinner adventure for the both of us.

Baby Lion's Baby Spots takes a Spot!

A couple of posts ago or so, I brought up something Clayton Morris, Alisyn Camerota and Dave Briggs of Fox & Friends Weekend discussed on their show - The Reading Program, a program in which kids are allowed to choose their own text books. I believe that it is important to let kids read what they like as it will cultivate a healthy reading habit. Well as it turns out, here in Singapore one of my books, 'Baby Lion's Baby Spots', has earned a spot on the   recommended reading list  for 1st and 2nd graders.

As I perused the list of other recommended books, I was awestruck. Books by authors like Enid Blyton, Allison Utley, Stan Berenstain, and Jamie Lee Curtis (okay, she's technically an actress but she writes as well)  were on the list and my book was along side them!  Talk about sticking out like a proverbial sore thumb. But seriously,  it is an honor to be included.

Having said that, if a child chooses to read my book because he/she likes it, that's the biggest thrill of all. Thanks be to God. Have a good day everyone.