It’s that moment again …
The one when the doorbell goes and it’s a nice man with a big brown box and in it are … lots of copies of your new book. Loads. The first time you’ve seen them in quantity, like a proper, published book …
And they are beauuutiful.
Here they are in the box:
And here they are stacked up on the dining table for me to sign. (We’re giving booksellers and reviewers the finished version to look at, rather than a typical ARC, because they are so GORGEOUS. Look at those page edges. Like I said – GORGEOUS.)
So I’ve spent the morning signing and trying to draw a cute little picture of an eye under my signature. And I have learned, in the process, that one of the many things I can’t draw very well is eyes. So if you’re reading this and you happen to receive a signed copy from me and you’re wondering what the weird blob is under my signature – it’s an eye, OK? I tried.
Now I have to send them back, and I guess I won’t see them again until spring, when The Look comes out, and the only thing that will keep me going until then is writing the new one.
Which is hard, by the way. Very. One of the lovely things about this weekend at the Cheltenham Festival was sitting on a panel next to Melvin Burgess (that would be Carnegie Medal-winning Melvin Burgess to you and me), hearing him say that it never gets any easier. That was strangely reassuring. At least it’s not just me.
If you came and saw us at Cheltenham, I hope you had a good time. Tell me what you thought. And if you wore a sparkly outfit, thank you. (That wouldn’t have been to the event with Melvin – I don’t think he does sparkly. That would have been to the one with Joanna Nadin that we did the next day.) And if you were the girl in the sparkly top, lime green tutu and leggings, a la Crow, THANK YOU, and thank your big sister too!
Because writing may be hard, but meeting fans of the books who enjoy them so much they get their little sisters to dress up as one of the characters makes every single minute of it totally worthwhile.
Have I ever mentioned that I love my job?
I do.
Oooh, I can’t wait to read that book.
Glad you like the look of it, Rebecca! xxx
It looks gorgeous! Can’t wait to read it. And I LOVE that someone got dressed up. Fabulous.
Hi Keris. Yes, those outfits were fab. It was so lovely to see them in the audience. And I’m glad you love the look of the new book. Can’t wait for you to see it properly. xxx