Now I’m working at a charity, I’m allowed to go and spy on new books coming up from all the publishers, which I LOVE. So I toddled along to the Random House Offices, a place I know well from my days working with children’s books there. After greeting lots and lots of lovely ex-colleagues (no really, it was like a big reunion) I made a beeline for this wondersome duo…

The Alfie queen Shirley Hughes (R) and her wonderful daughter Clara Vulliamy! What a dream team! And now they have written and illustrated a book together, which is really the most custard-cream-tastic tome you will find. It’s a loveable duo caper in delicious black, white and red, perfect for children who are moving on from picture books but aren’t quite ready to lose the pictures yet. So, keep your peepers peeled in September for Dixie O’Day! You can see some of the original sketches below:

There were also tables from other illustrators, including Tim Hopgood, with his lovely book Big! which was included in our goody bags and is truly lovely:

Also displaying his wares was the lovely Chris Wormell (winner of the Booktrust Early Years Award dontchaknow) who I was delighted to see again, as my first task as a publicist was to accompany him to Leicester several moons ago! And look at the insanely gorgeous original artwork on display:

Wowee! And very exciting news that there is a new Scruffy Bear tale! Then it was time to head on into the meeting room to hear about the new titles coming up - this part was all very high speed and I was trying to make notes on my phone without looking like I was texting - but let me just say there are a whole host of fabulous titles coming from RHCP this year! 

Then we were treated to a reading from Roald Dahl Funny Prize winner Rebecca Patterson - and I have to say I would love to see this new book on the shortlist again as it’s packed full of brilliant comedy observation. It was great to hear it read aloud too, Rebecca brought it to life! My Busy Being Bella Day follows on from My Big Shouting Day and Bella is an excellent lead character! 

Next we heard from Clara and Shirley about their fab collaboration - very sweet to hear that Shirley (who wrote the words) had pictures in her head when she came up with the story but then loved the way Clara interpreted everything.

And look at this INCREDIBLE model Clara had a friend make of Dixie and Percy in their wonderful automobile:

EEP! And might I say, tres co-ordinated with Clara’s dress! 

So finally after another peruse of some brilliant looking proofs from Claudia Boldt and Nadia Shireen, we were fed some truly excellent snackage (and here was me thinking that I had made an error arriving hungry!) and sent on our way with this lot in a goody bag… I get goody bags now! Wow!

Well aren’t I lucky… Thank you RHCP for a lovely evening!

And look Big Book Little Book, I did a blog!! 

lifeinpublishing:

(Submission from Katie, thanks!)

So true.. 

(Image from the Independent) 

Poor Paris Brown - appointed last week as the youth PCC at just 17, and already a less than desirable past has been dredged up by the Daily Mail. I wonder if she considered before taking up the post, the barrage of abuse she was putting herself up for by being in the public eye? Perhaps, she naively thought that by taking on a role of responsibility and pressure, won out of 164 candidates, she was showing her attempt to make something of herself and any previous discretion would be forgotten - sadly in the media’s eye she is as much a target as any politician or celebrity. 

I’m not defending her comments, because let’s face it they were pretty bad. I can’t say I’d want to be mates with someone who casually throws around the term “fags” and says she wants to cut everyone. But then if someone had taken things I’d said as a teenager, preserved in written form and presented them back to me now I would probably balk. Don’t get me wrong because clearly I was a massive book nerd, but I sure could be a bitch. Because teenage girls often are - be it borne of anger/jealousy/excess of hormones/lack of knowledge of how to be better, they’re not fully formed humans yet. The Daily Mail instantly branded her “foul mouthed and self-obsessed” - making her what? an anomaly among teens? Far from it - if anything Paris really IS a true voice of teenagers in her area. 

So perhaps by being given the opportunity to take on this role, the office of the Kent PCC will learn a thing or two about the true views of a local youth, but maybe more importantly, Brown will learn what it’s like from the side of the adults in charge. She’s already hugely regretful for her previous views and will no doubt learn a whole lot more about being a fair and decent human over her year’s apprenticeship and maybe even spread that message among her peers. The alternative is to quit, and no doubt suffer a feeling of failure as well as missing out on the opportunity this role afforded her for future prospects. 

Just because she turned out to be a PR disaster for Ann Barnes, doesn’t mean she should have this change taken away. It isn’t by her silly 14 year old ramblings on twitter we should judge her, but by how she changes and grows from now on. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-call-for-youth-pcc-paris-brown-to-resign-8564691.html?origin=internalSearch

As part of my new drive to “go everywhere, do everything, have a party 100% of the time” (very specific goal) I signed up to tickets for the Tatty Devine “I Heart Holi” party pretty much as soon as they appeared on the jewelry designer’s blog. Like most people in children’s publishing I am a huge fan of Tatty Devine stuff, although usually don’t have enough money to actually buy it, so often get things in the sale or as presents! 

The night finally came last week and it was a super wicked party - good on Tatty D for offering up a fully free party, with no charge for the tickets, open to all and free food, drink and more when you got there. We may have had to queue for 50 minutes in the freezing cold to get in, and then dig our way through the elbow packed room inside, but you can’t argue when it was all provided out of the goodness of TD’s hearts!

There were Midori cocktails (which by the way, were surprisingly delicious), Indian street food, Illamasqua make-up, henna, nail art and blinging bindis - there was also an amazing ribbon game where you could win all sorts of jewelry - sadly we didn’t win OR have time for any of the make up articles, but we enjoyed plenty of free foodstuffs and drinks! 

THEN came the Holi part - in case you don’t know it’s a Hindu festival celebrating colour and involves throwing around brightly coloured powder paints at each other until you look something like this:

I have to say I got WELL into this - I ran around with my bag of powder paint swinging it round my head and chucking it in the air and probably inhaled a good deal of it… we were given goggles and facemasks but I didn’t realise how much we would need them. But we were COVERED!

The aftermath was pretty apocalyptic - unfortunately you began to realise pretty quickly that you were totally covered in paint and none of your belongings had escaped as you’d been jumping around so enthusiastically! But it really was great fun, so a big thanks to Tatty Devine for running it! Do these again!

lifeinpublishing:

(submission from BookEatingGirl, thanks!

Ha ha. Not that I’ve got anyone in particular in mind or anything… 

Book publicists across London sighed mournful resignation as yet another outlet to promote their authors essentially bit the dust today. BBC announced that The Review Show, weekly culture discussion show aired on BBC 2 on Friday nights, will now be sent off to channel of choice for polo-necked academics, BBC4. It will also be shifted to a monthly slot - but hey, don’t worry it will be an HOUR long now instead of 45 minutes! Thanks for the positive spin BBC.

It’s not that I necessarily watch The Review Show all that often, or think it’s the best way of opening up arts discussions, but I don’t imagine that anything is going to replace it and it’s just yet another relegation of the arts in a round of cuts. Why is it that when there’s money to be saved the arts are the first thing out the window? 

Of course, like all those other publicists, I’m internally going GAAAHHHH as it’s one less thing to put on a future PR plan - especially now I’m working on some prizes with literary adult fiction authors. Which is not a very honorable reason to be annoyed it’s getting swished off into a corner. But underneath the self serving reasons, I genuinely feel pained by arts coverage disappearing into the ether. Newspapers slim down the space for review coverage, especially children’s books, which are lucky to get one spot a week, but most likely to be stuck to seasonal round ups. This is where, of course, book blogs jump in to fill the gap - and they do it brilliantly.

But the statement that the BBC is making is that arts coverage is not for the masses, not for the everyman, but to be essentially ghettoised to a channel more associated with classical music, documentaries and elitist niche programming. Making the show monthly also marginalises the content - they’ll have to cover a slim section of the arts and only the highest profile shows, books, exhibitions and films will be covered. 

I know the BBC, like everyone else, are facing financial decisions that are tough to make. But decisions like this simply reflect a continuing attitude towards the arts that really worries me.

You can read about the move on The Guardian. 

Some of you may have noticed I left my publishing job last week to join the wonderful world of Booktrust - a bittersweet moment for me after a really lovely time working at two children’s publishers and making lots of friends. But the chance to work for an organisation responsible for delivering millions of free books to children around the country was too good to pass up! 

I plan on blogging a lot more from my new perspective, but it’s been, well, A TAD BUSY so far. So the first thing I’m going to do is be a big fat showoff and post all about the AMAZING leaving presents that I was so lucky to get when I left - I think you all want to know, right?? 

First up, from my lovely colleagues - this ADORABLE paper balloon, constructed from recycled envelopes. These were once letters of love, friendship or maybe even a steep bill! 

And hidden away in the basket of the balloon a pair of pink Tatty Devine swallow earrings! Yes, I do go on about Tatty Devine a lot… 

Not to mention several cocktails at that rarest of places, a nice pub in Hammersmith at the end of the day!! Thank you SO much every single lovely person at HC.

Arriving first thing in the morning on my last day were these beautiful flowers from the lovely and spectacularly gruesome writer Will Hill - I shall miss you and our tours Will! The chocolate orange bread and butter pudding… The long train journeys… The glitz and the grunge, side by side ha! 

Next in to the office was my new bestie Holly Smale - her book isn’t out yet but you all need to look out for the hilarious Geek Girl at the end of Feb! She brought me ANOTHER bunch of beautiful flowers AND signed my book - oh-so-cute debut author style, spent some time deciding which bit of the page to sign it on hehe… 

Then just as I was starting to think I was getting a grip on the emotions - lovely Emma Chichester Clark dropped by with the infamous Plum, who appears in the amazing illustrated blog by Emma - which I am a long standing follower of, along with my parents (who seem to tweet with Emma when I’m not there like naughty school children :) ) - so lovely to say goodbye to them in person… Then lo and behold - I APPEARED IN THE PLUMDOG BLOG! AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF ME! It was so good. It’s made my life. 

EEEH! That’s what I was wearing and everything! 

AND if I can add even more to the pile of loveliness, that to be honest when I put it together makes me tear up all over again…

Earlier in the week the lurvely Clara Vulliamy popped in for a meeting - the week before I’d been lucky enough to have tea and cake at her mum Shirley Hughes’ house as we had an interview for the Guardian family (which you can see here. What a gorgeous photo!) and when I asked if Clara would sign my books she took them away to do a drawing in - and so HERE IS BUNNY ME!!! I AM IN ILLUSTRATED FORM TWICE OVER!! 

And just where do you get such skinny pens? so lovely! I am very pleased that I get to stay in the Happy Bunny Club for life :) 

And last but not least, I spent half of my last week on tour with the absolute rising star Sarah Lean - and what a gem she was! Hundreds of school children very much entertained and inspired by her talks that week! But as a parting gift she gave me this beautiful paper rose - made from pages of books! A rose for a rose as she said :) 

PHEWF and that is it - my amazing and fantastic haul of presents from a group of publishers, authors and illustrators I am so proud to have worked with - don’t think you’ve got rid of me now because I’ll be back for cocktails, cupcakes and gossip any time you’ll have me - plus you’re all now obligatory friends of Booktrust hehe… In thanks I would like to add this gif of the post-cocktail tube dancing on my last day :) 

So of course there were plenty of books on my Christmas list in 2012 - and I feel like there are still lots more I’m behind on from the awards lists and many reviews of books I’ve admired. I went through a very escapist girlie reading phase just before Christmas and now I really need to get back to kids books or I’ll miss everything. So this is not quite a list of the books I can’t wait to read in 2013 - it’s a list of the books I was too slow to read in 2012 and want to catch up on ASAP!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The fact that The Daily Mail published this SILLY SILLY article (and the Guardian online then responded, woo!!) about “Sick Lit” or disturbing, dark books about sick teens only made me want to read this book MORE. It’s been on my list to read for a while but so many people have jumped up to defend it, I’m desperate to get reading now! Not to mention his super enviable almost sell out UK tour coming up next month - as a publicist I’m well jell. 

The Sacrifice by Charlie Higson

This is a bit of a cheat because I’m half way through it already, but this was one of my FAVOURITE Christmas presents as I love this series. The way Higson gets you attached to the multitude of post-apocalypse-zombie-battling kids only to brutally kill MOST of them off gets me every time. I always think my favourites are going to survive and of course they get munched. Gruesome, page turning and brilliant storytelling these books are totes amaze. Although I could’ve done without reading that bit about poor Ricky on my morning commute….

Heart Shape Bruise by Tanya Byrne 

I’ve been seeing this popping up on blogs for ages and ages and yet somehow not got around to reading - but it’s one of those I keep hearing about and just have to catch up with! 

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

It’s a pretty impressive feat for a brand new children’s list, launched less than a year ago by the ever so funky Hot Key Books to have one of their titles not only on the Carnegie long list, but winning the Costa Book Award for children’s books! Of course Sally’s no newbie author, but still fantastic work from the Hot Key team on this one, and another one everyone’s been talking about. Thanks Sarah B from Hot Key for sending me the book! 

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey 

With a beautiful cover like this how could I resist? This has been sat in the top ten of the Kindle offers over Christmas but I wanted a real life copy to go on my shelf as it’s so pretty, and Santa obliged. I’m a bit fan of books set in icy wilderness landscapes - I love Russell Hoban’s Soonchild - so the sound of this really appealed to me. Plus it’s also based on a Russian fairytale, which always suggests a certain amount of darkness and beauty that would appeal. For now it’s sat looking pretty on my shelf but I look forward to reading. 

I read this article a few days ago courtesy of lovely Melanie from Library Mice when she posted it on Facebook with her own grrr noises. It so incensed me, I’ve been stewing over it since, and although I know I shouldn’t engage with the Daily Mail’s mentality, it is one apparently shared by more than just Stephen Pollard (editor of the Jewish Chronicle and biographer of David Blunkett as well as the author of the piece). 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245315/Booktrust-Why-YOU-pay-6m-daughter-read-Mrs-Cleggs-favourite-book.html 

Do read the article and enjoy some rage, but to give you the gist, the general point is that it isn’t fair for Booktrust to receive government funding, basically the old why are my tax pennies being wasted on this schtick. It claims Booktrust is being supported by the “chattering classes”, using authors and other supporters including Nick Clegg’s wife to unfairly propagandize society with “moral blackmail”. 

Let me first try to understand his perspective on one point - he claims Booktrust ends up “subsidising those very people who should be its main donors.” So those who can afford to buy their own books, still get given one for free. Fine, he may feel guilty about receiving something for free. But he is a middle class, magazine editing biographer - of course he will use his money to buy his daughter a copy of The Gruffalo. But what is beautiful about Booktrust is that they believe reading is fundamental to everyone, regardless of wealth, social status, lifestyle choices… If you begin means testing who can have a book for free, then not only would it become a badge, marking out children as “deprived” like free school meals maybe do, but it would deny those whose parents may have enough money to buy a book but choose other entertainments for their children. 

The article goes on to essentially moan that Nick Clegg’s wife being a supporter of Booktrust means that they have been unfairly favoured - yet they’ve lost enough of their funding recently to no longer be able to administer the Teenage Book Prize and the Booked Up scheme for secondary school children. He also claims that Booktrust was saved by the “bleating of a bunch of children’s authors” - who could make their own charitable donations if they wanted, and whose own interests are served by Booktrust’s schemes. Not only might I point out the fact that unless you’re JK Rowling, you don’t make much money from being a children’s author, but also that I’m sure Booktrust gives the books away at a highly subsidized rate so the author’s interests are certainly not financially served by featuring in the scheme. 

Worst of all, the article’s concluding point is essentially that promoting reading and giving away books is a waste. This makes me want to cry! I came from a loving, supportive, financially stable family which makes me very, very lucky, but reading still changed my life. Anyone who doesn’t believe reading for pleasure can make a difference to a person’s life is deluded. Honestly - studies have proven it, Booktrust have spent 20 years proving it - encouraging children to read and helping them see the joy in it sets them up for a better life all round. As far as I’m concerned, encouraging this is as basic a provision in a decent society as health care, education, sewerage systems, road maintenance… It absolutely should have funding and we absolutely shouldn’t be moaning about it. Unless we want to end up in zombie town where people can only manage to read The Daily Mail… 

My reading diet largely consists of picture books, children’s fiction and teen/YA books, which, let’s face it, generally have more happy endings than your average growed up person’s book. But I do occasionally take a step into the big bad adult world of reading (and I mean adult as in for grown up people, not adULT - no 50 Shades of Grey thanks) and I’ve read some brilliant books recently. Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann is absolutely brilliant - like stepping into a hot New England summer, downing a few jars of gin and some ice cold martinis and taking in the whole bleak world of post-war marriage. It’s glamourous and dark and for me, very thought-provoking on what people would just have to put up with in a relationship once you were married back then. I’m not talking about abuse or necessarily infidelity, but the little dissatisfactions. 

So I’d definitely recommend buying that for pretty much anyone you know this Christmas. But then the next book I picked up was Hurting Distance by Sophie Hannah, which a neighbour had given me a while back so it was languishing on my shelf. It’s a sort of psychological crime thriller novel about a woman who suffers a completely horrific sexual assault, then years later when her married lover goes missing, she decides the only way to get the police to look for him is to report the crime and claim he was her attacker. I started reading and thought it might be too disturbing for me, but got hooked in by trying to work out the mysteries and plot twists - then ended up having actual nightmares about someone trying to stab me! What a baby! So while I know lots of people really dig this dark crime thing at the moment, I personally really needed something to wash the taste of distress and horror out of my brain! 

So I popped to the HC bookshop and picked up all the happy looking books I could find, and this is where Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans comes in. It’s got a beautiful paperback cover and looked like just what I needed!

I know people can be very snobby about “women’s fiction” or “chick lit” or whatever you want to call it, but having read Harriet Evans bio, I have to agree with her:

“Books about young women’s lives, their jobs, romances, nights out, what they like doing, are seen as frippery and silly; books about young men’s lives covering exactly the same topics are discussed and debated, often accepted as valid and interesting contributions to the social and media scene.”

It was so enjoyable to read this book, not least because it happened to feature a young girl who had moved to London and worked in publishing! Nothing like reading a book you can pretend is all about you… That’s about where the similarities end though as she ends up in some Bridget Jones-esque romantic situations I doubt will happen to me thankfully! 

It was a really enjoyable, absorbing read - I was literally reading it every spare second I had, if I was waiting for my computer to load up, on escalators, at zebra crossings. It was entirely what I needed, like the book form of a best friend to carry around with you! 

So I’m launching into a bit of a Happy Endings fest now and proud of it - I’m currently reading I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk, I believe a previous employee at HC! Next on the list is a debut You Had Me at Hello by Mhairi McFarlane published by Avon. I got drawn in on that one by watching a video their marketing team put together that followed the whole process of acquiring and publishing the book, which was brilliant - not available to view yet but I’ll show you when it is!

So go find some happily ever afters - and don’t feel guilty for it!