I had my first event as an 'author' on Monday. Met up with my agent Sarah and off we went to the Tate Modern, for Puffin's annual shin-dig. Here's a piccie with me lurking in the background with a lot of people who's names I should know. I'm just over the shoulder of Francesca Dow, the Puffin MD and all round excellent human being.
Very noisy, very crowded and very glamourous (well, to me anyway who's only ever attended events dominated by hairy-arsed builders, I doubt there was a hairy arse anywhere that night, apart from mine. Not that I hung out in the loos checking. Or anything. Lets move on, shall we?). Awesome view over the city, especially as night fell. Saw a few of the great and the good (Charlie Higson, Lauren Child and Meg Rosoff to name but a few) and excellent chatting to some of the other debut writers.
The key thing was how everyone LOVES what they do. Long talk with Anne, the Puffin art director and Lins (my super editor, now muscle bound from a week of house moving and such) and it's great being in an industry that ultimately is about passion and the love of the product.
No doubt I'd say this about any publisher who was on my book, but there's something very cool about being with Puffin. You remember being in the Puffin club and getting the newsletter (when you're a kid letters in the post are an EVENT) and counting the pennies to work out what you'd get and all that.
So a big thanks to Francesca, Lins, Tania, Anne and everyone else I stared at (bewildered and amazed that I was even there) for the invite and a fantastic evening.
Also, Kirsten, I have seen you before. Your photo was in Bookseller recently, wasn't it?
Very noisy, very crowded and very glamourous (well, to me anyway who's only ever attended events dominated by hairy-arsed builders, I doubt there was a hairy arse anywhere that night, apart from mine. Not that I hung out in the loos checking. Or anything. Lets move on, shall we?). Awesome view over the city, especially as night fell. Saw a few of the great and the good (Charlie Higson, Lauren Child and Meg Rosoff to name but a few) and excellent chatting to some of the other debut writers.
The key thing was how everyone LOVES what they do. Long talk with Anne, the Puffin art director and Lins (my super editor, now muscle bound from a week of house moving and such) and it's great being in an industry that ultimately is about passion and the love of the product.
No doubt I'd say this about any publisher who was on my book, but there's something very cool about being with Puffin. You remember being in the Puffin club and getting the newsletter (when you're a kid letters in the post are an EVENT) and counting the pennies to work out what you'd get and all that.
So a big thanks to Francesca, Lins, Tania, Anne and everyone else I stared at (bewildered and amazed that I was even there) for the invite and a fantastic evening.
Also, Kirsten, I have seen you before. Your photo was in Bookseller recently, wasn't it?
5 comments:
Envy envy envy! Right got that out of my system...I bet Charlie Higson has got a hairy arse! Blimey, the Puffin Club...how could I forget?
Your time will come. Hmmm...you might be right about Charlie Higson, could it be some sort of literary trait?
I suspect Hemingway was hirsute in that way, possibly Dickens too. Baldy-bums would be Fleming (he went to Eton, hairy arses probably aren't allowed), and Jane Austen.
Nah, I've heard Jane Austin had a hairier arse than Father Ted! george Eliot told me...
Wotcher Sarwat mate ... I know it's great isn't it? I've just started attending these kinds of events myself all leading up to publication in October. All those years of rejection slips suddenly feel like they were worth it -Honourable battle scars, albeit emotional ones! Good on yer mate! Well deserved!
Publication seems a distant dream right now. I've started the 'final' polish on The Devil's Kiss and it's half-terror and half-extreme excitement. Bizzarely I love the editing process and cutting cutting cutting the thing to its rawest, bloodiest bones. Then it's back to the editors for their critical analysis. Now I realise what they mean about a book is never really finished, just abandoned. You could tweak it forever.
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