My books have taken me to some wonderful places, and allowed me to have some pretty special experiences. But I have to say that last weekend was one of the most amazing yet.
I was invited to Brussels to give a keynote at the SCBWI Europolitan Conference. SCBWI is a great network for children’s authors, and I’ve been involved with it since before I was published myself. I’d never given a keynote before, and the thought of talking to lots of grown-ups was extremely scary. (If you ever wonder whether authors get nervous about giving talks: we absolutely do!)
It turned out, though, that speaking to adults is just the same as speaking to children, and also that keynotes are actually really fun. I had a great time, and am so glad I got over my nerves and gave my talk.
I did a panel talk as well, with my agent, my UK editor and one of the art directors at my US publisher – it was great to be able to talk about our experiences of working together. The truth about publishing is that you don’t get anything done unless you think like a team, and I’m proud that I have such a great one.
The house we were in, by the way, was pretty incredible. I think I could set one of Hazel and Daisy’s adventures there!
The next day, Team Bunbreak went into Brussels itself to eat chocolate and visit bookstores (our two favourite things to do). And look what we found at Tropismes Bookstore – Arsenic for Tea in French!
The bookseller had actually read it and loved it, so the face I am making is delighted embarrassment. All in all I had an absolutely wonderful weekend, full of very exciting firsts!
