[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-happy-birthday-mom":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"It's super-handy when my book comes out just as my mother's having her birthday. I made her this tattooed sailor lady card out of cut paper: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/oliver-and-the-seawigs/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mom_seawig_prezzie_zps8a779986-bf5d96f0fe.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nThere's a little bit of my parents in the story's Mr & Mrs Crisp. Both couples love traveling and are fairly fearless. Here are the front endpapers of \u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i>, showing some of their adventures before the story begins.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_front_endpapers_zpse4b48a0b-80615787b0.gif\">\\r\n\\r\nI tried to give the parcel a Seawig-ish wrap job, and protect it with some old book covers, but it did come out looking slightly odd.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mom_bdayparcel_zpsd133a078-61a42c096d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIn the meantime, there have been about a billion and one things I've needed to do in the run up to the book launch. Like translating the 'Style your own Seawig' activity sheets into Dutch! A Dutch lady visiting my studio cracked up at the word 'knutsel'; she says it's a lovely word we don't have in English, all about crafting and hand-making and cosiness. And Saskia Kalter at our Dutch publisher, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.veltman-uitgevers.nl/\">Veltman Uitgevers\u003C/a>, told me that 'Zeepruik' is 'Seawig' and 'Watch out for Sea Monkeys!' is 'Pas op voor de zee-aapjes!'. Cool!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_dutch_lettering_zpsf56584e3-a13842d766.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSo excited that the Netherlands will soon be getting \u003Ci>Olivier en de Dwaaleilanden\u003C/i>! You can follow Veltman Uitgevers on Twitter as \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/VeltmanJeugd\">@VeltmanJeugd\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/VeltmanUitg\">@VeltmanUitg\u003C/a>, and our fab Dutch translator Sandra Hessels at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/creativedifrnce\">@creativedifrnce\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.veltman-uitgevers.nl/jeugdliteratuur/1368-olivier-en-de-dwaaleilanden-9789048309320.html\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dwaaleilanden_nl_cover_zpsb280e459-c882462361.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nHa ha, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.chrisriddell.co.uk/\">Chris Riddell\u003C/a> has said about our book: \u003Ci>Een verfrissend, prachtig verteld verhaal over nautische haarkunsten, zoutwaterzoogdieren en sarcastisch zeewier – dit is mijn soort boek!\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more under the cut!-->\\r\nYou still have time to \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/oliver-and-the-seawigs/\">make your own Seawig\u003C/a> if you're coming along to next \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/578671.html\">Wednesday's launch party for \u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i>\u003C/a>. And I'm also going to have a brand-new \u003Ci>thing\u003C/i> sitting on my head... which has something to do with the mysterious, twitching parcel that arrived yesterday. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_parcel_zpsbdf4242a-537aaa7567.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd one more thing, here's a lovely mermaid drawing for my own birthday from a little friend. I love it! Emily Donut-Head, awesome.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dulcie_mermaid_zps05403098-8c8a416ff5.jpg\">","2013-08-30T07:13:00.000Z","happy-birthday-mom",[],"happy birthday, mom!",1776628725477]