[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-rainy-day-doodle":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"I couldn't quite bring myself to cycle to the park this morning when I saw the buckets of rain hitting my window. Then I had to run a gauntlet of puddles to get the studio, wishing the most horrible things on the drivers who rushed by in their cars, spraying 7-foot-high sheets of oily water on the pedestrians. \u003Ci>Why must they DO that?!\u003C/i> I never hate actual people (when I know them as people), but I do sometimes hate motorists WITH A PASSION. \\r\n\\r\nI doodled this last night. I like the way muralist and illustrator \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jonburgerman.com/\">Jon Burgerman\u003C/a> follows the older example of the artist \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Klee\">Paul Klee\u003C/a> in 'taking a line for a walk'. So I thought I'd do the same, making an abstract loopy line doodle, then filling in the spaces it makes with whatever random stuff my subconscious was throwing out at that moment.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/doodle_7jan11-940432c7a1.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIf you'd like to have a go at it yourself, feel free to attach your doodle in the comments here, it would be fun to see them! \\r\n\\r\nOn Wednesday, the writer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.marksworks.co.uk\">Graham Marks\u003C/a> visited our studio at \u003Ca href=\"http://thefleecestation.wordpress.com/\">The Fleece Station\u003C/a>, to interview me for the marvelous interview and children's book review database that is the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.writeaway.org.uk/\">Write Away website\u003C/a>. I've written 49 book reviews for it \u003Ca href=\"http://www.writeaway.org.uk/\">which you can find here\u003C/a>, done loads of event reviews and interviewed \u003Ca href=\"http://www.writeaway.org.uk/content/david-mcKee\">David McKee\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.writeaway.org.uk/node/1267623118\">Freya Blackwood\u003C/a>. (For the McKee interview, be sure to download the PDF version so you can see all the pictures. I even made \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/182684.html\">a comic about that day\u003C/a>, it was so full-on.) You can read Write Away's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.writeaway.org.uk/node/322\">interview with Graham Marks here\u003C/a>. It's interesting to hear him talk about his approach to writing, very plot-driven and with an emphasis on making dialogue sound like real speech, not like something you're reading. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.marksworks.co.uk\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/grahammarks-208aed6d23.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nI asked Graham which of his books he'd recommend as a starter, and he suggested \u003Ci>\u003Cb>Kai-Ro\u003C/i>\u003C/b>  (pictured above), which you can read about \u003Ca href=\"http://www.writeaway.org.uk/content/kai-ro\">at Write Away here\u003C/a>. Speaking of Write Away, I'm still plugging the big launch party for its new story centre, \u003Cb>Just Imagine\u003C/b>, opening in Chelmsford, Essex on Sat, 15 Jan. I'm doing a big monster event with the writer \u003Ca href=\"\\r\nhttp://www.stevecolebooks.co.uk/steves-space/blog/2011/jan/blog01-05-2011/\">Steve Cole, which you can now read about on his blog here!\u003C/a> Come along and bring some kids along, too! Graham says he's planning to come along, as is Marcus Sedgwick.\\r\n\\r\nGraham and I went for lunch at \u003Ca href=\"http://panda-panda.co.uk/\">Panda Panda cafe\u003C/a> and met up with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.rebeccalouise.com\">Greenwich portrait and wedding photographer Rebecca Portsmouth\u003C/a>. Here's the photo I took of her and Graham: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/beckygraham-85edbfd05d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI met Rebecca through Twitter (\u003Ca href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/beckyportsmouth\">beckyportsmouth\u003C/a>) and we're always just missing each other at the supermarket or Panda Panda, so it was fun to connect at last. Here are a few photos she took of Graham and me with our fruit bubble teas.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/beckyp_3-96011692a2.jpg\">\\r\n\u003C!--more More photos and a video under the cut!-->\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/beckyp_1-98c252102d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/beckyp_2-a606b27f50.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThanks so much, Rebecca! Do visit \u003Ca href=\"http://www.rebeccalouise.com\">her website\u003C/a> if you're looking for a photographer, or just to browse her photos.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.rebeccalouise.com\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/beckyportsmouth-1e76baf9a3.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAnd Philippa Dickinson flagged this video made in a day as a protest to the planned closure of Glastonbury Library. I really hope the government changes its mind about all these library closures, it's madness.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"538\"/>\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NAYcx4TqzQ\">\u003Ci>Opening Times YouTube link\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\\r\nDescription: \\r\n\u003Ci>This a film that we shot and edited in a day.\\r\nIt is a response to Somerset County Council's decision to close 60% of its library branches and mobile libraries in 2011, including the always busy Glastonbury library.\\r\n\\r\nThis is disgusting.\\r\n\\r\nIf you feel the same please show your support by joining the \u003Ca href=\"\\r\nhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Glastonbury-Library/161821913862882\">Friends of Glastonbury Library facebook page\u003C/a>, or similarly by sending an email of support to saveglastonburylibrary@googlegroups.com","2011-01-07T11:29:00.000Z","rainy-day-doodle",[],"rainy-day doodle",1776628719504]