[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-searle-exhibition-and-mad-random-house-event":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"I absolutely LOVE the drawings of \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Searle\">Ronald Searle\u003C/a>, and a fabulous exhibition of his work opened last night at London's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.cartoonmuseum.org\">Cartoon Museum\u003C/a>! (People might know him as the guy whose devious schoolgirls inspired the two recent St Trinian films). Do go along and see it if you get the chance, this gem of a museum is tucked a couple roads back from the main entrance of the British Museum. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nietzsche_woodyallen-963024d960.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Nietzsche meets Woody Allen, The New Yorker, 1992\u003C/i> \\r\n(There were loads more amazing drawings, but the crowds of patrons and comics artists were so thick, this was the only one I managed to snap!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/searle_opening-33945e99d0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nGreat to see some of the comics gang: the Fleece Station's own \u003Ca href=\"http://www.garynorthfield.co.uk\">Gary Northfield\u003C/a>, the museum's resident cartoonist \u003Ca href=\"http://www.videojug.com/user/stephenmarchant\">Steve Marchant\u003C/a> and his partner Françoise, one of Steve's friends and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.guruinabottle.com\">Guru in a Bottle\u003C/a>'s Ardi Kolah.\\r\n\\r\nBefore the event, I had an exciting but rather strange first-time experience of a publisher Sales Presentation, at the big Random House headquarters up in Ealing. The publicists had prepared like mad for it, and they'd brought in people from their outposts as far as Australia and New Zealand. The best parts were getting to see my fabulous publisher \u003Cb>David Fickling\u003C/b> and the author of \u003Ci>Morris the Mankiest Monster\u003C/i>, \u003Cb>Giles Andreae\u003C/b>. Yay! Giles and I did an 8-minute presentation where he talked a bit about the book's beginnings, then he read the text while I drew the body parts, bogeys and such that he was talking about until we had a finished picture of Morris. I'd never done that before (except a practice session with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.littlewhitebird.com\">Ellen Lindner\u003C/a> in the studio), so it was slightly nerve-wracking, but fun, too. Then I'd made up a Make-your-own-Monster party game that people played at the reception, and here's our monster-in-progress:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/monsterposter-e6dd069716.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Photos of Giles, Nick Sharratt, loads more under the cut-->\\r\nHere's Giles with the ever-fab writer and illustrator \u003Ca href=\"http://nicksharratt.com\">Nick Sharratt\u003C/a>, who's done a lot of work in the past with Giles. (But no, Nick \u003Ca href=\"http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/bookcb.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0385615116\">did not illustrate Morris the Mankiest Monster\u003C/a>, despite what it says on the RH website. Continued thanks to everyone who keeps writing to let me know, apparently it's the most unchangeable website on the planet!) Look at them excellent trousers.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/gilesnick1-421d7bdee4.jpg\" width=\"340\"> \u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/gilesnick-503aa6d2a0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe good news and also the very bad news about Morris is that it's \u003Cb>sold out of its second print run!\u003C/b> You can \u003Ca href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morris-Mankiest-Monster-Giles-Andreae/dp/0385615116/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253090176&sr=8-1\">still get a few books on Amazon\u003C/a>, but the warehouse is empty and apparently there won't be any more books until May, which is slightly worrying. I wish they would have printed more books. (C'mon, Random House, throw caution to the wind!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/corinne_aussies-94fc1a6a1f.jpg\"> \u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarahclare-8d4fd0e2f0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's the publicist \u003Cb>Corinne Gotch\u003C/b>, who did loads of work with her team to put on the event, and the two nice Australian rep dudes whom I was trying to convince it was \u003Ci>absolutely essential\u003C/i> we have an Australian Morris book tour. And fab Publicity Director \u003Cb>Clare Craggs-Hall\u003C/b>, who's been working hard with us to promote the upcoming \u003Ca href=\"http://www.davidficklingbooks.co.uk/davidficklingbooks_dfclibrary.asp\">DFC Library\u003C/a>. (Look, there's Vern and Lettuce!) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.davidficklingbooks.co.uk/davidficklingbooks_dfclibrary.asp\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/DFC-Library-Launch-Poster-55dddb602d.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAnd I was dead chuffed to hear David Fickling raving about the work of my friend and Bologna travel buddy \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a>. She has a novel with David launching on 17 June, called \u003Cb>\u003Ci>Tall Story\u003C/i>\u003C/b>. If it's anything like Candy, it's going to be funny, thoughtful and utterly brilliant. I'm so excited to read it. Here's the cover, and Candy with me and writer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.fionadunbar.com\">Fiona Dunbar\u003C/a> at the Fleece Station party.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/tallstory-0757f786a1.jpg\">\u003C/a> \u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/fleecestn16-eaf15f085b.jpg\">","2010-03-03T12:49:00.000Z","searle-exhibition-and-mad-random-house-event",[],"searle exhibition and mad random house event",1776628734078]