[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-seawigs-london-bookshop-tour":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"The day after the launch of \u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i>, Philip Reeve and I went to six central London bookshops to sign and doodle in their books. I thought I'd start off the day giving a squidsy snog to \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Brummell\">Beau Brummell\u003C/a>, fashion icon who supposedly took \u003Ci>five hours\u003C/i> to get dressed every day. (Actually, I knew him best from a line in a song in \u003Ca href=\"http://youtu.be/ry79LzkkDb4\">\u003Ci>Annie\u003C/a>\u003C/i>.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_beau_brummell_zps8b8551f8-7f6d7c19cd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOur first stop was \u003Ca href=\"http://www.hatchards.co.uk/\">Hatchard's\u003C/a>, where we signed books with Sabina. That was exciting, because I remember about ten years ago, my friend \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KimHenwood\">Kim Henwood\u003C/a> taking my photo in front of the shop saying, 'some day you'll be signing books in there'. \\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more photos under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_hatchards_zpsb666feab-a9cd093bb6.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nNext stop was \u003Ca href=\"http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=200003\">Waterstones Piccadilly\u003C/a>, where Robert stacked our signing table high with books. He looks here like that Russian hacker dude in James Bond \u003Ci>Goldeneye\u003C/i>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_wstones_picc_zps8bbc13ba-4115264f42.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe took a little Waterstones coffee stop with our excellent Seawigs publicist \u003Cb>Philippa Perry\u003C/b>, who looked after us for the day.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_wstones_phils_zps8f10d064-e8e7f0671c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nNext stop: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.goshlondon.com/\">Gosh! Comics\u003C/a> in Soho! They mostly sell beautiful comics, but occasionally they take other highly illustrated books.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_goshcomics_zpse5ef908a-192abf5b08.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThanks to the Gosh! team that day, Andrew and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/natmetcalfe\">Nat\u003C/a>!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_gosh_andrew_nat_zps735cf233-22e3868327.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen we went along to \u003Ca href=\"http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/editorial/shops/SHOP36.jsp\">Blackwells on Charing Cross Road\u003C/a> (host of some excellent \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/466245.html\">Kitchies parties\u003C/a>), where we met comics creator/picture book artist Mahala \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/perevision\">@perevision\u003C/a> and Amelia: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_blackwells_mahala_amelia_zpsff947f95-46a02946b0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen across the road to \u003Ca href=\"http://www.foyles.co.uk/bookshop-charing-cross\">Foyles Charing Cross\u003C/a>, where we mucked around with lunch-break staff. Here's Neil \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/devilslibrary\">@devilslibrary\u003C/a> helping Jen \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/jenrosebell\">@jenrosebell\u003C/a> with the squidsy Seawig.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_foyles_jen_neil_zpse3773944-706d016d5f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd Neil looked rather fabulous in it, too.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_foyles_chx_neil_zps59b1d176-1f4de463f5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOne more with Neil and Jo:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_foyles_chx_neil_jo_zpsf2decc6b-0fa796111d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLast stop: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.foyles.co.uk/bookstore-festival-hall\">Foyles Royal Festival Hall\u003C/a>, where Lolli let us sign books in their lovely deck chairs! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_foyles_sb_lolli_zpse42e734d-0aa99da931.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd we finished by meeting up with Philip's friend \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/JeremyLevett\">Jeremy Levett\u003C/a>, and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.chrisriddell.co.uk/\">Chris Riddell\u003C/a>, who'd just been at Bloomsbury signing 500 copies of his book with Neil Gaiman, \u003Ci>Fortunately, the Milk\u003C/i>. We swapped books and I got a copy of his beautiful new \u003Cb>\u003Ci>Goth Girl\u003C/i>\u003C/b>! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_chris_riddell_1_zps7dff37dc-4bc8f9179f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI love Chris's earlier \u003Ci>Ottoline\u003C/i> books, and Ottoline and Goth Girl will sit very happily next to my books with Philip; when kids finish reading his books, they can come read ours, and vice versa.  It was great being able to buy him a drink for the fab back cover quotation he gave us:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_chris_riddell_zpsdfe218c1-e026c2ce1c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd he opened his sketchbook to show a sea monster he'd drawn us! Ha ha, poor little Sea Monkey.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_chris_riddell_3_zpsd46c34d7-48b36cab48.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nPhilip and I signed his Seawigs copy:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_shoptour_chris_riddell_2_zps73ed925a-adba57401b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHuge thanks to Philippa, Chris, Hatchards, Foyles, Gosh! and Blackwells for giving us such a great Bookshop Tour! Fingers crossed that people will look out for Seawigs and give them homes.","2013-09-07T19:25:00.000Z","seawigs-london-bookshop-tour",[],"seawigs london bookshop tour",1776628725514]