[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-some-weekend-birthdays":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Happy birthday to my lovely husband, Stuart! I painted this picture for him, not quite knowing where I was going with it, but he's taking Russian language classes, and the character of Vern the sheep (in my comic book \u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>) is very much based on his personality. (I wasn't implying that he has a sheep in his trousers or anything. Oh! Also, it is the Chinese Year of the Sheep.) Stuart's been such wonderful support this year as I flit about and stress over book deadlines.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/stuart_nestlingdoll_zps2193a030-4413ba0154.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's another picture for \u003Ca href=\"http://www.francescasimon.com/\">Francesca Simon\u003C/a>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/francesca_bday_zps512026bc-24ad3e4d95.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI was inspired by her big hair, and by the time she modelled my Norse god wings \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/582228.html\">at the Edinburgh Book Festival\u003C/a> (she's written \u003Ca href=\"http://www.francescasimon.com/other-books/childrens-fiction/lost-gods/\">books about Norse gods\u003C/a>):\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/Ed13_francesca_simon_zps109c77ac-4ce6e965f2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n...and camel riding together \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/625071.html\">in Dubai at the Emirates Lit Fest\u003C/a>. (Yes, that IS a camel unicorn in the painting.)\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dubai_francesca_camel3_zps964c8caa-9293e0d9b7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nCongrats to Francesca on a great run on the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.horridhenry.co.uk/\">Horrid Henry\u003C/a> books, 21 years! Here's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thebookseller.com/news/simon-bids-farewell-horrid-henry"\">an article about it in the latest issue of The Bookseller\u003C/a>: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.thebookseller.com/news/simon-bids-farewell-horrid-henry\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/horridhenry_zpsbfd3615b-77e6835f99.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAnd lovely birthday cake by Great British Bake Off's \u003Ca href=\"http://francesquinn.co.uk/\">Frances Quinn\u003C/a>, snapped by Orion publicist \u003Ca href=\"https://instagram.com/ninacd_/\">Nina Douglas\u003C/a>: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ninacake_zps1fe5ab19-4f147d75aa.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nFrancesca and I are performing in one of the events of the \u003Ca href=\"http://worldbookday.com/2014/11/biggest-book-show-earth-2015-bigger-ever/\">World Book Day whistlestop tour\u003C/a>, so I'll be seeing her again soon, along with ringmaster Steven Butler, Philip Reeve, Holly Smale, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Rosen. Good times ahead!","2015-02-23T08:31:00.000Z","some-weekend-birthdays",[],"some weekend birthdays!",1776628727382]