[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-tall-story-launch-party":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"It's out, at last! You can finally buy Candy Gourlay's novel \u003Ca href=\"http://www.tallstory.net/excerpt/\">\u003Ci>Tall Story\u003C/i>\u003C/a> in shops! Last night I put on a pair of heels (a bit of TALL cosplaying) and headed to Waterstone's Islington Green to celebrate the long-awaited book's launch. \u003Ca href=\"Ambassador of the Philippines Antonio M. Lagdameo\">(You can read an extract here.)\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/tallstorylaunch3-1b5983e9b1.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Cover artwork by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.childrensillustrators.com/illustrator-details/ddean/id=1084/\">David Dean\u003C/a>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ci>Tall Story\u003C/i> explores that wonderful and terrible gap you get when families are split apart across vast distances, immersed in different cultures; in this book, between London and the Philippines. Throw in a case of one boy's giantism, basketball and some sibling rivalry, and you get a book that seethes with tension, longing and hilarious mishaps.\\r\n\\r\nThe party was loud and heaving, and everyone very jolly. Here's our publisher \u003Cb>David Fickling\u003C/b>, Philippines Ambassador \u003Cb>Antonio M. Lagdameo\u003C/b> and the fabulous \u003Cb>Candy Gourlay\u003C/b>.\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/tallstorylaunch1-e3b5a2a458.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more One more photo and a video under the cut-->\\r\nLoads of Candy's friends (many of them writers themselves, and many of them \u003Ca href=\"http://britishscbwi.jimdo.com/\">SCBWI\u003C/a> members) and neighbours (more than a few who have acted in her mini films) came out for drinks. Here you can see two of her kids, her husband and her neighbour, BBC's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/institutional/2009/03/000000_claire_balderson.shtml\">Claire Bolderson\u003C/a>.\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/tallstorylaunch2-1684452c51.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAt the end of the presentation, Candy showed a video she and her relatives in the Philippines had made, singing together across the world to Bob Marley's \u003Ci>One Love\u003C/i>. I only remembered my camera has video  toward the end of the song, but you can get a little glimpse around the room here:\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"223\"/>\\r\n\\r\nCongratulations, Candy! Now, everyone go out and \u003Cb>buy this book!\u003C/b>","2010-06-18T06:32:00.000Z","tall-story-launch-party",[],"TALL STORY launch party",1776628718375]