[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-the-middle-of-nowhere-the-middle-of-london":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"So much has been happening this week! One of the highlights was getting to see top writer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.geraldinemccaughrean.co.uk/\">Geraldine McCaughrean\u003C/a> launch her new book, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.usborne.com/catalogue/book/1~EB~E11~7506/the-middle-of-nowhere.aspx\">\u003Ci>The Middle of Nowhere\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, set in the Australian outback. I love Geraldine's books; \u003Ci>The White Darkness\u003C/i> is one of my all-time favourite reads, and I can't wait to dive into this book which has some similar themes: A girl stranded on dangerous frontier territory with everything going mad around her. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/geraldine_party_geraldine_philip_zps20424d9e-8c1bd05466.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.nicolettejones.com/bios/njones\">Nicolette Jones\u003C/a> interviewed Geraldine and \u003Ca href=\"http://philipreeve.blogspot.co.uk/\">Philip Reeve\u003C/a> about writing and creating books for children with carefully crafted language, giving them a vocabulary with rich subtleties to think critically about their world. Geraldine's daughter, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.shepperd-fox.co.uk/client.php?&id=136\">Ailsa Joy\u003C/a>, graduated from RADA drama school last year and did an impressive reading from the book, complete with a researched Afghan-Australian accent! There's Ailsa, on the right:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/geraldine_party_lineup_zps0b4546e1-8649391960.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThere was a massive scrum at the end to get books signed, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get Geraldine to write in mine. So before I reached Geraldine, I asked Ailsa to sign my book and give me some good gossip about her mum. I definitely got the best book of the night. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/geraldine_party_signedbook_zpsa4783c30-dfe320d9f1.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen Philip and I swanned about, playing with the fantastic disco balls at the swish venue, the W Hotel by Leicester Square. Huge thanks to Usborne for a great party! Geraldine's recently joined Twitter and you can follow her at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GMcCaughrean\">@GMcCaughrean\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/geraldine_party_discoballs_zps22c3593c-49e250c16c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI wasn't able to go to the 10th-annivesary celebration at the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.discover.org.uk/\">Discover Children's Story Centre\u003C/a> the same night. But a huge congratulations to them; they're the ones who hosted our \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/402367.html\">Monsterville\u003C/a> exhibition and loads of other amazing installations and events. Bravo!","2013-10-04T07:22:00.000Z","the-middle-of-nowhere-the-middle-of-london",[],"the middle of nowhere, the middle of london",1776628725659]