[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-zooming-day-trip-to-cheltenham-lit-fest":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Usually going to Cheltenham is a stately affair, where one gets set up in one's hotel room, has a little wander around town, does one's event or two, then has a long dinner, maybe drinks, before retiring to bed. Nope, nope, not this year; it was ALL ENGINES GO from early this morning morning til I just crashed back through the door at home about an hour ago. But I was rather curious to see my photos, so here I am at the computer already.\\r\n\\r\nHa ha... I told \u003Ca href=\"http://www.gruffalo.com/\">Axel Scheffler\u003C/a> that every time I get a photo with him, he looks freaked out. So this time we make a special effort. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_1-47fb5a47ba.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI did a lot of commiserating with Axel's Gruffalo, or the lovely lady who got kicked and mauled while she steamed away inside the costume. (Because after all, the Gruffalo is a monster, so if you're a kid, you have to fight it, right?)\\r\n\\r\nHere I'm having a hard-core political discussion with a darling chappie named \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alistair_Darling\">Alistair\u003C/a>... (I had to grab this shot because I knew Stuart wouldn't be much impressed by all these book people, but this one might make him do a double-take. And it worked! Now he wishes he'd come along.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_alistair-2b7f980cfd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI got a bit shy about getting a photo of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/\">Julia Donaldson\u003C/a>; she'd already signed books for two hours so I didn't want to hassle her. But no one told me how many hours \u003Ca href=\"http://www.milkmonitor.com/\"> Lauren Child\u003C/a> had been signing (probably just as many), so I took the liberty of snapping this trio (reviewer and Guardian columnist \u003Ca href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/juliaeccleshare\">Julia Eccleshare\u003C/a>, Lauren, and publicist \u003Cb>Philippa Perry\u003C/b>).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_lauren-0d1b297875.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIt's kind of hard to tell what's going on in this event photo and it looks like total mayhem, but really, people are making stuff, it's all good. The event sold out and we made lots of noise and drew adventure board games and everyone seemed to go away happy, so hurrah. I noticed quite a few kids drawing shark attacks on their railway game journeys... maybe sharks are an imminent threat when you live around Cheltenham.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_event-970360210f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more pics and links under the cut!-->\\r\nHere's fab illustrator \u003Ca href=\"http://www.meimatsuoka.com/\">Mei Matsuoka\u003C/a>, whom I \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/237918.html\">interviewed on this blog\u003C/a> a couple years ago, when she was still traveling in from Tokyo to meet with her London-based editor. You might know her for her books \u003Ci>The Great Dog Bottom Swap\u003C/i> and \u003Ci>Great Sheep Shenanigans\u003C/i> (the latter which qualifies her for honourary \u003Ca href=\"http://fleecestation.co.uk\">Fleece Station\u003C/a> membership).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_mei-04b7a53b44.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe great thing about these festivals is getting to meet new people, and this time it was \u003Ca href=\"http://loustow.wordpress.com/\">Louie Stowell\u003C/a>, who wrote \u003Ci>The Usborne Write Your Own Story Book\u003C/i>. She knows loads about comics and grew up reading stuff like \u003Ci>2000 AD\u003C/i>, and I'm hoping she'll start coming along to London's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.facebook.com/groups/comicasocialclub/doc/194785573905984/\">Comica Social Club\u003C/a> at the Royal Festival Hall. (Another woman in comics, hurrah! The next two meetings are 26 Oct and 30 Nov.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_louie-f0ac621049.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Louie Stowell and Usborne publicist Amy Dobson\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nI spoke briefly with political cartoonist \u003Ca href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/stevebell\">Steve Bell\u003C/a>, but again, felt shy about snapping a photo because he was hiding rather comfortably in a corner. And I was sad to miss his talk, but luckily Louie went and, on the train ride back, showed me her illustrated notes. That bearded guy really does look like Steve. \\r\n\u003Ci>Edit: \u003Ca href=\"http://loustow.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/cheltenham-feat-stories-of-lazer-beam-eyes-evil-wayne-rooneys-and-a-tragic-potato/\">Ah! Louie has just posted her summary of the event on her blog, go have a look!\u003C/a>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_2-ee97a5a375.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_louie2-89c0afdf03.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's a book I've been meaning to read for months, \u003Ci>Out of Shadows\u003C/i>, set in 1980s Zimbabwe, and now that I've met the lovely chap who wrote it – \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jwallace.co.uk/\">Jason Wallace\u003C/a> – I will, for sure.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_jason-cf4361cdcf.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's the fab \u003Cb>Jane Churchill\u003C/b>, who organises the children's part of the festival. Thanks for inviting me, Jane!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_jane-4addf09b70.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's my Scholastic pubilcist extraordinaire, \u003Cb>Catherine Alport\u003C/b>, together with my very helpful event manager, \u003Cb>Kate\u003C/b>. Thanks for all the support, ladies! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_cath_kate-326bb117bf.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nCatherine helped me with the best bit, sampling treats in the Writers Room. They had brownies... and profiteroles! Hurrah! I'm going to have to buy all new dresses if I keep this up. Back to gruel tomorrow, but what a day.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cheltlitfest11_nomnom-17fbf5e061.jpg\">","2011-10-08T22:06:00.000Z","zooming-day-trip-to-cheltenham-lit-fest",[],"zooming day trip to cheltenham lit fest",1776628720796]