No, not into space, but definitely into the world. And it seemed to go really well.
Including we Squidges, there were 47 people in the upper room of
Delice Deli on Saturday afternoon. (Huge thanks to Laurent, Sharon, Grant and the rest of the staff at Delice for having us, and for the super-yummy chips and cupcakes we were served!) I was overwhelmed and delighted by the number of friends and family who supported the event, as well as the good wishes sent by folk who couldn't attend.
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| A captivated audience - young and old(er)! |
I was fortunate to have everyone with me who'd contributed to Granny Rainbow; Laura the illustrator, Imran the cover designer, Ian the publisher and Matt from the printing department at the university. I owe them all a huge debt of gratitude for making Granny "look like a real book", as one guest was heard to remark.
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Me, Laura, Imran, Ian and Matt.
Goodness knows what I'd just said, but Imran (Flick to the cloudies) looks ready to put me six feet under! |
I did a reading of the shortest story -
Granny Rainbow and the Blue-footed Twitterer - because Mr Squidge reckoned it'd be really bad form to read only part of a longer story and leave everyone hanging!
Afterwards, there was a queue waiting for me to sign books! I loved adding the personalised messages - the best one was 'To Granny, from Grandma!' I had folk bulk buying for presents, one copy purchased for a school literacy co-ordinator (to see if they'll have the book in the school library and maybe a visit from the author!) and another bought for a village library (if they'll agree to have it on the shelves). I didn't get writer's cramp, but I had a very wobbly table which I had to hook my leg round to keep it still...
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| Probably checking how to spell names for the dedication... |
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| ...and signing multiple copies for one guest. |
The kids enjoyed the activities we'd laid on to reflect some of the story titles - particularly the flying saucers for
GR and the Little Green Man, which positively flew out of the dish. (They were the sherbet filled variety!) We collaged a picture of a teapot with red paper for
GR and the Big Red Teapot, tried to guess the number of sugar lumps in a jar as Old Tom likes his tea sweet, had a look through a telescope for
GR and the Blue-footed Twitterer, Mrs Fluffy and a violin made an appearance (
GR and the Purple Potion) along with one of the Colonel's sunflowers from
GR and Sunflower Saturday. I was gutted when I realised I'd left the marmalade at home! (
GR and the Marmalade Machine) There were even some of Tom's sunshine roses on the food table (
GR and the Black Shadow).
And the highlight of the afternoon? Having a chat with the real Granny Rainbow!
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| My cover girl! |
At the end, when everyone had gone, myself and Laura signed Delice's 'Wall of Fame' - a blank wall next to the stairs leading up to the room we used - and stuck a Granny Rainbow cover just above it. Of course, we had to include a rainbow with our signatures!
I had the best time ever - and it was over by 4pm. Or so I thought...
Just before we headed into town for a celebratory meal out, I had a text from my mum saying how proud she and my dad were, that they knew I'd make it and she'd already read the whole book. She also said my granny would have loved listening to the stories too; Granny passed away some years ago, but I still remember the stories she used to tell me about 'Fifty Pairs of Brown Boots' (a caterpillar who had the most amazing adventures). Needless to say there were tears...
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| Signing books for my mum - can you see the family resemblance? |
And then, just before I went to bed, my phone bedinked. (It's a technical term in the Squidge household for the noise my phone makes when a text arrives - 'bedink'!) Twice. The first text said 'Have now read on my own all of GR, brilliant book, you are there with Enid Blyton, fantastic xx'. The second read 'Fantastic stories, Katherine! Can't put your book down! Glad the launch went well.'
What can I say? More tears - happy ones.
Granny Rainbow is definitely on her way, and I am one very contented author.
If you'd like to purchase a copy, please click
here.
(Remember to let me know in the buyer's instructions if you'd like a dedication/signature, and if you live in Loughborough, drop me an email - you won't have to pay postage if we can arrange a delivery/pickup.)
