On Monday, six-eights of The Edge spent the afternoon at The Broxbourne School for the North London heat of the Kids' Lit Quiz. There were 28 teams from different schools competing for a place in the UK final on Friday. I was part of one of the two author teams, alongside Fiona Dunbar (Kitty Slade Mysteries), Sita Brahmachari (Artichoke Hearts) and Sophia Bennett (Threads). Despite spending much of the time scratching our heads and marvelling at the speed with which the students answered the quick fire questions, we ended the day as the winning team by a single point. Sadly the author teams don't qualify for the final, but it was a great opportunity to meet so many enthusiastic young readers. Check out Candy Gourlay's write up and superb photos here.
The previous week I was in Winchester for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Conference. As promised in the previous post, here are few photos and a video from the Edge panel event.
Spot the baldy! (No prizes I'm afraid) I'm in there somewhere, sitting next to my editor, Jasmine Richards.
It was a real privilege to listen to Frank Cottrell Boyce.
I even managed to pluck up the courage to say "hello".
Anthony McGowan's Human Powerpoint of Freitag's Pyramid.
This year's cake did not disappoint.
Candy Gourlay, deserved winner of the Crystal Kite Award for her superb debut, Tall Story.
The Edge Graffiti Wall with Paula Rawsthorne, Sara Grant and I.
Not quite sure what to say about this one …
The Edge panelists get ready for action. And below a video clip of our body-swapping introduction.
Thanks to Candy Gourlay, Miriam Halahmy and Sara Grant for letting me use their photos.
This weekend five-eighths of The Edge will be appearing at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in Winchester. I’ll be joining Bryony Pearce, Miriam Halahmy, Paula Rawsthorne and Sara Grant on an Edge panel discussing current trends in YA and looking at the benefits and pitfalls of writing edgy fiction, as well as answering questions from the audience. The weekend will also see the first unveiling of the Edge Graffiti Wall. Delegates will be invited to write questions, comments, slogans and even draw pictures on the wall, which the panellists will then discuss during the session. Should be fun … and edgy, of course.
Books made of cake. It doesn't get much better than this.
How do you top that? Well, Chris Riddell and Frank Cottrell Boyce as keynote speakers is a good start. Mr Cottrell Boyce in particular, is held in high esteem in our house, so I’ll be taking our much-read copy of Framed along with me, in case I find the courage to go up to the great man and ask him to sign it.
Pictures, and possibly video evidence to follow on my return …
