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Okay, I admit that's bigging it up a wee bit. It was international, in that I was visiting International Schools and it was in Spain not the UK, so that's international, right? And it was all about promoting and signing squillions (again, almost true) of my books...
Anyway, it seems like ages ago, as I've been so busy since I got back, but in fact I only flew back about 12 days ago. I didn't want to come home and you can see why:
It was all arranged by the lovely Gary, from Bookbox International. He set me up with nine different schools across Barcelona and Valencia. Every day, he would pick me up at my hotel and drive me and a car-load of picture books to a school, where I would do storytellings, talks or workshops, then finish up with book signing.
Mostly it was little ones, the target audience for the books (so best from the signing point of view), but occasionally I worked with older ones. Here's a pic Gary took of me giving a lecture:
It was very like working in English schools, although the level of English spoken varied, so I had to speak slowly (yes, I know, not really my forte). My 'act' is very visual though, lots of acting the story out as well as drawing, so that helped. The children were generally less good as sitting quietly too, so there were some classes where I really earned my fee!!
One school had pets, so I did some sketching in the lunch break. The Y1 kids in the playground loved it (most the quotes are theirs):
It was a very long day though. For most of the time I was staying in Sitges, about half an hour from Barcelona, which as you can see is totally gorgeous and eminently sketchable:
...but that meant we were driving into Barcelona each morning, through appalling rush-hour traffic, so we had to leave every day at 7am (ugg) - too early even for breakfast! Then, because the Spanish have a siesta in the middle of the day, school often didn't finish until 4.30 - 5.00. By the time I done my signing, then we had driven home, it was usually around 6.30pm.I didn't mind, I enjoyed myself and I always have oodles of energy when I am somewhere new. I had a lovely room in Sitges. This was the view from my MASSIVE balcony:
Each night when I got back from the school I would quickly shower then would walk into the old town at the other end of the bay, with my sketchbook of course, and have a couple of beers at a bar:
Sometimes people would spot me drawing and I would get chatting for a bit, which is nice when you're on your own, then I would quickly walk back to the hotel for a Spanish-style late dinner at about 10pm, then quickly to bed (usually feeling like a beached whale, full of all that dinner!)
We moved onto Valencia after the weekend, which was slightly disappointing by comparison, as we were staying and working in the suburbs, so I never got to see the pretty bit at all. Never mind, I still had fun days with Gary at the schools, then he took me out to dinner each night. We struggled sometimes for restaurants in our area and one night, in somewhere very 'local', I ordered what I thought was tapas calamari (because it only cost 4 Euros) and I got this:
I did manage to eat most of it and it was delicious!
I will tell you more about my adventures at the weekend in Sitges later, as all sorts of stuff happened and I am running out of space and time here. In the meantime, here the sketch I did as I was leaving:
See you next time!
Actually, its publication date came while I was still in Barcelona but, as you can imagine, I had a few other things going on at that point, so have only just found time to tell you the good news.
Jungle Grumble is really funny and very unusual, so please do all rush out and buy it, right away! The paperback is £6.99. If anyone would like a signed copy with a little drawing and a dedication inside, just drop me an email and we'll sort it out on PayPal, then I'll pop one off to you. Perfect Christmas presents to put away perhaps?
Thank you as well to all the team at Piccadilly Press who have worked with Julia and I on the book. People outside the business don't always realise what a team job picture books are and how important people like the editor, art director and designer are, not to mention all the folks we rarely get to meet, from sales and publicity etc.
If you would like to follow the process of how I created the illustrations, use this blog's Jungle Grumble label and scroll back to the beginning, for my very first sketched thoughts. There are also several short films on my YouTube channel, explaining how I created the animal characters in Jungle Grumble:
...and how I designed the book's roughs (it takes about a month to work out all the drawings and layouts in pencil, before any colouring can begin):
There is also another film on the way, talking you through the creation of a piece of pastel artwork - the cover of Jungle Grumble - just like the film I did when I was illustrating Swap!:
The footage for new film is all shot, but it always takes quite a time to edit the films and this is the most complicated one we have attempted. It got put on the back-burner while other things have been happening, but now the book is available, it's definitely time to get it out and get it sorted, so watch this space!
Yes, my lovely postman has been at it again. Yesterday, quite out of the blue, I received a jiffy-bag containing...
...a new co-edition of my most recent book with Julia Jarman, Bears on the Stairs! John and I were not at all sure what language it was, but Julia assures me that it is Portuguese.
I don't like to hoard foreign editions of my titles on my shelves in the studio. Apart from taking up a lot of space, I firmly believe that books are for reading - especially children's books. So I try to give away my co-editions to people who speak the relevant languages. I find most UK libraries are crying out for Eastern European languages, as well as Arabic of course, so that's a great way to ensure those ones go to a good home.
However, I have another idea this time. As it happens, last year's Urban Sketchers Symposium was held in Lisbon (remember, when I went completely l
On Saturday I was mooching around the city centre, fine-tuning arrangements for the SketchCrawl, and I popped into Waterstones. I was amazed to see the shelves stacked with dozens of my books - normally I have to hunt out the odd copy here and there, generally well hidden, and buried beneath great piles of The Gruffalo!.
Turns out, they ordered loads of stock ready for my Christmas storytelling event but, because of the snow, most of it didn't arrive until afterwards.
My first thought was 'how lovely!', followed a millisecond later by 'I must get these all signed fast, so they stay put!'
If you're not in the book business yourself, you might not realise that getting your books stocked in shops is a very tricky business and, if a title doesn't
fly off the shelves, it generally gets returned to the publisher pretty smartish. However, signed books can't be returned (sneaky eh?) 
Actually, signing the stock is great for the store too, especially if you draw pictures in, as it adds value, which makes the book extra special for the buyer as well - everyone's a winner! The manager of the children's dept in Sheffield Waterstones in really nice. He fetched me a table, chair and a Sharpie, and I did an impromptu signing session.
As browsing customers noticed me, I gave them a beaming smile, engaged their children in conversation and often managed to sell them a book (John says I'm shameless).
When I was done, Waterstones emptied a bookshelf and made a special display of all my signed books - Yahoo! Now all I need is for all you lovely people to get over there and buy them: oh, go on...
Today I am out of the studio visiting Coates Lane Primary School, in Barnoldswick near Skipton. I had to get up at the crack of dawn (if only - in fact it was some hours before dawn) to be ready for a 6.30 taxi collection (ghuh...).
By the time you read this, I will already have read some stories and drawn some pictures with Reception and Year 1. I should have munched my school lunch (I always loved school dinners when I was a kid: I have very fond memories of the cheese pie...) and by now I should be doing some book signing.
Since Mrs Boon only needs me to work with KS1, we've been able to set aside a whole session for signing, which means I can take my time and do little drawings in all the books the children buy, which helps to make them that bit more special. This afternoon I'll be with Year 2, then hopping back on a train to Sheffield (hopefully bagging a few train-passenger sketches on my way), ready to get stuck into my new picture book tomorrow morning. See you later!
...AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF MILTON GLASER'S DRAWING IS THINKING!
First, congratulations to yesterday's winner, CollenFL, who won a set of Penny Vincenzi's best novels. Thank you again for your enthusiasm! We're so excited for our wonderful books to be finding new homes and, hopefully, new fans.
Today's contest is one we've been thinking about for quite some time. While many outside the art and design world might not know Milton Glaser by name, you've definitely seen his work--it includes the iconic "I Heart NY" logo as well as DC Comics' old logo the "DC Bullet," and the logo for the delicious and quirky Brooklyn Brewery. He co-founded New York magazine and last year was awarded the National Medal of the Arts.
So you know Milton Glaser is a living legend. He's also written a number of books. DRAWING IS THINKING is perhaps our favorite--it's a deeply personal look at how the mind works in visually representing reality. More about the book:
Based on his view that all art has its origin in the impulse both to create and, visually, to do this by drawing, he has designed a book that powerfully delineates this position. In Drawing is Thinking, the drawings depicted are meant to be experienced sequentially, so that the reader or viewer not only follows Glaser through these pages, but comes to inhabit his mind. The drawings represent a sweeping range of subject matter taken from the full range of a reflective master's career. They represent the author's commitment to the fundamental idea that drawing is not simply a way to represent reality, but, as the title suggests, a way to understand and experience the world.
This beautiful book can be appreciated both by artists and designers familiar with Glaser's work and by anyone interested in the beauty of the world around them. We'll be giving away
THREE AUTOGRAPHED COPIES as the perfect holiday gift for yourself or for someone very special.
TO WIN: Leave a blog comment, Tweet this contest, or leave a comment on our Facebook page. You can enter once in every area and we'll announce the winners tomorrow morning as we announce what you can look forward to for the fifth day of Overlook Christmas!
We still have eight giveaways to go, plus a very special BONUS giveaway related to the upcoming film adaptation of TRUE GRIT. Check back daily for more! Hope you're enjoying the holiday season--and these giveaways--as much as we are!
Previously:Nonesuch Dickens Christmas Books
3 Comments on On the fourth day of Christmas, Overlook Press gave to me..., last added: 12/9/2010
I will be doing my storytelling and signing session in Waterstones TODAY despite the snow and ice!
It's kicking off at 12.00, Orchard Square, Sheffield - come with or without kids, and buy a signed book with an original drawing inside for someone you love for Christmas!
After a shaky start, the Bears on the Stairs launch in Waterstones went well.
As I made my way to the shop, I was a bit worried: not only were we bang in the middle of the holiday season but, having rained for days, Saturday was really hot & sunny (always tricky for events - who wants to be indoors?). Sure enough, come kick-off, I had only two little girls - oh no!! Fortunately,
several more arrived shortly afterwards, so it wasn't embarrassing. Quite a relief.
This is me preparing to eat a tasty-looking member of the audience...
Waterstones
did a lovely window display for me. Those with eagle-eyes will spot
Supermarket Zoo alongside my books. That's the latest from my friend
Caryl Hart, who is in-store next Saturday, so mark that in the diary.
At the end of the event we sold a surprising amount of books, which helped to offset the modest turnout. I was pleased we sold well, since Waterstones had been great and ordered in tons of stock, not just of Bears on the Stairs but quite a few other titles.
I sat in the shop for another hour, chatting to customers and gradually signing my way through all my stock, so they would keep the books in-store and not send the surplus back to the publishers.
Waterstones in Sheffield City Centre are helping me to launch Bears on the Stairs, with a Saturday afternoon storytelling in the children's department on August 21st. 
I will be reading the book and doing drawings on the flip chart for children to win and take home. Kids can have a go at my chant poem too, and try their hand at designing something big & hairy to scare Mum and Dad!
I will of course be signing, and drawing in, copies of my book for you. I'm sure Waterstones will have a few of my other titles in store too. Feel free to bring along any copies you already own for me to sign.The fun starts at midday, so why not break off from your shopping for an hour to come along and treat yourself and your littluns to an afternoon of furry frolics?
I was sad to hear that my new friend and fellow illustrator, Cassia Thomas, is imminently deserting The North and disappearing Down South. Shame on her!
Actually there are perfectly good reasons, which is why friends forgave her sufficiently to get together in Manchester this week, partly because we fancied supping some mulled wine and pottering through the markets, but also as a kind of send-off.
Though the others were all fresh-faced, disgustingly young, up-and-coming writers and illustrators, they were polite enough to affect not to notice the old bird nudging her way in, and a good time was had by all.
As you can see, we made the obigatory stop at Waterstones and signed our stock. This is Melanie Williamson who is moving in the opposite direction to Cassia, and has already got herself studio space in Manchester (is this part of some kind of Cosmic Illustrator Balance?).
These sketches, by the way, are those I did on the train, on the way there and back. It takes an hour, without too many stops, so is ideal.
Good luck with the move Cassia (get on with that packing missus!) and don't be a stranger. x
An F in Stephen Chbosky.
An F, for total failure as both pop culture guru AND as young adult lit expert.
How come none of you told me that Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
, is also the Stephen Chbosky who is the creator of the TV series Jericho
?
Links to my Jericho posts: Jericho, uh oh its cancelled, but it came back for a final season.
So, guess who was at ALAN (and when I have more time I will totally do a post about the awesomeness of ALAN)?
Stephen Chbosky.
Which is how I found out about Jericho.
And was then a total, embarrassing myself fangirl.
Resulting in my copy of Perks being signed thusly: 
Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
When I did a post last month on the publication of Dragon's Dinner, I got a request for a signed copy from Blogger friend and painter Vivien Blackburn for her grandson Sam's 2nd birthday. If you have a moment, take a look at Vivien's landscape and flower paintings - they are lovely.
I just had a lovely message to say that Sam's birthday has arrived and he loves his present.
This is Sam with Mum: cute isn't he?
You don't get paid for events in bookshops, but it means they order a supply of your books (these days, unless you're a best-seller, they generally stock single copies at a time, if you're lucky!). You can then sign them all: in case any new authors or illustrators don't know, signed books can't be returned to the publisher, so remain on the shelves until they sell. I'm a regular embarassment to friends, and often check bookstores and then ask if I can sign their stock - every little helps!
So, I broke off drawing on Monday morning, to do a quickie in my local Waterstones. A small group of children had won book tokens, and Waterstones asked if I'd do a storytelling while they where in store spending them. I was pleased Waterstones had got lots of copies of Gnash, Gnaw, Dinosaur! and even a few hardbacks of Stinky! (which is great, as hardbacks are very hard to get onto the shelves).
I read Gnash, Gnaw, Dinosaur! for only the 2nd time ever. It's takes me a while to warm up to a book and get familiar enough to add in bits of fun and interaction. I tried to do different voices for all the dinos. This one's quite funny if you give it a butch voice: though he's all fluffy and pink, he actually wants to be tough.
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Yes, it is portuguese. Congrats!
Congratulations! And I love the illustrations. How about a Japanese edition, wouldn't that look gorgeous!
That's Portuguese, but portuguese from Brazil, not from Portugal :)
For instance, "Papai" is a kind way to call "dad" - in european portuguese, from Portugal, it would be "papá" :)