(Which immediately earns me a slap on the wrist. Apparently I should always refer to it as the INTERNATIONAL Edinburgh Book Festival.
Sorry ... )
Well, it's over. It'll come as no surprise to hear that I managed to miss the glorious finale - Sean Connery in the yurt before his book event. Apparently cameras were flashing all over the place, even though the yurt is meant to be somewhere where Very Famous Authors can go and gather their thoughts in peace and tranquillity before they speak. Maybe Very Famous Film Stars don't need to do thought gathering?
Possibly even more exciting is the news that the weather actually cleared up towards the end, and the ducks found themselves homeless.
Sara Grady,
Children & Education Programme Director
YEAH! I had a shared event with Kaye Umansky (she was talking about the witches in her books, and I was talking about mine in Robe of Skulls and Bag of Bones), and it felt distinctly odd not hearing torrents of rain beating on the tent roof while we spoke. I'd been planning a description of Gracie and Marcus's epic journey to get to the House of the Ancient Crones with amazing sound effects provided by nature, and what happened? The rain stopped. Kaye beamed, and read her extract. I huffed and grunted, and flicked madly through my pages trying to find an adventure on a dry day. I settled for Lady Lamorna's scream, and had a complaint later on from the tent next door.
Highlights of the festival?
Nicola Morgan was very much in evidence, talking to adults as well as children - she does it so well, too. I was on a panel with her (how to write children's books) and she was the undisputed star. She's always wonderfully well prepared, and SO clear thinking; she has a knack of distilling information that's totally inspired, whether it's about writing books, or in the books themselves. I was tickled pink when I heard a father telling his friends, 'That Brain Book's saved my kid's life. He's fourteen and a pain in the arse, but at least now I understand WHY. I think I'll kill him next year, not this.'
Tanya Landman was brilliant; she was part of a trio of authors talking about warriors, and when she read from Aztec the boys sitting in front of me froze in their seats, and couldn't take their eyes off her. It was a shame they weren't nearly so gripped by the next two readers. It's not a good response when a child fishes in his bag for his copy of another author's book, and reads it for the rest of the session. They only emerged when Tanya began to answer questions; their noses quivered with excitement every time she spoke.
Polly Dunbar. What can I say? I've never met anyone who doesn't melt when they read Polly's books, and look at her pictures. (I have one on my wall. Imagine! A real original Polly Dunbar drawing! Message to burglars: we've got a very impressive new lock on our street door.) Some time ago I made a special trip to Seven Stories in Newcastle (if you haven't ever been, then GO!!) to see her drawings for Shoe Baby, and I've never stopped being a fan. She also manages to be pretty, and charming, and not in the least bit big headed, which she is well entitled to be ... and she's so nice as well. Good thing I'm an ancient, or I'd be grinding my teeth. (At my age I don't dare. They'd fall into rubble.)
So the tents are being packed away, and the party's over. Sara Grady managed to keep smiling right up until the end; I've a photo to prove it. She must have been exhausted, but it didn't show - she was still greeting authors on the final day with enthusiasm. (Maybe the sunshine helped?) I don't know how many children passed through the gates, but it was thousands and thousands ... all pushing their way in, and lingering wistfully on the way out. It was fun, even if the weather did dampen things down ...
So now it's What About Next Year?
Who knows.
Maybe it'll snow ... but the show will go on. YEAH!
Viv.