Publisher's Party!

After my meeting on Wednesday, I stayed in London until late, for a Christmas party (yes, I know, not even December yet...) at Egmont Children's Books. As a freelancer, you don't get the usual 'works do' so, although it's a bit of a trek from Sheffield, I try to go to the publisher's parties if I can.

I deliberately set up my meeting at Hodder (see Lila & Sausage Visit a Publisher) to coincide with the party, to get better value for all that travelling time. This is one of my 'journey-down' drawings from the train.

The party was in a really interesting venue. Last year it was a normal wine bar, but this time Egmont hired the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden! It was very strange, but great fun, standing around chatting and drinking wine, surrounded by actual buses and trams.

The museum itself is very swish and futuristic, and the juxtaposition of this with the buses and with the waiteresses carrying round trays of tasty nibbles, was all rather surreal: I half expected David Tennant to appear in his tardis.

It was great to meet up with all the folk at Egmont, especially my designer Sarah Malley, who I know looks in (hello Sarah!) and who I have worked with for years. Also the lovely Peter Bently, author of my Egmont book, A Lark in the Ark. Authors and illustrators generally only meet one another at these dos, so that's another good reason for making the effort.

It was a fun evening, so a big thank you to Egmont Children's Books. It was quite a slog home though on the train. I didn't get into Sheffield until 2am. Needless to say, I was far too zombified to draw, so this second sketch is another from the journey down!