BULLET BOYS TOUR

A busy day in London yesterday, doing talks and writing workshops at Fortismere School (fantastic kids, lovely lunch...)and then a podcast at The Guardian, note, twenty minutes before this was was recorded I was only able to mutter BIG CAFFEINE PLEASE to the man in the cafe, so I'm a little concerned I may not be as sparkling and clever-by-half as I would have preferred. We shall see. (trembles with nerves) Whenever I come to London Town I expect to see celebrities as this is where they all seem to live, and I was pleased to spot Jarvis Cocker and then Sarah Beenie. My taxi driver told me how he never ate baked beans and had some good parenting advice for me which I fully intend to try. On the train the woman in front was having a most interesting conversation with her gentleman friend which I eavesdropped in a writerly way and will come in useful some day I'm sure.
A winner of a day!
Today I powered up the M5 in the rain and fog and landed at Brimsham Green School, Yate and spoke to some great students (120!!) about writing and BULLET BOYS. We had a raffle and a good chat. Thanks to Becky Harrison, the librarian, and her colleagues at the school for looking after me.

I was very impressed with the dedicated fiction room (as well as the library). All students get a fiction/reading lesson every fortnight. How intelligent! Why don't all schools do this?

Backwell School does! and I had the pleasure of meeting students there this afternoon. Here is a picture of uber-librarian Anne Gibson in her fantastic fiction room.

Backwell also has a great pasty shop. (I found no pasty shops in London I might add, celebs yes, pastys no -this is why I live in Somerset)

Tomorrow I press on to Preston with a mountain of badges, then to Salford for the Salford Children's Book 

Award. http://www.salford.gov.uk/2011bookaward.htm