Hello!

What a whirl! I told my UK publicist to keep me busy on this tour, and she took me at my word. It's been great! Here's what I've been up to.

Wednesday

Three bookstore signing stops and then afternoon tea at The Wolseley. I already blogged about that, sort-of.



Thursday


Monk's Walk School



The car collected me from the hotel at 7:10 am and we drove to the Monk's Walk School in Knightsfield, where I did three classroom visits/presentations to terrific kid readers. They were SO well behaved; they came into the library and I didn't even know they were there until I turned around and saw them. I worried this would mean they wouldn't have much to say, but they were full of great questions.

Then we zipped across to the Hyde School in Hendon, and I did a 90 minute presentation/reading/writing class for around 50 energetic kid readers (click through for pictures from this visit). I had such a good time chatting with them.

Then, according to the itinerary, "Drinks in the Quercus Gardens." I have pictures from that in my next entry, and you will see why I love my UK publisher.

Thursday

In the morning we drove to the Hounslow Manor School in Hounslow, where I did a 50 minute book talk to the reading club there. The kids made me feel like a rock star! Some of them had already read the entire book, and all of them had read at least two chapters. THAT was exciting for me--it meant their questions were particularly interesting.

In the afternoon the car took us (by "us" I mean me and my publicist, Nicci) to Loretto College, an all-girls school in St. Albans. We were a little late, so I rushed in and started up immediately, jumping straight into my first chapter reading (I swear, I have this chapter almost memorized). The girls asked great questions and we really hit it off. The funniest moment was when I showed them a picture of Conn as a cat, and they all went "awwwww". So cute. They said they liked my American accent, and asked me to say "awesome."

Then we went to the independent bookstore Hatchards, where I signed another pile of books.

Today I spent roaming around London--without a map. All these dire warnings about the weather. It was gorgeous!! 70 degrees and sunny. I walked across Hyde Park, shopped on Oxford Street, people-watched, and went to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Then I came back to Durrant's Hotel, ordered tea, and worked on book three revisions in a quiet sitting room downstairs.

This is such a great city. So vibrant and colorful, and so full of interesting people. I'm having a fabulous time.

Cheers!