Well, OK, I’m not saying I’m in Guadalajara.
I’m not even saying My editor is in Guadalajara at what was described in El País as “the biggest event of its kind in the Spanish language.”
But my editor – don’t you love that phrase! – tells me that a colleague from a Madrid bookshop has taken Topka book samples with her to the Book Fair. So Bubbles is in Guadalajara.
Which has to be a step in the right direction.
Any author will tell you that the process which results in a book reaching the bookshop shelves is long and, at times, tortuous.
My own experience makes it five and a half years from the original poem being written to its appearance this month as Bubbles, a bilingual children’s picture book, now available from Topka.
Continue reading “from poem to picture book”
Last week I helped an elderly friend to clear off some of her bookshelves. There were old library catalogues, and photocopies from way back which she used when she was writing her thesis; pamphlets, booklets, transcripts of lectures, undergraduate essays…
As I watched her tackle the piles of papers, condemning at least 80% of it to the recycling bag, I thought about how bad I am at throwing out words, and decided it’s because words bind in a number of different ways.
Continue reading “words that bind”
In tune with all the Harry Potter hype, I’ve been reading articles, blogs and opinions about the final book. One piece which caught my attention was: So, Does Harry Potter Live?, an article which has the sub head: “Giving away the secret at the end of the last book in Rowling’s series—whether downloaded or bought legally—betrays both author and audience.”
The writer, Weinstein, is a “Corporate Ethics Consultant”, whatever that might be. Sadly, I think he probably isn’t much of a reader or film-goer.
don't confuse the narrator 