You can’t begin to imagine how exciting it is to arrive outside a bookshop for an event and to see such a spectacular window display in honour of your character. Ella Bella was duly honoured yesterday at the Tales on Moon Lane bookshop, in Herne Hill, by around 3o ballet-mad girls. It was a lovely afternoon, in the most magical of shops.
I took Madame Rosa’s musical box with me to start things off, and showed a few sketches , to explain how I created Ella Bella. But what they really wanted was stories and pictures. So I told them the story of Swan Lake and then the story of The Firebird, which was slightly intimidating as the marvellous, brilliant and lovely Saviour Pirotta, storyteller extraordinaire, was there: His latest book is a magnificent retelling of the Firebird story. But I told my own version… and he didn’t throw rotten fruit at me or anything…
It subsequently occured to me I should have told a story including Ella Bella herself. It’s funny, but I’m the same with Katie. I tend to leave her out of things a bit. That’s something I shall have to think about in the future…
But all went well and I’m enormously grateful to Lucy, the lovely rep, who has patiently been driving me to all these events, to Emma at Orchard for sending out spectacular window displays. And of course to all the shops for hosting events. All of them have been memorable and Katie, Ella Bella and I all feel very lucky.
It doesn’t end yet though. Today I begin four solid jam-packed days at the National Gallery and a week after that: The Concert!
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