Earlier this week, through the help of my good friend and fellow illustrator Jackie Morris, I was introduced to the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. Chris Skaife is the Yeoman Warder or Beefeater in charge of the Ravens and he gave my family and fantastic tour of hidden away parts of the tower and filled our heads with extraordinary historical facts and stories that have my head buzzing with ideas.
Most of all I am reminded of how I first came to create Katie in London. In 1989 I scribbled a story idea in a note book. I never showed it to anyone. I thought it was never going to work. Over a decade later, in 2001, my publisher asked for a London story featuring Katie. I remembered by story and after going through hundreds of half baked ideas in dozens of old notebooks (all kept thank goodness!) I found the story. With a few tweaks I typed it up and sent it off. The rest, as they say, is history. Katie in London is far and away my best selling book (see posting below!). I suppose the moral here is to believe in oneself!
Here’s the scene where Katie and Jack meet the Ravenmaster themselves. How prophetic! I love it when life imitates art!
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