Scribblemania 113

A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS continued...

Following the launch of A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS I joined our festive author, Matt Haig last week for an event. It was brilliant to catch up with Matt (and meet Kirsten Grant) and inspect his spangly Sleigh Bell Dash tour sweater. The event went well and we signed over 200 copies of the book. The books are selling like hot cakes so do jump in if you don't already have a copy.

Here are a few scribbles from the event. Matt talked about the characters and read from selected scenes whilst I drew. 

Before heading to the event I had spent the morning with the worlds greatest book seller, Leilah Skelton of Waterstones Doncaster where we dressed the window with a Christmas scene and Leilah waved her sparkly lights and glitter wand over the finished item. 

All in all a brilliant but tiring day. And by the way, Christmas hasn't even started yet so I won't be shutting up any time soon. 

Also seen here, the finished Waterstones window at the Frenchgate centre, Doncaster.

More festive gubbins coming real soon ...

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Happy Publication Day - A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS

In May I received a lovely email from Rafaela Romaya who is the art director at Canongate Books.

Rafi asked me if I would be interested in illustrating a book written by Matt Haig. 

 At that time I was reading Matt's The Humans and had just read a downloaded extract from 'Reasons To Stay Alive.'  Matt writes the kind of book that leaves you thinking for a long time afterward. The kind that you need to come down from before you can pick something else up. By that I mean, because it's had an effect on you that you want to hang onto and think about for a bit. So I was excited at the prospect of working with him. 

The basic premise, as explained to me by Rafi, was that of an origin myth about Father Christmas. I thought this sounded fantastic and I have always wanted to illustrate a book about Father Christmas.

SO, needless to say I jumped at the chance of this wonderful opportunity and it was down to my lovely agent Penny Holroyde to make the circumstances come together.




                                                                              In June, after a manic and magical couple of weeks with the sketchbook,  I met with Penny, Matt and Rafi and Francis Bickmore who is Matt's renowned editor. The Canongate team are a lovely bunch of people and we had a good chat about the direction the book would take. I was armed with sketches from a my Elf scribble bible (shown here).

Over the next few weeks I worked closely with Rafi, Matt and Francis to pull the images for the book together. I adored working on this book. It's been Christmas since May and I've loved every minute of it.

In case you've never noticed, I don't like too much text on my blogs. I prefer the work to speak.

So...A huge leap forward and here we are on publication day. On Friday I delivered a signed copy to Weetwood Primary School in Headingley, Leeds, where I'm a reading mentor for the next three years.
I read to the children and a little girl came to tell me afterwards that once, she had seen a real elf in the woods carrying presents. This took me right back to the vision of Mr Tumnus dropping his parcels in the snow and to that same magical feeling I had when I found the Narnia books. Hopefully the book will do just the same thing for her and other children. What a thought!

Thank you to all the people who supported this book as I persisted with Christmas cheer on social media throughout the summer  !

Our Book Bloggers and reviewers are so enthusiastic and helpful. We hugely appreciate the time they give up for us. So a MASSIVE Christmas hug goes out to you all. THANK YOU.

Oh.... P.S.  MERRY CHRISTMAS

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I've spent the last couple of weeks on the road with the new books now that Pocket Pirates Book 1 is out. I've been from the North to the South ( of the U.K.) and back again. I've spoken to 'thousands' of pupils and students and signed enough copies of my book to ensure my arm is almost dropping off. 

Highlights: I attended Oxford Read a thon with David Melling and John Foster  thanks to the delightful Anne and John Wattam, aswell as Bath Festival and schools in the south. Back up in't north,  the lovely Leeds School Library services ladies had arranged the Civic Hall for the day before heading on to schools in the area, mid week. 

This week ended with 300 student teachers at Sheffield Hallam University for a 'Read to Inspire' event and another hefty signing session. All organised by the lovely Nikki Gamble from Just Imagine. 

Huge thanks to John and Anne Wattam, John and Gill McLay and the Bath Festival team, the publicity team at Hodder children's books, the amazing Leeds School Library service ladies, Nikki and Neil Gamble at Just Imagine, Rory from Orinoco books who has supported me with book sales and all the amazing schools that were involved.

 Thanks also to all the lovely Book Bloggers out there who give up their own time and support our work and reach people online, sharing our work and events, day in, day out on social media. 

Huge hugs 

Chris X 

Scribblemania 110

Wow, a revelation. I have downloaded the app and I can now blog from my phone. I have officially entered the modern age. Technology, quite literally at my fingertips. 

How shall I celebrate ? Well in true modern, up to the minute and down with the kids kinda styleeeeee ... I shall do a studio selfie ! 

Scribblemania 109

POCKET PIRATES

Ahoy there all you surfers of the virtual ocean......

My new series - 'Pocket Pirates' will be hitting the shelves in August and is 

inspired by my life long love of Mary Norton's The Borrowers, 

mixed with a passion for the buccaneering side of life. 

The first book - The Great Cheese Robbery will be available in August 

and I'll be posting again soon with more details of events and signings 

and other nonsense. 

Front cover rough sketch - Book 1

Opening spread - Book 1

The final front cover for Book 1 as it will appear on the shelves so 

don't forget to keep your piratey peepers out for it in the near future. 

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                                               Happy Birthday ALICE

Believe it or not, ALiCe in WOndErLanD has never been out of print and is 150 years old this year.
So in celebration I've put a sketchbook to one side to ponder over,  and respond to, this marvellous work of the imagination.
The work will eventually be exhibited this year at Dean Clough Mills in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Keep a look out for more and I'll post as I go along.