After many days of working  on final artwork, it was extremely exciting to be in Hastings selling with Brollylolly at Hifest, with Melissa  and Emma. It was lovely to meet other illustrators and spot Quentin Blake having a look around, I hope it will be the first of many Hifests. I spent all my takings on other people’s work, especially Daisy Hirst‘s. As well as having Alexis Deacon draw a brilliant lion in Jim’s Lion.

There is a problem with having been on such a great MA course, that everyone keeps bringing out beautiful books and having fun book signings and I can’t resist buying the books. These are the latest: Victoria Turnbull’s The Sea Tiger, Simona Ciraolo’s Hug Me and Carolina Rabei’s Snow.

Other recommendations I have had to add to my collection are Beatrice Alemagna‘s Le merveilleux dodu-velu-petit and Little Boy Brown, illustrated by Andre Francois.