Friday, January 02, 2009

KIPPY NEW YEAR!


Let me begin by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and great things for 2009!

It's early in the year yet, but my 2009 has started off well already. Over on authonomy, my kids' book Kip Doodle And The Armchair Of Lost Dreams was firmly in the Top 5 as the clocks counted down the seconds to the New Year. So I had two reasons to quaff my champagne as we moved into 2009 - and with Kip Doodle at No.2 for December's book chart, that made yours truly the FIRST EVER AUTHOR to have TWO books successfully hit the Harper Collins' Editor's Desk and win those highly coveted Gold Stars.

Remains to be seen whether anything more than a Gold Star will come of it - the Harper Collins crits tend to follow nearly a month on from the selection being made. Right now though, whatever Harper Collins ultimately say, it's a pretty good feeling.

Many people who commented online felt that if Harper Collins were to pick up one book, Kip Doodle would be the one. The kids who have read it have loved it. But it's up to the editors now, not the kids!

Practically all Kip's supporters felt that the fact that two of my books had made it to the Editor's Desk - in the space of two months - was a mark of my talent and imagination. For which, thank you. But for me, what it is, is a mark of all that brilliant support from far too many people to name. For which, a HUGE thank you!

So I guess the message here is to watch this space for news in about a month's time. Meanwhile, let me just finish by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and, at the risk of repeating myself, all great things for 2009!

I'll drink to that. Go, Kip, go!