FCBG conference

Just a quick note to report back on the Federation conference this past weekend. How lovely. The beautiful setting of Worth Abbey and lots of people who're passionate about children's books all huddled together talking about them for 48 hours. Excellent speakers to listen to, including Meg Cabot, Patrick Ness, Mike Rosen etc. etc. and lovely weather in which to skip a couple of sessions and instead spend the hour lying in the sun under a tree reading... Old friends to catch up with, and new ones to make - and (this entirely new category now too) people who are already Facebook friends to meet in person. Very nice indeed. My events - Jenny Downham, Damian Kelleher and Michael Grant on Saturday, Linda Newbery and Susan Gates on Sunday - went well, I think; they're all good speakers with interesting books to talk about, and the time really flew by. On both days I found myself looking with some disbelief at my watch which was telling me it was time to wrap things up and it felt like we'd hardly started talking - a good sign, I think.

Anyway, won't describe session-by-session in detail, but just to say how much fun and how well organised it all was and what a good atmosphere, and how much I'm looking forward to next year: Devizes, April 16th-18th, 2010 - put it in your diary!