Frances Hardinge

Thursday was an exciting day for me because not only did I collect the copies of Thirteenth Wish from the publisher (more news on this soon), I also went to a lecture at Homerton College in Cambridge. That's the kind of intellectual that I am:

"The prestigious Philippa Pearce Lecture is an annual event that celebrates excellence in literature for children. It provides a platform for the very best children’s authors, poets and illustrators to reflect on their art. Always thought-provoking, the lectures have tackled such topics as the significance of time, the place of fear, and what poetry is for.
The lectures were established in 2007 by the family, friends and colleagues of the highly distinguished children’s author, Philippa Pearce. They attract a regular and wide-ranging audience of academics, writers, publishers and lovers of children’s literature." The Philippa Pearce Lectures

This year's speaker was Frances Hardinge and the lecture was all about dark themes in children's literature. It was absolutely fascinating and I drank in every word. Frances shared many books that scared her as a child and have stayed with her, helping her in her own creations. Books by writers that I love too including Philippa Pearce, Nicholas Fisk and Catherine Storr.
Really regret not getting a selfie, but I did get a signed copy of her new book A Sinful of Sorrows in beautiful hardback and gave her a signed copy of Jarred Dreams as a thank you present for such a great talk.

The lecture was followed by a meal with other SCBWI members and it was a nice round off to a great day. 

Hope you're all out reading books in the sunshine!