Pendragon Girl's Amazing World Book Week Tour - Coventry and Wolverhampton

My publisher sent me to Coventry! Yes, really! But it's not as bad as it sounds. A smooth train journey on a beautifully sunny day got me and Katherine there via. a random platform change at Birmingham New Street station. Here's the view from the 5th floor of the Ramada hotel (take note of it, because it's the last you'll see of that gorgeous sunshine for some time).


Coventry isn't exactly a beauty spot, the unicorn has to admit, and the next day dawned grey and damp, which made it seem even less pretty. But the morning event at Christ the King Primary School was colourful and warm and welcoming, and turned out to be one of the best events of the whole tour.

Christ the King School

The lovely Joy Court from the Youth Libraries Group had organised things at the Coventry end, and children from several different primary schools joined the pupils at Christ the King to hear Katherine talk in their atmospheric school hall, watched over by dramatic pictures of Jesus on the cross. It seemed exactly the right place to speak about the Grail of Stars (aka the Holy Grail), although that final book of the series does not come out until October so here's the draft cover:

Book 4 - coming in October

 Then Katherine read from Sword of Light and took some questions from the floor...

...after which she signed books... and signed books... and signed books... until the huge pile on Waterstone's table RAN OUT!!!
 

The signing queue stretched all the way around the hall.

Several eager young readers had to order books on the day and got Katherine to sign their book plates instead. The unicorn is really sorry if you 're one of those who had to wait - I hope everyone's books have arrived now, and that you are all enjoying them!

In fact, Katherine was having such fun and signing so many books that we were a little bit late leaving Coventry. Then we got lost on the misty motorway network around Birmingham and arrived late for our afternoon event in Wolverhampton. We found everyone (children, visitors, teachers and booksellers) waiting patiently in the hall at St Stephen's School - the unicorn thanks everyone for being so patient!

I kicked all the books and pictures out of Katherine's sparkly bag, while she launched straight into her talk...

Fortunately, by now, she knows it off by heart.

And if my legs were a little bit crossed inside her sparkly pink bag, that's because there wasn't time to go to the bathroom until afterwards, although we did manage to eat our sandwiches on route so at least she didn't faint from hunger halfway through.

Some more book signing to finish the afternoon, and then we drove on to our second hotel in the (rather prettier than Coventry) west midlands town of Stourport-on-Severn, where award-winning fantasy author Susan Price popped in for a chat by the fireside - and the evening vanished like time does when you are with friends.

Next post: see who dressed up for World Book Day (and who didn't)!


More about Pendragon Girl's Amazing World Book Week Tour: Day 1 in Devon.


With thanks to:
Joy Court, Coventry YLG
Christ the King Primary School
St Stephens C of E School
Waterstones (Coventry and Wolverhampton branches)
Nicola Wilkinson, PR