I hadn't gone up to the Sheffield Children's Book Awards ceremony since 2007 (when Morris the Mankiest Monster took the overall award!) and this time I had two books shortlisted - The Prince of Pants and Jinks & O'Hare Funfair Repair - so I thought it was time to head up there. Here I am, blinging it up with Sheffield's Lord Mayor...



I got to sit next to my picture book's writer Alan MacDonald, who'd come up from home in Nottingham. (We don't get to hang out often enough.)



And the whole team of writers and illustrators who came up for the ceremony. (Photo tweeted by @SheffLibraries) You can read the list of winners here!




The best bit about trips like these is getting to spend time with lovely colleagues, and the evening before, several of us met up to go to an Ethiopian restaurant. Here's illustrator Chris Mould and writer Christopher Edge with a LOTTA FOOD.



After the ceremony, Alan went off to one library to do a Prince of Pants event, and I went to the new Woodseats Library to talk Jinks & O'Hare. (When I say 'talk', I mostly mean 'draw'.)



It was an honour to be shortlisted, thank you, Sheffield Libraries!


(Ha ha, my Jampires co-author David O'Connell got a little random mention here.) :)