![]() Apologies to all who actually come online and read my posts! I have been away and being very busy in the background! I spent the better part of September prepping the final touches on a certain "Pigeon" book that in recent weeks has grown into a monster of an idea! There's a Pigeon in St. Pancras was initially an idea about a pigeon on an adventure on the train to Paris. This is the idea that became the book. Enter one Annamaria James, who bravely undertook to create for me a pigeon to represent the newly christened August Pigeon. She was quite successful in creating this persona and he was ready in time for the book launch on September 24, and to head with me on a month of travelling! Enter the beginnings of a monster--only fitting as we approach Halloween! The beginning was the Word on the Street, Toronto 2024, festival which I attended accompanied by a very patient Dave and a very adorable Augustus Pigeon. We had a supporting cast which included good friends Grahame and Evy Joy who not only provided us with a nesting place for the festival but also came with us to hang out and sell books. The beginnings of the monster appeared when explaining the premise and inspiration for the book. Everyone followed that up with a question: "Will he travel other places?" A very patient Dave had already suggested "There's a Pigeon at the Pyramids", which had started developing in my easily distracted brain to involve pigeon hieroglyphics and mummified pigeons. Further suggestions were afoot, or afly, or whatever the appropriate term would be. Prague. Pisa. The Pyrenees. Word on the Street was quite successful from a number of perspectives (sales, meeting readers, finding some people who had already found one or another of my titles) and at the end of day two we packed up the books and the table dressings. I was then whisked off to the airport as I had agreed to join friends for a two week bus tour of Europe. A certain Augustus Pigeon stowed away in my carry-on bag, and joined me on the flight to scribble notes about prospective adventures. That is correct. Turns out Augustus is a Passenger Pigeon. Unhindered by eye rolling as the very patient Dave had embarked on his own travels to visit family...Ruth and Augustus scribbled and giggled into the night! We viewed all the Paris landmarks from There's a Pigeon in St. Pancras, plus a few more. Ah, but Augustus was having a fine time and did not stay in the luggage or aboard the bus hardly at all! There was a meeting of multiple relatives, much selfie-taking, and late night sessions scribbling notes of his adventures. Turns out Augustus enjoys keeping a travel journal! That will be handy when the series begins. Why will a series begin? Because Augustus wants to have many more adventures! And because one can never do too much book research. Book Research: to travel continuously enjoying the chocolate of many countries, while taking photos, writing and painting and occasionally remembering to say good morning or thank you in the correct language (apologies to everyone I met after four days in Italy--yes, I am aware that grazie is the Italian way to say thank you and is less effective in Germany and Belgium than one thinks...) We toured France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and London. So look forward to multiple feathery adventures with young Augustus and I will do my best to produce them with imagination, fact, silliness and no small amount of paint being slopped everywhere. Grazie mille for being patient while I was distracted...
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