Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Happy Birthday to a Truly Magnificent Co-author


This is Sue my co-author who some of you will have heard me raving on about. I'm so lucky to have been working on a writing project with her for the last couple of years. I'd say we're a pretty good team by now. Funnily enough we were a pretty good team from the moment we met. She makes it all a lot of fun even when the going gets tough (not that it ever really does). Apart from being a genius author and a seriously dab hand with an excel spreadsheet Sue does the most amazing quilts and beadwork you ever saw in your life. You wouldn't believe the stuff she makes! She must be the best beader on the ELT circuit by far, even beading her way through high-level editorial meetings. Says it helps her concentrate. Sue also does amazing work rescuing dogs and engaging in various other charitable activities in Sao Paolo where she lives. When we Skype she is usually more interested to find out how Frosty is than anything else and he sometimes has to be complainingly held up to the webcam so that she can see him. This picture was taken when Sue came to Howth last year for a wonderful week of writing and fun. This weekend Sue just celebrated quite a significant birthday. Happy Birthday, Sue! Thank you for being such a great co-author, teacher and friend.

5 comments:

Brian Cullen said...

I love it. I love it. Keep up the wonderful work folks. BTW, I have been enlisted my OUP to do a Potato Pals presentation in October. Long live the Potato.

David Warr said...

What a lovely biography!
David

David Warr said...

... and the picture frame idea is great! Do you take it everywhere you go?? May I get one too?

Patrick Jackson said...

Hi David,
The picture frame idea is indeed great and like most great ideas it was picked up randomly. We were working in a restaurant overlooking the pier near where I live. Someone had thrown away the frame. All morning we watched as people came along and picked up the frame. Looked it over and then took pictures (as we did too). It was so funny . They all did just the same thing but took different goofy pictures. We decided that it would make a great kids book, all these people randomly using the frame and all those pictures now all over the world probably. Nice symbol. Anyway, in the end a couple of guys took the frame with them so maybe it has another picture in it now and is hanging on a wall somewhere. As for you getting a frame, David? I think we all should have one. I know I'll certainly will be bringing one with me wherever I go from now on.

David Warr said...

Thanks for the story, Patrick. I'm going to get one, for sure. I can imagine giving it as a present to children, telling them before they see it that they really are NOT going to like it when they first get it - what on earth is this??? - but that it will last them a lifetime and that by the end of the day, looking at all the fun photos it's spawned, they will LOVE it!

True, you always hear of great ideas being found by accident.