David Seow's Blog, page 44

There's Soup on My Fly! is out of print and while plans a...

There's Soup on My Fly! is out of print and while plans are being made to reillustrate and update the book, here's the story for those who haven't yet been able to read it. The book was shortlisted for a Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award and the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award in 2011. It was dramatized at the Literature Lecture at the Asian Festival of Children's Content in 2012.

Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di: At the Night Safari, COMING SOON

Gordon Ramsay in Singapore

Gordon Ramsay signed this for me. He signed the photo sideways,



Singapore's been abuzz all week about a celebrity visit to our small shores. Nope, not talking about Ronaldo, nor David Beckham...but Gordon Ramsay. Now who'd have thunk a celebrity chef would garner quite so much attention? Not me...but then again Singapore is such a foodie nation that I shouldn't be surprised.

HungryGoWhere and Singtel posed a challenge to Ramsay to hold a cookoff with three top hawkers/restaurants and not one to shy away from a little competition, Ramsay took them up on it.
So Ramsay's challengers were Tian Tian Chicken Rice at Maxwell Hawker Center, 328 Katong Laksa and Jumbo Seafood. Ramsay jetted in on Friday and got straight to work, visiting Tian Tian's stall but was quickly swarmed by fans, patrons and everyone. It was like he was Justin Bieber, everyone wanted to meet him, shake his hand or take his photograph. He was so overwhelmed that he had to leave a couple of times before eventually returning so he could learn how to cook the dish.


Ramsay leaving

My friends M and J wanted to meet him, especially since J is a huge fan of his. So game to meet the celebrity chef, we headed out to meet him at his hotel before he departed for his chilli crab cooking lesson at Jumbo Seafood. Within five minutes of our arrival he  emerged from the elevators. He was more than happy to sign autographs but as he was in a rush he didn't have time to pose for photos, but he agreed to make one exception- for J. Please excuse my less than exceptional photographs.


Ramsay departing in his SUV

So today the big event rolled around and I decided to high tail it to Newton Hawker Centre to see I could snag one of the 1,000 passes that would enable me to sample  Ramsay's culinary attempts at mastering local cuisine.

But by the time I got there,  all the passes had been snapped up.  I guess there were over well  a thousand people there. It was completely and totally packed! It's no wonder as I heard some people say that the crowds had already started forming early in the morning.  

A frazzled security person was removing some people from behind some barricades, saying that it was too crowded, reasoning there was not enough space. Well, that was the whole point of the event, wasn't it?....to attract a crowd. When someone questioned security as to why people were being pulled out, he got a testy response. 

I don't know why they were asked to move because people ended up up standing just where they wanted to, which happened to be just right in front of me.
This is the best shot I managed to get of Ramsay.
The crowd went wild when Ramsay showed up at about 5:30pm. Arms shot up in the air, holding iphones, ipads and cameras aloft. It was virtually impossible to get a photo. I wonder if he gets such a response everywhere he goes...hmmm...? Anyway since I wasn't going to get anything to eat, I decided to split. Here are a few photos of the pandemonium that I took just as I was leaving.

Sam, Sebbie & Di-Di-Di

Back in 1998, I started writing a series of children's picture books, which featured my niece and nephews as the main characters: The Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di series, the first of which was Sebbie's First Day of School.   I started writing because I used to babysit them almost every Friday night and at bedtime they would pile me with stacks of their favourite picture books, insisting that I read each one.


At my first book signing at the American Club with the stars of the books
You can well imagine that more often than not, I ended up with a very hoarse throat. So instead of reading from their regular selection, I started making up stories about them. After I had written the first three stories, I approached a local publisher and they signed me up to do another three.  I ended up writing 12 books altogether. 
Both Singaporean and expat parents have told me that their kids love the books, which have been out of print for years. So it often surprises me when I'm told that even a new generation of kids like the books.. One young reader approached my nephew who is the inspiration for Di-Di-Di and said: "Are you Di-Di-Di?" and when my nephew affirmed the fact, the reader was gobsmacked and replied: "Then Sebbie must be a man by now!"



I'm not sure if you know, but I signed a contract with Epigram to republished a revamped and updated version of Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di.  And while I'm thrilled at the prospect of the books being republished, I'm also kind of anxious about it. The stories were written so long ago when I was a newbie; my style has changed considerably since then and I'm wondering if people will like the new versions. Thankfully  I'm lucky that I have a really good editor, who is very encouraging and supportive. Thanks, Sheri.
The first book scheduled to be released is At the Night Safari . The image below is the first incarnation of the book, which was published in 1999. 

And the image below is the working cover for the new book. Again this may not be the final cover. It's very different from the original but I like the fresh new look a lot. I love it!




At the Epigram Sales Conference
The books are scheduled to be released sometime later this year. I guess they could have been out earlier if I had finished the edits when they were due!
Thanks to my editor Sheri Tan for her patience, my publisher Edmund Wee of Epigram for republishing them and for all the readers who actually read the books when they first came out all those years ago.

MUST BUY: TALL STORY

I think from now one, at least once a month, I'll be picking up one of my favourite books that is a must-have in any reader's personal library. This month, I'm choosing Candy Gourlay's TALL STORY. There is nothing I can say that would do this story justice. I loved, loved, loved this book. Brilliantly inventive, rich delicious dialogue, charming characters. It will move even the most hardened reader like a 9.0 earthquake. So head on over to amazon or your nearest bookshop to pick up a copy or ten copies! If you can't find one in your bookstore, I suppose you could borrow one at the library, but after reading it you'll want one of your very own. It's a keeper, it's a treasure. BTW, I have two autographed copies of my very own. Candy's next book Shine will be out soon and I just can't wait!! And please check out her youtube channel too.

CANDY GOURLAY'S YOUTUBE CHANEL

Epigram Sales Conference

Braving the deadly haze that has engulfed our country, I risked life and limb to head to the Epigram Sales Conference on Friday to talk briefly about  two of my Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di books that will be republished by Epigram before an audience of  librarians, book buyers and publishing industry big wigs.  The things I will do for my craft!

My nerves began to kick  in. I hate getting in front of an audience to speak about my books. It terrifies me and the only kind of audience I feel comfortable in front of is the kind that requires afternoon naps and diaper changes.  In other words either the very young or the very, very old. Thankfully Emma and Ken were in attendance so that was reassuring.


Also promoting their upcoming books were authors Emily Lim, back from her triumphant visit to Rottnest with SCBWI WA, Adan Jimenez and Felicia-Low Jimenez, creators of the Sherlock Sam series, Jason Erik Lunberg author of the Bo Bo and Cha Cha books, and poet/author Cyril Wong  to  name a few. I felt like that Sesame Street song--one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.  But when have I ever belonged? 






Sheri, my editor, was not in attendance as she was in haze free New York, had sent me a list of topics. OK, so I ran through them, but when it came to crunch time those answers got flushed out of the toilet of my mind.  So after Emily Lim executed an eloquent and well-prepared presentation, it was my turn. 

I stumbled to the front of the room and said: "Hi, I'm David Seow but my full name is David Seow Buy My Book." Silence, silence and uncomfortable silence followed. So this was what it felt like  to die in front of an audience. I felt the dam holding the contents of  bladder in check start to collapse. I wanted to pee. I needed to pee. In fact, I think I did pee a little in complete humiliation.  And then there was a polite trickle of laugher.


So with a hazy, rocky start, I began to get incredibly flubbergated - that's right I mean flubbergasted, not flabbergasted- that I ended up mumbling and rambling throughout my two minute presentation or perhaps it wasn't even that long.

Then there came the other presentations, which made me feel like an even bigger loser because everyone spoke so well. "It went well," Emma said with a smile, trying to make me feel better. All I knew was that I needed a drink. The other authors did a great job with their presentations and I felt even worse...I needed some cake!

After the presentations were over it was time for champagne and cake, to celebrate the upcoming birthdays of Epigram's big boss Edmund Wee and author Phua San San. I downed a glass of champagne and washed that down with some chocolate cake and a handful of peanuts.

Before heading off, I chatted Shiuan and Annabelle from National Arts Council of Singapore. I hadn't seen Shiuan since London, so it was good to catch up. This was my first time meeting Annabelle as we've just communicated via the phone or email. Having met me in person, I believe she would like to return to email  and phone communications, if at all! 

With the haze lifting from the horizon, Emma, Kenneth and I headed to Junction 8 for  dinner  before Emma headed off for a six week holiday in the UK. Six weeks! Have a good time, Emma. See you in two months' time.

Emma's Elephant Review and Craft - Thank you Vivian

Hey, everyone, Vivian Kirkfield, whom I met at this year's AFCC was kind enough to review Emma's Elephant for me. Emma's first Review ever. Thanks so much, Vivian! :) And if you're a parent, or a teacher or just love kids books, please stop by her website and blog which I've added a link to below.
http://viviankirkfield.com

MY AFCC Book Haul

My AFCC Book haul

Catching Up with Marjorie

Marjorie and Tsai @ The House of Suzie Wong (photo: Corinne Robson)

With AFCC over,  the Paper Tiger ladies, Marjorie Coughlan and Corinne Robson headed up to KL for a few days' R & R. While there, they visited the Batu Caves, which they said could be skipped unless you have a penchant for the odour of monkey piss; the Petronas Twin Towers which can't be missed, and the place which definitely is the MUST STOP in KL, The House of Suzie Wong on the fourth floor of Lot 10.

Corinne flew back to Vancouver via Hong Kong from KL, but Marjorie bussed it down on Aeroline and I
met her at the Habourfront Terminal for coffee before we went back to my place so she could take a bit of a rest after her 5-hour bus journey.


Ken and Marjorie at Taste Paradise
We spent some time talking about her trip to KL and  illustrations in picture books before Mum joined us for a bit of the conversation. As Marjorie  had to be at the airport by 9pm, we decided on a 7pm dinner at Taste Paradise at the Ion. I suggested a pit stop at books Kinokuniya on our way there and by the time we got to the restaurant, a long line of hungry diners had formed. Thankfully the wait wasn't that bad, and Kenneth arrived just as our table was ready.



Mr Quek did the ordering, then we discussed AFCC and how much fun it had all been. After we polished off  dinner, we called for a cab, headed back to my place to pick up Marjorie's luggage and floored it  to the airport.



I have to say that I was very jealous that Marjorie was going back to the UK. If I had a choice I would stay there for an extended period of time, but life so often gets in the way of our plans. However, I'm already looking at my options. (Thanks for the accommodations, Marjorie...hint, hint). As Marjorie had already checked in online, her time with us was up all too soon. So with goodbye hugs and a few "we'll see you soons" she headed off to the departure gate and was off to London on British Airways.

After a last wave goodbye, we grabbed a cup of coffee and a hot chocolate at one of the cafes before sharing a cab back to town. With Marjorie's departure, it hit me that AFCC 2013 was truly over. I was about to ask Kenneth when he was going to start planning next year's festival, but fatigue and the adrenaline crash from the previous week's event was beginning to take its toll and he was already nodding off. I decided to save that question for another time. Kenneth had just pulled off one of the biggest festivals of the year with great success and he needed a rest, a good rest, and without a doubt, he deserved it.

Caching up with Marjorie

After AFCC,  the Paper Tiger ladies, Marjorie Coughlan and Corinne Robson headed up to KL for a few days' R & R. While there, they visited the Batu Caves, which they said could be skipped unless you have a penchant for the odour of monkey piss; the Petronas Twin Towers which can't be missed, and the place which definitely is the MUST STOP in KL, The House of Suzie Wong on the fourth floor of Lot 10.

Corinne flew back to Vancouver via Hong Kong from KL, but Marjorie bussed it down on Aeroline and I met at the Habourfront Terminal for coffee before we went back to my place to drop off her luggage and take a bit of a breather.  


Ken and Marjorie at Taste Paradise
Marjorie spent some time talking to me about her trip to KL and  illustrations in picture books before Mum joined us for a bit of the conversation. As Marjorie  had to be at the airport by 9pm, we decided on a 7pm dinner at Taste Paradise at the Ion. We made a pit stop at books Kinokuniya on our way to the restaurant and by the time we got to there, there was a long line. Thankfully the wait wasn't that bad, and Kenneth arrived just as our table was ready.



Mr Quek did the ordering, then we all sort of discussed AFCC and how much fun it had all been. After we polished off our dinner, we called for a cab, headed back to my place to pick up Marjorie's luggage and we floored it  to the airport.



I have to say that I was very jealous that Marjorie was going back to the UK. If I had a choice I would stay there for an extended period of time, but life so often gets in the way of our plans. However, I'm already looking at my options. (Thanks for the accommodations, Marjorie...hint, hint). As Marjorie had already checked in online, her time with us was up all too soon. So with goodbye hugs and a few "we'll see you soons" she headed off to the departure gate and was off  to London on British Airways.

After a last wave goodbye, we grabbed a cup of coffee and a hot chocolate at one of the cafes before sharing a cab back town. With Marjorie's departure it hit me that AFCC 2013 was truly over. I was about to ask Kenneth when he was going to start planning next year's festival but fatigue and the adrenaline crash from the previous week's event was beginning to take its toll and he was already nodding off. I decided to save that question for another time. Kenneth had just pulled off one of the biggest festivals of the year with great success and he needed a rest, a good rest, and without a doubt, he deserved it.