Just before I get stuck into colour for the insides of the book there is the cover and endpapers to think about.  My first idea below was ultimately rejected in favour of an image which featured more of the train (see photo towards bottom of the page).  It was suggested that it might make a nice title page but in the end we ran out of time and ended up with the cogs and clocks in the image below it.

 

*WARNING - May contain spoilers!*

Now...back on to colouring up the insides of the book...

I'm afraid you will have to wait until the book is published by Hachette in the UK in August to find out what happens next!  You can always pre-order one here though.

 

Some proofs have arrived though and look pretty good, even though the postman did his best to mangle them through my letter box.

The last word (or meow) goes to my old pet cat 'Tiggers' who was a source of inspiration for the cat 'Carruthers' in the book and will be looking down from cat heaven as I type no doubt.  It looks like mother had been attempting to cut my fringe again in the photo...

 

Also to my late father who made a valiant start on a giant Hornby train set diorama when I was about ten years old.  It was not much further on when I reached my sixteenth birthday I'm afraid to say but I'd moved on to guitars and other teenage things by then.  I still have the GWR trains though...

 

Is there space to mention Jenny Agutter in The Railway Children?...toot toot!