Good evening everyone - and Happy Hallowe'en. Have you had any trick-or-treaters this evening? I have had oodles of miniscule witches, ghouls, wizards and vampires at my door this year. Luckily, when Hubby and I were in Croydon the other day we bought two selection packs of penny favourites - you know - lollies, Love Hearts, Swizzles and violet munchies - so I have given lots of treats out. I love seeing the children enjoying themselves and wish we'd gone trick-or-treating when we were kids. The closest I ever came was when I was about 12 when a friend and I dressed up as witches and wandered the streets cackling and jumping out on people from behind hedges. We didn't go knocking on doors of course! It wasn't encouraged in those days with many an adult seeing it as little more than another form of begging; but we enjoyed ourselves none-the-less and made an occasion of it.
A few months ago, I bought myself a copy of Jacqueline Wilson's book 'Jacky Daydream' - an autobiography of her childhood years. I put it on the bookshelf along with a dozen or so other new books waiting to be read and there it stayed - until last Friday. I don't know if you are familiar with Jacqueline Wilson? Most of you would have heard of her I imagine but the closest I'd got before was when I read 'Tracey Beaker' a couple of years ago after picking it up at a Car Boot Sale. And a few months later 'The Illustrated Mum'. I was of course familiar with the candy pinks of most of the book covers and, with no disrespect, considered the books themselves as a kind of chick-lit in embrio. All that has changed now because of 'Jacky Daydream'. You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover - or the author either, I have to admit, because this book was utterly brilliant. In fact I have never ever read an autobiography quite like it. And I was just so engrossed in Jacqueline's world that I went out and spent the last of my 50th birthday Smiths vouchers on three of her books. I finished 'Jacky Daydream' on Monday and read 'The Lottie Project' in the course of the next 24 hours. I started on 'Midnight' this morning and am completely spellbound. Ok - so I started late (well - very late if I'm honest) but I think I have become a Jacqueline Wilson convert!
It isn't just because her characters are so completely believable (I have seem parts of myself as a child in Charlie, Lottie and Violet already), and it isn't just because she writes so naturally. It is because I recognise the Writer's personae that shines through every single word. I would not be fool-hardy enough to say there are simalarities between Jacky's childhood and mine because they were completely different - even if just as stormy. But I knew Kingston as a little girl which is where she lived. I played exactly the kind of imaginary games she did. We even read many of the same books. And - just like Jacky - I knew I was going to be a writer -almost from the time I could understand stories. I could read by the time I was three, took to it like a duck to water, my mum always said, and was consequently planted in the book corner at school and left to my own devices whilst my classmates got to grips with their alphabet. I won a prize at the age of nine in a writing competition at school and announced to a class full of twelve year olds during a careers talk at High School that I was going to be a writer. "What kind of writer?" the teacher asked. "A book writer," was my reply.
I don't know if I will read all Jacky's books; I will probably give her 'Girls' series a miss because I really do think I am too old for them. And I doubt if I will read anymore Tracey Beaker or the Double Act series. But I think I'll get through quite a few over the coming months. And I am sure I will read 'Jacky Daydream' again at some point.
And one day, maybe, I'll get to shake the hand of this lady of a billion words; purely because I like her - and because I see us a fellow travellers on the literary road of life!
Here's to Jacky!
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Monday, 29 October 2007
CHIHUAHUAS & DUALERS
I really cannot believe that we are almost into November! Christmas is less than ten weeks away and, although we have already got quite a selection of presents hidden away just awaiting the wrapping paper, we have still got a lot to do. We have decided to spend it at home this year. At the moment it looks as if my mum will be spending it with us. Which means she'll bring Arlo.
Hubby refers to Arlo as 'the rat' - which probably gives you a very good indication of what he is - and Cat really doesn't like him. So what is it about chihuahuas that turn so many people off? He is a little sweetie, he really is. And okay he is barely ten inches high, he does have big pointy ears and very large, glittery eyes like Gremlins personified. But he is good company for Mother and he's funny. He also has a loud yap and a tendency to ruck up the little rug in the hall if Mother leaves hm alone for too long.
The first ime she brought Arlo over, Cat did not know quite what to make of him. Here was a creature that looked like large vermin but smelt and barked like a dog and the fact he is only an inch or two taller than she is did nothing to help her confusion. She only knew that she did not like him and made a beeline for the garden where she sulked throughout the afternoon. He's been over a couple of times ever since and the last time he came they just regarded eachother for several moments with the utmost disdain before Cat sidled very slowly and defiantly out of the room, never once breaking eye contact with him. And then running for the hills just as soon as she was on the other side of the catflap! So if Mother comes over with Arlo on Christmas Eve, it could end up more like Guy Fawkes night - with all kinds of feline/canine fireworks flaring up. Or they may just totally ignore one another the whole two days!
How was your weekend? Ours was hectic as ever. On Friday evening, Hubby and I went to the Ashcroft in Croydon to see a Dualers concert. They are two brothers - Tyburn and Si - who I first saw busking outside Debenhams in Croydon some eight years ago. They were singing "Chain Gang" and I was completely hooked by the time they finished. They are truly sons of Croydon and they always draw huge crowds whenever they appear. They have also had a couple of top 20 hits "Truly Madly Deeply" and "Kiss On The Lips". They have won a huge following and over the past few years have started filling local concerts halls and theatres. And because they are very talented and very local, everyone feels like they know them personally and it always ends up like a gigantic party. And the amazing thing is that they have polished the knack of cutting across all the age barriers - and their fan base age in range from zero to a hundred. So we had a brilliant couple of hours there.
On Saturday morning, we had another newspaper photographer round because of Yucketypoo. This was more like professional photo call though for he must have taken nigh on fifty photos of me with Hubby, me with Book, me with Cat sneaking into frame and trying to win fame and forune for her long tail, me in the garden, on sofa, by the door, holding up Book, not holding up Book, sometimes both Hubby and I holding up Book. What an experience! What's more, he has said he'll burn all the photos onto a disk and send it to us. We also exchanged email addresses before he left after a solid 90 minute stint.
Once he had gone, Hubby and I head to London - and in particular Covent Garden - where we spent the rest of the day. We even got tickets to a rather brilliant comedy play called The Vegemite Tales which we saw that night at The Venue in Leicester Place. It was really funny. It was all about Australians living in London and it was by a woman writer, so good for her. We really enjoyed it. We got home around quarter to midnight and fell into bed around 1.30.
Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary - our 8th. Next May we celebrate our unofficial anniversary - meaning that on the 1st we'll have actually been together for 25 years. Even Bank Robbers get time off for good behaviour! We exchanged official anniversary cards earlier this evening. Hubby has said that since he's working and we can't go out for dinner, we 'll go out for breakfast tomorrow instead. I got both of us a present as well - tickets to see Meatloaf next Tuesday at Wembley.
And to hell with the fact I'm a vegetarian!
Hubby refers to Arlo as 'the rat' - which probably gives you a very good indication of what he is - and Cat really doesn't like him. So what is it about chihuahuas that turn so many people off? He is a little sweetie, he really is. And okay he is barely ten inches high, he does have big pointy ears and very large, glittery eyes like Gremlins personified. But he is good company for Mother and he's funny. He also has a loud yap and a tendency to ruck up the little rug in the hall if Mother leaves hm alone for too long.
The first ime she brought Arlo over, Cat did not know quite what to make of him. Here was a creature that looked like large vermin but smelt and barked like a dog and the fact he is only an inch or two taller than she is did nothing to help her confusion. She only knew that she did not like him and made a beeline for the garden where she sulked throughout the afternoon. He's been over a couple of times ever since and the last time he came they just regarded eachother for several moments with the utmost disdain before Cat sidled very slowly and defiantly out of the room, never once breaking eye contact with him. And then running for the hills just as soon as she was on the other side of the catflap! So if Mother comes over with Arlo on Christmas Eve, it could end up more like Guy Fawkes night - with all kinds of feline/canine fireworks flaring up. Or they may just totally ignore one another the whole two days!
How was your weekend? Ours was hectic as ever. On Friday evening, Hubby and I went to the Ashcroft in Croydon to see a Dualers concert. They are two brothers - Tyburn and Si - who I first saw busking outside Debenhams in Croydon some eight years ago. They were singing "Chain Gang" and I was completely hooked by the time they finished. They are truly sons of Croydon and they always draw huge crowds whenever they appear. They have also had a couple of top 20 hits "Truly Madly Deeply" and "Kiss On The Lips". They have won a huge following and over the past few years have started filling local concerts halls and theatres. And because they are very talented and very local, everyone feels like they know them personally and it always ends up like a gigantic party. And the amazing thing is that they have polished the knack of cutting across all the age barriers - and their fan base age in range from zero to a hundred. So we had a brilliant couple of hours there.
On Saturday morning, we had another newspaper photographer round because of Yucketypoo. This was more like professional photo call though for he must have taken nigh on fifty photos of me with Hubby, me with Book, me with Cat sneaking into frame and trying to win fame and forune for her long tail, me in the garden, on sofa, by the door, holding up Book, not holding up Book, sometimes both Hubby and I holding up Book. What an experience! What's more, he has said he'll burn all the photos onto a disk and send it to us. We also exchanged email addresses before he left after a solid 90 minute stint.
Once he had gone, Hubby and I head to London - and in particular Covent Garden - where we spent the rest of the day. We even got tickets to a rather brilliant comedy play called The Vegemite Tales which we saw that night at The Venue in Leicester Place. It was really funny. It was all about Australians living in London and it was by a woman writer, so good for her. We really enjoyed it. We got home around quarter to midnight and fell into bed around 1.30.
Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary - our 8th. Next May we celebrate our unofficial anniversary - meaning that on the 1st we'll have actually been together for 25 years. Even Bank Robbers get time off for good behaviour! We exchanged official anniversary cards earlier this evening. Hubby has said that since he's working and we can't go out for dinner, we 'll go out for breakfast tomorrow instead. I got both of us a present as well - tickets to see Meatloaf next Tuesday at Wembley.
And to hell with the fact I'm a vegetarian!
Friday, 19 October 2007
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
A nice big article has appeared in my local paper today which tells people all about the book. When Hubby saw it, the pride in his eyes brought a lump to my throat! ""Bloody hell, Jill!" he gasped. "That's brilliant!" Since arriving at the office, I have cut it out and taped it to the staff room door. It's not that I want people to see my mug-shot; I just want people to buy the book.
At the same time, Sarah the Publisher has been in touch to let me know that the manager of a consortium she went to yesterday to high-light Yucketypoo has sent info to 1000 companies in the Midlands! And she emailed me a link of an Eco-kids site that has given it some coverage. Well - as Tesco would say - every little helps. The more publicity we can get the quicker the orders come in and the sooner we can go to print.
Talking of Tesco; it was where I met Hubby almost 25 years ago when we both started work at a brand new superstore (one of the first of its kind evidently). His 25th anniversary with them was yesterday. The company honour long servers with a gift and a scroll, neither of which he has received yet although I am sure it is on the cards. This connection has convinced me that the company would be interested in Yucketypoo and both Sarah the Publisher and I are trying to get them to pick it up - me from a former-employee point of view and she from a Publisher/Publicity Manager point of view. If just one copy of the book was bought by every single branch of the mammoth supermarket we could go to print tomorrow. Ironic really. If it comes off as we hope then I'll have two things to thanks them for - the main one being my Steve whom I love more every second.
Even after all the tears, tantrums, hard work and sheer gut instinct of the past year, it really looks as if the book is on its way, now.
So I'd better get Yuck 2 finished ASAP!
At the same time, Sarah the Publisher has been in touch to let me know that the manager of a consortium she went to yesterday to high-light Yucketypoo has sent info to 1000 companies in the Midlands! And she emailed me a link of an Eco-kids site that has given it some coverage. Well - as Tesco would say - every little helps. The more publicity we can get the quicker the orders come in and the sooner we can go to print.
Talking of Tesco; it was where I met Hubby almost 25 years ago when we both started work at a brand new superstore (one of the first of its kind evidently). His 25th anniversary with them was yesterday. The company honour long servers with a gift and a scroll, neither of which he has received yet although I am sure it is on the cards. This connection has convinced me that the company would be interested in Yucketypoo and both Sarah the Publisher and I are trying to get them to pick it up - me from a former-employee point of view and she from a Publisher/Publicity Manager point of view. If just one copy of the book was bought by every single branch of the mammoth supermarket we could go to print tomorrow. Ironic really. If it comes off as we hope then I'll have two things to thanks them for - the main one being my Steve whom I love more every second.
Even after all the tears, tantrums, hard work and sheer gut instinct of the past year, it really looks as if the book is on its way, now.
So I'd better get Yuck 2 finished ASAP!
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
THE GREAT STORM - and a little book...
I am writing this twenty years after the Great Storm. I take it you recall the devasation left in the wake of 110 mph winds over night on 16 October 1987? I was living in a flat at the time and I can remember waking up to an England that had the feeling of a post-apocolyptic meltdown!
There was no power, no phones, roads blocked with hundreds of fallen trees, over-turned and crushed cars and a veritable blizzard of fallen roof tiles. I couldn't get to work that day and the damage was rife throughout the South/South East. It is only now, two decades on, with all the media attention marking the anniversary of it, that you can really see how catasrophic it was for these islands! Small-fry to be sure to the likes of Florida who live with the constant threat of Hurricanes. But it was huge to us because such destructive forces of weather are so rarely seen here.
The funny thing today is that last night, I slept through torrential rain and didn't actually wake up until the alarm went off at 6am! That's unusal for me; I normally wake up at least once a night, often around 3.30am and then find it is the one time of day that my brain goes into active overdrive thus preventing a return to sleep for at least a further hour! But severeal people have said this morning that they'd been woken in the night by the rain so I must have been completely out of it!
You might be interested to know that the demons have been lain and the brand new second book is finally finished. I know now what went wrong. It is a shame it took me eight months of blood, sweat and tears to realise it. I made a mistake right from the start. Because the first book is a story told through poems I naturally thought I should tackle the second book the same way. Disaster! I sat down on Sunday night and wrote it in prose in two and a half hours! Understood then that the second book didn't want to be poems, it wanted to be a story! Now that the first draft is written (in fact it is about the eighth draft but it is the first draft of it as a story), I just need to go through it, tidy it up and finish it off and I can finally send it through to Sarah the Publisher. Thank God - because I almost had a fit the other day when I went onto Amazon and saw that the proposed publication dates for books 2 and 3 in the series is February 2008!
Have finally had some media response to the arrival of the first book. Ashley the Illustrator and I were photographed yesterday by one of the local papers who want to run a story on it in this Friday's issue. A second local paper finally acknowledged they'd received the Press Pack and are supposed to be calling me today to let me know if they want to feature it. I have also sent the Press Pack out to various TV shows and a couple of the national papers. I will keep at them until one of them picks it up. This book is a milestone in children's fiction! It raises environment awareness which is just so, so 'in' at the moment. To my knowledge there are only three of four other books that tackle green issues for children and that this is possibly the first to tackle it for children this young.
At least Candis magazine is featuring it in the December issue as this year's MUST-BUY Christmas stocking filler. I must admit the e-format looks pretty good. We received our copy on Monday. I printed it off (on recycled paper) and secured it with a slide-binder. I actually have a book now; my book. It will be even better when it is produced as a paperback but this is good enough for me at this moment in time because, after over forty years, I was holding my own book in my own hands!
It really was quite the most delicious moment!
There was no power, no phones, roads blocked with hundreds of fallen trees, over-turned and crushed cars and a veritable blizzard of fallen roof tiles. I couldn't get to work that day and the damage was rife throughout the South/South East. It is only now, two decades on, with all the media attention marking the anniversary of it, that you can really see how catasrophic it was for these islands! Small-fry to be sure to the likes of Florida who live with the constant threat of Hurricanes. But it was huge to us because such destructive forces of weather are so rarely seen here.
The funny thing today is that last night, I slept through torrential rain and didn't actually wake up until the alarm went off at 6am! That's unusal for me; I normally wake up at least once a night, often around 3.30am and then find it is the one time of day that my brain goes into active overdrive thus preventing a return to sleep for at least a further hour! But severeal people have said this morning that they'd been woken in the night by the rain so I must have been completely out of it!
You might be interested to know that the demons have been lain and the brand new second book is finally finished. I know now what went wrong. It is a shame it took me eight months of blood, sweat and tears to realise it. I made a mistake right from the start. Because the first book is a story told through poems I naturally thought I should tackle the second book the same way. Disaster! I sat down on Sunday night and wrote it in prose in two and a half hours! Understood then that the second book didn't want to be poems, it wanted to be a story! Now that the first draft is written (in fact it is about the eighth draft but it is the first draft of it as a story), I just need to go through it, tidy it up and finish it off and I can finally send it through to Sarah the Publisher. Thank God - because I almost had a fit the other day when I went onto Amazon and saw that the proposed publication dates for books 2 and 3 in the series is February 2008!
Have finally had some media response to the arrival of the first book. Ashley the Illustrator and I were photographed yesterday by one of the local papers who want to run a story on it in this Friday's issue. A second local paper finally acknowledged they'd received the Press Pack and are supposed to be calling me today to let me know if they want to feature it. I have also sent the Press Pack out to various TV shows and a couple of the national papers. I will keep at them until one of them picks it up. This book is a milestone in children's fiction! It raises environment awareness which is just so, so 'in' at the moment. To my knowledge there are only three of four other books that tackle green issues for children and that this is possibly the first to tackle it for children this young.
At least Candis magazine is featuring it in the December issue as this year's MUST-BUY Christmas stocking filler. I must admit the e-format looks pretty good. We received our copy on Monday. I printed it off (on recycled paper) and secured it with a slide-binder. I actually have a book now; my book. It will be even better when it is produced as a paperback but this is good enough for me at this moment in time because, after over forty years, I was holding my own book in my own hands!
It really was quite the most delicious moment!
Friday, 12 October 2007
MAN FLU FOR WOMEN
I am not feeling well today. I felt quite headachey and feverish all yesterday afternoon and by seven o'clock last night this had developed into the most horrendous stiff neck you can imagine. I went to bed around 10pm but it was damn near impossible to find a comfortable position to sleep in, despite the fact I'd smothered the affected area in ralgex! I eventually drifted off but it was no better by the time I got up this morning so I have been taking strong ibuprofen in an effort to ward it off. It recommends two tablets every four hours and I took my first dose at eight this morning. By twelve my neck was screaming out in pain again. Do these tablets have a miniscule four-hour timer in them?
The fact I am under the weather may explain why I was so grouchy last time I wrote. It is so unusual for me to get grouchy that I should know by now that if I am displaying behaviour of the grouchy kind, it usually means I am going down with something. Another sure sign is the fact that my hands go red hot, and I've got them as well so I should have just braced myself.
The infuriating thing is that Hubby and I have got a concert to go to tomorrow (Queen tribute). Just how am I going to clap my hands during Radio GaGa if my neck protests loudly at every jerky move no matter how slight? Even swallowing was agony earlier! And I promised Hubby dinner out this evening because it's been three weeks since his birthday and, apart from a card, he's had nothing else from me to celebrate (although this is largely due to the fact we were sure we'd find something in Scotland that would make a suitable gift and we didn't - but then we were out in the sticks so maybe I shouldn't be surprised). If I take a dose of pills just before I head off home, hopefully I'll be okay for eating out. Fingers crossed anyway.
Maybe the fact I'm a bit poorly also explains how I came to seriously piss off my publisher yesterday? I wouldn't say we fell out because we both know there's too much at stake, but a heated email exchange did take place. Any other writers out there - is this a common occurrance? Answers on a postcard please.
The good news is that, after repeated attempts, the local paper has finally picked up about the book and want to run a profile in next week's paper. Maybe Paul O'Grady, This Morning and Metro will pick up on it next?
And maybe women suffer from Man-flu too?
The fact I am under the weather may explain why I was so grouchy last time I wrote. It is so unusual for me to get grouchy that I should know by now that if I am displaying behaviour of the grouchy kind, it usually means I am going down with something. Another sure sign is the fact that my hands go red hot, and I've got them as well so I should have just braced myself.
The infuriating thing is that Hubby and I have got a concert to go to tomorrow (Queen tribute). Just how am I going to clap my hands during Radio GaGa if my neck protests loudly at every jerky move no matter how slight? Even swallowing was agony earlier! And I promised Hubby dinner out this evening because it's been three weeks since his birthday and, apart from a card, he's had nothing else from me to celebrate (although this is largely due to the fact we were sure we'd find something in Scotland that would make a suitable gift and we didn't - but then we were out in the sticks so maybe I shouldn't be surprised). If I take a dose of pills just before I head off home, hopefully I'll be okay for eating out. Fingers crossed anyway.
Maybe the fact I'm a bit poorly also explains how I came to seriously piss off my publisher yesterday? I wouldn't say we fell out because we both know there's too much at stake, but a heated email exchange did take place. Any other writers out there - is this a common occurrance? Answers on a postcard please.
The good news is that, after repeated attempts, the local paper has finally picked up about the book and want to run a profile in next week's paper. Maybe Paul O'Grady, This Morning and Metro will pick up on it next?
And maybe women suffer from Man-flu too?
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
DANGER - DO NOT READ.....
I am feeling rather out of sorts today. I don't really know why either. I am having mega-mega problems with the second book which is what started it all off and I have, for the last 48 hours felt completely surplus to the world; as if I don't belong here. Nobody really needs me; they only think they do, so just what is the purpose of my being?
If you'd have seen me Sunday night, you'd have probably laughed! It must have looked incredibly funny as I sat in the study working on the second book. Ball after ball of paper piled up in and around the bin. I kept leaning back, exasperated, in my chair, head in hands. Then I'd stoop forward again, scribble a few words, cross them out, scribble a few more, cross them out, then, finally, another paper missile would whistle in the general direction of the bin in the corner. After three self-destructing hours I stormed out of the study, slamming the door, shouted at Cat because she almost tripped me up at the top of the stairs, skulked in the living room, shouted at Cat for trying to reach the tiniest corner in the house again. I was a horrible, soul-destroyed, stereo-typical writing diva, so it was lucky Hubby was working. Lucky for him.
Lucky for the whole world really, the mood I was in! Cat and I have made up now, of course.
She has the patience of a saint with her unpredictable mistress.
The weird thing is that I simply cannot blame my hormones for this mood. I was one of the lucky few to never suffer PMT and I haven't had a hot flush in weeks and weeks, now. So it's purely artistic temperament that turns me from happy-go-lucky-the-world-is-my-oyster writer to Incredible Skulk in ten seconds flat.
Sensible Inner Me knows this will pass and that the second book will be brilliant because of it. But riding the storm in the mean time is pretty rough. I can definitely feel a Chocolate fix coming on!
If you'd have seen me Sunday night, you'd have probably laughed! It must have looked incredibly funny as I sat in the study working on the second book. Ball after ball of paper piled up in and around the bin. I kept leaning back, exasperated, in my chair, head in hands. Then I'd stoop forward again, scribble a few words, cross them out, scribble a few more, cross them out, then, finally, another paper missile would whistle in the general direction of the bin in the corner. After three self-destructing hours I stormed out of the study, slamming the door, shouted at Cat because she almost tripped me up at the top of the stairs, skulked in the living room, shouted at Cat for trying to reach the tiniest corner in the house again. I was a horrible, soul-destroyed, stereo-typical writing diva, so it was lucky Hubby was working. Lucky for him.
Lucky for the whole world really, the mood I was in! Cat and I have made up now, of course.
She has the patience of a saint with her unpredictable mistress.
The weird thing is that I simply cannot blame my hormones for this mood. I was one of the lucky few to never suffer PMT and I haven't had a hot flush in weeks and weeks, now. So it's purely artistic temperament that turns me from happy-go-lucky-the-world-is-my-oyster writer to Incredible Skulk in ten seconds flat.
Sensible Inner Me knows this will pass and that the second book will be brilliant because of it. But riding the storm in the mean time is pretty rough. I can definitely feel a Chocolate fix coming on!
Friday, 5 October 2007
IS THIS THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME?
Further to my excited blog yesterday, I have just been on Smooth FM - not promoting the book this time (though I did send them a Press Pack earlier today) - but because I requested Peter Sarstedt's beautiful song 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely?' and they decided to talk to me live about it. This is the second time I've been on Smooth following a request (the first was for Neil Diamond's 'Hello' which was 'our' song at our wedding) and I must admit it was much easier this time.
I am, of course, hoping that this bodes well for the future so fingers crossed.
I just have to hope that I don't get a 'senior' moment when my first interview comes along.
Catch you later.
I am, of course, hoping that this bodes well for the future so fingers crossed.
I just have to hope that I don't get a 'senior' moment when my first interview comes along.
Catch you later.
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