I enjoyed meeting so many people in the book launches in Bristol and Carrickfergus,
and I was delighted that so many people came out.
Thanks to everyone in Waterstones, Clifton Village in Bristol, who organised the
event on 17 June for a book launch with a difference. Because of distribution
problems, we had no books! However, I have satisfied demand for signed copies
since and my interviewer Leroy White and the audience asked some great
questions. More about those in the next post.
I was very pleased to repeat the performance a few days later, courtesy of the
wonderful Friends of Clifton Library. My love of reading came from borrowing books
from my local mobile library, and I am keen to support libraries which provide access
to reading, regardless of anyone’s income. Leroy again kept me in check, and we
had a lively discussion about the authenticity of my Northern Irish accent and the
importance of pace, among other things.
Last, but by no means least, thanks to Jo, Chris and Deborah in The Secret
Bookshelf in Carrickfergus, which has been awarded Best Bookshop of the year in
Ireland. I admit to being nervous when arriving in Belfast in August, not just because
of my dodgy accent, but also because I was worried that no one would turn up to
hear an English outsider talk about a fictional series of murders in Belfast. Happily,
my fellow SpellBound author and convenor of the Irish Crime Writers Association,
James Murphy rustled up around twenty people and we enjoyed signing books and
chatting to readers.
