Book launch here we come!

Here's the official invitation picture of the front cover of my book, together with one of Suzanne Crook's paintings - we're having a joint preview/book launch on Saturday at Pizza Express in Falmouth from 7-9pm. Do come if you're anywhere near!

Learning how to be a writer in terms of marketing is, as I know all other published writers will say, a steep learning curve and one outside our normal mode of operation. Deadlines, words, computers, stress etc., yes we all know those. But suddenly a door opens and I have a BOOK to market – to be precise I have a box of 100 of them in my hall, ready for the Penzance Literary Festival, where I am to give a presentation on Saturday afternoon, before the book launch.

I’m much more nervous about the talk, as that involves a presentation with slides. I’d planned to go down to Morrab Library to do a recce weeks ago but one day their phone was out of action, and last week I was housebound with tummy bug. So I earmarked yesterday (Tuesday).

Then last Friday I realised that the van needed its MOT and I have to pay the tax next week. Garage fitted me in yesterday morning and I left it there, took Moll for a slow walk (legs still not working properly) and had a cup of tea sitting in the sun, rejoiced in the fact that summer had arrived and the van was soon to be sorted.

Got back to garage to find it had failed its MOT and the garage couldn’t fix it until Thursday morning. I nearly wept when I realised about my Penzance recce. Two of my best friends who I’d normally beg for a lift are away, but I finally got a lift with my dear Swedish friend who sacrificed an afternoon’s sailing in order to get me out of a pickle. I grovelled to her and her husband, and thought, well I’ll go and get her lots of flowers from the Farmers Market: she loves fresh flowers. So I bought up the stall of dahlias and pinks, sent her an email asking her which she prefers. The reply came back, “Neither, sorry.” Well, at least I get lots of flowers and will buy her some more. But the recce was a good idea, and I feel a bit more confident about the talk having had a run through with several friends now.

But summer has arrived which makes everything more bearable. While I was on holiday recently, I was in Helston with a friend who got me a lovely green cotton skirt from a charity shop – the kind that floats and swings happily when I walk, is gorgeously cool and is one of those skirts that just makes me feel good. Since getting it, of course it’s been far too cold to wear, but yesterday I dug the skirt out and wore it all day. If the weather keeps up, I’ll wear it every day…..

But back to books - think of me on Saturday when my guts will be churning in front of a probably non-existent audience in Morrab Library at 2pm. Then I race back for the book launch which is from 7-9pm at Pizza Express in Falmouth so if any of you lot are around, do drop in!

Not that I’m superstitious, but I shall be wearing my lucky knickers AND my lucky silver necklace. Given the last couple of weeks, I’m not taking any chances.