Book signings, radio shows and talks!

This week has been a rollercoaster ride, and it’s not over yet!

  Monday evening I attended a talk given by best selling author of romantic comedy, Adele Parks.  It was good to take time out from working on my third novel to listen to Adele read excerpts from her new novel, ‘Love Lies,’  and to hear how Adele approaches the writing process.

I spent most of yesterday away from my desk visiting my best friend and my goddaughter on the Wirral.  It’s always a pleasure to see them, and the time spent in their company yesterday was no exception.   While we were chatting over a cup of coffee my cell phone rang.  More often than not I forget to switch the darn thing on, so it was a surprise to learn the call was from the producer for BBC Radio Sheffield inviting me to take part in a programme called “Girl’s Talk.”     

Not only that;  I arrived home to find a message on my answering machine from the organiser of the local branch of the University of the Third Age inviting me to talk to their group.

This morning I received an email informing me  that my interview with host Don McCauley of The Author Show, http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShow.html, be available on Friday 7th August.  This weekend I shall  be signing copies of my novels, The House on the Shore and Three Weeks Last Spring, in Borders Books, Warrington, and on the 14th August at 11.30 I can be heard on Girls’ Talk on BBC Radio Sheffield  http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/radio_sheffield/. 

 

Saturday 15th  August will find me signing books in Borders Books in Stockport, and I be talking to the readers’ Group at Borders Books, Cheshire Oaks on Wednesday the 19th August.

And in my spare time?   Well, hopefully you’ll find me hard at work on my manuscript!

Readers’ Groups

Thank you to Jill Craven, Reader Development Officer for Barnsley Libraries, and all the members of Dodworth Readers’ Group for making me feel so welcome on Tuesday evening.  There’s nothing nicer than talking about books with people who love books too. 

 While I’m no stranger to chatting to people in book stores during signing events, I’ve never stood in front of an audience and given a ‘formal talk’ before. 

Now I’ve been interviewed by the local paper and by BBC Radio Sheffield, but the idea of addressing an audience really made my knees knock!  Not only was the prospect daunting, I also had to think about what to say.  Fortunately, Jill had given me plenty of time to plan my talk, but I still had to decide whether the members would want to learn about how my plot for The House on the Shore came about, or whether they’d like to hear about my writing process.   And should my talk be ‘off the cuff’ or planned down to the last comma and full stop?   

 I’ve attended author talks before, and most of  the speakers have the audience rolling in the aisles, but I’ve never thought of myself as a funny person.  Oh, I enjoy a joke like everyone else, but I’m not known for coming out with witty or pithy phrases. 

So it was with some trepidation that I set out on a rather damp Tuesday evening.  But I need not have worried.  The ladies I met were charming and I managed to raise a laugh or two from them when I told them about my own experience of staying  on my own in a remote Highland croft!

 Jill is a mine of useful information for any writer, and through her kindness I’ve made many useful contacts.  Thank you, Jill!

 And I raise my glass to the ladies of the Dodworth Readers’ Group.  Not only did you listen to me, but you made me feel very welcome.  I had a lovely time talking to all of you, and the supper afterwards was fabulous.  Stephen especially liked the scones!

Author Events

Gone are the days when most authors could sit back and let their publisher sell their book.  Nowadays authors new and established often get little marketing help, and the prospect of doing it yourself can be daunting.    But with a little perseverance and a little practice it can be fun, especially if you enjoy talking to people, as I do. 

 I’ve been fortunate; every Borders Books store I have approached has agreed to host a book signing event for me.  So far, I’ve met readers in Batley, Leeds, Cheshire Oaks, York, and only last weekend, I was in Inverness. 

 And while the shoppers might have co-operated, sadly the same can’t be said of the weather.  I’ve roasted in York, and been rained on in Inverness.  The British weather has an odd affect on shoppers.  When it rains, they seem to flock to the stores in droves, and conversely, when the sun is shining and there’s no need for raincoats and umbrellas, they stay away!

 Everyone I’ve met has been charming, which makes my job of engaging them in conversation and telling them about my book and the writing process, a pleasure.  

 Surprisingly, everyone who purchased a copy of The House on the Shore during the signing in York lived in Scotland, and what’s more, within fifty miles of where I used to live in Keith.  Even more surprising, was the encounter in Inverness with a gentleman who at one time taught at Queen Mary Grammar School in Liverpool – my first grammar school.    And while in a restaurant that same evening, I bumped into the guy who cut my hair during my twenty years living in Scotland!  It just goes to prove what a small world it really is. 

 But occasionally, you do meet strange people, for example, the child who just stood in front of the signing table and stared at me for what seemed like hours in Barnes and Noble in Dayton, Ohio, and the pleasant gentleman in York who wanted to tell me what was wrong with our current government here in the UK (as if I didn’t know!).   

 What if someone asks seemingly endless questions about writing a novel and the publishing industry, or just wants to stop and talk about the weather, before walking away without purchasing a book?  I smile and remind myself that an author event, be it a book signing session or an author talk, is a means of a creating a presence – getting your name out there and interesting people in your work.  Any sales they generate are a bonus.     And if you’re very lucky the local media might take an interest.

 So, if you’ve a spare half hour or so, and happen to be in any of the following bookstores over the coming weeks, pop in and say ‘hello,’  and see if I can’t tempt you into buying a book – preferably mine!

 Saturday 1  August          2pm-5pm      Borders Books, Speke

Saturday 5   August         11am-3pm     Borders Books, Warrington

Saturday 15 August         2pm–5pm      Borders Books, Stockport