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Wednesday, February 7th 2007 : "Exposed in Sweden"
The publication of HIDDEN DEPTHS was officially last Friday, though the launch party was a week ago, to avoid the annual Pan Macmillan sales conference. It's always nerve wracking waiting to get a reaction to a book. This time, because RAVEN BLACK was so successful, it was even worse. The launch was fine, but that was easy because the Lit and Phil was full of family and friends. What I liked best was bringing together Andy Belshaw the Pan Mac reading partners rep and all the brilliant librarians in the room. The start of a great new project I think.
I started to relax about HIDDEN DEPTHS when Val McDermid emailed to say she'd liked it and then there were a couple of kind reviews. Most valued were the positive comments from the staff in the library in Huddersfield where I used to live. If they'd hated it, they'd have said so. No question.
It's been much easier to interest the media in the new book. Seems a cruel reality that you get the promotion when you don't need it so desperately. Woman's Hour wanted to speak to me and to Helen, my CSI friend. I went down to London on Sunday night and stayed in a lovely hotel. Couldn't sleep despite the luxury. Too nervous and anyway I felt I shouldn't be there. What I think they call the impostor syndrome. Helen travelled down that morning, got stuck in her train in Peterborough and had to be taxied to the Radio Peterbrough studio. You never have been able to tell though. She sounded dead calm. 
RAVEN BLACK has just come out in Sweden. I did an interview for Swedish Glamour magazine - almost ditched the interview request as spam. A Swedish friend said the book had been reviewed on early evening television and was 'greatly exposed' in a big bookstore in her home town. I like being exposed in Sweden - much easier than talking about it at home.
Posted by Ann at 04:05 PM GMT
