NYC and BNBR
The theme of travel continued later into the spring. Just as well I enjoy being on the move - I was about 8 when I discovered the word 'wanderlust' in a library book and thought with a wonderful sense of recognition - 'I've got that!' Both VERA and SHETLAND are now aired in many states in the US on the public broadcasting service and it seemed a great time to visit New York. I'm not a city person at all, but there's something about New York that's addictive. This time I travelled with my daughters and that made it extra special. While I caught up with my editor and new marketing person at Minotaur, and met some old friends and new readers in the Mysterious Bookshop in Tribeca, the girls walked miles, went for runs, took a yoga class and generally left me exhausted. They did join me for a tour round the Flatiron building, which houses St Martin's Press, Minotaur's parent company. The biggest thrill was chatting to the concierge in the hotel where we were staying and discovering (without any prompting from me) that he was a huge Vera fan and loved Brenda Blethyn.
I arrived back to the run-up to the Big North Book Run. This was a libraries festival sponsored by Pan Macmillan, culminating in a party for library staff and readers' groups to celebrate World Book Night. Five authors travelled round eight boroughs in north east England and took part in more than twenty reading events! We spoke in tiny branch libraries and to packed theatres. It was an exhausting three days but fantastic to meet readers from all over the region and for authors to reach places that had never before attracted writer visits. My Quick Read book, Too Good To Be True, was one of the Word Book Night titles and I was absolutely delighted that actress Alison O'Donnell (Tosh in the BBC drama Shetland) could join us at the party to read a short piece from the book.
Now I'm hoping for a quieter and more settled period so that I can work on the new novel, though May will see me in Bristol for CrimeFest and I look forward to seeing some of you there.
Posted by Ann on Wednesday, April 27th 2016 @ 08:24 AM GMT [link]
