On tour with the book in September:
For me the tour began with the Big Sky Writers Festival in Geraldton - a terrific weekend and a great tribute to the wonderful Susan Smith and her team of staff and volunteers who made us all so welcome and planned such an interesting and varied program.As you can see from the pictures below we all had a good time.
Here I am with the gorgeous MC Verity James,the always erudite and entaining Robert Drewe, and Jon Doust who's being a real boy and playing with his mobile phone instead of looking at the camera - his novel Boy on Wire was released earlier this year - it's a story of life in a boys' boarding school - a rivetting read in which Jon has captured the voice of a young boy in all its bewilderment, sadness and zany humour.
Here's Verity again in the back of the picture, and keeping her sunglasses on in the hope she won't be recognised is the amazing Dr Anita Heiss - National Co-ordinator of Black Words: Aboriginal Writers and Storytellers. Looking gorgeous in red is Leonie Norrington whose new book The Devil You Know, was launched at Big Sky, and not really hiding the wonderful poet, Barbara Temperton, whose third collection of poetry Southern Edge was published this year by Fremantle Press - don't miss it because it's a beautiful and profoundly moving contribution to the great heritage of Australian poetry.
In Sydney my first media interview was with Richard Adey for Life Matters on ABC Radio National - you can watch the video of the interview at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2009/2685414.htm . At an event in Stanton Library I met fellow Pan Macmillan author Ber Carroll and fell in love with her glorious Irish accent. Ber writes contemporary women's fiction featuring the lives of young career women - have a look at her website www.bercarroll.com. It was also good to get out to Hornsby Library and meet the library ataff there as well as Merilyn from The Next Chapter Bookshop.
Brisbane was a glorious 29C when we arrived and we also made a flying visit to Gold Coast organised by Maryanne Hyde with Benette Hibbins from Angus and Robertson. While there I met up with Katherine Howell, another Pan Macmillan author, who writes terrific Australian crime novels using her experience as a paramedic as inspiration. You can find out more about her books at: www.katherinehowell.com . I also had the thrill of an unexpected reunion with a friend I haven't seen for more than 30 years - it was such a wonderful surprise to meet Jenny again and I know we'll be swapping emails to catch up on all that lost time over the coming months. Special highlights in Queensland were the literary lunch at the Grand View Hotel at Cleveland Point, a beautiful old building with stunning views from its wide and airy verandahs and the evening event at Mary Ryan Bookshop in Paddington - with the best wall of book posters I've ever seen. Thank you Stephanie and everyone at Mary Ryan's.
This was my first chance to visit to Wagga Wagga (place of many crows) - a beautiful regional town with an obviously very vibrant community. The literary lunch was held at the Magpies Nest Restaurant and you can see the beautiful location from the picture below. The lunch was organised by Northcott, to raise funds for special needs children, so many thanks to Jenny Gorrell and the Northcott Committee for inviting me.
Melbourne was enormous fun with highlights being a dinner organised by Camberwell Library and Dymocks, at George's Restaurant in Camberwell - it was great to arrive in a room of about 170 people, mostly women, already enjoying themselves talking and laughing. The food was great and the atmosphere was a real buzz. We also hit Geelong in the week leading up to the Grand Final so I was honoured that so many people forgot about the game for long enough to come along to the event organised by Annemaree Harper from Geelong Library, at Lyndon Grove, where we had delicious Bad Behaviour 'Mocktails'. And I had a chance to visit Torquay for the first time for another literary lunch at Peppers organised by Rosemary at Torquay Books, wonderful food and I think about 200 people. It was also great to meet people at Readings in Hawthorne and sign the famous wall.
In Adelaide Graham Phillips - the Pan Macmillan sales rep drove us around in style which was a real pleasure, particularly as it was bitterly cold and there were even a few flakes of snow falling. I had a chance to meet lots of new people including booksellers: Mandy and Judy from Dymocks in the city, and Annie from Dymocks, North Park, who organised a lovely event at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, and Lesley and Santina from Angus & Robertson in Unley. The evening at the Marion Cultural Centre was terrific - I don't know how many people were there but it was absolutely packed. Special thanks to the to Jenny Newman who did such a wonderful job of organising it, here we are together.
Thanks to everyone who made the tour such a success, and such fun, everyone who turned up at the events the Pan Macmillan reps, Wendy, Kim and Anita in Queensland, Graham in South Australia, and Jeff in Perth who, with the many other members of the sales force make sure the books get into the shops.
And special thanks to Jeannine Fowler and Jan Novak, who as usual looked after me so well and are doing their best to turn me into a spoilt and demanding diva. You are both amazing.
I'm still recovering but will probably be back to writing again within the next few days.
