Can I rephrase that?

Oh dear. To celebrate World Book Day I get three invitations to give readings. Wonderful. Never say no to this sort of thing. First off to Heswall. All's well. Nice people. Good questions. Two days later, flushed with success, Prestatyn on a beautiful seasidey afternoon. An impressively well-read and analytical group: they knew the novel better than I did. One of them had read it three times! AND my old friend Glen- hadn't seen her in years - turns up in the audience. So what with all this and the buffet (a big deal, I get my husband fed at no inconvenience to myself) the spirit of World Book Day goes to my head. I send a jokey thank-you email to John, the librarian, et al saying basically 'hey, how good was that? - and look at the picture, they're so into my book a fight's breaking out over that surprising twist on Page 186!'

This was SO wrong. I have a bad feeling that a violent incident has been recorded, enquires will be made and all further fiction-based events could be suspended until a risk-assessment is completed.

In my defence Llangollen library survived my visit last Friday night- and most of the town has reopened for business as of this morning. (Some traffic diversions may still be in operation.)

Yesterday the Western Mail rang to ask how I felt about book-crossing. Well it's got be be good, hasn't it? People leave books around for other people to read...that's good, isn't it? And yes, you the author don't get a bean...but of course you don't mind. Because how can you stand to come across all miserablist and scrooge-like in the Western Mail? You just don't do it. Like making up jokes about perfectly decent Prestatyn readers getting into fist-fights. You just don't do it.