Launch party for Pictures at an Exhibition

I had a great time at the launch party for Pictures at an Exhibition last Thursday. I was really pleased to sell more than 100 copies of the book - which was as many as Waterstone's had ordered in. If you were disappointed, please do find another way to get hold of a copy, either through Amazon or ordering it in through your local bookshop. Lots of photos to follow in due course and thank you all for your support.

Financial Times review!

I was really pleased to find that the FT reviewed Pictures at an Exhibition this weekend and praised its "inventive conceit" and "ekphrasis". I had to look this one up even though I am a Classicist so maybe I should have known already - anyway it means 'description of paintings'!

Reading Guide for Bookclubs!

I am thrilled that Random House have produced some reading notes to accompany Pictures at an Exhibition. Hopefully all you bookclubs who are reading the novel will find them interesting! If there are any extra questions you think we should add, just let me know.

Waterstone's blog - books that I like!

Check out my guest blog for Waterstones at www.wstonesoxfordst.tumblr.com - it was excellent fun to do this! That link again... www.wstonesoxfordst.tumblr.com

Woman's Own review

Very excited to have my first review, from Woman's Own - 4 stars and described as "an enchanting debut!". Hopefully more to come! It's also the official release date for Pictures at an Exhibition.

Bath Literary Festival

Kevin and I had a rare weekend away the other day and headed down to Bath, leaving our daughter with my parents. By chance we co-incided with the Bath Literary Festival, and ended up going to two of the events. The first event was a marathon reading of David Copperfield, kicked off by Alan Titchmarsh (this we missed) and then continued by a rota of volunteers.  Audience numbers by the time we arrived were rather low but there is still something special about hearing a book read aloud - perhaps it is my background in Classics that makes me nostalgic for the oral tradition. The second event was a lecture from Dame Daphne Sheldrick, who has run an elephant orphanage and sanctuary for many years in Tsavo in Africa, and has written a memoir of her life there.  Having recently given up our Guide Dog sponsorship, I sense that Kevin is now angling for us to adopt an elephant.  Now I need to start planning for my own upcoming performance at the Hampstead & Highgate Literary Festival...