Nottingham Festival of Words

This weekend I attended the very first Nottingham Festival of Words. It was a great opportunity to meet people, to sell a few books, sign a couple of them (that’s a huge thrill, I’ve for to admit) and to read from my upcoming release, Clean Slate. Which is due for release in September 2013. Yeah, I know…shameless self-promoting . Amy Dunne and Vic Oldham were also with me all weekend. And I have to tell you…I haven’t laughed so much in a long time.

I had a really great time chatting to people about books, LGBTQ matters, and attended a very interesting debate about LGBTQ writing and it’s place in publishing. BSB’s very own Vic Oldham was one of the members of the panel for that one and it was certainly thought provoking. There seemed to be a very distinct disparity between what people were looking to write, or rather what the academics thought people should be writing, and what is actually being published. Literary works as opposed to commercial viability seemed to be the major theme. There was also a marked distaste for a large proportion of the self published market and the poor quality of the writing that is flooding the market. Personally, I’ve read some good self published work…and some very bad stuff too. And my own reading experiences have only made me all the more grateful to be a part of the Bold Strokes Books family. And it does feel like a family. But the quality of work produced by BSB and the attention to detail in the editing stages of writing…truly is incredible. Ensuring a quality product that is commercially viable, respected, and well received. Oh…and I also decided that whilst understanding what the academics were saying about the exploration of deeper themes and meaning within a piece of writing…sometimes, I just want to enjoy what I’m reading and relax, not analyse it all. But that’s just me.

All three of us read for a pretty decent sized crowd, and I’ve got to say I didn’t shake nearly as much as I did at my readings last year. Don’t get me wrong, I was still shaking like a leaf. But more like one that was still attached to the branch…instead of being in free fall! I was also interviewed on camera about the event…Amy sat there grinning at me while they asked me questions, and Vic scarpered. Thanks, Ladies. Vic said she thought it was for Trent TV…*shrug. Couldn’t be sure though. I was in shock.

Did I also mention that we sold copies of Ladyfish and that I signed them? No! Shame on me! Here’s a picture of the happy event instead then…

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