When I was a kid I counted down the sleeps till something exciting was going to happen. Today there are five more sleeps until I head off to Provincetown and Women’s Week.
Five more sleeps.
Yes, it’s that exciting.
Between now and then I’ve got an absolute ton of stuff to get done. I’ve got to pack—because the weather looks to have changed and the summer dresses ain’t going to work. Well, not unless you want a popsicle person trying to read through chattering teeth. As well as packing I need to finalise my readings for the various panels. Time them all so I don’t go on to long and bore everyone to sleep. I have about four tons of work to do at actual work. I also need to finish the second draft of Swordfish so that my wonderful Beta readers can read it while I’m away. Laundry, doctor’s appointments, massage appointments (for pain management, not just because I like them ;)) and birthday present shopping…all before Monday night. And this weekend is the Virtual Living Room UK authors spotlight weekend.
There’s other stuff on the list too, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing those on the plane rides. Yup, we’re making the trip to Boston a two leg hop. Why, I hear you asking. Well, where we live on the North Norfolk Coast all airports seem to be about four hours away. Except for Norwich Airport. However Norwich airport only seem to fly to Amsterdam. So we crunched some sums and discovered that in regards to time, it works out slightly faster (about twenty minutes) to drive from home to Norwich, fly to Amsterdam, and then get a flight to Boston from there, then it would to drive to Gatwick and then fly direct. Madness. It also works out cheaper. The difference in the extra flight is less than the parking at Gatwick airport and the additional fuel costs to and from home. So we’re stopping in Amsterdam first. Louise has been warned that if she’s winding me up I’m going to leave her there for the week and pick her up on the way home.
So it’s busy, busy, busy.
But I’m sure you’re not interested in that load of old, erm…rubbish. And you want to know more about Swordfish, the VLR UK author spotlight weekend, and of course all the readings and planned shenanigans at Provincetown, right?
Okay, I’ll start with this weekend. For those of you who don’t know what the Virtual Living Room is—shame on you, just kidding—it is a chat forum for members to discuss all things to do with Lesfic books, writing, publishing, reading, and…stuff. If you aren’t a member but would like to be follow this link and send a membership request. http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Virtuallivingroom/
Then you can join me and this wonderful cast of characters for the event this weekend.
Kiki Archer (But She is My Student, Instigations, Binding Devotion and One Foot on the Ice)
Claire Ashton ( Tig Ashton) (Penenace, After Mrs Hamilton and The Dildo in the Kitchen Drawer)
I Beacham (Sanctuary and The Rarest Rose)
Andrea Bramhall (Ladyfish and Clean Slate)
Rebecca S. Buck (Truths, Ghosts of Winter, The Locket and the Flintlock)
Crin Claxton (Scarlet Thirst and The Supernatural Detective)
Rachel Dax (After the Night, The Legend of Pope Joan Part I and Part II)
Suzanne Egerton (Out Late with Friends and Regrets)
Cari Hunter (Snowbound and Desolation Point)
Vg Lee (The Woman in Beige, The Comedienne, Always You Edina and Diary of a Provincial Lesbian)
Niamh Murphy (Mask of the Highway Woman, Delicious and A Fairy Tale Retold)
Ke Payne (365 Days, Another 365 Days and The Road to Her)
RJ Samuel (Heart Stopper, Falling Colours, Casting Shadows and In Your Words)
Jade Winters (143, Talk Me Down from the Edge and A Walk into Darkness)
The event is to be co-hosted by Tig Ashton, Terry Baker, and BeniGee. So come and join in the chat and ask the authors a question! We’ll be around from Friday noon (GMT time) until Monday noon. We’ve been told we are allowed to sleep during this time, but that permission was given grudgingly.
On Tuesday Louise and I head for Boston. And I’ll be reading from a Clean Slate, Nightingale, and Captured on Canvas (I think) over the four readings. If you want to come and see me and the other totally amazing authors I’ll be standing next to (with my jaw hanging open and me knees knocking together) then please feel free to drop in;
Wednesday 16th of October 2pm at Gabriel’s, 102 Bradford Street. BSB Event
Wednesday 16th of October 4.05pm – 5pm book signing at Recovering Hearts, 4 Standish Street. BSB Event
Thursday 17th of October at 11am to 11.35am, at the Sage Inn, 336 Commercial Street. GCLS event
Thursday 17th of October 1pm at Gabriel’s, 102 Bradford Street. BSB Event
Thursday 17th of October 3.15pm – 4pm book signing at Recovering Hearts, 4 Standish Street. BSB Event
Thursday 17th of October 5pm – 7pm BSB meet and greet at the Harbor Lounge, 359 Commercial Street. Everyone Welcome.
Saturday 19th of October 2pm at Provincetown Library, 365 Commercial Street. BSB Event
Saturday 19th of October 4.05pm – 5pm book signing at Recovering Hearts, 4 Standish Street. BSB Event
For the details of all BSB’s organised events follow this link http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/PressReleases/BSB-WW-2013.pdf
For GCLS organised events please follow this link http://goldencrown.org/2013_PTown_Schedule
I’m looking forward to meeting you all then.
The other days we’re there I’m planning a little whale watching trip, a lot of fun, and a research/shopping trip(s) to Boston. Why a research trip to Boston I hear you ask. I shall tell you. As some of you may know I’ve just finished the first draft of my fourth novel, Swordfish. This is the follow up to my debut novel, Ladyfish, and as I’m sure you’ll have now guessed, part of it is set in Boston. I’m not going to tell you what part of it, because I don’t want to give away too much of the story. But this is the first time I’ve done a research trip like this and I’m excited to see if it affects me and the way I write about places a great deal. So watch this space and I’ll let you know.
Other exciting news…next month BSB releases an anthology called Amor and More. Well loved couples from previously published BSB novels are getting a chance to shine in short story format. Morgan and Erin from Clean Slate are featured in a story called Captured on Canvas and there are some other really fantastic stories in the book too. Well worth a look if you like shorts.
Well, that’s it for now. Maybe I’ll see you over the weekend in the Living Room, or next week at Ptown.
Now, do I need the hundred litre bag or the one twenty…
Andrea Bramhall 