First week in England!

Phew. So I'm staying with my grandparents down in Dorset, and LOML and I have a chance to relax and catch up on the sleep we lost during our crazy (but good) week in London. We had a few interviews lined up, and then a reading at Earlsfield Library on Thursday, the day of The Cry of the Go-Away Bird's release. We're here in Dorset for a few days, and then we head back to London for more events before travelling to Bath for Thursday's reading at Topping & Co. We finish our trip in Northern Ireland, visiting LOML's family. For now, though, I'm happy to eat home-cooked meals and shamelessly monopolise my grandparents' washing machine while catching up on some much-needed rest (why are beds always so much more comfortable in a parent's or grandparent's house than anywhere else in the world?).

I kept my BBC pass. I'm a geek.

Signing books in the Random House office.

A sign at the entrance to the library.

The lovely Robert saying a few words before I read.

Trying not to fall off my chair from sheer nerves.

A celebratory drink on the day of the launch!

Thank you so much to everyone at Earlsfield Library who was so warm and welcoming - and who made the reading much less terrifying than it could have been! They took such good care of me. Thanks also to everyone who came along: particularly Vikki, Jayne and Daniela, bloggy friends; Chibundu (whose own book, The Spider King's Daughter, is coming out next year); and my cousin Louise. The Harvill Secker team and my lovely agent Vivien were also there beaming calming thoughts at me from the front row and making sure that I didn't fall over.

Before catching our coach to Dorset, LOML and I wandered around Brick Lane for a while. There are dozens of wonderful vintage stores around the area, but my favourite was The Vintage Emporium on Bacon Street.


Gorgeous decor at The Vintage Emporium.


A pub lunch, and pea soup.

We also discovered a boutique, Lik & Neon, on Sclater Street that was populated by no less than four cats. I only managed to get a decent shot of two of them, but I think four shop cats is a terrific idea. One certainly isn't enough.


Sleeping by the cash register.

Thank you for all your comments and kind wishes while I've been away! (And apologies to anyone waiting for an email or for a reply to a comment - I'll probably only be able to respond when I get back to Texas.) There are an awful lot of thank-yous in this post, but here comes another one - thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of The Cry of the Go-Away Bird. I am planning a cunning and nefarious plan for all blog readers who have bought the book: stay tuned!