I Feel Like A Winner!
I may not have won the World Book Day Prize but I feel like the winner, thanks to a wonderful day yesterday and all the e mails that have been popping into my mail box to congratulate me.
World Book Day was a great day. In the morning I gave a talk to Portsmouth Grammar School Year 12 in their Bedouin tent set up especially for World Book Day where pupils gathered throughout the day to read and listen to stories. This was followed by a book signing organised by the wonderful independent bookshop, The Hayling Island Book Shop.
The local newspaper The News ( Portsmouth) took some photographs and interviewed me, resulting in a great piece of publicity in today's newspaper. This was followed by an eighteen minute interview with Express FM Radio.
In the afternoon I did a talk and book signing at Portsmouth Central Library, followed by an interview on BBC Radio Solent. The pre recorded interview by the American channel CNN for their English News Desk (radio) was also broadcast. It was an exhausting day but great fun.
It was a pity that, because I didn't win, I was unable to donate the winning prize money of £5,000 to the National Fire Service Benevolent Fund, but I am sure that I will find a way to help them, and through the increased media coverage that In Cold Daylight generates I will also hopefully raise greater awareness of the risks that our fire fighters face.
Again, I would like to say a HUGE thank you for everyon'e support and messages of congratulations. In Cold Daylight is currently on promotion in Borders and Waterstone's and of course is on sale on line and in independent bookshops.
Comments
We should pick a London bookshop like Foyles in Charing Cross Road and carry out a mass drive-by book-signing!
You've had some fantastic media coverage and your readers obviously adore you--they must be thrilled about all of this.