Book Launch in Auckland

There is nothing more satisfying for an author than seeing their books piled in a bookshop window!  In this case it was the Women's Bookshop in Auckland, run by Carole Bleu -  just one of those fabulous independent bookshops run by dedicated owners passionate about books.   The booktrade has been hit in New Zealand like everywhere else and bookchains are teetering on the brink of extinction.  As an author, I hope that the independents are going to survive because they put in so much hard work and they really care.

Carole organised a wonderful evening with wine and nibbles and a good crowd of book-lovers.  I've never had to give a talk perched on a table behind the counter before (just as well I'd only had orange juice!) but it was great fun and Carole was behind me to make sure I didn't fall off.  The talk was chaired by the brilliant Sarah Sandley, publisher and chief executive of New Zealand Magazines and one of the founders of the Katherine Mansfield Society, which now has an international membership.  It was a lovely evening.

Then it was off for fish and chips - the fish here is unbelievably good -  and the glittering lights of Auckland City.