The Secret War Book Launch – part 1

(Note to reader: I’ve made the decision to write this in two parts – because it means you don’t have to wait until the end of the week to read what happened at the book launch, and because who wants to read a blog entry two thousand words long? It also means I can add some photos of the evening when I receive them from the official photographer of the launch… See, I think of everything.
Sometimes…)


If The Secret War was published on the 5th January, then the book wasn’t truly released for me until the 11th.

Last Thursday began interestingly, with a 6:15am start to appear on BBC radio Sheffield’s Breakfast Show. I think the interview went well, despite being half-asleep. I find it difficult to be enthusiastic about anything at 7:30am – so I dug deep that morning, a little high on the prospect of the evening’s events.

The night before had been spent writing my speech, cobbling a CD together for the launch, and of course, what to read. The following morning, whilst one of four trips into town, I looked through the speech, and kept changing what I planned reading. Readings are funny things. Sometimes even the best writer in the world can become the world’s biggest bore if their readings go on and on and on. So I settled on a two page offering that tried to captivate the mood of the whole book… Not an easy task, especially when you feel like you’re bearing your soul to everyone you know.

After what I thought wasn’t a bad interview at BBC radio Sheffield, we picked up further provisions and dropped the rest of the stuff off at Waterstones in Orchard Square, which was pretty quiet at 11 in the morning. It’s a big store, wide open spaces and plenty of books on display (including my book – which gives me a tingle whenever I see it sitting amongst other authors I am totally in awe of). It was all a little surreal, especially bringing a four-foot steel broadsword into the shop (hoping the police didn’t catch me between the car and Orchard Square!). The broadsword, before anyone asks, is a promise to myself that I have now fulfilled, much like being published. It was also a good excuse to display the engraved sword at the launch (a move which produced added attention and a little fear later that evening – but more on that in part 2).

Later came the third trip into town, to meet up with David Headley of Goldsboro books to sign some of his stock – around 100 copies as it happened, which gave me a chance to flex my signature-writing muscles. It might sound odd, but I feel slightly nervous whenever I sign a book. I mean, what happens if I screw up the message, or make a hash of the signature itself? That’s a book worth £12.99 down the pan, isn’t it?

And that was when I was sober too. God knows what I would be like that evening with several beers or glasses of wine down my neck…!