This week I received my first invitation to speak to a book group about my debut novel, A Pair of Sharp Eyes.
Exciting but terrifying. What will these readers want to know? Can I remember my own book well enough? Will the meeting feel like a viva, with ten examiners instead of two, and Pinot Grigio instead of tap water? What if I get the title wrong, as I’ve been known to do, and refer to my novel as A Sharp Pair of Eyes, misquoting the original source (Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals)? What the hell to wear?
I’ve talked about my writing before, plenty of times. I was in a book group myself for ten years. How hard can it be? For goodness’ sake, I used to be an English lecturer. If I could run a two-hour seminar on Hamlet, I can surely talk about my own novel for an hour. Can’t I?
As for what to wear, I’m there as a writer, and I’d be letting the side down if I didn’t look a bit pre-loved.
If all else fails, I can talk about my cat.* Here she is, enjoying me telling her all about my book. Let’s hope the readers of Battersea are equally enthralled by what I have to say …
*Copyright Freya Rathmill 2018
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