Crystal Palace this weekend

This weekend will be the first ever Crystal Palace Book Festival, like it says on the banner. Alex Milway, the writer and illustrator of the wonderful Mousehunter, has done an amazing job in organising this. All the details are on:
http://http//palacefestival.wordpress.com/

I'll be there on Saturday, from 3.20 until 3.40pm at The Bookseller Crow on the Hill bookshop and we'll have advanced copies of Devil's Kiss for sale. So you'll finally know what the hell I've been going on about for the last year.
The workshops will cover a load of different writing genres and subjects, but must be booked in advance. So do get intouch asap, not with me, but through the contacts on the festival website. There's a display and Crash Bang Wallop gallery, and a lot of author readings and signings at the Crow.
Really, what's not to like?

Met a whole bunch of independent booksellers yesterday. What really struck me was the enthusiasm everyone had, especially in these times of economic hardship, about their trade. No one goes into publishing for the money and that applies doubly so to the independents, squeezed by the big retailers, the internet and all. Which reminds me. I have a link to Amazon below and that's fine if you really do live in the middle of no-where. Otherwise it would be great if you did do your book shopping locally. Perhaps you feel shy about approaching the shop owner, so I've prepared a short line for you to memorize and use from the 7th May onwards. Repeat it word for word or the magic won't work.

"Hello. I'd like a dozen copies of Sarwat Chadda's magnificent DEVIL'S KISS, please." Pause for dramatic effect. "On second thoughts, make that two dozen."
Got it?

Writing's been a real slog this month and I'm not quite at my ridiculously low monthly target of 10,000 words. Finding a new voice isn't as straightforward as I thought it would be. My hero's slowly gaining flesh but it'll be a while before he's really living and breathing. Still, he's already in a world of hurt and I'm just into chapter 4. I'm not into writing groups but at times like this I recognise how useful they might be in launching a new idea. Ah well.