What a treat it was to be flown up to Wellington and given the opportunity to shed the Mummy-suit and give the Vanda-suit an outing!
The 'Murder They Wrote' event at Cafe L'Affare was great fun. Paul Cleave and Neil Cross are both very clever and funny people and it was a pleasure to be on the panel with them. Noel Murphy, from the New Zealand Book Council did the honours as chair and had the job of keeping us under control, which he managed with style.
Mary McCallum over at O Audacious Book gives a great summary of the evening. Thanks for coming Mary, wonderful to see you, and you too Fleur.
Afterward we all enjoyed a meal out and some more very lively conversation. I always relish being invited to events with other writers. I come away feeling invigorated and inspired to keep at it and keep working hard. It's a relief to hear other writers struggle with the same things you do, or are annoyed by the same things, and that it's not just you who wonders if you're doing the right thing. It's also a great place to get tips on useful books to read, and TV programmes and films to watch. This is where I discover I don't watch enough telly.
So thank you to the NZ Book Council for recognising New Zealand crime fiction, and throwing us together for public consumption. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, and we certainly had a brilliant time.
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2 comments:
Sounds like it was a wonderful night Vanda, wish I had been able to be there. I gather the Christchurch Writers & Readers Festival in September is having an emphasis on crime fiction. Bring it on I say!
Ditto what Graham said. I'm pretty hopeful about a few cool things that may/should be happening at the Chch Festival (not all are confirmed yet, but things are looking promising).
Rosemary (my unofficial Crime Watch 'reporter) had a fantastic time at Murder They Wrote, and has sent me a nice report that I will post later today. She is a big crime fiction fan, but up until now hasn't read any Kiwi stuff.
In her email this morning, she said: "I am now about three-quarters of the way through The Ringmaster and really enjoying it. Interestingly enough, having met Vanya (albeit very briefly) I can see a bit of her in Sam Shepherd."
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