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13/4 Today was a nice change from shopping malls as we wove our way through the autumn coloured streets of the Blue Mountains to the sun soaked streets of Bathurst and finally Orange. A signing in Leura then two events in Orange.
12/4 A more relaxing pace with four bookshops – Megalong Books in Leura took the honours as being the 100th shop we visited! Both there and QBD Penrith had someone at the counter buying The Glass House as we came in! Also visited Harry Hartog Penrith (and enjoyed a scone at their cafe…after starting the morning with bacon on toast this may not be the healthiest day…) and The Little Lost Bookshop which has new and second hand – and one copy of ours among the select news ones!
11/4 Another 11 bookshops today (would have been 13 but time and traffic mens we will have to return to Penrith tomorrow…). Finished off with the inaugural event at the refurbished Springwood library (and Turn the Page bookshop) with local author Angie Scoble reading from her memoir to kick it off then we were interviewed by Amy Sambrooke from Blue Mountains library festival.
On todays score card besides Turn the Page was:
Gleebooks, Berkelouw Leichardt, Hill of Content and Roaring Stories Balmain, Dymocks Burwood/Rouse Hill and Parramatta, Alfie and Noa Castle Towers (they’d sold out but more on the way!) and QBD Blacktown and Parramatta.
10/4 Nice to escape the Sydney traffic via QBD Broadway and Harry Hartog Marrickville (including eerily quiet tunnels that I suspect cost a fortune…LINKT account pending…) towards Thirroul (Collins Bookseller) and Wollongong (QBD and Dymocks) for the Wollongong Friends of the Library evet with over 70 people (supported by Harbour Books Ulladulla which we had already visited but lovely to see Sarah and Georgia again). Back to Sydney though, looping around tunnels after taking the wrong turnoff, Ubering to the wrong Randwick library … but we eventually made it to the biggest yet event (with Constant Reader) of 100 with lots of warmth and positive feedback from those who had read The Glass House and for some at least it has really opened their eyes. A lot of fun being interviewed by Catherine du Peloux Menage (BAD Sydney Crime festival) and great to see some psych registrars coming along – including one called Hannah like our protagonist.
9/4 Another busy day negotiating Sydney weather and traffic…one navigational stuff up with a major wave of deja vu as we drove to a bookshop that turned out to be a few doors down from one we visited yesterday (and where we had parked our car overnight. I’m getting a much better idea of Sydney suburbs than I did when I lived here for a year!
Maintained the record of 11 visited: Dymocks and QBD Chatswood, Burns Bay Bookery, Bookface Northbridge (opened last Friday!), Berkelouw Rose Bay, Dymocks Bondi Junction, Harry Hartog and QBD Bondi Junction, Modern Times Newtown and at Gertrude and Alice Bondi Beach. The latter was a very cute ramshackle old and new book store with a cafe and writer at work.
Finished the day off with an impromptu event (instead of staying nice and cosy in our hotel bar on a wet stormy night…) at Better read Than Dead with enthusiastic staff, a couple of locals, two old friends and local author Micahel Thompson whose book Graeme endorsed – with pink champagne of course.
8/4: GCS here…Twelve days in is about 10%. Checkpoint… On target to hit all those bookshops, and ahead of target to sell 2,000 copies at events. Yes, we’ve been in the big cities, but the regional support has been fantastic. A big week ahead, and perhaps a quiet ‘drink and chat’ night at Better Read than Dead tomorrow evening.
8/4 Hit the road today on foot which was far preferable to negotiating Sydney traffic. Signed books at Abbeys, Kinokuniya, Berkelouw Paddington, Ariel’s Paddington, Woollahra Bookshop and Potts Point Bookshop before lunch. Dymocks George St hosted a lunch at The Four Seasons where it was great to see a few friends and a very prolific book reviewer Marianne Vincent! We were interviewed by Dr Ben Bravery whose book The Patient Doctor is a wonderfully uplifting tale of managing a cancer diagnosis and responding by going back to university to study medicine; he’s now almost a qualified psychiatrist. His wife, Sana Qadar (All in the Mind, ABC radio) came along to take notes – she’s interviewing us at the Sydney Writers Festival next month.
7/4 A new record with 11 bookshops today, meandering around the north coast of Sydney, through forests and yes in shopping centres! Seeing one Dymocks reordering already, a star-struck reader or two stunned we were the actual authors (enough to buy the book!), some keen booksellers and at least one with coffee served. Parking low – trying to park in Manly when the market is on…
Bookshops visited today:
Dymocks Neutral Bay/Warringah Mall/Lane Cove/Macquarie Centre
Harry Hartog Warringah Mall/Macquarie Centre
Berkelouw Balgowlah/Mona Vale
Three Sparrows Mosman
Humphrey’s Manly
Bookoccino Avalon Beach
5/4 Started the day with an event at Shoalhaven library then signings at Books and Zjewellry Huskisson, Nowra Books and Gifts, Nowra Dymocks, Berry Books and Gifts, Bookshop Kiama (who also supported our evening event). Six people waiting for us at Boukiniste and all five copies sold – more coming Monday! The weather was kind and held off for a great turnout at Kiama library. An enormous amount of interest in mental health issues and what can be done. Thanks so much to the Kiama bookstore, Friends of the Library and the Library staff.
4/4 Left Cann River early (no shampoo but good coffee across the road thank goodness!)
Two bookshop visits – Candelo in Bega and Collins in Merimbula with the very enthuasiiatic Maddie back from a year’s leave.
Lunch at the Waterfornt Hotel (great snacks) interviewed by Alison and supported by Janice from Moruya Books. Both were hugely supportive of the book’s authenticty and the world it brings to life, and were keen to know when the sequel will be out (it just went into the publisher for editing so we figure this time next year). Opening act Jenny Moraga reading from her own novel (okay there’s a story here – she was Graeme’s girlfriend when they were 16/17 and he used to travel to Moruya from Melbourne by bus. The deication of young love!); Jenny was very open about how writing saved her life. Again a very enthusiastic audience participation with own stories of living with mental illness or with families with mental illness. One woman who had already reda the book said “Thankyou. My child was diagnosed first with bipolar and then schizoaffective and his courage has been inspiring. This book helped fill in the gaps for us”. This alone has made writing this book worthwhile.
Final drop in to see the Harbour bookshop – they’ll be supporting the event tomorrow at the local library.
3/4 No rain so less underfoot squishing…long story! ABC radio interview with Mim and booksigning (including the only local psych reg, great to meet you Lara).
3/4 A little story about last night and our Iran-born guest speaker Abbas Mehran. His daughter was Marsha Mehran, author of Pomegranate Soup, who died after a battle with writer’s block (her father’s words). Chapter 5 of The Glass House focuses on an Iranian woman with…writers block. Our psychiatrist-in-training protagonist Hannah is initially dismissive, seeing her problem as less serious than the psychosis and major depression she’s dealing with in the acute ward. But she reflects – this is what early intervention, before a condition becomes more serious, is about… (GCS)
2/4 Hit the road for our first big trip – and it was a big day full of enthusiasm and warmth from bookshops, libraries and their patrons.
First off to Turn the Pages, Cowes where we interviewed owners Brendan and Kylie about why they have a bookshop (best quote was the little kids that come in and say they love the smell of books!) They also supported the one hour seminar at the community centre. Next to Hare and Tortoise in Koumburra with some fans and a friend dropping in. Signing at Need to Read, Tralagon Books and QBD Tralagon then an event at the Tralagon library with Reader’s Emporium, opened Abbas Mehran with his book about his author daughter who sadly died secondary to mental health issues. The audience were very enthusiastic with questions and buying including backlist! Interviewed by Jacqui Almack-Onley for 104.7 Gippsland FM – should be up Friday of next week 12-1pm session.
1/4 Sun Yarraville to kick off the day (they are great supporters of Sisters of Crime so have a sfot spot for them!) then The Avenue Albert Park, Coventry Books, Readings Hawthorn and then Dymocks Victoria Gradens where we bumped into Tom who used to work at Stonemans in Castlemaine (and where we saw him a couple of days ago) – he now works in Vic Gardens!
30/3 Basking in perfect Autumn weather we took on the North (well, a bit of it). Signing at Stonemans Bookroom, meeting with locals (an author, a nurse I traned with in the eighties, reminiscing about the bad old days…and what was good) in Castlemaine. When I get good enough internet some photos might accompany this!
Next to Bookish Bendigo, with Bendigo in the grip of Easter fever and more old friendly faces (a collaegue of Graeme’s from 1982 and my aunt and uncle). Our Doco team on board, including drone shots once outside the Bendigo perimeter.
Finally arrived to applause with waiting readers, books in hand, at Aesops Attic in Kyneton where we did an impromptu author talk and soaked in the local vibe – the bookshop really typifies why we want to suport them; they are the heart of the community.
28/3 Quick visit and signing at Collins Booksellers Sunbury then straight to Red Door to set up. Great turnout of locals and a few who’d travelled for it. Excellent wine with Kristy from Double Oaks (worth a visit on weekend afternoons!) and food platter from Providore (thanks Greg and Gabby) and music by local legend Pete Walsh who has two more local gigs this weekend. Sold out of back stock which as a nice addition to the interest in The Glass House
28/3 Inhouse Austin breakfast event with Fairfield books then visit and signings at Mary Martin Southbank, Dymocks Collins St, Readings State Library, Readings Emporium, QBD Emporium, Hill of Content (Sold sign had just gone up – all waiting anxiously!), and Paperback books.
27/3 Launch at Readings Carlton. Brilliant reading of I am Fox by Heidi Everett, CEO of SchizyInc to whom royalies from Vic events (excpt Wangaratta) got to (and we missed a call out to Neil Cole whose book is being launched April 9th at Readings State Library with tales from his time in the law and some metal health commentary)! Seventy or so friends and family, interviewed by Professor Jayashri Kulkarni followed by pizza.
27/3 Visited Riverbend books but books still to be unpacked
26/3 Day 1. First bookshop:Dymocks Queens St Brisbane. Then a publication eve event at Avid Reader Brisbane. Sold out, 90 bookings, but it’s raining. 52 turned up thank you! And we’re not in the car yet – flying today, back in Melb tomorrow for the launch at Readings.
Visited Dymocks City
13/3 300 copies signed for Booktopia
12/3 Our copies arrived!
7/3 Sydney Writers Festival Program announced – we’re on for 23 May at 1pm https://www.swf.org.au/
2/3 Starting to have to say ‘no’ to some requests for events as the schedule fills. That hurts. Getting organised for a documentary of the tour. Trying to the sequel to THE GLASS HOUSE to the publisher before we hit the road.
9/2: Morning coffee for writers in Hobart is on. Ice creams for writers in Melbourne (Collingwood, Vic) is on. Whiskey and writing (Northcote, Vic) is on. The Prado has been decorated. Not many free evenings left…
1/2: Four weeks into it and we have around fifty events confirmed or in progress. Thinking of hosting morning coffee in Hobart for writers…but need to find them!
18/1: Two weeks since we announced the tour on social media. Lots of interest: we’ve been kept busy with enquiries from bookshops, libraries and mental-health workers (the prospect of a free drink if they show up is clearly compelling).
The itinerary grows daily as does the challenge of fitting things in (‘if we do a breakfast event and then double back…)
Latest confirmed event – Petrarchs, Launceston.