There’s a Lot More to Mere
The problem with a small white spine? Yes, there’s my book, second from top of the pile, although you could easily have missed it
Small town with big ideas
The Mere Literary Festival has been running for 26 years, and that’s a lot longer than most. Nowadays there are hundreds of festivals of all shapes and sizes in Britain and no doubt thousands worldwide. This one was particularly convenient for me as it was only just over half an hour’s drive from my house.
My talk took was in the Grove Building, which is owned by the local church and is right in the centre of this pretty Wiltshire town. I was interviewed by retired English teacher, Mary Guiver, who asked some excellent questions and really put me at ease so that I wasn’t nervous. She’d read my book THREE TIMES before interviewing me, which I found very flattering. She’d certainly done her homework!
Inside the hall. Photo: © Gail Garbutt
The ‘in conversation’ style talk was followed by a book signing. All the books were sold and the bookshop, Winstone’s of Sherborne, sold out quickly. Luckily, I’d learnt from my last festival to bring some extra books in my bag. An old friend turned up to hear my talk, which was a lovely surprise as I hadn’t seen her for at least 15 years, so I went back to her house for coffee afterwards.
Book signing. Photo: © Gail Garbutt
