SturFest
Photo: © Lee Cooper
Sturminster Newton Literary Festival
June 5th was my second book event, the Sturminster Newton Literary Festival. I’d never been to the small Dorset town before, and appropriately it is the centre of Hardy country (the more famous one). The venue was 1855, a former NatWest bank building that has been restored and revamped to accommodate – initially – 30 traders. It now provides space for almost 60 creatives offering a collection of unique products with a connection to the Blackmore Vale area. I just couldn’t resist buying myself a lovely necklace and earrings from Becky’s Beads of Dorset while I was there. We also have three empty bank buildings in Frome and I see the format of 1855 as a perfect solution for us in neighbouring Somerset.
Inside the venue was a room used for gatherings, so that’s where my talk took place. I relaxed by doing a few warm-up exercises behind the scenes, which meant that my nerves completely disappeared. It was a lovely audience (including my daughter!) and after half an hour of talking and two readings, I opened the floor to questions. There were so many of them that it took another half an hour. People could then pre-order books and I signed bookplate stickers for them. I got home afterwards to find a box of my books had arrived much earlier than expected!
