Day One

Day One of the tour was jam packed. It began at 10am with a ten minute reading in a packed Writers' Retreat at the Edinburgh Book Festival. I went on to sign 200 books at Waterstones in Edinburgh's west end, before a two-hour TV interview in the basement of the shop - for a five-minute segment in a show I can't tell you about yet (for reasons that will become clear in the future). Then on to sign more books at Waterstones, George Street, then Blackwells, and finally a very late lunch (4.30pm) before gathering myself for my evening event at the book festival. Quite scary entering an arena filled by 300 people all waiting to hear you speak. It was chaired by the incomparable Jenny Brown, and went well, I think. Took an hour afterwards to work my way through a huge signing queue, then slipped away for a late meal with old friends (met 30 years ago while camping in France).

The photograph was taken at Waterstones by Janice, under my instruction, for a Tweet which read: "Signing copies of Entry Island at W/stones W. End, Edinburgh, when I realised my mistake..."