On Saturday I was participating in the Ryedale Book Festival by giving a talk entitled ‘A Cream Tea With Jessica Blair.’ I had 25 people seated comfortably in the Talbot Hotel in Malton, North Yorkshire, enjoying their cream tea while I talked about my writing career and my love of books.

This was the second year of the Book Festival and over the two days of the event there was a wide range of talks, exhibitions, displays, book stalls,and events in which children and adults could take part. There was a buzz about it all and I hope that a solid base has been made for it to be repeated and go from strength to strength.

I emphasised in my talk how my love of books had been encouraged by my parents by their love of reading and by the fact that there were always books in the house. I made points for children to be encouraged, as I was, and showed the pleasure that can be gained by reading. I made a plea for people to support their libraries and independent bookshops; they are vital to our lives.  I showed how my love of reading had led me to becoming an author and given me an interesting life, seeing a lot of the world and meeting interesting people.

Soon after starting a talk you can tell if you have the interest of the audience – I felt I had captured it and the proof came with the questions afterwards.  

Altogether a good event, part of a bigger picture which I hope continues to grow.  Ryedale has associations with a number of present day authors and  close to its borders there are others, as well as connections with the wider literary scene. It is to be hoped that the organisers are given the support and encouragement to build on the foundations that have been laid.

I have had a couple of days away from the novel.  I suppose that is not strictly true and poses the question: Are you ever completely away from the novel you are writing? I think the answer is no. You maybe away from the physical act of writing but I’ll bet that at sometime something about your work will creep into your mind. Maybe it is something you wrote a few days ago that has come to tell you, ‘You can make that paragraph better if you express the point a shorter way.’ Maybe an idea creeps unexpectedly into your mind, while you are out enjoying a walk, or cutting the lawn, baking a cake  or whatever was taking  you away from your novel. Maybe that unpleasant character is shouting at you, ‘I’ll make more impact if you ….’

Oh, yes, the novel can still be working on you even though you are trying to escape it for a while. When I was nearing the end of my first Jessica Blair novel, THE RED SHAWL, I was  I was going to kill off my leading female character. It was a summers day; I was playing cricket for the village; I was going out to bat when she said to me ‘Don’t kill me off and I’ll supply you with another story.’ I was startled but the germ had been sown. I did as she said and a follow up to the first novel pleased my publisher, PIATKUS, and A DISTANT HARBOUR hit the shelves !  Now I am close to finishing my 24th Jessica Blair novel. I wonder if some incident might suddenly come to mind that deserves a place to influence the outcome of the story. Writing is an adventure, and I am sure that the writer is never away from the novel.