Chapter Twelve. The Caledonian Hotel

The fashion show at the Mountain Top Hotel turned out fine for Maxwell Elliot, thanks to the assistance given to him by a student. The young man’s courteousness and how Maxwell had an entertaining conversation with him saved the day. However, in the days which followed the show Maxwell reflected how it was a shock to his system to have come face to face with Callum McDuff: the man responsible for such a miserable episode in his life. Nevertheless, Maxwell tried to be positive about the awful ordeal then tried not to dwell upon it or ressurect the subject with Nancy again. It was all put down to being a one off nightmare.

The following week, after attending to some routine business at the Bank in George Street, Maxwell decided to treat himself to a nice leisurely lunch in the lovely 5 star hotel at the bottom of Lothian Road. He had not been to the hotel for quite some time. It was on an impulse he fancied going to the hotel where he had met Nancy five years before.

On stepping inside the Caledonian hotel Maxwell was dressed for the season in the most wonderful tweed suit, which had been delivered to him by his tailor that morning. It was a three piece suit in copper and gold and russet tones. As he walked through the beautiful foyer he began to think what a lot had happened in the space of time since he had met Nancy. So much had happened, actually, he felt in need of some quiet space to catch up with himself and to digest all that had happened. The serenity of the hotel was just what he needed. Maxwell was never one who wished things to go at too fast a pace, he liked the idea of embracing a fairly slow, balanced kind of lifestyle, although he knew sometimes it was not easy to control the exact pace your life was at.

‘Ah, Mr Elliot, so nice to see you Sir. Where would you like to sit?’ asked the waiter, giving Maxwell a warm friendly welcome.

‘It is lovely to be back in the hotel I must say. I think I shall sit over on the sofa with a view of the castle,’ replied Maxwell.

‘Just follow me Sir,’ continued the waiter.

‘You always did love that seat didn’t you, Sir,’ added the waiter.

‘Yes I did, I did indeed and how kind of you to remember small details like that about me,’ remarked Maxwell, whose new autumn toned suit harmonised with the colours of the sofa seat.

‘It’s not so terribly long since you were here last,’ commented the waiter.

‘Is it not?’ asked Maxwell.

‘I think about 2 months, Sir,’ continued the waiter, taking Maxwell’s brolly from him to place on the umbrella stand.

‘Ah, it is not so long then. Yet, it feels so much longer than that,’ replied Maxwell, feeling he had missed being in the hotel.

‘Lovely to have you here,’ reiterated the waiter, showing more warmth and respect to Maxwell.

Before Maxwell married Nancy at least every second day he would visit the hotel but that routine just fizzled out.

‘Now, can I get you a tonic, Sir?’ asked the waiter.

‘Yes, that is perfect, you even remember how I like to drink a tonic water before my lunch,’ continued Maxwell, feeling chuffed the waiter had remembered that too.

The waiter went off to fetch Maxwell his drink and in a moment had returned and placed the drink down on the table.

‘I will leave the menu with you, Sir. Just let me know when you would like lunch,’ remarked the waiter, handing the menu to Maxwell then going off to attend to some other guests who were coming in for lunch.

Maxwell glanced out of the window. The sky was soft and lovely and blue and high in the sky was an autumn sun. The castle looked warm and welcoming with mild sunlight falling onto it, creating a glow of amber all around it. In the foreground some of the leaves on the trees were losing their shiny summer greenness and were beginning to turn pale crisp bronze. The door of summer was closing, the door of autumn opening. Glancing out at the glowing onset of the new season, for a moment Maxwell reflected on the summer that had passed.  

It had been a pleasant summer, some lovely things had happened. He and Nancy had been happy and he was making steady progress with his new creative pursuits. Also, he and Nancy were keeping to the anniversary promise they made to each other of having regular artistic sittings. The portrait of Nancy was coming along fine, though it had some way to go before it was finished. Maxwell then retrieved the exctasy of his Midsummer’s madness with Daphne from his mind, those sublime and secret pleasures he had known. He began to sigh to himself.

‘Yes’, it has been one wonderful summer and a gentleman, after all, must have one naughty secret,’ thought Maxwell.

The only unfortunate thing which had occurred was the awful recent ordeal with Macduff. Maxwell continued to glance up at the castle again, and on seeing the pure enchantment of the view in front of him, he managed to clear his mind of the nightmare of seeing Macduff. Then Maxwell signalled to the waiter to take his order for lunch.

‘I think I shall have the prawn salad,’ requested Maxwell.

‘A good choice, Sir, nice and healthy and I can assure the prawns are excellent,’ commented the waiter.

‘Will you have some crusty bread with it Sir?’ asked the waiter.

‘Yes indeed that would be splendid,’ replied Maxwell.

Maxwell sat looking forward to his healthy light lunch. Before long it was in front of him and he was enjoying it.

‘It is so pleasant being at the hotel again,’ thought Maxwell, as he slowly ate his lunch. He loved the tangy taste of the marie rose sauce over the prawns.

As he was finishing his lunch he began to think what Nancy might be doing back at Edington. He was thinking she may still be rather upset about the incident at the fashion show. It also occurred to him she may be feeling she had let Samantha down.

A few minutes later the waiter brought Maxwell a copy of The Times newspaper in the same way he always did.

‘Coffee Sir?’ asked the waiter, handing the newspaper to Maxwell.

‘Yes indeed,’ replied Maxwell, opening up the newspaper then becoming lost in one of the articles. Maxwell loved his daily dose of news. He would spend ages reading articles he found of interest.

An hour or so later Maxwell emerged from behind the print of the newspaper. When he did he was beyond stunned to find Favia sitting on the sofa directly opposite him with her head almost blocking his view of the castle. To see Favia sitting there was as big a shock to him as looking out to find the castle was not there. He almost choked at the sight of seeing her.

‘Favia my dear girl. This is a surprise. I thought you would have returned to New York by now,’ remarked Maxwell, hardly getting his sentence out coherently. And that is saying something for Maxwell words always flowed elegantly and articulately.

‘So did I. But I decided to stay on Maxwell. By the way I do hope it is a nice surprise to see me and not a shock surprise,’ commented Favia.

‘It is a lovely surprise Favia. It is just you are the last person I would have expected to see here,’ continued Maxwell, who was now thinking to himself ‘my afternoon has just been ruined.’

Maxwell noticed how Favia took up the conversation where they had left off the previous week at the Portrait Gallery, in the same way as a schoolteacher takes up a particular lesson from the place they left the lesson last time.

‘And how did your important meeting go last week?’ questioned Favia, pouring out some tea for herself in a cool and calculating way, as if she was hoping she was going to control the conversation with Maxwell.

‘As a matter of fact it went very well,’ answered Maxwell. No way was he going to reveal how all hell had broken loose at the Mountain Top Hotel.  

‘I was so looking forward to spending more time with you Maxwell,’ continued Favia.

‘Yes, so you were saying, but at least you’ve had the opportunity of seeing more of this wonderful city,’ replied Maxwell.

‘Indeed I have and I still have so much more to see. I am stopping at my hotel for a further few weeks,’ enthused Favia, who was still dressed for summer wearing a summery looking dress with turquoise polka dots all over it.

That was the last thing Maxwell wanted to hear. Maxwell glanced above Favia’s head to notice the blue of the sky was now gone, the sky had turned from blue to cloudy grey and the sun was gone too. Edinburgh castle was covered in dark shadows, devoid of enchantment, it now looked cold and lost and unwelcoming. It was a castle shrouded in bleakness.

‘I didn’t know this hotel was one of your favourite haunts?’ enquired Maxwell, now looking around at the exquisite splendour of the hotel, then probing how Favia had turned up at the very hotel he happened to be in. He could not remember ever having been to this hotel with Favia in the past.

‘It’s just nice to try different places Maxwell. I had been shopping in Frasers and it was a spur of the moment thing to cross the street and come over here. You know me and how I like to explore,’ explained Favia.

‘Yes, I do know that,’ replied Maxwell,

‘Unfortunately for me,’ thought Maxwell, to himself.

‘And I wish you happy adventures whilst you are here in Edinburgh, Favia,’ continued Maxwell.

Then Maxwell indicated to the waiter he was leaving. In a flash the waiter had brought him the bill. Within a moment the bill was paid and the waiter was handing Maxwell his umbrella.

‘Are you going so soon?’ asked Favia.

‘Yes indeed I am,’ replied Maxwell.

‘Another important meeting?’ enquired Favia.

‘Well, in a way, yes, I am heading home. My wife will be expecting me,’ stated Maxwell.

‘So she will,’ replied Favia, with a sarcastic snarl.

On the way through the foyer the waiter tipped off Maxwell about Favia.

‘I thought I’d mention, Sir. For the last three days the lady in the polka dot dress who was sitting opposite you has been in the hotel. She has been asking after you and if you had been here. She has also been asking some of the reception staff about you too,’ reported the waiter.

‘Enough said. I get the picture,’ commented Maxwell.

Favia was on his tail. She was in a sort of way stalking him, being a nuisance. Maxwell got into a taxi. Soon the taxi was speeding through the cobbled streets of the New Town towards Edington.

‘That is all I need. As if I have not had enough angst with Macduff appearing,’ thought Maxwell to himself.

Way in the distant past Favia must have remembered Maxwell talking about the Caledonian Hotel and had chanced her mitt by coming into it in hopes he would be around.

‘It seems clear I will need to devise a plan, an avoidance strategy so I do not bump into Favia again. I will need to think of places to go where I will be certain she will not be there. She is just something I do not need just now,’ Maxwell continued to think as his taxi pulled up outside Edington.

Maxwell was aiming for a simple creative harmony in his life and Favia was the last thing he needed.

Several weeks later, after a morning making progress with his portrait of Nancy, Maxwell was enjoying a quiet lunch in Whighams wine cellar when Favia appeared again.

‘This is certainly a long holiday you are having in Edinburgh, Favia. You must love that hotel you are at,’ remarked Maxwell, who was trying to remain as civil and polite as he could in the circumstances.

‘I did love it, only the Summer Heights hotel was becoming rather expensive, so I have booked myself into a small bed and breakfast so as to make things more economical for me,’ explained Favia, whose hair was showing signs of not being as pretty as it had been when she first arrived in Edinburgh.

Favia was providing information to Maxwell about her growing short of funds, in the hope it might touch Maxwell’s compassionate streak, for she knew Maxwell had a compassionate side to his nature. However, he was not drawn in by that. Maxwell blanked the subject of her diminishing funds.

‘Well, I do hope your next month goes well for you, Favia,’ concluded Maxwell, feeling bumping into Favia at every turn was becoming rather ridiculous. He decided he would now need a new more effective strategy to avoid Favia. A strategy which would mean he would stay home for lunch, for the immediate future anyway. And, if he did have the urge to go out for lunch then he would take Nancy with him. Not only that but he would explore eating in restaurants outwith the city. That way there would be virtually no chance of bumping into Favia and being bothered by her. As it happened, though, Favia did not bother Maxwell again.

Saturday Night’s Diary

Saturday, 16th January, 2016

I am just noticing the date, and realise it will not be long, until Robert Burns Day. That, is certainly a date to celebrate.

Anyway, back to this evening. Well, it is a Saturday night, it is almost 9.30 p.m. and I am sitting writing in my snug back kitchen, and, for the first time, this winter, it has been snowing. Indeed, snow is something to celebrate. I have always loved when it snowed.

Earlier, this evening, I looked out of my front room window, it was magical, to see the lovely flakes of snow, fall so slowly, against the dark night sky. Now, of course, I am wondering whether it will snow tomorrow, and the day after that, and possibly the day after that, too!

As a girl, growing up in Ayrshire, way through in the West of Scotland, it snowed almost every winter. There was nothing very unusual, about snow, and it was fairly common, to trudge a mile or so, to school, in inches of snow, with a pair of Wellington boots on; perhaps stopping by the way, to create a snowman, and maybe even being late, for school, because of that. Snow is more of a rarity, these days, so when it does snow, there is something very magical about it. The only slight problem is when snow becomes slush, it can be difficult to walk on, and should it become ice, it can become quite dangerous. These days, I try not to go walking, when the pavements are icy and always wait for the ice to melt, before going on my walkabouts.

Goodness knows, why I am writing a diary about snow? Well, perhaps I do know, as I said previously, snow is a novelty, it has enchantment and I love all things enchanting.

Saturday nights, I can often be found in a quiet corner, by the fireside, handwriting into one of my journals. Tonight, however, I decided not to keep my ramblings to myself to lock away, in one of my many diaries. Instead, I wished to share my thoughts. Sharing, like snow, is magical.

This morning, I was much occupied, with checking over, my brand new manuscript. This is the manuscript for the sequel to my novel, ‘Forgiving Nancy’. The sequel has been written, and I am now in the process, of checking through it all, I am trying to improve it, if I can, as I go, and to make corrections. I feel excited, having written another book, and I do rather like this stage, I am in, of checking it all. The checking over, is a much different experience, from the writing of it. I always think, the writing of a book, comes from a place of creative energy. I am always full of enthusiasm, for the story I’m going to tell, and how I’m going to tell it. Sometimes there is that urgency to get onto the page, for fear the ideas might be lost.

However, I find when I go back to that same manuscript, to check it over, I always think of myself, as wearing an entirely different hat; perhaps the more logical side of me, does the checking, whereas, it is the purely inspirational creative side of me, that creates.

Returning to the subject of the snow, I have just glanced out my kitchen window, all is quiet in the darkness outside, the snowflakes are still falling, and the evening is so beautiful and enchanting. Isn’t it a pity we didn’t get snow on Christmas Day!

SAFKHET SPRING CEANING

I thought I would post a photo of my library today. As you can see I have a lot of books and I enjoy adding to my stock of books all the time. It can become rather addictive continually buying books but I have never regretted adding to my library.
And I find I am always rediscovering books I had forgotten I even owned. The other day I came across a little treasure of a book wedged between two bigger books as I was dusting around the shelves. What happened next was that I forgot all about the dusting, made myself a cup of coffee and spent the next hour with the little book I had found.
Books give so much joy, so much pleaure but these days my reading time can be limited because I am occupied with so much writing. For example I have spent most of my day today writing the sequel to ‘Forgiving Nancy’. And this brings me onto the subject of ‘Forgiving Nancy’. In my last blog I was letting you know how FN can be got FREE on Amazon. Well, I might make mention of the fact that this, sadly, is the last day of it being free. So, I would urge you to visit Amazon and make sure you secure your Kindle copy. It’s a lovely book, I so enjoyed writing it and I really do hope that you enjoy reading it.

Janice x

SAFKHET SPRING CLEANING

It is lovely and sunny here in Edinburgh today, just the kind of day you could sit outside reading a wonderful book. And books and reading are the themes of my post today. First of all I want to tell you that my debut novel ‘Forgiving Nancy’ can be got FREE on Amazon today. My publishers have been most generous to have organised this offer, I think it’s a great thing books being free from time to time. I’d also like to say that the books of other fabulous Safket authors are FREE also on Amazon today. This offer is on for the next four days. I would say, however, it’s best to get over to Amazon as soon as possible!
I’ve posted a photo of Edinburgh Castle on the post today. Edinburgh is the setting for my novel ‘Forgiving Nancy’, the Edinburgh of the 1980’s and the photo here is part of the actual setting of the book. I took this photo in Lothian Road and Nancy Campbell, my wonderful main character, walks down this road. She looks up over all these gravestones to see the wonderful castle.
When I was writing my novel one of the features of Edinburgh that inspired my writing was the castle and as I journeyed on going from one chapter to the next there was a deep hope in my heart that lots and lots of people would get to know me as a writer. One of my reasons for wishing to write was to connect. You may have heard of E. M. Forster’s motto ‘only connect’.
This afternoon I am hoping to go for a nice long walk around Arthur’s Seat. Over the years it is a bit of a ritual for me to go walking on a Sunday. Often I will pack a little picnic in a bag for myself and eat it whilst I’m out. Sometimes I take a novel to read too.
For the past month or two I have been working away on the sequel to ‘Forgiving Nancy’, I am pleased with the progress I have made with it so far and I am actually very excited about it. I am still so excited about all the characters I am writing about, even although I have written about them before. That is the thing about characters they get inside a writer, they become part of you, you can’t let them go.
I don’t know what plans you have for today but I do hope you visit Amazon and get yourself some FREE books. Just think when you are on the bus, sitting out for a picnic, sitting relaxing in your home you could be reading ‘Forgiving Nancy’ on Kindle…and all the other books from Safkhet that are free.
I won’t stay longer as I really must go and get my picnic made. I will tell you what the picnic is before I go. It’s egg and cress sandwiches, a flask of coffee, a pack of cheese and onion crisps and a mars bar!

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Love Janice x

MY EROTIC LOVE LETTERS

There is nothing quite so wonderful as receiving a beautiful love letter from the person you are in love with. Sadly, the writing of love letters from one tender heart to another is not much heard of these days. Often a short romantic text is sent but I don’t think that has quite such a meaningful effect.

I remember some time ago I was lucky enough to receive not one but many love letters from a young man who had totally captured my heart. The love letters were born from the fact I remained at secondary school in Ayr whilst he had gone off to university in Aberdeen. For months at a time I wouldn’t see him, though he’d phone me sometimes. However, every single week he wrote me wonderfully long love letters and in them he would pour out all his thoughts and feelings and desires to me, telling me how much he missed me.

I got to expect about four letters from him per week and I cannot tell you what a highlight in my week those love letters were, they became the focus of my entire world, back then when I was seventeen. So special it was for me to savour every sentence he wrote and he was such a beautiful writer. Sometimes he would quote a line or two from John Keats poetry in his love letters, which, as time travelled on became more and more romantic. In fact these gorgeous letters morphed more into what I would describe as an erotic letter.

I was only seventeen at the time and was only used to writing up little innocent diary entries about going swimming and going skating but before I knew where I was I was passionately returning erotic letters to him. Of course, I will not reveal the contents of those letters here but I will say that my letter writing to Mr X was thrilling to say the least.

I didn’t end up marrying this young man but I am sure it got me into the habit of writing regularly and expressing my feelings.

SNOWDROPS

On a walk to Princes Street today I decided to veer off the route I usually take to get there and take a slightly longer route via the Botanic Gardens. In previous years I’ve tended to stroll in the gardens nearer to the end of February, when springtime is in, rather than in the icy snowy season when wintertime is still with us, together with winter’s low temperatures.

I thought, however, it might be interesting to take the detour just to see what the gardens are looking like enveloped in a more wintry aspect, maybe even with a fine dusting of snow upon them. Snow had fallen yesterday and I imagined the gardens may look rather picturesque today. Having said that I doubted if I’d see much by way of colour in the gardens on a January day.

As I entered the Botanics the first thing I did notice was how very few walkers were around. The next thing I noticed, and this surprised me, was how there were several tables and lots of chairs positioned outside the cafe, even although it was such a bitingly cold day. Then, just as I had imagined, the snowfall there had been recently had not completely melted inside the gardens today. There were glistening sprinklings of snow over the lawns and over the leaves of the trees and on the bushes.

As I sauntered further into the winter gardens I came upon a beautiful stone bridge, over a stream, a stream with a lovely fountain at the top end of it. Several inches of snow was piled upon the bridge, the snow was undisturbed and intact and hadn’t melted at all. It was rather magical. I always think the presence of snow adds silence as well as magic to a setting. It adds beauty too. The bridge and the stream are situated a few hundred yards into the gardens from the east gate entrance.

On I went experiencing a sense of enchantment amidst the snowy setting I was walking. Soon I had reached another wonderful snowy oasis, that part of the botanics where the tall trees are. I always feel I am in a great forest when I reach this part of the gardens. I took a photo of some of the tall trees beautifully dusted in snow. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get all of their wonderful height captured in the photo. The trees were too tall. (perhaps a different kind of camera would capture more fully all the splendour of their height)

On I went further, gathering pace towards the west gate entrance to where the Botanics shop is situated. Still, I could observe little by way of others out walking. As I got into faster stride I was starting to enjoy the icy fresh tingling sensation on my cheeks. As a glanced around I noticed little colour except for the powdery blue of the sky and the different shades of green of the trees and the bushes. There may have been an absence of colour on this cold January stroll but beauty was present in abundance and visible in everything I was seeing, everything had a lovely dusting of pure white snow upon it. I felt the sense of roaming in an icy wonderland and it seemed like I’d got this vast botanic garden almost entirely to myself today.

By now I had taken quite a number of photographs. My hands, however, we’re beginning to feel rather chilly as I didn’t have any gloves on. I should have put on gloves when I had set off and before I left my house. As my hands became more and more cold I suddenly caught sight of the most beautiful snowdrops nestling just by a tree. So pretty they were I had to capture them in a photo. I love snowdrops and the ones in the botanics today were especially beautiful. I checked to make sure I had got a good photo of them on my ipad then continued on my way, in the direction of the Botanics shop.

As I approached the entrance to the shop all I kept thinking was ‘I hope that the shop has a pair of gloves I could buy’. When I got inside the shop, indeed, there was a pair of gloves I could purchase. I bought a pretty pair of red wool gloves immediately. When I exited the shop and then the gardens I did so wearing the new pair of red gloves and my hands were welcoming becoming warmer again. I didn’t walk to Princes Street, as it happened, rather I boarded the bus to take me there.

COSTA COFFEE BOOK SIGNING EVENT, STOCKBRIDGE, EDINBURGH.

Last week I enjoyed a lovely book signing event inside Costa Coffee at Stockbridge. Stockbridge might be described as a village actually inside the city of Edinburgh. When I have shopping to do and don’t wish to go to Edinburgh city centre, Stockbridge is ideal for shopping, taking a walk or perhaps a leisurely sit down in Costa Coffee with a nice snack and coffee. The Botantic Gardens are near Stockbridge too and when I visit the gardens, as I tend to do frequently throughout the year, often I will gravitate towards Stockbridge’s bustling community afterwards.
My signing at Costa Coffee was at 1.00 p.m. but I arrived at the coffee shop half-an-hour beforehand to arrange my books on the lovely table I was given for my signing. From where I sat I had a wonderful view of people walking up and down the main street, getting on with their shopping and other daily activities.
Anne, the lovely manageress in Costa displayed the flyers I had handed in to her a few days previously. The flyers were easy to spot on the tables, especially as customers entered Costa. Also she had pinned a flyer right at the centre of the Costa Coffee notice board inside the shop. The flyers I have been using for advance publicity are of a good size and, on the notice board, where much smaller notices were pinned, the ‘Forgiving Nancy’ flyer stood out well.
Soon I was settled at my book signing table and within a short time people were beginning to get curious about the books on the table and the author who was sitting beside them.
It was a particularly interesting experience selling my first signed copy in the Costa Coffee shop. I sold this first book to a girl who had been in the coffee shop for a job interview. This girl was at a kind of crossroads in her life, just like Nancy Campbell in ‘Forgiving Nancy’ had been. The girl related closely to the character of Nancy; being the same age as her, searching for particular things in life, wondering what the future might hold. The reason she bought my book was actually because she identified so much with Nancy. And I saw how her buying the novel would have a particular deep meaning for her: the book would be a close companion to her in her own journey.
More people poured into the coffee bar where there was a gorgeous smell of coffee in the atmosphere. More people gravitated towards my signing table. Often, before a signing takes place I am asked a few questions relating to my writing history; how long have I been writing? do I write every day? And, of course, that question I delight in being asked ‘are you doing a sequel?’ All these questions are music to my ears. I love when people are curious and interested and have that ‘air of wanting to know’ about them. Perhaps it is because I myself am a very curious person and always have been.
Another lady I signed a book for was buying ‘Forgiving Nancy’ for her sister who lives down in England. Her sister loves Edinburgh but as a result of ill-health she no longer can tackle the journey up to Scotland. She would now not be up to that amount of travelling. The book was being bought especially for her with the idea of taking Edinburgh to her, the novel being set as it is in Edinburgh. I had mentioned previously how much attention was paid to the setting of my novel, that setting was like a ‘character’ in my book. I thought it a wonderful idea that my book was being bought for these reasons directly connected to Edinburgh.
As the lady in England is reading ‘Forgiving Nancy’ she will become re-united and closer again to the city she loves so much. For her Edinburgh will not just be a memory but a living vibrant daily experience. Many of the streets she had known and loved she will recognise again, as she reads, also the many landmarks like Edinburgh castle and the beautiful squares. At some point in her past I am quite sure she will have even been for afternoon tea to one of the hotels mentioned in ‘Forgiving Nancy’.
People buy for so many reasons and the reasons are always so interesting, so different and so wonderful. Many young men gravitate towards my signing table just because they instinctively feel their wives or girlfriends will love the book. On seeing the cover they will say ‘Oh, she’ll like that, I’ll take one, could you sign it’. I do love when ‘Forgiving Nancy’ is bought in this spontaneous way, love to think my book is a surprise for someone.
On my journey goes with my book signing events. Next stop is the lovely Stockbridge Library on Tuesday evening!

PORTOBELLO LIBRARY – INTERVIEW, DISCUSSION AND BOOK SIGNING EVENING

For the past thirty years or more, since I have lived in Edinburgh, I have always loved to visit Portobello, which is a lovely coastal town on the outskirts of the city. Many days have I taken the bus there just to enjoy sea and sand and to walk on the wonderfully long promenade there. The people of Portobello are so friendly and welcoming.
Often, after one of these pleasant and leisurely afternoons I’d pop into the local library before catching the bus back to Edinburgh. I remember years ago thinking ‘if I should ever become an author I’d love to do a book signing at Portobello library’. This is exactly what I did.
I went for a meeting with Paul, the librarian, several weeks before the event at Portobello Library was to take place. And I was thrilled because he mentioned to me at this meeting that he wanted to read ‘Forgiving Nancy’ then have the event in the form not only of a book signing but an interview about my novel and the writing process; the interview would comprise such subjects as ‘inspiration’ and ‘character development’. I was thrilled about this.
When the night of the event dawned I was impressed by how Paul was so intensely interested in my book. It was obvious he had read the entire novel very closely. As he commented on it I knew he knew my novel through and through. He commented that it was much more than a romance and this is exactly so. There are so many layers of meaning in ‘Forgiving Nancy’.
I sat in front of a small audience, some of whom were sitting taking notes and were part of the creative writer’s workshop at Portobello Library. I answered the questions Paul had framed for me, I got to chat about many more of the themes in the novel, like the significance of clothes in the book. Paul had noticed how Maxwell was always the immaculate character and how he craved ‘order’ in his world and how this sense of ‘order’ was actually a theme in the novel.
The event took place in a room upstairs from the main library. It was a large room set aside for author events and other events that the library was involved with. I took note of the wonderful sense of community at the library, this sense of community is reflected in all aspects of Portobello; as you walk by the shops in the main street, as you walk on the promenade, as you sit in the cafes and restaurants and hotels there.
Leaving the Portobello Library on event night I felt the sense the whole event had been meaningful, not just in the signing themselves but how the event was brought fully to life through open discussion about the book.
The audience asked me some great questions too. For example, one young man asked about what it was like, as a first time author, working on my ‘edits’. This question impressed me as the process of editing a novel is vitally important. I conveyed to the young man what the process was like for me and how I can only sing the praises of the editing process. It helps to make a book sparkle!
I’ll never forget this book signing for all the different aspects there was to it, how it led out to fruitful and meaningful discussion, how it made for such a wonderfully stimulating and interesting evening.

An excerpt from Forgiving Nancy.

An excerpt from Forgiving Nancy:

Opposite the hotel was a church with a graveyard, but it didn’t disturb the lively        cosmopolitan vibrations in this quarter of the city. The ancient blackened graves in the bushes went largely unnoticed by passers-by, but for Nancy it was a different matter. She felt a sudden tightening in her heart as she saw the gravestones. It was only the previous summer that she had buried her parents after a coach crash in Austria; her emotions towards this unnoticed secluded place had become poignant then.

To the right, high up over all the gravestones on top of the great mass of jagged rugged rock was Edinburgh Castle, as permanent a sight as anything ever could be. The castle sat with an air of majesty, like a king on his throne, the sky wrapped around like a cloak of blue silk’.

A quotation from Sheryl Browne’s 5 star review of Forgiving Nancy which can be read fully on Amazon:  ‘Forgiving Nancy gives us a wonderful array of colourful characters and stunning descriptions of Edinburgh’.

My Wonderful Book Signing Event at the Fabulous Radisson Blu Hotel on The Royal Mile, Edinburgh.

I’ve always loved The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, this long elegant street, full of wonderful history has Edinburgh Castle at the top end and Holyrood Palace at the bottom end. The street is full of historic closes too, the tourists are fascinated by them as am I.
It seemed only natural when my novel, Forgiving Nancy was published, to ask if I could do a book signing event inside the Radisson Blu Hotel. This fabulous hotel is situated right in the middle of the Royal Mile.  I remember the day I went to put my proposal to the marketing lady and remember vividly how she responded when I did. She was thrilled by my idea but at the same time she told me they had not done a book signing event in the hotel previously. But far from this being a deterrent to her she was most interested. She positively and enthusiastically welcomed my idea of a book signing.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh, where I had my book signing for Forgiving Nancy.

The next step was to have a meeting with her, a proper scheduled meeting that is. The meeting was arranged, then the date for the event set. She told me how the hotel would advertise the signing and, as if by magic, the book signing event for Forgiving Nancy was all set for Saturday, the 25th of October at 1.00 p.m. and it would last until 8.00 p.m. When the 25th October arrived I was all ready wearing a new dress for the occasion. The dress I wore was a deep red dress, the colour of wine, and I wore my new fur collar with it. I’m the sort of person who loves to shop for new clothes at anytime but most especially for a special occasion and this event was certainly to be a special one.

Everything about the hotel was delightful: the beautiful interior is, I’d say, a combination of traditional features and modern. The actual building the hotel is in is, of course, a piece of history, being, as it is, on The Royal Mile. Unique features inside the hotel like the stunning archways and the old fashioned window panes make it so individual and so unlike any other hotel.

On arrival at the Radisson Blu on the 25th of October I was bubbling over with excitement. As I entered the main door I could see how elegantly the details of my book signing were displayed. Seeing this actually made me feel rather special and a bit important as I walked into the wonderful and sparkling foyer where the lovely staff of the hotel have their desks. Inside the inner foyer there was more mention of my event on another sophisticated looking billboard. I felt overjoyed.

I reached the lounge where everything had been set up for my signing. I gasped on seeing my signing table set in such a sumptuous oasis, how elegant, how sophisticated it was. Never could I have imagined a more gorgeous area for any book signing. I was given a purple velvet chair to sit upon, the table was long, just the correct height, it had loads of space for signing and a chic black tablecloth covered it. All at once, because the setting was so exquisite I felt more glamorous in myself. I sat down on the velvet chair, it was so comfortable and I began to carefully position my copies of Forgiving Nancy on the table. 

Holding a copy of Forgiving Nancy.

My hubby was stationed in a sumptuous sofa chair with red velvet cushions nearby. He couldn’t have been happier, more relaxed or more comfortable sitting there. He began to sip some wine then ordered some food. He began to enjoy watching the people gravitate over to my signing table as the event got underway. The table was now covered in books.

Soon I was absorbed and signing lots of copies of Forgiving Nancy to the lovely tourists I was meeting, also some local people too. A lady who lives in one of the nearby Edinburgh closes had nipped into the hotel just for the book signing, then disappeared back to that close to become immersed in her reading of Forgiving Nancy.

I noticed the book cover fascinated most who came to my table. As they looked at the cover with the castle, the window and the doll I could see the cover was something that really captured their imagination. These very visitors may have been up visiting the actual castle only a few hours before. The visitors were perhaps already under the spell of the real castle and a book with the castle on the front of it would only interest and entrance them more.

Some young ladies walked to my table. I struck up a lively conversation with them about some of the great themes in Forgiving Nancy. These themes interested them and soon I was signing copies of the book for them. I noticed most of the lovely people I signed copies for wished to know only a bit of an outline to the story, just like I do myself when I buy a book.

Some lovely gentlemen came over to my table too and bought the book for their wives and girlfriends. This particular group had travelled up from Newcastle for a few days. Some ladies bought books as Christmas presents for their friends, some bought for their aunts and grandmothers, others bought for their daughters.

The wonderful thing about Forgiving Nancy is that it is a timeless novel and one that is suited to most age groups. Anyone from 16 years up to 90 years would enjoy the book.

Yes, it is a dramatic love story with many deep themes inside it, but it is also a book well worth reading for the outstanding scenery and settings alone.

I wanted it to be a novel that embraced fully the beauty of Edinburgh, and I do feel these features of it are represented and are of particular interest to the visitors who come to Edinburgh. As these visitors travel home with their signed copies of Forgiving Nancy, they feel they taken home a piece of Edinburgh with them, a piece that will stay with them forever, well after their visit.

And, that is so what I wanted for my book!