But the writers' week is, as usual, brilliant. Saw a fantastic bloke speak - a kind of a pohmmy JB - Phillip Kerr. Never read his stuff because its detective gear, but I will now. He can tell a mean story.
After hours is publisher parties, hanging out with their authors and international publishers and trying to remember that I'm an author, and not an agent anymore! Too weird to find myself pitching books to a french publisher when they arejust things I've read and love and nothign in it for me! Old spots that just don't go away.
Had indian with the charming Steven Conte (author of the Zookkeepers War) last night. Haven;t read his book, but then, he hasn't read mine, so we jsut talked about the biz over dinner, and story, and next books. Cool.
However, the exercise regime though it started out with the best intentions, has come to a grinding halt. I walked both ways to the fest yesterday, but on the way back twisted my ankle, and this morningit is up like a baloon and painful, and though I can put pressure on it, I won't be walking too far. Dammit. I was really enjoying the walk.
Philip Kerr fan here, Hughesy (discovered him last year). Read them in order if you can (the Bernie Gunther novels, that is). The first is a trilogy called 'Berlin Noir', set in Nazi Germany in 1934, then 37 and I think the last one is after the war, in 1947. Then there are about three others written after that. The most recent is set in 50s Cuba.
ReplyDeleteHis hero, Bernie Gunther, is a classic private eye with some great (but not too many) one-liners, a marvellous Nazi-hater. But it's the historical detail of ordinary street life in that appallingly corrupt period which lifts the whole thing two notches above commonplace detective fiction, and the classy writing takes it another notch or two higher still.
Bugger.
ReplyDeleteI hope you've had ice on it.
See if you can get some arnica ointment at a local health food store/chemist - its great for bruising and swelling. Just make sure you never apply to broken skin.
And try to keep a compression bandage on it, odds are good it will swell during the day, unless of course you can keep your ankle above your head and one ankle only above one's head does tend to be no fun on your own, and graceless besides.
Am still very envious of you. Love writers festivals.
Is there a pool you can soak in?
Ouch Hughesy, take care and then get back on the exercise wheel.
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