When my wife and I arrived in London one week ago, we hit the ground running. As soon as we touched down, we sprinted to the studios of Talk Radio London for my first radio interview ever.
I was all nerves but adapted quickly.
We then spent a lovely weekend with old friends, exploring corners off the beaten track and feasting on international delicacies until we felt close to bursting.
On Monday, the 11th, I attended a workshop from The Author School. The day was a fireworks of great advice, inspiration, and an abundance of good-humoured conversation with fellow authors.
This was followed by a marvellous second radio interview on Tuesday – this time with BBC Radio Ulster. Unfortunately not all parts of the pre-recorded interview were aired on the Arts Show that same evening. Marie-Louise Muir quoted some wonderful passages from Paralian. But even though what she said was in effect far better than my comments, the studio decided to keep my input rather than hers. I’m honoured, yet I do regret our listeners not having a chance to listen to Marie-Louise’s smart and compassionate insights as well.
My short visit to London Book Fair convinced me of letting it go for this year. Instead of exhausting myself while facing rejection after rejection, I opted for the joy of the moment and for living life to the fullest. So my spirited soul mate and I ventured into the creative land of MUSE. Their concert at the Millennium Dome rejuvenated and energised us to a point where we still find ourselves humming “they will not control us, we will be victorious” five days later.
Other discoveries proved to be just as enchanting: The land of Vietnamese pho in London’s Chinatown. And a trip through the land of Harry Potter at Warner Bros. studios. J.K. Rowling’s quote “No story lives unless someone wants to listen” in the tour entry hall made my heart skip a beat and set my pulse to a marathon runner’s speed. Thus engaged, the love and detail that went into every element of bringing Rowling’s Potter books to the big screen touched every fibre of my being. Especially standing in front of this 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts Castle gave me several lifetimes’ worth of energy to keep following my dreams.
Then, on Thursday, BCG London opened their doors for me to present Paralian. I am still touched by the warm welcome my wife and I received and by their genuine support. If this is how every book reading will be then I want to give thousands of them.
On Friday, sadly, it was time to leave.
What an unforgettable, successful first week of book promotion though. A week of happiness and content – professionally as well as personally. I am looking forward to heading back to my ‘United Kingdom of Literary Adventures’ beginning of June!
Paralian will be launching on May 28, 2016. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, Apple ibooks store, and Troubador.