Window-shopping

There’s not much to tell you about the progress towards publication of “The Man in the Canary Waistcoat”, as I am waiting for my big box of books to arrive from America so that I can distribute them to shops and reviewers by 31 October – the Big Day.  But I forgot to tell you about something else terrifically exciting!

A couple of weekends ago it was Alumni Weekend here in Cambridge – an annual event when ex-students come back to the city for lectures, tours, events and reunions.  It’s quite a shindig.  And local shops try to mark the occasion in order to draw in the crowds.  A friend came to stay with me, so that we could go to an event at our old college, and as we were taking a nostalgic walk around town we passed Heffers, the university bookshop.  “Oh look,” said my friend casually, “Isn’t that your book in the window?”  And it was!

 

Well, you can imagine the squeals of delight!  Apparently the display was of books by alumni, and there I was, cosying up to Sophie Hannah (below) and Kate Atkinson (above).  A passing group of Japanese tourists asked what all the excitement was and, when I explained, insisted on taking photos of “famous Cambridge writer” – hope they’re not too disappointed when they get home…