Back to Life, Reality; La Grind

After a short and unavoidable break (I got married. It was grand) I'm back to fill you in on all that has been going on.

Last Thursday was my big promo event at Trinity academy. It was a rip-roaring success! What a bright, enthusiastic and entertaining group of youngsters. I gave a presentation to the 1st & 2nd year English pupils and managed to squeeze the Teen Titles interview in between the two. It was a jam-packed sandwich, and I loved every minute of it.

In the first part of the day I spoke to the 2nd year English students. I wasn't sure how they would receive me. I am, after all, a rather uncool, 30 something mother with sensible clothes and not a lick of glamour. Armed with a belly full of coffee and my butter knife wit, I plunged ahead. Althought the first presentation was good, by the second I'd picked up more a pace and it ran a little smoother.

I didn't want to be one of those stuffy lecturers that just stands up and talks to the group like a politician. I wanted to interact with them and find out what they knew. Engage them.  It worked. Throughout the beginning of both presentations I would stop and ask them if they knew what I was talking about. With a smattering of eye contact and a little persistance for answers, I got what I was after.  Their questions were many and varied in topic, which I always welcome.

The interview was also fun. The reviewers from Teen Titles were a delight to spend time with. Their questions were well thought out, they were polite, well spoken. They are fine examples of teens who get overlooked when summarising the demograph. It is my opinion that most teens are too easily grouped into this adult-imposed idea of the "modern teenager". But then, it is also my belief that it has always been this way. It's just too easy for adults to forget how much we know our own minds as youngsters.  These young reviewers from Teen Titles certainly seemed to me to be intelligent and strong-minded individuals. I could have chatted with them for ages.

As you can imagine, after the interview the conversation soon turned to books and I particularly enjoyed hearing about what they had read.  Also, speaking to the 1st years after the second presentation interview, I got to hear about what they were reading. Only a fellow book lover could understand the enjoyment gained from talking about books.

All in all, it was a fantastic experince and a wonderful opportunity to get so much exposure for The Ferryman's Wife direct to my target audience. I really couldn't be happier at how it all went. I can only hope that they show as much enthusiasm in actually getting hold of my book and actually reading it. Here's a huge Thank You! to all who were involved.