Occasionally I get to go to Author events held in local bookstores. Those events held in a Bricks and Mortar shop are usually the bigger name authors on a regional or global book tour and is a good way of supporting both the author (because people turn up and generally buy the latest book, often in hardback) and the bookstore itself (because if you buy one book, there’s a chance you’ll buy another whilst you’re there).
On Thursday 18th July, Charlaine Harris was at the Birmingham New Street Waterstones for her new book “Dead Ever After”, the last in the successful Sooky Stackhouse books upon which the “True Blood” tv series is based.
I have to admit that I’ve neither read the books nor watched True Blood ahead of this session, but was aware of Charlaine, the books and the series. I have seen Charlaine on the BBC TV previously and have been left with an impression of bubbly dark haired woman from the Deep South who, whilst not derisive of Twilight, didn’t subscribe to the “No-sex-before-marriage-sparkly-vampires” business of the other hip vampire series.
Because I belong to the Jewellery Quarter Bookwormers Group we were allowed to get entry for free rather than for the £5 ticket price.
The queue outside started well before 7, which meant our small group of 5 ended up sitting near the back, by the time we got our tickets and books. It was one of the hottest days of a hot week in Birmingham, and even though the New Street branch is a long ago converted bank with high ceilings, it was still hot inside and many people sat there fanning themselves. Charlaine arrived out pretty promptly at 7:45, talked and took questions for about 30 minutes, then signed for the rest of the evening. She coped with the notoriously difficult Birmingham accent remarkably well (I’ve seen English authors fail on this test!) and answered questions succinctly and with humour. Maximum of 3 books could be signed, and after a slow start, the queue picked up and I was home just after 9pm with my signed hardback in my possession!
Thanks to Simon at the Bookwormers for organising, the gang at Waterstones for hosting and for Charlaine for being there!
Dead Ever After (from Waterstones)
Dead Ever After (from Amazon.co.uk
Writing about books 