Fleur McDonald signing Purple Roads at Clare
Touring is a part of being an author, but a part I find slightly confronting. I’m much better off behind a computer screen than public speaking. However, my Papa always told me it was important to push outside of my comfort zone, so bearing all this mind, I set off, last Sunday, on a flight to Adelaide.
I was torn between being so excited at meeting some of my readers, who are often like-minded women and whom I have much in common with, and being shit scared at all the impending speeches I had to do.
Monday night saw me at Mt Gambier – I have to say, it is the most incredible library I have ever seen and Cathryn Harris has done a brilliant job at designing it. My opening comment was: ‘I believe in being up front and honest, so please forgive my nerves; I find it hard speaking in front of so many people when I talk to sheep and cows more than humans…’ Which, actually, is true! Anyway, the crowd was very kind and we managed to get through without too many hiccups!
Roxby Downs was the next stop, on Tuesday evening and I had a blast there. Kimberley, the library manager, and her band of merry helpers had excelled themselves with the table settings, which incorporated all my title colours. They had seriously gone to a huge amount of effort.
Fantastic table settings at Roxby Downs
Wednesday, being ANZAC day, was my family day. I headed to my sister’s farm and caught up with my nephew, who I’ve only seen once before and my brand new niece, Lexy.
Thursday was very busy with a lunch event at Clare, which also saw the ABC Landline SA team come and do some filming and ask a few questions. That evening I had an event in Port Pirie at Meg’s Bookshop and was extactic when I looked out into the crowd and saw two of my old boarding school friends there. (You never know who you’re going to run into on these things!)
ABC Landline team filming the Purple Roads event at Clare
Friday was a very emotional day. I headed to Orroroo, my home town, and spoke at my sister’s functions centre, The Blacksmith’s Chatter. Everyone was so kind and interested in what I’d been doing since I left and I loved every second I spent there. I was also thrilled my oldest friends made a special trip from four hours away to be there.
To all who came to these events, thank you so much. It was terrific to meet you and thanks so much for your support.
Thanks too, to All at Allen and Unwin who helped organise it, Belle from Belle Baker Marketing, who runs my website, to Cathryn at the Mt Gambier Library, Kimberley at the Roxby Library, Kim at Collins Book Sellers in Clare, Pip Courtney who organised the Landline filming, after seeing a potential story there and Margie from Meg’s Bookshop in Pt Pirie (who also drove me to Roxby and came to the Orroroo event). None of this could have happened without any of you.
Oh, and how cool are these biscuits? Some clever chook at the Roxby Downs event made these as I was up there in conjunction with the National Year of Reading 2012!
National Year of Reading biscuits!
