Author! Author!

This was a big week for author events.  The first was Ian McEwan.  I know people love McEwan.  I like many of his books but the ones I hate, I really hate (On Chesil Beach, Saturday - - two books I wanted to throw across the room in a fit of rage).  

He has a new book out now called The Children's Act. Not one to hold a grudge, I went to see him talk about it at Cadogan Hall.

As did the rest of London.  The line was all the way around the block.

Since there were a series of queues (one to get in, one to get the book, another to get into the auditorium) I wound up well positioned in the end despite starting in line in the back of the building.  My iPhone camera doesn't like this lighting though.  Ian is the one on the left.

McEwan reading.  There was no book signing.  The book I bought at the start of the program had his signature already in it.  Do you think he really signed it or are the Waterstones cashiers sitting in the back room cranking these out?

McEwan's conversation was good and I really enjoyed the reading so hopefully The Children's Act will not be met with violence from this reader.

As luminary as McEwan is, I turned the excitement level up to 11 on Wednesday night.

Two words:  DAVID MITCHELL.

I would never throw a David Mitchell book across the room.  I can't even call him "Mitchell". He is David Mitchell.

I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him.

He started his reading off by apologizing to anyone Norwegian because he was going to absolutely butcher their language.  "Is anyone here Norwegian?"  
I would have sold my soul to be Oslo born.

One woman in the audience raised her hand, came up to the podium, and read the Norwegian passage.  He later tried to prompt her to repeat a word once she was back in her seat and either she didn't get it or I just couldn't hear her.  If that had been me I would have made sure I was attentive and articulate and projected his Norwegian words of brilliance with pride. 

He talked about meeting Kate Bush  - she rang him up and when she introduced herself he said the room swam and he was fan-boy jelly.  He also talked about how he "interviews" his characters while he is in the shower.  He has his characters write letters to him so that he can hear their voices.  He doodles.  He has shelves full of notebooks of all of the pre-work he goes through to write a book. Wouldn't it be great to be able to sift through all of that and see how a masterpiece like Cloud Atlas emerges from the pages?

The book signing line was long so they had to hustle us through fairly quickly but he was more than willing to do photographs and seemed like he genuinely wanted to chat (not just with me…although I'm sure he was particularly sorry not to chat with me).  

This was my Kate Bush moment.