Yesterday, at the first (in a long time), Salon des Ecrivains – Writers’ Festival – in Quillan, I was delighted to release my book Parallel Lives alongside works by other local writers.

Almost thirty writers gathered at the Bar de la Promenade at 9am to set up for the day, organised by the Ville de Quillan as part of the annual Grandes Fetes.

The weather was not looking promising for setting up in the open air along the Promenade, as intended. Dark clouds hung overhead and the drizzle that had started overnight continued relentlessly.

I couldn’t see how the weather could possibly lift anytime soon. Much muttering ensued from the gathered authors at the seeming lack of a back-up plan – any obvious indoor venue being too far from passing traffic.

We retired to a nearby cafe, where the mayor visited over coffee – his shout – and to consider options. Tables and chairs had already been delivered to the promenade by council workers, but the rain continued withut break.

Fear not, said the Mayor, consulting his phone for the latest weather forecast, with a glance upwards to the sky outside. The weather should lift in the next half an hour and we should have sunshine.

So we drank our coffees and traded tales of how far we had travelled for this aborted festival when, like magic, and as the Mayor had predicted, the sushine came out, the rain stopped, and we were off.

The morning got off to a roaring start, books flying off the table like hotcakes. By the end of the afternoon I had sold 25 of my 34 available books, and met some interesting people from four corners of the globe, with interesting tales to tell of their own experiences living in this beautiful region, including an Aucklander, chef and sommelier, passing through by chance.

The midday aperitif of wine and savouries was generously offered by the Mairie, supplied by my favourte boulangerie.

Our lovely New Zealand house guests – the first people to rent our village house – also popped by, kindly bringing some luscious blackberries fresh from our garden, and buying a copy of the book for our house.

After the inauspicious start, it was a fun and successful day. Next on the agenda is some celebratory drinks for friends and those who feature in the book.

Happy reading!