This time next week...

I'm so excited to be going to London next Monday for a Stories for Homes event! It's an evening of live music and readings at the Ivy House pub in Nunhead. A lot of the music is being provided by fellow authors, and there's a guest slot by trombone poetry too. If the mood takes us, there might even be a singalong - who knows? The ingenious thing about this event is that, with a live internet connection available, entry is £3, or order a copy of the book! Doors open at 7.30pm and the entertainment starts at 8pm - if you're there, do introduce yourself!

The fact that I'm going to be taking part in the entertainment and reading from my own story, on a stage with red velvet curtains and gold trim (yep - this is really what it looks like!) is both exciting and very, very scary at this moment in time!

I've never been to a 'proper' reading before, let alone read at one. I've read aloud, sure - lessons at church, stories to the kids at home and at school - and having done Am-Dram and delivered trainings years ago, the thought of standing up in front of people to deliver doesn't really phase me.

But this time, it's my words I'm reading. That's a whole new level of "Eeek!"

I've been practising; timed the reading to last nine minutes and, with a little bit of editing 'cos I didn't feel I could do one section of dialogue justice, stop at a not too unsuitable point. Funny thing was, as I practised, I could feel myself slipping into an Am-Dram type persona - Katherine, The Author - because the real Katherine, the one who sits on the settee typing words into the laptop and dreaming impossible dreams of published novels, just doesn't believe at the moment that this is all happening.

Perhaps, by next Monday evening, the real Katherine will feel brave enough to attend and read...wish me luck!