In the middle of all the theatricality this week, I managed to check out a possible venue for September’s launch of my new novel, A Clash of Innocents.  I usually am too superstitious to talk about things before they are set in stone, but I have a very good feeling about this.  Without saying names, I have found a cultural institution in central London devoted to all things Asian.  It is one of those beautiful old buildings with a sweeping central staircase and painted ceilings.  I think it will be fantastic.  And I think, this time, I’ll also have some entertainment.  I  did love the party I threw for the launch of Tangled Roots. It was in the beautiful library of The Science Museum, with champagne, canapes etc.  But I was advised at the time just to make a short speech and not to read from the book, and I think that was a mistake.  I have since been to several launches of all sorts and sizes, and I know the author’s reading has always been the evening’s highlight.  So this time I will read, but not alone.

In the yoga world we talk about the universe providing……I have recently had a great example of just that.  I have about 1000 photos of my trip to Cambodia, and I was thinking about putting them together into a sort of slide presentation that I use as a backdrop to excerpts from the book.  Then, out of the blue, I was introduced to a young Cambodian man working in London who is eager to present photographs taken by Cambodian teenagers living in a shelter in Siem Reap.  After a short conversation, it became clear that we could work together to create a really moving presentation of photos and prose, and that this could be the perfect way to launch the book.  The venue that I found will work wonderfully for this — they even have all the technology, and the personnel, to make it work.  Take that, some Khmer music in the background and a table for me to sign at, and you have the makings of a terrific evening.  I am so excited!  Now hopefully, the demons won’t punish me for talking about all this too soon.  Because you know what can happen:
Thanks to Cass2541 for this.