A STAGE SET FOR AN AUTHOR'S EVENT

M: So you’re having an event. Expelling the joys of writing and telling the world how good you are.

My Marketing Manager: No. You are going to weave some magic.

Me: Magic. I’m no magician.

My Marketing Manager: Yes you are. We need to create a set. Dress the room.

The Room for the event is booked. It’s called the supper room. I could not imagine having supper or even the last supper in there. Dour, boring. It brings to mind...

But. If we could recreate it in a theatrical fashion we could, and I’ve used that world twice now, make the space into a reading space. An artistic cave.

I trolled my Facebook friends. Was I going mad. They were delighted. Brought all kinds of ideas to mind.

Why don’t you make it into a movie set. Have your guests wear look-a- like outfits from your book characters. No. I really can’t see my son turning out as Jacques Barbosa or Hendrik Palese from the Contract Series totting large plastic weapons and holding sway on beautiful girls.

Or, casting him as Timothy Ranstone from The Road to Tarascon trilogy. Cast off clothes and wearing a smoking jacket with leather patches on the elbows.

Let’s be serious for a moment. Why don’t we have a door prize. Surround ourselves with objects of interest. Old furniture, second hand books. Lavish sofa’s. Artistic woven pillows and trinkets of all sizes.

Invite the watercolour group. Display their paintings. Get the OP shop to contribute their wares. Have a grand sale. Now, why didn’t I think of that.

They call it brainstorming. My brain is hurting. But will it work?

Creating the scene for an author event is one I am looking forward to.

I don’t want my guests sitting indifferently staring at a blank wall and listen to me prattle on for 40 minutes about how good I am. I certainly don’t want them to feel the need to run out of there screaming at the first opportunity.

If it’s created in an atmosphere of multiple surroundings of beautiful things to eat and buy. Then and only then would 30 people or more - I hope, enjoy an author’s event and secretly wish there would be more to come.

I’ll keep you posted.