The Seeds and the Fruits

Springtime is casting her warmth, light and regenerative spell over the land, which means the season of book events is upon us, happily.

I was in South Molton, in north Devon this week, for a couple of very touching events, and what an uplifting time it was.

Firstly, you can't help but be happy and humbled when people make such an effort to welcome you. This was my first sight on arriving at the library -

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From there onwards, you know you're in for a good evening.

My first event was to launch a book club for the local school, with a chat about the magic of reading, writing and storytelling, and it was a joy. How wonderful to see youngsters so engaged with books and keen to hear how I invent characters, plots and settings. It was there the word seeds came to mind...

... which was then built on beautifully in the evening, when I did a talk about my books to the adult readers of the library.

All went well, but it was the questions part which really floored me with a completely unexpected delight.

One lady put up her hand and didn't ask a question, but just wanted to thank me. Two years ago, I travelled to nearby Barnstaple to help launch a writers group. She wanted to tell me it was thriving to such an extent that others had been set up to cater for the level of interest, and they now had four.

Wow is about all I can say. I'm still aglow with the thought that I helped some aspiring writers to actually get on and pen their novels and stories, enjoy themselves so much in the process, and even attract others to join in as well.

That's the seeds thing, and one of the great joys of being an author. With events like that initial launch of a writers group, and talking to the youngsters about the delights of books and reading, you hope to plant the seeds of a lifetime of enjoyment.

And when you know it's actually happened... oh, what a feeling.