I've just returned home from the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay. This was the third time I've taken part in the festival, which seems to be growing all the time. I was asked to take part in 'Roger Ackroyd Day', namely 17 September, and to give a presentation about Agatha and the Detection Club. Family commitments meant the overall trip was shorter than originally planned, but I still managed quite a lot of sightseeing on the long journey to and from the south west and I'll highlight some of my experiences on another occasion.
All festivals require a good deal of hard work on the part of a considerable number of people - not just the festival director, Matt Newbury, and administrator Jo Barlow, but a range of others working hard in the background. It all seemed to go very smoothly, and that's no mean achievement, as the logistics for an event of this kind can be quite challenging to manage.
It was interesting to return to the Grand Hotel, where I first stayed during the Agatha Christie Centenary celebrations in 1990 - before I was a published crime novelist! Equally interesting to reflect on everything that has happened since then; many wonderful things that I never foresaw, that's for certain. One of the great pleasures of a festival is the chance to catch up with old friends and to meet other people for the first time. It was good to see Tina Hodgkinson again, and she kindly introduced me to fashion expert and TV presenter Amber Butchart. Now I'm nobody's idea of a fashionista, but Amber proved to be very charming and told a great story about her experience as a winner of Celebrity Mastermind.
No comments:
Post a Comment