Beverley Lit Fest, where I was allowed without my Special Restraints....

Well!  Yesterday I was on a panel... no, that doesn't mean that someone finally snapped and nailed me to a door, it means that I was at Beverley Lit Fest, sitting on a chair.  And sitting alongside me were Rhoda Baxter, fellow Choc Liteer, Val Wood, who was 'chairing' us, and Melinda Hammond, so it was all very glam and professional and everything.  We even had proper radio mikes! Normally when I do this sort of thing (well, maybe not this sort of thing, it's more usually a small room in the back of a shop) I'm just told to 'speak up, really loudly, and don't mind the dog, he wanders off half way through anyway'.  But no!Proper voice-loudening devices were worn!  And there wasn't even a dog!  Just lots of lovely people who asked real questions and laughed and didn't say things like 'well, who's she then? I've never heard of her,' during the talks.

I'd never been to Beverley before. Although on a map it's only about half an inch from where I live, when you translate that into real miles it's quite a long way. And it's up and down all the way which, even in a car, is a bit offputting, it gives me the impression that I'm going into space, just really slowly.  But it seems a very nice place, and I'm sure I'll go back, especially now that I know they've got an M&S which is, let's face it, the really important thing about a place. Cultural sights of interest are all very well but sometimes what you really want is a good-quality sandwich and proper pants.

Some of it, I am led to believe, looks like this

And we talked about writing romance and being published and stuff like that, and it was very grown up and I only did one obscene gesture and I didn't mention incontinence or wee or anything even once!

I think everyone may have forgotten my last debacle and I may gradually be allowed into polite society again.  Like a Victorian lady coming slowly out of mourning...