In the quest for accuracy and the proper use of words, what an author did ought to be good at and all that, I acknowledge the chant is ‘road trip’ but… I don’t do roads much. I am car free and don’t have a regular car-wielding minion about the place.
But I have been venturing out with particular frequency and joy this month, with more trips to come, so here are some highlights… Rail travel is something I genuinely prefer, as you can not only walk about, find a loo when you want one, but you can also have a beer or indeed some prosecco, and you quite often see more interesting scenery. Last weekend, I ventured some distance north, all the way to North Shields, for another Night Market: another chance to showcase some of the ‘softer’ titles I like to acquire from time to time. As yet, Night Markets are not all that lucrative, but I hope to improve my performance at their lovely, warm, welcoming events (and yes, it would help if I didn’t spend so much time discovering stuff I simply have to buy on other people’s stalls.)
The weekend just gone was Birmingham Fetish Weekend, which was also lots of fun. On the Saturday afternoon I took part in the Human Library, telling some newer kinksters about the fetish scene in the early 90s; subsequently reminding myself at the Fetish Ball that I am really a bit old for rammed dancefloors and didn’t care for bass that heavy even when I was young (though other people were clearly having a great time). Sunday was, of course, the BBB and it was a magnificently busy day, with lots of new customers and various interesting suggestions for titles to acquire in the future.
And now I have discovered that it is, in fact, more than manageable to travel with two whole suitcases, this mobile bookseller is definitely staying mobile and properly stocked up for the foreseeable. Just so long as there are fewer rail strikes.